Donnasoar 0 #1 November 29, 2011 I am so confused..please help me out. I bought a skydiving adventure from Groupon and the vendor is Sportations. I am reading several threads that indicate this is not a legit company and my family says its a scam...Is this a scam and unsafe or what??? Prior to contacting Groupon want to get as much info as possible first Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skinnay 0 #2 November 29, 2011 The company is run by scumbags, but you may be able to get your money's worth. What you should sort out first is where and when you can make your skydive. They often use groupons to fill up their weekday schedule which isnt possible for most people to follow through with. As for safety, there's a couple threads around showing some questionable practices as well as poor aircraft maintenance. And someone can correct me, but didn't the perkasie king air have its 4th landing gear collapse this summer? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CSpenceFLY 1 #3 November 29, 2011 QuoteI am so confused..please help me out. I bought a skydiving adventure from Groupon and the vendor is Sportations. I am reading several threads that indicate this is not a legit company and my family says its a scam...Is this a scam and unsafe or what??? Prior to contacting Groupon want to get as much info as possible first I wonder if this business model will be enough to get some of the dumb ass DZOs to quit doing business with these assholes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matthewcline 0 #4 November 29, 2011 Contact your States Attorney General, show them the numerous threads here and demand a FULL refund. Explain your confusion on TWO Mass Scam Marketers selling near worthless coupons, they should at least investigate. Then go to an ACTUAL DZ web page, for a REAL location near you and buy direct. You can find real DZ's in the DZ Locator on this site. MattAn Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
davelepka 4 #5 November 29, 2011 QuoteI am so confused..please help me out. I bought a skydiving adventure from Groupon and the vendor is Sportations. I am reading several threads that indicate this is not a legit company and my family says its a scam...Is this a scam and unsafe or what??? Prior to contacting Groupon want to get as much info as possible first The company 'Sportations' is a spin-off of Skyride, which has a history of 'questionable' business practices. That said, one of the ways they work is by booking tandems at legitimate drop zones, places that run good, safe operations, and will provide a quality service for your money. Another way they work is by running their own drop zones, some of which have poor reputations among jumpers. Here's what you do - first, post the name of the srop zone that is supposed to provide you service, and we'll see if it's a legit place, or a Skyride Dz that you should avoid. If it's a good DZ, just call them and try to book your jump. Understand that by doing a Groupon, they're going to have a flood of business, and you might have to wait a couple weeks for an open slot, but if it's a liget DZ, there's a good chance you'll get your jump and have a blast. If it's a Skyride DZ, then you have to make a choice between taking your chances with them, or trying to get your money back from Groupon ( I don't think they do that), or just taking a loss. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wolfriverjoe 1,523 #6 November 29, 2011 QuoteQuoteI am so confused..please help me out. I bought a skydiving adventure from Groupon and the vendor is Sportations. I am reading several threads that indicate this is not a legit company and my family says its a scam...Is this a scam and unsafe or what??? Prior to contacting Groupon want to get as much info as possible first The company 'Sportations' is a spin-off of Skyride, which has a history of 'questionable' business practices. That said, one of the ways they work is by booking tandems at legitimate drop zones, places that run good, safe operations, and will provide a quality service for your money. Another way they work is by running their own drop zones, some of which have poor reputations among jumpers. Here's what you do - first, post the name of the drop zone that is supposed to provide you service, and we'll see if it's a legit place, or a Skyride Dz that you should avoid. If it's a good DZ, just call them and try to book your jump. Understand that by doing a Groupon, they're going to have a flood of business, and you might have to wait a couple weeks for an open slot, but if it's a legit DZ, there's a good chance you'll get your jump and have a blast. If it's a Skyride DZ, then you have to make a choice between taking your chances with them, or trying to get your money back from Groupon ( I don't think they do that), or just taking a loss. Don't forget DZ option #3: It's a website that promotes a DZ that doesn't even exist."There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy "~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jumpdude 0 #7 November 29, 2011 This is a total scam! Deal directly with your local DZ. Groupon is a middle man website, Sportations is another middle man and is a cover name for 1 800 Skyride (sLyride) and they use many other names as well to deceive the customer in to thinking they are someone else. The name "Sportations" was developed within days of losing a multi-million dollar lawsuit in Arizona for trademark infringement and their deceptive advertising tactics, and was only created to hide the assets of the company to avoid seizure. As for Groupon, they are only in the business of making money off the customer and skimming even more off the vendor. They recently changed the way their website operates in the forums because myself and others like me were slamming Sportations so hard and following their ads around the country that it was killing their sales. Their forums were open so that all you had to do was to make an account with your email and you could say whatever you wanted whether it be positive or negative. After they changed their format, now, you can post what you want, but it gets approved by the seller, then through Groupon, so now the ONLY comments that get posted are those that talk about how great the company is and nothing negative ever gets shown. I have had multiple communications with Groupon and they have told me personally that they are only interested in sales and that negative feedback hinders them from selling a product. I explained that the feedback that was being posted was 100% factual, the guy replied "It's our website and we will run it how we choose!" That was the last communication I have had with them. Now they won't return my calls nor respond to emails. Also, if you buy a Sportations ticket through Groupon, you are paying TWO middle men! Deal directly with the service provider and cut these middle men! I agree with Matt, Contact your state's Attorney General and get your money back, You also need to contact your credit card company and dispute the charges! Here's a thread that addresses this issue. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4158693;search_string=groupon%20endorses;#4158693Refuse to Lose!!! Failure is NOT an option! 1800skyrideripoff.com Nashvilleskydiving.org Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matthewcline 0 #8 November 30, 2011 "Sportations" is "Skyrides" new name, well one of them any way, Groupon is the "legit" Co. MattAn Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
CSpenceFLY 1 #9 November 30, 2011 Quote"Sportations" is "Skyrides" new name, well one of them any way, Groupon is the "legit" Co. Matt Groupon was a lidit company. Their business practices leave a lot to be desired. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Donnasoar 0 #10 November 30, 2011 Thanks so much for all the great info... The DZ is Adventure Center TN Waverly TN 37185 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jumpdude 0 #11 November 30, 2011 QuoteThanks so much for all the great info... The DZ is Adventure Center TN Waverly TN 37185 Avoid that one at all cost!!!! Them fuckers have already got ran out of 3 airports including Clarksville for trying to scam the Clarksville Humane Society and have been ran out of Waverly and pulled the FAA airport access card to get back in! See www.astskydiving.net/timeline.aspx for the details and timeline of their shenanigans, deception and fraud! For much more pleasant experience, go to Cullman or Tullahoma for your skydive! www.skydiveal.com www.tennskydive.com Or, it you live more towards Memphis, go to West Tennessee Skydiving Center www.skydivekingair.comRefuse to Lose!!! Failure is NOT an option! 1800skyrideripoff.com Nashvilleskydiving.org Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
normiss 806 #12 November 30, 2011 When 102,000 tandems show up, you're screwed. Groupon is NOT good for this industry. I'm still unsure how it's actually good for anyone. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
matthewcline 0 #13 November 30, 2011 Quote Thanks so much for all the great info... The DZ is Adventure Center TN Waverly TN 37185 Hmmm.MattAn Instructors first concern is student safety. So, start being safe, first!!! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jumpdude 0 #14 November 30, 2011 Quote Quote Thanks so much for all the great info... The DZ is Adventure Center TN Waverly TN 37185 Hmmm.Matt Hey Matt! Troll??Refuse to Lose!!! Failure is NOT an option! 1800skyrideripoff.com Nashvilleskydiving.org Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jumpdude 0 #15 November 30, 2011 QuoteQuote"Sportations" is "Skyrides" new name, well one of them any way, Groupon is the "legit" Co. Matt Oh yeah, I'm aware of the whole Skyride/Sportations relationship. Not sure who owns or is running which side of the house anymore. I know Ben sold out his share years ago. As far as just running a straight Groupon, I wonder how much the Groupon fee is for that $159 tandem? (without Sportations getting involved). If it's $10-15 a shot, that's not bad. Plenty of places kick a jump ticket over to an up-jumper that brings a tandem. If it's $40 that's too high- eats up all the margin. But, if it's a small 182 operation where the one partner slings tandems and the other shoots video they can both make some money off the TI/Video fee. I don't have a problem with Internet mass marketing. I'm still waiting to hear from the DZOs if it is actually effective. I sent them an email one time back in early summer (2011) and acted like I wanted to run one for an auto repair shop, the rep called me back a few days later and told me they charge 50% of the total sale across the board, no matter what the service or product! They went on to say that on bigger ticket items, they would negotiate it down a bit, but even with that, they almost never get below 40 or 45%. He said that their system is set up so that the second the groupon deal closes, it automatically cuts and mails your check for 50% of your 50% of the total sales, then 30 days later, you get another 25%, then in another 30 days, you get the remaining balance. I've never ran one, and I am not affiliated with any DZ's that have, so they may have some real numbers for ya!Refuse to Lose!!! Failure is NOT an option! 1800skyrideripoff.com Nashvilleskydiving.org Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
