boycottheidi

Message: I for one have e-mailed Fodor's with my complaint about MauiHeidi's transparent advertising and business activities on this site. If you value this
forum as a place that is supposed to be free of advertising and not a "target
market" for people trying to pitch their wares, please e-mail your complaints
about Heidi as well. There are plenty of travel sites out there which allow travel
agents like her to take over. Let's keep this forum as it was intended to be --
free of people trying to promote their businesses!

(Check out the MauiHeidi Page 4 post for some pretty insightful comments about this woman and her promotion efforts)

Owen O'Neill

I've refrained thus far from commmenting on any of this childish bickering but can no longer sit idly by. Whoever you are that is so hellbent on "getting" Heidi - get some professional help, get a life and stay off this board unless you have useful input. I have never once seen Heidi mention the name of any travel agency (that she supposedly owns or works for)and the subject nmatter and facilities she mentions seem to range far and wide. Most interesting is that the great majority of posts to her threads have legitimate email addresses. Interesting that the complaints (such as the one on this thread) all have bogus made-up addresses. Traveling to Hawaii is a once in a lifetime experience for many people and they deserve the oportunity to get as much info as possible. Spare us the psycho babble. I for one will never read another post remotely related to the topic thanks to idiots who just can't leave well enough alone.

annemarie

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and have enjoyed reading all the postings and comments, including Heidi's. What bothers me just a bit is that a lot of people in the past months have stopped using this site for a number of reasons. Many people that used to post with help on Hawaii, have stopped because a lot of people seem to feel that Heidi is the only one that might have the right info as she lives there??? I am certainly not going to lose sleep about it though.

justme

I agree with Owen. Heidi appears to be a knowledgable Mauian with a desire to help people make the most of their vacations. Those who criticize her repetitive suggestions forget something. Maui is one of seven Hawaiian islands. The State has a population of just over one million people, the vast majority live on Oahu. With a smaller population Maui isn't going to have the same diversity of choices as New York, Chicago or LA. Heidi is recommending the best of what there is. Makes sense to me.

getreal

Heidi is fully aware of Fodor's policy which prohibits advertising and promotion. She is much too savvy to come right out and admit that she is a travel agent, but come on people, put two and two together here. Her posts blantantly promote every money-making venture on Maui and she is constantly inviting people to e-mail her to "see what she can do for them."

I suspect these posts in defense of her are more of her office staff(or Heidi herself) up to the usual phony posting tricks.

noadvertising

Message: Again, how is it that this so-called Hawaiian resident has such
intimate, first hand, detailed knowledge of all the accommodations? If she
lives there, how does it happen that she knows so much about all the hotels,
condos and resorts? Because it's her business to know -- she's a travel
agent. People have left this site because it's become what all the others (like Frommer's) are: a spiderweb with travel agents waiting and lurking and posing as "helpful" locals.

lookin

Well, Mr. Owen, (if that is indeed your REAL name), how would you know that "most" of Heidi's posts have legitimate e-mail addresses unless you've tried to e-mail them all? Either you're a psycho who needs serious help to overcome your e-mail compulsions, or you are Heidi or a Heidi cohort, paid to rush to her defense.

This all sounds amazingly like the Dr. Abate fiasco over on the European forum some months ago, doesn't it?

Lise

For those who are interested, Heidi is indeed a travel agent who works for Klahani Travel on Maui. She states this in a thread on the Frommers Travel Board. So she is doing business on the Forum, make no mistake about it. Now as someone else said, I don't intend to lose any sleep over it. But we have lost a lot of good & informative posters who feel that no one is interested in anybody but Heidi's opinion anymore, and that's a shame!

Lissa

Owen,

For your info, Heidi states on the Frommers' Travel Board, that, indeed, she is Heidi Scoggins, a travel agent with Klahani Travel on Maui. I'm sure that she's not a bad person but what's she's doing is not what Fodors has in mind with this Forum. I would much rather hear other travelers' opinions than to hear one very biased voice who lives in Hawaii. I think she's taken a lot of spontaneity and good camaraderie off this Board, and I would prefer that NO TRAVEL AGENTS be involved here, really!

James

To those who may be interested, Heidi is Heidi Scoggins of the Klahani Travel Agency on Maui. She states this on a thread on the Frommers' Forum. So she does have her own agenda here ..........

Bill

Heidi has her name right at the top of her posts. If you're not interested in her information, JUST DON'T CLICK THAT MOUSE! What's the problem?

Neal Sanders

For once, I have to disagree with Owen and second the conventional wisdom: "MauiHeidi" is using the good hospitality of Fodors to help bring dollars into her travel agency. The sign on the front door reads very clearly, "NO ADVERTISING." When MauiHeidi says, "email me and I'll see what I can do for you," she's angling to collect a commission. As near as I can tell, that violates both the letter and the spirit of the site.

Neal Sanders

For once, I have to disagree with Owen and second the conventional wisdom: "MauiHeidi" is using the good hospitality of Fodors to help bring dollars into her travel agency. The sign on the front door reads very clearly, "NO ADVERTISING." When MauiHeidi says, "email me and I'll see what I can do for you," she's angling to collect a commission. As near as I can tell, that violates both the letter and the spirit of the site.

Kate

Her forum is blatent advertising and not in the spirit of the forum at all! If I want a travel agent's opinion I will call them. What I enjoy so much about this forum is that is it or was a community of traveler's with first hand information! I would hate to see it become a website for travel agents to drum up business. Remove her thread immediately!!!!!!!

GetALife

I was looking for some information on a couple of other travel forums and guess what or should I say who I found? That's right Heidi from Maui and "AMS" and a few of the other motley characters that visit this board. They all have their own agendas. In Heidi's case, it is to get new clients and earn commission $$$. In "AMS" and JeffC and a few of the others it is either because: a) They are psychologically disturbed. b) They get a charge out of "baiting" people and reading their responses. C.) They have nothing better to do. d.) All of the above. Unless a post blatantly violates Fodor's rules, they are not going to censor it. You can email them all you want, it will not change a thing! If you ignore these posters and not respond, they will find somehere else to go. By posting to these people, you become enablers. IGNORE THEM! And, to Heidi, "AMS" and the rest of you...GET A LIFE!!!!

boycottheidi

Message: Yes, ole Heidi (and her staff) does try to breezily dismiss any
criticism, using the "if you don't like it don't look" brush off (now run back into the office Bill and Susan, Heidi is calling you! You have tours to book, hotel rooms to sell, more defensive diatribes about your boss to post!!) Those posts in her defense are just as phony as most of her "questions" from "travelers." Kind of hard not to look when her posts overwhelm the site every day too.

Heidi is blatantly violating Fodor's rules. She is using this forum to promote her business, and yes, she always makes sure her posts stay on top. Let Frommer's and the other travel sites have her. I don't visit other travel sites because the posts are always from travel agents in disguise, and now this
one is becoming that way too.

If you want to talk to fellow travelers who have NO hidden agendas and
nothing to sell you, AND you want to see something besides MauiHeidi posts
on this forum day in and day out, E-MAIL YOUR COMPLAINT TO FODOR'S!!
They will put a stop to her nonsense.

Uncle Sam

Hey, I like this! Democracy in action. You're voting Heidi out of ofice!

sayanaraheidi

Fodor's is a great board! The travelers here know a travel agent in sheep's clothing when they see one, and thanks to everyone efforts we're rid of her at last!

Good job everyone. Thanks.

Owen O'Neill

Having read this entire thread I now respectfully concur with those who see a blatant disregard for Fodor's policy (thank you Neal S. for your reasonable and intelligent exposition of this). The truth is that I rarely read any of the Maui threads themselves since I lack the current budget or inclination to travel. As for the individual who suggest that I may be using a phony name or am a psycho in need of help... I'll leave the judgement on that to those in this forum who have regularly read my wildly psychotic, unhinged and demented posts {;-)

promises

Well Owen, so much for your promise to never read another post even remotely related to this topic! So now we know you're a pyscho AND a liar.