mmytacism

Thanks, Kylie! It was great meeting you! Mr. Pickle fans unite! We'll see you soon!

*All* of our jumps together? That's ambitious, heh. We are going to try to finish our training together. But I'm really open to jumping with anyone. :)

Hi, AdrenalBear! Good luck on your first jump! I'm not in your area, but I am a "n00b" like you, as I just completed my first tandem this weekend. It was all that I'd hoped for and more, and I can't wait to continue my training (I may schedule my second jump for this weekend). You'll love it! Relax and have a great time. Jessica

Thanks again, everyone, for the advice. I'm actively pursuing this. Glad I jumped at Cross Keys! :)

That was great! And the next time I show up, it *will* be with a bucket full of chocolate-covered pickles. :)

Well, I did it--and I loved it! I wrote a little about my experience here: http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=1938476;sb=post_latest_reply;so=ASC;forum_view=forum_view_collapsed;;page=unread#unread

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Hey, all! I just wanted to say that Ed and I completed our first tandem skydives at Cross Keys yesterday, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of our lives. I'm already checking the weather for this weekend to see if it'd be a good time to schedule my next jump! I can't imagine a better place to have jumped, either. The entire staff at Cross Keys was incredibly professional, knowledgeable, and especially friendly and welcoming (not to mention downright hilarious!). Thanks for making our first skydiving experiences truly memorable--and thanks to our amazing instructors, Pancake and Mark, and talented videographers, Jack and Paul, for accompanying us on our jumps! Now, every time I hear a plane soar by, I wish I were hanging out the door. But it won't be long until I'm in the sky again. :) Also, without this forum, we may have been completely discouraged by the whole Skyride ordeal. Thanks, guys, for the support and encouragement to have the time of our lives! See you in the sky, Jessica

I'm going for it. Just a few hours now. :) I'm SO nervous. I'll be back after I abandon my whuffo status!

Thanks! You're probably right... I'm already thinking about an AFF course and I haven't even jumped yet. :)

How so? The guys at Cedar Point said they'd never seen an injury on that thing.

I *love* Skycoaster (a.k.a. RipCord)! I enjoyed that ride a few times this summer at Cedar Point's Challenge Park in Sandusky, OH. It's actually Skycoaster that inspired me to try skydiving (which I will for the first time tomorrow), because I had so much fun. My friend (same one who will be jumping with me tomorrow) and I even bought the videotape of our first Skycoaster experience. It's uploaded here: http://esm.psu.edu/~cah/jessmovie.mov. You can tell I was sort of nervous. :P Amazing ride! Jessica

I contacted Mike, and he gave me some extraordinarily helpful advice. Unfortunately, I discovered today, it only applies to purchases made with a credit card. I don't have a real credit card, so I reserved my jump with a debit card (which I can use as credit, but the money is physically withdrawn from my account the second I make a purchase). The bank is going to do an investigation, so it may take a while to get my money back (or I could demand to do my jump, but I'm honestly really turned off by the outright lies I was given on the phone). In any case, my friend and I are still going for our first jumps at Cross Keys tomorrow afternoon. Yes, I'll be eating Ramen for a month, but I know this will be worth it. Thanks, everyone.

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Thanks for the advice, everyone. I'm going to my bank first thing tomorrow to see if I can dispute the charge.

What countersuit? I can't jump with the initial reservation because I already canceled under the (false) premise that my money would be refunded. The money is gone, and the people at Skyride lied to me. :( I will most definitely issue a chargeback with my bank, but I was hoping to get my money back within the next few days so I can actually afford to jump at a legitimate DZ. I spent two months saving up for this, only to be burned. I guess it wasn't meant to be.

Sorry, I meant to say Skyride stole $597 total. And actually, the bill was *supposed* to be $594--at least that's what the woman on the phone initially told me I'd be charged--but looking at my bank account statement, she most definitely withdrew $597. Ugh.

I was charged a total of $597 because I reserved two tandem jumps--one for me and one for my friend. He paid me with cash, though, so I really only paid $300ish for my jump. But Skyride stole $597,

Hi, I honestly feel like the most idiotic person in the world right now. I posted in this thread that, in my impulsive eagerness to go skydiving, I got sucked into the Skyride scam by reserving my first jump with one of Skyride's fake domains (www.skydivephiladelphia.com). I then wrote that I canceled with Skyrides and reserved my first jump at Cross Keys, NJ, instead. I was initially told that, if I had to cancel with Skyrides, I would be refunded the price of the tickets but charged a $75 cancelation fee. I agreed to eat the fee because, after doing some research, I wanted to do my jump at a DZ that was legitimate. Today I went to the bank and noticed that Skyrides had charged my account an extra $75 but had NOT refunded the $597 for two tandems (mine and my friend's). So I called Skyrides, and I was told that the tickets were actually non-refundable--that what I had been told before was, in fact, incorrect, and I'm not getting my $597 OR the additional $75 back. The guy actually had the gall to tell me that places like Cross Keys, which don't require a credit card to reserve a jump, were "not certified like we are." I told him that was B.S., and all he said was, "I'm sorry, hon, that's our policy." Now I'm not sure I can jump at all because I've already canceled with Skyrides and I don't have an EXTRA few hundred to pay at Cross Keys. (And when I reserved with Skyrides, I used my debit card as a credit card, so the money is already GONE). I have no idea what to do. The first Skyrides woman I talked to *told me* that I'd be refunded almost all of my money, and now the people are claiming that no one ever said that and that I've just lost my money--end of story. I really, really don't want to cancel my appointment at Cross Keys. I really, really want to skydive this Sunday--the thought of my first jump is the only thing that's gotten me through this week. I know this post is fairly incoherent, and I apologize, but I am astoundingly upset right now. (I graduated from college a few months ago, am swimming in debt from loans, and actually spent the last two months cutting back on all indulgences just for my first skydive. Ugh.) Any advice at all would be appreciated more than you know. hanks so much. My e-mail address is [email protected]. *Sigh*

Thanks!! Only 2 days now! I can't think about anything else!

Please feel free to check our IP addresses. After I did my research at DZ.com, I called my friend Ed to let him know that I was canceling at Pennridge and making a reservation for us at Cross Keys. I directed him to this forum, and he was equally grateful for the advice--after all, we're both aspiring skydivers. Also, anyone at Cross Keys this Sunday will be able to confirm that two people with our names went for our first tandem jumps (fair weather pending). Jessica

Thanks!! Assuming the weather cooperates, and I don't freeze to death in mid-air (it's going to be COLD), I'm sure I'll be back with pictures and a video!

Hey, I'm new to the forums and to skydiving: Sunday afternoon will mark my first jump (pending fair weather and all that)! I'll be doing a tandem at Cross Keys/Freefall Adventures, NJ. I can't wait! Any advice?

The exact amount of the bill was $297.20. When I made my initial reservation with Pennridge, I asked about the extra charges, and the woman on the line said part was for gear rental and part was a "holding fee." I should have been a bit wiser about the initial decision, but my friend and I woke up last Saturday morning and decided that THAT would be the weekend we would make our first jump (the weather was gorgeous). Pennridge had openings, so we impulsively chose that DZ. Oh well. :( Hopefully next weekend will be a thrill!

Thanks, everyone, for the incredibly helpful responses! I can't wait to go for my first jump! And...guess where it will be? Cross Keys! After doing some more research and finding only the most enthusiastic reviews of that DZ, I canceled my appointment at Pennridge (yes, I have to pay the $75, but I'm betting my first jump will be priceless) and reserved two tandems (for me and my friend) on Sunday afternoon at CK. I feel much more confident now that I'll have an amazing first skydiving experience with an amazing group of instructors. My only hope is that Pennridge *does* refund my $225 (300ish-75). The DZ wasted no time charging my credit card the full amount, even before I even showed up to the airport. Grrr. So annoying... that'll teach me to be impulsive. :P