Holiday Property Bond

terryw · 19 November 2008 at 9:57PM

bondieone wrote: »

:A It may seem weird, but, having been a bondholder for many years, I can assure ANYBODY WHO TRIES IT, WILL LOVE IT!!!

There's always one or two who will try to be negative about anything, but ask bondholders what they think and they'll tell you - IGNORE THE NAYSAYERS - they're just jealous they can't afford to buy into it!!

Well, shiver me timbers and slap me with a wet haddock, but another newbie appears to tell us about the wonders of this organisation. I have got to agree......it certainly is weird!You really would think that they would learn ..........MSE people are not so daft as to believe these strictly amateur attempts to spam and plug this organisation.

Folks who have wondered here from google or another search engine should be well warned by now. Do not touch with the proverbial barge-pole.

terryw

terryw · 19 November 2008 at 10:02PM

JHB1 wrote: »

RIGHT OLD LOAD OF SPAM FROM A NEWBIE!

What a load of old cobblers. Do not touch with a bargepole. Any organisation which operates in such an amateurish manner is not deserving of any consideration.

Be warned.

terryw

terryw · 19 November 2008 at 10:09PM

bondieone wrote: »

As I've just said, those in the know, i.e. true Bondholders in the Holiday Property Bond, can afford to ignore those like you who are negative.

I am a Bondholder of many years standing and can assure anyone who is interested in joining the Holiday Property Bond that it is a sound investment for those who seek QUALITY NOT QUANTITY!!!

By the way, you spelt 'away' wrong!:T

OH no, the newbie has returned with more spam.

Freudian slip ......I typed AWARE instead of AWAY. But AWARE is the best word. Keep AWAY and be very AWARE of this dubious organisation!:j

terryw

MrSmartprice · 19 November 2008 at 10:39PM

Yet again the scammers from the company have latched onto this thread and posted false testimonials on it. There are three more who have just joined to perpetuate the scam.:o

How stupid do they think people are. Only mugs sign up for these timeshare/points/bond schemes. They are outrageously expensive with low customer satisfaction. You would need to have money to burn to fall for one of these rackets.;)

far2812 · 24 December 2008 at 12:06AM

My mum and dad both worked for the Bond for over 10 years (until my mum passed away!).

They personally invested in the Bond (no extras for employees!) so that should tell you something! I went away on my first bond experience to La gomera in September and it was brilliant - only downfall was that the Euro was rubbish so going out cost a lot! we then went to Henllys in Wales which we loved.

I am, as we speak, booking Santa rosa in January and Turkey for me and my partner in May! It is superior standard - and if anyone wants to know anymore about any of the Bond - pm me and I will give you what I think is to be the truth and honesty about the Bond - but for anyone who wants a quick answer - IF YOU WANT 5* HOLIDAYS GUARANTEED = HPB!

and before you ask.................no I am not on commission!

fi
x

janetmarshall · 5 May 2009 at 9:07PM

This is my first time on one of these forum things.

Having read 3 pages of HPB, I've decided it's definitely not for me!

I've been on their mailing list for some 15 years, so I agree with the comment I read about persistance. The literature has become more glossy in that time. I think that if you have money to spare - not like most of us - then great!

I think I'll continue to book with Individual Travellers with my Tesco points and cheap Easyjet or BA flights.

Until I'm rich of course and have money to spare!!!

JohnMorr · 29 May 2009 at 10:36PM

And now we are nearly a year on and no responses. A 2-page spread in today's Saga magazine with Judith Chalmers extolling the virtues of the HPB, but still thin on facts. Experiences, folks?

Paul_Inglefield · 22 July 2009 at 8:51PM

I have been a bondholder for 18 months and had three holidays. Some of the properties are ok but I went to Mallorca in April and it was pretty shabby - mould on the walls due to bad ventilation and poorly sound proofed. I complained and got no where. Barely an acknowledgment that there was a problem. Their service charge is extremely high and you can find better accommodation cheaper if you are prepared to look. You can also never get the property you want even when you try to book two years in advance. The whole organisation is pretty amateurish and run on an antiquated business model. Having said that, they are a legitimate company and quite a few bondholders - mainly retired teachers - swear by them. Not as many as they think, though! Personally, I will give it a few more years and cash in the bond and my advice would be steer clear.

fred_karno · 27 July 2009 at 4:34PM

I’ve had a bond for 17 years – but I guess that as someone who rarely posts to this site, I will suffer from the comments made about other first time posters. However, I will say, I have never regretted buying the bond, I have visited 18 different sites and never had a bad holiday and have always felt I have had good value. Therefore my advice is to do your own research and make up your mind after doing it – not from either 1 time posters who you feel might be ringers, or those posters who seem to be assuming it is a complete scam without doing any research themselves.

One area to look at is the biggest single bond holder, that has many hundreds of thousands of points built up over 15 to 20 years. It is RAF Disabled and Dependents Holiday Trust (RAFDDHT will find their web site). It is a registered charity, but it also has a link from the RAF benevolent Fund web site for those cynics who think the whole RAFDDHT is an invention. Most sites have disabled friendly cottages for the RAFDDHT or other disabled bondholders and their web site gives an independent view of the bond. Other actions:-

Get the video and brochure and look carefully. Come up with a list of questions.
Visit a site at an open day – they are listed on the web site and
- Ask for a copy of the property descriptions. Choose a couple of apartments that are being changed that day and ask to see them – this means you have control over which apartments you see.
- Look at the comments book –there is one in each cottage/apartment and most people put in comments or issues
- Ask the holiday makers on site you see for their opinions - they cannot be fixed by management!
- Ask to see the web site. Choose a property location, size and dates you fancy visiting and ask to see availability – the web site will show this almost instantly, together with site plan, user charge, directions etc. this will give objective info on availabilty as opposed those comments about how places are never available. Yes- they do get booked up - oddly enough most of the good independnet cottages tend to get booked up quickly for peak holiday periods as well!
- Compare the prices being charged for user charges (some of the prior sceptics seem to think that cleaning properties, heating them, repairing them, and keeping swimming pools maintained etc. comes for nothing!) with comparable properties. Lower Knapp farm, Devon in July 09 costs £400 for a 3 bed cottage with on site swimming pool and facilities – compare that with (the admittedly nice quality) cottages in Tavistock renovated from a railway station on a recent television programme, for which £900 was the price. Yes – the investment would earn money if in a BS account as an alternative – but at least with HPB you know the standard, you know it will be there and available and you know you have a large organisation to complain to if things go wrong.
- Ask for numbers of people investing each year and numbers cashing in- and get it in writing, remember they are regulated by the FSA.
- Look at the current two year encashment guarantee

Other points: -
· The unit price is published in the bondholders web site –despite the previous comment saying it is not
· Yes – you will not get all your money back if you cash in years later –but the purpose is to have holidays, not invest for income or growth. Anyone who does not want to use the points for holidays should not look at the bond. At the same time, how many timeshare/shared ownership schemes give you any option to take cash if you do not use the property?
· There is no typical holidaymaker –but young couples (who have invested themselves as opposed to their families) are rare –they don’t tend to have money to invest and often want lively holidays in seaside resorts/cities – the bond doesn’t do these.
· Remember how long it has been going (25 years) – it may provide a rosy picture in the brochures and web sites (after all they are trying ot sell a product), but scams just do not last that long and it is regulated by the FSA, in terms of the investments- so there is a protection there.
It doesn’t worry me if people do not invest- but I hope the above will encourage those thinking of it to look properly and take a considered judgement rather than assuming as some posters have done that the whole thing is a scam. It definitely is not and anyone who looks carefully can prove that to themselves –whether it is suitable enough for them to want to spend their money on it is another matter. Everyone is different.
I hope this allows anyone looknig at the thread for the first time to get a balanced picture.

wearside_2 · 18 August 2009 at 2:37PM

I have read the previous posts with interest and agree that all the positive posts from Newbie MSE''s are suspicious. I have thought about these bonds for some time as my best friend and his wife have been bond holders for several years and think they are wonderful. I have visited the HPB website using with their permission their login details and found that there are numerous properties both here and abroad available over the next year.

I have received the information pack today and my wife and I are going to visit one of their properties in the next few weeks or so to decide if we want to invest or not. At this stage, I am not saying where or when for obvious reasons.

I shall provide details of our visit and our decision in due course.

Holiday Property Bond

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