Anyone know how this one works

Ordinary_Joe

We've just been on holiday to Majorca and foolishly got sucked into a holiday presentation, but becasue I refused to stay and join in I couldn't quite work out how it worked. I was just wondering if anyone knew what the angle was (partly for my own peace of mind and partly so others can work it out should they get sucked into it).

The presentation is not timeshare but for a web based travel agency which you have to become a member of. You can't go away and think about it you have to say yes or no on the day (the reason i walked away from it). If you wanted to think about it for some reason you had to wait 18 months before you could come back.

They offer 4 & 5 star accomodation. You tell them how much you would spend on a holiday and someone walks off with your "questionaire". Once your a member you can access the website and book online. You also get so many vocuhers per year for family & friends to aprtake in the scheme should you not wish to use it in a given year.

Apparently the membership gets paid into an offshore fund regulated by trustees in the channel islands and I think the firm get their money off the interest. There was a lot of talk about offshore

I'm convinced there was an angle I just wasn't seeing and I think that's what the sales technique was about i.e. preventing you from thinking about it too hard.

It all seemed above board, with everything spelled out on paper up to a point execpt we couldn't get them to tell us the cost.

In fairness to them when we said no, we got a couple of veiled insults but they did pay for our cab back to the resort.

Any ideas anyone.

phatbear

I think this was recently featured on watchdog, they did a show from spain showing all the rip offs that us brits are getting conned with.

Anyway the basis of the con is you pay x amount, in the show it ranged from £100's to £1000's then you get access to an "exclusive" website where you can book these amazing holidays for allegedly reduced prices.

However after people had paid they either could not book any holidays or the holidays that were on offer were more expensive than booking them from a normal travel agent.

And of course they had no way of getting there money back either.

All the best

The Bear

wayne

wasn,t an outfit called connections 6 was it?me and my wife got sucked in to this on our first day in benidorm in may(our first time abroad is my excuse)let the fella waffle on for half hour then asked him to just give me the figure he wanted out of me as i was by now getting wound up but he just kept going treating me like a child so i lost it big style told him i was fed up of the !!!!e he was spouting and to stick his company up his !!!!!!.there must have been more than 8 couples in there going through the same rubbish but none of them walked out with us.

Ordinary_Joe

I can't really recall what they were called. It was a series of initials.

There was all this nonesense clapping when people signed up. I just had my doubts about the whole thing. Firstly I was asked if I was British on the original survey out on the street yet they claimed to have members worldwide.

I wanted to lamp him when he kept insulting the holiday I was already on because I was enjoying it.

The whole thing starts with a survey on the street. Then you get a prize draw card and the "big prize" winners get to win either a 42" plasma, 1,000 euros or a luxury holiday in return for an 80 minute presentation. They pay your taxi there and back and let your kids play on a playstation.

I was just suspicious of the whole thing. I wasn't dressed like a five star punter yet they kept going on about how clearly that was who I was.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not bitter I just don't like people getting sucked into scams where they pay money they haven't got and I was wondering if this was one.

Ordinary_Joe

Found it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/consumer/tv_and_radio/watchdog/reports/holidays_and_travel/holiday_20060509.shtml

Keep your money folks

MrSmartprice

These are always scams. It is a variation on timeshare to escape the timeshare legislation. It is incredible how many people still fall for this nonsense, no matter how many times they are warned. The things to remember are that the scams are run by rogues and crooks who have been taking peoples' money for years. It is a psychological game, structured around people's greed, coupled with high vulnerability on holiday. And that they never, ever, deliver on the promises they make at the presentation.

Best tactic I have found when approached: They ask if you speak English. I reply: "Sorry, no, not a single word, I'm afraid." They are wrong footed for long enough for you to walk away without further hassle. If they hand you a scratchcard, tear it up. They hate that!

stellagypsy

I was once approached with the scratch card scam in a supermarket car park on Costa Del Sol. I refused to touch it. The woman was very persistent and scratched it off for me and - surprise surprise - said I had won £500. I told her I wanted to donate it to a local charity. She looked at me as though I was stupid and I just got in my car and drove off before she could respond.

OH has a novel way of dealing with them - by pretending to be German!!!!!