TimeShare phonecalls

Romulus

Help!
My wife being at home all day is getting regular phonecalls from a company called "Club la Costa" who say we've won a holiday in Tenerife or Spain. They say it is not a TimeShare and no high pressure selling is involved. All we have to do is go to a meeting in Leeds (about 35 miles away) to collect our prize and give them 2 hours of our time.
I think we will be given a sales talk but my wife is convinced it's cocha. Has anyone else dealt with this company? I would be grateful for any replies.

peter_the_piper

No but I went to one once, great error, they give you the third degree and very strong sell tactics. When they found out we didn't earn enough they dropped us like a stone and gave us our prize. A 'Free Holiday' you had to pay their "Administration Charges" and its almost certain the holiday won't turn up. If it does its at a date they choose and at an airport at the opposite end of the country from where you live. Don't waste your time is my advice.

Broke_Student

We fell for one of these on holiday in Spain a few years back.
"This is not a TimeShare" means "This is a TimeShare Equivalent".
They make you sign a form for insurance. It gives you 2 hours. They say meeting is 30mins but goes well over 3hours unless you leave making a fuss.
Somehow at the end of it we left having given them a £250 deposit. They are very good at selling stuff!

Luckily the company was a 'true' company and gave us a promt refund on request when we arrived back home.

tomstickland

Somehow at the end of it we left having given them a £250 deposit. They are very good at selling stuff!

Just say no at all times.

hollydays

It may be a holiday club-similar thing i believe.edit - anything like this do a google "club la costa scam."It will bring up stuff including a 2003 article about them in the guardian.

mpython

just say "No".

This is timeshare in all but name. The company that phones you to offer the prize is not the company that gives the presentation and if you do decide just to take the 'free' holiday they charge you £40 for flights and when you get there you have to sit through another high pressure sales pitch or you have to pay full price for your stay. If i remember the Watchdog show correctly, they demand your passport inexchange to the key to the apartment.

superscaper

How can you win anything you haven't entered? It's a timeshare! Even Club la Costa say on their own website they are a member of Organisation for Timeshare in Europe

superscaper

http://www.crimeshare.net/24.html
http://money.guardian.co.uk/scamsandfraud/story/0,,1021189,00.html

Romulus

Many thanks for all the replies, you've confirmed my suspicions, all I have to do now is convince my Wife not to go. Is'nt this site great?

angelatgraceland

Sign up with BT for the telephone preference service-privacy offer. Its free and you wont get any more annoying calls from salespeople who can temp your wife with their scams. Also make sure you have free caller display.