Turkish Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 Got a call on the home phone today saying me or my partner (not male) had taken a survey and had won a hamper and a 7 day holiday which we had to go to their office in town and chose by a prearranged appointment next saturday. 1471'd and rang the number back, Southampton number, holiday company based in Soton & Bournemouth. Looked them up on the web and they seem kosher but all sounds a load of bollo*ks to me. All they knew were our names and we were aged between 30 and 75. ANyone else had anything similar recently? Some sort of scam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smirking_Saint Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 Must be worth going to the appointment and seeing ?? I expect is some timeshare waste of time crap though. That or they will pull the blinds down and kick your heads in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hatch Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 timeshare crap...meetings, meetings, meetings. and when they finished, you go to a meeting. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericofarabia Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 Makes a change from Nigerian millionaires i suppose!! What's the 75 yr old bird like Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dune Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 If it's too good to be true it generally is. I'm guessing the "call" was a recording in which case it's a scam - probably timeshares. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 27 January, 2011 Author Share Posted 27 January, 2011 If it's too good to be true it generally is. I'm guessing the "call" was a recording in which case it's a scam - probably timeshares. Not recorded, spoke to someone, but i thought timeshare too, i remembered you posted something similar about getting a phone call from a scam a while back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dune Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 What's their website addy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buctootim Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 (edited) Not scams as such, but most of them are misleading. 'Free' stays in hotels as long as you buy breakfast and dinner there every night for example. Having said that I stayed at a Marriott place in Marbella a few years ago - 3 bed apartment -very swish. They were upfront they were trying to get you to buy a timeshare, just had to spend an hour at a presentation and pay for your own flights - a try to buy kind of thing. Had a good holiday here https://www.marriottvacationclub.com/vacation-resorts/marriott-marbella-beach-club/overview.shtml If you go into it with your eyes wide open, check what the offer really is and aren't the kind of person to be bounced into anything some of the deals worth having. Edited 29 January, 2011 by buctootim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 27 January, 2011 Author Share Posted 27 January, 2011 What's their website addy? http://www.hotweeks.co.uk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dune Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 Not scams as such, but most of therm are misleading. 'Free' stays in hotels as long as you buy breakfast and dinner in the hotel every night kind of thing. Having said that I stayed at a Marriott place in Marbella a few years ago - 3 bed apartment -very swish. They were upfront they were trying to get you to buy a timeshare, just had to spend an hour at a presentation and pay for your own flights - a try to buy kind of thing. Good holiday. I always stay in Nueva Andalucia. Marbella is for the riff raff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shirleysfc Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 http://www.hotweeks.co.uk It certainly looks a bit dodgy, no mention of ABTA etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dune Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 It certainly looks a bit dodgy, no mention of ABTA etc. And there's a link to timeshare trade ins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sheaf Saint Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 It is with some remorse that I worked for one of these companies when I was a skint student looking to earn some pennies. Didn't realise they were still going to be honest. The score is this: they call you up and tell you that you've won an award (when in fact they have just picked your name out of the phone book) just to catch your attention, and you have to come along to one of their presentations to qualify for it. When you get there they will give you the hard sell on a timeshare and then tell you that you will have to pay some sort of admin fee to claim the award which, upon deeper inspection, will also have loads of catches and added extras not included in the price which will end up costing you more money. Stay well away is my advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whitey Grandad Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 My business partner went with his wife to one of these invitations many years ago. Expect loads of hard-sell and not being let out until you have handed over your money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonnyboy Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 Not scams as such, but most of therm are misleading. 'Free' stays in hotels as long as you buy breakfast and dinner in the hotel every night kind of thing. Having said that I stayed at a Marriott place in Marbella a few years ago - 3 bed apartment -very swish. They were upfront they were trying to get you to buy a timeshare, just had to spend an hour at a presentation and pay for your own flights - a try to buy kind of thing. Good holiday. If you go into it with your eyes wide open, check what the offer really is and aren't the kind of person to be bounced into anything some of the deals worth having. my parents did that, a few boring sales presentations during the holiday, ended up nice and cheapy cheap Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deppo Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 This happened to a friend of mine. It's definitely legit. He got a week on the Alagarve (tacky resort but pretty clean), flights included. Lucky b*stard. You should definitely go to that appointment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deppo Posted 27 January, 2011 Share Posted 27 January, 2011 I forgot to mention that he converted to Scientology that same week. What a busy week, eh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sevvy Posted 28 January, 2011 Share Posted 28 January, 2011 A few years ago we had a similar phone call,we had to go to Andover for a meeting, they told us the would give us £50 and food just for going, so we thought why not, anyway we went and yes it was all about time share, they fed us gave us the money and then said we can have a week for 4 anywhere in europe or 1 week for 2 any where in the world,as we had 2 young sons at the time we chose the first,we went to tenerife, we had 1 week in a 4 star hotel all flights and transfers and all meals included all we had to pay for was their insurance but that was only about £40, the catch was we had to spend one day looking around timeshare places, which we did, we never had the hard sell at all. we asked at the end why no hard sell, they replied if people like it and can afford the places they buy, but if they dont they tell others what the company was like and they used to get a few buying with this recommendation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dubai_phil Posted 28 January, 2011 Share Posted 28 January, 2011 Won something similar 20 years ago and the system hasn't changed much. The critical issue is "The Presentation". It will be the most compelling and logical sales argument you have ever endured. You HAVE to sign at the end or you are a complete idiot. I used to send my sales employees to the Marriott event just to learn how to make a pitch, it is excellently done. So, the TRICK is to go to these and find ONE way that you can use when it comes to the Sign Here moment that the rep simply cannot argue around. You want the free trip but don't under ANY circumstances want to sign up for 100 years in a cakc-hole you never want to go back to. That part is not easy, the only one I found that worked was to use a dummy bank account that had no cash in it and no credit/overdraft limit/say you're waiting for your Flat/House sale to come through/Bonus cheque to come from work (we call that The Al-Fahim") and tell them "Oh I expect some money to come in in the next 2 or 3 weeks, go on the holiday and say, oh it hasn't come yet. It isn't easy as different companies use different types of closures and contracts and you really need to keep your brain in gear as you could sign something that "not having money" means you are legally screwed, but the free holiday is great and lots of mates have used different versions of the same get out ending. But at the end of the day DON'T SIGN ANYTHING Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted 28 January, 2011 Share Posted 28 January, 2011 Got a call on the home phone today saying me or my partner (not male) had taken a survey and had won a hamper and a 7 day holiday which we had to go to their office in town and chose by a prearranged appointment next saturday. 1471'd and rang the number back, Southampton number, holiday company based in Soton & Bournemouth. Looked them up on the web and they seem kosher but all sounds a load of bollo*ks to me. All they knew were our names and we were aged between 30 and 75. ANyone else had anything similar recently? Some sort of scam? As with all of these offers they are too good to be true! Of course you did not take part in a survey but they think that as there are son may surveys these days you will have just forgotten all of them. When you go their office you will be subjected to a presentation on a time share scheme, probably canal boats, and then the hard sell follows. If you are not interested they can get a little tetchy! As for the holiday? Well you get no choice of where you go and when! Sure you will be asked to choose your preferred country and when you want to go but what will happen is a you will get a call saying that there your holiday is on two weeks time at time-share apartments in Basra. The accommodation is free so just book your own flights. It is self catering, of course, so be prepared to buy in all your own meals and drinks and make your own plans for visiting local places of interest. In short, you will pay more than buying a pre-packed holiday from a reputable tour operator. How do I know? We were offered not only a holiday, but a three day break in Devon, a Christmas Hamper and a case of 12 bottles of wine! We took the hamper and the wine away with us, had a bleak weekend in Bude in mid-winter (where we had to sit through another hard sell on time share for half of the middle day) and were offered the holiday at such short notice that there was no way I could get the time off work and we didn't fancy the location. So, if there is nothing else on offer other than the holiday, don't waste your time! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panda Posted 28 January, 2011 Share Posted 28 January, 2011 Won something similar 20 years ago and the system hasn't changed much. The critical issue is "The Presentation". It will be the most compelling and logical sales argument you have ever endured. You HAVE to sign at the end or you are a complete idiot. I used to send my sales employees to the Marriott event just to learn how to make a pitch, it is excellently done. So, the TRICK is to go to these and find ONE way that you can use when it comes to the Sign Here moment that the rep simply cannot argue around. You want the free trip but don't under ANY circumstances want to sign up for 100 years in a cakc-hole you never want to go back to. That part is not easy, the only one I found that worked was to use a dummy bank account that had no cash in it and no credit/overdraft limit/say you're waiting for your Flat/House sale to come through/Bonus cheque to come from work (we call that The Al-Fahim") and tell them "Oh I expect some money to come in in the next 2 or 3 weeks, go on the holiday and say, oh it hasn't come yet. It isn't easy as different companies use different types of closures and contracts and you really need to keep your brain in gear as you could sign something that "not having money" means you are legally screwed, but the free holiday is great and lots of mates have used different versions of the same get out ending. But at the end of the day DON'T SIGN ANYTHING I just found it necessary to say, "No, sorry not interested!" over and over again despite that they keep coming back at you. In the end, as I say, they get a bit nasty and eventually give up on you but you need to be persistent and you certainly won't get out until they let you go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FloridaMarlin Posted 28 January, 2011 Share Posted 28 January, 2011 In Florida, these are a great way to get free theme park tickets and all sorts of other extras, providing you are thick-skinned enough to resist high-pressure sales spiel. Timeshare companies will offer free theme park tickets if you go along to their presentations, but you need to pin them down first on how long the presentation will take. If you are told 90 minutes, under Florida law, you are entitled to get up after that time, and claim your tickets/freebies. Stayed at a Hyatt down in Bonita Springs, south-west Florida years back, and the front desk asked us if we would be interested in their presentation for their 'Holiday Club' (aka, timeshare). We asked what was in it for us and we were told vouchers for food at the hotel and access to the adjoining Holiday Club's leisure facilities for the duration of our stay. It was worth sitting through an hour of some women trying to sell us something we patently didn't want (and it wasn't too high pressure) for £200 worth of vouchers, which paid for most of our food and drink at the hotel, and a little pass key through the secret side-gate to the Holiday Club's pools and cabanas which were much nicer tan the hotel's. All I would say is: "Caveat emptor." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimmy Gabriel's Halo Posted 28 January, 2011 Share Posted 28 January, 2011 Either that (the timeshare) or it was some nasty burgulars luring you out and then turning over your drum whilst knowing you are out. Be careful out there..!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eurosaint Posted 28 January, 2011 Share Posted 28 January, 2011 "There is no such thing as a free lunch" ! (change lunch to 'holiday' and forget it !). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Window Cleaner Posted 28 January, 2011 Share Posted 28 January, 2011 (edited) Got a call on the home phone today saying me or my partner (not male) had taken a survey and had won a hamper and a 7 day holiday which we had to go to their office in town and chose by a prearranged appointment next saturday. 1471'd and rang the number back, Southampton number, holiday company based in Soton & Bournemouth. Looked them up on the web and they seem kosher but all sounds a load of bollo*ks to me. All they knew were our names and we were aged between 30 and 75. ANyone else had anything similar recently? Some sort of scam? Readers Digest got done for this sort of thing a long time ago, they used to send out crap about having won £200 or whatever and then of course you didn't get anything. They sent it to a QC and he kept on and on and on about it until they categorically refused to give him the money. He had them up in Civil and Criminal Courts on fraud and contractual issues. Think they ended up paying a lot of people a lot of money that they had "won". No doubt in your case there's small print hidden somewhere but back then they just didn't bother.There was also the case of Hoover "buy a product and get free flights" Thousands bought a vacuum or something and then the free flights we so restricted that the Consumer Protection Agency got on their case, damn near bankrupted them I think. We bought a vacuum cleaner in Curry's for about £101 and went to San Francisco free, but then we didn't mind travelling at 1 am from Prestwick on a Thursday. Edited 28 January, 2011 by Window Cleaner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bridge too far Posted 28 January, 2011 Share Posted 28 January, 2011 I just found it necessary to say, "No, sorry not interested!" over and over again despite that they keep coming back at you. In the end, as I say, they get a bit nasty and eventually give up on you but you need to be persistent and you certainly won't get out until they let you go! We did this when we were offered a 'free' lunch in Malta many years ago. They did turn quite nasty but we stuck it out However, a couple of years ago and after I'd bought some new specs with Lotus frames, I got a call from Lotus to say I'd won a day's driving experience and lunch for two at Lotus HQ in Norfolk. It was genuine and Mr TF and I had a grand day driving Elites round their testing and racing tracks with Martin Donnelly (ex F1 driver) as instructor. So a real prize, but then I had made a purchase. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Boy Saint Posted 29 January, 2011 Share Posted 29 January, 2011 "I have CCJ's against me" always use to stop them when it got too heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Turkish Posted 29 January, 2011 Author Share Posted 29 January, 2011 Either that (the timeshare) or it was some nasty burgulars luring you out and then turning over your drum whilst knowing you are out. Be careful out there..!! Funny you should say that, that was my first thought as there have been quite a few burglaries in my area recently!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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