dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman) (05/10/84)
We received a postcard in the mail from Holiday House, Inc. in
Sparta, Tennessee, telling us we were selected to receive a free
5-day (4-night) vacation in Florida and to call for more information.
I called and was told the following:
- either 4 nights in Sebring or 2 in Sebring and 2 in the
"Orlando area"
- accommodation at first-class hotels is paid for
- we get book of coupons for local meals and entertainment
- while in Sebring we will be invited to (but don't have to
attend) a 1-hour film presentation on timesharing condos
- transportation is not provided
- cost to us is $69.50 (Canadian) for processing, mailing
and handling our voucher and reservations; payable by
credit card
- once we sign up, we get a voucher in the mail; we send back
the voucher 3 weeks before our vacation and they make the
reservations
- if we're not satisfied with the voucher (i.e., we don't take
the trip), we can get our $69.50 back
- we can take the trip anytime in 1984 or 1985
It sounds like a pretty good deal to me. I'm sure we can survive a 1-hour
sales pitch for timesharing condos in central Florida.
Has anyone dealt with these people before? Is there something I should
know about? (I went ahead and ordered the voucher, giving them my VISA number.)
We plan to use the hotel stay as part of a trip to Miami sometime within
the next year.
Dave Sherman
Toronto
--
dave at Toronto (CSnet)
{allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsrgv!davewetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler) (05/11/84)
{}
DAVE! DAVE! Quick, cancel the charge. There has been a major
scam being run out of several cities in the US advertising just
what you have described. The way it operates is to get you to
send in some stated amount for a voucher or membership card. When
you go to take your vacation, they hem and haw about being filled
up or they never answer. You seem to have forgotten that old
adage " If it's too good to be true, it ain't." IF, and I say
If, you ever get to Florida on one of these "deals", you will
find yourself in some fleabag, rattrap accomodations with food
chits for the local fly-by-night fast food joint. Further, if
you attend the, HA, 1 1/2 hour film, you will be put under
such pressure to buy that you won't believe it. The Russian
KGB sends its agents to the time-share salesmen schools for
training.
Save your money Dave. DON'T SIGN ANYTHING. If you want to
get rid of some money, I have this property in .........
T. C. Wheelerdave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman) (05/15/84)
~| From: wetcw@pyuxa.UUCP (T C Wheeler)
~|
~| DAVE! DAVE! Quick, cancel the charge. There has been a major
~| scam being run out of several cities in the US advertising just
~| what you have described. The way it operates is to get you to
~| send in some stated amount for a voucher or membership card. When
~| you go to take your vacation, they hem and haw about being filled
~| up or they never answer. You seem to have forgotten that old
~| adage " If it's too good to be true, it ain't." IF, and I say
~| If, you ever get to Florida on one of these "deals", you will
~| find yourself in some fleabag, rattrap accomodations with food
~| chits for the local fly-by-night fast food joint. Further, if
~| you attend the, HA, 1 1/2 hour film, you will be put under
~| such pressure to buy that you won't believe it. The Russian
~| KGB sends its agents to the time-share salesmen schools for
~| training.
~|
~| Save your money Dave. DON'T SIGN ANYTHING. If you want to
~| get rid of some money, I have this property in .........
First of all, I haven't signed anything. I've given a credit card
number over the phone. If the documentation which arrives isn't
satisfactory (and they *have* said I can cancel and return the voucher
for a complete refund), I can have the charge reversed simply by
telling the bank.
Re the accomodations: they gave me the name of the hotels in question,
and I will check them out before paying the charge. Here's where I
would expect the accomodations to be good. If they want to have the
slightest hope of getting us to buy timesharing in Sebring (where??),
presumably they'll want to make us have a good time while we're there.
I fully expect the high-pressure sales tactics. My wife and I are
"fight-back" type consumers, and we have no concerns whatsoever that
we'll get pressured into buying something. (We have some good reasons
for refusing anyway that they'll have problems with... like the
condo unit's kitchen isn't kosher.) We enjoy making salesmen miserable,
so we won't feel guilty in the least.
Thanks for the reply, anyway. I'm keeping an open mind, for now.
Anyone else heard of these people, or seen any newspaper articles?
--
dave at Toronto (CSnet)
{allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsrgv!dave