warren@ihnss.UUCP (Warren Montgomery) (10/21/83)
We must get an average of 1-2 of these kinds of letters a week. They offer us a guarantee that we have won one of the N prizes listed and all we have to do is visit some sort of resort operation and hear a sales pitch. We have never responded to these things because the resorts are usually out of the way, we have no interest in buying, and there is an obvious booby prize that we would win that is of no particular interest. Recently, however, I have seen a couple that looked more interesting (the prizes, not the operations giving them out.) One promissed one of the following: 1983 Chevette Home Copier Color TV Microwave Oven $100 VCR I don't see the booby prize off hand. What I am interested in is whether people out in netland have any good experiences with these kinds of operations, or any suggestions as to what the catch is in the above list. If the claimed valuable prize in all of these operations were worth anything, I could probably make a living from visiting resorts an selling the proceeds! -- Warren Montgomery ihnss!warren IH x2494
snafu@ihuxi.UUCP (Dave Wallis) (10/21/83)
Warren,
I can make no claims for all firms that offer similar promotions, but I
have had at least two experiences. The first was with a company
planning to offer a new line of cookware. A salesman came to our
apartment and demonstrated the pots and pans by cooking a porkchop
and some veggies, and then gave us the pitch. Our "prize" was a glass
bud vase (the cheapest prize). He also offered to give
a free set of cookware if we gave him the names of some people,
and sold a set to one of them. The cookware was priced at ~ $1000.
The second experience was with a company near Chicago that sells "time
share" vacation condos. The prizes ranged from a "walkman radio"
(their phrase, not mine) up to a one week paid vacation in Hawaii. We
attended out of curiosity, and sat through a half hour slide
presentation full of sunshine and smiling faces. After that, we were
sat down in a room with about 30 other couples with a salesman (one
salesman per couple) who all but threatened to break my arm if I
didn't buy a condo. He mostly used phrases like "too good to pass up,"
"it'll pay for itself," "everybody buys one before they leave." I
think you get the idea. The "walkman radio" (cheapest prize again!)
we received was worth about $5 (it didn't even have warranty info!),
and was made in Taiwan.
To be fare, we also received the second higest prize, 3 days and 2
nights at one of their resorts (didn't include transportation or
anything but lodging) in a separate drawing that was not part of the
normal pitch. Our salesman was rather upset that we won after I gave
him such a hard time about buying a condo (which we didn't).
Both salesmen upset my wife with their manners etc. and ruined the
rest of the evening. It seems safe to assume that you will get a "free"
prize, but expect a hard sell job that makes a car salesman look like
a Brownie with a box of cookies!
--
D. Wallis (insert snappy signature here)
ATT&T Western Electric, Naperville Il.
(312) 979-5894walsh@ihuxi.UUCP (B. Walsh) (10/21/83)
Were the prizes you listed worded exactly that way? The ones I've experienced
or heard of have listed prizes such as "kitchen appliance", which turned out
to be a hand-operated vegetable chopper, or "diamond pendant", which was a
cheap necklace with a tiny diamond chip. I have never heard of a legitimate
prize being given. The one I went to long ago (in naivete) gave away a
black & white instant camera. Not too bad, but considering the treatment I
got from the salesman, it was certainely not worth the trouble. Besides the
long drive, you will be subjected to very high-pressure tactics, much ranting
and will be made to feel like a scum if you don't buy what's offered. I would
advise against any such offer. Usually the offer is two weeks a year for
twenty years at some resort (eg, Playboy's resort in Geneva). Not many people
want to spend each vacation at the same place year after year for twenty years.
It's usually very expensive, too.
All in all, even if the prize sounds legit, I wouldn't go through the hassle.
B. Walsh
AT&T Western Electric, Napervillestanwyck@ihuxr.UUCP (Don Stanwyck) (10/21/83)
The one with the specific set of prizes mentioned in being visited by one of
our friends on this very day. It seems that it is all on the up and up. One
of our acquaintences did visit (& bought) at that one.
The friends that are visiting that one today visited another not too long ago,
and as the "booby" prize (i.e. the one that 99.9% of the visitors get) they
got a very nice Seiko wristwatch. It sells for >$100 at the discount stores.
(I have seen it advertised, and seen it on display at places for >$125).
It seems that the operators of these things are getting to the point where
they realize they have to offer real value items or people won't come out
to see them. Of course, should you purchase, you should be aware that you
have just bought such gifts for some percentage of the people that visited
without buying (like us and our friends).
Don Stanwyck ihnp4!ihuxr!stanwyckisrael@umcp-cs.UUCP (10/22/83)
I've gotten a few of those also, and I've usually found that on
the back they give the odds of winning and sometimes the values of
the prizes. (In very small print, I mean VERY! Maybe its a maryland
state law or something that they have to include that info).
Anyway, its usually fairly easy to spot the cheap prize; many times
its a trip to a far-away location and doesn't include travel costs
or meals (i.e. just lodging for a couple of days). With the prize
list you mentioned, I would suspect the 'home copier'. They are
not saying its a full-fledged xerox machine or anything, so it could
be something small and worth around 50 bucks.
Last year I got a phone call from one of those places. They originally
told me that I qualified for an Atari game system, and that all I had
to do to get it is to show up at their place and listen to their
spiel. Since the place was fairly close, I said ok. Then they started
listing the conditions. First I had to come with my wife, If I had
one. That one was easy; I'm not married. Then they said that I had to
have an income of over (I think it was twenty thousand). Well, I'm
a student so I didn't satisfy that one. I just told them and then
hung up.
Personally, I really hate hard-sell salesman, so I would mostly avoid
these things anyway.
--
^-^ Bruce ^-^
University of Maryland, Computer Science
{rlgvax,seismo}!umcp-cs!israel (Usenet) israel.umcp-cs@CSNet-Relay (Arpanet)tjt@kobold.UUCP (T.J.Teixeira) (10/22/83)
My wife and I have also responded to one of these solicitations and was
subjected to a similar high-pressure sales talk. We were sufficiently
put off by the whole process that we have not responded to any more,
even when the "booby" prize would appear to be worth the time and gas
to drive down (but not the hassle). However, one of my wifes friends
has no compunction about following up many of these offers, showing up
at the resort, telling the salesman "I have no intention of buying
anything, so just give me my prize so I can go home." Since the
salesman doesn't *really* want to spend time trying to convince him if
he's that determined, he gets the gift and no hassle. One of these
days, we may try this ourselves.
--
Tom Teixeira, Massachusetts Computer Corporation. Littleton MA
...!{harpo,decvax,ucbcad,tektronix}!masscomp!tjt (617) 486-9581decot@cwruecmp.UUCP (Dave Decot) (10/24/83)
One way that I have found to determine which of the amazing prizes is not so amazing is to read the odds of winning each prize. It MUST be somewhere in the literature, or they're guilty of something (net.legal people, what is it?). Offhand, I'd say that the prize is either the $100 or the TV, because the TV might be of terrible quality (as might the VCR), and $100 is not much to give away when they're going to make megabucks from your purchase of whatever it is. Not excited about becoming another "winner", Dave Decot ..!decvax!cwruecmp!decot
snafu@ihuxi.UUCP (10/24/83)
Not all the companies that offer prizes for setting through a sales
pitch are entirely disreputable. For instance, a friend of mine in
college actually won a black and white portable tv set from a buying
service trying to sell memberships. One characteristic I have noticed
in *all* of these types of offers is that you must buy the product or
service before you leave. Often, you hear the phrases "charter
membership," and "you will never have this opportunity again" in an
effort to coerce you believing that they are offering a deal too good
to pass up. Not all of the merchandise is junk, and some of the
services are genuinely valuable, but only if you really need them.
The ability of these salesmen to make you feel guilty for wasting
their time (after they asked for the opportunity to talk to you!) is
incredible! One salesman actually tried to make me believe I was
mistreating my parents and children by not buying a vacation condo so
they would have a place to vacation! And I don't even have any kids!
After several experiences like this, I have decided to never give a
salesman a chance to sell me something I haven't gone looking for, and
I don't plan to attend any more "free giveaway" presentations. I
suspect (without concrete proof) that you have a much less than even
chance of winning anything valuable anyway ( the tv winner is the only
case I've ever heard about.)
To paraphrase on old saying: "you takes your chances, and you pays
your dollar"
--
D. Wallis (insert snappy signature here)
ATT&T Western Electric, Naperville Il.
(312) 979-5894dxp@pyuxhh.UUCP (10/24/83)
I accepted an offer to view some time-sharing condominiums down in
North Carolina earlier this year (2 free nights accomodation + $50.00 cash
was the "carrot" used to entice people down there.The sales pitch was very
HARD sell and I'm sure would pressurize quite a few people into putting
down a deposit.I enjoyed my stay at this resort but declined their offer.
I will be taking up other companies offers for Time Sharing in the future
and feel that before too long maybe even purchase a unit.
If anyone does decide to go and view a Time Sharing Resort you should
ALWAYS INSIST on the federal property report this sometimes does not tell
you anything you dont already know or are told by the salesperson.Inspite
of any "SPECIAL discounts available today only .,etc" offers get hard
figures on financing(salepersons often overlook incidentals that are
mandatory ) TALK to an attorney and/or accountant .
Arrange to attend the sales pitch on the second or third day if possible.
My wife was afraid that we'd be turned out or be made to pay for the
accomodations or that the travel voucher would not be endorsed if we
didn't buy at the time.
RELAX and enjoy the environment.
If they start to bug you tell them to back off and let you enjoy the resort.
If you have any doubts or questions ask then and there AND make plenty of
notes as to the salespersons replies.
Dave Peakmem@sii.UUCP (Mark Mallett) (10/25/83)
b I get offers of reward for visiting resorts, occasionally. As a matter of fact, I just got one a couple of days ago which offered a modular stereo system in return for listening to a sales pitch. It seems that you people are talking about a slightly different offer, wherein there is a LIST of POTENTIAL "gifts". I've not seen one of those; the ones I've seen have been very explicit. I have never bothered to take them up on it; but I may try this one, because: Last year my brother followed up on one of those. The offer claimed that to be eligible, he and HIS SPOUSE had to attend. He called them up and explained that he was not married, but was told to go anyway. He went, got a tour of a time-share type resort, and was asked (of course) to sign on the dotted line. He declined. When pressed for a reason, he replied that his idea of a vacation was to take off into the woods with a backpack. They didn't have too much to say to that; anyway he got a television set out of it. Apparently there is a lot of pressure at the end of the pitch to sign immediately. Anyway, I can use a stereo system for the office. Mark Mallett decvax!sii!mem