Perfect Leisure - Free Holiday is this a scam?

by **Mr_Woods** on Mon Oct 25, 2004 17:29 pm

We have just received a guaranteee of a free holiday but we must attend the holiday centre to claim our free holiday, theres just an admin fee of �34.50 at the time we agree the details. We are not totally naive and realise that this is an attempt to sell timeshare or the like, but does the free holiday really exist?

Does anyone have experience of this company and their FREE offer. They also seem to operate as Incentive Leisure Group.

Your thoughts gratefully appreciated, we should be attending the hliday centre on Thursday but are not sure whether to go

by **miseryguts** on Sat Oct 30, 2004 14:04 pm

"We have just received a guaranteee of a free holiday but we must attend the holiday centre to claim our free holiday, theres just an admin fee of �34.50 at the time we agree the details. We are not totally naive and realise that this is an attempt to sell timeshare or the like, but does the free holiday really exist?

Does anyone have experience of this company and their FREE offer. They also seem to operate as Incentive Leisure Group.

Your thoughts gratefully appreciated, we should be attending the hliday centre on Thursday but are not sure whether to go" --- Mr_Woods

Mr Woods,

I received a similar call last night and it's definitely a scam. You'll be promised all sorts and subjected to high-pressure sales techniques. If it csounds too good to be true, it is too good to be true! I've contacted my local newspapers to get them to investigate.

Which area of the country are you in?

miseryguts

by **yorkiegirl** on Sat Oct 30, 2004 16:41 pm

:pale: Unfortunately I went to a Holiday VIP's presentation and got drawn in by the incentive of 3 FREE holidays (a 7 night European, UK break and a 12 night Florida/Caribbean Cruise). I signed up for a 15 year contract. �75 per annum membership fee with DWVC and a �3850 fee to cover the 15 years membership. They sold it by offering very cheap flights and extremly cheap accommodation plus the 3 freebies.
After receiving details on the free holidays, you must attend a presentation during all trips, plus pay an admin fee. The UK break costs �35 and you can actually book the holiday on the companies website for the same price so it isn't free at all.
For the Florida trip, you have to purchase your flights through the travel company and they sell only full fare economy Y class seats which are very expensive.
I'm trying to get my money back but not doing very well. I have yet received my membership pack so have no details of DWVC and if it's a scam or not.
My advice to anyone is walk away if you are unsure. They say it's a one chance opportunity but there are plenty of presentations to attend and they're not going to turn down your money if you decide to join at a later date. I wish I had had the chance to give it more thought before jumping in!!

by **johnjo** on Sun Oct 31, 2004 13:30 pm

What you describe sounds virtually identical to GVC/Sunterra incentive scheme.

See posts about GVC/Sunterra, perhaps these will help you decide!

by **miseryguts** on Tue Nov 02, 2004 10:17 am

Got my letter this morning, complete with the usual spelling and grammatical errors. if that isn't a clue then nothing will be!!

The company concerned is called "Hospitality Scotland Promotions"

Reading the small print it says: "Flights are arranged by Canaryroute Ltd, trading as GVC Holidays - ATOL 4160"!!

You have to laugh...unfortunately there will be people taken in by this.

by **cashie** on Wed Nov 03, 2004 11:57 am

They have been pestering me for the last two weeks and are due to phone me back this evening to talk through the offer/prize! again. I have asked them to send details in the post but as of yet they have not arrived.

I will have great fun talking to them this evening and will try and get more info out of them. They have told me that they are based in Preston?

by **miseryguts** on Wed Nov 03, 2004 23:35 pm

Their hotline number is listed as 01383-749557 and lines are open from 2pm until 8pm Monday to Friday. Their "travel exhibition centre" is at 8 Evans Business Centre, Pitreavie Business Park, Dunfermline KY11 8UU. I spoke to the Dunfermline Press (also based at Pitreavie Business Park) about this but they're not really interested as they've "done this sort of story before"!!

The letter from HSP says "Members of Voyager, The Grand Vacation Club, Sunterra europe and/or employees of the aforementioned and couple who have taken part in a Sunterra Europe promotion in the last 2 years are ineligible to claim this award. Flights are arranged by Canaryroute Ltd., trading as GVC Holidays - ATOL 4160".

The registered office for Hospitality Scotland Promotions Lid is 16 Melville Terrace, Stirling FK8 2NE (Registered in Scotland 270183)

by **Graham999** on Mon Nov 15, 2004 13:15 pm

I take it the call I just received from GVC Travel saying my wife had taken part in a survey and won a 5 star holiday abroad is part of the usual hard sell timeshare scam then !!!

If so is this illegal ? Can we let someone like the Trading Standards, DTI or the Consumer Association know and get it stopped ??

by **stringjunior** on Tue Dec 07, 2004 20:25 pm

Thank God for the internet. My wife (who isn't taken in easily, believe me!!) just took a call from a very convincing sales person at GVC who told her she had won a holiday and assured her that this isnt a scam and there'll be no pressure to buy at the presentation. She was told this promotion runs only 4 times a year and they do it because they are so succesful that 40% of all customers return to buy a full price holiday. Very clever, but not clever enough....

by **thevixen** on Mon Dec 13, 2004 11:35 am

We have been contacted by Hospitality Scotland Promotions on Thurs night and Friday advising we have been picked for a free holiday. Apparantly we have completed a questionnaire at one point when we visited Fife, athough I can't recall doing this so I have no idea where they have got our details from. A letter came through the post on Sat, looking convincing and saying we could pick a holiday up to �1099.00, but we must have a joint income of over �15000 and be home owners - which made me think something wasn't right.
We've been asked to attend a presentation on fri 17th in Dunfermline and that they will not be trying to sell us timeshares etc..