Ringpeas

I am not getting my hopes up yet as I know there are a lot of cons about, but...
The wife took a call last night from a company called GVC Satara (sp?) saying she had won a holiday. Has anyone heard of them? The only thing I can find on Google is a Lithuanian travel agent by the name Santara.
The wife remembers entering a competition in a travel agent in Lincoln last month but can't remember any details
They claim it is flight and accommodation (full board), but we have to go to Burton upon Trent with proof of ID to collect the vouchers. As this is a 2 hour drive away I wondered if this is a con, or if we really have got lucky for once
It is a shame I have become so cynical

fatherpierre

Got to be a scam.

If you'd won why wouldn't they send you the details by post inc. the tickets, etc?

Sounds like a timeshare scam or similar.

midget1500

if it was real surely they'd just post them to you!

GaryCat

Yes it sounds like a scam. Comp winners are nearly always notified by post, giving the details of the comp entered.

The only time I know where you go to collect the prize is where it cannot be posted e.g. a car. or a hamper from your local paper.

Ringpeas

That's what I thought, but they seemed adamant that it was genuine. They told my wife that they wanted pics of the winners. They have also booked us in for a specific time !?
They claim they will be sending us directions, along with terms and conditions. He claimed it was a marketing promotion to get their company noticed. It will be interesting to see what they send us.

scoobynutta555

sounds like a timeshare scam, ive no information, just IMHO.

Nick100

Sorry mate, it is a holiday ownership/timeshare thing.
I've had several calls and normally just say "Sorry I'm not interested" This normally stumps them good because they can't believe you're not interested in a free holiday.

Recently I did go through the motions to find out more - sounds exactly like yours. They always say you entered a competition and ask if you remember it. They do sound genuinely keen to use it as a marketting activity - get you there on a freeby, buy a time slot holiday, tell your mates etc. You have to be over a certain income etc and you go along to their presentation locally to pick up the tickets and then attend a few hour presentation in the holiday destination.

I decided I couldn't be bothered to go, but if you fancy a free holiday for the sake of a few hours, it could be worth your time.

djuk

My parents have just been on one of these "free" holidays and it was great. Basically you have to be able to put up with a real hard sell presentation when you're in resort for one day of your week and the same when you pick your tickets up but if you have the ability to just say a firm no even under severe hard sell tactics then yes... it really is a free holiday

Ringpeas

Thanks for all the info guys.
I will see what they send me and then ring them back.

I can put up with the hard sell for a free holiday, they don't call me a tight barsteward for nothing
The wife on the otherhand...... snow and Eskimos spring to mind.

andrewdelvard

Defo scam. An old one at that.

corradoboy

http://www.gvc.co.uk/main.asp?screenx=1024&screeny=768

You will get the holiday. You will be put under the hard sell here when you collect the prize, and again while on holiday. They are a holiday club.

They work on a points basis, as opposed to timeshare. You buy points which you then exchange for holidays wherever, whenever. They have over a hundred resorts worldwide, and access to over 1000 through a company called Intevral International . The points will be about £180 each, and if you have kids an holiday at peak times you will need over 80 to get decent holidays. You then pay an annual fee to use them, which on 80 points will be in the region of £400 a year. You have to book well in advance for peak holidays, although they do offer late deals. There aren't very many late deals available though. Their resorts are all superb, easily above 4*.

We bought into it a few years ago and were very happy for a while, but they seem to have oversold and there are very few bargains to be had now (we have no kids and can holiday when we like). We only bought 30 points and got them for less than £100 each, but if we were to try to sell them on, we'd be lucky to get £40/point now, if we could find a buyer.

Go get the free holiday, resist the hard sell and have a nice time for nowt.

Ringpeas

Thanks Corradoboy.
Thats them, no wonder they would not tell me about their website.

The wifey will not be happy. Then again a free holiday is a free holiday

Mark

PeteT

Have a quick look at www.crimeshare.org before you go. I actually went to one of these 'presentations' and it was the biggest waste of 3 hours ever. The holiday vouchers are almost worthless, you have to pay administration fees, you never get the dates or airport you want and you get the hard sell again when you get there. I threw mine in the bin. The question I never got them to answer was 'if this is such a good deal why don't you advertise it in magazines/ newspapers etc...?) In my opinion the whole timeshare thing is designed to part gullible people from their money.

....edit to say there is a whole page on a company called GVC Sunterra in the 'news' section of the Crimeshare site, could be the same people?

GaryK

What I never understand is why the devious tricks to sell timeshares, I remember some years ago looking at some apartments near the airport in tenerife and they were so good you would walk in the door and your jaw would drop, I would have signed up there and then, why the $hitty tactics can never understand.

Gary

BexTait

It's Sunterra, not santara. My parents are members of the holiday thing and it's NOT a timeshare thing. You get point to use whenever and where ever you like in one of theire resorts. We didn't get the free holiday tho, cos we already had one booked for that year, so they gave us points instead.

r32

We keep getting similar offers, tell them to jump in the Trent.
Must have won 15 hols at least now...........

Proby521

iTrader: (1)

It is a scam, well, I'm local to BOT and a mate of mine had exactly the same thing, same travel agents as well by the sounds of it, which to pick up the tickets from!!!