AIBU to think CLC travel company is fake

[Lifeistooshort123]

Please help me decide!
So I got a phone call from a company called CLC, we entered an a competition at Grand designs and apparently we have won a free holiday (well, we just need to book the flights) they will provide luxury self catering accommodation for my family.
I can choose from
Orlando
Costa de sol
Somewhere in Turkey
Tenerife
So sounds good, we are meant to go there next week where they will tell us more about it. Office in a reputable area too.
Now I actually chose cash price and not the holiday option so how did I win it ? And coincidentally my sister in law won the same thing 4 months ago! The exact same thing but due to her own current circumstances she didn’t go ahead with them.
AIBU to think it’s fake! Has anyone had a similar call from CLC and actually gone on their free holiday with them?

[TroubledLichen]

They’re a timeshare company. The ‘office visit’ will be one of those presentations to try convince you to buy one.

No idea if you actually get your so-called prize at the end of it but even if it is for real, it’s some self catering accommodation with nothing else included. So you’d have to spend a lot of money on flights, transfers, food, spending money... it’s hardly a free holiday!

[TroubledLichen]

And no I haven’t been to their presentation, a hopeful relative entered some prize draw and did some research on them after also being she’d also won a holiday. She didn’t go once she realised what it was.

[UrsulaPandress]

No such thing as a free lunch.

[TakemedowntoPotatoCity]

Troubled has it in one. I worked for one of these companies as a backpacker but they were exposed as fake
This may be above board but I would steer clear in any case. I don't like feeling manipulated.

[Racoon100]

I have had the same thing with CLC. You haven’t won a competition, they have selected you along with a number of others as you fit their profile. They’re a timeshare company trying to sell you timeshares.

They don’t give you it for nothing, but actually all you have to do is sit through a long presentation and you get given the free week away. You only get accommodation free, but ends up a cheap holiday in really nice resorts. They’ll push you to buy but you don’t have to, and you still get the holiday.

[SocksRock]

It's high pressure timeshare sales. The holiday is actually free, but you will have to sit though and be resistant to a huge amount of bollocks and pressure to spend a huge amount of money on a timeshare.

[Bibesia]

I've had one of these calls and was deeply suspicious, so didn't go to the presentation. Out of curiosity, would you still get the free holiday if you go along and sit through the presentation reading a book?

[CircleofWillis]

Not a presentation. An intense 1:1 psychological assault lasting hours long to suck you into a really expensive timeshare. You do get a free week in luxury accommodation at the end but one of those days is again given over to psychological manipulation to get you to sign up. Don’t go if you are even a little bit susceptible to flattery and like to please people. You will never be able to get out of it.

[CircleofWillis]

I can save you lots of time and you can buy mine off me

[Shumpalumpa]

I've had free accommodation in Florida with CLC.

We attended a timeshare sales session in London and agreed to attend a similar one in Florida. In return we got a lovely 3 bed townhouse 20 minutes from Disney for a week.

Both sales sessions weren't that bad, they weren't aggressive.

[Shumpalumpa]

Circle, our sessions only lasted a couple of hours!

You can only attend/get free accommodation every two years, we would do it again.

But my husband and I are tight, we would never spend the money, so go into it, make all the right noises, and regretfully say no.

The people in Florida were very nice.

[Shumpalumpa]

Bibesia, it's a one to one meeting so you need to engage with them.

[GuntyMcGee]

We had one of these when we were newly married and very young. We went along to the office to find it was an evening 'event' with loads of other suckers like us. We had to sit through a video presentation about he company and their timeshare deals and were pushed towards signing up for our 'holiday' which if we accepted we had to agree to a tour of their timeshare properties every bloody morning. We politely declined and the sales guy got even pushover until we explained that I was a student and we actually had no money or inclination to buy their crap, then he couldn't get rid of us fast enough.

FIL has actually been on one of those 'holidays' recently and sucked up the daily tours because they'd never turn down a freebie. They enjoyed it and were impressed at the offerings, but they're skint and knew they weren't going to buy. For them it was a way of getting a nice break away and only paying food costs.

[DGRossetti]

DW went to one similar a few years ago in her wheelchair. Even if it had been accessible (it wasn't) the guy admitted "we have nothing for you."

[Lifeistooshort123]

Excuse my poor knowledge but what is timeshare company?

[DGRossetti]

adventure.howstuffworks.com/timeshare7.htm

[Lifeistooshort123]

Thank you!

[Racoon100]

Don’t let it put you off too much, if you’re willing to sit through a sales pitch you do actually get a free weeks accommodation and the resorts are nice. Just don’t give in to their promotions if you don’t want to, make it clear you aren’t going to buy anything.