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Holidays

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A free holiday ?

18 replies

LilyLoo · 26/03/2007 18:27

I know there's no such thing as a free holiday but had the most odd call. She knew my name and told me i'd won a free holiday. I went to put the phone down as you would. However she said they aren't selling anything and they aren't timeshare. They are called d & v travel based in Morecambe. She said they are an independant new business and are looking to gain new customers to expand the business. She said i will get everything sent to me in writing in the next few days confirming everything. I have then got an apt at Preston at a different place to sort out the details and collect the vouchers. It's for two adults, they stipulated that you had to be married or have a partner, for one week in Spain, Magaluf or Lanzarote with flights included. When i mentioned children she said they can get discount. It sleeps up to six people. What would you do ?

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charliecat · 26/03/2007 18:30

Steer clear. You will probably pay more for the kids than you would a cheap holiday, or the dates will be at thier discretion, not for you to choose. I also know a girl whos bloke it was to sell people timeshares once they had got them out to magaluf on a free holiday.

raspberryberet · 26/03/2007 18:31

It's screaming out "time share" to me - the fact you have to be married, you have to go and collect the vouchers ... steer clear!

MrsSpoon · 26/03/2007 18:32

I have been offered a free holiday like this before. It is probably some sort of holiday club. I have friends who have taken the free holiday and had a nice time but all of them said they wouldn't do it again as when you are out there there is a day's hard sell which tends to spoil the holiday.

glitteryb · 26/03/2007 18:35

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

LilyLoo · 26/03/2007 18:45

Oh i see wondered why the partner, married thing ! DP said it could be swingers .
Oh well thanks for advice back to the savings then !

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shouldbedoingsomethingelse · 26/03/2007 18:48

I used to get these all the time its a timeshare thing but if you ask they deny it! usually you have to go to pick tickets up and they give you a presentation (hard sell etc)

SlightlyMadSpringBunny · 26/03/2007 18:49

It will be holiday club IMO. They will give you the big sell when you go to collect the vouchers and one of the conditions of the holiday that you have 'won' is that you have to attend another big sell presentation if you didn't sign up the first time.

IMHO if you didn't enter a competition you can't actually win a competition.

I would give it a very wide berth...

Nbg · 26/03/2007 18:49

I remember some linking a very good Guardian article on this sort of thing here before.

Basically when you go to collect your vouchers, they try anyway possible to get you to sign up for a timeshare and it was amazing how sneaky and coniving they can be. Getting you. to sign for this that and the other.

I'd stay well clear

LilyLoo · 26/03/2007 18:52

Am not going as everyone rightly advised. Do you think they will keep calling back and pestering ?

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SlightlyMadSpringBunny · 26/03/2007 18:56

We have always refused at teh outset. Just firmly tell them one or all of the following

  1. you are not prepared to take DC abroad as they are too young (at this point they will probably off you a UK cottage or barge holiday)
  1. you don't believe in winning competions you havn't entered
  1. NO (I don't want it thankyou very much).

Noobdy can force you to collect vouchers, nobody can force you to go on holiday.

deegward · 26/03/2007 19:00

In my twenties my boyfriend at the time went on holiday every year for about 4-5 years with these types of things. Accommodation was alway first class, and only once did we have to attend a presentation abroad. The rest of the time, we had the presentation in this country, got very good at saying no. Obviously this was well before kids, and we were very single. Getting quite nostalgis thinking of now

saltire · 26/03/2007 19:07

We had this a while ago. The company called and said I'd won a holiday. They gave me my name , address and phone number and said they were posting the documentation that i needed. I told them i hadn't entered a competition. Anyway the stuff arrived and DH looked them up on the internet. They were affiliated to a timeshare company and there were pages and pages on the internet criticsisng them. They didn't give up though, they kept ringing to see if i was going to their presentation in paisley, and when i said No, they started questioning me and getting very annoyed. When DH took the phone off and started mentioning Watchdog and the Sunday Post they stopped hassling.

LilyLoo · 26/03/2007 19:10

Will remeber that then Salt thanks.

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SlightlyMadSpringBunny · 27/03/2007 18:42

Guess what DP won a free holiday today (via email). He just has to ring an 0845 number to claim (NOT!!!!!)

LilyLoo · 28/03/2007 16:34

Just to update got the info today it's from D & L Leisure promotions. Anyone heard of them ? It states 'it is a genuine holiday promotion and not a timeshare. We give absolute assurance that you do not have to buy or sign anything to recieve your holiday'. It includes a free number to activate the award. It states 'as an independant travel company we are in a position to purchase flights and accomodation at extremely reduced rates. We do not opperate high street shop or produce millions of brochures or advertise on tv this reduces our overheads so the cost of your holiday award is simply built into our advertising budget, at least 3 out of 5 clients continue to holiday with us' It asks to allow two hours for presentation of holiday destinations to choose from. Address included 15 Marine Road West Morecambe Lancashire La3 1bs. What do you reckon ?

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SlightlyMadSpringBunny · 28/03/2007 17:21

NO it SCREAMS holiday club. I definately wouldn't take it any further

"...you do not have to buy or sign anything to recieve your holiday" NO you don't have to but that doesn't stop them trying the hard sell (repeatedly).

FIL actually belongs to a holiday club and they do have 2-3 decent holidays a year. However, they decided they wanted to be in a holiday club and went in search of a reputable company rather than being approached by cold call IYSWIM.

LilyLoo · 28/03/2007 17:26

I not going smsb thanks for advice though included all details just in case anyone else experiences same thing.

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mm22bys · 31/03/2007 20:31

If something seems too good to be true it normally is!

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