should i stay or should i go?

[Hampden Park]

would like your opinion/s on the following please ladies and gents.

i recently entered an internet competition with Club La Costa to win a 'free holiday'. lo and behold i have just received confirmation (on my mobile phone) that i had indeed won a holiday and they gave me a reference no. and a free phone telephone number which i have duly rang.

my prize?

7 nights luxury accommodation in a villa in the costa del sol.
they will find the flights and transfers etc.
all it would cost me is a booking fee of £49.50 per person.

seemed ok so far, until they said that i had to collect the tickets/information from their travel centre (in brum) and that i was not obliged in any way, shape or form to purchase anything whilst i was there (approx 2 hours).
would i be right to say that this will be a hard selling mob for time-share etc and that i am likely to waste 2 hours of my life telling them to stick their time-share up their rusty f***ing bullet holes

would you go??

 

[Lokki 7]

Yes it is a hard sell time share thingy. However much you tell yourself you won't buy, remember they do this sort of thing because it works. People do get talked into it who have no intention of getting involved. They are very good at what they do, and generally make good money by doing it.
Also, paying £49.50 for your "prize"? Does that sound reasonable to you? What quality of holiday are you going to get for that? And you can hardly complain if it is a shithole building site in the middle of nowhere can you?
If it were me, I wouldn't go.

 

[Hampden Park]

Yes it is a hard sell time share thingy. However much you tell yourself you won't buy, remember they do this sort of thing because it works. People do get talked into it who have no intention of getting involved. They are very good at what they do, and generally make good money by doing it.
Also, paying £49.50 for your "prize"? Does that sound reasonable to you? What quality of holiday are you going to get for that? And you can hardly complain if it is a shithole building site in the middle of nowhere can you?
If it were me, I wouldn't go.

lokki 7 i thank you, was bordering on not bothering anyway. scales have definately tipped further to the 'not going' side.

 

[Da Man Clay]

Brum is a fair distance away and it could well be utter shit. I wouldn't bother!

 

[Titanic]

If you can afford to risk having a crap holiday, because you can get lots of time off, then why not ?

If it's going to be an important part of your holiday time for the year, then perhaps better to look elsewhere and make better use of the precious time you have.

 

[CHAPPERS]

Free holibobs!

 

[Man of Harveys]

I won a "cruise" in a raffle once on a very similar basis: cough up and let us sell you something while you're at it. Blew them out there and then, thankfully without parting with any cash. Avoid.

 

[Hampden Park]

If you can afford to risk having a crap holiday, because you can get lots of time off, then why not ?

If it's going to be an important part of your holiday time for the year, then perhaps better to look elsewhere and make better use of the precious time you have.

the woman said it was valid for 18 months (i.e. i could book it anytime between going and collecting the info up to 18 months later).

it's the listening to the hard sell bit thats putting me off.


DAMANCLAY i live in brum

 

[Lokki 7]

These 2hr (!!!) sales pitches have been designed by psycologists to have maximum effect. Do not underestimate their effect. One way to avoid being caught is to go without your bank or credit cards, that way you cannot part with more cash then you intended, or commit to anything long term. However I would only bother if you can pin them down to exactly what the holiday is. It could be flying from Glasgow at 7am tuesday morning in November, and staying in an unnamed fleapit. Be careful.

 

[Trufflehound]

Take some cotton wool for your ears and a good book to read, then claim your holiday. I know these guys have a reputation for the hard sell, but is it REALLY that difficult to avoid buying something you don't want?

 

[Da Man Clay]

DAMANCLAY i live in brum

Poor you! In that case it may well be worth going.

 

[Lokki 7]

Take some cotton wool for your ears and a good book to read, then claim your holiday. I know these guys have a reputation for the hard sell, but is it REALLY that difficult to avoid buying something you don't want?

I went to one to help out a mate whose job it was to get punters in the door. You would be amazed at how many people signed up. People who had absolutely no interest 2 hours earlier.

 

[Tubby Mondays]

If you go there will be trouble, but if you stay...

 

[Heffle Gull]

I have done these holidays twice now.

All you need to do is go along to the presentation listen politely for an hour or so & when they start mentioning money tell them you can't afford it.

Then watch as the price starts to drop!! stick to your guns though.

Once they have given up on you its time to walk out with your voucher for a very cheap holiday.

Once you get to your destination, you will be suject to another presentation, and probably a tour of a resort, This normally takes 2/3 hrs or so, so not a big chunk on your holiday.

If you can resist the hard sell, then go for it, If not then avoid like the plague.

One final tip, if you have children, let them know, that while you are on the presentation, they have your full permission to misbehave. Nothing will end one of these things quicker than a couple of screaming kids

By the way, the first one I did, was with Club La Costa. the accomodation we had (near Benidorm) was fantastic.

 

[Hampden Park]

These 2hr (!!!) sales pitches have been designed by psycologists to have maximum effect. Do not underestimate their effect. One way to avoid being caught is to go without your bank or credit cards, that way you cannot part with more cash then you intended, or commit to anything long term. However I would only bother if you can pin them down to exactly what the holiday is. It could be flying from Glasgow at 7am tuesday morning in November, and staying in an unnamed fleapit. Be careful.

thanks again lokki 7. if i were to go to this hard sell (been before when on hols with my brother and he was nearly talked into parting with his money until i stopped him) i would be well prepared regarding cards etc..... not sure wether i can be arsed to waste that much time to be honest. just wondered if any other NSC users were conned, got conned or had a good free holiday (£49.50 each) from this sort of scam.

 

[Hampden Park]

I have done these holidays twice now.

All you need to do is go along to the presentation listen politely for an hour or so & when they start mentioning money tell them you can't afford it.

Then watch as the price starts to drop!! stick to your guns though.

Once they have given up on you its time to walk out with your voucher for a very cheap holiday.

Once you get to your destination, you will be suject to another presentation, and probably a tour of a resort, This normally takes 2/3 hrs or so, so not a big chunk on your holiday.

If you can resist the hard sell, then go for it, If not then avoid like the plague.

One final tip, if you have children, let them know, that while you are on the presentation, they have your full permission to misbehave. Nothing will end one of these things quicker than a couple of screaming kids

By the way, the first one I did, was with Club La Costa. the accomodation we had (near Benidorm) was fantastic.

thanks heffle

 

[Hampden Park]

Take some cotton wool for your ears and a good book to read, then claim your holiday. I know these guys have a reputation for the hard sell, but is it REALLY that difficult to avoid buying something you don't want?

no, i suppose not and thanks trufflehound. (packing cotton wool as i type)

 

[ali jenkins]

it all sounds a bit to good to br true to me, there must be some catch, i.e. crap hotel, in the arse end of nowhere etc...

personally i wouldnt go but then again it is your 'free' holiday

 

[Da Man Clay]

If you go there will be trouble, but if you stay...

There will be double?

 

[Heffle Gull]

it all sounds a bit to good to br true to me, there must be some catch, i.e. crap hotel, in the arse end of nowhere etc...

personally i wouldnt go but then again it is your 'free' holiday

Exactly what I thought first time I went (Mrs Heffle talked me in to it). but the accomodatrion we had in Spain was a 2 bedroom Aprartment, in a nice complex with 3 pools. reasonably Close to the beach.

Don't forget they are trying to sell you a "lifestyle choice" so you are not going to get some dodgy Fawlty Towers type establishment

We couldn't fault the standard of the apartment in any way.

The second (in Tenerife) was ok, but this time only a 1 bedroom apartment. We even managed to nab a free meal from the owner, as the bath from the Aprtment above leaked in to our Apartment.


There were a few other minor niggles with the Tenerife holiday, so by the time we had our presentation, we had managed to blow them out of all proportion, and had a list of reasons why we would never by anything from them


All in all we were treated better by Club La Costa than the second company, who's name escapes me.