Concerning Timeshare, they even often deny that their product is a form of timesharing because timesharing has got a bad reputation and scares informed consumers away. Nowadays, it is almost impossible to win customers by telling the plain truth, but many are still suckers for prizes and 'free' offers.
You've won!
Imagine - you are enjoying a pleasant walk along the seafront when a chirpy fellow hands out some scratch cards and - of course - you win a top prize. The prize-giving takes place at a remote holiday resort to which you are driven 'free of charge' by a waiting taxi.
And this is what could happen next - You arrive at the holiday complex for an 'information meeting' lasting several hours. The sellers, who know the tricks of the trade, take it in turns to bamboozle you into signing a timeshare agreement or a membership for Holiday, Travel discount or a Point Club.
Over the next few hours you will be given constant attention, kept in a good mood and lulled into a false sense of security. You will not be left alone for a moment, so you will have no time to discuss the timeshare or the membership with your partner. You may be placed under psychological or time pressure. For example, a special discount may be offered if you sign up immediately, or another customer interested in the same time slot or the same membership as you may suddenly appear. In some cases, people have even been threatened or insulted.
Once you have reached this stage, you have usually already lost. Some holidaymakers say that, in the end, after more than six hours of brainwashing, they signed the timesharing or the membership contract just so they could finally return to their hotel. Do you really want to do this to yourself?
So beware of scratch cards offered to you on the promenade and taxi rides to out-of-the way holiday complexes.
Senast granskad: 2011-12-22
