Tags: Scams
Ameri-who?
March 7th, 2005, by Rich.
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I just got a wonderful telemarketing call …
| Me: | Hello. |
| Me: | Hello?. |
| Me: | Helllllo? |
| Me: | [pauses] |
| Me: | Hello?. |
| Me: | Sorry I’m not receiving any audio from your end, so if you can hear me, hang up, or if you’re an automated dialler I’m just going to keep on so you pay for the call. |
| After just enough time for a generic answer phone message to have completed, a recording began to playback at me: | |
| Recording: | Congratulations! You have just won the jackpot! Hi my name is Michael Smith from the Corporate Reward Centre in Las Vegas. You have just won the jackpot! Please call ring free 0800 091 0084 to claim your prize and matching your claim code: Jackpot. Again that number is ring free 0800 091 0084. Congratulations, and we look forward to speaking to you. |
So, noting that my star sign is Inquisitive (with Curious rising) and knowing that 0800 numbers are freephone; I called them:
| Kitty: | Amerisuites Vacations this is Kitty, how may I help? |
| Me: | Who? |
| Kitty: | Amerisuites Vacations this is Kitty. |
| Me: | Sorry, What Vacations? |
| Kitty: | Amerisuites, like America but without the ca and add Suites. |
| Me: | Oh, OK, I’d like to collect my jackp… |
| Kitty: | *click* *beeeeeeeeep* [Kitty ends the call] |
My telephone number is registered with the Telephone Preference Service a UK body that regulates commercial phone spam, so legally they’re not allowed to call me, but they’re trying to force a loophole where commercial calls are banned but, they theorize, by calling it a competition, they can avoid prosecution.
So, not only has this company cold-called my TPS registered number, but they’ve also hung up on me, that’s just plain rude, I wanted to know who and what they are:
So, I called them, again:
| Carla: | Welcome to Amerivacations this is Carla. |
Carla proceeded to take my first name and asked for the number from which I’d called to check what prize I’d won. I gave her a false number. Surprisingly this had no ill effect because Carla came back and told me that I’d won £1301 towards a holiday in Florida, and that it was part of a prize fund allocated to 100 people and there were only 10 claims left on the fund - [irony alert] what luck!
Being a happy soul about this I mentioned that I’m in the UK, and that Carla didn’t sound local; she told me she was in Orlando Florida, and reiterated that this was a free call for me (just to make me really feel like I was special).
She then went on to explain that to claim my prize I’d need to pay the balance on a holiday in Florida at a Ramada resort near near Disneyworld - the package balance £598 for 16 days holiday for 4 - effectively an 80% discount.
The is is not a competition or a lottery, this company is selling holidays; there is no way to claim a “prize” without actually purchasing something, at which point they’ll discount the value of that prize from the purchase cost.
From the TPS website: “Under Government legislation introduced on 1st May 1999 and replaced on 11th December 2003 by the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003, it is unlawful to make unsolicited direct marketing calls to individuals who have indicated that they do not want to receive such calls.”
Carla also explained that they are trying to rekindle interest in America as a vacation venue. She also explained that they are able to make these amazing offers because they keep their costs low, which they do in two ways:
- Direct Dialing.
- Word of Mouth.
Well, by direct-dialling me, unlawfully, they’ve certainly got a little word-of-mouth advertising.
The comments below add a lot of detail and you might also be interested in this followup article.
June 8th, 2005 at 12:48 pm
Just had a call from the same company, I’ve complained to the FCC, Ofcom, TPS, BT and Syntec about this company.
The company is called: yourvipholiday.com
Address: 7800 Southland Boulvard, Suite 112, Orlando, Florida
and 600 North Highway 17-92, Suite #120, Longwood, FL 32750
Tel: 0800 0914761 and 0800 091 0084.
Email: vip@yourvipholiday.com, cs@yourvipholiday.com
The telephone number is provided by Syntec.com who can be contacted on dc@syntec.co.uk, sales@syntec.co.uk, admin@syntec.co.uk, support@syntec.co.uk or by phone on 0800 091 8000.
Don’t know if you’re charged if you press 9, I refused to do it. Don’t give your phone number out and refuse to offer it for a simple ‘callback’!
Hope that helps someone!
Dug
June 8th, 2005 at 2:17 pm
I press nine (or whatever number they ask for) every single time. Has never cost me a penny and they usually inform you that they are paying for the call.
June 9th, 2005 at 12:18 pm
Thanks noo noo, I’ll keep this in mind in future. Just found another article and some more contact addresses.
Article: http://www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/section.asp?docId=39898&catId=2148
Jonathan Graham of Syntec UK Ltd. They deny that it passes through their system, which they would - because technically they are a ‘relay’. I’m not sure how legal this is but I’m sure Trading Standards are interested. Have a chat to Jonny-boy at
0845 092 2003 Direct Line
0845 092 2103 Fax
07881 826967 Mobile
0800 376 7370 24 hour fault repair service
or by email: jmg@syntec.co.uk
June 9th, 2005 at 9:33 pm
i have recieved my package and enclosed is the details that i was given over the phone, i can understand that there techiques are not very ethical but has anyone seen the resorts that they described, i did give my information freely and was passed to the appropriate department. I can understand everyones frustration but you did agree to the charges i know i did on a digital recording that they asked my permission to record? Well i a going to try and take the holiday and see what happens. thanks for all the advice
June 10th, 2005 at 6:27 pm
Hello. Have anybody try`d this trip? I got py package today, and it seems very nice!
June 10th, 2005 at 8:07 pm
Have fun with it!
June 10th, 2005 at 10:42 pm
i too have my package and the resorts do seem nice, i wonder if all the bad press may be a little bit over done.. as i stated earlier its not like some one forced me to give my details i was in control of what came out of my mouth, yes i am registred with the tps so the phone call was unexpected, however i was planning a trip to the states any way this year the cost of this was less than what i would have spent if i booked the hotels myself. when are you planning to go i heard florida is magnificant during the month of november when the weather isnt too hot!
June 11th, 2005 at 1:28 am
Does anyone know their address in Florida? If it even is in Florida… If they are all home workers then i doubt there is an address but if there is a head office or something i would like to know where it is.
Thanks
June 11th, 2005 at 1:38 am
Marie, I find your aquiesence curious
A) You certainly could have got a similar deal elsewhere, and what’s more you could have got something that you chose instead of something someone wanted to sell you.
B) If Amerivacation were a company in Britain it would be unlawful for them to call. It should therefore be unlawful for them to call wherever they are in the world. Today the press are reporting on a british cracker who broke into US Government computers, he broke laws in the USA so now the USA wants to extradite and try him. I don’t see much of a difference with Amervacation, just a reversal of direction. Law is law - no matter how big or small.
The initial article was about this exact point - everything since has grown because of:
a) the number of people who agree that this kind of selling is unethical and were annoyed or curious enough to go onto the internet after being called - or
b) the number of people who are are worried when they realise they’ve just given their credit card details to a cold caller who they don’t know from Adam.
Either way, you’ve got a package that you didn’t want before they called you, so hopefully, regardless of the fact that you were cold sold, it’ll be a wonderful vacation.
June 11th, 2005 at 2:43 am
my comments are not only aquencious but true and correct.. You did give your information willingly…the fact that the company lie on american soil rather than on british irrelevent.. realize they got our numbers from our british based companies so who really is in the wrong the caller or the seller. i was curious about the companie so i did some reasearch and this web was the only site about this company.. unitl i had come across this site i thought i had a genuine offer and after getting the package the holiday seems to be valid offer. I have read each and every entry on this site more than once and i do agree that people that are elderly or handicapped should not purchase the offer, however you have control of the phone you could very easly have hung up, i knew i was giving my card details and i also know as a consumer that i have credit card protection. I hope that if anyone else has purchased the package with the hope of having a fun family holiday that you dont let the negatitive comments stop you from doing just that. well it is way past my bewitching hour cheers everyone…