Tags: Scams
Ameri-who?
March 7th, 2005, by Rich.
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 2nd, 2006 at 7:12 am
hi im fifteen and I live in Australia. I just got a phonecall from “Calypso Cay Resort” saying that I had won a free holiday, 6 days in Orlando Florida with heaps of stuff eg VIP passes etc, 3 day cruise and 3 days in the Bahamas with a coincidental 80 percent discount. in total, it would only cost $698. He asked for my name and address so they could email me a package, and my number if the phone cut out. I accidently gave the guy the wrong phone number (lucky for me). The phone cut out just after he explained all these wonderful things I got to do so I rang my mum, ecstatic and she told me to research it then ring her back. I found their website but realised it was a bit suss, so i typed “Calypso Cay Resort scam” into the search engine to find heaps of websites highlighting that its a scam and that people have been scammed into paying hundreds of dollars. Its linked with ‘Amerisuites Vacations’, theyre the same company. I was so upset at first but now Im thankful i didnt give any any away…So yeah I found this site and thought id put my story.
June 2nd, 2006 at 7:46 am
Hi I was conned by amerivacations as well, last June I was off work (for about 6 months) and during that time I had a call from them saying that I had won an amazing holiday, I couldn’t believe it, I was over the moon, my boyfriend had been looking after me day and night and I was on A LOT of medication so was even happier! My boyfriend had decided that I was ok to be by myself and went to work, they rang and told me that I could have a holiday worth over £2,000 for just £698 for four people. As my boyfriend and family had been looking after me constantly I thought what a good way to say thank you, Carla showed me on the internet all the internet sites with pictures of where we would be staying, what we could do, etc.
I was estastic! As I had been off for several months at the time, money was a bit low, but I had £800 worth of savings that I thought was worth spending for this amazing once in a lifetime holiday. I gave my details over the phone, and they said they would send everything out.
About 5 day later it arrived, by then I told my boyfriend and he said that it was more than likely a scam and that they shouldnt have done anything as I was very well medicated! So I rang them back and said that I wanted to cancel, theysaid it would cost £200 to cancel but all I had to do was send EVERYTHING back, (if anything was left out I wouldnt get any money at all.)So I did I got proof of postage and left it a couple of days and rang them they said they had it and I wrote something on there which I asked them to read (which was right)they said it would be about 2 months before I got the money refunded.
I then went to my bank who said they could do absolutely nothng without proof of refund - I had sent EVERYTHING back including the terms and conditions, they were no longer available on line and the website was closed for some reason.
I am still fightinG it now, but without the terms and conditions Im not ot getting anywhere if ANY BODY HAS THESE PLEASE COULD YOU LET ME KNOW? I AM STILL DOWN £700 WHICH SEEMS TO BE MORE THAN SOME PEOPLE ABOVE!!!
July 2nd, 2006 at 6:05 pm
i received a call from royalty holidays it was for my aunt actually but i
excitedly took the call and gave my card #. i was actually planing for a trip
to florida and then i gotten that call saying she won a trip to cancun and if
she payed 499 us she can go t orlando for 4 nights datonya for 2 nights and
miami for 2 then off to cancun for 4 nights. i going to guess i was just
scammed? if anyone else received this call could you e mail me back to help me
out its been almost a week since i done it
July 23rd, 2006 at 12:54 pm
I have also received a missed call from this company and came online to find out who they were. Again it came up as Syntec UK Ltd and the number they called from was an 01494 number which is in High Wycombe, England.
I have searched several sites about this and it looks as if people are taking it as a ’scam’ where take money unlawfully and give you nothing.
I disagree with this as they do clearly tell you that they are giving you money off a holiday, if you are willing to pay the remaining £598.00 balance, and they do ask if you wish to participate and ask for your card details. If anyone who gives their details without actually understanding what they are offering you, it is not the companies fault as they have told you what the offer is, and you dont have to give your details if you do not want to take the offer!
i don’t think this is a scam but alot of people do not understand it properly. I have not participated myself as i do not want the holiday but listening to them and reading what people say, it is fairly obvious what they are doing.
I agree the way they call is wrong, but they will get away with it as they are based in America and state that you have ‘won’ the discount.
Don’t give anyone your card details unless you understand what they are offering you, as they do explain it, so you can only hold yourself to blame if you lose money through this offer.
July 23rd, 2006 at 1:01 pm
Has anyone who has paid the balance over the phone actually been on the holiday? I haven’t seen any comments about actually going on the holiday?
Then again, i suppose those who go on it, realise they have not been scammed if they can actually go to the resort?!?
August 4th, 2006 at 10:01 pm
I would advise anyone who get a call from calypsocay.com to avoid it at all costs. The are just after taking out £350 sterling from my visa account today on the basis that they want to just check your account to see if it live. They do not tell you they are going to take the money. They also say that the digitial recording of your conversation will be sent to your visa supplier. This is also not true since I have checked this with my bank. They have never recieved a digitial recording. as a check ask the holiday firm then what is the address of the bank for them to send it to.
August 6th, 2006 at 4:13 am
I have been called twice about Calypso Cay Resort from a telemarketing firm showing up as “KANSAS” on my phone, I asked to be removed from their call list the first time, and the telemarketer politely said he would and apologized for interrupting me.
The second call I got a little impatient, told them I already asked to be taken off their list, that i am on the National Do Not Call list and that they are in violation of the National Do Not Call Act (or whatever it’s called). The marketer accused me of calling them. I asked for a supervisor, explained all the same above info and SHE HUNG UP ON ME!!!! I never said one foul or insulting word. These people are disgusting human beings!!! NEVER BUY A TIMESHARE AT CALYPSO CAY RESORT!!! Here’s their number: Calypso Cay Resort 407-997-1600
December 6th, 2006 at 2:22 am
As far as these vacations being a scam goes… I know first hand just how scandalous and morally incorrect these people are. I actually was selling vacations in Orlando for many resorts… Calypso Cay, Summer Bay, Celebration… all of them.
No one you get a telemarketing call from is a real representative of the resort, only a telemarketer; also people who get “pop-ups” saying that they are “the grand prize winner! you won 1101 in travel rewards or dollars” that’s a lie.
EVERYONE is the so-called winner and you really didn’t win anything except a 30 minute phone call with someone who is going to give you a fake name and get you to give them your credit card number.
The last employer I worked for claimed to sell vacations for the resorts mentioned above, except they were really called “Matza Marketing“. They didn’t pay their employees correctly and they probably didn’t give their customers their vacations as promised. Some of the so called “promotional directors” there went by the names of Denise Atkins and Vincent Coviello. Those arent their real names. Denise is really a 20 year old high school drop out and her boyfriend is the other “promotional director”. They run scams all over and then relocate and dont pay their employees.
December 6th, 2006 at 10:57 am
An interesting comment the Molly, thanks. As far as an outside reader is concerned it just looks like speculation, so a couple of questions.
Can you clarify your points about “not paying employees properly” - is this personal experience or hearsay?
You suggest that the managers are serial con artists - can you give examples of their other “work”, or is this unsubstantiated? Also, if these managers are pro-scammers, were the owners also conned?
… or is there no evidence to support your claims? If you’re going to say these things you have to be able to back it up (and you should probably be saying them to the DOACS and the police).
January 4th, 2007 at 4:39 pm
I got scammed by Timescape Marketing (parent of Amerisuite Vacation Club)in Sept 2005, I wasn’t aware they were dodgy until Jan 2006 when I tried to book and found I was mis-lead & mis-informed about many aspects of the package, not least the fact that it was a timeshare promotion - I’m assuming this is the same outfit as those above. I contacted the DOACS in Florida but they stated that they “believe the response to be a satisfactory effort on behalf of the business to resolve this complaint.”
The company response was: I was beyond my 30-day cancellation period, I never sent back my package materials and I gave a verbal agreement to charge my card.
I wasn’t aware of the cancellation period or many other aspects of their dodgy deal until after the fact.
Has anyone else been rejected by DOACS and if so what did you do/what can I do next?