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.
May 21st, 2005 at 11:06 am
I have vowed never to be tricked by a con artist again. I am sure you all feel the same. Therefore, you may find the Federal Trade Commission website helpful.
May 21st, 2005 at 11:10 am
Thanks everyone for all your comments, l can’t believe Egg credit card is making Vicky pay for it now, the same thing will no doubt happen to me now. I too have made contact with various people regarding amerisuites but know has got back to me, at least we are not alone. Do you think like Jacky M we should all tell the police to obtain an crime reference number? I have not got my package yet and it will be a week on Monday, l think l will refuse to accept mine form DHL. I don’t think there is no point calling amerisuites no more regarding this as they are so unhelpful and couldn’t care less now they have our money, especially Marcia she is most unhelpful!
Hopefully some good will come from this and the company will shut down, now that would be good. Mike O Bee keep up the good work and let us know how you get on.
May 21st, 2005 at 11:51 am
Beware everyone!!! Amerivacation has changed it’s website, it’s company name and it’s physical location in Florida. The new website is now http://yourvipholiday.com/airline.html. I suppose the name is yourvipholiday. The address in Florida is now: Your VIP Holiday Customer Relations Department 600 North Highway 17-92 Suite # 120 Longwood, FL 32750 and NOT anymore 7800 Southern Blvd. Suite 112 Orlando, Florida, 32809. The new telephone number is 1-800-881-4290. Please, do all file complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and with the Florida Department of Consumer Services. It is the only way to tackle this problem.
May 21st, 2005 at 1:20 pm
As another victim of this scam as from thursday, i would just like to ask you all…is this comapny a legal company with holidays to sell? the ABTA number is non existant so does this mean that these people are a group… based in florida, taking peoples money to line their own pockets?and we do not get this “great deal of a holiday”? replies would be very much appreciated. Hope we can all come to a final conclusion as myself and my family are very worried.
May 21st, 2005 at 3:57 pm
Is “Holiday Rewards” the same company?? I get 2-3 calls a week from this company, despite being signed up with the TPS. Record message “You’ve won a holiday to… Press 9 to speak to a representative”. I couldn’t get enough details from the representative I spoke to, to fill out the complaints form on the FTC site.
May 21st, 2005 at 4:57 pm
Just to let those who are interested know. I have now also sent a mail to the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.
I have sent it direct to their top person. Oh and before any one corrects me. I wrote my previous entry late in the evening after a heavy day…of course it’s Governor Bush not Senator.
Keeping up the pressure only been on this case a couple of days, so will advise on any updates as I get them.
May 21st, 2005 at 5:24 pm
Is this place definately a scam? Have u any proof? Has it got an abta? pls reply soon
May 21st, 2005 at 6:01 pm
I can’t believe how lucky I am. I got off the telephone after being passed from person to person, after stopping just short of being passed to the verification dept. I gave reason after reason for not wishing to pass on my card details to an unsolicited caller, was given the option of them “hanging on” until I called my credit card company and was then told that if I hung up, I may find that the prizes had all gone when I called back,
I found it laughable that part of my defence was to tell them about the lottery adverts over here that cost £1.50 per minute on the telephone, and of other scams, this did not put them off and they stayed very polite. This did not deter me though especially after receiving the ansewer that my number must have been come upon by “accident” when I asked many times where they had got my number from, as I am like to many of you TPS registered.
I eventually got off the line by telling them that I had to plug out the phone to plug in my computer. I am left with a bad taste in my mouth for having to make excuses to end a call I had not asked for in the first place and will be a little harder next time. The most I can say about this is that was 20 minutes of my life I won’t get back! Its a shame I can not say the same for some of you others. Keep complaining. I shudder to think what would have happened if my mother had taken the call.
May 22nd, 2005 at 7:40 am
V glad to discover this log as it has helped piece together what may have happened to my 87 yr old dad. He cannot remember the facts of what he was told, but his cc has been fleeced of £706-56. He has now received the ‘package’ via DHL, so now know the company behind the con. The package consists of tourist bumf (e.g See Orlando) plus ‘confirmation of purchase’ which states “amount charged today = £698” (curious!). Also includes 3 reservation forms and terms and conditions. If the accommodation packages are genuine and you ever manage to co-ordinate reservation dates, you will have to attend a 90-minute preview introducing the benefits of vacation ownership or pay a fee of $249. You have to pay airfares, ground transportation, meals and all incidental costs.
The terms and conditions do include a clause on cancellation, which is almost identical to the extract posted by jerry s. They expressly state that you must cancel by “returning ENTIRE travel package you received by certified mail and sending notice to Amerisuites Vacation Club to the address located in the front of the reservation forms” [within 30 days]. Since the package is weighted with bumf in a plastic folder, DHL will charge £58! My problem is what address to use, since the address on the reservation form is different to the address that the package was sent from – and why should we to pay to return this rubbish!
My dad’s credit card co are investigating, but not sure what this means. Have contacted the government-run consumer direct line (linked to Trading Standards) and Citizens Advice: both pretty useless. Will be contacting Watchdog and sending details to Florida department.
My dad was registered with TPS also. What frightens me, is how many old people have been scammed and distressed by this vile operation.
May 22nd, 2005 at 5:40 pm
Despite being ex-directory, and registered with the TPS, I have also received one of these spam calls - which I recognised immediately as a scam. When I rang 088 091 4766 to complain I was greeted with a tirade of abuse.
Uninvited marketing calls are not legal in the UK. You can complain to the Information Commissioner using this form.
I doubt that the Information COmmission can do anything about a company based in the States, but they might at least get the UK operation (there has to be a UK operation to get an 0800 number) closed down.
http://ico-cms.amaze.co.uk/DocumentUploads/Reg%2021%20Telesales.pdf