Stay away from this scam

ComplaintsCruises & ResortsVacaciones Wide Plus

Complaint

0
Leon Alexander
Country: United Kingdom
Stay away from Vacaciones Wide Plus which is a holiday club operating in Mallorca on behalf of Huntingdon Holiday Services. Vacaciones Wide Plus have touts that stop you in the street with scratch cards, give you a fake "winning" ticket that says you win a "free luxury holiday". You win nothing but gain a debt with three zeros.  

Don't sign anything right away, don't trust companies that hire touts who pressure you into giving out your bank card info.

Comments

12
  • 0
    s. muir
    Lianne, go to www.holidaywatchdog.com and www.holidayclubtales.co.uk. on these sites you will get instructions on how to get your money back. If you paid a lot, there is a lawyers name and contact details on this site
  • 0
    terbrads
    My partner and I have just returned from Magaluf (04/07) and yes, Vacations Wide Plus scam is still in full operation. We were conned into going along on Tues of last week. Got the full spiel - you've won a holiday, 100 euros or a laptop! Took taxi to their office for the presentation which we were told would last 80 mins. By the time we got back to our resort it had been the best part of 4 hours! Looking back it was quite amusing (as well as clever) to experience the techniques that they use to brainwash you. They ask a few quite subtle questions - the tout on the street, the 'receptionist' and the salesman - to ascertain whether you are carrying any cards initially. Then there is the getting to know process - your preferences etc and the salesman will also reveal some quite personal stuff about himself and his partner (he was a cockney geezer named Brian who used to be a postman and he said her name was Eloise!!!). Their office in Palma is right next door to the American/German consulate building so security is very strict he said - so strict that we weren't (nor was he) allowed to leave our seats and move around. I think that was to stop us getting up and just walking out. There were about 10-15 couples seated around the room each getting the treatment. Anytime we asked a question he couldn't answer he had to put his hand up for his manager to come over and explain the answer to us! We asked several times what the cost would be but were told that would be revealed at the end. We also asked several times how much longer it would take and the answer was always "not much longer". The whole thing was played out to some quite loud background music which I suppose was to make sure that we couldn't hear what was being said elsewhere and every half hour or so there was spontaneous applause and cork-popping as another new memeber had just signed up! Anyway, the manager finally came ober to talk figures and told us that it would be £7950 to join and we'd get a lifetime of cheap 4 and 5 star holidays, a free cruise for joining today, one free holiday every year, three cheap holidays every year that we could sell for a profit etc. etc. Considering Brian was so slow, this guy was talking at 100 miles an hour. Just needed a deposit today then we would get a receipt proving the payment was made in Majorca so they wouldn't need to charge us VAT then the balance could be paid off at £22 a week via a secured loan (the idea being that we take out a 10 year loan with whoever and pay VWC the lump sum then pay the loan back which at current rates would involve about £3200 interest! We had told Brian that we usually spend around £2k a year on hols which mr manager stated was about £40 per week so we would actually be saving £18 per week - so does that mean all holidays would be free? Anyway, I'd heard enough by now so just told him to stop because I didn't really believe a word of what he was saying about his wonderful club. I just said that they'd used lies and deception to get us there and so I wasn't about to part with any money. The hurt and indignation he displayed could have won him an Oscar. He then called over his manager and asked me to repeat what I'd said - so I did - then stood up to leave and within 30 seconds we were out of the building and in our free taxi heading back to our resort. It was a waste of four hours sunbathing time but I'm glad I experienced it and hope that by relating our experience others will not have to go through the same rubbish!
  • 0
    baker
    hi could you give us advise as to the lawyer you used and the sort of fees we could be paying to get our money back
    thanks
  • 0
    mayakaahla
    IF THEIR ARE ANY WHO CAN AFFORD TO INVEST IN AN INVENTOR OR CO-SIGN ON INVENTIONS FOR A PERCENTAGE OF THE EARNINGS PLEASE CONTACT ME MIKODADDY86@LIVE.COM WWW.YOURAVON.COM/MICHAELMITCHELL THIS IS ME.
    I HAVE MANY GREAT THINGS IN STORE FOR AMERICA.
  • 0
    dawn
    i was caught out big time cost me £8000.00.i have just found out that vwp and huntingdon holidays have gone into liquidation in 2009 any body know a good lawyer to get me out of this mess now?
  • 0
    teresa
    Hi I have also been scammed any chance I could get the lawyers details.
  • 0
    Gemma
    Hi Dawn

    Have you had any luck getting a good lawyer, I am in the same situation and am desperate to get this sorted.
    Thank you
  • 0
    Nook
    Wow! Great tihnikng! JK
  • 0
    Me
    | 1 reply
    Apologies to everyone who bought and has now found that VWP are in liquidation. I was the person behind holidayclubtales.co.uk and hope that we were instrumental in it's downfall. We certainly did help numerous people out of their dodgy contracts saving 10's if not of 100's of thousands of pounds of brits hard earned cash.
    I'm out there again next so watch out touts - i'm looking for you and the next company you're promoting !
    • 0
      Lesley Winder replies to Me
      I was a victim of this back in 2005 to the tune of £5,500.00.  Is there any chance of getting anything back or should I just throw the folder away?  I can't believe I was so stupid!  I think that's why I've left it so long - I haven't wanted to acknowledge what I've done!
      Any comments would be appreciated.
      Thank you.
  • 0
    Me
    http://www.europarl.europa.eu/meetdocs/2004_2 ... 32/700832en.pdf    - all info in that report was sourced by myself, Steve and blondechaser without who's support would have left this company scamming more brits abroad.
  • 0
    dean cork
    Oh my god !! I went to work for these idiots in 2007 and after 1. Week of training if you can call it that I had a feeling something wasn't right so I got a plane home there was this woman called gay short for Gaynor I guess who was so 2faced I couldn't stand her always slagging off co workers but never to their face there was a guy on the plane home who's surname was sprout if memory serves and he'd handed over 3k he asked me if it was legit but I jus didn't know because I hadn't been there for more than a week but something was defiantly dodgy about the guy who ran it some fat old retired ametuer boxer Paul or Pete can't remember . hope everyone gets refunded and they are prosecuted
12

Post a new comment