I just can't seem to escape from Global Escapes! A couple of years ago, I fell victim to this company's "bait and switch" scheme. I learned a tough lesson that cost me over $4000, but can't seem to shake these scammers.
I received a phone call telling me I won a prize and needed to attend a special awards ceremony to pick it up. Curiosity got the best of me and I found myself in Eden Prairie one night listening to the hard-sell pitch of some very slick sales people. The atmosphere at this presentation felt much like that of a time-share pitch, but it quickly turned into a guilt-fest.
By the end of the evening, there were 3 sales people hovering over me making judgments about my personal life & financial situation and chipping away at my fragile self-esteem. You see, their tactic is to make you feel like a pauper if you can't come up with a few bucks to go on a vacation once in a while. I have never experienced such a high-pressure sales environment before in my life. These people were publicly humiliating anyone at the presentation who did not buy the vacation package.
I caved in and handed over a credit card to pay for something I could not afford to buy in the first place, not to mention wouldn't be able to use. Here's the kicker, though...
Even though you pay anywhere between $4-9K up-front to be part of this exclusive club... You still have to make annual payments that they don't tell you about until you have already signed the paperwork. A year after joining, I found a $200 credit card charge to Global Escapes. I came to learn that this is an annual charge to maintain the membership. After contacting the company and filing complaints with the BBB and anyone else I could think of, I ended up writing a letter to formally cancel this membership. I didn't hear from them again until today when I received a bill for $200 in the mail!
I am fed up with these people. The BBB says I have no recourse because I signed the paperwork, so I should have known what I was getting into. I wish someone would at least do something to shut these people down. I can't believe our govenment spends billions of dollars protecting us from ourselves, but won't do anything to protect us from these schemers.
The law says you have a three day "right of rescission" if you signed up for this. I wish someone had told me that before it was too late. If you are one of their new victims, you might be able to get out of it if you act fast.
Good Luck!
Fool me once...
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
U.S.A.
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