I got a phone call yesterday morning from an American lady telling me I had been the 1000th entry into a competion to receive a highly discounted holiday package to Florida and the Bahamas for up to 4 people. I vaguely remember filling in a competion with something to do with the Bahamas. This lady went through all the details of the package deal, what i would receive, how much it would cost, etc. All very upfront. She then put me through to a second person, a man, who would confirm all my details and arrange the package to be sent. He was very nice, confirmed everything the lady had said, especially about the fact that I had NOT won a prize but the opportunity to have a highly discounted holiday. He told me all extra costs that would be involved... Port taxes for the Bahama Cruise, transfer taxes, etc. He then said I would need to pay the $998US (which I was informed of by the first caller), upfront on my credit card. While I was on the phone my sister was looking this company up on the internet... Long story short, everything looked legit and i handed over my credit card very excited that I was being given the chance to have an overseas holiday I could not otherwise afford. I told theman I did not have the funds available on my credit card and he said he would do a check with mastercard, if it was declined I then had 90 days to find the funds and call them back to pay for the trip. He told me that the transaction hadbeen approved. I was shocked as I know the funds were not there. I was then put through to a third man who, I was told, was the security department. He once again verified all my contact details assuring me that I would be receiving email verification and tickets within 48hrs, and also a regular mail package. I have actually received the emails. After doing more research on the internet, I started to hear talk of scams associated with these people and have become very worried. I called my bank to try to cancel or stop the transaction but was told it was already approved... Abused the bank for approving it when funds not available! The bank is now filing a dispute for return of the money. I have called All Seasons Holidays this morning and spoke to yet another man. I told him I was under the impression this deal was a scam and I wanted a refund. He refused to refund as it was not their policy, but as I was so upset he extended my time of travel from 18mths to 31/2 years. After more arguing on my part (the man never got abusive or angry, he was always very polite), the man did agree to refund $500. I really just don't know what to think. Have i really been scammed or is this a real deal? I was made aware of the timeshare thing, but thought it would be worth it for a really good holiday. Has anyone actually taken this deal and had the holiday??
0 comments