I received an email from Karen in which she recounted a rather unfortunate experience resulting from a visit to Nerja in November 2009 and a solution to which is still not forthcoming. Rather than paraphrase, here is the full, completely unedited email:
Travel Scam by Ultimate Finding Company, Principle Travel and Essential Travel UK
During a recent holiday in Nerja Spain; we were scammed with a very clever sales pitch and follow-up by very pleasant people at the Ultimate Finding Company (ULFC) – a very appropriate name -when we purchased a membership in a so called exclusive travel club called Principle Travel.
We were lured to the sales pitch with the promise of winning a fairly significant prize on a scratch card. We purchased the membership on the promise of world wide access to 4 star self-catering units at ₤76 /week and deep discounts on other holidays such as two for one cruises and 40-50% reductions on hotels. We were told that Principle Travel can offer such discounted rates as its revenue relies on an annual membership fees not on markups like other travel agents.
After we purchased our membership we were told that units would be available from ₤76. This new information created some concern for us so we immediately contacted the ULFC and were told not to worry as the ₤76 rate would be available 99% of the time. We asked for this commitment in writing and were assured that it would be sent by post and waiting for us when we returned home. It never arrived. When we tried to book units at the promised rate of ₤76 pounds were told that this rate is only available 6-8 weeks in advance of the holiday. We have not been able to book any unit at this rate.
The scratch card prize was 3 free weeks of accommodation from Essential Travel UK. This has also not worked out as promised. After purchase, we were told that weeks could only be used individually. We have noticed from other postings on the internet that the free accommodations requires attendance at yet another sale session and that ULFC and Essential Travel UK same company. During our attempts to book holidays we had correspondence from staff at both Principle and Essential Travel, we strongly suspect, therefore, that these companies are all one and the same
Clearly, we were deliberately misled before the sale to close the deal and after the sale to make sure we did not invoke the 7 day cancellation clause in the membership contract. We have communicated our concerns to ULFC and Principle Travel and have requested a full refund and review and action by senior officials. Both requests have failed. Therefore, we feel compelled to tell our story in the hope that others will not fall into the same trap.
richallenor says:
I am amazed that silly people still fall for the scratch card con. My wife and I holiday every year in Nerja, and sit on the Balcon, and cant believe the daft couples that get cought every day.Where have they been all their adult life Outer Mongolia? serves them right. All it needs is a polite NO THANK YOU.
Chrissy says:
richallenor – such a lovely response calling people “silly” when one can’t even spell “caught” correctly. Better to be silly I suppose that simply “stupid”. If I knew about this scam before this trip to Nerja then I would not be sitting on the Balcon watching people be taken in by this with my wife. I find this very ignorant and I can’t see how your post on this page has helped anyone. It has just irritated people, especially me. I however have not fallen victim to this scam. I only became aware of it 2 days ago when me and my boyfriend were “silly” and caught totally off guard. The lady had tried to stop us the day before up at the market but we simply said that we were not interested. If only we had done the same on the next day when she came out of nowhere! When it transpired that we had “won” one of the top prizes and we had to go with her I immediately thought “what a scam” but the woman Liz seemed nice and looked like she could do with a euro or two, advising us she was on commission and that she receives 60 euros if she took us up to the office to sit through a presentation. I figured I’d go up and see what it was all about and she’d benefit from it by getting some cash. We did not part with our hard earned money and came away having had a coffee, water and a bottle of cheap fizz and a form for a holiday that I had no intentions of applying for, especially since you have to send a cheque away for admin charges?? I did however feel I had been taken in because I sat and endured their chat for so long. As soon as I got back to my digs in Nerja I immediately went online and did my research and realised they were worse than I had anticipated. I passed the lady I had initially felt sorry for (Liz) yesterday morning getting into a car with an older couple and felt sick the whole day for not doing something about it. I even woke up too early this morning feeling irritated with myself for allowing someone to go off with her without warning them. I will not be allowing her to pass in my path again however and will be doing something about it the next time. I come to Nerja around 3-4 times a year and have done for the past 12 years and every time I see this woman I will be saying something and voicing my opinion. I hope richallenor that you enjoy your time on the Balcon watching the “silly people” possibly fall victim to these horrible people. Try not to choke on your beverage whilst you watch eh.
richallenor says:
I am amazed that silly people still fall for the scratch card con. My wife and I holiday every year in Nerja, and sit on the Balcon, and cant believe the daft couples that get cought every day.Where have they been all their adult life Outer Mongolia? serves them right. All it needs is a polite NO THANK YOU.
Chrissy says:
richallenor – such a lovely response calling people “silly” when one can’t even spell “caught” correctly. Better to be silly I suppose that simply “stupid”. If I knew about this scam before this trip to Nerja then I would not be sitting on the Balcon watching people be taken in by this with my wife. I find this very ignorant and I can’t see how your post on this page has helped anyone. It has just irritated people, especially me. I however have not fallen victim to this scam. I only became aware of it 2 days ago when me and my boyfriend were “silly” and caught totally off guard. The lady had tried to stop us the day before up at the market but we simply said that we were not interested. If only we had done the same on the next day when she came out of nowhere! When it transpired that we had “won” one of the top prizes and we had to go with her I immediately thought “what a scam” but the woman Liz seemed nice and looked like she could do with a euro or two, advising us she was on commission and that she receives 60 euros if she took us up to the office to sit through a presentation. I figured I’d go up and see what it was all about and she’d benefit from it by getting some cash. We did not part with our hard earned money and came away having had a coffee, water and a bottle of cheap fizz and a form for a holiday that I had no intentions of applying for, especially since you have to send a cheque away for admin charges?? I did however feel I had been taken in because I sat and endured their chat for so long. As soon as I got back to my digs in Nerja I immediately went online and did my research and realised they were worse than I had anticipated. I passed the lady I had initially felt sorry for (Liz) yesterday morning getting into a car with an older couple and felt sick the whole day for not doing something about it. I even woke up too early this morning feeling irritated with myself for allowing someone to go off with her without warning them. I will not be allowing her to pass in my path again however and will be doing something about it the next time. I come to Nerja around 3-4 times a year and have done for the past 12 years and every time I see this woman I will be saying something and voicing my opinion. I hope richallenor that you enjoy your time on the Balcon watching the “silly people” possibly fall victim to these horrible people. Try not to choke on your beverage whilst you watch eh.
Ron says:
As regular people to Nerja, we are well aware of these type of scams. However they have changed tack a little. They now ply their trade usually youngsters (probably on the dole from The UK)Recently we were bombarded with every angle they could think of, saying no thankyou made no difference. If you speak english look out!!! I told them I would call the police if they did not go away-starting to dial on my mobile soon had them scarpering away. It is time someting was done about them. They are all the same-A BIG SCAM! BEWARE!!!
Ron says:
As regular people to Nerja, we are well aware of these type of scams. However they have changed tack a little. They now ply their trade usually youngsters (probably on the dole from The UK)Recently we were bombarded with every angle they could think of, saying no thankyou made no difference. If you speak english look out!!! I told them I would call the police if they did not go away-starting to dial on my mobile soon had them scarpering away. It is time someting was done about them. They are all the same-A BIG SCAM! BEWARE!!!
Jo says:
Would you buy a house from someone on the street? Would you buy a car from someone on the street? Would you buy a coat from someone on the street? Why then do people buy holidays? Surely if you want a holiday you decide where you want to go and how much you want to pay for it so WHY part with any money to a complete stranger with the promise of a cheap holiday?
Jo says:
Would you buy a house from someone on the street? Would you buy a car from someone on the street? Would you buy a coat from someone on the street? Why then do people buy holidays? Surely if you want a holiday you decide where you want to go and how much you want to pay for it so WHY part with any money to a complete stranger with the promise of a cheap holiday?
Karen says:
No, we are not from outer Mongolia, we are from Canada. Rather than being embrassed we wanted to tell our story in the hopes would warn other people who also are not aware of these scams. Once we arrived at their offices near where the market is held their sales pitch was quite convincing. We have found out since lots of warnings on this in the UK media. At the time we did research on Principle Travel and nothing came up. We now know we needed to do the same for the Ultimate Finding Company.
PS. we loved Nerja and hope to return.
Karen says:
No, we are not from outer Mongolia, we are from Canada. Rather than being embrassed we wanted to tell our story in the hopes would warn other people who also are not aware of these scams. Once we arrived at their offices near where the market is held their sales pitch was quite convincing. We have found out since lots of warnings on this in the UK media. At the time we did research on Principle Travel and nothing came up. We now know we needed to do the same for the Ultimate Finding Company.
PS. we loved Nerja and hope to return.
ken says:
I do not think this couple had to be from outer mongolia, my wife and i consider ourselves to be fairly level headed but we were taken in by a similar scam in the US. We were lured by the promise of free Disney tickets, we ended up spending 4 hours of our holiday enduring a hard sell of time share, we did not buy, but very many did (it was in a huge packed convention hall). It is so easy when abroad to get sucked in by false promises and very easy to feel smug about never been tempted by an unrealistic dream.
ken says:
I do not think this couple had to be from outer mongolia, my wife and i consider ourselves to be fairly level headed but we were taken in by a similar scam in the US. We were lured by the promise of free Disney tickets, we ended up spending 4 hours of our holiday enduring a hard sell of time share, we did not buy, but very many did (it was in a huge packed convention hall). It is so easy when abroad to get sucked in by false promises and very easy to feel smug about never been tempted by an unrealistic dream.
Carol says:
I have been a property owner in Nerja for five years and spend roughly half the year there. In all that time I have only once been approached by such a salesman. If you do not speak to them they cannot speak to you! In almost every resort I have been to throughout the world I have encountered salesmen selling something so it is not just common to Nerja. If it seems too good to be true then there is inevitably a catch. As Jo says why would you buy a holiday or timeshare from someone on the street? Any sensible person would do their research first. I too have seen people being approached and they seem so pleased to have someone to chat with!
Carol says:
I have been a property owner in Nerja for five years and spend roughly half the year there. In all that time I have only once been approached by such a salesman. If you do not speak to them they cannot speak to you! In almost every resort I have been to throughout the world I have encountered salesmen selling something so it is not just common to Nerja. If it seems too good to be true then there is inevitably a catch. As Jo says why would you buy a holiday or timeshare from someone on the street? Any sensible person would do their research first. I too have seen people being approached and they seem so pleased to have someone to chat with!
GLORIA says:
my husband and I were lured into this many years ago. we were driven to a complex just outside Nerja were greeted by a very model looking female and lurking next to us was the biggest crook you ever set eyes on. He joined in the conversation and soon we realised what was going on. When we were adament we were having nothing to do with it he said he would arrange to take us back to our hotel . A very large male wearing dark glasses was told to take us back to our hotel and this is when we both thought our lives were in danger. He didn’t drive us the main road route but took us via the beach route. We sat in the back of the car and in front us us appeared a very old van with the hazard lights flashing in and out we both held on to each other and both thought this is it- we were trembling as we thought we were going to be put into this van never to be seen again. We did get out of the car just as we reached Nerja and were really frightened. This was a big lesson to us. and I hope this story will stop anyone falling for this sort of scam. It didn’t stop us going back to Nerja as we have been holidaying there for the past 12 years and love it
GLORIA says:
my husband and I were lured into this many years ago. we were driven to a complex just outside Nerja were greeted by a very model looking female and lurking next to us was the biggest crook you ever set eyes on. He joined in the conversation and soon we realised what was going on. When we were adament we were having nothing to do with it he said he would arrange to take us back to our hotel . A very large male wearing dark glasses was told to take us back to our hotel and this is when we both thought our lives were in danger. He didn’t drive us the main road route but took us via the beach route. We sat in the back of the car and in front us us appeared a very old van with the hazard lights flashing in and out we both held on to each other and both thought this is it- we were trembling as we thought we were going to be put into this van never to be seen again. We did get out of the car just as we reached Nerja and were really frightened. This was a big lesson to us. and I hope this story will stop anyone falling for this sort of scam. It didn’t stop us going back to Nerja as we have been holidaying there for the past 12 years and love it
Martin says:
Seems that Karen was attempting to do her best in warning people. Unfortunately some people prefer to sneer at her misfortune. None of us are above making mistakes and for those who suggested that she must be from outer Mongolia: I would prefer to meet a decent ‘outer-Mongolian’ than meet some of those whose remarks were so discourteous. Thanks Karen..
Martin says:
Seems that Karen was attempting to do her best in warning people. Unfortunately some people prefer to sneer at her misfortune. None of us are above making mistakes and for those who suggested that she must be from outer Mongolia: I would prefer to meet a decent ‘outer-Mongolian’ than meet some of those whose remarks were so discourteous. Thanks Karen..
patt says:
Karen is stating what happened to her and trying to stop it happening to others. She is not complaining about Nerja. My husband and I are not from outer Mongolia and holiday in Nerja every year. Last year this offer was presented to us and we bought in as the people at the presentation seemed honest and nice. When you are that type of person yourself I suppose it is easier to fall victm. What I would say is we are going back this year but we will not be sitting quitely on a balcony watching the world go by and laughing at people getting conned I will make every effort to talk to as many people and business owners and tell our story in the hope that we will tell others and perhaps save a few victims for falling for the story we were told.
patt says:
Karen is stating what happened to her and trying to stop it happening to others. She is not complaining about Nerja. My husband and I are not from outer Mongolia and holiday in Nerja every year. Last year this offer was presented to us and we bought in as the people at the presentation seemed honest and nice. When you are that type of person yourself I suppose it is easier to fall victm. What I would say is we are going back this year but we will not be sitting quitely on a balcony watching the world go by and laughing at people getting conned I will make every effort to talk to as many people and business owners and tell our story in the hope that we will tell others and perhaps save a few victims for falling for the story we were told.
Nigel says:
We attended a similar presentation;we suspected it was a scam and did not pass any money for the so called contract, I was actually frightened that we may have been robbed if we did not sign the contract and agree to forward the deposit money by bankers draft or electronic bsnk transfer; we said we had no money with us at that time; they said then even a small deposit would suffice, we signed a document but since we had paid no deposit then I knew that they had no contract with us. When I returned home I despatched a letter to both the travel company and the so called marketing company declining their contract offer.
I cannot understand how this type of scam is allowed in a fellow EEC member state.
Nigel says:
We attended a similar presentation;we suspected it was a scam and did not pass any money for the so called contract, I was actually frightened that we may have been robbed if we did not sign the contract and agree to forward the deposit money by bankers draft or electronic bsnk transfer; we said we had no money with us at that time; they said then even a small deposit would suffice, we signed a document but since we had paid no deposit then I knew that they had no contract with us. When I returned home I despatched a letter to both the travel company and the so called marketing company declining their contract offer.
I cannot understand how this type of scam is allowed in a fellow EEC member state.
Rob says:
It took years to bring in legislation to control ‘timeshare’ but only a short time for the same people to restart as ‘holidayshare’. We then had ‘property club’, ‘holiday club’ and now ‘travel club’.
The operators are always swift to move on – new company name, new angle – and stay ahead of the law.
Legislate against ‘travel clubs’ and no doubt we’d soon have ‘flightshare’ or somesuch. The same scam, just a new name.
Salesmen can be very persuasive, it’s their job, but remembering the old adage ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’ can go a long way to keeping you out of trouble.
Always be on your guard as there is always someone trying to part you from your wallet in one way or another.
If anyone conducting a survey mentions ‘credit cards’ or asks for a telephone number then alarm bells should start ringing.
Rob says:
It took years to bring in legislation to control ‘timeshare’ but only a short time for the same people to restart as ‘holidayshare’. We then had ‘property club’, ‘holiday club’ and now ‘travel club’.
The operators are always swift to move on – new company name, new angle – and stay ahead of the law.
Legislate against ‘travel clubs’ and no doubt we’d soon have ‘flightshare’ or somesuch. The same scam, just a new name.
Salesmen can be very persuasive, it’s their job, but remembering the old adage ‘there’s no such thing as a free lunch’ can go a long way to keeping you out of trouble.
Always be on your guard as there is always someone trying to part you from your wallet in one way or another.
If anyone conducting a survey mentions ‘credit cards’ or asks for a telephone number then alarm bells should start ringing.
Alex says:
Here is a site that will help people if they have had a bad experience or need info. http://www.rdo.org
Some info from the site;
RDO TURNS UP THE HEAT ON RESALE AND HOLIDAY CLUB FRAUDSTERS
Brussels 29th March 2010 – As part on an ongoing campaign to help stamp out fraudulent practices targeted at timeshare owners, RDO (Resort Development Organisation), the trade body for timeshare and fractional ownership, is calling for consumers to come forward with their complaints.
Of particular interest are complaints from people who have been invited to a presentation either to discuss ways in which to dispose of their timeshare or to join a class action scheme, but are then persuaded to sign up to membership of a holiday club of which they had no former knowledge. A deposit is frequently taken and if no cooling off period is provided, which is frequently the case, consumers may lose significant sums of money.
The evidence that RDO builds up through this campaign will be presented to the enforcement authorities in both the UK and Spain to enable them to take decisive and hard-hitting action, putting a stop to the distress caused to people who have been misled by this type of activity.
Over the course of the last few years the number of consumers coming to RDO with allegations of fraud has steadily increased and its enforcement programme, which is headed up by a former Spanish police inspector, is more important than ever, with significant sums of money being invested into a pan-European programme.
Richard McIntosh, the Organisation’s chairman, adds, “Members of the public should always check with RDO if they are approached by a company they are unsure of and should walk away if they are asked to sign a contact which does not give them the right to withdraw
Alex says:
Here is a site that will help people if they have had a bad experience or need info. http://www.rdo.org
Some info from the site;
RDO TURNS UP THE HEAT ON RESALE AND HOLIDAY CLUB FRAUDSTERS
Brussels 29th March 2010 – As part on an ongoing campaign to help stamp out fraudulent practices targeted at timeshare owners, RDO (Resort Development Organisation), the trade body for timeshare and fractional ownership, is calling for consumers to come forward with their complaints.
Of particular interest are complaints from people who have been invited to a presentation either to discuss ways in which to dispose of their timeshare or to join a class action scheme, but are then persuaded to sign up to membership of a holiday club of which they had no former knowledge. A deposit is frequently taken and if no cooling off period is provided, which is frequently the case, consumers may lose significant sums of money.
The evidence that RDO builds up through this campaign will be presented to the enforcement authorities in both the UK and Spain to enable them to take decisive and hard-hitting action, putting a stop to the distress caused to people who have been misled by this type of activity.
Over the course of the last few years the number of consumers coming to RDO with allegations of fraud has steadily increased and its enforcement programme, which is headed up by a former Spanish police inspector, is more important than ever, with significant sums of money being invested into a pan-European programme.
Richard McIntosh, the Organisation’s chairman, adds, “Members of the public should always check with RDO if they are approached by a company they are unsure of and should walk away if they are asked to sign a contact which does not give them the right to withdraw
John says:
Thinking I’m a reasonable intelligent, careful and normal human being – we also fell for Ulitmate finding company and Principle travel.
It is well knowned there is a lot of scams, but it is also well knowned that when you are on a holiday you tend to lower your defenses.
Nice people, a professional presentation, good offers and a hope of affordable but nice holidays…
And frankly, I still can’t shout scam – by the simple reason I still have not tried to get any of the cheap holidays, or our promised free holiday accomadation.
Now we are home.
Have indeed got a travel catalogue and a free accommodation voucher.
But were is the login information? I can’t book a holiday unless I can see what they offer… I have tried to email them – but so far no answer (sent it three days ago, so there is still a chance…)
Can anyone answer if it is safe to book a holiday with Principle travel? Or would we just loose more money??
Is Principle travel a “real” travel company – or is is just a fancy frontpage on the net with nothing behind it?
John says:
Thinking I’m a reasonable intelligent, careful and normal human being – we also fell for Ulitmate finding company and Principle travel.
It is well knowned there is a lot of scams, but it is also well knowned that when you are on a holiday you tend to lower your defenses.
Nice people, a professional presentation, good offers and a hope of affordable but nice holidays…
And frankly, I still can’t shout scam – by the simple reason I still have not tried to get any of the cheap holidays, or our promised free holiday accomadation.
Now we are home.
Have indeed got a travel catalogue and a free accommodation voucher.
But were is the login information? I can’t book a holiday unless I can see what they offer… I have tried to email them – but so far no answer (sent it three days ago, so there is still a chance…)
Can anyone answer if it is safe to book a holiday with Principle travel? Or would we just loose more money??
Is Principle travel a “real” travel company – or is is just a fancy frontpage on the net with nothing behind it?
The Captain says:
Internet forums are full of discussions about Ultimate Finding Company and Principle Travel, mostly negative experiences.
Street touting for business via the use of scratch cards and surveys has always equalled ‘scam’ of some sort or another.
Personally I would avoid them like the plague. Why go through some unknown intermediary whose so-called representative approached you on the street when there are sufficient reputable and established tour operators (with offices!) offering the same or better deals?
The Captain says:
Internet forums are full of discussions about Ultimate Finding Company and Principle Travel, mostly negative experiences.
Street touting for business via the use of scratch cards and surveys has always equalled ‘scam’ of some sort or another.
Personally I would avoid them like the plague. Why go through some unknown intermediary whose so-called representative approached you on the street when there are sufficient reputable and established tour operators (with offices!) offering the same or better deals?
Alex says:
John, we had the same experience and once we were home hoped it would all work out also. We were able to log on however most of the time the site was down and the form did not work. We did get some quotes back after sometimes a month of waiting and the prices were not as promised. On the free vacation we strongly suspect they are the same company. We did get info back not many of the countries were available. We have read on the internet people have had very bad experiences of no reservations. We would not book anything through these companies as would not want to risk loosing more money or having a holiday turn in to a very bad experience.You might want to try and get your money back through your credit card company. If services arent delivered credit card companies will try and get the money back from UFC credit card company. We have learned all of this from advice from other people in similar situations.
Sorry to be so negative we tried everything as we wanted to believe also.
Alex says:
John, we had the same experience and once we were home hoped it would all work out also. We were able to log on however most of the time the site was down and the form did not work. We did get some quotes back after sometimes a month of waiting and the prices were not as promised. On the free vacation we strongly suspect they are the same company. We did get info back not many of the countries were available. We have read on the internet people have had very bad experiences of no reservations. We would not book anything through these companies as would not want to risk loosing more money or having a holiday turn in to a very bad experience.You might want to try and get your money back through your credit card company. If services arent delivered credit card companies will try and get the money back from UFC credit card company. We have learned all of this from advice from other people in similar situations.
Sorry to be so negative we tried everything as we wanted to believe also.
Norman Higgs says:
We have just returned from Nerja and surprisingly we fell for the scam. We were walking in the town and was approached by a pleasant young lady called Lauren. She asked us to check a scratchcard each and “low and behold” my wife had won a star prize. Lauren told us it was not a timeshare scam but in order to claim the prize we had to visit her office. She said she could only get her commission if we claimed the prize. We offered to walk to her office but she insisted on contacting them to arrange transport. We were duly collected in a nice Mercedes Minibus. We sat through 2 hours of total drivel then and asked for our prize. It was supposedly a free holiday for 2 . However it required a registration fee of about £70 per person. We binned it !! We did get a bottle of cheap cava (1.50euro’s at Lidl). We still cannot believe we were suckered into wasting 2 hours of holiday listening to such bull—-. We had no intention of ever buying anything so at least we possibly saved some other unfortunate soles. I just felt very sorry for the staff who clearly cannot find a proper job!!
Norman Higgs says:
We have just returned from Nerja and surprisingly we fell for the scam. We were walking in the town and was approached by a pleasant young lady called Lauren. She asked us to check a scratchcard each and “low and behold” my wife had won a star prize. Lauren told us it was not a timeshare scam but in order to claim the prize we had to visit her office. She said she could only get her commission if we claimed the prize. We offered to walk to her office but she insisted on contacting them to arrange transport. We were duly collected in a nice Mercedes Minibus. We sat through 2 hours of total drivel then and asked for our prize. It was supposedly a free holiday for 2 . However it required a registration fee of about £70 per person. We binned it !! We did get a bottle of cheap cava (1.50euro’s at Lidl). We still cannot believe we were suckered into wasting 2 hours of holiday listening to such bull—-. We had no intention of ever buying anything so at least we possibly saved some other unfortunate soles. I just felt very sorry for the staff who clearly cannot find a proper job!!
simone okeefe says:
My husband & i fell for that scratch card scam, we did everything you did, except upon our return to england we started getting mail from club lacosta, even phone calls & they became quite aggressive, demanding money, which we told them in spain, we didnt have…they told us to go & get a loan from the bank…My husband told them in no uncertain terms, they wouldnt be getting a penny. They only gave up when we threatend them with watch dog…I see it as a wasted day of my holiday, 90 minutes turned into 4 hours…i could av been sunbathing!!!!!
simone okeefe says:
My husband & i fell for that scratch card scam, we did everything you did, except upon our return to england we started getting mail from club lacosta, even phone calls & they became quite aggressive, demanding money, which we told them in spain, we didnt have…they told us to go & get a loan from the bank…My husband told them in no uncertain terms, they wouldnt be getting a penny. They only gave up when we threatend them with watch dog…I see it as a wasted day of my holiday, 90 minutes turned into 4 hours…i could av been sunbathing!!!!!
Phil & Anne says:
The scratch card scam is still operating (as of last week of July 2010 in Nerja). We were approached, as soon as we started to walk towards the Balcon, by a jolly man with a North of England accent wearing a red T shirt and light shorts and carrying a clipboard with a bundle of survey sheets (some of which had been already completed). He asked if we minded helping with a travel survay and showed us a card representing all the airlines (including ours) who were apparently backing the venture. We answered a series of ‘seemingly’ appropriate questions as he marked out a form. After 2 minutes of telling us about the tourist industry and the economic downturn, and the reason the survey was taking place, he produced scratch cards. I was immediately suspicious of this and when my wife ‘turned up’ a bottle of champagne and I (of course)hit the jackpot (either 1000 euros, a laptop or a free holiday depending on a box that could only be acratched at the travel office) we became very suspicious. He tried to coax us to go with him to the travel office to collect the prizes. He was very determined not to let my wife get her hands on either of the scratch cards. We left him telling him we were not interested. When drinking a coffee about 10 minutes later we saw him walking very quickly along the street with another English couple accompanying him. It looks like we had a lucky escape. Enjoy the beauty or Nerja and its beaches and stay well away from these people!
Phil & Anne says:
The scratch card scam is still operating (as of last week of July 2010 in Nerja). We were approached, as soon as we started to walk towards the Balcon, by a jolly man with a North of England accent wearing a red T shirt and light shorts and carrying a clipboard with a bundle of survey sheets (some of which had been already completed). He asked if we minded helping with a travel survay and showed us a card representing all the airlines (including ours) who were apparently backing the venture. We answered a series of ‘seemingly’ appropriate questions as he marked out a form. After 2 minutes of telling us about the tourist industry and the economic downturn, and the reason the survey was taking place, he produced scratch cards. I was immediately suspicious of this and when my wife ‘turned up’ a bottle of champagne and I (of course)hit the jackpot (either 1000 euros, a laptop or a free holiday depending on a box that could only be acratched at the travel office) we became very suspicious. He tried to coax us to go with him to the travel office to collect the prizes. He was very determined not to let my wife get her hands on either of the scratch cards. We left him telling him we were not interested. When drinking a coffee about 10 minutes later we saw him walking very quickly along the street with another English couple accompanying him. It looks like we had a lucky escape. Enjoy the beauty or Nerja and its beaches and stay well away from these people!
The Captain says:
Well done for being on your guard. It is quite sad to see people being ‘led away’ each day, knowing what fate awaits them.
The only consolation is that there are only a couple of these touts left, they used to be on every corner a few years ago.
The Captain says:
Well done for being on your guard. It is quite sad to see people being ‘led away’ each day, knowing what fate awaits them.
The only consolation is that there are only a couple of these touts left, they used to be on every corner a few years ago.
Roger & Pat ,Yorkshire says:
My wife & I have been going to Nerja for 30 years
we often play their game,we go for a free breakfast with them,then we just get up & tell them no thanks, & to donate our prize to charity,what can they do?.
Roger & Pat ,Yorkshire says:
My wife & I have been going to Nerja for 30 years
we often play their game,we go for a free breakfast with them,then we just get up & tell them no thanks, & to donate our prize to charity,what can they do?.
Evie Beringer says:
Just returned from 2 wonderful weeks in Nerja at the Balcon De Europa and cant wait to go back, the only fly in the ointment was falling for the scratch card scam on our last day.
A short, English, spikey haired guy named Douggy asked if we would spare him 5 minutes to answer a few questions about our holiday. He claimed that he represented several big tour companies and airlines who were concerned about the fall off of tourism in the area.
We agreed and he asked a few apparently innocuous questions.
He told us that he had moved there from Cyprus 2 months earlier with his family and was looking to start a new “career” in Nerja working in the travel industry to make things better for visitors!!!!!
As a thank-you for being so nice he offered us a prize scratch card each and crossed his fingers that we would win a prize. To his “amazement” The Husband won a top prize of either a Holiday, a Laptop or 1000 euros ….. long story short we were talked into going with him to claim the prize at his offce ( company name Compass Leisure) and he said that while we were there he would “get one of the girls” to show us some brochures which could save us up to 50% on holidays. He said it would take about an hour as we had to get there, authorise the prize and then get back.
As soon as we got there we knew it was a scam, bascially it was a holiday “club” with an expensive membership fee linked to timeshare under the guise of Fractional Ownership. The 2 marketing men who pushed and pushed and pushed for us to join were pleasant and laughed a lot but they were steeley underneath and not at all interested in letting us get away. They asked questions to constantly try and find points of mutual interest ….my husband is (God help him)…. an Evertonian and what do you know –so were they!!
Lots of other things too ….. someones mother used to live near where we live, someone’s girlfriend rides as do I, and the biggest surprise of all George, our “personal marketing advisor” had a daughter with the same unusual Irish name as my daughter.
Will wonders never cease.
After 2 hours of hard sell rubbish I pointed out that no matter whether we were interested or not, we would not be buying anything that day. I explained that I like a little distance between information and decision. They offered to leave us in the sunshine with a drink for an hour to discuss in private, I turned it down; they offered to run us back to our hotel and pick us up again 2 hours later, I turned it down; the smiles were beginning to fade and the senior manager basically just walked away at this stage.
In order to leave without any hassle ( and I truly believed that there would have been) I said that I would give George my mobile number and that if he wanted to ring me in a few hours I would give him our answer to their holiday club and property investment offer. He agreed to this and organised a car to take us back to the Balcon.
You cannot imagine how relieved we were to get away even though neither of us even got sniff of the so called prizes we had apparently won.
He rang on the dot of 2 hours later, I didnt answer and he rang 5 times in 30 minutes before getting the hint.
This may all sound as if we are foolish or gullible but normally we are not at all like that and we do feel a tad stupid to have been taken in by it all. Fortunately we parted with no money we just wasted almost 3 hours of a wonderful holiday on this trash.
It will never happen again.
One other thing which annoyed me was that when we arrived back at the hotel a couple of fellow guests asked if he had been caught by the scammers, when we said yes they told us they had been caught the day previously and spent 5 hours trying not to be persuaded to buy. They saw us going off with Douggie but had not bothered to warn us what it was about …………. not very nice I thought.
Evie Beringer says:
Just returned from 2 wonderful weeks in Nerja at the Balcon De Europa and cant wait to go back, the only fly in the ointment was falling for the scratch card scam on our last day.
A short, English, spikey haired guy named Douggy asked if we would spare him 5 minutes to answer a few questions about our holiday. He claimed that he represented several big tour companies and airlines who were concerned about the fall off of tourism in the area.
We agreed and he asked a few apparently innocuous questions.
He told us that he had moved there from Cyprus 2 months earlier with his family and was looking to start a new “career” in Nerja working in the travel industry to make things better for visitors!!!!!
As a thank-you for being so nice he offered us a prize scratch card each and crossed his fingers that we would win a prize. To his “amazement” The Husband won a top prize of either a Holiday, a Laptop or 1000 euros ….. long story short we were talked into going with him to claim the prize at his offce ( company name Compass Leisure) and he said that while we were there he would “get one of the girls” to show us some brochures which could save us up to 50% on holidays. He said it would take about an hour as we had to get there, authorise the prize and then get back.
As soon as we got there we knew it was a scam, bascially it was a holiday “club” with an expensive membership fee linked to timeshare under the guise of Fractional Ownership. The 2 marketing men who pushed and pushed and pushed for us to join were pleasant and laughed a lot but they were steeley underneath and not at all interested in letting us get away. They asked questions to constantly try and find points of mutual interest ….my husband is (God help him)…. an Evertonian and what do you know –so were they!!
Lots of other things too ….. someones mother used to live near where we live, someone’s girlfriend rides as do I, and the biggest surprise of all George, our “personal marketing advisor” had a daughter with the same unusual Irish name as my daughter.
Will wonders never cease.
After 2 hours of hard sell rubbish I pointed out that no matter whether we were interested or not, we would not be buying anything that day. I explained that I like a little distance between information and decision. They offered to leave us in the sunshine with a drink for an hour to discuss in private, I turned it down; they offered to run us back to our hotel and pick us up again 2 hours later, I turned it down; the smiles were beginning to fade and the senior manager basically just walked away at this stage.
In order to leave without any hassle ( and I truly believed that there would have been) I said that I would give George my mobile number and that if he wanted to ring me in a few hours I would give him our answer to their holiday club and property investment offer. He agreed to this and organised a car to take us back to the Balcon.
You cannot imagine how relieved we were to get away even though neither of us even got sniff of the so called prizes we had apparently won.
He rang on the dot of 2 hours later, I didnt answer and he rang 5 times in 30 minutes before getting the hint.
This may all sound as if we are foolish or gullible but normally we are not at all like that and we do feel a tad stupid to have been taken in by it all. Fortunately we parted with no money we just wasted almost 3 hours of a wonderful holiday on this trash.
It will never happen again.
One other thing which annoyed me was that when we arrived back at the hotel a couple of fellow guests asked if he had been caught by the scammers, when we said yes they told us they had been caught the day previously and spent 5 hours trying not to be persuaded to buy. They saw us going off with Douggie but had not bothered to warn us what it was about …………. not very nice I thought.
marion says:
we were caught by this lot aswell, we had no intention of signing anything and had no money to part with ,but we let them drone on and enjoyed a drink at their expense and actually took them aback by asking for another, at the time we didnt think it was a scam ,we just thought it was dodgy pushy salesmen trying every trick in the book to lure you into buying their product, we recieved the token bottle of cheap plonk too (which we gave away ),but hadnt wasted too much time and actually laughed about their desperate anticks, its sad that some people fell for it and lost out, we will definately be avoiding them when we return to Nerja,
marion says:
we were caught by this lot aswell, we had no intention of signing anything and had no money to part with ,but we let them drone on and enjoyed a drink at their expense and actually took them aback by asking for another, at the time we didnt think it was a scam ,we just thought it was dodgy pushy salesmen trying every trick in the book to lure you into buying their product, we recieved the token bottle of cheap plonk too (which we gave away ),but hadnt wasted too much time and actually laughed about their desperate anticks, its sad that some people fell for it and lost out, we will definately be avoiding them when we return to Nerja,
Ken says:
25 years in Nerja and we still get these crooks. We spent a couple of wasted hours today up by the market at Compass Travel with Peter, Mark, George and Vicky, Liz having caught us in the town. A bottle of cheap bubbly and a “free holiday” was our reward although we did also get one euro off of Mark because we bet him the prize we would win would be a free holiday.
One note from the past. We once spent two hours on a similar “time share” presentation in Florida and at the end of the time got, as promised, 4 T shirts, a book of vouchers, and $200 CASH.
Ken says:
25 years in Nerja and we still get these crooks. We spent a couple of wasted hours today up by the market at Compass Travel with Peter, Mark, George and Vicky, Liz having caught us in the town. A bottle of cheap bubbly and a “free holiday” was our reward although we did also get one euro off of Mark because we bet him the prize we would win would be a free holiday.
One note from the past. We once spent two hours on a similar “time share” presentation in Florida and at the end of the time got, as promised, 4 T shirts, a book of vouchers, and $200 CASH.
Nick says:
A total scam from a very believable bunch of presentors. Do NOT fall for it. Their website offers are the same as other travel sites without the 2000 quid membership!!!!! fee. Spend your money fishing, eating, drinking and touring instead.
Nick says:
A total scam from a very believable bunch of presentors. Do NOT fall for it. Their website offers are the same as other travel sites without the 2000 quid membership!!!!! fee. Spend your money fishing, eating, drinking and touring instead.
Lynne Hanson says:
My husband and I have been harassed by the same thin, tall man, maybe early 40’s, ever since we moved here 1 year ago. He always claims that he doesn’t remember us; he is very agressive towards us and even told us one time that ‘it must be time we went home’! I saw him last September near Plaza Fabrica when I was on my own, I saw him about to take 4 people up to the ‘presentation’, I told the people tha it they went with him there would be there for hours and that it was a time share/holiday club scheme. They thanked me and walked away. The ‘rep/tout’ then cam after me saying ‘why did you do that? You have lost me €40’. I said ‘because it was the right thing to do’ he became very abusive towards me and I was quite scared. I didn’t see him again until last Thursday, I was with my husband and as I was early for my doctor’s appointment we went to Bar El Caminiero, a white car was parked on the zebra crossing, a man got out and started to harass us again about holidays – it the same nasty man. My husband told him to leave us alone and then the man punched my husband in the face! The staff at the cafe helped my husband, I memorized the number plate and we took a photo of the man’s car. The waiter cleaned Ian (my husband up) and went to the local police with him , they sent him to the emergency services who gave him a tetanus jab and a letter for the guardia civil. Our Spanish tutor came with us to guardia civil and the culprit should soon be behind bars.
So, avoid these people at all costs.
Lynne Hanson says:
My husband and I have been harassed by the same thin, tall man, maybe early 40’s, ever since we moved here 1 year ago. He always claims that he doesn’t remember us; he is very agressive towards us and even told us one time that ‘it must be time we went home’! I saw him last September near Plaza Fabrica when I was on my own, I saw him about to take 4 people up to the ‘presentation’, I told the people tha it they went with him there would be there for hours and that it was a time share/holiday club scheme. They thanked me and walked away. The ‘rep/tout’ then cam after me saying ‘why did you do that? You have lost me €40’. I said ‘because it was the right thing to do’ he became very abusive towards me and I was quite scared. I didn’t see him again until last Thursday, I was with my husband and as I was early for my doctor’s appointment we went to Bar El Caminiero, a white car was parked on the zebra crossing, a man got out and started to harass us again about holidays – it the same nasty man. My husband told him to leave us alone and then the man punched my husband in the face! The staff at the cafe helped my husband, I memorized the number plate and we took a photo of the man’s car. The waiter cleaned Ian (my husband up) and went to the local police with him , they sent him to the emergency services who gave him a tetanus jab and a letter for the guardia civil. Our Spanish tutor came with us to guardia civil and the culprit should soon be behind bars.
So, avoid these people at all costs.
Dave says:
We also encountered this sorry bunch of scammers. We participated in a quick street ‘survey’ by someone called Liz and apparantly won a scratch card ‘star prize’ which required us to sit through a ’90 minute’ holiday product presentation. The prospect of winning 700 euros, a luxury holiday or a digital camcorder made our IQs drop by about 100 points, and we got into their car to be taken to this place in Nerja, away from the main centre. I was instantly suspicious to enter a make-shift ‘office’ where all the presentational materials can be quickly dismantled and packed into a van…so they’re probably renting numerous undisclosed spaces around the area and always running from the law. 90 minutes turned to three hours as we listened to a load of rubbish about a discount holiday product where massive savings can be made – allegedly by ‘cutting out the middleman’ and not advertising in the UK, big corporate clients like Coca Cola blah blah blah, and they want to extend their business to people like us, blah blah blah. We should not have even got in to the car, for any company worth its salt doesn’t have to dredge up business from the streets of a Spanish costal resort! They showed us their website which listed 4 and 5 star hotels and villas at certain prices, which we would then ring up for somebody to get a much cheaper price – which begs the question: why not just list the cheaper price to start with? It’s all a total scam and you won’t get any cheaper deals than doing it all yourself over the internet! After wasting three hours of our holiday we were then asked to give a straight ‘yes or no’ decision ( always a really really BAD sign ) and guess what our answer was! Who in their right mind is going to give a bunch of strangers their credit card details and pay nearly £2000 to join this scheme? We were driven home with our ‘champagne’ prize ( bottle of cheap cava from Lidl ) and our star proze holiday is also a total waste of time of you read the terms and conditions. The old addages remains true – there is no such thing as a free lunch and you cannot fool an honest man. Steer well clear of these crooks.
Dave says:
We also encountered this sorry bunch of scammers. We participated in a quick street ‘survey’ by someone called Liz and apparantly won a scratch card ‘star prize’ which required us to sit through a ’90 minute’ holiday product presentation. The prospect of winning 700 euros, a luxury holiday or a digital camcorder made our IQs drop by about 100 points, and we got into their car to be taken to this place in Nerja, away from the main centre. I was instantly suspicious to enter a make-shift ‘office’ where all the presentational materials can be quickly dismantled and packed into a van…so they’re probably renting numerous undisclosed spaces around the area and always running from the law. 90 minutes turned to three hours as we listened to a load of rubbish about a discount holiday product where massive savings can be made – allegedly by ‘cutting out the middleman’ and not advertising in the UK, big corporate clients like Coca Cola blah blah blah, and they want to extend their business to people like us, blah blah blah. We should not have even got in to the car, for any company worth its salt doesn’t have to dredge up business from the streets of a Spanish costal resort! They showed us their website which listed 4 and 5 star hotels and villas at certain prices, which we would then ring up for somebody to get a much cheaper price – which begs the question: why not just list the cheaper price to start with? It’s all a total scam and you won’t get any cheaper deals than doing it all yourself over the internet! After wasting three hours of our holiday we were then asked to give a straight ‘yes or no’ decision ( always a really really BAD sign ) and guess what our answer was! Who in their right mind is going to give a bunch of strangers their credit card details and pay nearly £2000 to join this scheme? We were driven home with our ‘champagne’ prize ( bottle of cheap cava from Lidl ) and our star proze holiday is also a total waste of time of you read the terms and conditions. The old addages remains true – there is no such thing as a free lunch and you cannot fool an honest man. Steer well clear of these crooks.
jo johnson says:
I have just returned with my husband from Nerja, where we also came across the famous LIZ, when she told my husband that he had won one of the top prizes, she advised that needed to go to office to claim her 60 euros commission and a driver would be round soon to collect us, we advised that had to do something first and advised that we would be back later, as she said that she is always in Calle de Malaga, anyway when we came back she was nowhere to be seen , so we set off to area where she said the office was and found a receptionist who did not seem to know who LIZ was or what the scratchcard was about, then said “ok i will try and call LIZ now”???? LIZ supposedly told receptionist we at office and ok to continue, we were told that whole presentation would take 90 mins tops, (however were there for over 4 hours, SILLY US),Peter was ok joking and laughing, then his Manager “Mark” came in with the hit saying would cost us £12,995 for a 50 year membership or £8995 for a 25 year, we advised not a posibility , then he seemed to reduce it again and again, but his main statement was “well how are you going to get the money??” totally pressurised here all nicey nicey till the sting in the tail.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS
jo johnson says:
I have just returned with my husband from Nerja, where we also came across the famous LIZ, when she told my husband that he had won one of the top prizes, she advised that needed to go to office to claim her 60 euros commission and a driver would be round soon to collect us, we advised that had to do something first and advised that we would be back later, as she said that she is always in Calle de Malaga, anyway when we came back she was nowhere to be seen , so we set off to area where she said the office was and found a receptionist who did not seem to know who LIZ was or what the scratchcard was about, then said “ok i will try and call LIZ now”???? LIZ supposedly told receptionist we at office and ok to continue, we were told that whole presentation would take 90 mins tops, (however were there for over 4 hours, SILLY US),Peter was ok joking and laughing, then his Manager “Mark” came in with the hit saying would cost us £12,995 for a 50 year membership or £8995 for a 25 year, we advised not a posibility , then he seemed to reduce it again and again, but his main statement was “well how are you going to get the money??” totally pressurised here all nicey nicey till the sting in the tail.
AVOID AT ALL COSTS
john says:
My wife and I have just retirned from two great weeks in Benidorm.
Guess what ? The Compass Leisure scammers are opperating on the street corners
over there aswell.
We had the scratch card experience and a sit in a makeshift office.
they wanted £6000.00 to join and an immediate decisicion.
My wife was quite interested with their convincing speal.
I chased them after one hour but thanked them for a free taxi to the Old Town and a couple of cold drinks.
What a set of plonkers expecting a big strapping Geordie to sign up there and then in a foreign country. Beware !! some people in our hotel fell for it.
john says:
My wife and I have just retirned from two great weeks in Benidorm.
Guess what ? The Compass Leisure scammers are opperating on the street corners
over there aswell.
We had the scratch card experience and a sit in a makeshift office.
they wanted £6000.00 to join and an immediate decisicion.
My wife was quite interested with their convincing speal.
I chased them after one hour but thanked them for a free taxi to the Old Town and a couple of cold drinks.
What a set of plonkers expecting a big strapping Geordie to sign up there and then in a foreign country. Beware !! some people in our hotel fell for it.
Jon says:
Ho ho, we met a scruffy lady on the Balcon a few years ago with a scruffy piece of paper and a scruffy envelope filled with scruffy scratchcards. We knew the craic as we have met plenty of people up to this, so we played along and agreed to go up to the “presentation”.
She seemed a bit miffed when we said our car was around the corner and we wouldn’t need her kind offer of a lift, but she asked us to promise to mention her name when we arrived at the meeting. Of course promised this and offered her a lift to the “office”, which from memory would place it next door to, or underneath, Andy Mann’s bar in Aljimara. Unfortunately she was too busy meeting other “clients” to accept our “kind offer”.
Sr. Ortega’s paella was especially tasty that lunchtime as we chuckled over Liz’s marketing skills!! 😉
Jon says:
Ho ho, we met a scruffy lady on the Balcon a few years ago with a scruffy piece of paper and a scruffy envelope filled with scruffy scratchcards. We knew the craic as we have met plenty of people up to this, so we played along and agreed to go up to the “presentation”.
She seemed a bit miffed when we said our car was around the corner and we wouldn’t need her kind offer of a lift, but she asked us to promise to mention her name when we arrived at the meeting. Of course promised this and offered her a lift to the “office”, which from memory would place it next door to, or underneath, Andy Mann’s bar in Aljimara. Unfortunately she was too busy meeting other “clients” to accept our “kind offer”.
Sr. Ortega’s paella was especially tasty that lunchtime as we chuckled over Liz’s marketing skills!! 😉
ian ingram says:
Guess. what….we were stopped by world wide global marketing. same crack with scratchcard offering a buy in to compass travel for 6000 with a 1500 deposit there and then in benidorm 29 july 2012…..
ian ingram says:
Wat a rip off….compass travel are a reputable company and dont need to operate on street corners “!!
ian ingram says:
Guess. what….we were stopped by world wide global marketing. same crack with scratchcard offering a buy in to compass travel for 6000 with a 1500 deposit there and then in benidorm 29 july 2012…..
ian ingram says:
Wat a rip off….compass travel are a reputable company and dont need to operate on street corners “!!
Robin says:
Hi there. I’m currrently working on a brand new travel programme for British television. One section of the series deals with the potential traps that tourists can fall into when on holiday and I wondered if anyone who has commented on this article would be interested in having a chat with me with a view to sharing their story as a warning to others. If so I can be contacted on 0207 438 1871 or [email protected]. Thanks a lot. Robin – researcher at Twofour broadcast.
janis gregory says:
we were on holiday in benidorm and got scamed by compass leisure for £1000 pounds we were told we had a 14 day cooling off period it turns out the £1000 is non refundable people need to be aware of these people stopping you on the street
Robin says:
Hi there. I’m currrently working on a brand new travel programme for British television. One section of the series deals with the potential traps that tourists can fall into when on holiday and I wondered if anyone who has commented on this article would be interested in having a chat with me with a view to sharing their story as a warning to others. If so I can be contacted on 0207 438 1871 or [email protected]. Thanks a lot. Robin – researcher at Twofour broadcast.
janis gregory says:
we were on holiday in benidorm and got scamed by compass leisure for £1000 pounds we were told we had a 14 day cooling off period it turns out the £1000 is non refundable people need to be aware of these people stopping you on the street