If you win a prize -- you shouldn't have to pay anything to collect it. It's recurring message from CTV consumer reporter Chris Olsen. One viewer was paying attention and thinks it helped him hang up on what could have been a pricey call.
Tim Rourke went to the Vancouver International Auto Show and while there filled out some ballots to win prizes when he got home -- he got a call that he was the lucky winner of a trip.
"All I had to do was pay $299 down immediately," he remembers.
Tim didn't like the hard sell.
"[They said] this is the official call. This is your opportunity don't pass up this opportunity, you are not going to get this again," he says.
He hung up and investigated where the call came from. The caller had said he was from Florida Bahamas Cruise Vacations.com. The website shows the ship is a refitted Norwegian ferry. Missing from that website was any pricing information.
So we checked out the website of the actual owner of the ship Celebration Cruises and found it regularly offered suites for $299 -- the same price you'd have to pay to "win the prize."
Tim decided to contact the Auto Show. "I was concerned because the Vancouver International Auto Show is a well respected show."
The show's executive director, Paul McGeachie, says the cruise offering is not endorsed by the VIAS. He says the exhibitor gained access to the show through deceptive means. "This looked like a pretty innocent prize offering when in fact it was a leg hold trap."
Auto show officials have contacted the company instructing them to stop calling as it violates the agreement the auto show had with them that there would be no telemarketing.
"What we've found out in the meantime that they have taken their entire data base gleaned from the show and either given it to a third party or they themselves are following it up," McGeachie claims.
And that's not all. "They say they are represented by the Auto Show which is not true," says McGeachie. "[They say] they've been in the Auto Show for years which is not true. It's a one off item and it's really misrepresentation on their part."
While we were talking to Tim, the Auto Show called back telling Tim they were taking action against the company. Tim thinks more people who've been contacted should complain.
"I think if more people complained the operators of these would not find that they could go to shows and be accepted," he says.
If you sign up for any travel involving a Florida company you have a right to a full refund if you apply for it within 30 days. You should contact the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Tell them that you are canceling within the appropriate time period and they can help you get a full refund. You can even fill out a complaint form online by clicking here.
