"You have won a cruise"

[AKMild]

Has anyone responded to the taped marketing calls that tell you you've won a cruise? I always hang up but I'm curious as to what happens if you respond and what the catch is.

[Buenchico]

Scroll down to the post from 'mik da man', here:
http://www.boards.ie/...owthread.php?t=271476

Chris

[teacher1]

Apart from paying a fortune for the telephone call, and an administration fee, you won't get much else ! lol ;o)

[cherrychapstick]

no but i know people who have once you press 9 your call is diverted to a number which costs you £1.50 a minute and god knows how long you hang on the line for

[JMR27]

We get a couple of these calls each month. If you hang on long enough someone with an American accent congratulates you on winning the cruise (big surprise there... considering you didn't enter a competition in the first place). They then go on to ask for your details at which point I tell them I don't have the word 'mug' stamped on my forehead.
I wish there was a way to stop these nuisance calls.

[boxtops]

Subscribing to the telephone preference service or similar stops a lot of these cold calls.

[JMR27]

Hi boxtops we're already signed up to the TPS and our home phone doesn't accept withheld numbers. These calls are coming from America and there seems there's nothing we can do to stop them.

[dzug2]

<<no but i know people who have once you press 9 your call is diverted to a number which costs you £1.50 a minute and god knows how long you hang on the line for >>

Urban myth - not true. Technically impossible with the UK phone system

The cruise company pays for the call - at I am sure a few cents a minute so they don't overly care how long they hang on for.

They do pretty soon hang up if it's obvious you are time wasting though.

[Greedyfly]

TPS - I wish more people knew about this, its a great free service.

[VHG]

There are all sorts of ways these "scam" companies make money from a "free" holiday.

Some of them charge an "adminsitration" fee before they do anything, but then you may find there is some other sort of fee, then another one etc and before you know it you have paid hundreds of pounds for this "free" cruise (even if it exists).

Or it may be the CRUISE is free (in a basic cabin and no food), but you have to fly to Miami to pick it up, and of course you have to pay the air fare to get there. Or there is some other sort of "fee" to pay for this "free" cruise (food for example).

Or they may even be a "front" for a timeshare or holiday bond scheme.

Or they may just be criminals who want your personal details, or even worse your credit card details.

Whatever "scam" they use you are best not getting hooked.

You just have to remember there is no such thing as a free lunch.

[BertiWooster]

If you have not entered a competition to win a free '' whatever '' ; then you can be sure that the '' free '' will cost you .

If you are going to enter any competition then you should make sure it is a competition where the rules / terms / conditions are published , so you can see from the outset what if any, catches there are