Cautionary Tale

CLC called last year. I had won another holiday. Yes I had won in the past, attended the presentation and walked out with my award certificate, but due to work commitments found it difficult to select 3 alternative preferred dates and despite having sent the admin cost on one previos occasion I had not yet benefited from the prize. This time CLc were convincing, they offered a 3yr trial and I gladly paid £3500 for 7 weeks 5* accommodation ( including one free week with hire car thrown in), in the Canries or on the Cost del Sol and a weeks holday at their head office near Fuengerola.

The accommodation at Fengerola was excellent. On our second day we were met for breakfast and underwent a gruelling 7 hour presenmtation by the end of which we had upgraded from or trial holiday to life time membership at a cost of £20,000.

As part of the upgrade I CLC took into account the money already paid, they also offered an oppertunity to buy a repossesion at a discount over the ordinary cost, and we were pursuaded, that the price will only increase, it made good economic sense and once it was paid for we would be quids in.

Having verbally commited to signing up we were told of the annual management and membership fee which for our gold status and 1501 points amounted to approx £800 due in one lump sum each January. After two sleepless nights, which spoiled the entire weeks holiday, reading the small print and the literature provided, I eventually concluded that the the purchase was virtually worthless.

We usually take a two week and a one week holiday each year and have two children that are both in school. On checking the paoints required ourselves we could not manage the same number of holidays each year without borrowing points from the forthcomming year.

The annual charges which come at possibly the most inconvienient time of the year are inflexible and failure to maintain them could result in a breach of contract and you would loose everything you had paid for.

Having paid £20,000, for the 1501 points per annum whow could a £149.00 pa membership fee be justified, on top of which RCI membership costs a further £50 pa plus a charge if you select one of their destinations.

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