Edit: A recent comment indicates that these bottom-feeders have changed their name to “PVS LLC,” but are still sending out basically the same letter. Also operating as “TCU 100” in New Mexico and elsewhere. Beware.
“You are a Finalist in our 2016 Toyota Prius Giveaway!” trumpets the letter.
Notice: They’ve never tried contacting me before, but along with the Washington DC return address, the “Final Attempt” makes the letter seem more urgent.
Cute electronic gizmo and a scratch-off number. Any bets as to whether the numbers match? Pull the tab, scratch the number:
What a surprise!
So I’m guaranteed to win one of those four fabulous prizes. Let’s look at the odds of winning on the fine print:
- Prius: 1:180,000
- Plasma TV: 1:180,000
- Apple iPad Air: 1:180,000
- Cruise: 179,997:180,000
If you’ve taken 9th-grade math, you know that it’s a sure thing you’ll be walking away from this experience with a cruise (valued up to $1,900.00).
This promotion is run by “Book and Sea,” a travel club that is using this promotion to “introduce their services.”
When I called the number, the young lady launched into her pitch and told me I’d be winning one of these great prizes, plus up to a $100.00 WalMart gift card. I asked her which prize I had won, and she said that I would only find out about that at the presentation. At this point I hung up.
Based on comments found on the web, it’s just another tired clone of Global Travel Network, about which I have already written:
“It is a 90 minute presentation you must listen to about a travel club and the discount they can give you (after you pay the fee for the membership). The idea is very interesting and the price was about $11,000 for a life time membership and an additional $300 per year fee. If you are interested I would suggest you play the game and say no to them first because they will come down drastically with the dollar amount that you would end up paying . At the end we got our salesman to give us the same deal for $3,775 and he was going to throw in two additional tickets for the cruise. We did not make the purchase however several people did at full price. We walked out with a gift card to walmart, which when I call to et the balance was only $5.00.”
According to the letter, the odds for the $100.00 gift card are 4:180,000, meaning everyone else gets a measly five bucks.
These drones are targeting married couples with a combined income of over $60,000. As I wrote about in my previous post, even the cruise is no “prize” – by the time you pay taxes and other activation fees, you could probably find a flight and cruise as cheaply by yourself on the internet. So if they can sucker three or four couples per presentation to drop $11,000 plus a $300 per year maintenance fee, handing out these worthless cruises and gift cards makes the whole operation a pretty sweet racket.
Stay away from such scummy operators. Anyone who advertises their services with such reckless deception has the morals of a honey badger.
The Old Wolf has spoken.
Playing in the World Game 