A STALYBRIDGE couple are warning holidaymakers to be on their guard after nearly losing £2,000 in a nightmare ‘timeshare’ deal.
Rosemary and Joseph Bennett were looking forward to a relaxing break when they booked a trip to Benidorm in October 2002.
During the trip, the couple were approached by a holiday company claiming they had won a major prize and promising cheap, hassle-free holidays for life.
Rosemary said: "We were taken to an office and talked to a man who seemed very nice, very friendly and normal and told us exactly what we would be getting for our money.
"The £2,000 was a one-off membership payment. After that the prices were very reasonable and they promised us four star accommodation anywhere we wanted. We could book as many holidays as we liked, so we thought the rest of the family could use it too."
It was only when they returned to their home in Carrbrook Crescent, Stalybridge the pair began to realise something was wrong. The family phoned up several times to book holidays but were quoted more than twice the amount they had been told.
"The company claimed it had stopped arranging the deal the Bennett’s had agreed to and became very evasive when they asked for their money back.
Eventually the couple called Tameside’s Trading Standards for help and have now been given a full refund from the credit card company they had used to pay out the cash.
"It’s great that we have got our money back but it’s been really awful. Definitely don’t do what we did — it’s not worth the risk" said Rosemary.
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