Star Vacation Club review: Customer beware! Scam! 83

I just went to Star Vacation Club today for their 90 minute presentation. They sounded really legit, a great presentation, but I am thankful that I did not have money to invest in a vacation plan with the Club. I received my 3-day vacation scratcher prize and a $1,000 internet shopping spree with www.pickyourgifts.org. As soon as I got home, I began checking the internet for any complaints about Infinity Incentive Group and FindYourGifts. I found a number of complaints. I then checked for complaints about Star and found this. I am going to forward this to the Arizona Attorney General's Consumer Fraud Division. The only good thing I can say about the Star presentation, is that they did not in any way pressure me to buy a vacation plan.

These customers thought they we "duped" before they even tried to use the service.

People are mixing up the "complimentary gifts" with the company, the gifts are from the telemarketing company ( not related). They do not understand the membership.

I recently got a call which I would have normally hung up this caller. She said I won a GREAT PRIZE in a STATE sweepstakes. (1 in 5) All I had to do was watch their presentation for 90 minutes. I am SO glad I brought the baby with me and told them I could not find a sitter that night or stay for their presentation that turned out be be 2 hours+ when I got their. They let me scratch my prize and go. She says "OH, YOU GOT THE VACATION" that consists of airfare and hotel with lots of terms and conditions they still have told me about, and a 50.00 fee per person. At least that's all they're willing to tell you about UP FRONT.

What kind of sick people try to scam a couple with 2 small children, living paycheck to paycheck. And make them think they won a big prize so they can finally get out of debt?

I just went to the presentation last night and purchased a two week package. When I got home to check the website, I was having problems logging on, then I ran into this site. Now I am concern. Can someone contact me, as I feel I have been tricked. But it sounded such a good deal. $4,200 later...

Good day!

This forum has got me really curious because i have been approached by someone to do telemarketing for these people (star vacations). Please tell me exactly what happened and whatever details that you can give, such as were you obligated to sign or purchase anything before you got the gift? Contrary to common belief, not all telemarketing are scams. If what was discussed in this forum is true, i do not wish to be affiliated with this company (star vacations). I would gladly appreciate any feedback or information you can give me regarding this topic. Thank you and god bless.

David Garcia

I happen to do a google search in order to get to my website & I was surprised to find a complaint board on Star Vacations. I have been a member for 6 yrs. & have gone to 9 different countries through Star Vacations and literally saved thousands of dollars in comparison to their competitors. All the trips they have provided to me exceeded my expectations. In reading these complaints, it appears that no one is really a member and it seems they are complaining about some gift. I feel sorry for these people that complain about a product that they have never used, but for those reading these complaints, I am a world traveler for the last 30 years and since joining Star Vacations, I have stayed at better places & have payed a lot less money. J Clark

I'm writing this from a beautiful resort in St. Martin. Star provided me with a 2 bedroom for $399 for 8 days and 7 nights. The resort usually charges $250 a NIGHT! Which if I booked it through an online travel site it would have cost me $1750. Star saved me $1351 and I get 5% back from Star. So maybe you should have joined to reap the benefits...

It appears that all these people that complain about a free gift are lazy to much work to fill out a travel request form i attended a star vacation presentation and joined and as a gift they gave me two round trip tickets yes there was taxes involved and yes i did have to give a 60 day advance notice the taxes for two tickets was a $100.00 i used the tickets to go to Coty wyoming and on expedia the tickets would have been $1346.00 i appreciated the gift I have no complaints and if these complainers complaining about a gift let me say this don't look a gift horse in the mouth.

I am a member of Star Vacation Club - and I have no complaints. I attended the same marketing presentation, got the free trip. While the benefits sounds too good to be true - if you love to travel and want to do it inexpensively - then this is a great deal. If you don't think you will be able to take advantage of the benefits b/c you don't like to or won't get to travel then perhaps this isn't the membership for you. But it sounds that the complaints are with the company that provides the free gift and not with the membership benefits and services.

After eight months of paying on a "trial membership", I am still waiting for my account to be activated. I have not been able to get ahold of a live person through the 877 number I was given. At this point I am so very frustrated and don't quite know what to do. BTW... THEY NOW HAVE A DIFFERENT NAME AND ITS HARBOR RESORTS VACATIONS.

Have been in program for about a year owing them $1595 for 30000 point contract. Have tried to contact them recently several times and get voice mail stating they will get back shortly. No answers. Find they are no longer in Illinois and phones no longer in service there. Find they are in California. Am contacting the Indiana Attorney General's Office and my attorney as well. Under present situation, maybe class action suit could be filed.

Star Vacation Club keep calling me. If you want to reach them to complain, call [protected]. Their current operating address is: Star Vacations, 12526 High Bluff Drive, Ste 260, Plaza Del Mar, San Diego, CA 92130

I USE TO SELL FOR THESE GUYS...

OK, folks - reality check...

I started off selling Travel Service Network roughly four years ago, we were a distributor for their product (kind of like Radio Shack is a distributor for Nextel or Sprint).

Unfortunately the complaints against TSN are mainly because of rogue distributors, salespeople being instructed to promise the world, to get the sale. It is not TSN's fault that these distributors have said what they said, and actually persons that use the website with efficiency are rarely let down. I know from first hand experience that there is a sizable savings that can be realized - especially in the vacation condominium market. RCI(a Timeshare Exchange Company) has now started renting their weeks to TSN for a considerable discount from their retail price. This allows customers to NEVER BUY A TIMESHARE but get the same end result for fractions of the price. THIS IS THE BEST BENEFIT OF THE CLUB! You can save multiple times the purchase price if you just use this benefit.LET THE CRUISES/AIRFARE/AND HOTEL DISCOUNTS BE THE ICING ON THE CAKE WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR SAVINGS!

OK - now on to other issues...

Yes, TSN is now called Star Vacation Club... legally they have done everything right. TSN was sold/changed ownership hands - yet maintained their old client base. It was important for them to change names because of the bad reputations that the distributors had given them.

NOW TO THE GIFTS- Listen folks they are what they are - GIFTS. Please understand they work - but honestly they dont want them to work for you... just follow the Terms and Conditions Down to a T and you will have no problem! JUST USE THEM... THEY ARE PROMOTIONS, SO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM AND BE FLEXIBLE!

AND IN SUMMARY... IF YOU USE THE PRODUCT YOU WILL BE SATISFIED... IT IS WORTH IT 100% WHEN YOU USE IT... BE CREATIVE AND USE THE PRODUCT AFTER LOOKING ONLINE AND SEARCHING THROUGH THE SPECIALS... USE THEIR WEBSITE, AND DO MOST OF THE BOOKINGS YOURSELF...

If it was me, I would purchase it... but you have to use it... if you dont - then please dont complain!

Hello, I signed up with Star Vacations at their Gilbert location (1450 W. Guadalupe Rd) which, I've already seen some of you are familiar with in January of 2006. I was contacted over the phone and was told I had won one of four prizes if I attend a 90 minute vacation club presentation. So I showed up and attended. I was impressed with the presentation, mainly with the fact that it wasn't a time share "cram session"(where they practically won't let you leave until you've bought something). I was interested and spoke with a very polite representative who wasn't in the slightest way pushy (which automatically turns me away from listening to anybody). I described how i travel and where I would like to go. Long story short, I signed a deal for $7590 that was based on what I wanted. I am still a member and have had the same savings experiences as described in their presentation when I first joined. I am a satisfied customer. Now, on these gifts I didn't even waist my time. After the presentation I happened to notice a man and woman who were being disruptive and they clearly stated (loud enough for everyone to hear) "I just want to get my free gift and get out of here". After that outburst a few people got up and headed to the back to just get their gift and go. The gift wasn't MY main prerogative. I travel all over and was looking for a good deal. For those of you who just try to get something for nothing and show up just for the free snacks, coffee, and gift SHAME ON YOU. I hope the stupid gift IS a pain in your ###. Just seeing that reaction at the presentation really irritated me. Since, I own my own business, I know what its like to offer a good product and have a bunch of free loading shmucks capitalize more on the advertisement and immediate benefits then the REAL benefits athand.

Jerry Edwards

After initially purchasing this vacation plan, my husband and I found that the sales pitch was almost a total fabrication.

1. The airline travel virtually guaranteed to be 1/2 price due to bulk purchases of airline tickets by the club did not exist.

2. Auto rentals claimed to be deeply discounted were non-existent.

3. No further charges--I just received a bill for $189 for maintenance; maintenance of what? The club does not own any of the properties they broker.

4. The San Diego sales team will not answer phone calls nor will they return calls after messages are left; even when for specific people. Several calls were made to try to work on a solution to our complaints. They already had our money, I used my credit card to make the purchase.

My one experience using the condo department at SVC was pleasant regarding the customer service people involved. Once I arrived at my club purchased condo destination, I was at first impressed. The grounds were well manicured and lush, the pool area also beautiful.

Our room was another story... The beds were HARD-HARD-HARD, the sheets were yellowed and stained and scratchy, the A / C did not work in 90 degree, 90+% humidity conditions. Our next-door neighbor - a woman in her 80's, had to climb over the wall on our balcony to get out because her "condo" (term used loosely) door would not open. There had been a flood due to a broken pipe under the kitchenette sink causing the door to swell shut. It took several calls and several hours to get the mess cleaned up.

Is a class action suit in process regarding this vendor? I would like to join in with the parties if I could make contact and sue for return of all funds paid to this service. Please advise my rights pursuant to a refund or whether there are legal activities I should take because of the lies presented at the sales pitch.

Regards,
Koren D Dahlberg

Any company that has changed their name this many times tells you something. It's very apparent that this is a scam. It's unfortunate how many people they continually cheat to make a living. My advice is not to purchase anything from this company. If you have, contact an attorney.

Reading the comments above had me laughing. It's only obvious that the only comments posted in favor of the company were written by employees. For example, Dr. Joel Clark misspells paid? What kind of doctor spells paid, "payed"? Not a Dr. I'd feel comfortable with.

I would appreciate any input regarding getting money back. We paid with our credit card and it is currently a disputed purchase. I contacted the Star Vacation Club Corporate Office today and I have never been treated so poorly in my entire life! When asked to speak to a manager, "Margaret" said, "You don't need to. You can't." The first and only person I spoke with refused to let me speak to anyone else whatsoever. There was absolutely no desire to satisfy me as a customer or turn my attitude into a more positive one. I told them the marketing company they hired is fraudulent and Margaret continually repeated that they had no responsibility for this. When I pointed out that they chose to hire and retain a fraudulent service...which certainly reflects negatively on them, and for which Star does have responsibility, she was completely unreceptive. Now, after researching the internet for some time, I am utterly appalled by the amount of negative press/complaints/outrage out there on this company. I just wonder if this is enough for my Credit Card Company to allow me to get my money returned. Again... any input or advice appreciated. Sincerely, Kanta

My Husband and I bought the star vacation club pack and when I got it home I started with the internet to see just how good this was. What a JOKE . I could not get any info so I looked through all the stuff they gave us starting with the discount coupon books that they told us to disregard the expire date . I called the 1800 # in the back and they had not heard of star vacation club and new books are printed every year. So I called all the numbers on the member card to talk with some one they are not open or they are answering services one gave me a list of vacations I could book on line (I already tried that ) now its been three weeks and I still have not got my money back. I did every thing they and the contract told me to do to cancel. Can any one help?

I purchased the membership and have found it to be the most enjoyable. I use a condo week every year and have found the costs to be substantially lower than what I have found on my own.Many companies restructure and change names - how many times does a bank change their name? If you bought the program for a free gift - you are silly - unfortunately nothing is free in life -.

I went to the presentation three weeks ago. I got the same call everyone else did(your guaranteed 1 of 4 prizes ect.) I bought a one week package hoping it would help me save money and give me at least one week out of the year to clear my head. I paid the 10% down and asked if once I was a member I could take a trip that was used as an example in their presentation. Which was an Alaskan cruise for 899/person, 8 days 7 nights 4 ports of call. I TOOK THIS TRIP! Hustle free! The club found an excellent deal on air fair to and from Washington as well as my wife going on our dream cruise of Alaska for $1800! The entire trip air fair included was $2135. I have never seen a deal like this and trust me, I do my fair share of surfing the web for hot deals. The real dream for me was the price. By the way our room was an OCEAN VIEW VERANDA! So I look forward to booking many future trips with my membership.

I was told by a representative that if I attended a 90-minute presentation at Star Vacation Club, (12650 High Bluff Drive, San Diego, CA), I would receive one of several prizes. At the end of the presentation, I decided it was a huge scam and didn't wish to purchase anything. The salesman who was sitting in front of me told me that he would get me my prize form. I asked about the different prizes. He told me I would have to "jump through hoops" to get any of them but that if I managed to do it, I could get a nice vacation. This was March 21, 2007. I submitted by mail the prize claim form on March 25, 2007 (more than within the three-week claim time). I mailed the form to a company called "Destinations." I'm sure it's just another d/b/a of Star Vacation Club. The address for Destinations is (no surprise) also in Illinois at 222 East State Street in Batavia (60510). I wonder if it is a mailbox or a different room within the SVC building in IL. They said I would receive my travel voucher within a certain amount of time. Well, here it is, six months later, and I have not received a thing. I called them two months ago and was told that unless I could prove that I mailed it by providing a certified mail, return receipt, that they would be giving me nothing. So there's the scam. If you don't send your voucher in certified mail with a return receipt, they can claim they never got it and won't be obligated to give you a thing. That must be one of the "hoops" the sales guy was talking about. These people suck! Stay away from them!

Okay, So I was just notified that I was a finalist and called them back. After being put on hold for a while I was sent to ext. 233 from phone number [protected]. (I live in Arizona by the way) I talked to the lady and asked her tons of questions. She seemed frazzled and was unable to answer my questions. After letting her off the hook I hung up. But the conversation was a bit weird. After letting her know I wasn't in the 27-33 age limit of this so called grand prize, she told me to have another person come and accept my prize for me. I said sure, still skeptical, and stated my father could do it. She once again grew frazzled and said, "Well we have a lot of women there and would feel more comfortable if a woman could join him...is your mother avaliable?" After hearing this I grew extremely suspicious but decided to play along. I told her that my mother could go. All in all I knew from the moment I was connected to extention 233 and heard this woman rattling off my possible prizes that this was a scam. I feel for the people who didn't realize this until too late. Its good to check online for complaints or scams before signing contracts or paying anything. Please tell your friends, neighbors, family members and ememies about this scam. Its really a shame people are conned daily by this company and ones like it. Bottom line, If it sound too good to be true, I probably is. You can never get something for nothing! Never!

I am a member of Star Vacation Club for years and have nothing but good things to say. My guess is for every company anywhere there are always going to be people who complain about something. Considering I think they have 70,000 members I can imagine these few complainers are nothing compared to all the happy members. It is too bad there aren't more websites for HAPPY CONSUMERS!

The "free gift" offered to people for attending a sales presentation are not free and they definitely have strings attached. You will get a travel voucher, you will have to pay $50 per person when you submit your 3 different Tuesday or Wednesday departure dates between 60 and 120 days hence and you will pay " a minimum of between $120 -$280" when your booking is confirmed to one of four destinations and if you choose Mexico you will be expected to buy an additional 2 nights accommodation. So, if you attend just to get a free vacation, it probably isn't worth your time.

are any of the complaints from members using there membership it does not appear so. maybe these are
people that just went to a presentation, the fact is I'm a member that is satisfied with my investment fact I also
have a timeshare that has not given me satisfaction getting the destinations I requested since joining star
every request I've made came through promptly with
the prices they promised . don't beleive these people
if there not a member and have been using it some people would complain even about the ritz carlton
there just unhappy people that complaine about anything

they probably won't post this because the truth hurts
the complaints board.com has several complaints about
hundreds of companies that most of us do business with every day from at&t to bank of america and just about every airline and phone brand, automobile manufacturer and appliance company all these companies have hundreds of thousands of customers and only seem s like the few have problems like bounce a check they charge me to much DONT BOUNCE THE CHECK ect. ect ect

All I can say is, I hope no one else gets tricked into this, and its really pathetic how their own employee's come on here and post their marvelous story's about how great their experience has been. In case you didn't notice, people are not only complaining about the free gifts, some people have payed into this and NEVER got anything else its a scam and all the people involved should be shot.

The positive feed back posted above is obviously posted from their employees. Don't believe any of those comments. I've researched the names listed above from the so-called people listing positive feedback. The names listed came back as bogus. It's obviously a poor product when their employees have to stoop to an all time low, to list bogus comments regarding this product.

The fact of the matter is that their sales pitch is completely bogus. If you were to call the hotel, cruiseline, car rental, etc. directly, you will book it for a cheaper price than if you were to have SVC book it for you. SVC, TSN, whatever they are calling themselves this week does not provide any value to the consumer.

If you have purchased this product, demand your refund immediately. You do have three days to receive your money back no questions asked. If it is outside your three days, still demand your money back. It will be a little tougher since your out your three day rescission period. If anybody took them to small claims court, the judge would most likely rule in your favor, considering their history with the BBB & The Attorney Generals Office. This is a company with a very poor history. It would be hard for a judge to rule in favor of this company.

Can anyone tell me how to cancel this. They did not give us a copy of the contract.

Please help!

Me and My husband went yesterday, and we kept saying NO but they got to us anyhow .. kept showing us a better deal .. and then a better deal .. MY RED flag was UP So much, but ya know at the final they showed us the " Trial " and only offered for the day.. and so we took it. STUPID of us, cause then i come home and get online to do research on this company and I find this. MY Problem is that they said the contract was in the bag that they gave us, but when we got home and I found this site I went to the bag to see how to cancel the contract and guess what? NO Contract was in there .. but we were suppose to get a copy of this? HOW STUPID am I? Well my husband was upset there cause the music was so loud it gave him a headache, to me that was a way so we could not hear what the other salesmen were saying to there people. SO now I have no contract, I called the bank and cancelled my credit card, but they are going to be expecting a payment monthly and I am not doing this. I can not reach them cause all there hours are m-f on the card, and then on top of that there office is not open till Wed and here it is Sunday .. Talk about smooth, that was so smooth on there part. SO If anyone has any advice, or found a way to cancel with no problems PLEASE EMAIL ME. thank YOU and if I do find a way to get this done I will post on here.

DO NOT PURCHASE THIS PRODUCT! This company is the shadiest I have ever dealt with. Why do I know this? Because I use to work for them. THEY ARE NOT A REAL TRAVEL AGENCY. THEY ARE NOT WHOLE SELLERS AND CONSOLIDATORS. Not if you consider an hourly employee sitting behind a computer surfing the web for "hot travel prices" a travel agency. What they are running is a business that is essentially a quasi-legal scam. The positive comments posted above are from current sales people creating fictitious stories creating the illusion of a great product-basically trying to legitimize what they are doing and continue the steady stream of commissions into their pockets. How do I know this? Because I know personally know them.

They will try every sales tactic in the book to try to get you to purchase a "vacation membership". They rob money from unsuspecting people who are essentially "conned" into romanticizing about long, far-away, discounted vacations by becoming a member. YOU WILL NOT GET BETTER TRAVEL DEALS BY BEING A MEMBER OF STAR, TSN WHAT CRAP NAME THEY USE TO MASK THEIR BUSINESS. Star Vacations does not have the 70,000 members they claim. The vast majority of people come to their senses after subsequently purchasing and cancel the membership. I feel sorry for people that are caught in a "limbo" because they are now stuck with a huge credit card debt or payments for what is basically worthless crap-a plastic membership card and a book with pretty pictures.

The marketing companies that work for them to solicit people to attend the presentation should be given Oscars for some of their performances. They create fabulous stories to get people to attend so the caller can collect their $50 for every person that shows up to a presentation. I remember a time when a PHD student in marketing who attended a presentation told me that the marketing company had told her that they wanted to conduct a marketing survey and she would be given a cash incentive to attend! THERE ARE NO LINCOLN NAVIGATORS, NO FLAT SCREEN TV's, NO $2500 DOLLARS IN CASH. There is only 1 "prize". A voucher for a free vacation that is absolutely not free.

This company is no different than HMO's that deny huge claims to sick people truly in need of medical care. This is capitalism in its very darkest form. I feel it my duty to set the facts straight.

My case probably is one of the more humorous stories you'll hear on this website. Thankfully I did my research BEFORE I have my meeting with them tomorrow night. So, how is this humorous?

Well, to start off with, I am skeptical by nature. It's worked well for me. When they presented me with "YOU'VE WON ONE OF FOUR PRIZES!" I immediately started asking hard questions...

Where did I fill out this form which caused me to win?

What signature was used? (I exist under my middle name, but for legal intent I generally sign my first)

What terms was this "contract" (I filled out a form, and in contract, they provided the drawing and / or prize) conditioned?

The caller on the phone started getting flustered by my questions, but did manage to work through what he could. As he had my correct Email address, I gave him a small benefit of my doubt and let him continue. He got as far as...

"So, Mr Shuman, if you and your wife..."

"I have no wife, sir."

"Girlfriend?"

"No."

"No one?"

"No, I am single."

"I'm sorry then, Mr. Shuman, but this contest is then closed to you, it's only open to couples"

"You told me that the provisional rules of this 'contract' stated it was open to all MARRIED, SINGLE, OR COHABITATING ADULTS... those were your exact words."

"Um, excuse me, Mr Shuman, but they tell me that this presentation..."

"What presentation?"

"there's a 90 minute presentation, and they tell me it works best with females..." (I am not making this up, this was his exact words)

"But your contract explicitly states that it is open to singles. Thus either you have lied to me, and should be prepared for a lawsuit, or you need to change your tune and accept that I am within the rights and terms of your contract."

"Um... I need to talk to my supervisor"

"I'm sure you do, but before you go, I need information from you so that in case this proceeds towards a lawsuit..."

"Mr Shuman, I understand what you are saying, let me talk to my supervisor and see if I can work this out somehow"

"Ok, Demetrius, you do that, and while you are at it, please email me a copy of the terms and conditions as spelled out for this *contest*... you have my email address already, as you stated up front."

"I'm not sure if I can do that."

"I am sure that you can... any thing that becomes a legal document between two parties is subject to verification by either party. Your contest contract, and my signature on the entry form, means that I am entitled to review the terms and conditions..."

"Ummm, ok... I'll see what I can do."

At this point he hung up on me. 2 hours later I got another phone call supposedly from a supervisor. She did not sound to pleased by my requests, nor the fact that I was single.

"Surely there's some female friend you would love to take on a vacation cruise... someone you might like to surprise..."

"No, Wenona (who comes up with these names?), there is not. I am single and prefer it that way."

3 hours after that I got an email confirming my "appointment" at a very late hour (Ok... so we're giving a 90 minute to 2 hour presentation at 8:00 - 8:30 Pm? right) along with very basic terms and conditions for "this promotion". Nowhere is it called a contest, raffle, lottery, or any such thing as would lead you to believe they had to contractually pull names out of a hat. In other words... to cover themselves, it's not a contest I signed up for, it's merely a promotion.

I'm not sure if I will show up tomorrow... but if I do, I've already printed out many of the hundreds of responses I have found here... with the intent of letting THESE COMMENTS MADE BY OTHERS to be my entry ticket into their presentation. May my voice carry loud enough to be heard by any other suckers they've possibly pulled in for the evening.

Wayne

Well I posted my comment previously based on all of the complaints. I really don't have anything to complain about except that they wasted my time to drive out there for them to tell me I need to attend a session 2 hours later b/c my session was booked. I am irritated b/c I found that to unprofessional and more b/c I do travel and actually unlike half the people above knew that you either do not receive the gift or everyone receives the cheapest gift... hence if everyone gets the vacation; obviously they probably write that off in some capacity... duh!

And the lady with two kids living from paycheck to paycheck; what the hell were you doing there to begin with; you should know better. And what's funnier is everyone lining the walls of the lobby looked like they were living paycheck to paycheck...

And did no one teach you that you just don't get things for free in real life? Everything has a price... and on prizes you do have to pay the taxes; what planet do you live on.

I'm in no way defending this company because they're operation doesn't seem professional even if they do actually have a good product. I don't know; and I'll never know but I will agree that everyone on here that feels "duped"... it is your own fault... when someone starts out quoting a price of $10K and work you down to $5K or even lower in some cases; doesn't that click with you? You are the people that go to typical car dealership and try to lower the price of the vehicle and so all they do is screw you on the financing and you figure it out later... duh!

Lauren,

I have to completely disagree with you here. Our goal is to prevent people from falling for this scam. You are correct that there are some red flags thrown, but most people are more trusting because most large companies don't scam their clients. My recomendation is to stay away from this company.

KJ

Well, well, well - silly me! Madison, the writer above must work for Star Vacation Club, huh?

Hello all you potential suckers out there! My wife and I signed up with Star Vacations at their Gilbert location (1450 W. Guadalupe Rd) which, I've seen some of you are familiar with in September 2007. Unfortunately I did not Googel this company before we attended their sales pitch - hopefully you are reading this before you sign the contract, or within three days afterward to you can cancel it. . .otherwise you have been screwed just like us.
We too were impressed by their well polished presentatioin and their claim of many thousands of members (suckers) who had previously joined their scheme.

Their initial fee proposal of somewhere around $10K was almost immediately whittled down to $3K and I took the bait (against my wife's advice) and we signed the contract and joined - stupid me!

The promotional scratch card which supposedly contained a car or a TV or a number of different free trip options when scratched revealed the so called free trip. Forget the car or TV, that's all BS. We signed up for one of the 'free' trips closely following all the conditions listed choosing dates in Jan, Feb, Mar of 08. Recently I began calling the number listed to get some idea of when we could expect to travel and received a "Sorry, we cannot take your call lat this time - leave your number, etc. etc. and we will return your call" I've now called multiple times and have received no return call. A trip to their Gilbert lair resulted in a receptionist well trained to give me the heave-ho with no support other than reluctantly giving me the telephone number of their corporate office : [protected]. I called them today (Jan 21 08) and spoke to Amber who politely suggested that I read item 9 of the contract we signed, which reads:

"Incentives/Vouchers not part of Travel Package: SVC (Star Vacation Club) does not provide incentives to purchase its membership. Any travel/accomodation certificate offered with this purchase is an incentive bonus offer and is not to be construed as a part of the SVC membership. I agree to read the certificate thoroughly before planning a vacation and understand the certificate likely has additional requirements and restrictions." She also told me she would try to contact the Incentive Marketing Group and ask them to call me. SHE WOULD TRY. . .Can you believe that? What they tell you in the sales pitch is that you will be able to enjoy the free gift, but when you try to execute it, you then find out the company is a total fraud. Then, to top it off they want an additonal $129/year membership fee. I too will contact the Arizona Attorney General Consumer Fraud Division amont others to see what action can be taken against these lying ###.

So, to repeat the above writers comment: If you bought the program for a free gift - you are silly - unfortunately nothing is free in life -. How more 'silly' ones will be taken in by this bunch?

Actually i also got a call from Star Vacation CLub n they were offering me 4 different vacation Packages n they said that i hv to go to their gifting centre to receive my free vacation package n they said i hv to choose one out of the four vacations by my own hand , n i set an appointment wid them , i went there there was simple kind of presentation regarding vacations but i did'nt buy any vacation over there cuz i already won i free vacation , n i had chosen my favourite trip to orlando florida n i went to the vacation with my wife n 2 kids i stayed there for 3 days n 2 nights n i really enjoyed the vacation n really like their hospitality n when i back from vacation i got the membership to go on vacation in a year !
i really like this vacation club

Sean,

You sound like an employee. I can tell by your spelling and grammar. Reading the above comments, it's obvious that this company is a con. If you can pick the prize by hand, why in the hell would you pick the trip to Orlando over the cash or the Escalade? You are obiviously one of the following? A. IDIOT B. EMPLOYEE C. SUCKER or D. ALL OF THE ABOVE.

I just recieved a call from them and wanted to check it out before I went to anything. I'm so happy that I read all of your comments. They told me the same story. I was one of four winners for a Cadillac Escalade, even though I never remember filling anything out. I would love to know where they got my number from. They also said they were a brand new travel agency and this was a promotion for their opening. Cannot believe I almost fell for it. But just wanted to thank you all for posting your comments. It saved me. By the way there was one person who said they couldn't get ahold of "Star Vacation Club" in Illinois. Well I have their number and address if you want it. Good Luck to all of you.

I absolutely agree that this is very FISHY company. We attended their presentation in October 2007. We did not sign a contract with them, but got a travel voucher supposed to be issued by Incentive Marketing Group based in Geneva, IL. We completed the travel request form per their instruction with 3 suggested travel dates. We quickly got a letter from Incentive Marketing Group requesting us to make a deposite of $100 for two people. They withdrawn our money a week later (in October). Then we never heard back from them. Earlier this month, I got suspicious why we have yet heard anything from them. So my husband and I kept on calling their 800 number (800. 654.4213) but could NEVER reach a live person regardless what time of the day we called. Finally we got a voicemail left in our answering machine from Incentive Marketing Group, stating that since they have never received our request form or deposit, they CANCELLED our travel voucher! This is absolutely a BIG LIE, since I have all the copies of the communications, documents, and a copy of the check that we issued to them, plus my bank statement to prove that they TOOK our $100!

Since we got the voicemail, my husband and I kept on trying to call them, but to no success. I finally got tired of talking to a machine. So I drove to Star Vacation Club at 12526 High Bluff Dr, #260 in San Diego, where we attended the presentation and got the travel voucher 3 months ago, only to find out they moved out a couple of months ago (per the landlord of the office building)! The entire office space is totally EMPTY, just like they VANISHED in the thin air!

I would highly caution those people who are currently being recruited by Star Vacation Club (if they're still out there running their fishy business), please think TWICE before you accept their invitation to attend the presentation - their "free gift" is certinaly NOT FREE. They will simply steal your $$$ and vanish in the thin air!

If I still don't hear back from Incentive Marketing Group next week, I will report them and Star Vacation Club to the BBB.