Press Release
Gatwick Airport supports Office of Fair Trading initiative
13 November 2008
Gatwick Airport supports Office of Fair Trading initiative
13 November 2008
Gatwick Airport has this week supported a European-wide initiative to warn holidaymakers about Spanish bogus holiday clubs that cost tourists millions of pounds every year. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) Scambusters team joined local trading standards officers and advisers from Consumer Direct, the government-funded telephone and online service offering information and advice on consumer issues, handing out fake holiday club scratch cards.
The scratch cards, designed to look like those handed out by bogus holiday club touts ask “Have you won a luxury holiday?” Touts hand similar scratch cards out to holidaymakers, all of which turn out to be winners; the prize then claims to be a trip to a lengthy sales presentation and a chance to pay thousands of pounds for membership to a bogus holiday club.
As well as the activity at Gatwick Airport, staff from the European Consumer Centre in Spain were reinforcing the message at Tenerife South Airport and advertisements have been placed in the Thomas Cook and FlyBe inflight magazines.
Mike Haley, OFT Director of Consumer Protection said: “Bogus holiday clubs ruin thousands of holidays every year leaving holidaymakers with large bills for near worthless holiday club memberships. The OFT is working hard to raise awareness of the tricks used by these scammers and to ensure that action is taken to combat the worst offenders.’
“We are pleased to support the OFT’s work in protecting holidaymakers,” David Stretch, Gatwick Airport’s Customer Service Director said. “Holidays are times for families to relax and have fun and they should not be preyed upon by unscrupulous holiday clubs of this sort.”
