Sundance vacations...scam?

At the fair this year I entered a contest for a new F150. Well, I didn't win the truck, but I just got a call that I won a trip.

4 days, 3 nights, 2 people. Vegas or Orlando. I have one year to book.

They are saying that all I'll be responsible for are taxes at time of booking between $139-149/person. Plus food and souvenirs and E36 M3 like that, but they cover hotel, airfare, and accommodations. 

I'm going to their office tomorrow for a multimedia presentation, but now I need to do some research.

Anyone heard of them? Have any experiences? Is this just a scam, or do I actually get to take a mini vacation for the first time in 6 years?

Googling says don't sign anything without reading it and prepare for high pressure sales tactics. No problem there, I'm broke.

It's usually a sales gimmic. They will make you sit in a room with free drinks and really high pressure sales folks to make you buy something, usually a timeshare/vacation package that is really hard to get out of later.

If you can sit through all that and just say no you can get a cheap vacation out of it, but you will be much better off just going camping for the weekend.

You pretty much nailed it.  Time share sales pitch in exchange for a trip to a tourist destination where they figure you are gonna spend a bunch of money anyway.

I'm surprise Vegas doesn't give away free airfare to anyone willing to come to their town, those casinos weren't built on charity after all.  

I always say the same thing to my wife at these charity silent auctions:  If you have to pay money for it, you didn't "win".

In reply to KyAllroad (Jeremy) :

When spirit airlines moved to town the flights were almost free. $49 each way. 

I'm still kicking myself for not signing an apartment lease when I was there last. 2 bedrooms, 2 blocks from the strip, $400/month back in 2013. 

I'm going to go sit through their spiel and see what they have to say I guess. If I can get out of here and go somewhere fun for $150 it's worth it to me. As long as they don't have Kendra James as a sales girl, I should be ok. 

Although free flight to Orlando, I could hitch hike to the challenge from there, hmm...

RevRico said:

At the fair this year I entered a contest for a new F150. Well, I didn't win the truck, but I just got a call that I won a trip.

4 days, 3 nights, 2 people. Vegas or Orlando. I have one year to book.

They are saying that all I'll be responsible for are taxes at time of booking between $139-149/person. Plus food and souvenirs and E36 M3 like that, but they cover hotel, airfare, and accommodations. 

I'm going to their office tomorrow for a multimedia presentation, but now I need to do some research.

Anyone heard of them? Have any experiences? Is this just a scam, or do I actually get to take a mini vacation for the first time in 6 years?

 

Googling says don't sign anything without reading it and prepare for high pressure sales tactics. No problem there, I'm broke.

Standard timeshare E36 M3. Not a scam, just a sales tactic. I've gone to Vegas on that for cheap. 

RevRico said:

In reply to KyAllroad (Jeremy) :

When spirit airlines moved to town the flights were almost free. $49 each way. 

I'm still kicking myself for not signing an apartment lease when I was there last. 2 bedrooms, 2 blocks from the strip, $400/month back in 2013. 

 

I'm going to go sit through their spiel and see what they have to say I guess. If I can get out of here and go somewhere fun for $150 it's worth it to me. As long as they don't have Kendra James as a sales girl, I should be ok. 

Although free flight to Orlando, I could hitch hike to the challenge from there, hmm...

Good luck,  there are no grmers in florida. None whatsoever. I don't even know why challenge is here. 

We did one in Myrtle Beach this summer. It was for a $150 gift card that we used while there. I can say no all day. 

Wait, so  you "won" the right to sit through a time share pitch?   Those aren't exactly hard to find for free.

That's exactly why I never enter those contests.  Their primary purpose is to develop mail and call lists to sell to marketers.

If you do come to Orlando, and feel like saying no some more, theres a few places offering a couple hundred on the tour.

Robbie said:

It's usually a sales gimmic. They will make you sit in a room with free drinks and really high pressure sales folks to make you buy something, usually a timeshare/vacation package that is really hard to get out of later.

If you can sit through all that and just say no you can get a cheap vacation out of it, but you will be much better off just going camping for the weekend.

This is how my boss has had many dirt-cheap vacations with his family that's not into camping.

Around here it is the "Retirement Planning Seminars" .   We get at least one flyer in the mail every week.  Go listen to their sales pitch for managing your investments and you get a nice dinner.  Interesting part is that they are usually at one of the better restaurants in town(where dinner is usually $75 or more).  Since my neighbor's wife died a couple years ago he goes to everyone he gets an invite for.  Funny part is that he sold his CPA business and retired 10 years ago.