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Monday with the Editor: Timeshare Schemes

Continued from FrontPage

It was about 8pm one weekday when I received a page from someone. That person left her pager number as well as a code number on my display pager. I called the number only to be asked by the telephone operator at the other end of the line which extension I wanted to be connected to. She was quick to ask me for the code number displayed on my pager. It was as if she was seasoned through practice.

She put my call through to another lady. This lady first asked me what my pager number was. After I had told her, she immediately congratulated me on having won a prize - a pair of return tickets to Bali in Indonesia. That bit of news had a mesmerising effect on me - I was overjoyed! So overjoyed I lost my sense of reasoning and forgot to ask myself how in the world I had managed to win such a valuable prize when I had neither signed up for any contest nor completed any lucky draw slip in the past year. I only lapped up the rest of the information she was to give me during the telephone conversation. I learnt that I had to come over personally to UIC Building in Shenton Way that Saturday evening to receive my prize and a buffet would be served during the presentation.

I received a rude awakening when I told this good news to my wife. She was sceptical and tried to make me see the light - who in the world would give me a free lunch? My wife was simply amazed that I, a former bank officer who had sat through countless interviews with would-be loan seekers of all types and had to assess their credit worthiness through that one sitting, who should have easily seen through the scam was successfully baited by the lure put out to me. I even had the gall to tell her she was mistaken for at that moment I felt I had truly been lucky.

But, a night's sleep did some wonders, for the next day I called the same telephone number, and without so much of an introduction requested to know the name of the company. I found out it was a timeshare company promoting a resort. I thanked the operator and hung up the phone. Boy! Did I look stupid then? I didn't have the courage to tell my wife she was correct.

Some weeks later, I read in The Straits Times about how some people were lured with attractive prizes to attend a presentation on timeshare resorts. They had not been told beforehand they were actually going to attend such a presentation - they thought they were going there to collect their prize! I sat back in my chair and heaved a sign of relief. I almost got myself conned! To this day, I have not forgotten how my wife had saved me from making a disastrous decision. She still thinks that I had listened to her advice but doesn't know she was right all along. I can't bring myself to tell her otherwise. My years of experience dealing with different types of people who approach me in the bank was swept into oblivion through my GREED. Yes, some of these timeshare companies know how to use a person's weakness to attain their aims at that person's expense.

Now back to the CASE story. CASE's chairman for consumer affairs, Mr Stephen Loke, has said that consumers often do not have sufficient evidence to seek redress. It will set up a helpline for those facing problems with timeshare companies. The helpline telephone lines (Tel: (65) 2705433/ 3758054 & 3758056) are open every Saturday from 9 - 30 Sep 2000, between 12pm and 5pm. Make the call if you are an aggrieved party.

If you have any comments or questions, please e-mail us at editor@getforme.com .

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