Global Services Network Aggressive sales rep made promises that are too good to be true and did not provide information needed in order to make a sensible buying decision. Columbia Maryland

I am writing this report to warn other consumers. Luckily, I was not ripped off unless you include the time and gas that my wife and I wasted when we traveled to Columbia, MD to hear a sales pitch for a travel club. The company is calling itself Global Services Network but I also found complaints about companies going by different names, such as Global Vacation Network, that seem to be exactly the same.

This company has a separate marketing company handle their direct mail, a post card that promises, among other prizes, two free airline tickets. Mine said "Happy Birthday" on the front of it and included a 1-800 number to call to set up an appointment. My wife inquired about it since she liked the idea of getting some tickets and possibly finding out about some travel packages. She thought that Global was a travel agency or similar company that sells packages. I agreed although I am always skeptical of companies that are intent on getting customers to a location in order to sell them services. If it is such a great deal/service, couldn't it be purchased online or over the phone? After all, this is a digital age, is it not?

The bottom line is that this presentation degenerated into a high-pressure sale in which the rep had his manager do a take-away (he didn't say that but I'm familiar with sales strategies) in which the manager offered us a price to join the travel club that was less than half of the price they had printed at the top of the page. It was high-pressure because he became noticeably frustrated when we did not sign up and told him we would think about it. I suppose I should have just said we were not, but I did not want them to try to kick us out before giving us our voucher or whatever for the free tickets. At this point, I am about 99% sure that the tickets are going to too much of a hassle to obtain anyway.

Please be aware that if you have trouble saying no, you may not leave this place without signing up for a membership that costs thousands of dollars. It sounds very nice as they are explaining it, but then they do not have any brochures to back up their claims of how many resorts they saying they can send you to for week-long, luxury vacations. There was a tattered catalog with resort listings on the table that the rep told my wife we could not take with us, so that made me suspicious as well.

I have been to travel agencies before, and they generally have loads of brochures to read and even take home if you choose. Their website does not let you view any available condos/resorts without a password, and the rep seemed very reluctant to enter his code so that we could see the listings. In fact, he even left the room before bringing up the website. It was as if he had to get permission from his manager because he thought my wife and I may think something was up if we couldn't see the site. I found it odd that a travel club would not be doing more on their website to show the beautiful resorts and time shares they can get for you to stay in. If they can get you such a good deal, what do they have to lose?

Like I said, I did not buy anything, but if YOU consider it, look into this company a bit before making a commitment. You may not be getting what you think you are.

Smart MD consumer
Towson, Maryland
U.S.A.