Prefferred Guest Resorts freecruise.com "discout deal" "advertising deal makes it cheap" "specially selected" "over only available today" "deciet prior to taping deal" Internet, Florida

I was playing Chess at Chess.com.

Up comes advertising "You have won a prize. Save $3000 resort on resort deal".  You have 240 seconds to answer to get it.

I do reply, by phone. Rita Martin, the lovely front person, answers. Sweet talks me through the screens. I have to give a confirmation code from computer screen. Rita spends 20 minutes sweet talking me, just asks for my credit card details. I indicate I have not much money, but she sweet talks me into talking to Melanie, the hard talking sales person.

Rita is the "good" cop and Melanie the "bad" cop in a well played routine. Very well done, I must say.

I told Rita and Melanie that I had almost maxed out my card, would have to talk to my wife, and they said call her on another phone. I had no other phone, so Melanie said that I had to give an answer straight away, that the deal was only available now, (I was interested because the deal sounded cheap. They showed me that they were a "gold star" company approved by MasterCard, Visa, American Express and youknowwhatall other reputable credit card companies.

Melanie said the deal was transferable to others if I died or got sick or whatever else happened, it was a great discount, and if I wanted it, it had to be now. I told her my wife would kill me, but somehow she was convinced me to consent.  So I confirmed the credit card details and other information about my name, address and various personal details.

Melanie then passed me to Edward, who sounded like an Australian. Melanie and Rita both spoke with American accents. I suspect that Edward was based in Australia.

Edward asked me to accept to have the conversation monitored, presumably for legal reasons.

N.B, Dear Reader.

All the deceit and palaver from Rita and Melanie, (who was a standover merchant extraordinaire, in other words a bully), had not been recorded.

Only Edward wanted the conversation recorded. He completed the deal. The only possible mistake he made was to tell me that "cooling off" provisions ( a period to cancel the deal upon reflection by me available for many such transactions under Australian Consumer Protection Law) was not available "as far as he knew". Why? "Because the deal was transferable to other parties, probably" was his reply.

I have phoned my Master Card provider, who says they will have a think before they complete the transaction, and said they would look at it.

I am hopeful the MasterCard people (or rather my bank, the Commonwealth Bank, Australia) will contest the payment, and that they will not get the approximately $898 that I stand to lose from the transaction.

And I promised to bring some Australian beer for Rita when I came. I think if she wants any Victoria Bitter after this, she will have to go to her local Liquor Store. I hope she does not get a hangover. Nice lady! Pity a nice girl like her go mixed up with an outfit like this.