PALMA Local Police and the city council are monitoring the activities of a group of British holiday club representatives operating in key strategic tourist points in and around the capital. British holidaymaker Lyn Holland, from Basingstoke in Hampshire, says that she and her husband were approached by a British girl near the Cathedral in Palma who asked if they were British. We had literally just got out of a taxi from Camp de Mar where we were staying and were caught by surprise as we were trying to pay the driver and gather our things. We told the woman we were British and she suddenly got all excited telling us that we had won a free holiday and that we should accompany her to a nearby office. She also told us she was from the local tourist board, so at first we had no suspicions. I guess we were taken in, so we went with her to a small office along the sea front. On arrival they took our name and address, which in hindsight I am very angry about, and then tried to get us to sign up to some holiday club, agreeing to pay a £5'900 joining fee, apparently returned after four years, and £75 to cover administration costs. In return we would be given a password to access a website, apparently selling expensive holidays at four and five star hotels at amazingly cheap prices. They started giving us the hard sell, but I said that we would go away and think about it, which they got very unhappy about and rather aggressive. By then I knew we had been taken in and I was starting to get angry and frustrated with myself for being so gullible. There is absolutely no way we would ever sign anything abroad, never mind start paying deposits, etc. Eventually we managed to leave and felt very relieved, but I am still angry about the whole situation and surprised such people are being allowed to operate in Palma, Lyn Holland, a regular visitor to Majorca, said.
She also said that the company claimed to be a member of ABTA, the Association of British Travel Agents, but ABTA said that it has no record of the company, although it is well aware of the holiday clubs which are operating in resorts across Spain. Since the regulations controlling time share were tightened, some people moved into the holiday club business. Our advice to people is to always check the small print and never sign anything while on holiday without having all the contracts checked by a lawyer. Some of the clubs are bogus but there are a few which are bona fide so the advice is to be very careful, an ABTA source said. We have received complaints about some charging a £15'000 registration fee and the Office of Fair Trading has already taken action against 20 holiday clubs. Palma city council said yesterday that while they are investigating and monitoring the situation, unless a formal complaint is lodged with the police, there is little that can be done. ABTA is also advising holidaymakers to contact them on their return to the UK.