Anyone familiar with WOARewards? (1 Viewer)

[Yee-Ming]

My wife was told she had "won" a S$3,000 (just under US$1,900) shopping spree, which turns out to be at woarewards.com but we (both of us!) have to attend a 2-hr talk where the "sponsor's services" will be introduced to us, and at the end she also stands a chance to win S$10,000 cash or a small car.
I did a google search and have read several complaints that the website, at least, is a 'scam', in that the products aren't anything great, listed at inflated prices when compared with Walmart, and they make money by charging exorbitant shipping and handling charges which exceed the cost at Walmart. But nothing I've read so far talks about a lucky draw at the end of a 2-hr talk (which might be a "local" feature here in Singapore -- also, given the laws here, I am inclined to believe that at least this portion is genuine, only question being just how many people are in the running for the prize, or in other words what are our odds?)
So: anyone on HTF have personal experience with this? As we all know, the net is full of wheat and chaff, and it's difficult to sift through it all, but I am always inclined to give what fellow HTFers have to say added weight

 

[Paul D G]

Walk away. Just walk away. Your "talk" will really be a high pressure sales thing to get you to buy whatever they are trying to push. They won't take 'no thanks' for an answer and you're more likely than not going to end up buying something from them.
Besides, I've just looked at their website and I can't find anything I'd be interested in buying anyway.
-paul

 

[Yee-Ming]

Hmmm, added poking around revealed that the "sponsor" is a notorious time-share sales company here. In a local forum I posted this same query on, someone related that a friend of his was pressured into signing up for an $8,000 time-share, all the while the guy and his wife weren't allowed to leave nor to use the washroom, nor even to use their mobile phones to consult anyone.
My reaction is, if they pull a stunt like that on me, I'll sue for false imprisonment (yes, IAAL so it won't cost me much to do it). Better yet, hand out my namecard to the other victims and start a class-action lawsuit

Nah, I've got better things to do with my time. Thanks for the input; I guess additional comments would still be appreciated, for the benefit of anyone else who ever purports to win vouchers for use at woarewards? From my subsequent googling, in the US this seems to be typically in association with car dealerships, where you get a scratch-and-win card.

 

[drobbins]

Once I "won" a 7 day Caribbean cruse. All I had to do was listen to a 2 hour sales pitch for a time-share. They took us into a small room with overly loud "High Energy" music playing so you couldn't think clearly. Then they tried to sell us a $20,000.00 time-share in Atlantic city. They showed me the math about how it was a great investment & I would be actually saving money in the long run. When I refused that one he "found" a "used" one for $10,000.00. I thought all time-shares were used? I finally convinced him that he didn't have a sale. Why would I buy a $10,000.00 time-share in Atlantic city, when I lived 1 1/2 hours away? So I got my "free" cruse certificate. Not bad, 7 days in the Caribbean and all I had to do was put up with a 2 hour sales pitch, right? NOT!! The catch was I had to book my air fare to the cruse with them. The tickets cost more than if I planned the vacation through a travel agency. Remember nothing is free and companies wouldn't stay in business if they did give away major free prizes.

 

[Debbie125]

Checked with better business bureau data base. They have a rating of F, they are not accredited. Furthermore, they are located in long island ny, not ashburham am. They have several names. Better business cannot get in touch with them lines are busy flie complaints with them. I hope thi helps. I received a gift certificate it goes in the trash as junk mail

 

[Johnny Angell]

I went to one of these years and years ago. It was a high-pressure sales pitch for time shares. Bells would go off when a contract was signed. They tried to create an atmosphere that you would get caught up in. We didn't. As we continued to decline, the price would come down. We still declined and a higher level salesman was brought in. I could see the irritation on their faces. The price was eventually lowered to less than 25% of the original price. That only made me more suspicious.
I made it clear I wasn't buying and where was my free trip to Vegas? We eventually got the needed paperwork and when we read it, we realized it wasn't a trip even worth taking.
I never felt imprisoned. The only reason we lasted was for the free trip. There were no cell phones then. If I had tried to leave early and they tried to detain me, I wouldn't have stood for it. If they had physically detained me, I would have notified the police when I got out of there.
This kind of "selling" is very unethical.

 

[DaveF]

I got suckered into one of these as a college senior. Realized my mistake after talking to my dad, and got out of it before they started charging me for it.

When i was in grad school, a buddy, recently graduated and married, bought into a timeshare. Young man, sold the dream and "low" annual cost...regreted that decision and struggled how to get out of it without the massive penalty payments.

Never sign up for anything in the midst of a pitch, especially if it's a pitch to help me spend my money.

 

[Jay H]

Man, I've never even heard of those folks, I feel like I am missing all the fun!
Jay

 

[samsam]

man if you would like I will send them your address, Ha ha, I wouldnt do that to no one I get there crapping mail all the time, and it goes into file 13, I would tell them to stop mailing me but let them keep wasting their money, it is a scam so you haven't missed nothen yours truly, Sam

 

[Cees Alons]

... and an old post. Welcome to the forum, Sam! Cees