Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona is alerting to consumers to World Class Travel, a Tucson-based company that is mailing solicitations to consumers, claiming they can receive new laptop computer if they attend a sales seminar.

The mailings are very similar to a series of solicitations that were sent to Southern Arizona residents by a company called Southwest Travel earlier this year. Those mailings promised consumers many incentives, including a $300 Wal-Mart gift certificate, free airline tickets, and discounts at various restaurant chains if they attended a 90-minute sales seminar at the company’s office.

In the complaints against Southwest Travel, consumers said they either never received the “gift” they were promised, or there were hidden fees attached to the offers.

Consumers who purchased a membership with Southwest Travel, for $4,000-$8,000, complained to BBB that they didn’t receive the deals and discounts that were promised to them in the sales presentation, and they found the travel club to be unresponsive or unhelpful when they called to complain.

Although Southwest Travel closed “for the season” in July, BBB has received 17 complaints against the company this year, giving it an ‘F’ rating.

BBB warns that offers of prizes from travel clubs are usually tied to a requirement to attend a presentation of some kind. In fact the mailer from World Class Travel includes a disclaimer that states “Attendance at a ninety-minute presentation for travel is required.”  Consumers who have attended similar presentations tell BBB they conclude with attempts to enroll attendees in (more…)