As you may have guessed, once you’ve parted with your ‘fee’ you’ll never hear from the company again. The vouchers simply do not exist and you’ll be out of pocket.

There are legitimate companies which do offer vouchers that give genuine discounts, but any company that sells vouchers which are not redeemable for the services they claim are breaking the law.

Be cautious and resist pressure to buy vouchers that offer discounts and services that seem too good to be true, especially those that come via ‘cold call’ telemarketing, without first finding out whether the offer is legitimate. Telemarketers are often very persuasive and use pressure selling techniques.  It is always advisable to take the time to check offers made over the phone.

A legitimate company won’t mind you taking steps to ensure that the offer is genuine.

Be wary

• Get details of which providers (like hotels or airlines) are involved in the voucher scheme.
• Contact them directly to check whether the offers are real.
• If the telemarketer refuses to give you these details, hang up.

If the offer sounds too good to be true it is probably a scam.

Help Keep Others Safe:

If you have received this kind of scam letter, please share your story here. We will treat your email in the strictest confidence and remove your personal details before posting your story on our site.

More Information

The Commerce Commission is interested in hearing from consumers who have purchased ‘free’ vouchers or discounted holidays, hotels and flights, but have not been able to redeem them. Email or phone 0800 943 600.

Word of Advice

22 November 2002 - Travelling in Cyberspace - Don't be Taken for a Ride
30 June 2008 - Beware of ‘free’ holiday vouchers