Readers off on holiday are warned not to fall foul of any holiday club schemes they come across while away. City of York Council Trading Standards is backing a campaign by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) warning consumers about the dangers of bogus holiday clubs.

Holiday clubs are marketed as a flexible alternative to timeshare, promising a lifetime of discounted luxury holidays anywhere in the world. A few are reputable businesses that trade in good faith. However, many others promise far more than they deliver. At a cost of thousands of pounds what readers may be buying at best is access to a booking service with the reality not living up to the luxury promised.

Unscrupulous clubs often only provide last-minute, limited availability accommodation that is usually low star rather than luxury. With the addition of expensive flights, supplements and taxes, it could end up costing more than holidays booked through normal routes. Furthermore, by the time someone who signs up decides to book a holiday, the holiday club company could be out of business.

Holiday clubs are not covered by timeshare law. This means there are no automatic cancellation rights for those who change their minds. Bogus holiday companies exploit this by employing high pressure sales techniques such as long presentations - lasting as long as six hours - to get customers to sign a binding contract. With promises of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, dream holidays for life, special one-day only offers or cash backs, it can be tempting to sign up. With no cooling-off period any contract should always be taken away to consider at leisure before signing.

It is not just holidaymakers who are at risk. You could be approached at home, usually by phone telling you that you have won a free holiday and all you have to do is attend an exclusive VIP presentation. Once there, though you'll be subjected to a long high-pressure sales pitch and the free holiday rarely turns out to be free once non-refundable administration charges, supplements and taxes are added.

Remember if you don't want to get caught out:

Don't go to the presentation.

If you do go to the presentation - don't sign anything there and then.

If you can't take the contract away to think about it - walk away.

Check if the company is offering cancellation rights and that they are written down - if you're not happy with the cancellation terms - walk away.

Check that all verbal claims made in the presentation are included in the contract - if not walk away.

A consumer leaflet is available to help save you from being caught out by the bogus holiday club hard-sell. For copies of this, call at 9 St Leonard's Place or phone City of York Trading Standards on 01904 551562.

Updated: 09:57 Thursday, July 24, 2003