pathetic customer service from "discount premium club" travel agent

[rkrishna]

a month back I received a marketing call from a travel agent called "Discount premium club" and they managed to convince me to sign up for a two year membership worth £89 by promising to offer huge discounts on holiday packages. after signing up, whenever I call up the customer service, it is always put on hold and nobody picks up the call. I was frustrated by their customer service. I wanted to book flight tickets from them, but they never respond promptly. once or twice luckily I got hold of one of their call centre people and they told me they will get back in an hour, but ignored it again. I even tried sending emails to cancel membership, all my emails and calls are ignored. Is there anything I can do to get back my money?

 

their address is

 

29, Harley St, London, W1G 9QR

Tel: 020 7612 4755

this telephone number is invalid and nobody replies to emails or phone calls.

[GlasweJen]

you've emailed, you've called, now it's time to write.

 

Keep the letter short and to the point, send it recorded delivery and ask for a response within a deadline - 28 days is usually seen as reasonable.

[tiglet]

Hate to tell you this, but hubby used to live on Harley Street a few years ago and he says it's a "virtual" office i.e. lots of different people use it as their trading address or hire parts of it on a short term basis.

 

If this is a fly-by-night company, you may well have some difficulty in tracking them down.

 

 

I would call your local TS.

[tiglet]

After googling them, you could try 0871 990 3585 and see if you do any better.

[AllisonP]

I disagree with you my friend.I think you have tried the wrong number to contact them.The customer services number is 0871 990 3585.Try this one and I am sure you will be satisfied.I have been a member with them for nearly 8 months now and during this short span I have booked 4 holidays with them for me and my family.Last week only I booked 2 nights accomodation with them in London and I was very happy with their selection of hotel.

My personal experience rather says you just tell them your need and the Club's team would make sure you are fully satisfied with the arrangements they make for you.I feel its worth paying £89 for getting a perfect solution to your holidaying needs for 2 years.After coming back from my London holiday this Monday only I introduced my brother-in-law and one of my friends to the club.

[rkrishna]

thanks for the reply. I know the number 0871 990 3585 to contact. I have dialled this number many times and I could get hold of their call centre people only very few times. most of the times I was put on hold for a long time and finally an auotmated voice tells me that everybody is busy and asks me to leave a message. you must be one among very few people satisfied by their service. pls let me know what time you contact them. they say the lines are open between 12pm to 8pm GMT, but unfortunately nobody picks up the phone and the any emails sent to enquiry@discountpremiumclub.co.uk bounce back. just last week I booked a flight ticket to India, but through a different travel agent, because I can't get these people to book a ticket for me in spite of paying for the membership. I was hoping to get a discount from them when I book the ticket, but now I think I have lost my money. I learnt a lesson from this experience and now onwards I have decided not to respond to any marketing calls regardless of whether they are genuine or not.

[rranjan]

My Friend even i am a member to the same club from 11 months. In 11 months time i had booked three diffrent holidays with them and i will say that i was not only satisfied but i was really happy with them coz the rate i got with them was very comptetive... As a personal suggestion what i would like to give you is that might be there must be some problem but try booking holidays with them once and i am sure that not only you will be satisfied but you will surely start having a good thinking about them.... I don't know about others but there are total of 5 friends member of that club and i have never recieved any complaints from them coz all 5 are being reffered by me...... It is really a good and a geniune company so far i have experienced..........

[CMedinburgh]

Interesting posts there from rranjan and allisonp

 

They are the only two posts that support the company under discussion, are the only posts these two new members have made, have similar grammar and even appear to have been created on the same PC!

 

Perhaps the poster(s) have some connection to the company itself?

[barracad]

I have been a member with them for nearly 8 months now and during this short span I have booked 4 holidays with them for me and my family.

 

My Friend even i am a member to the same club from 11 months. In 11 months time i had booked three diffrent holidays with them and i will say that i was not only satisfied but i was really happy with them

 

 

Strange AllisonP if you've booked holidays for your family using your membership, then why does rranjan also need a membership? I only ask as your IP address shows you are both posting from the same PC, so one can only assume you are family members?

[Guest 10110001]

I only ask as your IP address shows you are both posting from the same PC, so one can only assume you are family members?

 

Assuming the same IP address to be the same PC or internet connection account is urban myth. It only means they are connected to the Internet through the same ISP and can even be hundreds of miles apart.

 

A forum moderator cannot see the IP address of the actual PC, this never leaves the ISP or the users router.

[navsam]

Please Do Not Get Taken In By This Company. I Will Tell You Everything When I Have Time To Type This Up - But I've Just Registered Today And Want To Say Hi To Everyone!

[bouda666]

Hello everyone,

 

I had the same problem from the same company last week, I reached them yesterday trying to book a flight, I gave them all information about the flight and they told me that they'll call me back, I never received a call and always transferred to the answering machine. I had a doubt when I subscribed with them, I spent 30 minutes before I gave them my card details.

 

Today I called my bank to ask them for avoiding an other debit from Bill Buddy an account from AUSTRALIA.(Bizar)

My bank will send me a form for asking a refund, I hope it'll be fine.

 

 

 

[rabinstha]

Hi there!

Here is also same kind of problem. A couple of weeks ago I became a member of discount premium club and during their call they told me that they will send me my membership card but a week ago i just got some vouchers and some papers with their ads. The vouchers even do not include my name. I just wanted to know from them whether they send membership card or something like that or not but it has not become successfull. Their number is 08719903585 and the web address is Discount Premium Club and the contact email is enquiry@discountpremiumclub.co.uk. I called them but the phone was on hold for several minutes so left them with voice mail but no reply. I mailed them but the mail does not reach them, delivery notification failure arises. I visited thier website but i don't even have their membership id and password to get in. Now you tell me how do I believe them. I think i have lost my 89 + pound.

I don't know how can this things happen here? How do we know that they are not fraud?

[jashas]

Hi im completely new in this forum. Today i become a member with Discount Premium Club. Couple of hours later i read everyones comments here. When i called DPC to cancel my membership they said its impossible. They also mentioned that my conversation has been recorded and they will pass the tape onto their department for breach of contract. They are simply threatening me and blackmailing me that they have a tape recorded!!

 

How can they say im in breach of contract when i was not given or told about their procedure, terms and conditions, etc. I do not even hold any contractual documents, my payment is still pending!!

 

I have not even used their services. I just dont want to be a member of theirs. When i called up, a guy was talking to me in a sarcastic way as if i am some sort of an alien!! He was putting false allegations on me.

 

I need to know where i have to complain!! i called up my bank and was told to complete and send a visa dispute form. Has anyone got their money back yet?? please let me know.

 

There customer service is so bad! pathetic! ridiculous!! i just cant believe how they treated me within 24 hours of the membership. When i asked for one of their staffs details, his name etc. the guy was hesitating and asking me whether i will sue him.

 

I have spoken to 3 guys from DPC and note that all of them are asian, one said he is pakistani but on the other hand they have names such as Jordan, Sam, Michael, Louis!! that sounded a bit strange to me.

 

People please dont fall for their words, the way i did. I need to find out how i can, not just get my money back but take legal action against them!!

Edited June 21, 2008 by jashas

[tbern123]

According to companies house

 

Accounting Reference Date: 31/07

Last Accounts Made Up To: (NO ACCOUNTS FILED)

Next Accounts Due: 19/05/2008 OVERDUE

[Hobbie]

I've joined this club/company in the past through my work as "Benefits", and can categorically say it is genuine (In my experience at least) and was 99% of the time satisfied with them.

 

Although now I am not a member and haven't being so for sometime, but it was and still is used by the people I work for.

[tbern123]

Are you sure it is the same "club" hobbie, this one has only been trading since July 2006

[Hobbie]

tbern123,

 

One can never be sure, but the URL is the same and the website hasn't changed much either, i've even checked the "Way Back Machine" too... plus logged into my employers "Benefits" site and it is still listed.

 

But It doesn't mean I say this business is 100% perfect, just my past expirence was "OK" with them, used them many times for flights with EK and also car hire.

[tbern123]

Bearing in mind where the Director and company secretaries live, I wonder if :: Discount Premium Club :: is the same company, if so you could try this email address

 

sales@discountpremiumclub.in

 

Or you could try contacting

 

TLC Marketing,

54 Baker Street,

London

W1U 7BU.

 

As TLC Marketing supply all of the "offers" supplied by DCP

:: Discount Premium Club ::

 

Their Website for TLC is

TLC Marketing - Global: TLC Global Landing

 

uk@tlcmarketing.com

 

+44 (0)207 725 6000

 

You could ask them for their opinions about DCP.

 

However, it should be noted that according to Companies House their is an active CCJ against TLC Marketing Group Limited (previously called TLC Publishing LTD until 11th November 1998 ) For £2,270 Judgement Date 28th May 2008.

 

Their profit after tax in 2006 was £-439,729

 

*Disclaimer

 

The above information is publically avaliable, it is open to interpretation by the reader. Neither the poster or CAG are attemping to potray a negative view of any of the companies mentioned in this post.

[tiglet]

I think this would be the time to get Trading Standards involved.

[jashas]

Hi thanks for everyones replies. I will be writing to my bank and also to Discount Premium Club to get my money back. If they dont get back to me then i will wtite to Trading Standards and also to watchdog. Will people whoever have gone through a bad time with them write in this forum so that i can refer Trading Standards and Watchdog here. Please get back. Thanx

[rudraksh_777]

Hi All,

 

I have also been duped heavily by the Discount Premium Club in India. I received a call from DPC, I found the offer very lucrative. However, I asked them whether I can register for the same after some days, they refused that the offer is limited. I enrolled for the membership, but when I read some of the reviews I called them up for getting my membership cancel led. But, as expected nobody responded. After the amount was deducted from my Credit Card, I wrote 10-15 mails to sales@discountpremiuimclub.in , and I received the same reply from a girl called Payal, that we cannot cancel your membership at any cost, you will have to continue with it. When the guy came to my office to deliver the vouchers, I returned back the vouchers with a written application. He said your money would be refunded. After that I have been talking with the executives continuously since 10 days. Every time I call, they hang up the phone saying they will call me back. they have a refund policy on their site which says you will get a refund , if you return the voucher within 14 days. But, the executives say there is no such policy. The TLC marketing office here in India has vanished overnight. I just joined a job and I can;t bear a loss of Rs 5490 . Please help me and guide me.

[jashas]

Hi rudraksh 777,

I read your mail. I am based in U.K and was silly enough to be convinced by DPC to take thier membership worth £256 for a period of 5 years. They told me it inlcudes Hajj and Umrah packages etc.

 

I instructed a firm of solicitors to act on my behalf. My solicitors wrote a letter to them asking them to pay my money back within 14 days as i have the right to get a refund under the Consumer Protection Act. My solicitors sent it by special delivery and what they did was they opened the letter, soon as they saw its a warning from solicitors, they put the letter back into the envelope and changed the address on top of the envelope as if it never reached them! So childish and un professional as special delivery has a tracking system which proves that it has been delivered to the right place.

 

Anywayz I have also informed my credit card dept who has given them 30 days to return my monies else they will take the matter forward. I have to wait approx another 2 weeks.

 

Now the problem with TLC marketing is that they are a company who i assume is also dodgy and messes around with peoples monies the way DPC does. According to Companies House, TLC Marketing has a County Court Judgement (CCJ) against them.

 

I dont really know the law and legislation in India but thought i'd update everyone on my situation. I tried every other way to get them back, instructed solicitors, complained to my bank, made a complaint to WatchDog (emailed them), and also lodged a complaint with Trading Standards. Lets see what happens now. I hope i also get my money back as i have paid a very high amount.