According to my “research” what they used to do is call up people and tell them they’ve won a raffle for a free lunch or dinner buffet for two and a 3 day/2 nights vacation package in a Astoria Hotel somewhere. With me, what happened was they called me and “invited” me for a free dinner buffet. They told me that for me to get the gift certificate that will entitle me for a 3 day/2 night stay at the Astoria Hotel in Bangkok or in Bohol I will have to stay for the 90-minute presentation .
I was hesitant to go at first but finally agreed the next day when texted me and told me that there was NO MONEY INVOLVED and that this was solely for the PROMOTIONAL PURPOSE OF THEIR HOTEL. I didn’t make any research then because I know that I can say NO to whatever it is that they are offering/selling and that I’ll get to blog about it. Hah!
I saw old people and young people alike having that “free dinner“. By this time I was wondering what the catch was. After the dinner buffet, which was okay– well, it was free so I can’t complain about it. But I won’t pay for it if that’s what you’re thinking. Anyway, after the dinner buffet, someone fetched us from the cafe and told us he was giving us a tour of the hotel. Fine.
They took us to the pool area and they showed us the two bedroom suite which is really beautiful, by the way. By this time, I was really curious because I know that something’s up. Companies don’t spend this much just to be friends with you..haha.
After the tour, we were taken to the top floor. We were taken inside an office type room with lots of tables and chairs and lots of people discussing their holiday ownership plan. They asked us different kinds of questions about how we take our vacation etc. etc. which actually boils down to one thing : that we are doing it the expensive way and that we can have a cheaper vacation if we do it their way. They presented us a plan which when asked what the price was, the answer was carefully avoided. I wanted to know what the price was so I can decline right then. I actually want him to stop wasting his time on us but he was persistent and kept on going about how we would only pay P8,000 annually and have a vacation as cheap as P800 for 1 week in France. Duh?! Everything you say from here on are so blocked, I thought.
It was a timeshare ownership they are selling and I think that they are actually selling a fantasy that you can travel anytime you want and take a vacation for a very cheap price. They are selling a fantasy that you are actually a co-owner of a two bedroom suite in their hotel and that you get to take a week each year and live in there. Which is not really the case once you get to think about it. You cannot even stay there during peak season.
They are giving a big discount and you can only get that discount if you signed up and avail immediately. They don’t want you to go home without signing-up because they know that once you get to think about it. You will realize that this is not really a priority in life right now.
The environment and the staff and everything they say will trick you into feeling guilty so as to avail of the membership. The price? P500,000 for a 30-year membership. They will even “help” you avail of that membership via an installment program where-in you can pay as low as P3,400/month. Seriously?! the average person can’t take that off from their monthly budget, much more take a vacation in Europe for a week.
A lot of people signed-up that day and who could blame them? There really is a psychological effect once you are in there. The staffs are trained to talk you into availing of a membership you don’t even need. So is that a business strategy?
Some people called it a SCAM. I’d say it is business strategy but (in my opinion) it’s a BAD business strategy. You’d rather not go into it.
159 Responses
In fairness ang sarap ng lafang jan nabondat ako!
para s tin d xa scam kasi tayo ang winner. alam mo yan hahaha
We went there last night, and we exepeiencesd the same. My husband kept on asking about the price and they kept on avoiding the question. After a long talk, finally they divulge the price. We declined and told them that their strategy is not good. The manager got angry (I think) and she told her people to give us the exit form right away.
ang bilis nilang magreply about billing or payments, ang tagal magreply on booking tas laging walang available or running high on occupancy, parang ayaw nilang ipagamit sa mga members.😅 7 days a year ang free stay pero may split booking silang sinasabi, “ We do not allow 2 nights only. Splitting of the 7 nights shall be for 3 nights stay check in on a Thursday and check out Sunday. Then for a 4 nights stay check in shall be on a Sunday and check out Thursday.”daw😂😂 wala naman yan sa pinirmahan kong kontrata😂
Think po before go into it!
I had the same experience too but I don't think it's a scam, just a business strategy 🙂 Just my two cents.
Hi, I stumble upon your blog because I was researching for the same scam (?) that almost gotten me to attend that presentation/orientation thing. Aside from Club Astoria, I got informed about winning those hotel accommodations from Crown Regency & Puerto del Sol, which turned to have the same business strategies.
"They took us to the pool area and they showed us the two bedroom suite which is really beautiful, by the way. By this time, I was really curious because I know that something's up. Companies don't spend this much just to be friends with you..haha."
Actually, sis, there are hotels who invite bloggers to tour their suites, amenities, etc. But, they only ask for a review on your blog in return.
Grabeh yan ha. Wawa naman yung mga andun na nag-sign up. Gosh.
Sis blankPixels, I know about those hotels that invite bloggers pero this one kasi I wasn't invited as a blogger tapos some of those they invited matatanda na. Yung iba yung mga type na mapapa-"oo" nila kapag na-intimidate na..
hindi ito scam, Bad business strategy??? we’ll i’m not sure,, if you can afford it why not avail of it? but my advice is try to make your own computation first,, it you think its advantageous that you can get value for your money, go on, if it will drain you financially (paying for the monthly dues) then don’t,, why signed-up & make a deposit just to change your mind after a day or two then demand for refund immediately?? if you’re not sure , don’t agree and save yourself from headaches!!! simple as that!!
this People are on Panic,time share never a scam,,matagal na po sa Europa ito at america! pls relax,if you afford to pay the Membership go on! Para lang po ito sa mag mahilig magbakasyon,hardworking People.so if you dont have enough Budget pls dont!..calculate your Budget and go for it..
It’s a scam! My husband and I were tricked into signing the contract. Only after we gave down payment and signed contract did we find out that there’s a hidden charge amounting to a whopping P147,000! My husband and I immediately requested to cancel membership with full refund. But guess what? No refund!!!
scammed too…we have the same experience but we filed a complain to dti, we got php11500 out of p26500 deposit…P147000 is a big amount, you better report also to dti.They can help in anyways.
Hi jie, can u help me out im in d same situation with others, i’ve signed up with them last year on our holidays in boracay and paid a deposit of P5o, 000 then a monthly of around P11,000 for 9 months and now i wanted to cancel my membership from reading all these negative feedback, how were u able to get ur money back tru DTI, please help me.
Hi, I just want to know what happened to your membership. I’m also cancelling mine. I made a downpayment of P40k and paid 8 months of 10k. please reply. thanks.
Same case. I made a DP of 40k in Astoria Boracay last Feb 2020 good thing di ako nakapag monthly kasi nagka pandemic na din. Pero sayang pa din yun 40k.
Hi i just wanted to know how did you do this? I did file a complaint in dti and already scheduled for a mediation
Hi, may i ask if what happened to your complaint? Thank you
Hi, i’m also a member of AVLCI, i’ve already paid up the whole membership amount but now i’m planning to widraw my membership which i hope its possibe. Kasi lately ko lang narealized that they have misled us, me and my husband. During their presentation their sales agent in Boracay told us that once we availed the membership we would enjoy it for 30 years and the yearly maintenance fee is only 10,000 pesos. But now after i have completed paying the whole amount i received a collection letter from them reminding me to pay my yearly maintenance fee in which to my dismay is now amounting to 12,000 pesos and the worst part is that we will only enjoy our membership for 10 years! I told them that’s not what their agent told me, clearly we were duped or cheated or whatever the right word is to describe what they did to us. And so now, i want to widraw my membership and i hope that they would refund me even half of what i have paid. Any advise? I hope someone could help me on this.
Hi @Michelle,
Are you able to cancel your membership and get refund? I wasnt to cancel mine too as and I even sent email requesting to cacel my membership. However, they told me nothing will be refunded as shown in email below:
This is to acknowledge receipt of your email. We are saddened by your decision to terminate your membership and I just hope you can give this a second thought.
Please refer to clause #11 on our Purchase Agreement which states that I/We understand that should I / we wish to terminate this contract within Five (5) days, the processing and legal fee of Php 20,000 (Twenty Thousand Pesos) is non-refundable. However After this period no amount shall be refunded upon termination of this contract and that any and all payments made shall be forfeited in favor of the company.
How to cancelled membership and get refund
Hi jie, I cancelled my membership without paying any down payment yet. Do I need to pay the 20k fine if they mail me?I did not receive any promos/benefits of membership from them yet.
Hi may I ask what happen after you did not pay the down payment? Did they still ask you to pay the 20k fine?
I’m in the same situation. Did u pay the 20k fine?
Hello ask ko lang nkapagdown din ako ng 10k kaso gusto nila magbigay pa ko ng 10k na hindi ko na ginawa, anong mangyayari if di mo nabayaran yung 10k?
Did you pay the 20k fine?
Same situation here but i already give 5k i’m worried about the fine if i cancelled mine.. after reading all comments here i will definitely change not in to it.. how can we filed a complain about this..?
Hi Animac,
Same situation – did you pay the 20k fine? Di pa ako nacharge and i am thinking of cancelling because of the reviews I am seeing…
Anyone experienced cancelling without paying the fine? Should i consult a lawyer for this?
Thanks
Hi Ma’am/Sir, can you advise us on what to do on how to get back our money? I also did not know at first that there are hidden charges. Will appreciate your thoughts. Thank you so much!
Hi, just interested with this case. Actually Im a former employe of AVLCI. Maybe i can help in a way of advice since a know a lil bit of info from the inside. Im willing to help aslong as d mababanggit kung sino ako.
Hi mam..pwd tulungan nyo po kami..same situation din po..nkapaf down po ako..anu po gagawin ko..para mkuha ko ang na down ko..salamat po.
Hi. I am also one of the victim who fall for this AVLCI membership. Please do help us on how to cancel the membership. Please.
Hi mdam can i have a private chat with you? I supposed to give my 2nd pymnt
Hello po for sure alam din nnyu sa avlci kung ani talga nangyari . D nmn talga nila yan ibabalik ang pera kya if i wer u na hindi pa na victimize do not sign any contract ipag sa bukas nyu muna read it many times wag mg pdala sa mga sinasabi nila at wag din above all mg commit at mgbigay ng pera muna para d kayu mag sisisi naku victim din ako
so is this really a scam? what are the hidden charges
Hi poh please help panu namin makuha yung na down namin na 50k
How to get my downpayment since i have read the feedback and they keep calling to settle my monthly payment. For i told them that i no longer continue the plan and they demand that i will make a letter of cancellation, which i havent do.
Hi Secret,
Do you have any advice on how to get back our down payment even if we already signed the contract? Please send me a private message on my email. Promise I will not divulge any information about you.
Hello, what happen if you discontinued the membership before the first monthly payment. Had dp already and avail the GC
Hi, just paid the dp of 25k yesterday pero i realized na it is not for me, is there a way para makuha ung buong na dp? Credit card pa naman ginamitcnamin
Hi! How did you file for it? I’ve emailing them about a payment deferral due to pandemic but they haven’t responded.
Do you have any update on this?
Nasasayangan talaga ako sa pera. But I couldn’t do anything about it. I had to cancel my contract but there’s no refund.
Same here also.. No refund despite of pandemic.. Sayang ang pera talaga. Have anyone tried to ask for legal advice since we haven’t use any of their services etc?
New victim here. Made a dp of 25k. Made a cancellation letter the next day. I was advised to expect a call from their collections dept. Ngayon super worried coz i might not get my money back. Maybe we can all file a complaint para matigil na tong activity nila. Ang laki na siguro ng kinita nila kahit pandemic sa mga nagcancel pa lang. 🙁
Baka pwede po ipa-Tulfo to, para mahinto na yun panloloko nila
salamat sa po sa mga comment nyo… Actually they called me up this morning and wondering if it is true so i tried to search the internet and stumbled here…. And isip ko nga kung pumunta ksi masarap nga daw ang food sbi ni anney… hehe… All i can say is Bad business strategy nga! 🙂
its totally a scam.. after you pay the whole amount you still need to pay yearly maintanance fee and to my surprise the moment we finished paying the whole membership fee there is a letter saying they have increase their maintance.. soo bullshit.. they can have all the money we paid but they will never get even one cent from us.. and go to hell to all club astoria people…
Hi dreamgirl, I cancelled my membership after the night I signed the contract. I did not pay any downpayment yet. Do I still need to pay the fine if they mail me? Thanks
Class suit, anyone? I’m all for it.
I’m in. They said that they won’t refund anything based on the #11 clause of the contract. What should I do?
Hi victim2012, I cancelled my membership after the night I signed the contract. I did not pay any downpayment yet. Do I still need to pay the fine if they mail me? Thanks
Actually if you go over with that piece of paper is not considered as a contract under the law.
If it’s not a contract, then it’s not binding? If it’s not binding, we can therefore choose not to pay the 20k?
Hi. I am going to cancel our membership today. I already paid a deposit of 23,160 pesos. There is a paper where one of the clause is that there is no refund. But you say, it is not binding. How can i get back the deposit i made?
Sir jcanidem did you get your deposit?
Did they gave you free gift check of 3 days 2 knights?
Omg, thanks for this, I’m abou to go tomorrow to claim my GC
I registered as a member last May 7 and decided to cancel my membership yesterday, before reading this. Do I still need to pay the 20k fine eventhough I did not receive any promos from them yet? They only took my name and address in the contract. There’s no credit card payment/cash deposit yet. What should I do?should I pay if they mail me?Thanks.
its really true.me and my partner was invited with that complimentary dinner also and later on discuss about the vacation packages they offer and the membership.in the middle of the conversation my partner was asking how much is the total cost for the membership and the agent just tell us to explain everything first before giving us the payable amount for membership.and after all the explanation when finally the agent quoted the 30year membership payment it was really a big amount around 500,000.and agent told us we can pay that one in terms or spot cash but then to avail that one you have to give downpayment exactly that day.good thing my partner decline for that proposal since if we did go for it there are still service fees to be paid and that is for 30years.
glad that you decline
Thank you for this blog. I was relieved. I am about to go tomorrow for their dinner buffet and its true, they said there’s no money involved. Their text is still with me, It says “Good day! Mr XXX, This is our INVITATION to claim your FREE Gift Certificate (LOCAL/INTERNATIONAL LUXURY HOTEL ACCOMODATION for 3 days and 2 nights of your choice: Tagbilaran Bohol, Bangkok Thailand, Bali Indonesia, Las Vegas Nevada and Orlando Florida USA). Our venue CLUB ASTORIA is located at SMX CONVENTION CENTER (Mall of Asia) Pasay City. Proper claiming of your gift certificate is scheduled tomorrow May 21, 2013 at 6pm to 7:30pm opentime with a free dinner for two. Just bring valid ID. Upon arrival proceed at the lobby and kindly look for Mr Murker Oliva, our manager.This is Mr. Jayric Niedo of Astoria Plaza Hotel. See you then and God bless” They even told me that i dont need to present the other half of the raffle ticket i signed. Thank you again. And for those who are invited on this buffet, please read this blog and be wise enough to check first, investigate before signing up especially with this kind of stuffs.
thank U for the info, same po tyo ng experience just this afternoon ng tumawag ang isang Beverly Porras. As a warning,This big help po itong ginawa nyo, me and my husband are baout to go tomorrow for this bogus invitation, bkit nila naatim na gumawa ng ganito at paasahin ang kapwa nila, grabeng pangloloko ito, sna nkkatulog ng maayos ang mga nsa likod ng pangloloko na ito, nakuha nila ang info ko ng mag pa gas kmi sa Petron station sa MOA, at pinag fill up ako ng kesyo raffle ticket, yun pala eh Bobus lng, naku, mkkatikim sa akin ang mga yun pag balik nmin sa kanila.
I am about to go tomorrow for their dinner buffet and its true, they said there’s no money involved. Their text is still with me, It says “Good day! Mr XXX, This is our INVITATION to claim your FREE Gift Certificate (LOCAL/INTERNATIONAL LUXURY HOTEL ACCOMODATION for 3 days and 2 nights of your choice: Tagbilaran Bohol, Bangkok Thailand, Bali Indonesia, Las Vegas Nevada and Orlando Florida USA). Our venue CLUB ASTORIA is located at SMX CONVENTION CENTER (Mall of Asia) Pasay City. 6pm start with a free dinner for two. Just bring valid ID. Upon arrival proceed at the lobby and kindly look for Mr Murker Oliva, our manager. Beverly Porras of Astoria Plaza Hotel. See you then and God bless” They even told me that i dont need to present the other half of the raffle ticket i signed. Thank you again. And for those who are invited on this buffet, please read this blog and be wise enough to check first, investigate before signing up especially with this kind of stuffs. The lady who called me is Beverly Porras.as I still saved her SMS. at take note: tumawag pa sya just to ask how much ang monthly earning nmin ng husband ko, nakuha nila ang info ko ng mag pa gas kmi sa Petron station sa MOA, at pinag fill up ako ng kesyo raffle ticket, yun pala eh Bogus lng, kaya sobrang ingat po tyo sa ngayon,
true. stay away from these free dinner and raffle thing. you’ll regret what will happen after. sharing by experience. our vacation turned into a nightmare TT
May I know ur experience with Club Astoria?
do you still have their numbers? (the one who texted you?)
only today that I and my husband are invited for free dinner and to claim the free GC. after reading this, my mind suddenly changed, i realized that this will not bring me happiness but problems instead…thanks for this blog, anyway.
Grabe! I almost waste my time sa invitation nila this saturday. Good thing i read your blog and from 2 more other bloggers. It’s nice that you share info like this para to warn people.
This post is way back in 2010. This is still their business tactic…Kaloka!
My family and I experienced this same thing but from Astoria Current last week Match 16 2016 when we were in Boracay. We were walking by when someone offered us free lunch or dinner buffet as part of their marketing they will just show us their hotel room so next time we can consider to stay in their hotel. I agreed as aside from.the free buffet I really like looking at hotel rooms.
Come dinner time they first asked us what our jobs are and with a tone that’s offensive but I let it pass. Then showed us the room then brought us to a room with a lot of cubicles. The gay guy explained this time share concept to us but we kept on asking him how much it would cost us like 4-6 times but he never answered our question. It was very uncomfortable to be in that situation. You know he’s manipulating you and trying to rob you of your money. They way I understood it is I am paying in advance all those hotel room accommodations wayyy in advance, years in advance. Which for me does not make sense for me as I could use that money for other things and just book whenevet we need to. I said I don’t make rush decisions based on impulse so the guy moved on to my aunt. Auntie said she will have to ask her husband as he would kill her but the guy seemed annoyed and tried to make her sign up even more.
When he realized he’s not getting anything from us put of frustration he then asked us to fill up a form for referrals. At that moment I’d do anything just to get out of there! But unfortunately for him my phone died and there’s no way I can get numbers to share. He was obviously pissed and said “OK MAM IHATID KO NA NGA KAYO SA LABAS!” He almost kicked us out brought us outside the hotel then turned his back without a word. I kinda understand him though. Wasted his effort and saliva for nothing.
I just got called literally minutes ago on this. Thank you for sharing. I’ll share this post on FB and credit you. Thanks 🙂
We signed up last 2011 and just finished paying last 2015. Actually, their marketing strategy is so effective that we didn’t think about it thoroughly. There came a point that we almost couldn’t afford it and the credit card charges just kept on coming. But we really tried to keep it instead of letting the money paid go to waste. I think it’s pretty good investment if you want to have a vacation/staycation every once in a while. My friend just already used half of the week’s timeshare at astoria boracay and I and my fiance booked the other half in ortigas. Maybe many think this is a scam because it will take you years to finish the payment for the timeshare, that in the event you couldn’t afford to pay the monthly dues already, there would be no refund for the amount you already paid.
So what do you think? Is it still worth it.. I am filly paid yet I havent gone to use it. My previous wife did with her family, now shes gone. I dont know anymore how to use it haha..
Hello Hannah do you still using your membership upto now?
you can take over the contract
Their strategy is still on going. My partner and I were invited for a free Dinner Buffet on Sunday 🙂 So glad that I did a research first. The buffet is enticing though :p
june 6 2017 , this strategy is still going strong. hahahah
Ok moments of truth . My husband and i was waiting for our last day sunset cruise infront of astoria boracay where the tour guide will pick us up when a guy approached us and offered us a free lunch buffet. At first i said no but they are so good in convincing people and we took the bait. He said its a hotel promotions and its free. While aering we are introduce to 4 or 4 people managers and stuff then we had a tour. At first it really sounds good then bebelyn the sale rep take us to 3rd floor and started to chi chat about the hotel and blah blah blah i keep telling her we have cruise to catch but she never listen and kept on talking finally we membership truth . A 480,000 php heck we told then we cant afford it for now but they insisted blah blah im so frustrated because my husband dont wanna miss the sunset but they take no for an answer out of frustrations i told them ok so i gave then my credit card and after our transactions we are given papers and membership agreement. To make a long story short we missed our sunset cruise and i cried for its our last day in bora . And worst i have paid 17,000 for a suppose to be free meal. In the morning before we left boracat i message the bebelyn asking her to terminate our contract but she no you cant do that you have to oay 20,000 pesos legal fee for it. I was surprised. So what i did is when my credit card texted me that i have just made a purchase i replied no. And my card hold the amount for me. Sadly thr 12,000 php was paid visa my debit card. So i just toss that amount to them freely. I emailed then terminating my contract and asking for a refund ,but they say no refund will will be given. I was shock!! What i did id i called my card company right away and declared my card compromised and they blocked it right away. Im thankful because my card was replaced with a new one and the astoria can no longer get money from my account. The 17,000 pesos i guess ther is a way to get it back i will find way. I hope this will serve as a lesson for everyone. Now adays nothing comes for free . We have to be observant and if you can say no right there and then do it. Because you might not know what you are into. Either its a trap or not scam or not i just felt like i was forced into something that i cannot afford and they dont care as along as they the money. Beware of this kind of scam its a debt trap. And at the end of the day they will just say no to your refund. So i if you stamble upon them remember money dont grow on tress. Be careful.
Do you still have to pay for a legal fee? 20k?
Depends on how many months and years you have already paid. The contract says there is only 5 days cooling off period. So if still covered with those days no legal fee collected. But bear in mind that after the cooling off peroid your not gonna get a refund and yes youll pay a legal fee of 20k php. So i advice you seek legal help specially when you have already paid hundreds and thousand pesos better to know your advantage and options before its too late .
june 6 2017 , this strategy is still going strong. hahahah , bad business strategy
I agree with Contador. We ate at a restaurant in Trinoma and my boyfriend and I were offered raffle tickets just 2 days ago. He was texted earlier today about winning the raffle and he asked me if I wanted to go with him. Now that I’ve read this blog I’m having second thoughts about going to the buffet. It will be at their office in MOA (AVLCI). I don’t even know if sitting through the presentation is worth the free dinner buffet because I don’t even have the income to sign up for such things. I even hate travelling hahah
lol i received their call few minutes ago. pwede umalis na lang pagkakain? . hahaha
We were invited sa Astoria Boracay station last 2012, and yes after namin kumain sabi ko ay wala po iamintime sa tour or promotions pero pinagbifyan ko naman na silipin ang room then exit na hahaha! But this time naivite kami ulit sa Asturia Current Boracay Station 3 naman new hotel nila.. pinagbigyan namin sila ipresent ang promotion. Nagandahan ako/kami ng wife ko sa offer nila lalo na yung VIP (with RCI) kaso one day/time offer lang daw.. and the price is tumagantinf na 1.3M membership for 2BR and 980k for 1BR for 30 years with free 1 week (7 nights) yearly yan in Palawan branch if fully paid ka, will have to pay 1.5k naman if you want to to use the free 1week sa ibang branch nila. Meron din silang Exchange offer means pwede mo gamitin yung free 1 week mo kahit anong hotels under ng RCI locally/asia/international. So, kaganda talaga. Pero i still think that it is a bad business strategy if not a scam. So before signing up guys think a gazillion times talaga muna.
Hmmm… Not sure why this is different from what I got from 2 days ago… that was 300k++ and 8 days in a year… and this is for all astoria properties in the philippines and RCI affiliates.
Syempre, iba iba offer nila dpende sa capacity mo magbayad. Kaya ng kung anu anu itatanong sau sa interview and even sa presentation mismo. Doon nila susukatin yung kakayahan mo magbayad. Like kung ang ioofer sau is regular memberahip or yung premium memberhip. Iba iba presyo nun.
D ku na sure if magkanu prices nila ngaun pero eto iba ibang category ng membership nila.
Regular membership
Studio
Studio 10 years
Studio Alternate
1 bedroom
1 BR Alternate -15 yrs / every other year usage
1 BR 10 years
2 BR
2 BR Alternate
Premium package
Studio
Studio alternate
1bedroom
1 Br 10 yrs
1 br alternate
2 bedroom
2 bedroom alternate
Syempre pag premium package mas malaki presyo and mas malaki babayaran mo na yearly maintenance fee. Which is magsisimula kang magbayad pag bayad mo n ng buo yung menbership fee mo.
Ganun yun.
Not sure if tama pa yung mga details ng membership package nila ha. Medyo matagal naku wala sa kanila.
i just recieve phone call kanina galing sa stellar vacation club.. they said i won for free dinner gud for 2.. buti nlng i search, read some article and blogs about this club… hahaha ayoko n pumunta.. thanks for comments .. the gud thing is free dinner nlng hehe.
Haha just received their call regarding the
Freebies, they got my name right
But get this, when i asked what stub number they got it didn’t matched with mine. ??? the venue is SMX Moa. Thanks for the tip!! ?
Good thing I was able to read your comments, we are about to go tonight but I’ve already changed my mind.
Thanks for sharing your experience!
August 29, 2017 and the game is still on! I have received a phone call an hour ago that I am entitled a dinner for two and a 3D/2N hotel accommodation. It was flattering first that you are about to have a dinner and a hotel accommodation for FREE! But when you get to realize the “90min. presentation”, you’d think twice as to wether it’s a scam or part of networking thing. Good thing I have researched and read different blogs about this gaming strategy. Thanks for this kind of blog I have been warned not to attend a certain rob-off-time business gaming plan. Tsss! Hope they’ll stop this tactics and try different approach not to trick people with their business proposal game plan.
Hi! I have signed up February last year and I had paid around 100th already, now I want to terminate my contract. May nakaexperience na b makapagrefund?
Hi! Nakapahrefund ka ba?
I’m planning to terminate my contract also.
Hi nacancel nyo na yung contract nyo? Anong process ginawa nyo? Plano na rin namin mag-asawa icancel ang membership namin. Hopinh for your reply
bakit papacancel nyo. my wife and i was planning kung magdodown kami ng initial or iconsider nlng ito as LOSS nmen.
I already cancelled ours 3 days before we sign the contract. And its a Big Fat NO for refund. i suggest if you have paid bigger than what i have given them 17k i think you to think properly and seek a professional help about it. To terminate your contract you have to send them a termination or cancellations formal letter terminating your contract and your reasons why. Take note the lètter should bear your signature and your co owner if you have one. It is not an easy process . If you are using credit card ask them to cease any future payments to astoria .
I got lucky reading this as i was invited earlier to attend the free dinner tomorrow. I have this gut feeling that that there is a catch on that free GC and free dinner buffet.
We were invited also for a free dinner at cafe astoria tonight.. glad i read the views and we’ll just cancel.
Please help. Magdodown kami ng 1st month namen this october 2017
Do we still need to continue.? good investment ba ito. kinuha ko ito para sa mga anak ko eh.Ok lang maging lost nmen ung downpayment. pero i need to be sure na ok ba ito to continue or not?
THank you all!
Hi sir! Tinuloy nyo po ba yung membership or nag cancel na? We’d like to know what you did po.
Thanks.
Thank you for this blog. Naka receive din kami ng text sa stellar naman, good thing i have researched and read some blogs. Its oct 2017 and still same strategy..
Kung hindi magpapamember, makukuha pa rin ba yung 3d2n na free hotel accommodation?
just got a call. this time, mga taga-davao naman ang mga mabibiktima. buti nalang mali ang information na binigay ko. i immediately blocked their numbers after mabasa ko tong blog na to.
Thank you for the information, the same bad marketing strategy contacted me yesterday night. I mean this strategy still works this 2018!
They got 200thousand from us? Every time we want to book they always saying there’s no available room… my husband payed the membership in cash ? It was 4yrs ago. We got booked for only 2x, they have bond of 8thou or 5thou forgotten it already., because we never came back because of frustrations… and need to pay again the yearly maintenance about 13thousand. I WISH WE COULD GET OUR MONEY AGAIN!!! ???
It was from astoria plaza pasig ???
Try to book again. And pde ka magdemand ng specific date since yun ang ipinangako sa inyo during the presentation. Then if ang isagot sa inyo is fullybook. Dapat magbigay sila sa inyo ng upgraded rooms. Nasa contract nyo po yun.
The problem with them is overflowing na yung dame ng members nila kaya d na kaya ng rooms nila since limited lang yung allotment ng resort. Example. If ang membership ninyo is sa astoria palawan, kahit na lets say meron silang 100 rooms eh kung ang allotment nila sa nembership nila is just 15 rooms d nila maacomodate lahat ng members na magpapabook.
As far as i remember ang allotment lang sa kanila ng Securities and exchange commision is more or less 1k or 2k membership slots. But the problem is sobra sobra na ang naibebenta nila.
If u want refund, try mo magpabook ulit. Pag d naibigay yung gusto mo n date magreklamo ka. Ipost mo ng ipost kung saan saan if u want pde ka din mag reklamo sa DTI or ipatulfo ma na din.
My girlfriend was invited by Stellar. We went there last night. Same experience and strategies were offered. We were really hesitant to go. After knowing that we’re not yet married, the staff had given the certificate and did not discuss with us anymore. We leave the place. The free dinner was good thou. Hahaha thank you for this blog. We will not pursue our vacation trip.
Good day! MR/MRS. – This is clarisse.Kindly claim your privileges from Astoria Plaza. The promo stub that you filled-up was selected by our management, which means that the stub owner will enjoy a complimentary dinner at ASTORIA Venue Function, MOA. We would be happy to see you there between 6:00pm to 8:00pm MARCH 4,2018 tonight.This also means that you will be the recipient of a Gift Certificate for a complimentary 3 days and 2 nights hotel accommodations for two in a selected hotels at any one of these destinations: palawan, Bali, Indonesia; Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Las Vegas, Nevada or Orlando, Florida USA(valid for 6 months). You will receive this Gift Certificate after 90-minutes which follows after your dinner for our hotel promotion. Astoria Venue Function is located beside SMX Convention, right side area, along Marina way, near MOA parking, beside Shadow Travel, Mall of Asia, Pasay city. Kindly look for MR.EDWARD CHUA at the reception and present one valid ID. Kindly expect a call or text from our manager for confirmation. We’re looking forward to seeing you. Thank you.
Thank you on this blog. Nagpa gas ako yesterday Mar 3 sa Shell Macapagal and may nga pa sign ni raffle. The today may tumawag at nagtext. Buti nalang nagsearch ako.
Sana ma ikalat ito sa social media ng wala nang mabiktima, yung pinag hirapan ng asawa ko sa pag OFW Dahil Sa tamis ng dila ng kausap namin nag bayad asawa ko ng cash 200thousand. Yung pala pahirapan mag book! Tapos meron pang bond Na 5thousand. Pag mag pa book ka laging fully booked, kailangan ilang months advance booking mo o kaya ibook muna ng before 1yr! Syet Diba? Tapos may 13thous maintenance every year. Para ka nadin nag book ng hotel every year nun! Asan ang katarungan ng membership mo Na 200thousand??? Really sad talaga biktama kami ng hotel nato! #satoriaplazapasig nakadisplace pa muka ni boy abunda nung panahon na yon model ng Astoria plaza. Kampante kami Na hindi sya scam. Masama talaga loob namin dito tuwing makikita namin itong hotel nako! :”(
Hi!same experience here! Nakapagsignup kami unfortunately bago ko pa mabasa tong mga reviews pero wala pa kaming na down.icancel ko na sana.kailangan bang bayaran talaga yung fine na 20k?marereklamo ba kami pag di binayaran yun?thanks sa sasagot!need help!
Still ongoing and it’s 2018 with the same strategy and the likes. We’re still waiting for the rescheduling of our free dinner since my husband is not available today. I am just wondering if my naka try na po ba nung GC? Some bloggers said that hindi na po nila nairefund yong 5k paid for the GC and some bloggers said na nakuha nila ung refund? We’re just after the GC and free dinner. LOL. Since we’re planning to have a vacation this may, might as well use it. I am just wondering if may naka try na po ba? We’ve talked about this and we’re firm in planning to say NO for their offers. THANKS a LOT 🙂
oh my, I was so excited pa naman for this FREE dinner, but on the back of my mind, naiisip ko na baka SCAM ito. Buti na lang, nai Google ko muna sya.
Thanks sa Blogger na nagstart nato, and mukang effective yung marketing strategy nila, kasi 2010 pa itong Blog na to and 2018 na, pero on going pa rin ang strategy nila,
meron pa po akong nakita na 2009
Thank yo so much for this post. I got the call few moments ago , good thing I searched the net for details of the promo and got to read this…excited na sana ako for the free dinner… tsk!
Nakatanggap ako ng call kagabi lang so ayun nga may free dinner nga daw sa isang buffet restaurant at makakareceive nga daw ng 3d/2n stay sa hotel in palawan, bali indonesia, thailand chuchuchu etc. after ng 90mins na presentation na part daw ng promotion/marketing nga daw nila.
So tinanong ko kung may babayaran ba, then sabi nung kausap ko wala daw free daw talaga so aattend ako mamaya dun sa pa free dinner nila para malaman ko kung ano talagang eksena nila. Hindi naman dahil sa hindi ako maka-afford ng dinner dinner sa buffet resto na yan. Thank you din sa blogger na to at sa mga comments dito mag kakaalaman kame kung sino ang mautak samin hahahahaha.
Mag ccomment ulit ako after ng dinner at presentation nila.
Naku until now ginawa pa nila. Yan po ang messgae nila. I got lucky reading this.
Good afternoon Mr. ———— and Ms. ————–. This is Ms. Leny delos Santos of Astoria Plaza. The stub you filled-up was selected by our management, which means that the stub owner will enjoy a complimentary dinner buffet for two. We would be happy to
see you there between 6:00pm to 8:30pm (tomorrow) May 20, 2018. This also means that you will be the recipient of a Gift Certificate for a complimentary 3 days/2 nights accommodations for two in select hotels in any one of these destinations: Palawan; Bali, Indonesia;
Bangkok, Thailand; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. You will receive this Gift Certificate after attending a 90-minute presentation which follows after your dinner. The venue will be at SMX Convention Center -beside SMX along marina way near Shadow travel. Please don’t forget
…i am planning to attend tomorrow sana, 6pm sa otigas pasig..i received a phone call
invited me for free buffet and a short presentation daw…target nila tlga ung mga couple hahha..buti na lang nagsearch aq out of curiosity sa kupal na astoria na yan hhah
Hanggang dito sa Bohol meron. Nainvite kami habang nasa beach.
Wishing you a great day!
Sir/Maam! This is LEONARD from ASTORIA located @
PANGLAO REGENT PARK BESIDE DIVING KING MAIN ROAD.
I would like to formally inform you that your names are in our guestlist .Our FREE Complimentary DINNER BUFFET good for 4adults and 2kids, will start @ 6:00pm-8:30pm, ABSOLUTELY FREE! no financial obligation.
We are only promoting our hotel and resort here in Bohol also in Ortigas,Greenbelt,Palawan with its exciting newly opened waterpark and Boracay. In exchange your time you recieve a free gift certifecate 3days/2nights free accommodation we have local Palawan and International.
Pls reply to confirm your seats. Thanks and Godbless!
Buti di kami pumunta!
They are starting in Cebu also.. yup.. 8yrs and still going with their 1 time only offer. Annual maintenance fee of Php14,000 x 30 years is Php420,000 already + membership premium of 200k.. Too much!
Hahahah! My goodness, it’s July 2018 and they are still in business! Just got off the call with them. Was anyone able to avail of the dinner AND the supposed GC for accommodations at Astorias even without signing up? Curious.
Haha! Were about avail that free dinner tomorrow at 6pm. Just out of curiosity I wanted to listen to their strategies. Anyway, walang mawawala just by listening, meron pala, wasted time. haha! Wag na nga lang. Nakakaloka, the same business strategy is on-going.
Good thing I researched first before going tonight! Whew! Kaya pala they were eager to know about my job and my monthly income. I know this is not a scam BUT it is a really bad aggressive marketing strategy. Marami din ganito sa malls, yung mga nagtatanong ng “May credit card po kayo?”.
Kakatawag lang nila ngayon dinner dw for 2 at 5:30pm-7:30pm Aug. 15, 2018 tpos GC after ng 90-min presentation. 8pm sched ko sa planta tinanong ko kung pwede eat, get GC tas alis na. d pa nagreply haha.
hangganh ngayon buhay pa to. meron nga kami nakasached mamaya e. plano namin to get the buffet and gc lang, decline agad ung offers. meron bang nakaexperience na gamitin ung gc?
My parents received a similar text from them!!! FB Hotel in Koronadal City. Thank you for this!!
Does anybody here tried to go back to the restaurant/establishment where the stub was filled-up? Thank you sa sasagot. ; )
We were also invite for a FREE LUNCH during our stay in Boracay, we signed up right away. We did not regret we already used 10 nights in our vacation share. Recently we stayed in Astoria Palawan and the room was huge as in it’s beautiful, staffs are all friendly too. It’s really up to us if you will sign up or not, for us since we love to travel a lot this could really save a lot of money. For example the biggest room in Palawan is 18,000/night we stayed there for 4 nigts 5 days and we did not pay the accomodation just the food. We love our membership and they are not a scammer.
I feel bad for Astoria they don’t really deserve to be called a scammer or manloloko watever. They will add more hotels/resort pa nga soon and nag pa upgrade narin kame. It’s true about what they said about paying less when you travel abroad like 7 nights then you will only pay 1500 imagine? but it’s true because you already paid ahead eh pero you will get more than what you have paid for promise.
Agree with you, Rhea Bernardo. Astoria vacation timeshare is not a scam. It just isn’t for everybody. It’s for those who travel a lot, and you could really save if you’re a frequent traveller.
Tip for those who are fully paid and entitled to some vacation days already, but for some reason couldn’t book or use their timeshare yet – rent it out at a discounted price just like what I did!
I agree. The offer is good for those who frequently travel locally and abroad. My bf’s mom is always using her membership and even share it to the other people. She’s able to maximize the benefits from the membership. Nevertheless, I think it really depends to the financial capacity of a person. Get the membership if you have the means. 😀
FEEL BAD ……
i CANNOT FEFUND MY INITIAL PAYMENT SABI NILA NASA CONTRACT, ANG GALING NG MGA OFFER, IMAGINE IKAW PA MAG MAINTENANCE NG HOTEL YEARLY FOR 10,00.00 AT 1,500 FOR PRE BOOKING abroad. calling up the DTI about their strategy . . . . . . . to all dont attemp you’re will be a looser. . … YUNG DI KO MAREFUND PA KANDILA KO NA. KAWAWA ung gustomagcancell pero di mo na makukuha or marerefund. …….
Hi.. im one of the victim of this company ASTORIA CLUB
if you are able to read my message here kindly coordinate with me because im taking legal actions to stop this company from their black market strategy. Kindly send message thru my email . Its mhfermilon12@gmail.com
Our vacation last November 18, 2018 at boracay became a nightmare.
Yung agent namin he insisted and convinced my 2 senior citizens na kasama and he even instructed the two old women of helping me out to pay the monthly due for the membership.
Kung hindi sana lowbat ang cp ko at nakapag research ako about this masaya sana vacation namin sa bora.
So guys.. kindly pm me nalang lahat ng nag avail at gusto mag cancel. Magtulungan po tayo! Salamat sa blog na to..
#clubastoria #astoria #bogus #scammer
How po? I also a victim
Can we still do this?
Hi po. Were u able to take legal actions? What happened? Planning to do the same. Its 2021 and still ongoing. Too bad late ko na nabasa mga reviews 🙁
Me too. Late ko nabasa ung review. May I know the status of ur legal action?
Had the same experience, It is not a scam, its for businessminded people who can afford the membership…Once you know how to analyze cost comparison you would realize its a big savings, and that is “IF” it really fits your lifestyle, I mean if your a frequent Hotel goer, then this is for you. Or if you are a businessminded you can use this membership to your advantage if you only know how. The problem is IF you don’t know how. This offer I find it good 👍👍👍
I Think masasabi mo lang naman na scam ang isang bagay kung after mo mabayaran hindi mo naman magagamit diba?
Hi, may I get some feedback to those who get the 3 days 2 night hotel accommodation? Were you able to use it? TIA. 😀
Hello We have the same experience can you help me paano ko ma refund ung amount naibayad na namin
Hi can you help us with this?
Hi do you have any updates on your request?
It’s not a scam. But it should fit your lifestyle. If not, you definitely will feel that this is a waste of your hard earned money. I have been a member since 2013 and fully paid and have used every penny and every entitlement. I visit the PH on a yearly basis and only stay in their hotels (why? because its paid for the next 30 years). I just their hotel for business and leisure. And they have an airport transfer from MNL to greenbelt/ortigas. Owning this for 30 years is cheaper than booking other hotels (factoring inflation). Although AirB&B is cheaper, I prefer to stay in hotels. Again, owning a time share should match your goals/lifestyle. It is not for everyone so run your numbers wisely.
i agree to this the agent explain everything and its really up to you if this will suit your lifestyle and budget.
Hope we can do anything for the refund or kahit kalahati man lang nang binayad natin. Since we haven’t use naman sa kahit na anung service nila..
hi there! still even if it’s pandemic they are inviting people now via zoom and that started late part of last year. And they are victimizing again offering a free buffet to the venue that they will instruct you and in the zoom meeting they will discuss to you already their scheme scam on timeshare. Try to google Astoria Scam or AVLCI ( Astoria Vacation and Leisure Club Inc.)
They wrote there BEFORE WE ASSERT, LET US ASK OURSELVES: WHAT IS A SCAM? A SCAM, ACCORDING TO THE CAMBRIDGE DICTIONARY, IS AN ILLEGAL PLAN FOR MAKING MONEY, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT INVOLVES TRICKING PEOPLE.
I personally was laughing at their statement they’ve used Cambridge dictionary which is in fact it was useful to me and by other people that their scheme was really a SCAM. First, their plan is illegal really because they use a marketing strategy like offering free buffet so that they can attract people by all means but later you will accept what they are presenting because of their twisted tongue and their sales agents were trained in having tactics to lure people of buying a timeshare. So on that part it involves in tricking people like I’ve read previous comments here that some cannot even avail of their accommodation even if they are already a member of this club. They’ve used people as the ambassador of Astoria like Boy Abunda just to let people realized that their company is legit and will not trick people. I conclude, that with all the basis comments here the negative outweighs the positive comments so it is a SCAM for real looking at its meaning.
report this to DTI to get your refund. Then for those people here lets make a page for those who were scammed by AVLCI
Hi Shayne, is there any possibility to get a refund after reporting this to DTI? Thank you
Yes Mel definitely you’ll get a refund because the paper that you signed on that night you attended it’s not a legal contract even if you consult a lawyer. So you will still get a refund but I guess you will not receive it in full. You better report it personally to DTI and make a statement there. They have to know the facts..as I’ve read previous comments here they got their refund.
Hi Shayne. Maybe u can enlighten us with the process in how we cab report this to DTI.
Hi, may I know if anyone here already took legal action on how to get refund after a cancellation request? Anyone got refund? Please enlighten us on the process. Thanks
Hello po, baka my naka take na po nang legal actions regarding dito? Can you also share to us po. Thank you
Hello. Its 2022 and they have the same business strategy. Almost fell into their trap. Luckily, I have no budget at the time of their offer 😂
hi SECRET kmi we just availed lang last Nov. 27,2022 1BR Astoria Palawan home resort for 10 yrs. 26k DP on the spot and 6k monthly for 2 yrs and will enjoy the membership for 10 years. which i think is okay nmn ung inooffer nilang hotel accom, 5 star for 1 wk every year, pra skin okay nmn sya ksi for 260k my family will enjoy the 1 week vacation every year for 10 years local and abroad and may option pa to sell it pra s mga staycationers. sgro if you will study it there you will see the possible income dn n ppsok if you work it.
Did they mention about the yearly maintenance fee once you finished paying up for 2 years?
It’s not a scam. It’s their way to market their hotels, membership, etc. From the start they will inform you of a free buffet and a 90-min orientation in exchange for their free hotel accommodation gift certificate. If you’re not up for their 90-min presentation, you don’t have to go.
We went last year, ate, and attended the presentation. I think since gabi na, hindi kami actually inofferan ng kanilang memebership and less than 90min yung explanation. We took the GC , nakipag coordinate with their staff thru email for a stay in Astoria Palawan. Hotel was good, service was amazing, really enjoyed our stay kasi hindi masyado matao noong pumunta kami and enjoyed our Palawan vacation. You will need to pay them, but will be refunded after your stay so our 3D2N is really FREE.
This year, we were invited again ( idk why they dont have our names sa system nila) and this time, we listened to their 90min presentation for their membership. If it fits your lifestyle na lagi talagang may vacation, have to book hotels yearly, and the price is right for your finances, I think it’s worth it as you really are paying for their services and convenience of easy look-up for cheapest prices but good accommodation.
We personally cannot afford it, so we declined. Even when they offered us for a cheaper alternative to try a 2-year membership, it was not in our priority to avail it and we said no. But we still got the GC as they promised, and we are planning to use it again in their other locations. With respect, this is their way to sell. No need to call or scam, as long as you know you cannot afford it or its not an extra money to shell out tapos minsan mo lang gagamitin. It’s ok to decline, just let them do their job.
I just signed up two days ago The cost to pay for the 3 years is 1M+ depending on the room you’d like to avail. Since travel is part of our lifestyle we were convinced.
We deposited 90k. After much thought and reading negative reviews, we decided to cancel our membership. I just asked them to cancel and process the refund. I am curious, how long others have waited for them to process the refund?
Hi, just want to ask po what happen with your cancellation po. Did you get any refund po?