We have reviewed the direct-mail piece in question and determined that it did not go through our dir

( Pam Muzyka ) People have been receiving mailers advertising a free three-day vacation to San Diego, including hotel room and SeaWorld tickets. In fact, the letter included what appeared to be a check from SeaWorld Parks Entertainment. What these notices don t mention is that you need to attend a 90-minute sales pitch, and more importantly that SeaWorld has nothing to do with the promotion.
The phone rep told Lazarus that people travel agencies online are eligible for the three-day vacation if they attend a 90-minute travel agencies online sales pitch seminar for DirectBuy, which charges thousands of dollars for memberships access travel agencies online to supposedly low prices on brand-name furnishings, but which longtime readers of Consumerist know doesn t always live up to its promise .
Pressed about which hotel in San Diego would be included in the vacation travel agencies online package, the DirectBuy rep mentioned two of the city s nicer hotels, travel agencies online or many others. Of course, when Lazarus checked travel agencies online with the two named hotels, neither had any idea of any such deal with DirectBuy.
We have reviewed the direct-mail piece in question and determined that it did not go through our direct-mail compliance protocol, is in violation of our ad policy and was not approved by our corporate marketing team, a company rep explains.
I think this is a match made in heaven: a theme park that makes large sea mammals live in a fish tank for their pleasure and profit, and Direct Lie, a company that uses high pressure sales tactics to push a mid-four figure membership on unsuspecting families that only intend to remodel a bedroom.