Hi

I just got back and can report that they both are still plying their trade.

Daveyboy

Hi,

I was down on the front of LC a few weeks ago with a friend when a policeman on a motor bike came up behind a scratch card guy and made him hand over the lot , even making him turn out all his pockets. But i recken as soon as the policeman had gone he prob just went and got some more.

I'v seen the masseurs on the beach hiding or even being taken away by the police.
Fifteen minutes later they are all back again.
I have noticed that the 3 card trick merchants are all gone-the police can enforce the law when they want to!
Regards,
Billyboy.

As you say "when they want to"
Its a shame these scum are still on the streets

There appears to be less of the touts. i hope the police continue to hassle them

Me and my wife have just returned. We stayed in Costa Adeje and found the touts the most despicable, un-trust worthy and horrible people I have ever met. They target different locations on certain days. We had trouble at the Costa Adeje market and the Porto Colon(?) shooping centre. They will lie through there teath to get you to stop and pressure you into going. When you snap and say soemthing rude they get "offended"

I will never return.

This may be off topic but whilst we were in Tenerife the Canary Times had a front page spread of how they are going to tackle decreasing tourisim, not once did they mention these menances.

After reading the post by nathangunn I felt i should reply.
Firstly, I find it very sad that somebody can state that they will never return to a destination because of the behaviour/attitude of these "menaces". I do agree that they can be very unsettling at times. My attitude towards them now is to either ignore them, or if that doesnt work, just say something like "if I wanted to buy something off you I would have stopped YOU and asked", then just walk away.
However, as a regular to Tenerife I must say that these touts/scratchcard people are no worse than other holiday destinations. I am very well travelled and have found these touts are all the same throughout the med as well as the canaries, e.g. the balearics, Algarve, costas.
I am just pleased to hear that the Tenerife authorities are starting to clamp down. This may not eradicate the problem, but at least its a deterrent

well said brownbear

i to am a regular visitor to tenerife, and i don't know what i'm doing, but i have to say that i have no problem with them whatsoever

we stay at palm beach and on a morning i can sit on our balcony and watch them,

As you say they are no worse than other countries.

Infact i'd rather have timeshare that what i witnessed on the beach at goa.

When sunbathing, i was constantly harassed with, people selling, food, icecream, gifts, then there are the children dancing in front of you, the girls wanting to paint your toe nails.

And they will wake you up to ask you this.

At least with timeshare once on the beach your done with them.

I have said this before, that people MUST buy from them, else they would not be making money so wouldn't be doing this job.

at easter i sat outside hoppers at puerto colon, outside the timeshare office, and i can't believe how many people were walking in, clutching the winning golden ticket.

Next time in tenerife just sit on the sofas outside hoppers and watch how many people go in.

As for not going back, i wouldn't let this bother me, but then again, as i previously said they never have.

Maybe I am in the minority but after speaking to people in the airport a lot of the people felt the same.

Quote
"I find it very sad that somebody can state that they will never return to a destination because of the behaviour/attitude of these "menaces""

What I find "sad" is that I cannot enjoy a walk without i being interuppted many times I also find it sad out these people knowling LIE, bring peoples hopes up so they tricked into a high pressure selling enviroment, maybe with a dodgy company.

Maybe people goto the timeshare offices because they have been told lies to make them attend.

Thanks brownbear for telling me the Algarve has them I was thinking off going there next year.

It does but people off going, when asked at work I told them I enjoyed the hotel, but the hassle got on my nerves. This will filter down and add to the decreasing number of tourists (19% fall in July 2004) and add to the every number of guests going AI.

The timeshare touts are definitely nowhere near as bad in Lanzarote. I have been going to Lanzarote regularly for many years (and not just one resort) and have been stopped twice. I was shocked when I went to Los Cristianos in Tenerife - they were a nightmare. If they would just take 'no thank you' for an answer it may not be as bad, but as Nathangunn says, they will not leave it at that: "When you snap and say soemthing rude they get "offended"" (quote). Rudeness and harrassment are not something I want as part of my holiday experince! wickedchris's experience in Goa sounds bad, but the timeshare touts are also a real pain. I have heard about them reducing elderly couples to tears when they have the temerity to refuse a scratchcard.

I'm sorry, but I do think this is a problem particularly in Tenerife. Although we went back there it does mar the holiday experience. Majorca? Never seen any there on several visits. I hope to go to Portugal soon myself, but have heard they are mainly a nuisance in Albufeira.

what i can not get my head round is that these touts have been roaming the Med for years annoying and deciving everyone, surely everyone knows what there up to and all these great offers and wins on these cards are scams, but like posts above you can actually see holidaymakers been taken in by all of them, all i can say it must be there first time abroad for these people, because if it isn't more fool to them, sorry for been so harsh

Quote: "but like posts above you can actually see holidaymakers been taken in by all of them".
Have re-read the posts on this thread, but can't see where anyone says this! Am I missing something?!

The timeshare touts are not as bad now as they used to be in Tenerife. They seem to occupy a few specific areas, rather than roam around, like they used to. Restaurant PR's are also fewer in Los Cristianos since they started fining the restaurants and the PR's.

read "wickedchris" post thats what i was going by

honest if you think that tenerife is bad with timeshare go to goa

yes there are timeshare in goa to, they wear pink shirts and drive mopeds, and they ride up and down the streets handing out flyers, we went for a long walk one day and i couldn't tell you how many times, a pink shirted indian on a moped stopped us.

they watch you get out of a taxi and they come over to you and infront of your face say taxi

you come out of a restaurant, and nextdoors are trying to get you in

every shop you walk past they grab at you to come in.

we ended up paying for our beds on the beach, as the guy hired security to stop sellers coming up to you.

wish i'd known this earlier on in the holiday, the beach is a minefield of sellers,

then when you come out of the airport, with your luggage, there all grabbing your case, and there can be at least 3 or 4 of them, all pulling and tugging your case. All wanting cash of you, and when i offered them £1 for pulling my case 100 yards, the young lad showed me a £2 coin, on your bike mr wicked said.

If i said 'no thank you' once on that holiday i said it 1 million times.

Now timeshare, like i say i have never had a problem with them, they have never been rude or anything to us, a ' no thank you' seems to work, or as they come towards us, move another way, they soon get the message.

but today, i'm sure that most people out there should by now know what timeshare is, it's been on the telly and in the paper enough. yet people still seemed to get sucked in.

i can stand on our balcony for an hour in a morning and at least 3 couples have gone in taxis.

I sit at hoppers and there coming in by the droves, clutching the golden ticket, which never comes out.

But there is work for these touts, becaust tourists keep falling for it, so day in day out there going to be out there.

As soon as tourists stop getting in the taxis and being whisked off to the promised land of a lt of vokda and 200 cigs, then these people will go.

But as for harrassment of them, well i've never witnessed anything, and after my experience in goa, i can put up with a couple of no thank yous.

i remember them in gran canaria outside the mcdonalds, and after getting passed them, you had to run the coloured ladies, who if you stopped or stumbled, was tagged with a home made wrist band, for a stupid amount of cash, and no amount of begging will get these to take off this band. Now that's harassment.

You just have to not let it bother it you, because it will spoil your holiday if you let it get to you.

Right lets see what turkey brings when i go.

I have been to Altinkum in Turkey and it was timeshare tout free, Chris! The pr's who try to get you in their resturant were out in force every evening, but they were at least pleasant - no nastiness if you refuse - unlike some of the LC timeshare touts!

We've been to tenerife more than a few times. The timeshare touts have got better (i.e. less intrusive) over the years, and as said they now tend to work in the same places.

I find that ignoring them completely works - just pretend they don't exist, walk around them and talk to whoever you are with. They want you to engage them, and have a range of lines designed to just get you to open your mouth - even saying no is an engagement to them, and they have got you half way there.

But, as said, this is certainly not a tenerife thing... they are everywhere!

Hi

I agree with the last post,they are not as bad as they used to be and a frequent
visitor to Tenerife knows the hot spots. The best way is not to say anything not even no thanks.just a stare and then look away that works,if they start to have a go at you for not speaking just carry on walking and dont look back.

Daveyboy

Must agree with wicked chris if you own time share as we have for over 20yrs,
just tell the touts you already own, and let them know where you are staying
they do leave you to walk away,with no hassle.
ann