Scotiabank is not letting you fly for free, really

First published on September 13, 2006

Why free is not really free at Scotiabank

Now it’s probably not fair to look at that image in isolation, so here’s the promotion page.

Promotional material always uses asterisks and fine print to avoid being accused of bait and switch practices. This irks me for many reasons. But I’m not here to rant.

I would just like to point out for everybody that in addition to requiring you to sign for a Scotia One account (which has a monthly fee of $9.95 and isn’t really unlimited as it claims), this supposedly free flight excludes applicable flight taxes, fees and service charges. It’s not free.

So save yourself a trip to Scotiabank because they will then explain to what the promotion “really” is — that is, it’s really not free.

In some sort of irony, I’m probably helping Scotiabank out by talking negatively about their promotion…

———————

In other news, Kuala Lumpur International Airport is the world’s best airport… that is until you realize that it is not in the same voting category as Singapore’s Changi Airport (32 million passengers last year) and Hong Kong (40 million passengers last year).

———————

August 2007 update: As you can guess from my post, I never actually went for this promotion because I simply didn’t like the ad However, I am glad that this post is serving as a sort of forum for disgruntled customers and am happy to provide this service!

This entry is filed under Canadian Banking and written by Peter Keung. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

117 Responses to “Scotiabank is not letting you fly for free, really”

September 13th, 2006 at 7:39 pm
Dee says:

I SAY SCAM!!!
September 13th, 2006 at 9:02 pm
Lea says:

HA! Gotta love those asteriks.
September 14th, 2006 at 9:05 am
Leah says:

Those asteriks are PwC’s promo identity, like:

*Connected Thinking

They’re giving the * a bad reputation!
January 15th, 2007 at 9:12 am
Danielle says:

All free flights require that applicable taxes and fees are paid. I don’t think it’s a scam at all. If you pay close attention to most prizes, there are fees involved. You’re still getting a deal.
May 10th, 2007 at 5:19 pm
Brad says:

It is a scam.

After countless phone calls, emails and snail mails I have given up trying to use this trip.

By design, TLC, the promoting company will not speak to you. I have had no luck getting them to call me.

The last thing they did was return my flight voucher because I only had one preferred date and destination. Even though I had included a not asking them to contact me, as suggested on the certificate, about flights and associated costs.

I have wasted too much time on this promo and concede defeat.

Scotiabank and TLC are bad guys in my books.
May 15th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Darren says:

I can vouch for this being a scam, as well.

TLC will not call me to book. I have been playing phone tag with them for weeks. They just keep telling me that they are ‘gathering all my information’ and that they will be calling me shortly. They were good enough to return my calls the next business day, as promised. They are not even doing that anymore. When the booking department is open, they won’t transfer me through. When the booking department is closed, they say, unfortunately I can’t transfer you through to booking because they are closed.

Shame on TLC and Scotiabank. I guess nothing is really free.
July 24th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Lesley says:

Well I’ve been getting the run around myself. I finally called their Boston office +1 617 788 9600 and they actually have people there!

Suspiciously their system is ‘down’ and has been down for a few days and she is not sure when it will be.

At least I have a # to someone I can hold liable.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:29 am
Jeremy says:

I GOT TAKEN!!!

I can’t believe this!! I myself got suckered into.

Anyways, I’m supposedly going to Chicago with my voucher this week (Aug 3-6, 2007). TLC FINALLY contacted me after weeks with Scotiabank and they told me there are NO AVAILABLE FLIGHTS on any major airlines. Not one that I’ve selected, Chicago, NY, and Miami. I’m really POd because I already booked my hotel in Chicago.
July 31st, 2007 at 11:30 am
Jeremy says:

OH, RE THE ABOVE MESSAGE,

I submitted my voucher the beginning of June realizing that they require 30 days in advance!!!
August 2nd, 2007 at 3:32 pm
Amanda says:

I am having the same problem as is my aunt! I was told there was no availability for the entire month of August. She has been trying to get a flight for Oct since June!
August 10th, 2007 at 11:12 am
margo says:

Oh its a complete scam! Take it from me – I’ve tried to book two completely separate trips through this voucher and both times I was unsuccessful. I couriered the voucher on both occasions and never got a response from any agent until it was too close to the travel date , then they would ask me to resubmit a new request for a new flight. I’ve called the call centre to speak to someone but the only people you can talk to are the call centre agents who have nothing to do with booking, so I guess they jsut hanle complaints as they don’t take care of precessing of any kind.

Scotiabank should never have allowed themselves to be associated with TLC Canada as they obviosly got themselves into a promotion that they were unable to deliver on!

I’m actualyl considering switching banks over this as the experience has left me pretty sour!
August 10th, 2007 at 11:13 am
margo says:

Does anyone have a phone number for the booking department?? I cant’ even get that from any one! They should work for the CIA!
August 10th, 2007 at 1:15 pm
Markel says:

I was dreading phoning TLC about my flight as a result of what I’ve read on the internet (including the posts here), but I just finished booking Saskatoon to San Francisco flights for my wife and I with our Scotia One free flight vouchers without any problems. For those of you interested, here is how it went:

Having read negative posts about TLC’s handling of the offer, I sent my vouchers in to TLC by ExpressPost so it would be trackable. I also included a letter stating I looked forward to receiving their call to confirm my flight within 10 days of receipt of my vouchers (this is stated in the promotion rules, which I explicitly quoted). I received a phone message a week later saying they received my info and would phone me again to confirm my flights. As I hadn’t heard back for two weeks, I phoned the “TLC Scotia One Flight Concierge Desk” (this is what they call the 1-866-377-4087 number) today. After being on hold for 15 min or so I left a message. Their machine stated that someone would get back to me the next business day. My hopes were not high, given all of the above posts. But, I received a call back 30 min later and was on the phone for quite a while while the individual tried all kinds of flight options to find what would best suit me. I ended up booking for my 1st choice destination for dates one day later (each way) than I had requested. The person booking was surprisingly helpful and flexible. She was busy looking at all of the booking options and destinations while I was on the phone and was open to any dates and flights I preferred. I just checked AirCanada.com and the exact flights Saskatoon to SFO return on the same dates would be just under $600 each. I paid TLC $120 per ticket for fees and taxes. My wife and I received identical flights for our two vouchers. So, yes this turned out to be quite a good promotion for me. Make sure you follow the fine print stated at the start (30 days advance, fill out the form completely, etc. – but these should be no brainers) and you will be rewarded.

By the way, the number on my call display when the booking agent phoned was 1-617-788-9600, the number of TLCs Boston office. That said, I would call the 1-866-377-4087 number and leave a detailed message asking them to call you back.

Good luck!
August 16th, 2007 at 6:49 am
Nicole says:

I am also having the same problems. I am calling my Scotiabank Branch today and demanding they remunerate me for all my trouble, time and their false promises. I’ll keep you posted.

Sincerely.
Nicole.
August 16th, 2007 at 6:59 am
Nicole says:

What a great website!!

OK…I just decided after reading Markel’s post (thanks for the encouraging post) to call the long distance numer provided (thanks for that number) before I blast Scotiabank.

I left a polite message with TLC’s 617 # requesting a call back on my cell phone today so I could receive assistance in completing my voucher…I am under the impression that I can’t even fly out of my airport (Thunder Bay). I appears that I might have to get to Toronto first!!! How am I supposed to do that when it’s a 20 hour drive around Lake Superior or a $300 flight…not exactly a valuable promotion for me.

Anyhoo-I’m hopeful. I’ll continue to keep you posted.
August 20th, 2007 at 8:15 am
Joanne L says:

I too am trying to book a trip. My vouchers were returned (just the form page) because I had missed the 30 day deadline for my first choice of dates – I could have taken the second choice if they had called. But no, I did not get a phone call and didn’t know till I got it in the mail. They also claimed I didn’t have the rest filled out, but I did.

So, I redid it and mailed it back with 30 days before the first choice. That date had almost arrived so I phoned and was told that I would get a phone call, which would have been last week. I’m going to try again today. The deadline for flying is coming up – all travel finished by the end of October. I’m not impressed, either.

I found this website when I did a Google search for the Scotia Fly Free promotion – I left the phone number at home. I will certainly keep checking back.

Markel, have you taken your flights yet? We are going to San Francisco, too, but I certainly haven’t booked any hotel rooms yet.

Joanne
August 23rd, 2007 at 11:38 am
Darek says:

I’ve been waiting for 6 weeks to here back from them. My travels dates were supposed to be Sept 20-24 and I sent my forms in July 1st (got tracking number). I’ve left numerous messages and emails to no avail. This is BS…
August 24th, 2007 at 10:18 am
Joanne L says:

I have still not heard back but my Scotia bank rep is trying to get through now. This is the first complaint at my local branch, that she knows of, but I live in a very small town. She called Scotia customer rep and was told that TLC is way over their head and the complaints are numerous (no surprise there). They did not think there would be such overwhelming participation – geez!! I am trying to book from Calgary to San Francisco for two people ( I have two vouchers) and I know that is a minimum of $500 each, so why wouldn’t people try to get in on that??!!

So, I think I will try calling again, just for fun, and see what happens. I have already missed my August dates, and I picked dates in September and October, but I am not booking hotels or anything until it’s confirmed. What a pain.
August 24th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
Markel says:

Hi. Joanne, you asked above if I had taken my flights to SFO yet. No, not yet. I do have the Air Canada record locators TLC emailed me while I was on the phone and yes, they booked our flights. On the Air Canada website our record locators show seats in our names as confirmed and paid. So things are out of TLCs hands at this point, thankfully. I booked a sweet Bed & Breakfast after seeing the confirmed tickets. I’m grateful this was quick and easy for me. If I would have had any problems with TLC, I too would have gone to my branch and talk to the personal banking rep I deal with there.

Apparently Scotia Bank saw a 300% increase in new accounts opened under the promotion (see http://www.globelink.ca/industry/finance/article.asp?id=42). There must be a lot of people actually getting tickets and traveling. Keep trying. Good luck!
August 27th, 2007 at 6:38 am
Jim says:

I couldn’t agree more that this is a scam. I was contacted by Scotiabank to change my account and take advantage of this ‘free flight.’ So far it has been nothing but a headache. Sent in the voucher months ago with my choices and have yet to hear form anyone about it. When I try to call to inquire, I’m left on hold for hours. There has got to be somewhere that one can lodge a complaint to get satisfaction. I think that if scotiabank is not going to make good on it’s promotional promise, that is to say a free flight, then I want the money it would have costed them……
August 29th, 2007 at 10:01 am
Another Scammed says:

I was just given the address of their Boston Booking Office:

TLC Marketing
1 Faneuil Hall Market Pl,
4th floor
Boston, MA 02109

They told me they will contact me once they receive the voucher so we can arrange some flight.

MAKE SURE TO FILL ALL DESTINATIONS AND DATES
We’ll see how it goes.
August 29th, 2007 at 10:29 am
Joanne L says:

I’m on hold right now. I did get a call last Friday on my home phone – she left a message with a phone number but since she is on eastern time, I couldn’t call back that day. I did leave a message but have heard nothing.

This is part of the FlyFree info:
Scotiabank or its flight booking agent TLC, may substitute another reward of equal or greater value.

I know it says “may” but hey, maybe there is something to go after here if the flight does not work out.

Markel, I’m glad you are all set to go. I’ll be looking for ideas on San Francisco!
September 3rd, 2007 at 3:34 pm
Joanne L says:

Well, heard from no one all last week. We are now in September and according to the rules, all flights must be booked by September 30. I called Annette at 1-866-798-3235 ext 623 and left another message. I know it’s a holiday today but maybe I will hear from her tomorrow. I will probably call my bank rep tomorrow and let her know that nothing has happened, still. I’ll ask her to look into that “may substitute another reward of equal or greater value.” thing.

Maybe I’ll just have to call every day but TLC is on EST and I am in Alberta. Her hours are 9 am to 3 pm so that also reduces her availability. I don’t want to give up yet, though, I was really looking forward to a weekend in San Francisco. I was going to use Airmiles for the hotel – wonder how that will work?
September 4th, 2007 at 10:48 am
Joanne L says:

Okay, I have spoken to an agent and booked our flights. I haven’t checked it on the Air Canada site but will do that today sometime. There seemed to be lots of flights available for all the weekends I asked about and did not book a weekend that I had originally requested.

So, hopefully I will have no problems from this point on.

Fees and taxes will be $140 U.S. each, so yes, it isn’t completely free.
September 5th, 2007 at 6:28 pm
Shannon says:

I have had the same problem with the TLC/Scotia Fly Free scam.
I sent my voucher in mid-August desiring to travel THIS WEEK to Toronto to see Genesis. I have my concert ticket and accommodations paid for. I called and was talking to a Scotiabank (call center) agent last night. He said someone would be back to me in 2 business days. Gee, thanks, considering I plan to be travelling then. I am getting anxious now and doubt very much my flight will happen. Pardon my French, but this is fucking bullshit. I am leaving Scotiabank.
September 5th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
Shannon says:

Furthermore, when I called about my voucher and was on with the Scotiabank agent, instead of discussing my voucher and its details, I was told that the agent was not with TLC and would pass along ‘a note” t othem. This was after 10 frustrating minutes of being asked for personal account information and being put on hold several times. THIS IS UTTER BULLSHIT and I’M PISSED!!!
September 6th, 2007 at 9:53 am
Joanne L says:

Hey Shannon – I understand your frustration but Scotiabank will not help you with your flight – you definitely have to talk to TLC, the travel agency.

The agent that I finally booked with is Annette, and the number is 1-866-798-3235 ext 623. If you want to call her directly her number is 1-617-788-9600 ext 623. She told me their toll-free doesn’t always work (??). Maybe there is still some chance you can get to Toronto – I hope so. I didn’t book anything until I had my airfare confirmed, just because of the problems I had and that other people were having.

good luck – I was all ready to come down hard on the bank, too, but I got my trip booked just in time. Remember, the booking has to be done before the end of September and travel completed by the end of October. Try calling your local bank rep for help if you can’t get through to the agency.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Fabian says:

Same here,
after having a first voucher returned for the reason that I only had one destination and date, I did do the second one by the book. I received the courtesy call with the promise that someone from the travel desk would call me back – and then nothing. The concierge hotline said that someone will be in contact, but so far (two weeks) nothing. It’s clearly a scam, and TLC is probably under strict order from Scotiabank to spend as little as possible on those flights. I wonder if there’s any way of holding them to the promise…
I’m definitely looking into getting my local branch involved and request a reward of equal value if this falls through.
September 6th, 2007 at 6:23 pm
Shannon says:

I am ABSOLUTELY fucking disgusted with this, won’t be going to Toronto, unless I buy a last minute eticket at about $600 from Air Canada. I called the “concierge” number today and got another idiot Scotiabank agent. I was pretty pissy with her and she came back at me almost as much. I told her this was a scam, this was outrageous, and that I would be taking my business elsewhere, which I fully intend to do now. Thanks, Joanne. I called “Annette”, but got her message service, of course!!! Left a message, was rather irate (as if she, or any of these people, really cares), and asked her to call me ASAP. I am holding my breath. After shelling out $100 for my ticket (that also has not arrived from fucking Ticketmaster, and I have called about 5 times and have not got anyone!!! And it IS NOT toll-free), and a deposit on my accommodations, to say I am DISGUSTED and PISSED is a goddamn understatement at this time. My blood is literally boiling, I am THAT mad.
September 6th, 2007 at 6:25 pm
Shannon says:

Oops, I am NOT holding my breath on this. I want to SCREAM.
September 6th, 2007 at 6:37 pm
Shannon says:

When they say they’ll call you back, they won’t. They are bold-faced LIARS, and as Fabian said, “TLC is probably under strict order from Scotiabank to spend as little as possible on those flights.” Can you say SCAM????
September 6th, 2007 at 8:24 pm
Joanne L says:

Shannon, I hope you can cancel your hotel, and if you know how, this would be the time to go on Ebay and sell your concert ticket (if you get it….yikes, another mess there – is there a little black cloud following you around?). I went through all that calling and waiting for weeks and then all of a sudden, my flight was booked. So, I lucked out.

It could still happen for you – you never know – try and think positive. It took a few calls back and forth but when Annette did call me I had my choice of weekends to go to San Francisco, like I said, and I was happy with the end result. She was quite patient and accommodating while I changed my mind a few times, and then she encouraged me to check with my travel partner to make sure the dates were okay. I did that and called her back and booked the trip. She sent the confirmation by email and even answered a question by email shortly afterwards. So, I did end up satisfied, although my original first choice for travel was in August and we will now be going in October.

I agree that Scotiabank really got themselves into a mess with this one, and they’ll think twice about this kind of promotion. I was in a branch recently and noticed some kind of promotion where you get $100 for opening an account, or something, and I thought, that’s cheap compared to airfare! Of course, it’s only cheap if you actually get it.

Don’t give up yet! Maybe you’ll have to book somewhere else and it will turn out just great (call me Pollyanna….).
September 6th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Shannon says:

Looks like I’ll have to buy my own ticket, and I have up to an hour before the flight leaves to book an eticket with Air Canada. But, the point is is that I shouldn’t have had to. My flight voucher value was going to offset cost. This is a royal PISS OFF. I am still unsure, and it is 1:00am here, if I am going. Likely not, and I am STILL trying to get a hold of Ticketmaster about the ticket I have ALREADY purchased on my credit card. I am almost sick with disgust and disappointment here.

Thanks for all your help and support! I’ll let you know later today what I do.
September 7th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Fabian says:

The only recourse in this case is to turn this into a PR nightmare for Scotiabank, should it really be the case that TLC are deliberately stalling. I would think that a journalist could find a decent story here. Imagine an article in a major paper just hinting at Scotiabank not making good on their promises…PR backlash deluxe. The bank deserves it.

What I suggest is that everyone who had problems with this promotion drop me an email, so we can bundle forces.
It’s not about the monetary value of the flight, it’s about not letting them get away with it.
Drop me a line at [email protected]

– Fabian
September 7th, 2007 at 9:18 am
Peter says:

That’s a great idea. Let me know whenever you come up with something so that I can help to promote the article.
September 7th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
Fabian says:

Well, what do you know: I had a call today from TLC with my flight details. They had my first choice for date and destination, so my wife and I are going to sunny San Diego for a long weekend in October. Interesting note on the side: they told me that the promotion resulted in about 30000 flight vouchers, a number nobody at ScotiaBank or TLC had foreseen. Guess it cost them a good bundle, but then, they are a bank and if they forgot to do the math beforehand, the whose problem is it?
I wonder if that had anything to do with the threat of organizing a grassroots campaign…guess whoever complains loudest gets served first.
I’m still interested to get feedback, so mail me at above adress.
September 7th, 2007 at 11:24 pm
Shannon says:

Fabian, I will write you about my experience, and clean up the language a bit! It’s been a nightmare that I didn’t foresee, though you know what they say about things that are too good to be true…
and about things that are advertised as being “free”. Always strings attached.

A related experience I have had is with Ticketfucker, I mean Ticket”master”. I bought from them twice before with no problem, but the third time was DEFINITELY NOT the charm. I paid $100 for a ticket to see Genesis and it never came in the mail. I called Ticketfucker (sorry for my cursing, but I am that pissed over all this) about 6 times over the last few days, LONG DISTANCE mind you, and NOT ONCE got to speak with a human being to get a replacement ticket, at the very least. So I got NOTHING for the $100 charged to my credit card 3 weeks ago, and NOTHING for the 6 or so long distance phone calls at about 10 minutes each of being on hold. I am ready to be done with it all, and here I am planning for Montreal next weekend and to see Genesis then – NOT buying from Ticketmaster. The main reason I went with Ticketmaster in the first place instead of eBay or a second-party ticket broker was so that I would definitely have a ticket, right from the broker. Guess I was wrong. And they do not issue refunds/exchanges. UNBELIEVEABLE.
I am ready to tear my hair out, what little I have left over this. I could have been at an awesome tour-opening show tonight, and in Toronto now. But because of both these fuckers, I am home tonight, seething like crazy, as you can see here.

Here is what I e-mailed Ticketfucker’s customer service earlier tonight. I mean, you call long distance and get no one. And when they ‘e-mail” you back, it’s a generic message. But I sent this anyway:

I AM NEVER buying ANYTHING from your company again. You have an absolutely SHITTY customer service/contact set-up. I DID NOT receive my one ticket for TONIGHT’S Genesis show in Toronto, which I purchased by credit card on AUGUST 19TH, 2007. You claim to have sent it the following day. Almost 3 weeks later, and after about 6 LONG DISTANCE calls to your Toronto office, I GOT NOTHING from either. I COULD not even get to a human being so as to even arrange a replacement ticket. YOUR COMPANY IS DESPICABLE, and I would sue you for this. I deserve a refund, or an exchange. I had to cancel my trip, forfeit my hotel deposit, and incurred a cancellation charge for my airplane ticket. And, I am NOT in Toronto, or at the concert TONIGHT, because of this, because I neither received my original ticket, NOR could I get through to a HUMAN to arrange for a replacement ticket for tonight. And I am out about $120.00 for nothing – I DID NOT receive what I paid for – and have lost on the half a dozen long distance phone calls to you where I NEVER ONCE spoke to a human being and was on hold for at least 10 minutes during each of my 6 or so calls in the last 3-4 days. YOU ARE AN INCREDIBLY BAD COMPANY TO DO BUSINESS WITH. NEVER again, and I will be spreading the word about you. ABSOLUTELY REPREHENSIBLE. I have bought two other tickets from you in the past, with no problem. I thought for CERTAIN I’d have no problem again, and even ignored anything on eBay for cheaper because I had such confidence in you. 100% DISGRACEFUL.

Oh, Annette returned my call and left me a message to call her back. I will Monday and let you know what I come up with, if anything. I deserve a bloody break!
September 7th, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Shannon says:

Oh, and DEFINITELY pulling my business from Scotiabank this coming week.
September 7th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Shannon says:

“…(I) incurred a cancellation charge for my airplane ticket…”

Ok, not exactly true, but I had to play up how much of an inconvenience not receiving my ticket was. I don’t know which has been more frustrating: my excruciating experience with Ticketmaster, or with Scotiabank???
September 8th, 2007 at 11:21 am
Joanne L says:

Hey Shannon, I know it’s a bit late, but can your credit card company do anything for you? Cancel the charge to Ticketmaster, or reverse it? Just a thought, and certainly doesn’t make up for your severe disappointment.

30000 vouchers, Fabian??? Incredible, I can’t imagine what that cost them! But you’re right – if anyone should have an idea about how numbers add up, it should be a bank! The potential for a lot of very unhappy bank customers should get their attention, too.

Good luck with your new adventure Shannon, wherever it takes you. It sounds like you are getting close to something… I’ll check back for updates..
September 8th, 2007 at 9:40 pm
Shannon says:

I don’t know, Joanne. The card was charged on August 19th, so I am sure Ticketfucker has my money. And I got NOTHING for it. Bunch scammer bastards. (Can’t you tell I am still mad?)

I’ll let you know when and where I finally see Genesis. Oh, I am using my voucher after all this shit and money lost. Calling Annette first thing Monday…

And I am cancelling my account at Scotiabank on Monday too.
September 8th, 2007 at 9:46 pm
Shannon says:

Bunch *of scammer bastards. I hate typos. But I hate Ticketmaster and Scotiabank more.
September 9th, 2007 at 9:07 am
Joanne L says:

Well, I would call my credit card company anyways and see what they can do – you don’t know till you ask.

Also, I wouldn’t cancel any accounts at the bank until I had a trip booked and completed. The deal was to keep an account active for a year with some transaction, right? Maybe it doesn’t matter but I wouldn’t take the chance. I was scrambling last December to get two accounts set up with monthly transfers ( I wanted two vouchers) and I have to say that my local branch went out of their way to help make it happen, just barely in time. That was my fault for getting going on the promotion quite late in the fall. Then I waited too long to get the vouchers initially mailed but after that, I had all the problems of everyone else – they were mailed back and I had to re-do the form, missed the deadline for the first set of dates, etc etc… and then waited and waited for phone calls.

I may well close the extra account I set up for this once my year obligation is met – I don’t need that many accounts! I set up an RSP with $50 going into it each month – not a bad thing but more paperwork than I need. I prefer to buy RSP in January or February. Oh well, it’s certainly been interesting.

Set your mind on having a wonderful time wherever you end up going, Shannon, and I hope you get some satisfaction from Ticketmaster. There is always the Better Business Bureau and your provincial consumer advocate. I know, you probably don’t want to spend any more time or energy on the whole thing…

We’re all a bit wiser here…
September 9th, 2007 at 7:10 pm
Shannon says:

Thanks, Joanne, for the advice. I will look at my options for possibly recouping my money tomorrow. But, it may well be a lost cause, and I don’t really want or need any more frustration right now. And I am calling Annette at 9am her time (10:30am my time) tomorrow to book my flight. I am trying now to be positive and know that I can possibly see the Genesis show now, but I am still pissed that I am out about $120-$150 dollars, factoring in the long distance calls to Ticketfucker. And to make matters worse, I have been dealing with the arses at Scotiabank about my voucher booking, who have been knowingly give me, and many, many others, the intentional runaround. It is absolutely appalling. All off it. But, I must say that I calmed down a bit since Friday. I will hold off on cancelling my account until my voucher has finally been used. But, at this rate, that won’t be happening. It’s hard to be positive after being screwed by two companies. But, I’m trying…
September 9th, 2007 at 7:11 pm
Shannon says:

My account has been active exactly a year, btw. And it won’t be going beyond that…
September 9th, 2007 at 9:48 pm
Joanne L says:

Hey, Shannon, I got the timing wrong, I thought the Genesis concert had come and gone, and you had missed it altogether. If there is still a chance you can make, that’s great! I’m pulling for you. Otherwise, now I’m going to try and book hotels in San Francisco using Airmiles!!!! Wonder how that will go….. More stuff for nothing, I’m all over that…
September 10th, 2007 at 2:43 pm
G.A. says:

I have been having the same trouble. The booking deadline is at the end of the week and I still have not even gotten my flight voucher in the mail to fill out! I have called a number of times, and last week Scotiabank representatives have started taking the calls since TLC is so busy.

I asked the customer service rep if she had any info on what happens if I am unable to book a flight on time, would I just lose the flight or would there be any other compensation? She said that as far as she knew, I would lose the flight and she knew nothing of any plan for alternative compensation.

I am very disappointed with the customer service with this offer. I was a long time Scotiabank customer, left 2 years ago to use PC Financial, but was drawn back because of this free flight promotion. I definitely would consider leaving again solely because of this whole ordeal with this offer. I definitely feel ripped off, and I will let the management at my Scotia branch know.

TLC and Scotia should just extend the dates for the bookings and travel to ensure that their customers stay happy.
September 10th, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Dawn McCluskey says:

I received word that none of the flights I selected would be accommodated and to fill out another form with more destinations/dates.I called Scotiabank(the 1-800 number) and the woman said that this is the first she has heard of problems,but seemed genuinely concerned about the reflection it will have on the bank.I filled out new destinations/dates and actually sent them x-press post tonight.If I am not accommodated i will write the bank,starting at the top and will expect some compensation.
Everyone should hold these people accountable.
September 12th, 2007 at 3:55 pm
joici says:

glad to know that I’m not the only one having problems. I have been dealing with stupid TLC since June and have not yet received an answer. I have called them at least 15 times, with an average wait of 20 min. The first time, I left a message and never received a call back. In August, I was promised that I would hear something in 1 week. Well I did. It was an agent phoning to tell me that my voucher was received and to expect a call. yeah right…still waiting for them to call. I talked to another agent 3 weeks ago who promised that my tickets would be booked by Tues last week. Still no answer. I called last week and got a Scotiabank agent who created a case number for me and promised that I would hear from someone in 2 days. Nobody called me back. I just yelled at TLC today who promised to escalate my case. Well…the last 3 agents promised to escalate my case which means that means bullshit. I’m on the verge of pulling my Scotiabank accounts because of this crap. And the TLC agent was snide enough to tell me that this is a promotional voucher and nobody should be planning vacations around promotional vouchers. What the f*ck? My second/third choice dates have already passed. My first choice is coming up in 3 weeks and now the agent is telling me that there’s no guarantee that I’ll get it. Well, I had the opportunity to buy tickets on a seat sale but that’s over now. If I had to buy tickets to go on my vacation, I will scream bloody murder and demand that Scotiabank reimburse me for the cost. I mean, if TLC can’t keep up with the demands, why the hell can’t I just book my own ticket and be reimbursed minus the taxes, etc? I still think an article should be written on this fiasco. I am also gonna try calling that Annette number so thanks for that info! Wish me luck!
September 14th, 2007 at 5:13 pm
john says:

This is ridiculous. I have been on the phone waiting for the past hour. The message keeps saying “Please hold someone will be with you shortly.

I sent in my voucher over 2 weeks ago and got it back today saying I need to resubmit because nothing available….no call nothing. Today is SEPT 14….I have some choice words for someone. I have everything with Scotiabank (Mortgage, Stock Account, Savings, credit cards, you name it)…I better get an answer from someone or they will be losing alot of business!

Thanks for all the posts which confirms my impression that this is a scam. A class action lawsuit if necessary. I will update later.
September 14th, 2007 at 10:42 pm
joici says:

after leaving 3 more messages both with TLC and Scotiabank and being assured multiple times that my case has been escalated and a rush has been placed on my voucher…i still have not received a phone call. I tried to call the number for Annette and lo and behold…the number is miraculously not working. Tried calling the TLC direct line with Annette’s extension and the phone keeps ringing and then it goes back to the switchboard. when you try to dial the extension of the person to leave a message, it doesn’t work. why am i not surprised…has anybody else been able to contact TLC and did anybody get their booking? my departure date is less than 3 weeks and this is not worth the stress. TLC needs to be sued over this.
September 14th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
joici says:

if anybody has any contact numbers or e-mails…that info would be greatly appreciated. also, shannon, did you ever get your flight booked?
September 15th, 2007 at 7:48 am
Joanne L says:

Wow, things are getting worse from the sounds of it. I’m feeling slightly guilty that my flights finally got booked!

I had many of the same experiences initially (vouchers returned, missed deadlines, resubmitted, waited and waited for phone calls..) but when I finally did connect with Annette, it went very smoothly and I had almost my choice of weekends to fly and the dates we booked had nothing to do with the dates I’d originally picked. That worked out allright for us because we could be fairly flexible.

So the phone numbers to Annette aren’t working now either – they must be giving up or something. I do have an email address for her (Annette Medina ) because she forwarded our flight information by email. I even wrote back to her with another question and she responded right away. That was almost a couple of weeks ago. If they don’t have enough people to handle this they should hire more – it’s not like they won’t be making money somehow from this.

Good luck to those still trying – don’t give up! Your local branches should be very involved at this point – that’s how you got into this in the first place and they should follow it through with you.

Shannon – what’s happening with you? Any luck with Ticketmaster?
September 15th, 2007 at 7:51 am
Joanne L says:

Interesting, the email for Annette doesn’t show up, just her name… I’ll try it again here: [email protected]
September 18th, 2007 at 9:29 am
Matt J says:

Hello All,

I just stumbled upon this site today after having some problems myself with TLC.

Yesterday (sept 17th) I recieved a letter in the mail from TLC stating that non of the destinations or dates can be accomodated, and that I should re-submit the form with new dates and have it returned by Sept 15th, which is 2 days earlier than I got the letter!! How convenient!

I had express post my letter to TLC at the end of August so that I could have a tracking number. They received my letter on Sept 5th. I did not recieve a phone call at all from TLC regarding the inability to book a flight. Instead they send me the letter dated on Sept 12th a whole week after I have record of them recieving mine.

I tried calling TLC and they are no longer taking calls it seems and the phone prompts forwarded me to a scotia bank representative. I told her of the problem and said it was rediculous to expect me to have a my form resubmitted before the end date when I wasnt notified until it had expired!

The representative from scotia told me she would email TLC to try and resolve the situation. Im not hopeful however.

I have 3 banking accounts, mutual funds, a line of credit, a credit card and a mortgage all through scotia. The only reason I signed up for this stupid scotia one account was because the free flight seemed like a deal.

I have been paying scotia bank $9.95 a month ($120 a year) to have this account with the expectation that I would get this free* flight.

I am so peeved at this right now I am prepared to pull all of my banking out of scotia and deal with a credit union!

BAH!

Matt
September 18th, 2007 at 3:15 pm
Joanne L says:

I opened a new account as well, but one existing account was switched to a Scotia One to qualify, although I had to set up a year’s worth of payments. I have two flights booked but it isn’t completely free, that’s for sure. A year’s worth of fees plus the $147 US for each flight does add up, although I would expect to pay around $500 each for return flights to San Francisco.

I am not likely to keep the extra account once my obligation has been met. Scotiabank is in big trouble with this.
September 19th, 2007 at 10:42 am
Freezeguy says:

Well I just got off the phone with this outfit and gave them quite a blast. The newest “story” is that the promotion is over. If they didn’t have flights available – sorry about your luck. No more bookings will be made after September 15.
September 19th, 2007 at 10:45 am
Freezeguy says:

Newest number you can use is a Scotia number – call them and place your complaints: For any inquiries regarding this promotion, please contact the appropriate department at 1-866-209-9593 for assistance from 8:30am to 8:30pm, Monday to Friday.
September 20th, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Josh Steign says:

It gives me a modicum of hope to see some people have booked their flights succesfully.

I am one of those who set up an account with ScotiaBank based on the free flight promotion, and since then have opened as line of credit with them as well as taken a mortgage with them.

I first submitted my voucher in August, and it was sent back to me with instructions to fill it out differently than how I had done if the first time. I complied with the instructions, and mailed the form back with tracking and signature required. The voucher was received and signed for just before noon on Sept 14th.

Since then, I have not received a call. I have left voice mail messages and messages with ScotiaBank agents who pass along the information I give them in an e-mail to TLC, I have left feedback on the TLC Web site, but I am quite discouraged.

My intention was to fly to Vancouver in October, and then from there go up to Whitehorse for a week (I have not booked anything because I had not yet gotten my flight booked with TLC). I am getting discouraged. I don’t want to get shafted, but the prospects are bad. If this deal goes sour, I do intend to take it up with ScotiaBank, but I am not sure what they will be able to do for me short of shaking my hand when I take my business away from them.

If anyone has any good stories to tell please share them.
September 21st, 2007 at 1:06 pm
Josh Steign says:

They called me today! My flight is booked!
September 21st, 2007 at 1:21 pm
Joanne L says:

Glad to hear it, Josh! I am one of the lucky ones, too. I hope everyone gets booked eventually.

Shannon, haven’t heard from you – what’s going on with you? Did you get to the concert?

I also have a chequing account, savings, RSP, and GIC with President’s Choice banking and have been very happy with their service, by the way. The chequing account is No Fee, and there haven’t been any surprises over the past several years. I can use my debit card as much as I want, and I also get about 4% interest on a savings account with a minimum $1000 balance – not bad.
September 21st, 2007 at 2:06 pm
Jocelyn says:

I mailed in my completed voucher in early August. On August 27, I received a voicemail message saying that the voucher was in good order and a booking agent would call me shortly. On September 5 I followed up and spoke to an agent (20 min hold) who confirmed everything was in good order, that I should be patient, and someone would call. I called again on the 12th and left a detailled voicemail, no response. I called again on the 19th and the message had changed: now it promises that someone will call back within 2 business days. Well, the 2 business days have passed and I haven’t heard back. Does anyone have any suggestions? Should I try calling the Boston office instead or do they just route back to the “concierge” line? Unlike some people who are requesting specific dates and locations, I was extremely flexible—I listed 3 preferences for dates and locations, but also wrote that I would accept any of the destinations for any date in Sept or Oct. I can’t imagine that they don’t have any flights to any western destinations in 2 months…..
Any suggestions anyone has would be much appreciated.
September 26th, 2007 at 4:35 pm
Matthew says:

All this leaves me feeling like my own situation will not get sorted. I mailed my flight voucher into TLC Xpresspost and called Canada Post just to confirm delivery, which was on September 6th. After not hearing anything back within the 10 day deadline, I left a message… and another one… and another one. Scotiabank’s own people have sent 2 emails through to TLC and I’m still yet to get any response. I asked Scotiabank what I should do next… they had nothing to offer, but pointed out that the offer was subject to limited liability (even though even to this date, I have never received a letter, phonecall, email or otherwise telling me that my preferred flights were not available). I am horrified that Scotiabank seems completely indifferent to matter, leaving their own customers in the lurch.
September 26th, 2007 at 4:45 pm
Matthew says:

Good news – I spoke to a contact who works for one of the Canadian news channels… they might be interested in running the story. They are in the process of contacting the bank’s Public Affairs department for comment. Hopefully, we can show Scotiabank that their customers will not be dismissed so easily.
September 26th, 2007 at 4:51 pm
Peter says:

Awesome. If needed, I can e-mail the people who have commented on my blog and see whether they want to provide a comment for the story. (For privacy reasons I won’t disclose their e-mail addresses unless they allow it.)
September 27th, 2007 at 5:34 am
Freezeguy says:

As detailed in my blog on September 19th, I spoke with Luciene at the Scotia bank and he informed me that he was sending a notification to TLC and I would have contact from TLC within two days…well that was 8 days ago and still nothing?! Any new suggestions?
September 27th, 2007 at 7:11 am
Ken says:

same problems—rev. a voice mail voucher rec. we will call shortly to give my flights. that was 2 weeks ago!
September 27th, 2007 at 7:19 am
Ken says:

Just left a msg.
“could you please give me a call back, this is about the scotia bank fly free scam Oh I meant promotion “
September 27th, 2007 at 3:07 pm
Matthew says:

EVERYONE… my news contact is looking into the matter, but to make it into a story, we have to make a bit of NOISE…

Here’s who we MUST contact…

CTV News – send emails to Whistleblower [email protected] and a copy to [email protected] .
Phone number 416-313-2494

CBC – contact “Marketplace”, [email protected] or call toll-free:1-866-535-3786

CITY TV – contact “Silverman Helps”, [email protected]
(416) 872-CP24(2724)
1-888-863-CP24(2724)

I’d also get in contact with…

“Financial Consumer Agency of Canada”, http://www.fcac-acfc.gc.ca/
– Launch a complaint against a financial institution.
Service in English: 1-866-461-FCAC (3222)

“Industry Canada’s Competition Bureau”
– Lodge a complaint about unfair or misleading advertising.
Phone: 1-800-348-5358

When calling/writing, you might want to focus on the following issues:

a) it was misleading advertising
b) Scotiabank has effectively washed its hands of its own promotion and can provide little information to frustrated – and thanks to the promotion – new customers
c) Scotiabank has shared your personal information with an outside company you know nothing about (this should not be underestimated)

Don’t think someone else is going to take on your fight – LET’S ALL WORK TOGETHER!
September 27th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Matthew says:

Oh and Peter, thanks for providing this platform for people to express their grievances!

I’d be really happy if you might forward this information on to the many people who have written into your blog.

Thanks!
September 28th, 2007 at 6:12 am
Ken says:

I have sent my complaints out!
September 28th, 2007 at 8:56 am
Jocelyn says:

Just to update you on my situation, it’s been about 8 weeks since I sent in my completed voucher. Sespite all my calls, voicemails and emails to both the “concierge line” and TLC (Boston), the only responses I’ve received to date were two voicemail messages saying someone would contact me in 10-15 days (Aug 27 & Sept 24).

All of the promotional materials and voicemail messages state that inquiries should be directed to Scotia, so I’ve been complying with that. Since I wasn’t getting any response, I called Scotia directly and was basically scolded for not calling them sooner or escalating my complaint through the branch. They told me that they had no record of my contacts. The rep patched me through to someone’s voicemail at TLC, but I still haven’t heard back.

So, if you’re like me and have only been calling those numbers, be sure to either call or write Scotia so that they have record of your attempts before the promotion closes.

One other thing: The message on the “concierge line” has been modified overnight to say “the booking deadline has been extended past Sept 30 (no date specified), but all travel must still be completed before the end of October”.
September 28th, 2007 at 10:15 am
Ken says:

just got another call from TLC…they said they will call back within 10-15 days. YA RIGHT.
Then I called the scotia concerige # and blasted him for about 5 min. I now have a case # from scotia bank about my calls. I also stated I wanted my flight booked by next week or i close my accounts and demand a refund of fees paid to scotia bank for the account i opened for this promotion. I told him the 10-15 days wait is already past 2 of the dates that i picked !
I will get my flight I am sure even if scotia has to book it for me!!
they will be so sick of hearing from me!
September 28th, 2007 at 10:16 am
Ken says:

OH and another thing

T.G.I.F
September 28th, 2007 at 11:34 am
Jeremy says:

Re: My post, July 31st.

To make long story short, Iâ€™ve written Scotiabank re my complaint. After 2 months, they have called back on September 21st (spoke to Debbie). She offered us $120 to cover all the service charges for ’07. I signed up with this offer to get the free flights not free service charges. Come on, where is $120 gonna take you??

I can’t believe I got taken……again….aaaaaaarrgh!!

What should I have done?
September 28th, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Matthew says:

Jocelyn, Jeremy and everyone else…

This situation could prove very embarrassing indeed for Scotiabank and that exposure is our only chance of getting real compensation….

BUT ONLY IF YOU TAKE THE TIME TO EMAIL OR CALL… I’VE LISTED THE APPROPRIATE MEDIA CONTACTS ABOVE…

Your actions will make a difference. But only if the media receives the ‘dozens’ of complaints necessary to make this a real story!
September 30th, 2007 at 11:06 am
Frank & Kathleen Denny says:

Here is our story

July 22 2007 two flight vouchers were mailed with departure Saskatoon, preferred destination of Vancouver, preferred departure date Sept 18 2007, preferred return date of Sept 24 2007.

August 20/07 phoned 1-800-377-4087 waited on hold for over Â½ hour got to talk to no-one

August 21/07 phoned again waited on hold finally left message to call us in Saskatoon about not receiving any correspondence. Information on the voice mail service said we would receive a call within the next business day. No call received anytime.

August 23/07 received a form letter from TLC saying that they could not find a promotional flight on the date requested.

August 24/07 mailed back the form letter with Vancouver being our 1st,2nd,3rd destination. 1st departure date being Oct 1 and return date of Oct 6, 2nd departure date being Sept 19 and return date being Sept 25, 3rd departure date being Oct 14 return date being Oct 19.

Sept 10/07 called our Scotia Bank advisor, telling him of our frustrations, he gave us the 1-866-209-9593 phone number. Phoned this number, told of our frustrations also was told call was recorded and was told that TLC would call us back the next day. No calls received.

Sept 11/07 received rejection form letter from TLC saying we had no 2nd or 3rd choice of destination, that they require 30 days to book flight and that the date postmarked was Aug 30 and the intended date of travel was Sept 19. (We also had included 1st choice and 3rd choice departure dates of Oct 1 and Oct 14 with return dates of Oct 6 and Oct 19 and this request was mailed in Saskatoon on Aug. 25.)

Sept 12/07 went to bank met with those handling flight concerns, A new 1-866-209-9593 number was tried for me, I was on hold there approx. Â½ hour. The person (Dedendra?)(Was not forth coming with the spelling of his name). Was told of my concerns and the fast approaching deadline, and that I had not received any return calls. He kept going over our Scotia Account #. Needed to know why we wanted to go to Vancouver.??? He said not to worry as the call was being recorded and would be used to reaffirm my flight applications. He was to forward my concerns and also my availability to fly any time in mid Sept. to Oct. 30. We would for sure have a call back by Sept. 14.

Sept 14/07 did not receive any calls; I placed 2 calls to 1-866-209-9593, Scotia Bank, told that messages would be forwarded to TLC.
Called 1-866-377-4087 TLC left message to call back.

Sept 14/07 received no return calls. Sent 2 more individual forms with 6 destinations and departure/return options with a letter of frustration to TLC. This was sent via Canada Post Priority Courier on Sept 14/07 and was delivered to TLC on Monday Sept 17/07 (tracking # verification) cost to me of $28.73. The only reason this was not mailed in a timely fashion was because of the assurance that someone was looking after our concerns.

Sept 17/07 received a call form our Bank Advisor saying that someone was looking at the remainder of requests and that we should receive a call within 2 days. No calls received.

As of Sept 28 we have heard nothing
October 2nd, 2007 at 12:13 pm
ken says:

this is scotia bank’s replay to my email

“We welcome the opportunity to address your inquiry in connection with “Fly free
with Scotia One” promotion.

Mr. ****, for any questions or comments related to Fly free promotion, please
call 1-866-209-9593 from 8:30am to 8:30pm Monday to Friday.

We trust that the above is helpful.

Please feel free to contact Scotiabank again any time you require assistance.
Our Customer Service Officers and E-mail Specialists would be pleased to assist
you.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:15 am
Four very unsatisfied customers says:

After much phone tag, I walked into TLC’s Toronto office and handed in our completed vouchers on or about August 13th, 2007. They stamped them and said that I’d get a call in a week or two regarding our flights for mid September.

Nothing happened and I called them. Had to stay on the phone for over an hour and still got noone. So I left them a detailed message. Did not receive a call back. Called them over 25 times in the next couple of weeks and left over 15 messages and still no call back.

In early to mid September, I received my voucher in the mail with a letter stating that there was no more promotional availibility.

I called in a few more time only to get noone and have noone return my calls.

Two weeks ago, I contacted my branch rep who called TLC but couldnt get any results. He is also appaled by this and referred me to the office of the president at 1-877-700-0043. Spoke to a rep there and was told that he’d call TLC and get back to me on a solution. He offered to reverse our banking fees.

My family took off vacation time, did more that our due diligence in contacting TLC and following their procedures only to get nothing in return, not even a phone call.

Scotiabank as well as TLC are liable for defrauding the public and duping consumers into banking with them on false promises.

I will be contacting various agencies to gain support in demanding that we get what was promised.

Please email [email protected] with the subject TLC Scotiabank if you wish to get your flight.
October 3rd, 2007 at 10:37 am
iceman678 says:

74.01(1)(a) of the Competition Act – False or Misleading Representations

http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/internet/index.cfm?itemID=1865

http://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/internet/index.cfm?itemID=513&lg=e

“Section 52 of the Act, which is a criminal provision, prohibits knowingly or recklessly making, or permitting the making of, a representation to the public, in any form whatever, that is false or misleading in a material respect. Proof that any person was deceived or misled is not necessary in order to establish a contravention of this provision. Subsection 52(4) directs that the general impression conveyed by a representation, as well as its literal meaning, be taken into account when determining whether or not the representation is false or misleading in a material respect. Any person who contravenes section 52 is guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of up to $200,000 and/or imprisonment up to one year on summary conviction, or to fines in the discretion of the court and/or imprisonment up to five years upon indictment.”

More info on what happened to me and how it helps prove that Scotiabank’s Fly Free promotion is contrary to 74.01(1)(a) of the Competition Act.

A representative from the Office of the President at Scotiabank informed me that they got over 2.5 times the number of new customers from this promotion than they expected. However, he conveniently did not disclose the oversubscription ratio used when provisioning for this promotion.

I believe that this should be public knowledge and they are only hiding it because it is such a high ratio that it would be ridiculous to even hope to get flights for even half the people that wanted to use their vouchers.
October 3rd, 2007 at 11:13 am
iceman678 says:

List of things you can do and agencies you can contact.

1. File a complaint with the Competition Bureau at
https://www.competitionbureau.gc.ca/internet/index.cfm?itemID=1260&lg=e&CFID=11090868&CFTOKEN=70794399

2. File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau at
http://welcome.bbb.org/

3. Contact Scotiabank’s Ombudsperson at
[email protected], 1-800-785-8772

4. CTV News
[email protected], [email protected], 416-313-2494

5. CBC
[email protected], 1-866-535-3786

6. CITY TV
[email protected], (416) 872-CP24(2724), 1-888-863-CP24(2724)

7. Ombudsman for Banking Services and Investments
1-888-451-4519

8. Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada
1-866-461-3222
6th Floor, Enterprise Building
427 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, ON
K1R 1B9
October 3rd, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Peter says:

Add one more to that list.

http://www.classaction.ca/content/contact_us/contact_support.asp
October 4th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
J says:

Hi team,

I have just contacted the Competition Bureau and they are investigating the matter.

I am reluctant to post my correspondence openly on the internet and so I will share it with you via email if you so desire. Email me at [email protected] and I will send it to you.

One word of advice – DO NOT accept the bank’s offer to conver your fees. That is a like giving a chocolate bar to a kid who’s mum you just ran over.

They will want to give us our flights or the equivalent cash value to a flight whose destination we choose individually.

Now, be smart and create a detailed and clear description of what happened to you. Also create a proposed remedy. Now send that to the list above – specifically to the Competition Bureau, the Better Business Bureau, and to the class action law firm.

Also, I am compiling a list of MPP’s. It might be a smart thing to send them a copy of it too since it’s election time!

Please join this effort and do your part. Remember, no one can fight your fight but we can all help each other.

– J
October 4th, 2007 at 9:12 pm
Phlea says:

You people are lucky that you are only screwed by Scotiabank for a flight. They dont care about you people. They advertise heavily on CTV so dont bother writing to Whistleblower; the Privicy Commission says that they collect stats, you will not get help from them; the ombudsmen are paid by the banks itself. The government encourages the bank to rob it citizens; The Minister of Finance will do nothing to protect citizens – CBC and possible Silverman might help, but they would have to be careful incase the Judges get paid off. Wait, till you loose your bank accounts/identity to one on their inside employees, ha! they will sue for debts their employee ran up in your name, such as in the Case of their Manager, Rodney Arnold Barton of their Dartmouth Wyse Road Branch.
October 4th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
Phlea says:

YOU’RE POORER THAN YOU THINK!!!

Take you money and life and run from Scotiabank.
October 5th, 2007 at 9:05 am
J says:

Do not underestimate the power of a good factum and a well put together case. Phlea, I am sorry you have lost faith in the Canadian justice system. All I can say is to increase your level of optimism and try anyways.

I guarantee that either Scotiabank will listen and do something about it, or you will have to escalate the matter to various agencies. Failing that, some people have begun putting together a factum and preparing to serve Scotiabank. They do have a panel of lawyers, but we have truth on our side.

The legal system used to be readily accessible to the public in that any itelligent citizen could get right into a case and represent himself in a court of law. Sadly, in the last decade, the court procedures have become so complex that lawyers are required by almost everyone for almost any case involving a courtroom. We can blame the media or society, but the fact is that it happened.

In Canada’s legal system, most laws are written with a high level of generality and hence specific cases are decided using case law. If a few people get together and pick each others brains, you will find that the corporations with its panel of lawyers are no better at the legal process than any one of us.

Do not let their fancy words or their rhetoric scare you. If anything, they should be the ones who shy away from the courtroom because the law and the truth is on our side. And they know it!

Good luck.

– J
October 5th, 2007 at 10:27 pm
Jocelyn says:

An interesting update….
Today, I received an email saying that an agent would contact me within 24 hours to confirm my itinerary options. The email was from a company called BCD Travel, not TLC. Makes me wonder if Scotia has switched the fulfillment over to BCD, given TLC’s lacklustre performance?
I tried calling BCD Canada to confirm. The manager said that BCD Canada isn’t involved. However, she said that their Atlanta office usually handles promotional trips. She offered to pass me through to them, but given the time difference (I’m on MST) they were already closed. I’ll follow up on Monday and post an update then. Maybe there is a light at the end of the tunnel.
October 5th, 2007 at 11:49 pm
Joanne L says:

I am one of the lucky ones that has booked flights through this promotion, although not without some concerns. I booked my flights through an agent with TLC with great success, and was very happy with her service, once we had started the process. I even wrote back to her as recently as yesterday in an attempt to change the dates of my booking and she responded by email right away. This was after hearing that she was not responding to phone calls (from posts to this site). Unfortunately, she could not help me and I had to make the change with Air Canada directly. They charged me $25 per person to make this change, even though I explained that I was not able to change it myself online (their website states that if you cannot change your booking online then you do not have to pay the $25 call centre charge). I was not able to change the booking online because I had not made the original booking (that had been done by TLC) and therefore did not have the credit card necessary to get to the next stage. I did change my booking but I am not sure if I have saved any money at this point! Not exactly free, but some of that is my own doing. At any rate, we travel next weekend and I ‘am looking forward to it, but I feel very bad for all the people who have not had success.

I’ll keep watching… don’t give up.
October 6th, 2007 at 3:30 pm
Phlea says:

J: Thank you. I know of a person who is sued in two different provinces for the same loans that their bank manager ran up in the identity take over. The bank just changed up the numbers a little bit. The bank removed the bank box card so the person could not get into their bank box for their original mortgage documents. Their bank book would not update in the bank machine or through their banking office. I have seen documents that the bank claims are original agreement that has been altered by this bank. Back dated documents under false influence. This bank manager stole the person’s home and transferred it from his branch to another province. He changed the ownership of the property through the local tax office. When it was discovered, it was quickly removed by the tax office. Now everyone at the tax office, bank and government offices are denying it. That bank manager opened all sorts of credit lines within his own bank and other banks and transferred the monies around to play the stock market and other gambling, yet all the other banks withold corresponding transactions. There is no one in our government who will protect us. I am sure about that. I will keep checking on this case and can share other lawsuits that Scotiabank instigated. I have read about the hellish nightmares that a Mr. Robert Clarke suffered for identity take over.
October 7th, 2007 at 11:47 am
ken says:

*****breaking news*****

scotia has empowered the help of another travel agent to handle the back log..mine is booked.

call 1-800-561-5293
you may need scotia to put you on their list…but it’s good news
October 7th, 2007 at 8:05 pm
Frank & Kathleen Denny says:

Here is the reply our final submission of Sept 14/07. The reason it was received late at TLC was that we were waiting for our return phone call from TLC till Sept 14 ( see above Blog Sept 30,2007 at 11:06 am ).

Dear Scotiabank Customer,
Thank you for participating in the Scotiabank “Fly Free with Scotia One” promotion.
Unfortunately, we received your Flight Voucher after the submission deadline of September 15, 2007. This promotion ran from September 13 to October 31, 2006, and participants who took advantage of Scotiabank’s offer at that time had until this September 15 to submit their Vouchers. Because we have received yours after the deadline, we regret we are unable to book any flights for you.
You may confirm the deadline as well as other terms and conditions of this promotion on your Flight Voucher, which we are returning to you with this letter.
Should you wish to speak with us about this situation, you may call us at 1 866 377 4087. Your very truly,
TLC
October 10th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
Deal Man says:

Just a suggestion to all you out there that Scotiabank knows that it is in grey area with this promotion at the moment. It’s panel of lawyers have surely met and advised the top of the food chain there to get irate customers to sign a waiver of liability by offering some meagre form of appeasement. First present your case, then consider their offer. If the offer does not meet your expectations for all your trouble, do not accept it. Instead let them know that you will be taking the matter up. They will get back to you soon. If not, file complaints with the Competition Bureau and the Banking Ombudsperson.
October 11th, 2007 at 2:17 pm
pokeymon says:

scotia is cavng in…use your heads !
they are using another travel agent it seems. If you have a choice, choose the most expensive flight. Cancel and keep the credit for a flight you really want!
October 11th, 2007 at 3:58 pm
stanza21 says:

I’m supposed to “hear” from a Scotiabank staff member by tomorrow (Fri. 12th) about my intended travel plans for Oct. 25th-31st. [after six weeks of n o t h i n g, and a personal visit to the Bank to get some answers]. If that doesn’t happen, then I can say I’ll be glad to have met you all, and will join in on the onslaught against Scotiabank. I would much rather have read that you all travelled to your desired destinations, and had a great time: 3 cheers for Scotiabank. But if a battle is to ensue, I too will come up with delightful ways to make Scotia’s top banking officials miserable. I won’t enjoy that! My father opened one of the first Scotia accts. in a local branch about 50 yrs. ago and they’ve served us well, even from other countries. There has to be someone at Scotia who will be embarrassed by all of this; what bad advertising for such a major financial Canadian concern.

How does that valient call go, “One for all and all for “One”………….
October 11th, 2007 at 4:22 pm
Rett says:

Hi. I wish I had found this forum prior to today. I also have had problems, like many of you have complained. Long waiting on the phone, no returned messages, etc.
I was one of the late ones. I never send my flight registration in until August 30-07. I had it handstamped with the postmarked date, so officially I met all the requirements. However, TLC said they received it too late. I informed them that I had sent it by the required time and I was told that it was to be received by August 31, 2007, not postmarked. I was given a fax number to fax to them the “detached part” of the flight registration request, so they could see the “postmarked requirement”. Of course i never heard from them afterwards, even with daily phone calls and messages left.
I have filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau.
October 12th, 2007 at 7:47 am
dm says:

Hi people,

I have spent over 40 hours of straight research on this and know quite a bit. Why did I do this? Because I spent more than that trying to make my flight work and get in touch with TLC.

Remember that parrallel action is key here. So while talking to the Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS), pursue other avenues of action. Filing complaints with the Better Business Bureau against TLC and BNS. Remember to file against their Boston office as well as their Toronto office. That is key as other people around the planet are being treated just like we have been by this disgusting corporation that is TLC. They partner with ig corporations like BNS to offer customers an incentive to purchase a product or service. http://www.tlcmarketing.com/

Do not bother calling TLC. Instead, email them letters of disgust at [email protected]

Read icemans post above and follow the directions there. Finally, do not, for a second, think that someone will take up the matter with BNS and fight for you. This will not happen regardless of what you may see in the movies. If you want results, you need to do your homework and stand up for yourself. Do not be intimidated by a big corporation. The laws are meant to protect us as consumers and regulate them as a finanical institution and as a corporation.

dm
October 12th, 2007 at 8:05 am
dm says:

Stanza, we’re all in the same boat. If BNS is unable to satisy us all, and I will be monitoring this blog to stay on top of it, then we can always just launch a suit against TLC and Scotiabank.

Does anyone have an estimate on how many people have not received their flights and on how many vouchers were handed out?

dm
October 12th, 2007 at 4:11 pm
Ewan says:

I submitted the voucher back in July. I just want to say that the promo is based on availability but states that there are no black out dates and any free flights require that the traveler pay taxes and fees, it is just standard. Anyway enough defense of this scam and on to the reality. As I said it was submitted back in July and I did not hear anything back for months. I had chosen Oct 10-12 for departure and Oct 13-15 for return dates. Well it is now Oct 12 and I am sitting in my living room with no flights yet and it expires at the end of the month. I have been trying to get this expedited for months now calling them (TLC as well as Scotiabank directly) and getting nowhere except for “We will request that this gets escalated for you”. I got am email from Maritz (TLC’s replacement for the promo) saying that I need to call them at my convience to book the flights. I got the email on Oct 10 the earliest date for departure and it was past their business hours (M-F 9-5 EST) and I work during those hours and cannot call them from work. I replied to their email with no results so far and I called after I was off at work and left her a voicemail. I have spoken to reps at SB and they are not willing to offer any compensation for this as clearly I cannot go on this trip as my dates will be over this Monday. I am going down to my branch on Monday and demanding to speak to a branch manager, I am writing a letter to CBC’s fifth Estate about this promo as well as various newspapers and I recomend that anyone who has been ripped off with this promo do as well.
October 12th, 2007 at 6:15 pm
stanza21 says:

So, Fri’s come and gone and I didn’t get my promised phone call. Where have we heard that before? At least now I know why. Tks dm and others for your input. If I’m not going to be in Miami at the end of the month, I’ll gladly spend the time e-mailing and following through on foregoing advise. I’m thinking a 10-day cruise to the best islands in the Carib’n, on a very classy ship, ALL ship expenses covered, to assuage us for such shabby treatment. THEN we can discuss compensation! …………

I’ve also been wondering how to find out how many people could be involved. It took a lot of surfing to find this forum, and then I only ‘clicked’ in by sheer chance. Peter was on the mark when he said “Scotia bank is not letting you fly for free, really……….” , but maybe it’s time to change the title to, “Scotia bank scandal leads to outcry by thousands of………., country in an uproar…………” “law suits threatened…..” or something like that, followed by the suggestion that other ‘victims’ log in to be counted. (Without prejudice, of course.) I too shall follow the comments. Felicidades!
October 13th, 2007 at 11:58 am
Peter says:

Thankfully, now that you’ve typed those words, they should be indexed by the search engines

Anyway, wow, 100 comments here already — anybody want to do a summary of all the disgruntled customers? How many individual complaints have there been? I feel weird leading the charge if I never even went for the promotion…

Also, looks like this comment is the official “media contact list”.
October 14th, 2007 at 7:24 am
Ewan says:

I ment to say market place not fifth estate I got the programs confused. As of Monday my hypothetical flights should have been returning and I have yet to even leave Halifax. I am going to go down to speak with the branch manager tomorrow (Monday) and if there is no resolution at the end of that conversation I have an email already typed up and saved to send to every media outlet around some local and some national. I have already filed two BBB complaints against SB and TLC and if Maritz (TLC replacement) does not get this settled either I will file a third. Has anyone looked in to a class action yet?
October 15th, 2007 at 8:09 am
stanza21 says:

Good a.m. All – Tks. Pete for your response.

PLEASE TAKE NOTE: SCOTIABANK IS TAKING NAMES AND PH. NUMBERS AT THE FOLLOWING NUMBER: 1-866-209-9593

so as to have your name put on the list which is then being processed by a team of travel consultants. Thanks to KEN, above, the phone number for that team of people is: 1-800-561-5293

The backlog is being handled, and the travel date extended where necessary. The Scotiabank staff have been helpful and courteous and give every impression of being “on our side”. I strongly recommend that ANYONE treated unfairly by TLC, call the Scotiabank reps directly and ask for their vouchers to be evaluated again.

Keeping contact on this forum is also a good idea. It shouldn’t end until we’ve ALL had our flights. Buena fortuna!
October 15th, 2007 at 8:20 am
Frank and Kathleen says:

good news as of Oct. 12. our flights are booked. a new booking agency is looking after the problems. as well as our personal bank has supported our cause all the way. They have been most professional in dealing with our frustrations. as it has been said “you can’t un-ring the bell” but they have stepped up to the plate and made the flights happen. thanks Bank of Nova Scotia
October 15th, 2007 at 8:42 am
John says:

Yes, it seems that Scotiabank knows that they really messed up with this promotion and thought that they could trust a company as shady as TLC with their good name. Well, if they don’t clean up their act soon, they will have more than just their good name to lose. It seems that they are contracting another travel company to book flights for some customers who got the stone wall treatment from TLC.

If Scotiabank thinks that all they are going to do is give me my flight, they are sadly mistaken. I cannot and will not accept anything less than an all expense paid trip with a travel allowance for my time and for all the crap I had to put up with from TLC. They need to make amends for this garbage and that entails doing more than what we had to get. Unless they can reverse time, they can’t give us what was promised and they cannot take back all the work we have had to put in just to get what we were entitled to in the first place.
October 16th, 2007 at 11:15 am
Pat says:

I am so glad to have happened upon this site. I have made so many calls already to TLC and it has been so frustrating. Many phone calls, uncooperative action, not being able to communicate by email or even get them to call me in hours outside of my work hours.. waiting so long to get a response on a call.. I first mailed in my info on March 20/07. I went into the bank on the last day of the promotion and it was the teller who suggested that I had everything to qualify for this promo and so I changed my account over to the one suggested. I waited and waited for some response … but didn’t get one .. Called in then only to find out that my first voucher sent in ,, was not in their hands they told me..so in other words.. it was lost in the mail or in their office. So they mailed out another one. and I sent that in on May3/07. I never received any response from them. so called in again many times but never got through.. This could get too long.. but in short. I did reach someone twice. Once ..told that it was too busy then to deal with it.. they would call later.. Then later on now near end of Sept .. when I did get someone on the line. she was not letting me be contacted through email and gave me two other numbers to call.. never did hear. I called again now on Oct10th .. got a Scotiabank rep , who said that TLC was not working out..many people didn’t get their flights.. He would make sure he would submit my info and complaints and I would hear back for sure by two business days..hence 12th. He promised something would be done and he would tell them that I could no longer take a flight so late in the month.. I had to wait now to Nov to take a flight ..
Not a word. Now on Oct 16th.. tried to call and to no avail. I would sure like to be involved in a class action suit.. I am really mad about this… I have been with Scotiabank since 1974 … this is so disappointing. . I will be going to the bank today to submit my complaint with the manager there. Let’s keep at this.. They, Scotiabank and TLC need to be made accountable.
PS.
October 16th, 2007 at 11:39 am
dingo says:

ok flight booked and canceled ,now I have a 1000.00$ credit at american airlines..
October 16th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
stanza21 says:

Great news, Frank & Kathleen – BON Voyage!

How’s it going for Ken, dm and Ewan, and others? Let’s anticipate good news also, at least by week’s end. If not, we can all go into battle together!
October 17th, 2007 at 4:43 am
Ewan says:

I would not expect anything to come out of calling the 8662099593 number. I have been speaking with them for months, I have many supervisers extensions but no luck with them They were not able to get me a flight and I dont even think that they even tried to be honest. I spoke with my branch and the manager escalated the issue to the Office of president (what ever that means as I doubt the SB prez is involved). I was told to contact 1 877 700 0043 to file a complaint with this matter. It still seems like the same old cock and ball story to me.
October 17th, 2007 at 6:23 am
Jess says:

I was supposed to fly today or tommorrow.. took a weeks vacation..followed all the rules on the promotion after ‘improperly’ submitting the voucher way back in March, I resubmited in August well within the time frame specifying numerous travel dates and three destinations as required. I have made numerous phone calls, finally Thursday they said they were ‘escalating’ my case and I would be contacted to book a flight within 2 business days. No such luck. Try explaining to people that you are not coming to visit as you got ‘scammed’ by Scotiabank..
October 17th, 2007 at 10:35 am
Alayne says:

I am so glad to find this site as well. My husband and I have been trying to contact TLC for a good month and still have not heard anything. We were supposed to already be on vacation right now.

Now, it’s too late for us to go before the expiration date of Oct 31st. How can any reasonable person expect us to be able to take time off at the last minute?

I just yesterday got an e-mail from SB stating I should call her (after she addressed the letter to “gentlemen”) to book my ticket. I will write her back, but not to book my ticket, it’s too late for that. I will ask for my $9.95 back per month and further compensation. Has any one else received this e-mail?

This “promotion” has caused such stress for us and it’s completely unfair. We have had to do all the leg work and still nothing.
October 17th, 2007 at 4:49 pm
Ewan says:

Well I called the Office of the President today (1 877 7000 0043) and spoke to a Keith Rutherford who is someone who is handling the complints. He said that all that could be offered for compensation is 12 months previous service charges and the services charges for the next 12 months. $240 as one payment. The terms and conditions state that SB can subsitute for something of equal or greater value (#19 in the T/C) and all they are willing to offer is $240. I could not even fly one way to any of my destinations for that amount even with promotional prices. He said that he would look into extending the flight time for another 12 months and said he would get back to me by Monday… In SB talk You’re lucky to get the offer of $240 so F*** off customers I am not going to call you back. Needless to say I am closing my account on Nov 1, after 1 yr as I am obliged to wait until (I don’t want to give them any reason to screw me more) and bank shopping.
October 19th, 2007 at 2:27 pm
Jocelyn says:

On Oct 5 (see earlier post), I received an email from a new travel company, “BCD”, saying that they were aware of my complaint and someone would contact me within 24 hours to confirm flight availability. By Oct 10, they still hadn’t contacted me, so I replied back to the email outlining my situation and asking for follow-up. They sent me a useless reply telling me to call the Scotiabank concierge line (the 1-866-377-4087 number that no one answers!).

I sent them an angry reply asking them why they bothered sending me that email but not calling me, and reminding them that I already called the ‘concierge line’ every day for the past 6 weeks and still hadn’t succeeded in speaking to a human being.

I was absolutely SHOCKED when I received a call back the next day from a real, live travel agent. She was very apologetic and helpful. She booked me on my first choice date (Oct 26-29) to my second choice city (Portland). It was a little bit late notice in terms of booking the hotel/rental car, etc, but I’m just happy that this headache is over with!!!!!

Not sure if I was contacted because my preferred travel dates were in October, or if it was because of my endless complaining. In any case, the email address that finally replied & sent my itinerary was [email protected]. Not sure if anyone can still travel on such short notice, but if you can, you might want to try dropping them a line. Unfortunately I don’t have a phone # to give you guys as it came up private caller on the call display and she wouldn’t give me a number….

Good luck!!!!!

P.S: I still haven’t received a reply to my email to the President’s office of Oct 4, 2007
October 30th, 2007 at 2:31 pm
Markel says:

Just thought I’d let you know there are people for whom this promotion worked out for.

I posted far above about having a bit of lag time before TLC got back to me, but otherwise not having an issue in booking my tickets through a genuinely helpful TLC agent. I’ve now taken my trip (Saskatoon to San Francisco), without any problems. The Air Canada flights were fine and the quick connection through Calgary was great.

I feel for you. Good luck with your claims.
November 5th, 2007 at 10:11 am
Joanne says:

I am happy to report that our flights (Calgary to San Francisco) have also been successfully completed. I did have many of the same problems initially with returned vouchers, calls not received or returned, deadlines coming and going…. When I did speak to an agent – still with TLC – it went very smoothly. I had many flights and times to choose from and even corresponded by email with other concerns.

I am also very disappointed with Scotiabank, however, and hope that they will make some effort to make it up to their customers. I am probably going to close one of my accounts for sure since I had to have two in order to get two flight vouchers.

As I have before, I will highly recommend President’s Choice banking for completely free banking – unlimited debit and all that…. I have had a chequing and savings account with them for years now and there are absolutely no fees.
May 18th, 2008 at 5:03 am
Bruce says:

Here is the name email address and direct dial telephone number of the President of TLC Marketing:

Walter Osterman
617 788-9696

[email protected]
July 5th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
Peary says:

Oh my goodness, it takes time but it all comes to the surface. Scotia Securities have been charged. Just a little slap on the hand – but it looks like one of the ex salespeople has the same name of one of their ex bankers who has been jailed. What a shock, Nova Scotia Securities Commission actully charged one of their gods.

PDF] IN THE MATTER OF THE SECURITIES ACT R.S.N.S. 1989, CHAPTER 418, AS …
22k – Adobe PDF – View as HTML
Rodney Barton terminated registration with the Respondent … DATED at Halifax, Nova Scotia, this 31. st. day of May, 2007. NOVA SCOTIA SECURITIES COMMISSION " …
www.gov.ns.ca/nssc/docs/scotiasecuritiessa31may07.pdf
August 24th, 2008 at 7:45 am
Dave says:

I am still waiting for them to send me the voucher.

I don’t think it’s coming.