City of York Council's Trading Standards Service has issued a warning to local residents who may be invited to attend holiday club presentations in the area.

York is a favourite target of various holiday club companies, which try to tempt consumers to attend venues in return for a promise of free gifts. Typically, the gifts turn out to be of little benefit and the presentation moves onto its real purpose, which is to persuade consumers to sign one-sided and expensive holiday club contracts.

Stuart Benson, principal trading standards officer, said: "It is a sad reality that surprising numbers of people continue to attend these presentations and find it impossible to walk away without signing long-term contracts which they haven't had time to read properly. Inevitably we then receive calls from people who, in the cold light of day, begin to realise that they've made a mistake."

Holiday club contracts usually require a lump-sum payment for which they promise to provide several weeks' holiday accommodation over a fixed membership period . The consumer usually has to pay some part of the accommodation cost, but more onerously, must also pay for flights, supplements and taxes. These are often very expensive.

The advice from Trading Standards is clear. Stuart said: "Our advice is simple; do not attend the presentations. You will not have an automatic right to cancel any contract you have signed and may well find that your local travel agent could have offered better deals without the hard-sell. Before signing lifetime membership contracts it would be wise to consider the long-term trading prospects of the holiday club."