When purchasing skydiving gift certificates, not all websites are what they claim to be. Numerous skydiving websites have appeared selling gift certificates for skydiving, supposedly representing a skydiving center in your local area. They make wild claims that they have hundreds of skydiving schools across the country and you are dealing with the reservation center for all of them. They may even advertise themselves as "Skydive XXX" (XXX being the name of a city near you.) They offer discounted skydiving gift certificates. However, what they don't tell you is that
- They do not have a physical location near the Springfield or Central Illinois area
- In some cases, you may have to travel 5-8 hours in order to find a location that will honor the gift certificate
- They charge hidden fees, as much as $50, as a handling fee on the gift certificate
- They do not operate a skydiving location, although they claim to have the best aircraft, equipment, facilities, and staff
Please don't fall for this online marketing scam. The Mid America Sport Parachute Club does NOT honor gift certificates from these services. People who buy these on-line certificates usually have to drive surprisingly long distances, because there are so few skydiving centers accepting them. When a customer finds out that he can not use his certificate at one of the major centers, and then tries to get a refund, he will find that no refunds, compromises, renewals, or transfers are available. There is no local office staff or real skydiving instructors with whom to speak, and all communications are with telemarketers in a far-away state. If the company is reputable, they will answer the following questions BEFORE taking your payment information:
- What is your physical location? Get an address and an airport
- What is your local telephone number? Get a local phone number that you can call to verify your gift certificate will be honored - BEFORE YOU PURCHASE!
- What other fees do I have to pay? (e.g., handling fees, redemption fees, etc.)
- If they claim to have a network of local skydiving locations that honor their certificates, get the name and telephone number of the location near you and verify your certificate will be honored
Only gift certificates sold directly by the Mid America Sport Parachute Club are accepted at the Mid America Sport Parachute Club. If you need additional information, please do not hesitate to call or e-mail us. Our telephone number is (217) 824-JUMP [5867] and our e-mail is info@skydivetaylorville.org
As these marketing scams gain momentum across the United States, more and more people are losing money. For more information on which dropzones in America do not accept these scam gift certificates, click here.