Winspire, Inc.

Bait and switch - Stay Away!

My bid for the "Tuscany Culinary Escape" ($5000) was the winning bid at a charity event. Winspire described their offering to include "Concierge Service" designed for "gourmets and wine buffs". Essentially, Winspire sponsored a 2 night stay in Rome and a 5 night stay in Tuscany. ONLY breakfast is included. You are responsible for all other meals. Earlier travelers describe the Rome hotel as "tired" and the Tuscany hotel as "in the middle of nowhere and covered in graffiti"." Airfare is NOT included. Also, You must get from airport in Rome to hotel on your own. Not only that, you are responsible to pay for the cost of traveling from Rome to the hotel in Tuscany (4 1/2 hours away!) BEWARE of the following: Your money is non-refundable . Winspire will not tell you this until they have your money. And there are extremely stringent booking requirements that you must comply with. A tour and lunch were included. But you must make your own arrangements to get there and pay for the 45 minute journey. . So, essentially I won 7 nights in Italy for $714 per night. This package is a complete rip off. I ultimately canceled this "culinary escape" and swallowed the loss. Stay away from Winspire. Classic bait and switch! I must add that Winspire's travel assistant is not a target of my displeasure. Nicole was at all times cordial and professional.

Read More