Monday, June 22, 2015

I'm Mad As Hell, But I Don't Know How To Fix Things

Everyday I receive an average of three e-mails from timeshare owners who are confused, feel ripped off and want out.  I can only assist them so much as I'm a writer and an educator, I don't buy or sell timeshare, I'm not an attorney and everyone knows that it is nearly impossible to "get out" of a timeshare, particularly when there are thousands still owed on it.   Day after day these e-mails come in and day after day I try my very best to find out why these consumers don't seek out any assistance PRIOR to buying a timeshare, only afterwards.

Here's the unedited e-mail that prompted this blog post:

Im a very angry Bluegreen owner. I have sent dispute letters and letter to Missouri Attorney Generals office. I have recieved a response from Missouri Attorney General with a nice letter from Bluegreen denying us of our money being returned and letting us out of our timeshares. They denied no wrong doings. I have sent them paperwork on top of paperwork to them showing them how we aren't the only timeshare owners that have been through the same scams and deceptive sales tactics. This has been going on since last August.
 
All this has got us is late payments on our credit and charge off/ collection. So I'm assuming after we contact the Mo Attorney General office within the next 45 days they will start wanting to collect from us. They have told us so many lies. They have even went as far to call us and offer to put is up at the 1000 Hills Golf course. Just for coming in for a owners update. But, they claim we arent pressured into going to owners updates. We choose to go to them, we only go to complain about all the issues we have had. What do they do to help take care of our concerns and issues, get you to try and buy more points.
 
We have 15,0000 bcuz they only way to fix one of our issues was to buy into bronze and that will give us a different screen of availability. Well I guess that explains why we could never get in when we wanted. Because we had 8,000 points. Duh? They highly pressured us to sign up for two credit cards for each my husband and I. After we repeatedly stated we didnt want any new credit cards and mind you we were there for serveral hours and our salesman who we were there for a owner update to explain again our issues. Nevermind that he knew I was very sick and had a headache and was threwing up.
 
I could go on and on about Bluegreen. Like they told us we would be deeded Big Cedar and that we own a one bedroom unit. Also that we wanted to be deeded at Big Cedar because it will be worth alot of money later. We can hand it down to our kids. Not telling us that we would owe for a lifetime and our children and there children and so long would be responsible for rising maintenance fees and club dues. Also that if there was a major disaster we would be liable for assessment fees. They told us with our 8000 would allow us to take our 3 girls and us to Disney. Wow what a lie. We could sell a week on eBay and make money off it.
 
A good one was a sales person told is that the employess do that and make money and then buy more points to continue to sell time at Big Cedar for people to buy to come stay there. Also were told by a sales person the reason why we couldnt get in when we wanted was because they went public and hugh corporations were buying up a hugh part of the inventory. I have in sight on their sales tactics from a former sales person who told us they were told to say anything to get a sell. If they dont sell they are fired. Which explains the high turn over of salespersons there. I should send a copy of the letter Bluegreen sent to the Missouri Attorney General. I always paid all my monthly payments and maintenance fees and club dues in time. I only stop paying them when we kept finding out things they told us were lies. Otherwise if they did what the promise and sell you we would still be paying.
 
We paid on one time share since 2005 and the other one 3 years(this is the one we had to upgrade to so we could stay there at Bronze level) I so tired worrying myself sick with Bluegreen. I am on a mission and looking for someone that can actually help us be done with this horrible company once and for all. Do you have any insight for us?? 

You can sense her frustration and frankly, I'm equally frustrated.  These sales tactics are reprehensible and make me ill.

However, it makes me equally ill to read that a consumer purchased such an expensive product...two of them...without doing so much as a cursory Internet search or verifying anything that the salesperson said...such as the number of points it would require to take a family of 4 to a resort near Walt Disney World.

Even if I were to be able to get this one person a refund...and that is doubtful to say the least, it doesn't stop other salespeople from such practices and doesn't stop consumers from making similar purchases without doing their due diligence.  How can something as good and fun as vacations have been tarnished like this?

And how do we fix this?

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

You have to wonder if she really wanted to stay there how much would it have cost to just rent it?

Lisa Ann Schreier, The Timeshare Crusader said...

Well, that's the other part of the equation that needs fixing. Resorts typically rent out inventory for less than the cost of the annual maintenance fees.

Anonymous said...

That's exactly right. I can't justify buying anything I can rent for less, or even the same as my annual cost. I explained that at a timeshare presentation, the salesman looked disturbed.

Lisa Ann Schreier, The Timeshare Crusader said...

Well, the developers had better start coming back with something to combat the economics of the whole thing.

Anonymous said...

They need to find a way to add value for the buyer. It's not rocket science. But that value would have to come from their portion, so they don't want to do that.

If the timeshare "ownership" is ultimately worthless, like all those at Diamond Poipu, well, I am not willing to buy worthless things.

You can probably rent at Diamond Poipu today for much less than that special assessment. Without any liability at all. Why buy?

When you buy they can special assess you and if you don't pay they credit bureau you. Renting eliminates all that.

Lisa Ann Schreier, The Timeshare Crusader said...

My point exactly...when the rentals are both less costly than the annual fees AND available to everyone with no limits, there's a problem.

Doug said...

IMHO, the source of the problem is the gambling mentality that most timeshare buyers have. Yes, the resorts exploit this weakness - but they are not the cause of it. Wanting something for nothing is the reason people take timeshare tours, it's also the reason they buy timeshare (nose-bleed drop/greed.) As above, so below: As long as consumers are spiritually corrupt and looking for something for nothing, large corporations that sell timeshare will also be corrupt and looking for something for nothing.

Lisa Ann Schreier, The Timeshare Crusader said...

You're not actually blaming the woes of the timeshare industry on the consumer, are you? While I agree that the "something for nothing" mentality has to go and owners must understand the benefits and responsibilities that come with ownership of anything, including timeshare...I am stunned that you would refer to consumers as "spiritually corrupt."

Curious what you base this on.

Doug said...

Quoting from your consumer's letter above "that we wanted to be deeded at Big Cedar because it will be worth alot of money later" & "We could sell a week on eBay and make money off it" - She apparently felt just fine about Bluegreen when she believed a "greater fool" would come along and make her a profit. Once it became apparent the supply of greater fools was nil, she ran to the "Attorney General" and did her best to cause legal & P.R. problems for Bluegreen. And, when that didn't work, she complained to you. Had, however, a greater fool appeared, willing to buy her Bluegreen timeshare for more than she paid, than this consumer would have laughed all the way to the bank. If that's not spiritual corruption, what is?

Lisa Ann Schreier, The Timeshare Crusader said...

I'm not sure that is spiritual corruption or a really bad case of total lack of understanding about what a timeshare is and how it works. Did she think those "profit" thoughts before the pitch, or were those thoughts planted with her? Hard to say.