Why A Consumer Cancelled Her Timeshare Purchase

Remember the post a few weeks ago regarding the insane methods that one frustrated owner had to go through to cancel her timeshare with Silverleaf?

Happy to report that it's done!

Also happy to share her thoughts on some follow up questions I posed to her, and it has NOTHING to do with cost on the primary or the secondary market. This is an important read for consumers and developers alike.

Can you tell me why you originally purchased?

 

We've always wanted to travel and the extra RSI membership seemed to make international travel affordable.  The stories our salesperson told us about the places she had been with her family sounded fantastic.
 
What caused you to change your mind about your purchase?

 

I was sitting up that night looking over the information and noticed discrepancies in some things I'd been told, how I'd understood them, and what the literature was disclosing. I realized that the people, who I thought I'd connected with and trusted, had not  been direct.  Example:  I was told I was getting a great deal on a contract that was being resold, and driving a hard bargain on a single bedroom unit, but the price was within the normal selling range quoted in the material for that exact unit.  They also wowed and exclaimed over some "extra" I'd gotten as part of the "hard driving bargain", but it was actually a standard amenity.  I started to wonder where else I might have thought I understood what they were telling me, but in fact was misled.  I remember thinking that if I can't engage in normal, intelligent conversation, ask succinct and direct questions, and get answers that are clear and complete, then I am not able to communicate well enough with these people to feel confident that we are on the same page about anything.  And I've just made a big purchase from these people! 

Another for instance...I initialed a statement that I had seen the unit in question, but realized I had not.  I had been shown a 2 bedroom unit, but bought a 1 bedroom.  When it was sold to me  I was assured it was "just like the 2 bdrm without the extra bedroom", but the floor plan I looked at was much less pleasant.  And here was a clincher, although it may seem mild.  I asked if I could have extra people sleeping on the floor in sleeping bags and the sales person said, "I do".  But the literature indicated that this could be a way to get kicked out...and still have to pay up!  I realized "I do" was not a lie, but was misleading and that these people were playing me. 

Then I thought I'd check the procedure for cancellation, and it was not "right in there" as I was told when I asked at the signing.  So I phoned the member services  number and got a message that the office in question was unavailable - and then I was disconnected.  I phoned another number and was also disconnected.  This is about where I panicked because I realized I had made a major purchase and the contact information they prominently displayed was inoperable.  

Would it be true to say that you think timeshare may be something you'd look into in the future?

At the moment I would be very leery of the veracity of anyone selling a timeshare. 


There are some important lessons to be learned by both consumers and developers from this tale,  Who will learn the lessons?

1)