Menu
CB Timeshares and Vacation Rentals Review of 5 Star Resort Marketing
5 Star Resort Marketing

5 Star Resort Marketing review: timeshare scam 22

C
Author of the review
6:51 pm EST
Resolved
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Featured review
This review was chosen algorithmically as the most valued customer feedback.

This a complaint about both Escape to Paradise in California and Platinum Property Exchange in Las Vegas (both the same company) and are now 5 Star Resort Marketing in California. A year ago I was contacted by Melinda Hofferbert from Escape to Paradise in Newport Beach, CA and was told how much better they are at renting and selling because they are in California where my timeshare is located (Tahoe). She said “I would not have a job if I could not sell it in 6 months”. About 3 months later my week was coming up for use and I made about 20 calls to her asking me what to do. In each case someone took a message but I never received a call and in the end lost my week but the resort was nice enough to give me another week. I then finally got a call from a guy Bill Jefferson, the owner he said, who said they now specialize in Rent to Own sales but would not list it to rent unless I gave him another $299 and he guaranteed he would rent it, I do not know what happened to Melinda. After paying him again I did not hear from him ever again. I called numerous times to have them reduce the asking price of the rental and was only able to leave messages and send faxes. In the end they never rented it. I rented it myself for $750, within the 20% of their advertised $900 asking price. They would not return my money because they base the 20% on the original $1200 that they, the so called experts, recommended they list it at, not at what they actually ($900) list it at. The experts could not sell it but I could? These guys are lame.

In May I was contacted by Summer Holland, representing Platinum Property exchange, who is extremely nice to me and said that since they are so close to Tahoe and see thousands of people daily in Las Vegas they will not have any problem selling my timeshare so I pay her $300. I do not here form her for 2 months and call and leave several messages and lots of emails. She finally gets back to me and tells me she was off having a baby. I ask her about renting the timeshare and she said that is a separate fee and once again assured me it would get rented. This is all taking place while Platinum Propety exchange is also trying to sell and rent it.

In the end I rent it my self and Summer Holland and her side kick Edward Collins refuse to give me my money back because they base the 20% on what they put in the contract, not the actual asking price they use on their website. Also, they drop my add from their “For Sale” listing after only 2 months. I also bring this to their attention but nothing ever changes. Along with the fact that they do not even have an asking price or the photo of a different resort.

The kicker to this whole thing is that I recently found out that Escape to Paradise and Platinum Property exchange are owned by the same people and John Goldstein is the GM.

These people have absolutely no morals and will just take your money and make empty promises and never return your calls. To protect yourself do as I did: 1) record all conversations on your computer by going to “Start” then “All programs” then “Accessories” then “Entertainment” and “Sound Recorder” and put your phone on speakerphone. It turns out that the FTC (Federal trade Commission 1-877-FTC-HELP) and your credit card company is very interested in this and will use it against them. The FTC will give you a case number and an agent. So far they have been able to get my money back in every case and in some cases the company (Global Timeshares) was issued a fine.

Other things you can do are call the BBB, and the local governing agency and the state attorney generals office and file complaints. If you are on the Federal “Do not call list” contact them http://www.ftc.gov/donotcall with the date they called you and the name of the person. In two case I was able to get them to fine the company.

This is a link http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=89077
to a reputable website and a forum of people just like me who have been screwed over by these people. Lots of complaints about Summer Holland and her company. All I can say is that I believe in Karma and theirs will catch up with them, but I will also. Having a relative working for the feds helps a bit. The best thing about this is that in the end I know I will cost them way more than what it cost me as this is only one of many places on the internet I am leaving this and have lots of time on my hands.

Update by cruzean1
Apr 19, 2010 2:46 pm EDT

Sorry Mr. Ed Collins, but I am not a former emploee. I am a hard working american who believed in your company and got screwed over like everyone else. Liek I said before, Do not do business with this company.

Resolved

The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.

22 comments
T
T
tygger76
, US
Nov 13, 2011 5:54 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I just tried calling Escape to Paradise about my timeshare I listed with them in 2007, # IS NO LONGER IN SERVICE. I also just tried looking them up on the internet, NOTHING. I had called several times in the past to be told that mine is up against another time share and they would let me know. NEVER got a call back. Needless to say I am STILL hanging on to something that I do not want and cannot find ANYBODY to legitamately sell it for me or anyone willing to purchase it. Sure timeshare can be a good thing. My parents have a couple and use them all the time. For me it is not.

S
S
sbrn
Concord, US
Feb 28, 2011 5:13 am EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

5 star marketing called me stating they had a couple in their office wanting to buy my timeshare for $11, 000.00. The mans name is Bill Jennings he said for me to send him $189.00 via moneygram for a title search. Said to send it to Jerri Grant in georgia. I went and did that..He called me back to say that he had recieved it...That i would be getting some papers to fill out via UPS...They never showed up..I have called the number he gave me some lady keeps sayin he is in a meeting...I left a message for him to call me back i know 10 times ..i never hear back from him.! I have called from different phones and now it goes straight to voice mail...I am a widow on disability and need my money ! Dont trust these people ! S. Bailey

L
L
Linda Baccus
Mims, US
Feb 02, 2011 7:08 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I have been trying to reach someone to talk to. I think my husband and I purchased 5 points from your company. due to problems we have been unable to use the timeshare for the last three years. We have lost the necessary paperwork and account number.. I am been trying to reach someone to talk to. I have been unable to reach anyone. Please send me an answer to linbaccus@gmail.com. thank you

S
S
SCAMBUSTERS4
Atlanta, US
Nov 05, 2010 7:30 am EDT

This guy Hofferbert is the BERNIE MADOFF of the TIMESHARE SCAMMERS, and he UNBELIEVABLY has been doing this for over a decade and has had over 20 companies during that time that ALL perpetuate the EXACT SAME SCAM! Hes been ripping people off and getting rich for at least 10 years. They have Virtually NEVER sold a timeshare property and have taken Millions -YES MILLIONS, from tens of thousands of victims who think that they are the only ones whose property doesnt sell, but the fact is, Hofferbert can provide next to ZERO sales, despite taking money from over 400, 000 unsuspecting victims! He is a Millionaire several times over and has NEVER been caught!. A simple four hour Private investigation of this guy turned up enough DIRT to put this guy in Jail FOREVER!. And talk about a SCAM STORY, DATELINE NBC could fill a TWO hour block with what this guy has done and SO far Gotten away with. WILL ANYONE be able to FINALLY lock this CAREER SCAMMER UP ?

M
M
MsBreezy
Chester, US
Aug 30, 2010 10:45 am EDT

Nothing against 5 star resort but against Wyndham Resorts. They are running a business that employ people who deliberately lie to you to get your business. After this happens, they move in for the kill. My fiance and myself went to San Antonio for vacation (we are natives of North Carolina) and decided to just listen at a presentation. Mine you we already had timeshare with Wyndham in Williamsburg, VA. The sales person (Jonathan Lopez) told us they would buy our property in Williamsburg and offered us a deal with Wyndham Resorts La Cascada. After hearing the sales pitch, we thought we were agreeing to sale the current timeshare in exchange for a better and bigger deal. It turned out that the sales person lied to us and we ended up with two contracts which we could not afford. After returning home from vacation, we discovered that we were billed for $6, 900 and a monthly payment of over $200 in addition to the current contract of over $330 a month. Needless to say, we were furious and contacted Corporate to see what can be done on the matter. Beware of the 6-day contract look over because we found that Corporate upheld the representative's refusal to disclose certain information vital to the sale of the timeshare. We could not have possibly have known that this occurred within the sixth-day period so we were locked in to both contracts. This ordeal makes us reluctant to even sell the timeshare in Williamsburg, VA to which we were contacted by 5-star Resorts marketing to sell our timeshare. We have not committed to anything or talked further with 5-star Resorts. Is there anybody else out there who have gone through the same ordeal? If so, we need to get the word out so others can not be scanned by Wyndham Resorts or 5-star Resorts.

M
M
MarkTatum
Santa Ana, US
Jul 05, 2010 1:33 am EDT

In reference to the complaint about Michael Smith. Mr. Smith has been nothing but helpful in my timeshare mayhem. I bought the timeshare over ten years ago and have never used it. It has been nothing but a financial burden. When Michael Smith contacted me with 5 Star Resorts out of Newport Beach, California, he explained the benefits of renting out some of my unused banked and bonus weeks for a good rate. I liked the idea because it made complete sense. It cost a reasonable rate to get involved (which i was reluctant to do at first). After I decided to move forward with the opportunity, I have made a substantial source of additional income. Everything that Mr. Smith has said regarding the rentals of my timeshare property has come true. I gave it a chance and I am very satisfied with the services.
Thank you,
M. T. in North Carolina

P
P
Past Negative Experiences Can Be Good
Holly Springs, US
Jul 01, 2010 1:49 am EDT

I received a call yesterday and then one again today from 5 Star Resorts. Yesterday, I talked with a guy who first asked me what I would be willing to sell my 3-bdrm-lockout unit for. I said, "I really don't know but I'd like to get the best price." He then went on to say that they just sold a similar unit yesterday for $24000 (convenient or what?), so we should probably ask $26000. I told him I would have to talk it over with my wife.

Then, today, I get a call from a woman in the company who said she was looking over the notes about my previous phone call and said, "I know you're looking for $26000, but I think we should list it much higher to give us room to negotiate. We want to make sure you get what you're asking; but if you get more, that would be great."

But during the initial "Hi, how are you" phase, I told her that I was in pain with a toothache and needed to go and get it extracted tomorrow, and didn’t know if I could talk much longer. There was a little more small talk before she went full throttle into her sales pitch. This went on for about 10 minutes before I finally had to tell her that I was having difficulty following her because of the pain medication, and that I would have to talk with my wife about it. She said “great” and that she would call me tomorrow.

Thank God for my previous experiences with Timeshare salespeople and being ripped off. They really sharpened my listening skills. In fact, as she was beginning her spiel, I was thinking, "Holy Crap, these two phone calls sound all too familiar like our first timeshare experience.

Back in the early 80s my wife and I were invited to Peppertree Resorts in Atlantic Beach, NC for a weekend to hear a 90-min talk about this "fantastic" opportunity. When my wife and I arrived, along with our 6-year-old son, we went on a short tour of the resort with our sales rep, John. When we finally sat down to begin talking to him, another salesman shouted from across the room, "I just sold another one." We continued to listen to John's presentation before asking him that if we found we couldn't afford it, would we have any problem reselling the property. We told him that we were both in school, expecting a baby, and may lose some of my disability payments because of Reaganomics. He assured us that this sort of situation happens all the time, and, if necessary, Peppertree would sell it for us. And, like clockwork, a saleswoman (his wife) popped her head inside the door saying that she had just resold a unit to someone on the phone. We had seen similar tactics used by car salesmen over the years, but these 2 cons were good.

Over 3 hours later my wife and I went back to our complimentary unit, satisfied that we now had a beautiful beachfront condo that we could enjoy once a year. In fact, we were ecstatic . . . until the V.A. cut back my benefits two months later. My wife and I were going to school, and we could barely put food on the table for our 6-year-old son and pay our other bills too. So I called John, and after several unsuccessful phone calls, we decided to take a day trip (3 1/2 hours away) to hunt him down to try and resell our unit. John, and his manager, both told us that we must have misunderstood the conversation with John, and that Peppertree cannot, by law, resell our property. Ultimately, we defaulted on our unit. In the end, we had to rebuild our credit standing. Tomorrow I plan to get as much information as I can about 5 Star Resorts, before stalling for more time so I can check them out. Then, I plan to file a complaint with the NC Attorney General's office. Too bad the Internet wasn’t around in its present state. We sure could have used this forum; but thank God it’s here now. I’ll keep you posted on my results. Keep up the good work!

L
L
LoGis71K
, US
May 21, 2010 6:26 pm EDT

" but they got the job dome" hahahahahah now that's funny

P
P
pammy7869
, US
May 21, 2010 2:30 am EDT

I dont underdstand why there are all these complaints against this company. I was actually at Disneyland with my kids when I was approached by 5 star offering me free disney dollars to come listen to a sales presentation. I told them thats the last thing I wanted was another timeshare, and that I wanted to get rid of my own. The set me up with their sales department who walked me through and helped me with the entire process step by step. I was a bit skeptical at first since I paid 2 companies beforehand, but they got the job dome in less than 2 months. I figured I would return the favor and post this comment, as its obvious to me these are former ex-employees or competitors that are most likely behind these complaints. I would highly recommend them! Thanks again 5 Star!
-Pam H.

J
J
JDL-Ohio
Laurelville, US
May 20, 2010 2:57 pm EDT

I was called by 5 start resort (they now say marketing or products) when I told them I had seen many negative comments and they told me that was another company, (I checked it out after signing with them and contacted my credit card company - it was too late to get the money back because it is always non-refundable) but I just saw above that the address on the contract was 701 Palomar Airport so this is the company who scammed me out of $290 which they dropped the original asking price.

I have already been scammed 4 or 5 other times with the same type company. Michael Smith was to call me every week and I have heard (he returned) my call once since 4/26/10. Another fella has called back a couple of times. Michael said he was sure he had an RCI week rented for Hawaii (5 days) for $2300. Heard nothing from that. They won't keep in contact as was used in selling the program. I feel this is another ripoff. Do not go with these people. Of course, if people reading this are like me - you read after you have already spent your money, but maybe tell others what they are like.

L
L
LoGis71K
, US
Apr 20, 2010 12:08 pm EDT

and prior to the comment made above, this whole ###ing agrument is stupid. I really wish people can ###ing grow up and be adults and stop being ###ing childish and accuse people of ###.

L
L
LoGis71K
, US
Apr 20, 2010 12:05 pm EDT

I Guess they have plenty of twinkies since they ripp off so many people. Must be chalupa leaving the last reply lol

T
T
TOMMY2311
Newport Beach, US
Apr 19, 2010 3:24 pm EDT

we are giving free TWINKIES to all former employees today. PLEASE COME BY WE KNOW YOUR HUNGRY..

Z
Z
Zpr0t3ct
, US
Apr 18, 2010 6:06 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

PS: Their address they have posted 701 Palomar Airport is not their real address. It's fake. 3848 Campus Dr. Ste 218 Newport Beach, Ca is where their really are. Across the street from John Wayne Airport.

Z
Z
Zpr0t3ct
, US
Apr 18, 2010 6:04 am EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I myself, and ex-employee for Escape to Paradise/Platinum Property Exchange/5 star resort marketing, or whatever the hell it is now (they change their name like changing underwear) have seen so many people ripped off. They're all owned by the same coke sniffing, wanna be arnold schwarznegger buff homo named John Hofferbert. First they call you asking if you want to sell your timeshare, and if you say yes, they fill out a lead sheet and pass it to a closer or in what they tell the customer on the phone "the manager". They promise you all this ### stating that they got a showroom in vegas, or newport, carlsbad or whatever it is and they can sell it for a ridiculous price which is not the case, and charge you anywhere between [protected] and 699 pricings was a hit when i was there) and then they fax or email you a contract to sign and return back. Problem with everyone is that they never look at the fine print that states "You can get a refund within 20% of the original asking price" or "You are signing for an ad, blah blah blah blah". Don't buy into their ###. One closer is fat and can't even do a ###ing push up (cough cough Chalupa Joe or Bill I don't remember) and the other ones are some rich ### [censored]s who spend all their money they steal from customers, to get botox down to her ###ing lips which look ugly and looks like shes been sucking off a dude for 10 years Karen Lenwhore (Holly Maddison her closer name) and the rest of them are all stupid. Elaine aka stupid old powdered face hooker who always gets locked up for stupid ###.

Don't buy into their business. Even though their BBB rating is a C+, the BBB is a scam itself. All you do is pay more money to accommodate a higher rating.

John Hoffafaggot, if you're reading this, you know who the ### this is. Why don't you stop scamming people and learn to run a REAL business instead of a ###ing scam all the time. Hope this helps improve your business!

LATER ###!

M
M
Mr. Black1212
, US
Mar 15, 2010 5:22 pm EDT
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

If you looking to get ripped off, I would choose 5 star resorts! I use to work there and this place is exactly what you think it is... A boiler room.. Any posts above are from the" company" trying to cover up there tracks to get you too sign. Trust me I would know, I use to be the one writing the reply's. If you want further detail about there operations, let me know I will tell you exactly on how things are run there.
I will tell you one thing.. If you ever want to make fast easy money go into the lucrative business of timeshare resale and you will make over $100K your first year easy!

J
J
JayLo511
Manchester, US
Mar 11, 2010 8:47 am EST

I'm trying to decide what to do with my timeshare, I have already paid two companies to help me sell it to no avail. I have great property with Hilton Grand Vacations, and I'm asking a reasonable price. However when 5 start contacted me they were asking for nearly $1500 to pay for marketing and such. If I had taht kind of money laying around I wouldn't need to sell it in the first place. George agreed to drop the price to $1095 and insisted he would sell my timeshare for me. Before agreeing to paying anything I decided to do some research and stumbled upon this... The first story pissed me off and seem likely to happen to me as well. I noticed others comments disagreeing with the first. However it seems quite shady to me that someone posting a positive comment was is one of the people mentioned in the lengthy complaint..I haven't even been able to find this company listed anywhere else neither good nor bad except for here.. 5 star resorts seems questionable at best to me.

U
U
urscrewednow1
Santa Ana Heights, US
Feb 03, 2010 2:03 am EST

edward collins is also a [censored] [censored]bag that's probably some 14 year old in a chinese sweat shop. Must be mexican.

P
P
pamhughes
San Andreas, US
Dec 08, 2009 7:53 pm EST

I signed up with 5 star resorts back in Sept. with Holly Maddison and Summer Holland. After I signed up with them it was hard to get a hold of them, so I talked to there customer service on a weekly basis. But after weeks and weeks of No offers I started to be annoyed(thinking to myself NOT AGAIN!) but i stayed with it and after 2 months with them they Finally got me $12, 000 for my Polo Towers.

If I had another Timeshare(thank GOD I don't) I would go with them Again.

Thanks 5 star

E
E
edwards collins
hb, US
Dec 06, 2009 1:06 am EST

this guy cruzean is just a trouble making former employee who recently lost his job je made alot of money from selling timeshares for 5 star resorts and lost his job because of harassing the fat secretary that works there :-0 !

J
J
John Lawrence
Tampa, US
Nov 27, 2009 10:23 pm EST
Verified customer This comment was posted by a verified customer. Learn more

I also paid a rep named Holly Madison at 5 star Resorts and they sold my timeshare at Flamingo Hilton In Vegas in just over a month. They really did a great job for me.

S
S
5 Star Resorts
Surprise, US
Nov 25, 2009 1:25 pm EST

My name is Tom Harrison and I was very apprehensive at first listing my property as well with Summer Holland. After 4 or 5 weeks of no offers they sold my property at Vistana in Orlando for 32k in the cascades section. Most of these resale companies are ripoffs but these guys did a great job for me and I am very impressed. I paid 2 other companies in Florida $1399 and $1575 to only lose out. I call both their 800 numbers and they are both disconnected. Thanks Summer for doing a great job for me and Wendy.