Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club [LHVC] review: fraud and cheating! 260

I just came back from the this lifestyle resort. It is a complete scam. I made the reservation for a villa a year ago and when we got there for the Christmas holidays we were nicely surprised to find out that they could not give us a villa anymore. They gave us a hotel room with a broken shower, broken toilet, smelly closet, hundreds of aunts around, broken air conditioner (freezing cold and could not turn it off. We called for repairs everyday and we were told they could not fix it.), facing a noisy street. We were waken up every morning by 6 am by all the loud workers coming in to work. We had to call the cleaners for four consecutive days to pick up some clothes. They will not give a lock for the safe box. They do no let you talk to anyone worth while, customer service is the best you can. There are no sister resorts worth while, none of the ones they said they had. Ah and the dinner reservations for the restaurants are restricted, telling you that the restaurants are not available. There is no one reputable person in this organization. They do not want you to go to some of the better restaurants because there is no space but when you walk by, they are half empty. The workers are very good in lying (great job) and acting at the sale seen, they are artists and for sure they should try to go to hollywood (all liers). Many people walk around the premises complaining and very upset. They entice you by showing things that they cannot provide you with. They do not show you the contract at the time of the sale, therefore you cannot fully read it until it is late. I asked for the contract and all they showed me was one page that they claimed to be the only piece of paper. Later you get the remaining. It is a big mistake to buy. Ah, and my cell phone and my son's were stollen. We were able to get his back through our own efforts. They acted concerned about mine but you can tell it was not real. We should get together for a class action law suit. There is an attorney in the city trying to put one together. You can email me at presmedical@aol.com (subject lifestyles). I will go all the way with this matter. I want o suit for my money back, mis representation, not giving you a full contract at the time of signing, interest on my money, ruining my holiday vacation three times, 21k in flights, pain and suffering.

OMG! I thought I was the only dummy who was scammed! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE...if anyone knows how to get our money back or sell the timeshare back to them or file a lawsuit...CONTACT ME AT queenofshoppers@yahoo.com..Thank you so much and I pray someone can help...Marsha

I'm currently staying at the lifestyles hotel. I'm sitting by the pool and posting this message from my ipad. My family and I rented through a member and were also asked to come to the sales pitch. We were offered a shareholder membership that usually costs $250K for $168K because "an owner that has 7 shares is selling one of them." We too were told of the opportunity to make money through our membership. We have not signed anything but are considering it. As of now we have told them we are not interested.

I've read all of the complaints and comments. From what I've gathered...it's only worth it if you buy a shareholder membership, because that way you are top priority and don't risk the chance of being told they don't have availabilites for months at a time. Plus shareholders own it forever and it passes to children. The lower memberships are basically timeshares and you can be blocked out by the sharholders because they have priority, so it's clearly not worth it.

A few sketchy things:
-they won't let you see the contract outside of the management office
-they won't send the contract to our lawyer for review - I mean, it's a $160, 000 investment, you should be protected and be smart about it

Are there any shareholders that can share their experience with this membership + shareholdership.
-do you think it's a safe investment?
-do you rent your space to others as a source of income?
-is it hard to obtain bookings/for the resort to have availabilites?
-do you use your membership to book at sister resorts and hotels around the world?

I wrote to my representative at Lifestyle telling him I wanted to sell my membership. I detailed all of my issues. This new customer service rep forwarded my concerns to his manager who called me the next day.
He explained how Lifestyle is evolving and that many of my issues are being addressed.
He agreed the website needs more work to make it more like Expedia for members.I can see there are many more resorts added to the sister resorts listed.
He let me know I could request a phone call at any time. They don't have an 800 number because of the complexity of getting one in the DR. But, they will certainly call when I request it.
I'm willing to give them a chance to win me back as a satisfied customer.
I"ll keep you posted.

We agree with all of the complaints and wish we had thought to borrow one of their computers to check out false claims as G. Davis had done.
We have tried for a year now to get several different locations and times both close to home and not. The ONLY one we could actually get was in a dump in San Diego that would give Motel 6 look like a resort.
What a bunch of lies when they said we could book specific resorts that we knew about in New England and the West Coast. However, we could get none of them no matter what dates I gave them. Even whole date ranges like a whole month.
We thought we had a great deal for Hawaii but they somehow didn't get my email with the form filled in for that resort. Then when I called again, they said wasn't available. I had missed out.
They told us that we could make money by selling our weeks. We thought about it, but don't want to be in the middle when a deal goes wrong.
I don't believe we will ever get resorts like promised. We want to sell.

I would also love to cancel my membership and recoup the money I spent back in Nov. 2011. Their sales tactics are very questionable. Yes, they show you the best of the best, they promise VIP treatment such as the limo and helicopter, not explaining that you must invest nearly 100K to receive such treatment. You don't find that out until your next trip, of course. My sales rep had advised that rates were just getting ready to increase, and urged me to lock in the rate of $199/week for the junior suites as soon as possible! Funny that I see comments nearly 2 years since I bought from people offered the same rate. Even more comical that when I emailed my Customer Service rep again about how I can sell my membership (which she said they cannot assist me with, even though they supposedly sold me a membership that had been returned and still had 50 years on it), she listed the junior suite rate was now $499.00. Yeah, what happened to my locked in $199/week? No one can justify that being a member of this vacation club is worth it. Look at it this way... $800-1200 dollars for a flight (Yes, they of course had promised discounted airfare when giving their pitch), $499 for the week stay, another $600 if you wish to add on the all inclusive (at $89/pp... sure has gone up alot since I purchased)... You're looking at a total cost of around $2000 for one person. Why do that when you can buy a deal from a place such as CheapCarribean that includes the resort, the all inclusive, and the airfare for $800 or so?
If anyone has insight into how to cancel the membership and recoup my money, or if there are any legal actions being taken, please let me know by emailing jawanna martinez at hotmail dot com.

Please, please, please let me know about this class action against Lifestyle. I was also scammed. Nothing they said was in the contract. My name is Vicky llerenavicky@gmail.com

I fell for their scam. Please include me in the class action against them. My email is marisleida@yahoo.com. I just signed the contract on August 7th and after researching, we have determined that it is not a right fit for us. We have tried to terminate the contract, but they won't let us.

Has anyone been successful terminating their contract with them? If so, who was your attorney?

Our Trip to the D.R in July of this year. was exciting since we were Celebrating our 6 Year Wedding Anniversary. We book thru R.C.I. and was looking for an all Inclusive Resort and was led to believe The tropical at Lifestyle Puerto Plata was the place so we booked. Upon arrival we were told we had to pay $45 for transportation when in fact it was suppose to be free . After refusing we were told just go get in the shuttle and tip driver something so people were helping load luggage and one said to my Husband he was the driver my Husband paid him $20 later to find out he was not and had to give the real driver $20. When we arrived we were told they had upgraded us and we ended up paying $200 less then we were quoted sounded good so we forgot about the previous deception. After Realizing the Liquor was low class they directed us to the V.I.P. Beach which we loved . On Monday we were shuffled to the Tower for the Big Tour and Speech about buying into the L.H.V.C and receiving Gold Bands, access to all the Private Beaches, Choice Liquor, Cigars.& Better Restaurant's but best of all they would pay off our existing Timeshare. Even after we said we would not we let them talk us into anything that sold us and we bought in not knowing they were lying about EVERYTHING. We borrowed and gave then cash and ask how long will we have to pay on the old timeshare and they replied just a few more months just send in your Contract and we will do the rest, So we got our Gold Bands and Enjoyed our stay until we got home and found out they were lying when we e-mailed them to see had they received the Contract they said yes and then we wondered how much longer it would be and someone e-mailed us and said no one told you that we were paying off your timeshare we can't pay off your time share that's your problem not ours and then I told them that I feel they had Scammed us and they said just read your Contract. So now we are stuck with 3 Payments because we have to pay off loan that we borrowed and two timeshares. I was so angry I wrote a nasty letter to R.C.I. accusing them which they felt it wasn't there fault. Then Lifestyles call to talk after they stop communicating with me and The Lady in Customer Service Stacy Smith representing Bally Skinner was so Rude she said if I try to do something it would be he say she say and this conversation is over and hung up. I read all complains and see this have been going on since about 2008 or before and it's still happening if there is an up to date solution please notify me at Whatacat@msn.com Thank You

We just came back from a week at Lifestyle Holidays Vacation Club in Dominican Republic. There is definitely a huge sales push for hooking the visitors to buy membership packages. First, there are sales reps everywhere; the minute they spot you, they will ask nonstop whether you have received your welcome package, and a tour of the facilities. All this is a front for their sales presentation which can easily waste part of a day. The salesman will tell you that you have to decide whether to buy a membership package before you leave - part of their pressure sales tactics - but think about it, just what kind of due diligence can you do about their business organization while you are supposedly on vacation in a foreign country? Basically, they are saying to you, trust us! Just sign the sales contrast without doing any due diligence like checking their organization out for any frauds or complaints, surveying their members or shareholders for their experiences and recommendations about doing business with this organization. Also don't forget that being foreigners in Dominican Republic, how are you going to resolve any contractual problems or fraudulent practices should they not live up to their promises? Will your problems be resolved by suing them in your home country? Will you find an honest and impartial judge in Dominican Republic if you bring suit vs them in DR? We recognized their high pressure sales tactics and also recognized that we would have very little recourse if this turned out to be a scam, therefore, we declined to join. As for our vacation experience, there were other problems. 1) We had a 2 bedroom suite. The room was spacious, but on arrival we noticed that the bathroom had a residual urine smell that severely bothered us. This was subsequently cleaned up and resolved by the next day. 2) The brochure says the place has a multitude of restaurants, but we found out that only 2 or 3 of these are available to visitors each day for dinner reservations; in other words, unless you are a Member, don't think you will be able to access all of their restaurants. Also, you have to make dinner reservations in person at the lobby every day at 9AM. 3) Food - The Casablanca and The Pearl serve all you can eat buffets daily. However, you will find out that the food quality is no better than 3 stars. We shook our heads so often after tasting their different foods that it would take too long to explain. Suffice it to say, that you can eat as much of what they offer, but don't expect gourmet food or gourmet quality. Just one minor example, at the Indochine Asian Fusion restaurant, we were served a Sushi Boat that consisted of just 4 pathetic looking and plain tasting small pieces of sushi. Their dumplings dish was served with unrecognizable dumplings. Their beef with broccoli had not a piece of broccoli. You get the point? Drinks - there are bars everywhere, so you can get drunk if you want, but again, the alcohol drinks served were of low quality. I assume that Members have access to better quality Food and Drinks. Attitude - some staff were friendly, and others had an obvious look of resentment on their faces. So this is variable from staff to staff. We also noted that the young male staff members are also very flirtatious with the young female guests. Overall, we were made to feel that visitors were second class citizens in this resort; the whole point is to sell you Membership packages so that they can give you better treatment, better quality food and drinks, and better amenities. We won't be going back there for sure!

Hi pissed off.. I'm going on a shareholder's Certificate...I'm not stupid.. That is the top and and if there becomes a Shareholder Supreme its in his contract that he is automatically upgraded. He has been going down with his family since 2007... He's a Doctor and this is very up and up.He's just a good Samaritan trying to help us out... There should be more people like that in this world.. He doen't have to add all these names on his contract but it bothers hi m that all these people have been jerked around... Where can you go to a resort stay for month at 259 a week and they take you to buy the groceries... A whole month when we retire for less than a $1000.. Its worth the extra $5, 000. investment... I talked to LHVC customer service and it's all up and up... While I was there I met 4-5 couples from Brooklyn and they too did the same think and put just about the same amount of money into it... Thank you for the Luck . I let you know how it works out... TD. If you want more info email me at tonia_delli@yahoo.com

Hang on to your hat gatti11, your about to get it again. I was there at lifestyles in Jan '13 and personally talked to a platinium member as well as a shareholder on the resort and they are both pissed off that they are not getting what was promised to them in their contract. Just wait gatti11, same as happens to everyone, they will slowly cut back the benefits and start telling you that you should upgrade again to get all those perks. I sure as hell won't put more money into it if they can't live up to their first contract. Yes it is in writing, I printed the rules of occupation and showed it to customer service managers in a meeting and they said "oh you need to go by the new rules that have been updated" also even showing them the clause that says they can't change the rules to which would take away any benefits. They lie in everything they say. Again I have nothing bad to say about the service, food, and the way we are treated by front line staff when staying there, it's the lies and booking gong show that goes on with customer service and each year we get another benefit that isn't available any more. So no there is no chance in hell that I will give them another dollar. Good Luck to you

To all the disappointed guest at LHVC... You were conned but do something about it and make it work for you... The same thing happened to me and I am now upgrading through someone because we can't afford to be platinum by ourselves for a small fraction of the costs... Be happy to know that you have a place where people do indeed are at you every need... Just thing USA where and what can you do with the price of a membership forty + years.. unlimited. Come on guys be logical. These people have to eat and feed there families too... By the way just like in the USA did you get it in writing...Would you like to buy the Brooklyn Bridge at a small discount ? If you want some info on what I have done and how I am very Happy now and will be getting everything I need just ask.. I'll be happy to fill you in on all the details...email me at gatti11@aol.com.. would like to help... Once in a while you find people that try to help you so its only fair that I pass it on...Lets face it the Dominican is Beautiful. *** PS have exchanged with RCI and went to Hawaii for 2 weeks for less that stayed at beautiful resorts for less than $850.

Good to hear! Your very Lucky. I've tried the selling vacations online...who is going to send a complete stranger a couple thousand dollars to book a villa before going on vacation with no way of knowing if it's legitimate or not. I haven't had one inquiry on booking in 2 years. They also threw the same story when we were buying about "oh the lady right over at the other table is just putting in her villa for resale at a reduced price" I was so tempted to walk over and ask her when our salesman left for a minute, oh how I wished I would've done that now and caught them in a lie. G Davis consider yourselves very lucky, go out and buy a lottery ticket, if you would have taken those upgrades and still backed out they back charge you for all they provided.

Firstly i would like to know if we are all talking about the same company.Is it 4Lifestyle (ABN [protected])(@classicholidayclub.com.au) in our case. On of those promotions where scratchies are offered in shopping centers and you could win a price.
Well my husband convinced me to go and see what it was about. I picked the holes in their presentation from the start, and was ready to walk out. Seeing this a higher level sales woman came over and after a lot of talking convinced my husband that the way to go would be a "Trial Membership" which would intitle up to 3 holidays, 2 international, 1 domestic for AUD$1795.00. To see if we like it. They promised we can go anywhere we liked.
That was 3 years ago. I have been trying for a year now to find somewhere to go but nothing has ever been available. In the last 2 months I have intensified the search giving the dates and places, again nothing available. I gave them an open calender with a list of places and i said i would take whatever. They came up with some God forsaken places 3 hours from an airport taking 2 days to get there with multiple flight changes and the expense of the air fares per person was more than the holiday. For 7 days stay we would have to forfeit the first day because the flights do not marry up with check in day and have to forfeit the last day as there are no flights out, or be further out of pocket by having to book an independent night somewhere else. Out of 7 day stay you may be lucky to get 5 days. Check ins are on Friday and check out on Saturday.This trial membership expires March 2014. So far it has been an absolute nightmare. I am still trying to get some resolution to this and will keep you posted on the outcome.

Thank you all for your comments. My husband and I were offered at a discount someone else's package who had just returned it. We were even told that some of the Life Style members rent out their weeks and make up to $100, 000.00 a year. Besides, they would be transferring our two time-shares as part of the deal.

We had even already given them our credit cards. My husband then decided to ask to use their computer and there he found this page which we read out loud to them. We asked for a cancellation of the transaction as we had not signed anything yet.

They still tried to convince with the helicopter to the airport, the upgraded lodgings, the extra VIP restaurants etc. We said NOPE and walked out.

All the negative comments are spot on. The positive comments are by people paid to do it. Nothing they tell you in the sales presentation is true. I have been trying to get a refund for five years. I am trying to get on dateline tv to expose this fraud as well as bank of America that backs them.

I'm also included in this scam, has anybody contacted Laura Sayler from that law firm, who has posted earlier in this site about starting a class action suit against Lifestyles. I'm curious to see what status that is at now, if at all.

We have also been scammed. We purchased in 2009 and paid over 80k for the gold membership. We called over 14 months in advanced and when we arrived we were put off property in a dump! It was horrible it was someones villa with dogs and horrible conditions. I had to fight to get my family into a villa on the property. It was not anything better. The sink in the bathroom leaked, not even beds, no one would help. I complained and they just ignored me. It was a totally bait and switch. I wish we can't stop these thieves. They were quick to tell us if we upgraded we could get a better villa for 30 k. Why would I pay more money when you can't even delivery on what you promised . I would also like to jump on to the class action lawsuit as well . My email is kbeetlestone@att .net

Please tell me it's a lie I just purchased with my family ...

I was wish I had read these comments before purchasing the timeshare. I was scammed too.

Hi all, we first purchased in January 09 then were persuaded to increase our level to the Platinum Supreme with a total cost $90k. We were informed this was the highest level and we would be automatically upgraded to the top level in the event that a higher level was introduced. We were sold the villa request option and since returning 4 times we have yet to get the villa requested. In fact a meeting with customer services on Monday revealed that we will never get the villa of our choice ie any of the new villas which are now reserved for shareholders...funny we have seen several groups living in these villas over the last few days wearing gold bands! More lies again. The rep then pesters us everyday to take us to the members tower for our "welcome pack" which is a ploy to get us in front of the sales staff. The reps tell us they don't get their $20 bonus if we don't go! What a scam. Legal intervention to expose this scam and to force lifestyle to deliver on contractually agreed conditions would be a massive plus!

Would like to know if anyone slipped and fell at Lifestyle Resort and it resulted in surgery?

I too have ben scammed. Same story. I would love to be included in any actions taken against them.
Scott Clement
sac@cure4cancer.org

We too are in the same situation. We ( so far) have been able to stop the monthly withdrawals for the payment, but are out 20K that we put down on our American Express card. We did file a complaint twice with AMeX, but they have chosen to side with LHVC. AMEX's legal department has totally ignored our attorney. Will not take his phone calls even. We are more upset with American Express currently. All their ads says they have their customer's back. Not so much! Seems AMEX is more on the merchant's side than on their own customer's.

I purchased a junior suite at LVHC in Punta Cana in July of 2012. After reading some of the complains is there anyone who has had any luck in getting their money back from them? I planning to stop sending any payment to them since I finance through them. I live in the states then they probably will have to take me to court and recoup what you owe. I wonder what are my chances? I think I can argue my point and make a stop payments on my credit cards and get a refund on my deposits. Does anyone have try this way? please email me with any suggestion at angelfig2@yahoo.com

Yes that would be the All inclusive Fees Not the hotel room fee . I bought a Junior Suite too and they told me The all inclusive fee would be half price for Members. And yes you would have to pay a Fee of $199.00 for service fee for a one bedroom Junior Suite.
I am thinking for going to Punta cana BE Lives resort. which is a Life style resort. and the Junior suite with meal would be $199.00 a weeks plus a members only all inclusive fee of $65.00 /per day per person. Hope this Helps Joe

I purchased a junior suite at LVHC in Puerta Plato in March of 2012. After reading some of the compaints is there anyone who has had a pleasant experience on rebooking a junior suite. Does the hotel charge $55.00 per person for all inclusive which is what we were told numerous times by staff. Please email roger_bryls@yahoo.com

ANDISI
I would stop sending any payment if you finance through them. If you live in the states then they probably will have to take you to court and recoup what you owe. It's a situation most of us wish we could do.

I have also been a victim of this fraudulent company. My Boyfriend and I purchased the membership almost 2 years ago and have yet to go on a trip through them! We are now trying to book our honeymoon for the end of the summer and still are not having any luck (we have been trying to book for summer 2012 since the beginning of this summer 2011) We are at the point where we want to put a hold on any and all payments from this company in hopes to get out of this membership with no more lost money. Has anyone successfully cancelled their membership? if so please point me in the right direction so I do not loose any more money to this company.

Hi all,
Sadly, I too am a victim of this fraud. My parents have bought a membership for the whole family at the Lifestyle Vacation Resort. They have put a down payment of $3, 500 last month. ( September 2011) They have been told that if they travel to the Caribbean, and all inclusive is available, members of the VIP package will get them too. All they have to do is buy the membership equaling in $12, 000 paid off over years and pay additional $200 a week for a studio. When I tried to book a trip for my parents, I was told that if they want an all inclusive hotel, the rate is $200 for the studio, plus a $110 per person per night for all inclusive fees. Funny, I guess they forgot to mention this little catch when my parents were buying this package. Their papers, and resort members' website are shady. Nothing is black on white and this is how my parents have fallen for this scam. Be aware people.

Is there any way to get the money back? my parents spent $3, 500 so far.

Wish we had read these comments before signing. I will not bore anyone with what was previosly stated. We paid $30, 000for a 4 bedroom villa, after turning in four other timeshares we owned. Hard sale, lots of promises, tried to leave several times but we took the bait. We returned to the sales office one hour later to request a cancellation and were told that it was the week end and we could not even request a cancellation until Monday morning at 9:30. I was hopeful until I read all of these posts. LB from Miami

I agree with all of above. I propose to arrange for multiple lawsuit.
One year in advance i booked 2 villas for my 60th birthday. I got confirmatin and paid in full. Two months later I was told that I am getting only one 4 bedroom villa.
I am Supreme Platinum member of this "resort". Nothing but problems!
Anyone who is interested in suing them please write me vrmss@mail.ru
Vladimir Rabinovich

Nosotros fuimos engañados por los vendedores y por el propio conttrato, despu{es de un año aún no tenemos nuestra asociación a interval international como figura en al contrato.
En los sister resort generalmente no hay disponibilidad y ofrecen otra cosa muy diferente a lo solicitado.
Cuando se acepta, en mi caso al menos, me alojaron en algo como una villa que no llegaba ni a tres estrellas y la pasamos realmente mal y nos sentimos "estafados"
Cuando pedí la cancelación del contrato me lo negaron, como no podía ser de otra forma.
En resumen: una estafa TOTAL, avisemos a nuestros amigos que vacacionan en la hermosa Rep. Dominicana que NO SE DEJEN ENGAÑAR

i am have a victim of lifestyles holidays also, how can i salvage some of my money ?

a mi no me paso lo de ustedes y haora lo estoy disfrutando mucho soy miembro vip

LIFESTYLES SALES PEOPLE LIE! THE COMPANY HAS TO KNOW! THANK FOR NOTHING KELVIN!
Seems like a lot of people are being told the same thing over a lot of years so there is no way the company doesn't know what is going on as well as condoning it! We were told that they would pay off and take over our timeshare if we bought their gold member villa package. Now their telling us they are not buying ours but we are stuck paying for theirs. I think the government needs to get involved and put a stop to U.S. citizens being taken advantage of with out right lies and fraud. Everyone should get together and start a class action lawsuit against them. Even if we lose we might be able to get enough publicity to prevent anyone else from having to go threw the same thing we all are. If anyone wants to try this please contact me via e-mail. chiefyaple@yahoo.com Thank you.

We were guests of a VIP member the week of 3/1/11 to 3/8/11 and we had the time of our lives. We did have a reservation for a crown villa but we booked the busiest time of the year (Independence week). They offered us the Presidental Suites with a free week next year and a refund. We got a golf cart for the week and limo to and from the airport. I believe some of the negative feedback people are leaving is due to the fact that they are not willing to be flexible. The accomodations we stayed in were the nicest my wife and I have ever stayed in. How can you help not being happy in that climate and picturesque views anyway! We have already booked for next year.

Laura Sayler
BALESTRIERE FARIELLO
225 Broadway Suite 2900
New York, NY 10007
Direct +[protected]
Main +[protected], ext. 133
Facsimile +[protected]
laura.sayler@balestriere.net