Complaint Rating:

I am completely appalled by what I am about to tell you. Purchased a timeshare from Fairfield Fairshare Plus Resorts currently doing business as Wyndham Vacation Resorts, RCI, Cendant Inc (parent company). Being skeptical about the ease and worry free vacation promise, they promised big vacation savings, convenience, flexibility, and great customer service. All false. My main contention for buying this timeshare was my inability to use it yearly and lengthy advance reservations. “No problem, you can bank up to 4 years of unused timeshare, ” They preached. I have called several times and have not had any unused timeshare banked because I called to early, too late, on time and they still miss handled it. They told me if I ever need to stay in a hotel call one off the list and use my vacation points to get a room. That sounded good, so I tried that by calling their hotel number for a reservation 16 days in advance. They mail a certificate to use in about 14 days. I left and the certificate never arrived, how convenient is that, shouldn’t it be click, click and in the mail? I asked to have it emailed and I will print it out, or let me right down the numbers needed to check in. What a hassle. I had to pay for hotel, and never got reimbursed by Fairfield. As it turns out, they embellished, lied about the ease of getting a hotel if I am traveling by car and need to stop and get a room.

As a bonus for being a new wonderfully appreciated customer (sucker) I received a free vacation week. I found out 2 years later by a Fairfield sales person, that Fairfield was charging me maintenance assessment fees for the free vacation time. According to a Fairfield sales person, and a Fairfield customer service representative, that should not happen. Not resolved.
Fairfield’s timeshare costs about $600 per year in maintenance fees for a week vacation. And in addition, a $5 monthly service fee for mailing a monthly bill. Fairfield’s scam begins by calling me to give them a credit card number for an automatic maintenance fee withdrawal to eliminate the $5 per month service fee for mailing the monthly maintenance assessment fee. I refused twice, and gave them my credit card number for the automatic withdrawal the third time they called.

The scam continues with a letter saying my maintenance fee is two months over due. I called customer service several times over several months. Their responses were first, you’re all set up and we have been making withdrawals, we’ll research this and get back to you. Second, they said we’ll remove this, it may take a month. Two months later I call customer service after receiving another late payment letter, and explain my previous calls, to resolve this mistake. Now customer service tells me to disregard future letters, we have your information, we will take care of this. Now a collection letter arrives. I call and explain previous conversation and also request an audit of my maintenance billing including the over charge of maintenance fees. I demanded to find out where my payments were going in a detailed monthly, itemized break down. Then in a later phone conversation they tell me I must pay a fee to get that information. I told them this is your mistake, I want to know where my money has been going, and I am not going to give them any money till they send me my requested audit in writing.

Wyndham, formerly Fairfield, then send collection letters from their Assessment Recovery Group, with mounting monthly fees. In 14 plus phone conversations with these people, they refuse to send me any information in writing. They tell me they want payment, but refuse to put it in writing. They refuse to direct me to anyone else. They refuse to send me a written letter detailing why this is happening. I have written two letters getting no response. In one conversation an ARG representative told me what was on their computer screen, I asked to print that out and mail or email me. They refused. I commented to the Wyndham customer service rep. that it sounds busy there; do you have to call a lot of people? Their response was, Thousands. That sounds like a scam to me when the incentive is to avoid resolution for greater monetary gain.
I am appalled at Wyndham’s lack of effort and avoidance of a detailed and written explanation why this has happened. As it turns out, Wyndham manufactures high revenue from me and apparently thousands of others. I would like to hear from the thousands of others that are on Wyndham Assessment Recovery Group’s call list, if their situations were created by Fairfield/Wyndham for profit. What do I do next?