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We need to get the word out before more innocent people get scammed. The Villa Group and UVC are in the process of building 2 new resorts and you know what that means, they need more timeshare owners. If only they honored what they sell... that's all anyone wants, no more, no less.
The Villa Group or UVC does not seem to care about their existing customers and they do not tell the truth in their sales presentations. We have tried to fix our issues with just about everyone with the Villa Group and UVC and they have done absolutely nothing. Below is our original complaint sent to UVC and the Villa Group. Since complaining, all 3 of our referrals that are joining us next week at the property were called within the last day and informed that they are "ineligible for the referral program because they are traveling with us" - so they are no longer being offered the round-trip transportation to/from the airport/resort or the $300.00 in resort credit - retailiation? Who are these people? Should we be afraid when we arrive on Sunday? Stay tuned!
To make matters worse, today I get my UVC newsletter in the mail where they are promoting their "referral program" and claim that referrals can stay for $25.00 per night. So why was I charged $987.00 to upgrade my unit to accomidate our "referrals" that are joining us and why did we have go through a travel agent to book an additional night at the resort when our flight was cancelled and we were booked on a flight a day later? (UVC said they were sold out and couldn't help. So what exactly are we getting for the $17K we've spent plus yearly maintence?
Background:
On August 4, 2006 while we were in Cabo San Lucas, we were approached by a Villa Group Senior Sales Representative, Linda Salisbury, about an exciting opportunity to purchase a timeshare at a soon to be developed premier resort called Villa Del Arco. She invited us to tour the property and hear about the exciting pre-development discount pricing being offered by the Villa Group/ResortCom International. Ms. Salisbury then drove us to the property where we were shown the future layout of the resort (still under construction) and an already built and furnished 1-bedroom unit. Liking what we saw, we then sat down with Ms. Salisbury to discuss the details of purchasing a 1-bedroom unit at Villa Del Arco. Following are the contract terms we were promised if we purchased and became owners of a 1-bedroom unit during the summer season (weeks 18 - 43) for the purchase price of $16, 995.00:
1. Two 1-bedroom ocean view/pool view units for the price of one unit - second unit was called a "Gold Week"
2. Guaranteed use of 1 1-bedroom unit for two weeks each year or 2 1-bedroom units for 1 week each year.
3. As a "Gold Member/Property Owner" we would have the right to use our "Gold Week" anytime during our summer season.
4. Guaranteed stay at Villa Del Arco during our time slot or the option to use Interval International to travel elsewhere.
5. Guaranteed owner priority reservations.
6. Guaranteed owner priority upgrades to larger units if available at no additional cost.
7. Guaranteed extended stay at maintenance fee rates.
6. UVC and Interval International membership.
7. Maintenance fees not to exceed $602.00 per unit per year.
8. Complimentary resort shuttle service to and from the airport to the resort.
9. Resort use is exclusive to timeshare owners and will not be available to the open market. This was explained to ensure member use, unlike other timeshares.
All sounded wonderful to us and we entered into a contract and became timeshare owners, paying for our purchase in full.
Issues from the beginning:
Our problems began with our first attempt to stay at the property:
We wanted to use 2 units for 1 week in June 2007 and were told that because of the high demand from owners, the Villa group could not honor the 2nd unit. After a lot of complaining and run around, we were finally granted the use of the second unit. We were also informed that the complimentary shuttle service was not yet being honored and we had to rent a car for the week at a cost of $875.00 Upon arrival at the property we were put in units that faced the swamp next door (no ocean/pool view) and in the middle of very noisy construction. We complained to member services and they informed us that there was nothing they could do - the resort was sold out.
After being at the resort for 2 days and constantly going to the front desk to see about being moved, we learned from the hotel manager that the resort was not sold out and in fact units with views were available but not for "timeshare owners" - the Villa group only owned 35% of the resort and those were sold out. If we wanted to purchase units with better views we could directly from the hotel at a cost of $425.00 per night. This was clearly not acceptable and we immediately went to the member services desk where we literally made a scene. We were quickly moved into the type of units we purchased.
2008 reservation issues:
We elected to not vacation at the resort in 2008 when we were told there was no availability for 2 units - clearly a breach of contract.
2009 reservation issues:
Over a year ago we booked 2 1-bedroom units for the week of 7/12 - 7/19, 2009 - we originally wanted to vacation in June (not July) but even booking a year in advance we were told it wasn't available - so we adjusted our plans and made a reservation in July.
Shortly after two different couples we know were interested in vacationing with us and to possibly buy into the resort. We contacted member services to see about upgrading one of our units to a 2-bedroom so that we could all fit. We were told that the resort was sold out and there was nothing member services could do about an upgrade. We then called the hotel and learned that was not true and 2-bedroom units were available (again through purchase direct from the hotel) we also checked Expedia and Travelocity and sure enough there is availability. We contacted UVC and were told those units were not available to us - the Villa Group only owns 35% of the property. We then called the on-site Villa Group reservation manager, Blanca Montes, who confirmed the same. After many phone calls and threats, we were able to upgrade 1 of our units to a 2-bedroom at an additional cost of $987.00. So much for your referral program. 2 days later we saw on your Villa Group website that we could of and should of been able to upgrade that unit for only $25.00.
Then in early June we we received a call from Alaska Airlines informing us that our return flight on 7/19 was canceled and we were moved to a flight on 7/20. We immediately contacted UVC about adding an additional night for each unit and were told that we could not - the resort is sold out. Knowing this was not true (we called the hotel and looked on-line) we began making phone calls everywhere. To this day this additional night has not been resolved and we have no idea where we are staying the night of 7/19.
Class-Action Law Suit
Clearly we are not alone in being misrepresented by your company/company representatives. We were contacted recently by an attorney representing 48 other Villa Group/Villa Del Arco property owners about a class-action breach of contract law suit that will seek full purchase price refunds. We have our own file documenting everything as well as the video tape from the sales presentation.
This has become the biggest nightmare and possibly the biggest investment mistake we have ever made. We have spent numerous hours trying to work with your company and have no choice but to keep our reservation this year, but still need an additional night. We also do not feel we should have had to pay the additional $987.00 for the upgraded unit since we are bringing people who are set up to hear your sales presentation. We also do not yet know how we are getting to/from the airport to the resort - apparently your shuttle service is "still not available." (current status: we booked on own final night through a travel agent - UVC still couldn't help us)
We look forward to hearing what your/your company plans to do to rectify this situation and ask that we receive an email back within 24 hours. We would also like to inform you that our family attorney will also be in Cabo San Lucas the same week we are there to do his own investigation on our behalf. We refuse to be taken advantage of and also feel an obligation to ensure this never happens to anyone else.
Sincerely,
Ernest and Terri Silva
Member #: 16-25063
I am a disabled combat veteran who spent three years flying combat missions in Afghanistan. That experience left me with a strong case of PTSD. I had to stop working in 2017 as a Commercial Pilot due to my condition. Traveling on airplanes triggered my condition. I fell behind on my dues and was soon contacted by a UVC representative. I explained my situation and was told that to qualify for hardship I would need to provide proof. I sent him copies of my Veterans Administration paperwork within a hour. Three days later I was contacted by a collections company who has been harassing me for the last year. They also could care less about my situation or the fact that every time they harass me it makes my condition worse. Shame on UVC and their collection company, they are both ruthless!
If anyone has advise on how to make them have some compassion towards a disabled Veteran pleas let me know..
Is there indeed a Class Action Suit against the Villa Group (Universal Vacation Club)? My daughter and I were at Villa Del Arco in the summer of 2010. It was the worst year of our lives. My husband (her father) had left. My father who was in my home visiting every day passed away. My daughter had moved to the other end of the state. We were extremely vulnerable. We were thrown into the pit of wolves who constantly filled our glasses with mimosas. The 90 minutes turned into 4 hours and we were basically called stupid if we did not buy the timeshare. We were already broken down emotionally from the year's heartbreaking events. Big mistake telling them what we had been through as they just kept pouring mimosas and telling us this was just what we needed. They also told us if we left the room the offer was off the table. Corks were popping all over the room from champagne bottles (people suckered in). Since that time when we have visited any of the resorts we are plunged into major upsell situations. We paid the full price in cash and have been diligent in our maintenance fees. What recourse do we have now that we are 11 years into this 30 year nightmare ? We have documentation of conversations, names, etc. This is no way to do business.
Is this still going on? Is there a class action lawsuit or how does one file an individual lawsuitto be reimbursed the purchase price? I would be very interested in getting more information. We purchased in 2005 and it was a total ripoff. I always had to pay maintenance fees and could never book the weeks that we wanted. We were always given the swamp side of the resort when we did go with no ocean view just the arroyo view. My timeshare was paid in full - 2 bedroom and gold member at $22, 495. Maintenance fees since 2005.
I am trying to find out as well if this is still going on or if anyone has had a good result.
I have a number of contracts which I want to surrender as it has been basically impossible to use them. In addition to long waits to get through to the call center I more often than not get a representative who is unable to process a reservation correctly. Over the years I have paid extra fees to "borrow" weeks - pre paying future maintenance fees to use up contract weeks early. Every year, however, there is a complete accounting nightmare where I am told that somehow/somewhere those fees were not charged to me (even though they took my credit card and used it at the time of booking - does anyone believe they would release a confirmation without charging for it?!) and I now owe them AGAIN. I have left numerous messages and emails to the various customer service contacts given - no response. They tack on tons of "late fees" for these pre-paid for/used weeks (why even advertise that one can borrow and charge corresponding borrow fees if the accounting office cannot post it properly)? They already have my original purchase price plus years of maintenance fees - what do I need to do to legally cancel these things as it is basically impossible to use them anymore.
We share the exact same stories. We were scammed in 2010. We would like to find out about any class action lawsuit. Can anyone share any information? I hesitate to put my personal contact here, but would appreciate any leads.
Unhappy member
Concord Ca
Did you purchase a FLOATING WEEK or POINTS. If you own a floating week, you cannot add additional days under your membership. You would need to contact the resort or an on-line travel agency for the daily rate. Points would be subject to availability within the timeshare inventory.
We we're also mislead by the members team. They promised us a lower payment if we upgraded our existing contact, but they then forged documents in different payment amount. I'd love to jump in on a group lawsuit for fraud and misrepresentation with your attorney.
Unlimited Vacation Club-
We were misled, misinformed, WITH UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR
Oct 2017
As soon as we got there we were bombarded with request from Unlimited Vacation Club to attend one of the 90 minute sales, they promised no pressure., .yea right! Nothing but, after 4 hours,
On Monday April 17 2017
My husband met with them the next day to say we DID not want the membership, and of course, the Price was dropped again. Well during this presentation, they show you this BEAUTIFUL ocean view one bedroom suite with full kitchen, living room, dining room etc. Of course in the end, this is not what you get when you sign up, but we sign up and paid a fortune.
After talking it over and thinking it was a good because, I love the Secrets resorts it all seemed very nice just to purchase the membership to find out it was all a scam.
The hours we spend wasting our vacation away, TO LISTEN TO THEM SCAM US AND LIE TO US.
Yes, I believed what they said. Yes I trusted them and yes to find out that all they offered us was actually nothing compared to the money we paid.
On Tuesday 18 2017, we faxed the contract to our family lawyer (his information can be provided) to go over it and he right then and there said to cancel. We went into the lobby to cancel and they didn’t want to hear anything. The only thing they kept saying is give some time, and made us a VIP clients at that time.
I have been in touch and assigned PMG a federal and state consumer protection lawyers
On Wednesday 19 2017
We were misinformed and lied to again, We tried to cancel at the resort but time after time they lied to us stating that this was a great offer, I believed them due to the fact that I love the Secret resorts AND again the following day we spoke to them and they took us for a walk sowing us the we would have a VIP room again. They stated time after time that when we use UVC THE ONLY THING WE WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR IS THE PRICE PER PERSON FOR FOOD.
On Thursday 20 2017
I went to the office to speak to the gentle that was involved with buying UVC and he was off that day. I also went to the office at breathless to see the manager and waited for at least one hour but did not show up. Went back down stair to find some kind of assistance but they told us to return the next day.
On Friday 21 2017
I returned to the UVC office to once again try to cancel, and when they heard that word they stated to go home to the states and think about it and cancel then, at that day and time we had scheduled a activate and were already late by the time we came back the office the office was closed.
On Saturday 22 2017
I simple wanted to rest and enjoy my so called vacation. I abused and mentally damaged with what I had gone through.
On Monday 24 2017
We Also email memeberservises@resortcom.com stating Please cancel our policy, even when we first
Worst decision we ever made. I knew it was a big mistake Got home, started reading reviews and realized we were lied to, and they sold us a membership that is useless and impossible to book vacations with. I didn’t pay this amount $XX.XXX to get 20% off THAT’S ALL UVC offered us. Members of unlimited vacation club receive 25% off hotel rooms, but if you go through Expedia or any online travel service, you'll find cheaper rates than they can get you.
They filled us up with lie just to discover that it was a scam when we came home. I called so many times to cancel but the moment I said I need someone to talk like a manager they put me on hold and passed me other agent, but wouldn’t pass me to a supervisor or manager, this went on for days.
Until other things in my life were more important such as an 80 foot tree falling on my house and destroyed my life and losing two cars. I ended up trying to figure this out rather than holding on line on the phone to find some support from UVC. Recently I lost my dad and my mom ended up in the hospital and once again I don’t have the time to stay on the phone and speak to someone that would only say that I will not be getting a refund. UVC SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF THEMSELVES LEADING PEOPLE TO BELIEVE ALL THE INFORMATION THAT THEY TELL THEM….
I email and forward the message that I responded back with the statement of PLEASE CANCEL MY CONTRACT but until they stated that they could cancel my contract but WTHOUT A REFUND
I will not allow UVC TO MENTALLY ABUSE ME ANYMORE/MANY OTHERS HAVE RECEIVED THE SAME UNETHICAL BEHAVIOR…
I have followed the requirements to the best of my ability without any adeptness to cancel prior to this.
This is my second letter to UVC
Thank you for your assistance
My husband and I also bought our timeshare in October 2006 and it has been nothing more than a nightmare and now we just want to get out from under it. Has anyone had any luck selling their timeshare and if so who did you use? I would also appreciate any information a class action lawsuit. Thank you
Have anyone been contacted regarding the lawsuits? I like to file one as well and need more information. If anyone is taking action please contact me. Saosidnie@gmail.com
I have made over 100 posts on review sites and completely unrelated public and private forums that I am a member on and there have been a lot of people come forward with similar experiences who hopefully will follow through and file complaints. Bad publicity costs these guys big bucks.
Seriously file with the above agencies, especially the CFPB and lets get this stuff on official record. I already heard back from the CFPB and they are forwarding it to the FTC and have made contact with UVC. I think if we get enough complaints there will be some real pressure on these crooks.
What type of complaint did you make? The options do not include timeshares - just loans, mortgages, leases, etc.
Villa Del Arco victims that bought in 2012 and realize we were scammed a few months after and want to cancel, sell or transfer membership and even thinking about foreclosing. We are sick of Villa Del Arco! please email me at vatrias@gmail.com
I urge anyone who sees this that has been scammed by a timeshare, no matter how long ago, to file a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission, The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and their local Attorney Generals Office. If we can get a flood of complaints filed, the government will have to look into the deceit, lies and fraudulent practices that timeshare companies like Villa Del Palmar and Resortcom use to lure in and defraud people. It only takes a few minutes each. I have read thousands of online complaints, all saying pretty much the same thing. If we all take action someone will take notice!
Yet another Villa Del Palmar victim here. Bought in 2007, didn't realize the extent that we were scammed until we tried to start using the timeshare. Attempted to cancel, sell or transfer membership without any luck. We quit paying membership dues hoping they would cancel our membership but was just contacted by Monterey Collections for the past 3 years worth of dues and some hefty penalties. I have again tried to contact Resortcom/UVC by phone and email to see if we can cancel if we pay but they say they cannot speak to us until we pay up. I know if we pay we can just expect another bill for maintenance fees next year. We are sick of Villa Del Palmar and want out! Help!
Ah...so it is good to know we are not alone. We purchased our unit in 07 during a stay and originally, everything was great. One of the main selling points was that we could trade the Villa Del Arco for other Vacation International locations. The Del Arco is very attractive and for obvious reasons, we are very excited about the trade opportunities. We booked our first week and dumped it into the trade pool and promptly received a trade to the Maui Kanapaali Westin, which we were thrilled with and turned out to be awesome. We have small boys and while we enjoy cabo, it is not necessarily the most family friendly and this is why we were pleased with the "tradability" of our unit. Well...our next attempt, we booked a week at Del Arco and dumped it into the trade pool and...nothing...no bites for any of our locations requested...We finally called and asked about the week in the pool and we were informed the "according to our contract, we could only reserve units in the Villa Del Palmar for trading". Nothing in our contract states this. Our contract refers specifically that we OWN units at Del Arco. No other resort is mentioned in our contract. No limit on trading is detailed anywhere. Needless to say, the Del Palmar, which I would rank as a 2.0 to 2.5 star location versus the 4.0 to 4.5 star Del Arco attracted no real trades except for the Hilton in...guess where...Cabo! Needless to say we did go to the Hilton and it was very nice and I would highly recommend. We have not stayed much in Del Arco but I am sure there will be more trials when we do try to get something there. But really, I am mostly frustrated and angered by the unwritten policies regarding trades. This is a clear breach of our contract and the sales agents absolutely played up the ability to trade the beautiful Del Arco facility for anyplace in the world. Well, they figured a way around that by just ignoring and breaching their contract.
I would gladly join any action against villa group if one ever happens but I am not holding my breath on that one.
I can be reached at [protected] and or jphall1021@gmail.com
Beware shoppers...it is truly deceptive what Villa Group does.
At all Villa del Palmar resorts Universal Vacation Club (UVC) owns a percentage of the units for each week. The Developer is not obligated to provide accommodations to the Members. Members only have access to the membership sales percentage of each category of membership (excluding delinquencies and foreclosures). Thus, if 35% of the total memberships for a given class of membership has been sold, then that is the maximum percentage available to the membership for that particular week. The remaining 65% is available to the Developer for sales incentives and hotel rentals. Of the 35%, members reserving units have first priority for the 1/2 of the units with beachfront views. If more than 17.5% are staying at the resort, then some of those members may not have access to beachfront units. I believe the UVC webpage should provide membership sales statistics and occupancy availability by date/week. With each passing week more Memberships are purchased, and the percentage of Membership availability increases proportionately. Eventually, the resort will be sold-out, and 50 of 52 weeks will be available for the Membership (based upon class and unit size). The Developer will have ownership of the remaining 2 weeks, but any unit closed for repairs is subtracted from the Developer's inventory (not the Membership Units). If more units are occupied by exchange people (RCI, II, etc.), then all participating Members will have access to beachfront units, as Exchange people will be assigned the less desirable units (where applicable).
I also was given false information on the Villa del Palmar Flamingos resort. I have sent my cancellation on day 3 and have yet to hear of cancellation being made. I will not stop and will contact and send letters to anyone and everyone I can if they do not honor my cancellation.
Just called UVC to book our 2010 timeshare reservation at Villa del Palmar-Los Cabos. Was told that I can no longer book reservations for this timeshare and that may husband is the only one on the account. I was added to the account 5 plus years ago and have been booking all of our reservations for the past 5 plus years. When he called to have me added yet again for the second time he was told we had to complete new forms instead of just adding me to the account. They would rather inconvenience their members then look at their account history to verify I have been an authorized on the account all along. They have no sense of customer service and are completely incompetent.
I would like to be added to this group if there is a class action lawsuit. I kick myself every time I hear their name. We purchased in March of 2016. Everything they told me was a scam and utter false and lies. I've tried to contact our sales guy and the manager in Nuevo Vallarta at villa deal palmar flamingos to get the run around. For some reason they are never in. We paid over $25k. I feel terrible having wasted my family's money when I thought I would be saving my family money. My email is jenwalia@live.com. They never disclosed a cooling off period to me or my husband
All of these complaints could be our story, exactly! Going thru the same thing every year. Sold out and surprise, any Internet travel site has rooms readily available. I am extremely interested in the class action lawsuit. If you could please point me in the right direction, maybe contact info or whatever I need to do the join the suit. I'm am absolutely appalled at the breach of contract and straight up lies we've been told. And then when you finally do get a room, they want you to sit thru another sales pitch, like I would invest more in this ridiculous situation!
Has a class action lawsuit been started? I have a timeshare and was disclosed to the 5 day cooling period. Instead I was told that if I cancel a penalty of the deposit will be charged. This was a complete scam and a total disregard of trust. If anyone has filed for this please let me know.
Email - Nocmoto@yahoo.com
My scam was the dream vacation. I was told I could go to any of the resorts but that I had to return to the one I started from for my first dream vacation..so I did. If i had known it was only for one vacation I would of gone somewhere else. The remaining six vacations were interval international cards that offered some kind of discount but you still have to pay $300 or more to use the interval weeks. They are limited time wise (interval is very hard to get good vacations and I told them at the presentation I hated interval for that reason). I was certainly surprised that my promised vacations turned into interval international weeks that I am already a member of. I will never go to another presentation in Mexico, no matter what they offer. It was a very expensive free ride to my resort!
Hi everyone,
I recently bought a TS with Villa Group last December 26, 2016. Only after plenty of hours of research on the internet from different forums like trip advisor.com, Tugbbs that I learned what a big of a mess I got myself into. The mandatory 5-day cooling period was not disclosed to me and instead told me that if I cancel my contract I have to pay the TS in full (as it is financed) as stated in their "Membership Purchase and Sales Agreement" I returned to Canada and later found out about the cooling off period that is mandated by the Mexican Government on TS sales. I purchased the membership at Villa del Arco in Cabo and during the entire sales pitch the words "owner" and "ownership" were used loosely that gave me the assumption that I "own" something. And I verified this to the sales rep and confirmed it. I want to end this and participate in a class action suit against Villa Group who are continuing to make business transactions under gross misrepresentation of product and fraud. Many members and owners have posted their disatisfaction from the service of Villa Group and are still finding resolution to their situation. I am positively sure I will go through all those problems soon if not later. Obviously, the ultimate common denomitor in all of the complaints is Villa Group.
I would like to also join in the class action suit - we were ripped off and have not been able to even get a reservation at all. After speaking to 8 different people over a weeks time, we have not been able to use our purchased weeks.
Nanette Faccilonga
[protected]
We bought in 2014-04-14. we fell for the scam and now they are not living up to their own contract. We were a Use Benefit for Senior Membership which, because of our age, allows us to us a week from the end of our contract with a week from the front end of the contract. We used this last year in Cancun and now as we are trying to book again they are telling me that we have no such agreement. The Rep., after fighting with him for 20 minutes stated that the manager will call me back in 5 minutes. That was an hour ago. It appears that they feel that they don't have to live up to their agreements if they, at a whim don't feel like it. I want out but don't know how.
Has anyone been charged $35 per room when you try to reserve more than 1 room? They call it a "guest registration fee" I have 4 weeks available and want to use 3 of them in the summer of June 2016. I simply asked for 3 rooms for 1 week and have done so in the past at no additional charge.
I'm on the phone with them now and they refuse to book more than 1 room unless I pay them $70 for the other two rooms.
I could be wrong however I don't remember these charges being in the contract.? Anyone know?
George C. Bowlin
butchbowlin@sbcglobal.net
If there is indeed a lawsuit, please let me know. These guys just try to rip you off over and over again. We keep paying but can't get the time or space we want. Someone has offered to try and rent our space for a fee and that has yet to happen. When we signed up we were made a bunch of promises that have not come to fruition. Thanks
There are several things that need to be noted about the Villa Group.1)they oversell their resorts and this is why in the case of the Arco in Cabo and the Palmar in Cancun it is a 2 year plus wait for a reservation.2)their sales people bounce from one company to the next and really will tell you just about anything to get you to purchase and do not understand "NO" at all ! 3)beware if you own that I have been contacted probably a minimum of 20 times a month by a resale company asking if I want to sell or rent my property in Mexico(I only am a member of the Villa Group and not an owner.This is made quite clear by the management).The question to ask is how did they get this information to begin with.When asked te resale people will say its public record.But it is not.I have been contacted 3 times by a representative of the Mexican government to inform me that my information was sold to these companies and that they are looking to prosecute(yeah right in mexico).Long story short is that if they did sell said information then how much did they sell.Financials, name, address and phone and even worst social security numbers ? If so we are all in danger of identity theft because of their want of the almighty dollar.
Also beware that they have a difficult time living up to anything they tell you.One thing to note is that if it is not in the contract they do not do it.Which means that if they stated they could take something in trade and there is no contract they wont do it.Also if you purchase at the Arco tell them you want an assigned week(they wont do it).Remember it is oversold.Best thing to do is just pass on anything and do not purchase, Better yet dont even do the presentation !
Is there really a lawsuit going against these guys?
We'd also like to know if anyone has initiated a litigation against these guys - a lawsuit we could join. Please post a comment. I have read through these comments and the circumstances are virtually the same every time. I was contacted by a group called "Boardman Park Resorts" who offered to purchase the timeshare at an unbelievable price. Too good to be true.
I believe we've all been tricked, scammed, and lied to into signing a timeshare contract with the villa group. I signed a contract with Villa Del Arco (Constructoras Los Arcos, del Cabo S.A. de C.V.) on May 1st, 2015. After being pressured into signing the contract, I read through the details and it was definitely not as proposed by the sellers.
We ended up buying one week of a studio unit and paid a down payment of $5, 638.00. We were explicitly told on multiple occasions that we could not back out of the deal once it was signed. To emphasize this they pointed to a 'liquidated damages' clause. They had my partner and I initial specifically at the liquidated damages line, and they stated that that part was the most important part, because once it has been signed, the deposit would now be non-refundable.
I had big time buyers remorse the next day, but we were under the impression that we could not cancel the deal. So I thought maybe if I could just pay it all off, I could be done with it. Once we returned back to the States we reviewed all the documents, including the 'Membership Purchase and Security Agreement'. While reviewing this document I came across a clause for 'cancellation rights'. This was on the backside of the contract, which coincidentally didn’t require a signature, and consequently we were not aware of it. Of course the sales representative and the 'verification officer' repeatedly lied to us that the contract could not be cancelled. They also lied by telling us that we would lose our deposit if we tried to terminate this agreement as specified in the 'Liquidated Damages' clause on the front side of this document.
As it turns out, we had a right to cancel without penalty under Mexican law and that this cannot be waived regardless of what the resort representative said. We then tried to terminate this agreement. Unfortunately we were not able to prevent my credit card company from paying my down payment to Constructora Los Arcos del Cabo. Now I am reaching out to you in plea of helping me get out of my timeshare contract and to get my deposit back. Had I known that I could cancel within the 5 day period, I would have talked to the sales agent about cancelling the timeshare account rather than trying to pay it all of rather than to deal with it. I hope you will be able to shine some light on the matter. Attached are some documents that may help. I have tried to dispute the downpayment charge with my bank and they are also working on it. They said it will take another week or so. I have been trying to cancel my timeshare but have not been able to contact anyone other than the seller, who gave me her e-mail address when we met for presentation. She said that the VLO named Aldo will be contacting me, but he hasn't contacted me at all.
We purchased an annoyance of a timeshare on our honeymoon January 2010 and we were told that we had so long to cancel, we tried to but our rep did not answer the phone number he gave us and we were within the time to cancel. When we got back we never sent more money and we tried to contact them about what was going on, could never get a straight answer from anyone. We then got sent to collections with the amount that we owed on the timeshare, we borrowed money from our parents to pay off because at that time we were trying to get a house since I was pregnant. We have since paid back our $11, 500 but I have not been paying on maintence fees because we can not afford them. We have been trying to sell but have no luck. Our sales rep promised he would help with the sale of my grandfather's RCI timeshare that I inherited but we kept trying to get a hold of someone and no one would help us. It has been years and we have just given up on trying. We would love to get our money back and get rid of the monthly bill that keeps coming in for the maintence fees. I feel like we were promised all this help and time to make a decision yet nothing was every followed up with once we purchased. Our sales rep even said if we wanted to sell it back to them, he would help with that.. too bad none of that is true. Now to read we have to spend even more money to use it! I thought RCI was bad, but they seem like a piece of cake compared to what we have been through with the Villa Group. Ours is for Villa del Palmer in Cabo. I hate the idea of timeshares from this experience, I refuse to go to another presentation.
I have read this thread and have not seen where a class action law suit has been started. Every trip I make to Cabo has been filed with problems. I have been there on several occasions when there was less than 20% occupancy at the entire resort and was told there was no availability to change my reservation. I enjoy my stay at the resort but I should not have bought into the time share and instead just deal with the resort. I was told on one of my visits the salesman I dealt with had been fired due to making promises that could not be upheld. Can someone email me and let me know if there is a group to join.
Timmy15902@me.com
We were persuaded into buying "points" from the Villa Group in Cancun. We too feel remorse, especially after reading such horrible reviews. I don't want to lose any more money on this, as we left a $1000 deposit. I was hoping the "dream" was real but after proper research, have found this to be nothing more than a scam. I too would like to join a law suit against this fraudulent company. Reach me at dorothy82@aol.com (I just returned from my trip 3 days ago)
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Silva,
Thank you for your post and update. We would like to join a class action law suit for the unethical fraud and coercion we've experienced with The Villa Group. Our sales person was Sherri Wenzel. She told us our timeshare would go up in value. She said if we wanted to sell it, we could sell it back at any time or she would even sell it for us. As we all know now, there isn't TRUTH to any of these promises. Regardless, it is what we believed we were getting. The monthly payment has never been the amount they said it would be. The same goes for what they said the maintenance fee would be. We purchase a studio in March, 2013. We were able to go in March, 2014. Our view on the balcony was a tree. I like palm trees while on vacation. But, I don't want it waving in my face while I'm sitting on the balcony. This whole experience has been a nightmare!
Sandie Drzewiecki and Jim Leech
We went on a vacation to Cabo San Lucas and attended a presentation at The Villa Club we were there from 8am till after 3 pm they gave us booze we kept telling them that we couldn't afford after going through 4 sales people we just gave in and was never told of the 5 day cancelation they got $2700 down and then when we wanted to cancel it they told us we couldn't and that we had to pay the balance of $9100 we haven't used it and now they are sending us to collection the sales person told us that if we decided that we didn't want it that they would buy it back, well now he says that it is imposable, We want out of this nightmare is there anyone out there that knows what we could do to get out of this Interval International membership with The Villa Group. PLEASE HELP we are willing to loose the down.
We almost bought at Villa Del Palmar last month, but decided to do our homework first. As hard as it is, you have the right to say no. You also have 5 days to cancel if you can't say no. Nothing you sign can take that right away. 5 business days, PERIOD!. Our thought was to come home, do our research, and then make an informed purchase. We thought that Villa Del Palmar was a good place to own, until reading these complaints. We'd really like to own a timeshare, but the horror stories are overwhelming. I wish it could just be as simple as "this is what you get and this is how much it costs". Our worst fear is not getting what we are being sold.
I'm not posting as a owner/potential owner or rep. I'm posting as someone who almost decided to apply for a sales position with the Villa Group. I want to thank you all for posting all of your experiences. I would have up and moved myself to Mexico only to find out I made a different kind of mistake. I was so close to believing the "sales pitch" on their website, to be a sales rep. I decided to do some research about the company and ended up on this website. I hope of all you can somehow find closer in these circumstances posted!
writing to express our dissatisfaction with the poor and deceiving way your company does business.
We bought this membership on April 12, 2014 at the Flamingos and as we indicated to Bob Henderson and Michael Miller the reason we bought it was we had plans to come back for three weeks for my birthday in August and that we intended to stay at villa del palmar because we had stayed there many times in the past and loved the place and location. Before we made the decision to buy they reassured us that the 1700 points would cover our studio at that location during that month. They also told us that though we financed half of the cost Mr. Miller could authorize our phone reservation for August as long as we paid the balance off before our trip.
Back in the states I called Mr. Miller at the number on the card he handed me and was unable to reach him. I spoke to the person that handled payments and changed my payment arrangements and requested information about the dream weeks. He and other people I talked to said that Mr. Miller had to address that question and forwarded two or three emails with my questions to which he never responded. In the meantime I kept calling the reservation desk to find out the availability for the studio in August and they would not provide that information to me because my membership was not paid in full. They only advised me to pay it as soon as possible so I could get in. Since Mr. Miller was I unreachable I paid it off the balance on June 5th.
When I called the reservation number on June 6th to book my three weeks in Villa del Palmar from August 3 thru August 22nd I was very disappointed to hear they were booked thru August 8th and shocked to hear the resort was closing on the 15th. So We had to change our plans and book one week in Villa and the second week at Flamingos. They offered me the two for one studio deal which I was forced to buy from you for $450.00 as I wouldn't have enough points for Flamingos. On top of that since our vacation was planned for 3 weeks and included my mother traveling with us part of the time I had to search for a hotel nearby and ended paying another $650.00 for a stay at Friendly Vallarta from August 3rd thru 8th. So this vacation costed me an extra $1100 just because of your lack of good customer service and honesty (the hotel has confirmed to us they knew way before April they would close in August for remodeling). But worse than the extra expense is the stress of having to coincide stays, dates and places and the huge stress of having to change hotels three times during our vacation. And this is from a company that prides itself in providing world class vacations! For us you have done just the opposite and have pretty much ruined our plans and spoiled our vacation in mNy ways.
Another consequence of being forced to change plans was our stay at Friendly Vallarta. The only reason we booked it was that is is next door to Villa del Palmar and to minimize the hassle of moving from one hotel to another. This is the place where I took my mother in her first time in Mexico. That place turned out to be the nastiest, ugliest, lowest class possible hotel with the filthiest and grossest food I have ever seen and the worst possible customer service (they don't even sell bottled water in their restaurants or carry straws for drinks). We got sick from their food on our second day and the morning of August 5th I walked in to villa del palmar and was very surprised that they had immediate availability for us to move that same day! That is how by using the remainder of our 1700 points we ended leaving Friendly Vallarta on Tuesday August 5th and loosing the money we paid thru August 8th. I really don't understand how as Villa preferred members we were not able to book initially our stay there for our first week. It takes the "preferred" status to a new different level! The only good thing about this experience (and not new to us) is the excellent customer service we always get by the Villa del Palmar staff. They are the most helpful and caring people!
Another thing that was wrong from the beginning while booking was that even we explained our travel plans and my mother being there thru the second week we were never offered the option of getting a bigger unit to accommodate the three of us until that point. So we ended moving again to a bigger unit for an additional $20/night. Our point is that your reservation representatives provide very poor customer service, rushing you and not caring about your exact needs and making sure you will have a great vacation.
Another event we want to complain about is the unnecessary solicitation for time share presentations we had been subject to after attending yours last April. Not even a month later, on May 10th I was contacted by Tony villareal from SaveNvacations who offered me a very good deal for Best western Puerto Vallarta. I asked him how he got my name and he said it was through Villa Group. I asked specifically If I could use that promotion this coming August (thinking possibly to extend my vacation further) after having attended the Villa presentation in April and having bought the trial membership. He got back to me on that and assured me that it was possible because it was a different hotel. I ended up buying it and paying for it on May 17th and after getting my certificate was prompted to contact the hotel directly to find out on May 29 that I could not use my certificate because best western is part of Villa Group and I had attended the Flamingos presentation in April! I requested and got my money back however I keep getting solicited to attend these presentations because of your business practices. Another indicator of how disadvantaged we have been by Villa Group. We will not ever recommend anyone doing business with you and at this point we expect the worst when we try to use our dream weeks in the future. And lastly, this is not a letter we should be spending our vacation time writing. We request an immediate review of this complain and we hope to get a formal apology and any compensation for the extra expenses we had to incurr due to your lack of professionalism. And we are insisting that our 1700 points be return to us! The response from the Villa Group was sorry your unhappy. We were told that we would get some type of dream weeks and they wont give them to us.. But they sure had no problem takling all of our money