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Festiva Development Group

Festiva Development Group review: festiva resorts misleads consumers 58

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12:39 pm EDT
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If you are considering buying a timeshare do NOT buy from Festiva Resorts. My husband and I own a timeshare that we bought from Equivest in 2000. In 2007, Festiva purchased Equivest and has since been trying to convert all the Equivest owners over to Festiva. They have been using misleading information and using scare tactics to get over $3000 from each Equivest owner to “convert” to Festiva. Basically, they are trying to charge us $3000 to buy what we already own. The sales rep we dealt with made several claims which we found out were false. We have had issues dealing with Festiva to make reservations and get our maintenance fees paid. I have heard nothing good about this company and recently read an account where the Attorney General in Missouri took Festiva to court and Festiva was found guilty of misleading consumers. Numerous complaints have been filed with the Attorney General in North Carolina (where Festiva’s home offices are located) regarding the fraudulent activities of Festiva. This company cannot be trusted.

There is a group on Yahoo made up of Equivest/Peppertree owners and if you are an owner of an Equivest/Peppertree timeshare and wish to exchange ideas, share experiences, or get information then join us at
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Equivest-PeppertreeOwners/. We hope to join together to file a complaint against Festiva.

Update by Sharon L. Brown
Feb 24, 2011 7:31 pm EST

FYI - The Yahoo group changed its name at some point...it is now
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Peppertree-EquivestOwners/.

Update by Sharon L. Brown
Feb 24, 2011 7:32 pm EST

FYI - The yahoo board for the Equivest/Peppertree members changed its name a while back. The new link is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Peppertree-EquivestOwners/.

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

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58 comments
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donholder
Fuquay-Varina, US
Apr 30, 2009 8:17 pm EDT

We are members of Wyndham and have been for almost 30 years. We bought a fixed week under Fairfield Resorts and converted to point about 10 years later and enjoyed every minute of it. About 3 years ago, Fairfield was bought out by Wyndham and we still love it. Not all timeshare is a rip off.

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Festiva Rep
Asheville, US
Apr 20, 2009 4:40 pm EDT

Festiva Resorts is more than willing to address all concerns from members, owners and guests. Please send all complaints in writing to:

Festiva Resorts
ATTN: Owner Services
One Vance Gap Road
Asheville, NC 28805

We appreciate it when owners and guests contact us directly so that we can address the problem.

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happytsowner
Beatrice, US
Apr 07, 2009 9:04 pm EDT

I am an owner with Festiva and have owned with other companies as well. I find these sites and those whiners on it hilarious. All of your complaints could have been resolved if you had simply read through the fine print and cancelled within the cancellation period. But no...you spend thousands of dollars frivously without doing your homework...and now its Festiva's fault. I imagine you are as angry as I am that a bunch of ill informed people signed mortgages they could not afford and have caused our economy to go into the crapper. Well did you ever stop to think that perhaps you have done the same thing here? IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE...IT PROBABLY IS. Geez guys all of the info you need is in your paperwork...ever think to read it before it was too late?

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thanh
Centreville, US
Apr 01, 2009 3:16 pm EDT

I agree, we are should get files together and bring them to the law. They are really a crook of all this. THis is rediculous I have to go through all this after you paid everything full. I just went to BBB NC, the personnel their said the did tried to take them to court and festiva itself been file bankruptcy and change their name thats why they still continue do their business. I hope we can get them this time. Guy please let me know when you guy doing this i'm sign up to bring them to court.

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needyme
New Orleans, US
Mar 07, 2009 10:37 pm EST

Wow! I am so sorry that their are so many negative statements about Festiva Resorts. I am an owner and haven't had any problems what so ever and my experience was wonderfyl. I no that anything man made will have it's flaws. I did some research and have discovered that their or less than 1% of unsatisfied customers with Festiva Resorts. Now, I find that to be amazing. I have visited other timeshare presentation and they all try to sell you something no matter what.

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Linda
, US
Mar 05, 2009 6:10 pm EST

I agree, with all your post. Equivest and Festiva members have a site for any complaints. You may want to visit that yahoo site. We are looking into legal areas for the group if we don't get resolution from Festiva. Would like to hear from all of you.

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someonewhocared
, US
Feb 15, 2009 11:38 am EST

we didnt buy a time share but we did buy a package to visit. When we tried booking they were over filled and we couldnt go or they would call and cancel on us. We asked for a refund and they would'nt give us one but they extended the time frame for usage. Well recently we tried calling to book our allowed days and all the phone number are no longer in service. I looked on line and oh boy the blogs and complaints on them were amazing. I finally did find a number that worked and they "supposedly" set up a room and dates and I would receive an email. Well its been a month and no email or phone calls or confirmations from them and they never returned any of our calls...Glad i never got sucked in to buy a time share. I and my husband feel bad for those who did.

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cindy and jerry
, US
Jan 22, 2009 4:40 am EST

We bought through Festiva what was sold to us as a 'vacation package'. The word timeshare was never spoken in the 3 hours we were being scammed. I was actually told it was not a timeshare. Since rep knew we were not fans of Branson, this was a good lie on his part. Never in a million years would we buy a timeshare in Branson but here we are. Have been paying them thousands of dollars since summer of 2007 and now we are trying to take our kids places but we can't. I know now that we should have looked into this scam before we got sucked in. It was so fast and such a great offer how could u refuse. They did give us a free vacation in San Antonio, Texas at a Days Inn I believe. I am not positive since we were not there 10 minutes. It was a scarey neighborhood. Bars on stores around the corner even. Now that we know what we 'own' in their terms, we will do anything to get out of it. Turns out that we get 1 week every other year in Branson. After we pay maintenance fee of course. Hinesite is 20/20. Does anyone have any suggestions for us? We have 3 kids that have been looking forward to these vacation promises for over a year and now we have to disappoint them. We were even told we could deed this ownership (right!) over to our children. I would not curse my children with this.

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Catherine Lines
Bolivia, US
Jan 20, 2009 6:27 pm EST

My problem is that I can't even get hold of these people. This is the second year they haven't sent me a bill for the yearly fees and last year I took forever to get hold of them and gave them my new information. I have left messages and now I keep getting the msg. that mailbox is full in finance office. I am glad I found your website so now I know what is really going on with this company.

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sheila albright
,
Dec 03, 2008 7:35 pm EST

I think we all should go in together on a class action law suit. Maybe that would teach them a lesson. We purchased a timeshare a The Cabins at Green Mountain in Branson. in 2004, so we could get a honeymoon for our daughter. We got nothing we were promised. They misrepresented themselves & their product. Our free weeks were unusable & now do not exist. Further more, we have had to pay our maint. fees up front for the next three years plus pay for a week up front. Very deceptive & fraudlent billing prectices have been encountered. What we purchased is NOT what we now have. VERY, VERY unhappy & to sell now would mean taking a loss of over 50%. They have not responded to our dissatisfation.

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tom oberbroeckling
,
Nov 30, 2008 6:07 pm EST

We bought a timeshare at Stormy Point in Branson in June of 2007. Useage was to begin in 2008. In December of 2007 we bought another week so that we could have useage every year. When we went to use it in Jan. 2008, we were told we had given up our 2008 useage . What a bunch of BS! Our maintenance fees were waived for 2008 as a bonus for buying another week. We should never have to pay maintenance fees for a year we get no useage anyway! We took three other couples as referals and were told that we would get $50 per couple and $200 per couple if they bought. One couple did make the mistake of purchasing . We got a $50 check for that and never saw the other $150. We have tried to contact them several times and never can get anyone to call back. Can anybody help direct us to an attorney or any other agency to get us some satisfaction. Please email to fps2000@msn.com if you have any information on this. It would be greatly appreciated.

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Linda
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Nov 30, 2008 11:00 am EST

FESTIVE RESORTS in Charleston, SC sold us a timeshare in summer of 2007. They said it would only take 20 minutes to go through the process to listen to their sales pitch. We were there for 3 hours listening to their bullcrap. We have asked them numerous questions regarding this timeshare and got nothing but evasive responses. We used our home resort with them for the first time last year. They gave us a room that was under renovation at the time. We got to the room and it was worse than a SUPER 8 hotel. We complained to them and they tried to put us in another room that was also under renovation. We talked and fussed and argued with them and told them this was totally UNACCCEPTABLE! What was they going to do to make it right. GET this...they told us the best they could go would offer us 3days and 2 nights at another on of their resorts. To only find out that we would have to go through another sales pitch again at this place. What a RIP off! We have tried NUMEROUS times to get phone numbers to touch base to talk with someone directly at their corporate office without avail. When we do call, we get a voicemail or busy signal. They are giving us so much run around and there is a lot of things they DID NOT tell us about before we purchased this timeshare. So basically we got SCREWED. However, if it takes us getting an attorney to get out of this contract; we will do so. I would NOT recommend anyone to buy a timeshare through FESTIVA RESORTS. They DO NOT honor or care about their customers or owners. Please take this advice before even seeking a timeshare with this SORRY. LOWLIFE so called resort and people.

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AlThornburg
,
Nov 29, 2008 4:21 pm EST

FESTIVA is a disgrace to the time-share industry. I am totally amazed that the honest time-shares have taken NO action to rid itself of this vulgar cancer.

The Attorney General Office did indeed file a suit against the Branson unit of FESTIVA but seems very few have heard 'the rest of the story!' Having lost over $13, 800 in a scam to have our existing 2-BR time-share sold for a predetermined amount and pay the difference, FESTIVA agents sold our 11 year old 2-BR time-share of e-bay for a few hunderd dollars and pocketed the money. We received nothing! The Missouri AG office deal is that FESTIVA must refund $0.75 on a dollar of money expended but nothing on the trade-in monies agreed upon! What a deal. Jesse James would have loved this deal: Rob a train and repay 75%, keep 25% and considered never to have committed a crime. By the way to people in Missouri, your AG is planning to run for Governor in 2010!

As for me and my family: We will NEVER visit Branson again as we have already lost too much.

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Sabrina
,
Nov 10, 2008 7:30 pm EST

My husband and I signed a contract with Festiva Resorts in Charleston, SC. It is a huge scam. They are horrible. I am seeking legal representation to try and break our contract we just signed Aug 2008. Do not ever sign up with any vacation club or timeshare. It's not worth it.

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Anne Prokosch
,
Nov 01, 2008 4:49 pm EDT

We signed (what a mistake!) with Festiva because their representative assured us they had a contact who could easily sell our other vacation club membership. He was just a realtor who would list it for a fee and NEVER do anything to see that it sold. Then, in early 2008 a local rep whio was hired top represent Festiva came to our Texas home and told us we would have to pay $3000+ to convert to Festiva's new system of points rather than weeks. We said no, and we told the rep (who was a Minister just trying to earn a little extra money) about all the deceit involved in Festiva's dealings. We own at Stormy Point in Branson but would happily sell, evcen at a loss, to get out from under this company.

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Allen Cartwright
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Sep 24, 2008 3:52 pm EDT

We bought a week a the cabins at Green Mountain in Branson, Mo. You guessed it, owned by Festiva. They have changed what they have said several times, they are trying to pressure us into their new system of points by charging us 3495.00 but then because we have a yellow week, the salesman said it was still basically worthless and we would come begging them to sell us the points system. They were supposed to add hot tubs to all the units, but the money we paid "extra" on our maintenance fee didn't show up as hot tubs. Can we do anything about this company and is there anybody out there who knows how we possibly might get our money back? I have contacted the BBB, and Festiva maintains they are abiding by their contract, I have contacted the Attorney General's office and they sent me a nice letter and told me to wait 30 days. They have several complaints on file with them now, how many does it take to get action!

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jerry
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Aug 25, 2008 10:18 am EDT

Festiva is now refusing reservations from existing owners who have paid their fees, in order to force them to buy into their fraudulent club. How do they get away with ti?

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