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Beware of Vacation Class S.A. de C.V. (advertising The Bliss Resorts, Bliss Vacation Club, Grand Mayan, Vida Vacations, VidaSales and more).
My mother and I traveled to Mexico to celebrate my graduation from college. After about seven hours traveling we were met at the airport in Cancun by some saleswoman misrepresenting her intention. The next day we were at their Grand Mayan where we were subjected to five hours of high-pressure sales tactics before we relented signing an English-only document purporting to be selling "lodging rights and services."
After getting away, we learned more about whom we had been picked up by from websites like tripadvisor, timesharescam, complaintsboard, scam, mescam, pissedconsumer, independenttraveler, and fodors, to name a few (all ending dot com). We notified the sales office that we cancel and asked for our downpayment back. They pretend to be confused and refuse.
We learned that Mexican law protects consumers under PROFECO; that all contracts regarding property in Mexico, including timeshares, must be in Spanish and bear certification by a Notario--neither of which was true for us; and that we can file a complaint in at any Mexican Consulate.
Our lawyer is putting together copies of their responses to share with you the names (and taunting words) of these sales people and the additional aliases they use. We hope that this post reaches you before you travel to Mexico, so you know to stay away from these people when they try to get you at the airport.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
So I am in a very similar situation, just paid $3900 for a supposedly lifetime membership at over 50, 000 hotels/resorts around the world for $99-399/week. Once I was finally allowed access to the website, I see what a total scam this is as there are a grand total of 2 countries in the world I can visit currently, and only 7 locations! I called them, and they said their website is being updated, so everything isn't available to view right now, and to e-mail them with where I wanted to go. I recorded the conversation. There is still no reply, almost 2 weeks later. I am thinking a class action suit needs to happen against these thieves! They won't even let anyone view the website while there with them. I admit my ignorance in not doing a google search at that time, as there are so so many other people in this situation, but that is still no excuse for robbing people. Would there be any interest in anyone joining a lawsuit against Vidanta Private Reserve Travel Collection?
Did you dispute your charges on a credit card and were you successful we are going through the same thing.
Hi there. Another sucker I am afraid. I have another timeshare and have had it for 20 years and it is has been an okay experience. Vowing never to do it again, here we are. This time I dug my heals in for the first 5 hours. Almost out the door and the next salesman comes along. He is selling Private Reserve Travel Collection - weeks - at $99 and $399 for booking 3 months 6 months respectively. We buy into this, having first rang this company to get availability for example in Sydney. Which of course they could accommodate. I was on a 4 week vacation and this was week one, so no time to investigate and cancel a contract in 5 days. On return and do further investigation it is a total scam. I can get cheaper on booking.com, there is no stock available - one property in the whole of Australia and New Zealand. Exchange rates, fees, taxes, bank charges etc. The website doesn't even work, couldn't book anything if I tried. They also told us we would get buy one get one free Cruise Certificates, however, this isn't true, it is $149 off the cruise. Wow... I did not pay all this money to get a $40 discount or pay more for a room anywhere. I am in contact with Vidanta and Private Reserve, but it is going nowhere, just keep on saying 5 days to cancel, bad luck. No money back. I will fight this though. And, if I don't get my money back I will make it my life mission to tell the world of their practices. Shame - had a nice week in Playa, great room all for $199 with my other timeshare... Doesn't do much for their tourism.
Did you try to dispute the charges on your credit card? We experienced the same thing and we are trying to dispute it on our credit card.
Hi,
We experienced the same thing except we weren’t lucky enough to be able to cancel within 5 days. Almost 2 yrs later, we are still stuck wih our purchase. If anyone knows how we can sell this off, please let me know! Don’t want to get scammed again, but probably won’t use the package we bought.
We purchased in October of 2017 and used our membership in March of 2018. I already did not feel good about what we purchased, but imagine showing up at the resort only to be told "that's not what you signed up for".
We were informed we did not purchase what we thought we had purchased - the Grand Mayan. We were put in the Grand Mayan for this "one time only" first use. You see...when you visit their resorts, you have "classes of customers". Lower class (Mayan Palace, The Bliss, etc) cannot participate in the things the Upper Class (Grand Mayan, Grand Bliss, Lux, etc) can do - but they are very sneaky when selling this to you. They tell you all about the upper class stuff, then sell you the lower class package and don't state that you can't do any of what they just showed you.
On our first visit, we were again made to sit through a sales presentation that was pitched to us as an "update on your properties" for hours and hours. This was no update, it was another sales pitch. The horrid sales people kindly let us know that we didn't buy what we originally thought but that we could cancel the contract if we "upgraded" purchased a new contract. After hours and hours, again, to get out of there, we signed (stupid I know!). You see...this company preys on people like us who have a very hard time saying no to the sales lady who went on and on about her 2 boys with no dad.
I sent a letter within the 5 days cancelling the new contract, but instead of cancelling the whole thing, Vida wants to put us back into the old contract. That is not how it works. The old contract was cancelled when the new contract was put in place. We signed a new finance contract and paid a new down payment. I still have the credit card bill from the old contract.
I was told that they would cancel the new contract "only if I removed any and all negative reviews of the resort" but that I had to honor the old contract. This is what they do to anyone wanting out of their contract and this is how they try to keep a 4* rating. I initially agreed to remove the negative reviews, but only if my entire contract (new and old) is cancelled.
Another thing they sell you on is Vida Dollars. Theses are a joke - they are virtually worthless. You can find better hotel deals searching online on your own. They really push the vida dollars making you think you are getting dollar for dollar savings when you actually only get to use about 10% on the dollar.
We have met many people who have had the same experience. Please don't get sucked in like we did.
It is always best to hire someone skilled to do so, unfortunately in most cases these companies dedicated to cancel timeshares usually cheat for the second time to their customers since they are vulnerable and desperate. If you are thinking of hiring them you just have to make sure you do not have to make any payment upfront ... I found these articles that speak precisely about this, you should read them, that might help you to resolve many doubts:
http://www.timesharescam.com/blog/46-timeshare-cancellation-or-donation-should-not-cost-you-anything-upfront/
http://www.timesharescam.com/blog/158-how-to-cancel-a-timeshare/
Bought a vida timeshare in Playa Del Carmen Feb. 2015. High pressure uncomfortable sales pitch. We kept saying no and they would bring in a manager who would drop the price and offered us an exorbitant amount of trade in value for our Anaheim (Disneyland) timeshare. (We found out later that they write off a majority of that sale price and it doesn't apply to our contract. We're out about $10k on this deal and after trying to book a trip to Nuevo Vallarta in October, found out that our only value to being a member is getting to pay wholesale instead of retail for vacations. Ka-ching. Expect to pay for everything, being a member doesn't entitle you to squat.
BOUGHT A MEXICAN TIMESHARE AND WANT TO CANCEL!
"YOU HAVE 5 DAYS ; COOLING OFF PERIOD.(MEXICAN LAW!)
GO TO YOUR NEAREST PROFECO OFFICE "FIRST" DO NOT GO TO THE RESORT BEFORE, AS YOU WILL HAVE A VERY HARD TIME TO TRY TO CANCEL.
BOUGHT A MEXICAN TIMESHARE AND WANT TO CANCEL!
"YOU HAVE 5 DAYS ; COOLING OFF PERIOD.(MEXICAN LAW!)
GO TO YOUR NEAREST PROFECO OFFICE "FIRST" DO NOT GO TO THE RESORT BEFORE, AS YOU WILL HAVE A VERY HARD TIME TO TRY TO CANCEL.
Vida Vacations Selling Deeded Timeshare?
The Deed: If you think you own a deeded interval of time with Vida Vacations you're sadly mistaken.
What they explain is that you can upgrade to their PRC program, which has a deed...perpetuity, whatever they may say. The deed recording sales shows in Recitals (Company declares) is in fact deeded to the developer, who then divides that deed into one week intervals and packages them. Make no mistake that is the developer’s deed...not yours! You will never receive an actual deed as you would in the US. If it was deeded you would have visited a Public Notary, and sign "the book" which is law in Mexico with all deeded property.
Vida Vacations sells "right-to-use" (RTU), unless you actually purchase a condo outright. Clause 1 of recitals explains this clearly. You may trade-in the RTU contract to purchase a deeded property, which means you need to spend a lot more money, the RTU equity that you would use to buy a condo cannot exceed 20% of the purchase price. Which means you'll pay 80% of the asking price. If you have a $150, 000 RTU equity and you want to buy a $400, 000 condo you would only be able to apply $80, 000 of your equity.
But there's a chance sales will inflate the sticker price as they do with the timeshare, in which case you will pay close to full price for the condo and effectively receive little or nothing for what you trade in.
This is done with full knowledge of Corporate Management as well as Ownership. It is viewed as creative selling, although those who are on the receiving end of the scheme don’t see it that way.
If you bought and none of what I mention were factors you have a great product.
Ms. Rose I urge you to reconsider.
Vida Vacations Scam Brokers
My friend and I bought last year in Cancun, plain and simple we got screwed! We kept saying no, no, no. We already had a program at Palladium and were still paying on it. They were relentless, kept going on and on about a guaranteed rental program. Eventually they put us on the phone with one of brokers from a list they have, we spoke to a person at Global Golf and they assured us of the huge rental demand for Mayan weeks, he said we would have a check within the first three weeks of Jan. 2014. Then he went on to assure us that they would have absolutely no trouble selling our Palladium program. Because of these assurances we decided to go ahead and spend $13, 500, this was the price after the phony credit they gave us for our Palladium program and rental credit.
Another part of the deception was the opening price was $50, 000, turns out this was an inflated price. The scam is they discounted the price and gave us rental credit, giving the false impression that there is a huge demand for rental weeks (this really helped convince us) then they gave equity credit for the Palladium, there were some other credits which we can't remember but in the end we paid $13, 500. I repeat we would have kept saying no, but having an "independent broker" begging us for weeks he so desperately needed was the tipping point for us. When we got back to our room and the broker called us anxious to sign us up which made us feel like there was a genuine need for rental weeks and we signed up.
We have tried to settle this offline but the Mayan refuses because we have decided to use a third party. After what they did to us can anyone blame us. They are masters of deception and we need someone who has more knowledge of the situation. BTW there is nothing in the contract that states we cannot retain assistance. They rely on the contract when we complain about the bogus rental/resale scam, they say you shouldn't have bought for rental/resale even though they put us on the phone with a broker...astonishing. We understand that if we take it upon ourselves and seek out rental brokers and get no results that's our fault. But the Mayan colludes with brokers as we mentioned then they stand there with their hands up saying they have no responsibility here.
We have the absolute legal right to seek assistance, they are accustomed to taking advantage of unsuspecting consumers and we are just trying to level the playing field and get someone who know what they're talking about.
We will continue to spread our story until this situation is resolved.
Deb & Sara
Learn more about how this empire of deceit Vida Vacations, owned by Grupo Vidanta, is and has been systematically deceiving their members and prospects for decades http://m.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJJr0s4QUxSOZgcnxz24vg6oJFIvG78hB
Twitter; @George_M@George_M123
Not surprised at all! This is common practice for Vida Vacations, my staff and I have dedicated the last decade to do extensive research of what's really going on in this corporation. Follow us on Twitter for more info regarding this subject. George McGarret
So sorry that we trusted the sales person at Grand Mayan. Don't buy from Vida! They are crooks and they will say anything to get you to sign a contracts. They will misread things to you and turn it around so you think you are getting what you want.
Google Vida Vacation Scam. Save your money!
I have tried to call many people and no one can tell me why the sales person Roxana at Ext. #4677 told us that our "tier 3" membership guarantee's us 2 bedrooms and many other fake promises.
What we bought into we CANNOT use to ever come back into a 2 bedroom like we had in Feb. and like we were shown. They are very GOOD LIARS, and all so nice-- right to your face.
Enjoy your vacation if you are there but don't speak to any sales people-- we are out $5k and I know many who are out $40k plus!
We were approached by someone on the street to go check out a Mayan Palace timeshare for $20. I said it wasn't worth it. He kept raising the amount until he was offering us $90 to go listen. I said to my husband, I can spend an hour or two for $90. So we went. After the meal and the spiel, we told them we weren't interested and they got nasty. We went and collected our $90 and took the kids horseback riding for an hour which we thoroughly enjoyed.
http://www.timesharescam.com/blog/51-mayan-palace-timeshare-scam/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW5xSsASRiI&list=PLJJr0s4QUxSOZgcnxz24vg6oJFIvG78hB&index=3
The Documentary was created and dedicated to all those families that purchased a timeshare membership with Vidafel, the Grupo Mayan, the Mayan Resorts, the Mayan Palace, the Grand Mayan, the Bliss, the Grand Bliss, the Grand Luxxe, the Grand Luxxe Villas, the Grand Luxxe Spa Towers, The Grand Luxxe Residence, the Grand Luxxe lofts, etc., which are all products from the company now known as Vida Vacations which is owned by the Grupo Vidanta Corporation.
This video clip is from the Philantropist and his Mayan Empire Documentary, the full documentary consists of 38 chapters that have been divided into 8 parts of approximately one hour each.
The main idea is to help the members understand how they were sold their membership, including the decision processes that lead to a purchase.
After learning more about the company, its founder, their sales staff and their selling system, we promise that you will have a clear understanding on how this company has managed to stay on top of the timeshare industry regardless of what they need to do to in order to accomplish it.
If you would like to watch the full chapter from this video clip, please contact George McGarrett
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/george.mcgarrett.5
Twitter: https://twitter.com/George_M123
E-mail: george.mcgarrett@outlook.com
Be extremely cautious and thoughtful sharpen considering buying a residence club membership with apt he Vida Vacation Group! High pressure con-artists! You NEVER get what you have been told you would get. Liars all around!
I, too, have had an extremely negative experience with the Vida Vacations Timeshare/Resident's Club sales team. My husband and I purchased our initial membership approximately 1 1/2 years ago at the Grand Luxxe Nuevo Vallarta Mexico. My husband died about a year later. In late November, 2013, I upgraded to the "Spa Level" of the Grand Luxxe. My life had been turned upside down after the death of my husband, and as result, it was difficult for me to make travel plans a long time in advance. I made reservations in January 2014 to spend a week (March 8-15, 2014), and was told there was no availability on the "Spa Level" (which I purchased for a significant amount) because the construction was not completed. I accepted a reservation at the level we initially purchased, and was sent a confirmation stating I would have an ocean view on a high level of the multi-story building. When I arrived, I was told my accommodations were in the "Spa Tower." I thought all was good. When I got to my Double suite, I found I was on the 2nd floor and the view was of the current construction which consists of equipment and dirt. I asked the concierge to check into this issue, but never received a call back. Furniture was missing on the patio that should have been there, but that too was not addressed when I asked for the furniture to be brought to the patio. When I attended my "meeting" with the sales team, they addressed my concerns with defensiveness and condescension, and an attempt to put the blame on me. When I asked about upgrading to 2 extra weeks on the Spa Level on a yearly basis the sales team (Romain and Monica) quoted twice the original amount we paid to add 2 extra weeks. Vida Vacations group run a huge, high pressure sales scam! I walked out of the meeting when they quoted 2xs the original price for 2 extra weeks. Be extremely careful when doing business with these people!
Dear Readers,
We are pleased to report this matter has been taken care of.
Resolution is best handled by speaking with each other as it enables us to continue working towards an even clearer communication of the terms and conditions associated with the purchase of our products.
We value and respect both our members and non-members and we take pride in hosting at our resorts thousands of happy clients that can safely attest to our dedication to our members and guests. Our goal is to address all of our clients’ concerns to preserve top customer service.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
The Customer Support Team
Telephone: [protected]
Email: grupomayanblog@grupovidanta.com
Mayan Palace timeshare sales tactics are hardcore and they will tell you anything you want to hear to get you into the contract and keep you in contract with them. The hardest part is that dealing with Mayan Palace after the purchase of your timeshare can be a little frustrated. Especially because customer service won’t get you the answers you expect to get when it comes on how to use your timeshare or trying to Book your next vacations, lucky if you are able to do book anything. Find an attorney to get you out of the contract asap. This is a good article about Mayan Palace:
http://www.timesharescam.com/blog/51-mayan-palace-timeshare-scam/