Buyer’s remorse.
 
In a recent survey, 85% of timeshare owners expressed regret about their timeshare purchase.  We’re pretty sure Hilton Grand Vacations is familiar with the concept.
 
If their owners’ disappointing experiences weren’t enough of an example, Hilton’s experience with its own sizeable purchase of Diamond Resorts International must be a costly reminder.
 
As published reports recount, the acquisition created a culture clash within Hilton, which until its purchase of Diamond, enjoyed one of the finest reputations in the hospitality industry. 
 
But Diamond’s culture of hard-sell tactics, particularly when it comes to bullying senior citizens, seems to be winning out.
 
And the regrettable thing is, it was all easy to see coming.
 
Because prior to the Hilton/Diamond deal in 2021, there was a long, long list of news reports and lawsuits detailing how Diamond consistently – and ruthlessly – abuses elderly owners to get them to upgrade at a time in their lives when they are least likely to enjoy their timeshares.
 
Cases like the 88-year old who Diamond convinced to buy $250,000 worth of additional points over the course of just 18 months.
 
Or the one in which Diamond charged more than $4,800 to a 77-year old woman’s credit card, WITHOUT HER PERMISSION, for the downpayment on a timeshare she refused to buy!
 
Then there’s the instance of the couple, retired Christian missionaries aged 80 and 88, respectively, who Diamond convinced to buy a $150,000 timeshare, complete with $8,000 in annual maintenance fees, by claiming it was like a life insurance policy that would cover any outstanding timeshare debt when they died. 
 
Spoiler alert: it was nothing of the sort.
 
And then there is the lawsuit brought by an 81-year old retiree alleging that Diamond committed elder abuse and fraud when it sent a bus to his assisted-living home in California and took him over the state line to Nevada where he was subjected to a five-hour long sales presentation.
 
The lawsuit alleges that, even after the senior citizen bought $50,000 worth of timeshare points, Diamond continued to harass him to purchase additional upgrades!
 
To this day, Diamond’s reputation for elder abuse continues, as we have documented in stories about seniors subjected to nine-hour sales pitches, charges for “sampler” vacations they never purchased and similar scams.
 
The question is, when will Hilton finally put a stop to Diamond’s elder abuse?
 
Let’s ask Mark Wang, the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations. Whether he regrets it or not, he’s been in charge of Diamond since Hilton bought the company in 2021. His email is mark.wang@hgv.com.
 
We should also ask Hilton Grand Vacations Chief Operating Officer Gordon Gurnik. After all, as Chair of theAmerican Resort Development Association (ARDA), the timeshare industry’s trade association, he should want to set an example for the rest of the industry. Gordon’s email is gordon.gurnik@hgv.com.
 
And speaking of ARDA, let’s email Jason Gamel, ARDA’s CEO and President, to ask whether Diamond’s record of elder abuse is exceptional…or just business as usual in the timeshare industry. You can reach Jason at jason.gamel@arda.org.
 
Need to explain your buyer’s remorse to your timeshare company?  Use this list of ARDA VIPs to contact your company’s leaders.
  
Have your or someone you know been the victim of elder abuse from Diamond? Notify us at info@timesharefacts.com to share your story.
  
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