“Justice delayed is justice denied,” is a legal saying that pre-dates Biblical times.
It also explains a lot of interactions with Hilton Grand Vacations.
We found a prime example of Hilton’s delay and denial among the hundreds of complaints against Hilton Grand Vacations on file with the Better Business Bureau.
“In March 2023, I spoke with [an agent] in Hilton about the deceptive sales practices my wife and I were subjected to when we upgraded our timeshares.”
“He said Hilton would agree to call it a day and cancel all three contracts because we overpaid by about $13,000 beyond what was owed on the original contracts.”
“He was confident the voluntary surrender offer would be approved for all three of our timeshare contracts.”
Ok – that seems like a pretty timely resolution!
But FIVE MONTHS later and the writer was still waiting.
“From March through August, [he] made excuses about delays but said everything was still underway.”
“After he missed a phone appointment with me in August, I never heard from him again, and I later learned he was no longer with the company.”
It happens, we guess. Surely Hilton would just pick up where they left off?
And yet, after another FIVE MONTHS of delay…
“In January 2024, I spoke with [another agent] in Hilton who told me that my case had been closed because Hilton had been unable to contact me (even though I had been calling and emailing for months to follow up on this).”
What????
“[He] agreed to reopen the case and resubmit the request for a voluntary surrender of the three contracts. He was supposed to call me back on January 26th, but like [the previous agent], [he] did not call me for our appointment. I later learned that [he] had also left the company.”
Even MORE Hilton delays.
“I next heard from [a third agent]in April.”
THREE MONTHS more of Hilton delays, to be exact.
“The most she could approve was the cancellation of our most recent timeshare contract and refund on all the monies paid on that contract towards the delinquent loan and maintenance fees related to the other two contracts.”
“That is emphatically not what [the first agent] offered in March.”
To sum up Hilton’s performance here: 13 months of delay – and then a denial.
Where’s the justice in that? Or the fairness? Or even just the professionalism?
As a member of the American Resort Developers Association (ARDA), the timeshare industry’s trade association, Hilton should be concerned about all those issues. It is supposed to be following ARDA’s Code of Ethics, especially the part that requires: “All Members shall conduct their activities honestly and fairly in compliance with applicable laws, and with professionalism, integrity, dignity and propriety.”
But since ARDA’s Code of Ethics seems to have little impact on the behavior of timeshare companies like Hilton Grand Vacations, perhaps it’s time to update “applicable laws.”
That’s exactly what U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT) and Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA) set out to do when they introduced the Timeshare Transparency Act (S.3502) last December.
Essentially, it’s a long overdue “bill of rights” to prevent timeshare consumers from being sold a dream and delivered a nightmare.
The Timeshare Transparency Act (TTA) sets out clear, commonsense requirements for timeshare companies, so consumers understand exactly what they are purchasing:
- Total Cost Disclosure: Requires a single document itemizing all acquisition and maintenance costs (including fee increases).
- 14-Day Cancellation Period: Grants buyers in all states a 14-day, penalty-free period to cancel contracts.
- Exit Options: Requires clear, documented procedures for exiting ownership.
- Review Period: Allows buyers to review documents privately without high-pressure sales staff present.
- FTC Enforcement: Empowers the Federal Trade Commission to enforce these regulations.
To be considered further by the U.S. Congress, the Timeshare Transparency Act needs more support.
If you agree, contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. House Representative. Tell them you support the Timeshare Transparency Act (S.3502). Share your own timeshare horror story. Tell your representatives you’re tired of seeing families “misled and flat-out lied to” by an industry that seems to value profits over fairness and transparency.
- Find your Senator: senate.gov
- Find your Representative: house.gov
Now, getting back to our timeshare owner’s case, we think ARDA’s Ethics Committee might be in denial about Hilton’s violations. Could it be because the Chair of the Ethics Committee is none other than Gordon Gurnik, the Chief Operating Officer of Hilton Grand Vacations? Or is it because Mark Wang, the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations is a prominent member of ARDA’s board of directors?
Either way, we should email them at gordon.gurnik@hgv.com and mark.wang@hgv.com to ask what’s taking so long for ARDA to look into Hilton’s tactic of delay and deny.
We have a different question for Jason Gamel, ARDA’s CEO and President: why has ARDA delayed so long to address Hilton’s conflict of interest on the Ethics Committee? Let’s email him at jason.gamel@arda.org and see if he’ll deny that anything’s wrong.
Are the violations of ARDA’s Code of Ethics undeniable at your timeshare company? Use this list of ARDA VIPs to ask your company’s leaders for an explanation.
Has justice been denied by your timeshare company? Don’t delay to tell us how at info@timesharefacts.com
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