Which timeshare company behavior is worse?
- Abusing prospective customers with high-pressure sales tactics?
- Underhanded disregard for a customer’s right to read and understand a contract before signing?
- Or abusing them after they have made a purchase, say, with skyrocketing maintenance fees – which were raised an average 17.5% in 2024, according to the “2025 State of the Vacation Timeshare Industry” report published by the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the timeshare industry trade association?
Read the hundreds of complaints against Capital Vacations filed with the Better Business Bureau and it’s a tough call.
Except not for Rosetta.
Her complaint about the treatment she received at a sales presentation after she booked a birthday trip at a Capital Vacations resort makes it pretty clear.
“The experience was disrespectful and upsetting ultimately leading to me feeling humiliated, scared and hurt.”
That’s not exactly the best way to attract new customers, Capital Vacations.
“Before the presentation I informed them that I had a hard deadline, 2:30 pm, the full 90-minute presentation.”
“After 90 minutes, at around 2:30 PM, I reminded them that I needed to leave to pick up my daughter from the airport.”
“My request was denied.”
Wait a minute. Capital Vacations can do that?
“The manager became increasingly aggressive when my niece and I refused to purchase the timeshare.”
“[He] started yelling at me, which made me uncomfortable.”
“I asked him to stop yelling and lower his voice, but he only became more agitated. He threatened to have me removed from the property and even said he would call security on me.”
Which is it Capital Vacations? Did you want Rosetta to stay – or to go?
“At one point, [he] told me I don’t matter. I’m not important. I’m worthless and for me to get off the property.”
“After leaving the presentation, [he] then followed me, continuing to yell, trying to call security to have me removed from the property where we are also a guest.”
That’s outrageous!
The Capital Vacations agent wanted Rosetta kicked out even though she had already paid for her birthday vacation!
All because she said “no.”
“No one should be subjected to this kind of treatment. I was so humiliated that I stayed in the room most of the time which was my birthday week, and I’ve decided that this was not acceptable behavior.”
It certainly wasn’t. And we’re not the only ones who think that way.
ARDA’s own Code of Ethics requires that, “All members shall conduct their activities honestly and fairly in compliance with applicable laws, and with professionalism, integrity, dignity and propriety.”
The good news is, thanks to the abuse Capital Vacations heaped on Rosetta before she could make a purchase, Rosetta avoided being subjected to any after-purchase abuse.
The bad news is that Capital Vacations seems to keep getting away with both kinds of abuse.
Let’s ask Jason Gamel, the President and CEO of ARDA and a member of ARDA’s Ethics Committee, why that is. You can email him at jgamel@arda.org.
We could pose the same question to ARDA’s Resort Owners Coalition (ARDA-ROC), which is supposed to advocate for timeshare owners. But Travis Bary, the co-president of Capital Vacations, and Ken McKelvey, an executive consultant to Capital Vacations, are on ARDA-ROC’s board, so that probably explains it. Let’s email them at tbary@capitalvacation.com and klm@capitalvacations.com and ask if they’ve been preventing ARDA-ROC from taking action.
Have you been subject to post-purchase abuse from your timeshare company? Use the information in this list of ARDA VIPs to tell your company’s leaders to stop.
What’s the worst type of abuse you’ve received from a timeshare company? Share with us at info@timesharefacts.com.
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