Maybe you’ve seen the Dilbert comic strip…

The one where the boss tells his employee he suddenly needs an Ph.D. to qualify for his job.

The employee gleefully confirms – he has this credential. The stunned boss then ups the ante. The employee now also needs an Olympic Gold Medal.

Low and behold, the employee pulls out the Gold for synchronized swimming!

What are the odds? The last frame shows the boss throwing out the final – and definitely unattainable – requirement: a post-humous Congressional Medal of Honor. 

We call this “moving the goalposts.” Or changing the rules in the middle of the game.

No matter how diligently one party fulfills their end of the contract, the other side always come up with one more requirement, one more hoop to jump through, before they will hold up their end of the deal.

Sounds a bit like Diamond Resorts.

Unfortunately for its customers, Diamond’s constantly changing conditions are no laughing matter, as this complaint to the Better Business Bureau explains. It’s one of many documenting how Diamond keeps moving the goalposts to deter customers from exiting Diamond’s clutches.

“I am writing to formally request the immediate cancellation of our timeshare contract with Diamond Resorts.”

“We are deeply dissatisfied with the coercive tactics used during the purchase and subsequent misrepresentations made by your sales representatives.”

You can almost hear it… the goalposts about to move…

“Initially promised a week-long vacation each year, our purchase was later converted to a mere 2000 points, leaving us virtually no vacation time.”

So, Diamond sold them one week per year, but then switched to a point system in which their previously purchase wasn’t even worth a whole week.

So the new rules meant the customers had to buy more points? Hmm. What’s the next move?

“Despite expressing our desire to exit the contract, we were led into another ill-fated decision: the acquisition of a sampler package under false pretenses that it would facilitate our exit.”

“Despite paying off both initial and sampler loans, we are still unable to sever ties with Diamond Resorts.”

Rules really don’t seem to mean that much at Diamond.

“Moreover, crucial details such as accumulating maintenance charges were omitted during the sales process, reflecting a level of dishonesty that is unacceptable.”

Apparently, Diamond doesn’t even tell you what the rules are…before they are working to change them again!

“We implore Diamond Resorts to act morally and provide us with an exit from this financial entanglement.”

Sadly, acting morally might be too much to expect from Diamond at this point.

But let’s give it a try!

We can stary be emailing Mark Wang, the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations, which purchased Diamond Resorts in 2021. Let’s ask if there any rules that Diamond WON’T change in the middle of the game. Mark’s email is mark.wang@hgv.com.
  
Then there’s Jason Gamel,  the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the trade association that represents the timeshare industry in Washington, DC. Let’s email Jason at jgamel@arda.org to see if he can do anything to get Diamond to play by the rules instead of changing them.
  
Can’t keep up with the changing rules at your company? Use this list of ARDA VIPs to contact its leaders and let them know.
  
Does your timeshare company keep moving the goalposts?  Blow the whistle on them with us at info@timesharefacts.com
  
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