Among the five dietary guidelines that the American Diabetes Association recommends for people recently diagnosed with diabetes, two pertain to the importance of maintaining a regular eating schedule.
“Space your meals evenly throughout the day.”
“Avoid skipping meals.”
“Interesting,” you might be thinking, “but what does that have to do with timeshares?”
We’re glad you asked.
Over the years, we’ve shared dozens of stories about timeshare agents who coerce customers into decisions that are bad for their financial health. Their number one tactic – incredibly long sales pitches.
But these high-pressure sales can be bad for customers’ physical health as well.
Take this case, which stood out among the hundreds of complaints that Diamond Resorts owners have filed with the Better Business Bureau.
“Our decision to purchase the timeshare was made under significant distress and pressure during the initial sales presentation, which lasted approximately four hours.”
Four hours?
To be honest, for Diamond Resorts that overreach feels par for the course, timewise.
But so were the tactics.
“Despite our repeated attempts to refuse the offer and leave the presentation, the sales representatives were insistent and did not allow us to leave.”
This is where the sales pitch went from typically bad to something worse.
“This situation was exacerbated by our medical conditions.”
“Both of us have diabetes and adhere to strict eating schedules and medication routines.”
That’s hard to do if Diamond won’t let you leave.
“By the time we finally agreed to the purchase, we were physically unwell due to hunger and missed medication.”
Just how much time are we talking about?
“The entire process, including paperwork, lasted from 9 AM to 6:30 PM.”
NINE AND A HALF HOURS!
That’s even more like torture than the usual timeshare sales pitch – especially for someone with diabetes.
“Throughout this ordeal, we were not given adequate time to read through the documents we signed, further indicating an attempt to rush us through the process.”
“We live on a fixed retirement income.”
“We are financially incapable of sustaining the payments associated with the timeshare, particularly the maintenance fees, which were not disclosed to us at the time of purchase.”
As it turns out, Diamond was bad for both their physical health AND their financial health.
And that’s something Mark Wang needs to hear. He’s the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations, which purchased Diamond Resorts in 2021. Let’s email him at mark.wang@hgv.com and let him know that Diamond’s hard-ball tactics are, literally, sickening.
Jason Gamel should get that message too. He’s the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), which represents timeshare companies in Washington, DC. Let’s find out if Jason believes Diamond’s pitches are ill-advised by emailing him at jgamel@arda.org.
Have an unhealthy relationship with your timeshare company? Use this list of ARDA VIPs to contact its leaders to find a remedy.
Heard a timeshare story, aside from this one, that just makes you sick? Send it to us at info@timesharefacts.com.
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