| “I would like to apologize to my family, brothers + sisters and in-laws for my actions.” That’s how Alfred Jeung began the suicide note he left behind before taking his own life on November 6, 2018. And his note made it clear what had driven him to such desperate measures. “It just ballooned into a hole we couldn’t get out of. Diamond Resorts just keep up the pressure to buy more points and upgrades knowing we wanted badly to get rid of our membership.” Alfred was 79 years old. During the last two years of his life, sales agents from Diamond had promised him that purchasing more points would enable him to exit his membership, deliberately pressuring him to take on more debt. Alfred’s children filed a lawsuit blaming Diamond for his death. As the lawsuit claims, those promises made by its sales agents were never true. The lawsuit lists 24 deceptive sales practices Diamond regularly uses, particularly to target seniors like Alfred, including: “Luring customers into purchasing Memberships by advertising certain premium or high value properties at its sales presentations.” “DIAMOND abuses this purported bond of trust and confidence by withholding material information from elderly customers and employing high-pressure sales tactics designed to force elderly person into buying expensive Memberships that make no economic sense for someone in their 70s or 80s.” “DIAMOND cannibalizes existing members to push more and more sales of points. This is known as ‘upselling.’” As the lawsuit lays out, Diamond agents deployed these tactics in a series of sales meetings over just a two-year period. They coerced Alfred and his wife Herng to make more and more purchases they could not afford. August 12, 2016: $9,700 for 100,000 points in the Diamond Resorts U.S. Collection, plus a $567 annual assessment Just TWO months later … October 17, 2016: $50,900 for 15,000 more points in the Diamond Resorts U.S. Collection plus a $2,427 annual assessment May 1, 2017: $29,200 for 10,000 more points in the Diamond Resorts U.S. Collection, now with a $1,685 annual assessment Then just FOUR months later… September 15, 2017: $169,200 for 10,000 points in the Diamond Resorts Hawaii Collection, with a $9,383 annual assessment August 16, 2018: $28,000 for 15,000 more points in the Diamond Resorts US Collection And TWO months later… October 11, 2018: $424,297 for 100,000 more points in the Diamond Resorts US Collection, with a mind-boggling $17,124 annual assessment! This last deal resulted in a $2,576.62 monthly payment, which, combined with the annual assessment, meant Alfred would have to pay $48,000 per year to Diamond. That was more than half of his annual retirement income!! Alfred described his despair in the last words he ever wrote: “We did upgrades trying to better our position to get out of our membership, but it seems that it was set up to trap us deeper in the hole. Since coming back from Vegas in October I have lost my appetite, lost weight and developed bowel movement problems. I cannot see myself from being free of this problem.” Then he took his own life. Tragic. Heartbreaking. And avoidable…but for the Diamond headquarter-approved, no-holds-barred sales tactics. Mark Wang is the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations, which purchased Diamond Resorts in 2021. If you are outraged by what happed to Alfred Jeung, email him at mark.wang@hgv.com and ask him to put an end to Diamond’s unscrupulous drive for dollars and soulless exploitation of seniors. We should also email Jason Gamel, President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the trade association for the timeshare industry. Tell him Diamond’s practices are causing real harm to timeshare customers and the industry’s reputation. Jason’s email is jgamel@arda.org You can also use this list of ARDA VIPs to contact your own timeshare company leaders. Are you or your loved ones in despair over timeshare costs? Share your story with us at info@timesharefacts.com PS: Follow us on social media. Twitter Facebook Instagram |
