| “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” – Michael Corleone, The Godfather III Arguably, the most famous line in the movie The Godfather III. It comes when main character Michael Corleone realizes that no matter how hard he tries to escape his past, his enemies will always make sure he’s forever stuck in a corrupt situation. Al from Zeeland, Michigan is no gangster…but as a Diamond timeshare owner, he can probably sympathize with Michael Corleone. Unlike Michael Corleone, Al does things by the book. But every time he tries to escape from Diamond…its sales agents find a way to pull him back in. We found Al’s story in the 2,170 pages of complaints against Diamond Resorts on file in the Florida Attorney General’s office. It doesn’t have any real gangsters…but it does feature the kind of lies and deceit that would be right at home in the Corleone family business. “We have been members of Diamond Resorts since March 9, 2000. The maintenance fees have climbed about 5% per year since we bought in and now the cost is almost $5000.00 per year to stay in.” “Can’t afford anymore.” Cut! Let’s stop the action right there. Just imagine what kind of hotel Al could stay in for a week for $5,000! Okay. Now let’s have Al set the scene. “We were at a Diamond Resort in Branson, Mo and they told us at that time that a buy back program was being worked on for the US and that it was already in place in Europe and would be coming soon to the US.” Finally, Al had his chance to escape! Even if it came at a pretty high price. “We needed to have a minimum of 25,000 pts in the system in order for the buy back to work… we were at 21,000 pts at the time so we bought 4,000 more points for $12,894.00.” And then…the plot twist! “Found out soon after that the buy back program was not coming to the US.” Just when Al thought he was out…Diamond pulled him back in instead! Were the Diamond agents simply mistaken? Or deliberately misleading? Al thinks he knows the answer. “We have been misled, and lied to many times and we want out.” We hope Al succeeds soon. In the meantime, let’s ask Mark Wang why the stories of so many Diamond owners have such unhappy endings. Mark’s the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations, which purchased Diamond Resorts in 2021. His email is mark.wang@hgv.com Maybe Jason Gamel knows. Jason’s the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), which represents timeshare companies in Washington, DC. Let’s email Jason at jgamel@arda.org Would your timeshare’s directors give Al’s story a different ending? Use the contact information in this list of ARDA VIPs to find out. Have a timeshare twist of your own to share? Let us know at info@timesharefacts.com PS: Follow us on social media. Twitter Facebook Instagram |
