| We couldn’t believe it. Deep in the 2,170 page of complaints against Diamond Resorts in the Florida Attorney General’s office we came across someone who had something good to say about a timeshare company… …a company that kept its promises… …a company that gave them the weeks they wanted… …a company they enjoyed doing business with. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t Diamond! The timeshare experience for David and Barbara from Worcester, UK didn’t start with broken promises, BUT IT SURE ENDED THAT WAY!! They had taken a holiday at the Charter Club Resort on Naples Bay, Florida. At the time, it was a family-owned resort. David and Barbara liked it so much they decided to purchase a timeshare there. “We believed we had bought into, and were happy to be part of, a small family run resort, managed by people we got to know very well.” “Whilst still family owned, it was always easy to book the weeks we wanted as there were a limited number of owners all of whom wanted to holiday at this one resort.” But… eventually Diamond took over the Charter Club… …and that changed everything. “Since Diamond Resorts took over it has been impossible to get the weeks we want, and are entitled to…” “We believe the terms under which we purchased our timeshare weeks are not being fulfilled and have been breached.” To make their case to the Florida Attorney General, David and Barbara included an instructive “SUMMARY OF PROMISE VS REALITY.” “PROMISE: We expected preferential treatment as owners and payers of annual maintenance fees and the guarantee of 2 weeks when we wanted them.” “REALITY NOW: No guarantee we will get any weeks at all unless we book up to 18 months in advance. The sheer number of owners with Diamond Resorts International means that far too many people have access to what we bought into…” “PROMISE: Owners would get preferential treatment when booking their annual weeks.” “REALITY NOW: Owners do not get preferential treatment when attempting to book their weeks… far from it. It may well be easier to book the Charter Club as a non-owner and often for far less that we have paid in annual maintenance fees! “PROMISE: We were told that our purchase was an investment and would appreciate in value and resale price over time.” “REALITY NOW: Far from increasing in value, our weeks are worthless and have no value at all.” It might be just a summary, but it tells you all you need to know about Diamond. Maybe it’s time for a reality check for Mark Wang, the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations, which purchased Diamond Resorts in 2021. Let’s email him at mark.wang@hgv.com and tell him Diamond should keep its promises. We could also give Jason Gamel a dose of reality about how Diamond customers are being treated. He’s the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), which represents timeshare companies in Washington, DC. Jason’s email is jgamel@arda.org. If you’re fed up with your resort reality, let your timeshare company know. You can find the contact information for its leaders in this list of ARDA VIPs. Did your timeshare company break its promises? Feel free to share that unfortunate reality with us at info@timesharefacts.com. PS: Follow us on social media. Twitter Facebook Instagram |
