| It’s a funny thing about Westgate sales agents. Despite torturing customers with presentations that are four…five…even six hours long, they never find the time to mention SOME very important information THAT WESTGATE INTENTIONALY BURIES in the fine print… …like maintenance fees that go up every year… …or exorbitantly high interest rates on the new credit card they issued to cover your down payment… …or the right to cancel your contract during a rescission period, usually up to ten days after you sign. You might even call these “sins of omission.” Deliberate. Calculated. Unscrupulous. So, what should we call it when a SALES agent tells you the exact opposite of what is in the fine print? Well… if it’s a Westgate sales agent, sounds like it could be called a “sin of ommission!” Or, as Samuel and Wendy of Flintstone, Georgia call it… just plain ol’ “lying.” We found their story deep in the 4,256 pages of complaints against Westgate Resorts on file in the Florida Attorney General’s office – and it’s downright audacious. “We were introduced to the Westgate timeshare program after accepting an offer to stay at their Orlando resort for a discounted price. All that was expected of us in return was to attend a 90-minute presentation and take a tour of the resort.” That sounds familiar. “We were assigned to sales-representative Rachel [last name withheld]. We told her that we already owned a timeshare and we did not want another one.” “After we rejected her one too many times, she eventually brought her manager…to bully us into agreeing.” Clearly “no” doesn’t mean “no” to Rachel! “We were subjected to their torment for four hours until we finally gave in to the pressure…After agreeing, we were taken to the loan officer who sped through the closing process.” “We would like to note the fact that we were never told the state rescission period.” An omission on Rachel’s part, perhaps? Well…not exactly. “We tried to cancel our contract the day after signing the agreement. We went to the office and met with Rachel.” “We told her we wanted to terminate our agreement, but she said that Westgate would not cancel our contract. She said that because we had signed the agreement, it was already legally binding.” “We were shocked, but we had no idea that she was lying.” Now, wouldn’t you agree that sounds more like an act of commission on Rachel’s part. When Samuel and Wendy later found out they had rescission rights, they were understandably upset. “We were within the rescission period, and she knowingly violated the law by denying us our legal right to cancel.” Sins of omission AND commission. Wonder if David Siegel, the President and CEO of Westgate, is worried about HIS employees who commit both? Let’s email him at david_siegel@wgresorts.com and ask him. Jason Gamel, the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the trade association for timeshare companies, might be worried too. Westgate is one of his most important members. Let’s drop him an email at jgamel@arda.org and ask. Use this list of ARDA VIPs to contact the leaders of your own timeshare company to find out whether they’re comfortable with employees who lie about customers’ rights. Know a timeshare sales agent who left something out – and then lied about it? Share what you know with us at info@timesharefacts.com. |
