Birds of a feather flock together!
Now there’s a cautionary tale we all have heard – mostly from parents and teachers…those who work hard to form our character as youngsters.
It’s a great life lesson: we are known by the company we keep.
But it just makes you scratch your head….
Why in the world did Hilton Grand Vacations drag down its reputation by associating with the likes of Bluegreen Vacations??
A few weeks ago, we highlighted the Twelve Lies by Bluegreen. In one legal decision, the Court summarized all of types complaints made by hundreds of thousands of timeshare owners who “testified that Bluegreen lied to them, made misrepresentations to them during the sales process, pressured them into purchasing and/or upgrading, and otherwise defrauded them.”
We would have thought such a large, documented record of owner abuse was a flashing red flag before Hilton Grand Vacations’ 2024 purchase of Bluegreen Vacations.
Maybe Hilton should have been reminded that Bluegreen doesn’t seem to treat its partners much better than its customers…Partners like Bass Pro, for instance.
For nearly 20 years, Bass Pro Shops allowed Bluegreen to sell timeshare ownership at kiosks in their stores. From 2016-2018, nearly 15% of Bluegreen’s revenue came from Bass Pro. So Bass Pro should be an important business partner, right?
Well, in a 2019 lawsuit filed against Bluegreen, it appears Bass Pro Shops felt both it and its customers were treated pretty darn poorly.
Bass Pro Shops claimed Bluegreen refused to pay them tens of millions in commissions, and shorted them commissions when buyers defaulted on or decided to cancel timeshare contracts. The suit also alleged Bluegreen Vacations officials engaged in “high pressure salesmanship,” at odds with “Bass Pro’s retail mission … to provide an outstanding customer experience based on transparency and trust,” according to the court document.
Things got so bad that Bass Pro Shops announced they were banning Bluegreen Vacations from operating in 69 of their stores.
FINALLY! A principled business that understands … their customers will judge them by the company they keep!
If only…
You probably already called it. That’s not really this cautionary tale ends.
It’s very disappointing to write, but Bass Pro Shops doesn’t really operate any better than Hilton Grand Vacations when it comes to the birds it flies with, especially those birds that “feather their nest.”
Bluegreen quickly agreed to pay a whopping $40 million settlement to Bass Pro to fix what was a pretty lucrative business model. Just as suddenly, Bluegreen again had access to the Pro Bass in-store kiosks – expanded now to include more kiosks in its Cabela stores!
And those charges of “high-pressure salesmanship”?
Well, there were some vague “enhancements” made to Bluegreen customer service policies. But oddly, no record of a settlement with the 35 co-plaintiffs of the consumer class action against Bluegreen and Bass Pro.
Bluegreen Vacations continues to face significant consumer complaints, exceeding 2,200 reports with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) in recent years, that focus on high-pressure sales, misleading representations of ownership as an investment, unmanageable maintenance fee increases, and difficulties with booking or cancellation.
And there is no shortage of ongoing customer complaints about Bluegreen’s high-pressure sales tactics at Bass ProShops, either. Just take a peek at Reddit, Trustpilot, TripAdvisor and Consumer Affairs.
Birds of a feather…Bluegreen, Hilton Grand Vacations and Bass Pro Stores.
Guess it does say a lot about the company they keep.
The founder and CEO of Bass Pro Shops is Johnny Morris. And while the unique company he worked hard to build is beloved by outdoorsman across the country, he should know we also see the company he keeps. Let’s ask him not to cheapen his reputation with timeshare kiosks. Johnny’s email is jmorris@basspro.com.
Bluegreen Vacations became part of Hilton Grand Vacations in 2024. Let’s email Mark Wang, the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations, at mark.wang@hgv.com and ask whether he regrets the Bluegreen acquisition given all the reputational baggage they brought along.
Jason Gamel is the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the trade association that represents the timeshare industry in Washington, DC, and kinda head of the timeshare flock. Let’s email him at jgamel@arda.org to say it’s time they elevate the integrity of companies that feather their nest.
Have you worried about the lessons your timeshare company is learning from others? Use this list of ARDA VIPs to contact your company’s leaders and let them know.
Tell us your story at info@timesharefacts.com
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