| So… what’s the biggest SCAM going these days? Emails that begin: “I’m a Nigerian prince…”? Maybe… Texts that claim: “Your account has been breached. Send us your password…”? We’ve all seen that! But… How about timeshare sales reps who promise: “It’s easy to cover your maintenance fees by renting your timeshare out…”? Dawn Burrell of Horsham, Pennsylvania thinks she knows the answer. Her letter is included in the 2,170 pages of complaints against Diamond Resorts in the Florida Attorney General’s office. It begins: “I have been a time share owner for 20-25 years and during that time I’ve upgraded multiple times paying thousands and thousands of dollars. I have enjoyed my timeshare ownership even as the company has changed hands.” “However, I’m extremely unhappy with Diamond and my upgrade experience from 2017. The sales rep, Richard [last name withheld], didn’t just stretch the truth or exaggerate or do a hard sell, he outright lied.” That’s pretty straightforward…unlike Richard. “In August of 2017, while staying at the Daytona Beach Regency, I met with Richard. Like other sales reps, he was aggressive but there was a new twist.” “He said I could rent weeks at the Daytona location and because of the proximity to the Daytona 500, pay off the upgrade loan quickly and then just rent to pay the annual maintenance fees.” “I thought ‘Wow’ no other sales person had ever made this offer.” Sounds too good to be true…and it was. “…he shared a plan that actually made sense. It outlined a 2 -3 year approach where I would ‘give him’ 4 weeks a year to rent out so I could get the loan paid off.” “I spent hours and hundreds of dollars listing the 4 reserved units on rental sites (e.g., VRBO) and advertising in magazines. At the end of December, I was understandably worried with the lack of response.” So, she called Richard…and… “He advised me to lower the asking prices and so I did. However, the 2019 Daytona 500 came and went and none of the 4 units were rented.” NOT ONE? Sounds like Dawn got…well…scammed. “Now, eighteen months later, I’ve wasted countless hours, 4 rental weeks, gave a $10,000 deposit, made over $10,500 in loan payments and paid over $4000 in 2020 maintenance fees.” Those would be the maintenance fees Richard promised the rental would cover. “I am still angry and very disillusioned with…the predatory and deceitful sales practices of certain Diamond employees.” “I never really bought into all the negative press about timeshares but with con men like [Richard] working for you, I get it.” She sure did, unfortunately. Wonder if Mark Wang, the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations, which purchased Diamond Resorts in 2021, thinks con men like Richard should be working at Diamond? Let’s email him at mark.wang@hgv.com and find out. Dawn also wondered: “…is this really how all timeshare companies operate?” Good question. Maybe Jason Gamel can tell us. He’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. Or maybe your own timeshare company can answer that question. You can find the contact information for its leaders in this list of ARDA VIPs. What do you think? Are timeshares the biggest scam going? Let us know at info@timesharefacts.com. PS: Follow us on social media. Twitter |
