You gotta hand it to the sales team at Hilton Grand Vacations.
When you scour the hundreds of complaints that Hilton owners have filed with the Better Business Bureau, you end up with a grudging respect for Hilton’s innovation.
It’s not that they uniquely succeed in deceiving so many customers – lots of timeshare companies do that.
What makes the Hilton team so special is that they find so many different ways to deceive people.
Take this case, for example.
“My parents upgraded their timeshare with Hilton Grand Vacations in November 2022.”
“3 of their children were present during the meeting.”
“The sales person told us that if we use a certain number of points every year, the maintenance fees would be waived for 10 years.”
Now THAT’s a sales pitch we haven’t come across before.
Neither had the owners. In fact, it was such an unheard of offer that they were especially careful to have Hilton clarify the specifics.
“We questioned it SEVERAL times to ensure we heard correctly. Yes, it’s true, he said.”
So, the family demanded to get it in writing. Smart move.
“Cue contract where it isn’t written, we asked him to revise…oh he’ll get it updated for us later.”
Okay, we’ll admit, that’s not an especially innovative move by Hilton. We’ve heard that one before.
“Never did and quit responding to phone calls/text/emails.”
“Got a bill December 2023 for maintenance fees (we used the points).”
That’s right: They were billed for maintenance fees that were supposed to have been waived by Hilton Grand Vacations!
Special, huh?
“Called to resolve, ‘will call back’…attempted several times between December 2023 and June 2024.
“Everyone keeps telling us they will call us back. Never do.”
FOR SIX MONTHS?
Hilton was just too busy deceiving other customers to call back, it seems.
“June 17 we talked with someone who scheduled a return call for June 28, 2024, to ‘resolve the issue.’”
Finally, some progress.
“On June 24th we got a foreclosure letter in the mail.”
ARE YOU KIDDING???
Foreclosed on for not paying fees that had been waived?
Like we said, they are always innovating at Hilton.
“On phone call June 28, can’t discuss anymore ‘cause in foreclosure.”
Oh, that’s clever. See what Hilton did there?
“What a joke. Foreclosing on people that are TRYING to resolve the issue?!?!?!?!?!?!”
Just more of the WRONG kind of innovation at Hilton.
We wonder if Mark Wang, the CEO of Hilton Grand Vacations, even cares. Let’s email him at mark.wang@hgv.comand ask when Hilton is going to start finding new ways to serve owners, not deceive them.
And let’s see what Jason Gamel thinks of Hilton’s deceptive innovations. He’s the CEO and President of theAmerican Resort Development Association (ARDA), the trade association of the timeshare industry. Let’s email him at jason.gamel@arda.org to find out if he’s encouraging other timeshare companies to innovate like Hilton.
Worried about questionable innovations at your timeshare company? Use this list of ARDA VIPs to let your company’s leaders know.
Been the victim of even more innovative deceptions from your timeshare company? Tell us about it at info@timesharefacts.com
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