| Generally, patriots around the USA appreciate the sacrifices made by members of our armed services. All of us that is…except, perhaps, for Westgate Resorts. Time and time again, in the 4,256 pages of complaints against Westgate in the Florida Attorney General’s office, we come across testimonials from veterans. Their stories include the type of deceit and deception that, sadly, we’ve come to expect from timeshare companies. And for many veterans, these dubious timeshare practices create more than a financial hardship; they can also threaten a veteran’s livelihood. Take Edmond, from Manassas Park, Virginia. He told the Attorney General’s office, “I am also a U.S. Army Veteran and currently work as a contractor for an intelligence agency based in Northern Virginia.” That’s significant. Because intelligence agency contractors are required to have security clearances – clearances that can be put at risk if their personal finances aren’t in order. “While shopping online to get a coupon, we came across a timeshare coupon that will allow us to pay less for a hotel night at the Westgate Resort Villa (WGV) in Kissimmee, Florida.” Of course, once they got there, Edmond and his wife were subjected to a lengthy sales presentation. They eventually decided to purchase a timeshare but were very careful to make sure that it wouldn’t jeopardize their credit rating. “As we negotiate the timeshare cost to be $14,900, I was supposed to put a down payment of about $2,800. Still, I told [the Westgate sales representative] that we used the timeshare coupon in the first place due to our limited budget, and therefore, we had no money to make a down payment.” The representative “then said that since we do not have money for a down payment, they can run my credit check, and if my credit report is good, I will not be required to make any down payment.” “They ran the check, and the report was excellent. At this point, [the representative] then brought the timeshare contract paperwork for review and signature with a $0.00 down payment.” So far, so good. “My timeshare payment arrangement with Westgate Villas was that I will write and mail them a check of $5,000 in 6 months and that my monthly payments were going to be $146 paid online via a portal they will setup until I send a lump sum pay of 5k.” So, you can imagine Edmond’s surprise when he got home and discovered, “Westgate Villas used my credit report to sign up for a credit card on my behalf and has already financed $5,000 in my name.” Woah! That’s just not right. Westgate could have impacted Edmond’s credit rating, and his ability to keep his job – without his knowledge or permission! “I remember signing up for a timeshare, NOT for a credit card.” “Using my credit report to obtain a credit card is credit card fraud and should be investigated.” “We are scared to visit Florida again; we don’t know what other Ponzi schemes we may get into if we visit Florida.” That’s not a patriotic way to treat a veteran. Let’s let Westgate CEO David Siegel know. We can email him at david_siegel@wgresorts.com. We should also speak up for our veterans to Jason Gamel, the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), which represents timeshare companies in Washington, DC. You can email him at jgamel@arda.org. Is your own timeshare company treating veterans fairly? You can find the contact information for its leaders in this list of ARDA VIPs and ask them yourselves. And, if you are a veteran who has been treated poorly by your timeshare company, let us know at info@timesharefacts.com. PS: Follow us on social media. Twitter Facebook Instagram |
