| “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” – or so the saying goes. But what if you can’t even get into Vegas? Even if you own a timeshare there!! Westgate owners Karen and Philip from Detroit, Michigan can tell you. Their email to the Florida Attorney General is among the 4,256 pages of complaints against Westgate Resorts on file in her office. Karen and Philip already owned a timeshare in Las Vegas, and weren’t looking to upgrade. But as Karen recounted: “We were invited to a lunch/bruncheon for an owner appreciation event, but we had no interest in going. They kept on bothering us to go and even made offers to pick us up. We finally agreed to attend so they would stop!” Such eager beavers at Westgate. Usually, the badgering doesn’t start until you’re in the sales presentation. “During this presentation in Vegas we were besieged with promises of the benefits we would receive if we agreed to become VIP members.” See? “Our efforts to leave and expressing our inability to provide a down payment fell on deaf ears and in turn we were conveniently provided approved credit and reduced payments from Westgate.” “This 1-hour presentation lasted 5 hours with us walking out mentally and physically drained, with a new mortgage and VIP status.” Five hours! Karen and Philip might have appreciated those hours in Vegas – even if spent in a timeshare presentation – if they had known what would happen after they “upgraded.” “I specifically told them when we purchased that I wanted to stay at Flamingo Bay when I came back. [The agent] said it was no problem…but they weren’t ever available!” “The few times I have tried to book were either not available or did not coincide with the dates of our travel plans which would have required us to pay extra fees.” “It has become quite clear we are victims of an orchestrated sales ploy which in the end would only increase in the added cost to use yearly for something we have not used.” “The only way I could possibly book at Flamingo Bay was by booking OUTSIDE of the owner website. What sense does that make??” Well, it makes a lot of sense to someone like David Siegel, the President and CEO of Westgate. He pockets money from people like Karen and Philip who pay for time they cannot use. THEN he makes even more money by renting timeshares that owners can’t use to anyone who books online. It’s not fair to owners. And we should let David Siegel know. Let’s email him at david_siegel@wgresorts.com Let’s also let Jason Gamel know. He’s the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the trade association for timeshare companies. Westgate is one of ARDA’s most influential members. Let’s email Jason at jgamel@arda.org and see if he approves of the way Westgate makes it harder – and more costly – for owners to use the timeshare they bought. Wonder whether the people who run your timeshare do the same thing? Use this list of ARDA VIPs to find out. And if there’s something that doesn’t make sense to you – but makes dollars and cents for your timeshare company – let US know at info@timesharefacts.com PS: Follow us on social media. Twitter Facebook Instagram |
