I WOUL LIKE TO SELL MY TIMESHARES. DO YOU KNOW WHAT I HAVEW TO DO ? OR TO WHOM I HAVE TO BE RELATIONED WITH ?

BEST REGARDS,

SARA OLIVERI
ELIGIO’ VIAGGI

+39 340 99 56 997

————
Oh my god, it’s even worse than I thought as I was writing up my contract evaluation below.

The timeshare units have never even been built and they have just been buying rooms from the Hotel like any other travel agent! Heck, one year I even paid a fee to an agent they recommended to “rent out” our timeshare week. Luckily I refused to pay another annual fee to try to rent it after the 1st year of not being successful in renting it!

If anyone ever gets the email or address of someone who can do something about this, please let me know!

I’ve written all the names at the top in the hopes this can get found by google searches better.

~Bill
billspurchases@gmail.com

————–
1) THE PROBLEM
a) All web information indicates that they have structured this change so your 2000-2004 prior purchase agreement is unenforceable even though it appears it is still owned by the same people.
b) The new contract email offer is advertised as “$950 for a new contract with similar terms”, but when you read the details you are on the hook for more than the $950 due with your signed contact and the terms are not the same.
2) OBVIOUS CONTRACT CHANGES
a) Our original $21,248 purchase contract was for a Hotel Unit Gold-Week with $0 annual fee if we stayed at the resort and a small fee if we traded it on RCI or similar. We owed absolutely nothing if we didn’t use it that year. Now for the same hotel unit, we owe a $500 maintenance fee per year, whether we use it or not.
b) The all-inclusive rates are daily, not weekly, and much higher than previous.
c) While the new purchase agreement is for 5 years with up to 5 renewals until your original 30 years expires (which sounds reasonable) on the surface.
3) HIDDEN CONTRACT COSTS
a) Due to the 5-year contract term, I was concerned that the $950 might need paid again every 5 years at the time of renewal, but I think it is worse. I believe the $950 management fee will be due every year in addition to the maintenance fee! Here’s why:
i) The membership type is listed as “Annual”.
ii) The $950 is a management fee. They list in the contract as covering “Office expenses and stationery US$ 100.00, Integration System US$ 200.00, Incentive Fee US$ 200.00, Hotel compensation US$ 200.00, Legal fee US$ 250.00”.
iii) The maintenance fee and management fee are both conditioned to Exhibit-1 (which they provided) and to specific sections of the “Rules and Regulations” which they did not provide.
iv) The contract and Exhibit-1 both refer to “office” as an annual expense. Exibit-1 #24 “Costs Determination” allows for the costs to be determined for the first and annual years
v) If the management fee was one-time, why would it need to be conditioned on “cost determination” every year?
b) Your new contract is a new Purchase Agreement. There is a new “closing fee” of $1,499 and the “Total purchase” is exactly that amount higher than your “initial deposit in cash” that you paid back when you bought it the first time. While they don’t ask for it at signing, you are on the hook. I’m not sure, but if at the time of the 5-year renewal you are required to sign a new purchase agreement, you might also be on the hook for an additional closing cost fee.
4) CAN I TRUST THEM?
a) While they go to great lengths to give you the impression that they have done things to protect you going forward, since I believe this is really the same people, I think that’s all bull and there is probably nothing to protect an owner from them doing this to us again. Heck, they even have the same club manager in place!
5) DO THEY CARE IF I “RENEW” with a whole new replacement contract?
a) NO! They win either way.
b) If you renew, they have you on a better terms with hidden fees. If they need to, they can close the club again, reopen under another name with a new purchase agreement, and charge you a closing fee! Heck, it’s Mexico!
c) If you don’t renew, they are completely clear to sell your week to another unsuspecting sucker! This is supported by the web report on Jan 6, 2011 of the hotel once again enlisting a sales team to sell timeshares. Kind of coincidental that I received a new offer on Jan 8, 2011.
6) EVALUATING THE OFFER
a) IF I ignore the trust issue, and IF write off the initial investment as a loss, and IF I ignore the open-endedness to the fee changes, I could still evaluate this offer as a stand-alone decision and here’s how it looks to me.
b) Even if I Even in the best but least likely scenario, I can still get a week for less money on Expedia.
Hotel Unit
1-Week
no meals Prorated Annual Cost Estimate
(without increases)
Per Contract Evaluation per email text
Fee Type Listed Fee Likely Hopeful Not Likely
1-closing / 5-years 1-mgmt /
5-years no closing
Closing Costs $ 1,499 $ 300 $ 300 $ -
Management $ 950 $ 950 $ 190 $ 190.00
Maintenance $ 500 $ 500 $ 500 $ 500.00
TOTAL $ 1,750 $ 990 $ 690

7) IF YOU DO DECIDE TO SIGN NEW AGREEMENT
a) Get a copy of the Rules and Regulations.
b) Take a close look at Sections-2.3, 2.3.1 for confirmation of you future financial obligations.
WHY DID I WRITE THIS?
a) After seeing that others were trying to keep me informed though a web site info from fellow timeshare owners at www.solevacationclub.org (thank you, thank you, thank you!), I felt an obligation to live up to their example. I hope this is helpful to you.
b) In writing this, I guess it also gives me some kind of closure to my wasted Mexican Timeshare Investment.

Sincerely,
Bill
Jan. 9, 2011

We would like to share with you our experience of dispute with Resorts Advantage via mediation of Better Business Bureau (hereafter - BBB).

We sent complaint against Resorts Advantage to BBB regarding unlawfully charged booking fee of $25.00 per week.
After a long correspondence with BBB regarding the above complaint we received their answer. They closed our case as disputed and didn’t make any final decision.

Our attorney believes that reason of such ignorance could be explained by sparsity of complaints against Resorts Advantage. Solitary complaint won’t call for BBB’s attention as it could do a number of them.
We are going to continue our struggle for justice.

Please, share news if anyone of you sent any complaint(s) to BBB against Resorts Advantage.

Sincerely,
Lidiya

It looks like the cost of everything went up (From Maint Fee to the /day all inclusive rate). I also can’t tell if the $950 management fee is a one time or annual expense.

It now looks like I can book a holiday through a travel agent for less cost. I’ve not yet decided whether to walk away or sign.

Really like the resort when I stayed there but have actaully had more luck trading the weeks with RCI.

I’m curious to see how many people decide to sign.

Regards,
Lance

p.s. We assume when the long list of folks trying to sell now (sellmytimeshare.com etc)
have defunct contracts? Also that TC Servicios (based in Costa Rica?) may offer these units for sale in time? Assuming Dreams can rent our units out, why are we responsible for such a high MTF? Do we have any separate living room area between the 2 Bedrooms (your 1BR didn’t show a separate living area–I know we’re giving up the unit they bribed us with flat screens, kitchen, leather furniture–but at least there should be an adjoining Living Rm?)

Thank you for any advise–I’d really like to stay in contact with others who decide the $950 signing is worth it to stay in the game & not lose everything.

Best, Kathryn

Claudia