Report Abuse

We got a letter inviting us to a "personal" consultation to completely and permanently eliminate our maintenance fees. It was hardly personal. The only reason I responded is because the letter appeared to come from our members association. When I called the number on the letter, I asked if they were part of Starwood Vacation Ownership (the letter lead us to believe they were) and they said yes. I also asked if they were trying to sell us something or get rid of our timeshare which I emphatically told them we were not. They told me that SVO was offering this to a few eligible members (ok, how dumb was I?). But I have nothing in writing to support their lies. I had 2 conversations with them, and they lied both times. The only reason we didn't check them out first, is because we didn't have their actual name (at least, the name they're using now). We knew it was a scam right away when we got to the hotel where the program was taking place. First, we NEVER pay for anything in advance. Second, before getting into their sales pitch, we were told the reason time shares aren't selling is that Joe Public can now go on numerous websites and pay anywhere from $100-$200 for a week in a timeshare resort, without having to join a club. I know this to be true, because my parents don't belong to any club and they get a week on the eastern coast, within reasonable driving distance, in a nice condo, for $89/week. Because they pretended to represent my homeowners association, I fully intend to notify my HA of this scam, although they are probably already aware of it. All in all it was a scam, a bit fat lie, and a waste of time. I should send them a bill for time lost and fraud. Will also report them to the FBI but not sure how to do that, and not sure it will do any good. So far as I know, they haven't forged anything yet, and we didn't sign anything, not that that matters. Again, will alert SVO. They'll just re-open as a new company and prey on other honest hard working people. These guys were good. They remembered everyone's name (I'm sure they memorized them first, then put a name to a face). And of course, the speakers had been in the same position 6 years ago (baloney), the main speaker having had 3 timeshare weeks and finally paying $10,000 up front to Timeshare Cure to get out of it and get a "free" membership for the first year. Next time, if there is one - and I'm sure there will be, we'll call SVO first. We love our timeshare, but the fees are getting beyond our affordability. Guess we're not alone. Any ideas on how we can band together to stop this nonsense?