Timeshare Companies

Diamond Resorts reduces owner benefits again!

Feb 02, 2014

I receive a notice of annual meeting, a ballot to elect the board and minutes of that meeting from Grand Beach, where I own. I have always assumed that was what I was supposed to get. I do not receive anything additional from DRI.


Annette R.
Feb 27, 2014

If you live in California, the CLUB is not legally allowed to do business in the State. License forfeited. All other concerns/problems should be reported the the Attorney General's Office through the Public Inquiry Unit. There is an on-line form that can be filled out and sent electronically or mailed in. I assume there are similar consumer protection divisions in other states for reporting DRI's abuses. This is the only was to stimulate some interest from law-makers regarding regulating timeshare companies that operate the way Diamond Resorts International does.


Susan I.
Mar 06, 2014

I had it with these lying bastards ... I am no longer Going to pay into this scam ... I owe 14000 dollars But I don't care I will not pay for lots of money and get nothing In return ... I have to abide by the contract while Diamond resort Can change the contract ... Sad that they can ruin my great credit After they breached the contract .. I hope they go bankrupt


Domenick E.
Mar 06, 2014

domenicke wrote:
I had it with these lying bastards ... I am no longer Going to pay into this scam ... I owe 14000 dollars But I don't care I will not pay for lots of money and get nothing In return ... I have to abide by the contract while Diamond resort Can change the contract ... Sad that they can ruin my great credit After they breached the contract .. I hope they go bankrupt

You can challenge any act to hurt your credit, you can also challenge them publicly, as well as take them to "small claims court" where they are not allowed to bring a lawyer, and have to defend there actions.. They are like drug addicts, they are addicted to your money, if you and the hundreds of others who have been lied to just walk away, they will begin to feel the squeeze... We walked away leaving our 56,000 $$ investment paid for, we refused to continue paying over $325 per day maintenance... This is as much a Ponzi scheme as any others, selling air... Of course all of this is my opinion, as DRI love to threaten people who complain


Michael D.
Mar 06, 2014

michaeld414 wrote:
domenicke wrote:
I had it with these lying bastards ... I am no longer Going to pay into this scam ... I owe 14000 dollars But I don't care I will not pay for lots of money and get nothing In return ... I have to abide by the contract while Diamond resort Can change the contract ... Sad that they can ruin my great credit After they breached the contract .. I hope they go bankrupt

You can challenge any act to hurt your credit, you can also challenge them publicly, as well as take them to "small claims court" where they are not allowed to bring a lawyer, and have to defend there actions.. They are like drug addicts, they are addicted to your money, if you and the hundreds of others who have been lied to just walk away, they will begin to feel the squeeze... We walked away leaving our 56,000 $$ investment paid for, we refused to continue paying over $325 per day maintenance... This is as much a Ponzi scheme as any others, selling air... Of course all of this is my opinion, as DRI love to threaten people who complain

Have you or anyone you know taken DRI to Small Claims?


Susan I.
Mar 09, 2014

DRI needs more reviews on Yelp: http://www.yelp.ca/biz/diamond-resorts-sedona


Robert R.
Apr 18, 2014

No company I know would allow control of their board to a vendor, yet that is how the board of the US Collection is comprised.

How can the board, whose prime duty is to select the management company ever going to consider anyone other than DRI as the management company when three of the five board members are DRI employees?


Bob H.
Apr 18, 2014

I am an owner at Polo Towers and thankfully stopped the paperwork within 5 days after I bought into the Diamond Resorts group. I am not happy with Polo's fees or how the bar got takes to use for sales presentations.

My reply to your message is that WorldMark timeshares that I also own is not a scam like Diamond. I am very happy with the debt free group.


Annette J.
May 31, 2014

I too was taken advantage of by DRI. I bought an ILX resort in Sedona, AZ. The MFs were reasonable, IMO. As soon as DRI bought it, the fees skyrocketed. I have just started a FB page so that maybe we can all band together in one place & get something done about this. I have a question for everyone. Was anyone given the option to opt out of DRI or to sell back your timeshare when they took over? I feel like I signed a contract with ILX, not DRI & shouldn't be held to DRI's horrible policies. Maybe I'm just being naive. Btw, my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/angryaboutdiamondresorts

Please like the page & share it with anyone else you know that is unhappy with DRI


Andrea H.
Jun 23, 2014

I want to sincerly thank you for your public service of posting your issues here about Diamond Int'l. I have read EVERY SINGLE ONE and have followed all the links and outside stories. I recently purchased into Diamond, came home and did my research. Because of your first-hand accounts I have canceled within 24 hours of the 7 Day Cancellation Period! I want you all to know that you HAVE FOUGHT BACK and are being heard! I especially want to thank MichaelD for his posts ( I am so sorry you had to lose $55k! Filing a lawsuit and requesting discovery is not expensive, btw--let me know and I will help you be Pro per-represent yourself--after discovery you can get atty for free to represent that class but hurry due to statute of limitations!) and others who have explained the risks. My wife and I discussed at length the difference between the sales pitch and actual escrow discussion and the actual contract. We have NO GUARANTEE that assessments could be controlled, or properties available. We saw that we could rent the same properties at hotel.com for less than the CURRENT (new!) assessments. We will potentially look into marriots, or even rent from timeshare owners (not an option with a point system- public listings are prohibited in contract- so contact me if you want to rent a week). Again, thank you! (BTW, I too think "Charles" is DRI plant)


Ca L.
Jun 23, 2014

westw wrote:
I want to sincerly thank you for your public service of posting your issues here about Diamond Int'l. I have read EVERY SINGLE ONE and have followed all the links and outside stories. I recently purchased into Diamond, came home and did my research. Because of your first-hand accounts I have canceled within 24 hours of the 7 Day Cancellation Period! I want you all to know that you HAVE FOUGHT BACK and are being heard! I especially want to thank MichaelD for his posts ( I am so sorry you had to lose $55k! Filing a lawsuit and requesting discovery is not expensive, btw--let me know and I will help you be Pro per-represent yourself--after discovery you can get atty for free to represent that class but hurry due to statute of limitations!) and others who have explained the risks. My wife and I discussed at length the difference between the sales pitch and actual escrow discussion and the actual contract. We have NO GUARANTEE that assessments could be controlled, or properties available. We saw that we could rent the same properties at hotel.com for less than the CURRENT (new!) assessments. We will potentially look into marriots, or even rent from timeshare owners (not an option with a point system- public listings are prohibited in contract- so contact me if you want to rent a week). Again, thank you! (BTW, I too think "Charles" is DRI plant)

Hello, your local DRI plant here. :-) Amazing that because you don't disagree with others' view or don't have the same experiences that are negative that you have to be a plant or something. Anyhow....

I own Marriott as well. When Marriott went to the points system, I read almost all of the same complaints that I read about DRI as it pertains to their system. Weeks owners with Marriott say it is a Ponzi scheme, etc. In fact, there is a class action suit filed against Marriott by a weeks owner stating that his timeshare has been devalued since Marriott went to the points system. When you are dealing with lots of people, there are going to be varying opinions.

DRI does rent their units cheaper than maintenance fees in certain places. This usually depends on the time of year and the location. I see weeks owners renting their units out for less than maintenance fees as well. It's all about supply and demand. I don't think weeks owners at Hawaii resorts want to rent their units for less than maintenance fees, but we all would rather recover some costs as opposed to nothing at all. I believe DRI does the same thing. However, I know that they also do this to generate sales.

I would again like to invite you all to our Facebook page for Diamond Resorts Members. We now have over 2000 owners on our page and we discuss issues positive and negative. We have DRI owners from all over the world as members. Some are happy and some are not. We have enough people on our site now that DRI reads it and we have been able to get some changes in the system. I know some of you think I am a plant, but I am a knowledgeable one. :-) Come to our site and learn how to maximize your membership and unite with us to bring about change in the DRI system. There is strength in numbers.


Charles S.
Jun 24, 2014

I bought with ILX as well and now own Diamond. I have posted my points for resale here. There was no option of giving your points back when Diamond took over. It specifically was not allowed. They will not accept points back. Period. Even when I joined the Club to expand my resort options, Diamond still limited me, specifically not allowing me to exchange into Hawaii (lots of other places too but Hawaii was what I cared about). Even joining the Club I had a restricted membership. I was able to complain often enough that they finally cancelled my club membership, so now I am restricted to the original ILX resorts. The good thing about that is that I can honestly sell my points (or give away really), knowing what resorts are options and what the maintenance fees are. Diamond would not have allowed me to transfer my Club membership anyway.

It is true that all timeshare companies have issues. I have loved my Shell one, but it is in Hawaii, so it gets constant use. Shell was just purchased by Wyndham in the last year, so I will see what changes come with that.


Beth M.
Jun 24, 2014

Really, until and unless DRI roles back their maintenance fees to a rate that is within industry standards they will be unable to recapture any good will from their members. A satisfied customer will speak about the company to a few people but a dissatisfied customer will speak to many, many more. Which is why of course, DRI has a gag order attached to their termination document. The word does seem to be out about them more than before.


Susan A.
Jun 25, 2014

susana277 wrote:
Really, until and unless DRI roles back their maintenance fees to a rate that is within industry standards they will be unable to recapture any good will from their members. A satisfied customer will speak about the company to a few people but a dissatisfied customer will speak to many, many more. Which is why of course, DRI has a gag order attached to their termination document. The word does seem to be out about them more than before.

If anyone expects DRI to change, you live in Fairy Land... In my opinion DRI is an ongoing criminal fraud enterprise, like the Mafia or the Drug Cartels minus the violence, but criminal none the less... They will do and say anything they can to get your money... Yes, those who have been defrauded will speak loudly and often about their experiences, and DRI will threaten anyone who dares speak up, but they do not want to give credibility to any former member by actually taking them to court as that brings attention to their manner of business... Contrary to some opinions going to court alone as one party is expensive and time consuming, the COPP group had a great suit filed but settled out of court and betrayed all of its members by doing so... They never forced the case to court and discovery, where DRI was vulnerable to having to open their books... In my opinion any Vacation Timeshare is a fraud if they use the points system as opposed to the old system of units X weeks, points is like selling air, that is why they have adopted this business model


Michael D.
Jun 25, 2014

The old system was a fraud as well. Most of us were told what a great "investment" we were getting during those high-pressure sales presentations. False information about resale value was also given. In my case they told the truth about the units at my resort being almost sold out, but once they were actually sold out the developers just started selling "memberships" in some sort of "vacation club", which was essentially the same thing but without a deed. As I've said before, the people in this business are the lowest form of slime to share the planet with us. They should all be rotting in prison.


David K.
Jun 25, 2014

charless345 wrote:
westw wrote:
I want to sincerly thank you for your public service of posting your issues here about Diamond Int'l. I have read EVERY SINGLE ONE and have followed all the links and outside stories. I recently purchased into Diamond, came home and did my research. Because of your first-hand accounts I have canceled within 24 hours of the 7 Day Cancellation Period! I want you all to know that you HAVE FOUGHT BACK and are being heard! I especially want to thank MichaelD for his posts ( I am so sorry you had to lose $55k! Filing a lawsuit and requesting discovery is not expensive, btw--let me know and I will help you be Pro per-represent yourself--after discovery you can get atty for free to represent that class but hurry due to statute of limitations!) and others who have explained the risks. My wife and I discussed at length the difference between the sales pitch and actual escrow discussion and the actual contract. We have NO GUARANTEE that assessments could be controlled, or properties available. We saw that we could rent the same properties at hotel.com for less than the CURRENT (new!) assessments. We will potentially look into marriots, or even rent from timeshare owners (not an option with a point system- public listings are prohibited in contract- so contact me if you want to rent a week). Again, thank you! (BTW, I too think "Charles" is DRI plant)

Hello, your local DRI plant here. :-) Amazing that because you don't disagree with others' view or don't have the same experiences that are negative that you have to be a plant or something. Anyhow....

I own Marriott as well. When Marriott went to the points system, I read almost all of the same complaints that I read about DRI as it pertains to their system. Weeks owners with Marriott say it is a Ponzi scheme, etc. In fact, there is a class action suit filed against Marriott by a weeks owner stating that his timeshare has been devalued since Marriott went to the points system. When you are dealing with lots of people, there are going to be varying opinions.

DRI does rent their units cheaper than maintenance fees in certain places. This usually depends on the time of year and the location. I see weeks owners renting their units out for less than maintenance fees as well. It's all about supply and demand. I don't think weeks owners at Hawaii resorts want to rent their units for less than maintenance fees, but we all would rather recover some costs as opposed to nothing at all. I believe DRI does the same thing. However, I know that they also do this to generate sales.

I would again like to invite you all to our Facebook page for Diamond Resorts Members. We now have over 2000 owners on our page and we discuss issues positive and negative. We have DRI owners from all over the world as members. Some are happy and some are not. We have enough people on our site now that DRI reads it and we have been able to get some changes in the system. I know some of you think I am a plant, but I am a knowledgeable one. :-) Come to our site and learn how to maximize your membership and unite with us to bring about change in the DRI system. There is strength in numbers.


Barbara L.
Jun 26, 2014

And MichaelD I heard you, and witnessed your HUGE loss and thus was able to get out within my 7 Day Recission Period. But I must say, that the blame on COPP is not justified. Anyone can file Discovery and Motions to Compel Discovery one a lawsuit has been answered. Did you try to look at the file to see what it is you are looking for? I believe you felt that there was a nondisclosure... time starts once the damage has been discovered--thus you may still have time? If not, a little guy should NEVER claim to be too little to fight the big guys. Most action can be filed and discovery done representating yourself. Should be easy to have verified the roof repair timeline. Members should stick together and not turn on each other.......so personally, I would just mention what you are: 1) selling air; 2) lack of use of expiring points due to noavailability; 3) lack of control over increasing assessments; 4) obligated into perpituary (sp?)..even heirs; 5) unable to resell or give away; 6) differnt policies for different collections (things keep changing--no stability); 7) members have no collaborative/bargaining rights (lack of customer service). Those are enough reasons to run away fast! Did I miss any? Again, thank everyone for this forum to help us newbees who are doing the research! You have managed to get back at them with this public service!

michaeld414 wrote:
susana277 wrote:
Really, until and unless DRI roles back their maintenance fees to a rate that is within industry standards they will be unable to recapture any good will from their members. A satisfied customer will speak about the company to a few people but a dissatisfied customer will speak to many, many more. Which is why of course, DRI has a gag order attached to their termination document. The word does seem to be out about them more than before.

If anyone expects DRI to change, you live in Fairy Land... In my opinion DRI is an ongoing criminal fraud enterprise, like the Mafia or the Drug Cartels minus the violence, but criminal none the less... They will do and say anything they can to get your money... Yes, those who have been defrauded will speak loudly and often about their experiences, and DRI will threaten anyone who dares speak up, but they do not want to give credibility to any former member by actually taking them to court as that brings attention to their manner of business... Contrary to some opinions going to court alone as one party is expensive and time consuming, the COPP group had a great suit filed but settled out of court and betrayed all of its members by doing so... They never forced the case to court and discovery, where DRI was vulnerable to having to open their books... In my opinion any Vacation Timeshare is a fraud if they use the points system as opposed to the old system of units X weeks, points is like selling air, that is why they have adopted this business model


Ca L.
Aug 27, 2014

Paying the maint fees is for the coming year, yes?

When you say you 'walked away from your points', do you mean you paid your maintenance fee and then walked? You did not use any of the points?


Java G.

Last edited by javag on Aug 27, 2014 03:43 PM

Sep 10, 2014

davidk689 wrote:
The old system was a fraud as well. Most of us were told what a great "investment" we were getting during those high-pressure sales presentations. False information about resale value was also given. In my case they told the truth about the units at my resort being almost sold out, but once they were actually sold out the developers just started selling "memberships" in some sort of "vacation club", which was essentially the same thing but without a deed. As I've said before, the people in this business are the lowest form of slime to share the planet with us. They should all be rotting in prison.

Maybe is was fraud in some of those resorts using the old system, but the straight up limit of members was the number of units x 51 with one week for maint. I just saw an ad on this very RED WEEK site yesterday where the Point of Poipu is selling Christmas Week vacations for 211$ per night for Two Bedroom units... I will bet there are members trying to get reservations for the Christmas Holidays and are NOT able to... But DRI is selling those days at less than the Annual Maintenance fee's per day for members who paid 10's of thousands $$ for their membership


Michael D.
Sep 11, 2014

I've owned for something over 10 years. I would like to understand what the person said when they said they walked away from the points.

Also, the points vs the week. I was sold the week and it converted into points. I like points a LOT better. I can go for 2 days instead of a week, which is my norm.

However, it's getting close to the end of the year and if the explanation is to pay for the points and walk away without using them, I need to know. Or what about paying and using half?


Java G.

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