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Re: Fairmont Rancho Banderas Time Share Fraud (by David A.):

We now believe that ANY dealing with Rancho Banderas currently involves total fraud and disregard for owner's rights. They of course benefit from taking back all the units for lapse of annual dues payments, since they just rent out the space as "hotel" space, a much more lucrative business model. We also were early buyers (1999) of 1200 points, and as in my post above, have had ours on the market more than a year, and for several months for minus $50.00 per each 600 point contract, (yes, we would actually pay someone $50.00 per contract to take it off our hands and agree to keep up the maintenance fees) but have had 0 offers!!

Of course the new scheme to defraud involves Marival or other resorts offering to "buy" your Rancho timeshare in exchange for your buying a timeshare with Marival or other resort. What happens is that you then have to pay a third party to sell your Rancho resort, but there is never a real sale where the buyer agrees to continue maintenance fees, so Rancho just continues to bill you for the annual fees until you give up, and then they have the unit(s) back for free!!

Quite the racket, with little apparent fear of legal consequences, since we would have to interact with local lawyers eventually, etc. etc.--

My advice is to just stay out of Mexico at this time, for lots of reasons.

Dave Anderson, Prineville, Oregon