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Re: Can't even give them one star (by Linda L.):

Well, this forum made for a couple of hours of interesting reading. Kudos to Christine and team for all the research and efforts.

We purchased this albatross in the 1990s and within a couple of months we knew we had really stepped in the poo. One of the promises in our sales pitch was that they would waive the first year's maintenance...but a bill showed up anyway. I contacted them directly, explained the situation, even told them it had been written down on the papers they kept during the sales process, but no dice. They claimed they did not have such a paper in our file and we paid.

Our first visit wasn't that bad...although the reality of the building was nowhere near as nice as the pictures we'd been shown....and we weren't prepared for the extra daily fees.

Even though the salesman told us that it had been years since the maintenance fees had increased, I'm sure you all know that turned out to be a lie. Every year they jumped around $100.....on top of the special assessments that they also said hadn't been charged in years. Liars.

We tried everything....writing, calling, BBB, even consulted a lawyer. We tried to donate it...the places we tried to donate it to wouldn't take it. A reputable timeshare reseller told us he could take our money, but it wouldn't sell. I put it on eBay and - holy crap - someone bought it for a few bucks! We took out a $15,000 home equity loan to pay out the balance of the loan, the outstanding maintenance fees, and the $950 transfer fee. It was a sad and expensive lesson on how disreputable and predatory some people can be.

Getting out from under this situation, even at such a cost, was like having the weight of the world off my shoulders. Had I found a group such as this back then, maybe I would have had the courage to put my credit on the line and go to court.

I wish you all the very best of luck.