[2008] destination paradise

I went to a presentation today you pay 8k +250 then pay 150 a year for mantenance and you get 3 weeks a year for about 500 a week . Any experience with this?

Doesn't sound legitimate based on those metrics.

Destination Paradise,

My experience with them has been great. Just had 2weeks in Greece that went off without a hitch did pay 1400 but well worth it

This sounds like a scam to me.

Where are the links? Nevermind, I really don't want any details.

swami242 said:

My experience with them has been great. Just had 2weeks in Greece that went off without a hitch did pay 1400 but well worth it

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wow.... one whole post...... PLANT!

Destination Paradise

If it walks like a vacation club, squawks or quacks like a vacation club....etc.

They are BOGUS. Run away fast.

Vacation Club?

I don’t know if it's a vacation club but I got to stay in the same timeshare resort I own for $299 no tax. With my timeshare for the same 7 nights I pay $770 maintenance fee, 80 RCI fee, $14 per day room tax plus $124 or $199 exchange fee if I go anyplace else. Way cheaper than buying another timeshare week. So far so good here?

Here is an interesting review about this company: http://ripoffreport.com/reports/0/395/RipOff0395453.htm

Gee, two first time posters to the same thread about an obscure company - what are the odds of that happening???

Find somewhere else to shill your goods please.

thats funny......

I just bought last week at the preview center and hope I didnt get scammed, I have done alot of timeshare presentations, but this one sounds great.

I will have to say this..... swami is the poster who said he was happy with his experience..... the guy who pulled us off the street was nicknamed swami and his real name he told us was "bob".....damn, thats funny, but also fishy!

My experience with Destination Paradise

My family was in Waikiki over X-mas and my wife and I attended the DP presentation because we were given 50% off tickets to the Polynesian Cultural Center.

What I will write is my experience with DP and my impression about the company. Remember, your mileage may vary. You have to make your own decision with regards to the legitimacy of the program and whether it is right for you.

The presentation : DP tried hard to differentiate itself from a timeshare. The presentation itself was in reverse order of a typical timeshare. They presented the price first and then they get you excited about the program. To wrap it up, they lowered the price if you sign NOW and they threw in 2 free airline tickets and a free week condo if you're the first 2 to sign up.

The decision : We liked the information presented. Before we signed on the doted line, we insisted on looking at their reservation website first (a highly recommended move). DP obliged but they drove the very short website test.

The awakening : The evening after we signed the deal, when the kids were quietly in bed, I read all the paperwork. I did not like what I read as some of the information presented was inconsistent with the agreement. As I replayed the events at the DP office, I became more unhappy with the program.

The straws that broke the camel's back : Why was I displeased with the program?
1. We asked the salesperson and the closer if reservations made through their system can be canceled. This is very important when traveling with children. The salesperson said "Yes" and the closer said "You can also buy travel insurance." The agreement stated that all reservations are final and cannot be canceled for any reason.
2. We had to sign and initial many places in the office, including one on financing. I was very very very unhappy when the closer said that he applied for a BOA credit card on my behalf and the entire amount of the purchase was charged to it. Although, one of the forms we signed must have authorized them to do so, I felt that they should have been more explicit about their financing plan. I happen to be a person who have enough credit cards and do not want any more no matter how attractive the reward may be (free miles, etc.) I told the closer to void the charge there and then and used my own credit card instead. I had to cancel the cc myself later on.
3. Unlike timeshares where you get a deed, for your money DP essentially entitles you a software license. I admit I do not know what inventory system their software uses, but is their software license worth thousands of dollars plus yearly fees? I wonder if their inventory is any better than those used by priceline, hotwire, skyauction, hotel.com, and the numerous timeshare rental websites.
4. Remember I asked for a website test drive. The closer who demoed, chose my state. There were a few pages of availability but I only saw the first page; I asked to see other pages but he changed the subject. All the pages shown on the first page were of condos in a vacation destination over 100 miles from a big city.

The remedy - Since we were still in Waikiki, I decided to walk to their office the next morning and void the purchase. The first reason alone is sufficient for me to back off of the deal, so that is what I told them. I also mentioned reason 2 and that I really do not believe what else I can trust from the presentation. They attributed the incorrect cancellation info to the new salesperson and they made several attempts to sweeten the offer DRASTICALLY. Our minds were made up and the answer were instant "no" at each of the offer.

The end - They finally agreed to cancel the membership but said that the $250 is nonrefundable. If I had changed my mind through no fault of DP, forgoing the doc fees was fine with me. But since there was misinformation involved, I told DP that if the $250 was withheld, I would dispute my cc charge. BTW, I had mentioned "presentation information inconsistent with the agreement" in my cancellation letter. I am happy to report that when we returned from Oahu, there was a DP letter waiting for me stating that the full amount will be refunded to me. I checked my cc account yesterday and the full amount was indeed refunded. Happy conclusion.

The lessons -
1. Read your docs immediately and very soon.
2. Insist on a test drive of the system and insist on driving yourself and take as much time as you need. Make sure it is a live system and do not skim on the details like location and dates. Best of all, try a scenario like your next dream vacation and make sure the locations available is where you really want to be visiting.
3. If you want to cancel, cancel in person while you're on location.
4. If something is too good to be true, quaff 3 cups of triple latte and read the agreement word by word to make sure that that something is still indeed true.

Throughout the entire ordeal, I felt that DP was polite.

Destination Paradise

Hello,

My Experince: My husband and I went to Hawaii in November for our honeymoon. We were walking around and someone stopped us at a booth to get discounts on snorkeling. We ended up tricked into what looked like a timeshare presentation. We owned in Mexico not too long ago and were not happy with it at all so needless to say we were not interested.

After talking with the sales person and seeing the presentation it sounded really good. My husband being in sales was not buying anything. After getting on the website and seeing one location my husband was sold. Marival Vacation Club in Nuevo Vallarta was what we had owned. It cost $24,000 for a week every other year for 99 years plus $850 every other year. We felt like it would be good because we could trade it and my son would get to use it too. Being it Texas we could fly to Mexico cheap so it was worth it. Anyways before we left Mexico we decided not to do it because of the up front cost. We canceled without a hitch. Now we were looking at being able to go there 4 times a year for $349.00 a week. I did not believe it could be that easy but after spend about an hour with the manager we were both sold.

THE TRIP: We used one of our 4 weeks already in Mexico. Not at Marival but at Casitas at El Dorado Royale. We went to the Destinations Paradise website with the intension of booking at Marival. After looking at almost every place in P V. we found the best one and booked it. I will say we were a little scared we were going to show up in mexico and find our we were scamed. Well it worked great and we stayed in Mexico at a place that was normally $400 per night for the suite we got.

REGRETS: When I was there I was shown a 2 week program for about 5K and I wish I would have saved the $2,000 and done that. I dont think I will be able to take 4 vacations a year with my husbands work.

Bottom Line: For us the bottom line is we get to go places cheaper. The place was nice and we were happy. Of course i have to say this is only one week out of hopefully a lot more. We will come back and post any other places we go with the program.

Has anyone else actually taken a trip using the program?
I have seen places on the website that do not look as good as others. So we will be very selective in the places we choose. If anyone could tell me of experinces at different locations it would be nice..

If anyone has any questions for me I would be happy to talk.

Stef-

5 out of the 12 posts in this thread are from 1st timers, all but one of them highly recommending this product....It's just one of those things that makes you go "Hmmmmmm....."

Caveat emptor....

I googled for destination paradise but came up with several different type of web sites. Is it an MLM type of company which is a ponzi scheme too.

There are so many schemses out there today so be very careful. It's so easy to buy or join anything immediately but getting rid of it, once you own it, is very hard and annoying so be very careful and hold on to your wallet!

Can the people, who are so pleased with whatever they have, give us a web site where we can read what you bought or joined.

iconnections said:

Can the people, who are so pleased with whatever they have, give us a web site where we can read what you bought or joined.

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the website is www.destinationparadisehawaii.com

You have to join the program in order to access it though.

Its not a ponzi scheme,

My husband said that basically what it is

1. They found condos that are not being used by the timeshare owner or that were "traded."

2. You pay them money ($7,000) to access these condos.

3. Then you pay a fee to the resort to stay in the resort.

4. You choose from the website which they say is "real time"

5. One good thing I think is the fact that my only annual fee is $150.00.

6. If I no longer want the service I stop paying the $150.00.

I personally think timeshare is a rip-off, give a company $20,000 or more and then pay $1000 when I want to go? Isn't that what the $20k was for.

Stef-

stefanie19 said:

the website is www.destinationparadisehawaii.com

You have to join the program in order to access it though.

Its not a ponzi scheme,

My husband said that basically what it is

1. They found condos that are not being used by the timeshare owner or that were "traded."

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This may have been explained to you this way, but there aren't lost condos laying around out there. They are deeded property that belong to someone, so this needs more explanation.

If they are renting excess deposits from the timeshare companies, that means they are renting the leftovers that no timeshares owners wanted.

2. You pay them money ($7,000) to access these condos.

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You can join RCI or II and rent their excess inventory for a lot less than this. It only costs $89 a year to be a II member, and there is no ($7,000) upfront membership fee.

3. Then you pay a fee to the resort to stay in the resort.

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How much do you pay to the resort?

5. One good thing I think is the fact that my only annual fee is $150.00.

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Not really, since you already stated that you have to pay a fee to the resort every time, as well.

6. If I no longer want the service I stop paying the $150.00.

I personally think timeshare is a rip-off, give a company $20,000 or more and then pay $1000 when I want to go? Isn't that what the $20k was for.

Stef-

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Yes, there are some $20K timeshares, and some that cost a lot more. But I just bought an ocean FRONT timeshare in Hawaii for a grand total of $98. Yes, I have to pay maintenance fees, but I get a deed for my money, and a guaranteed high quality vacation every year, that I can reserve whenever I want.

I wish you well, but my guess is that once the company has collected $7,000 from enough people, they will be history.

Please let us know how it goes when you actually book a trip.

Good luck!

Got Some New Info!

Hello,
I called my sales person because of all the comments on here to get more info and really for a little more assance. He was kind of short with me this time, and said this is what it comes down to. (according to him)

They are a registered travel club with the state of hawaii and have a good rating with BBB. They said that timeshare owners are the easiest customers to get to buy this because they see the value.

The timershare owner that don't buy it hate it because they get offended that it is cheaper and works better.

I will say that this is not for everyone and I think a timeshare "for a grand total of $98 sounds more like a scam then this. Just kidding

Please tell me how to buy a timeshare that cheap and i will.

What are the maintanace fees? What is the resort you own? And who did you buy it from?

You guys have to understand that we used it and it worked. So I have to be partial to it because of that.

Let me ask you guys this. If everything they say is true and we do get to stay in really nice resort all over the world for between $199-$799 is that a good deal?

Please just answer that for me.

Thanks Guys,
Stef-

Stef - I really did buy a timeshare on ebay a couple of weeks ago for $98. Start reading post #48 in this thread to see the evidence. Here are pictures from the resort from our vacation last summer. We already own 2 weeks there, so we've already stayed there. The MF is about $900 a year - Avg. for Hawaii, a little high for mainland timeshares. It is ocean front, on Kauai, next to the Kauai Hilton.

As far as whether your deal is good or not, this is what I would be concerned about:

1. How long has this company been in business? - What's their track record?

2. What's the quality of the condos they are renting?

3. How difficult is it to get the exact week and resort you want?

These vacation clubs are infamous for having problems in these areas.

I wish you well!

stefanie19 said:

Hello,
I called my sales person because of all the comments on here to get more info and really for a little more assance. He was kind of short with me this time, and said this is what it comes down to. (according to him)

They are a registered travel club with the state of hawaii and have a good rating with BBB. They said that timeshare owners are the easiest customers to get to buy this because they see the value.

The timershare owner that don't buy it hate it because they get offended that it is cheaper and works better.

I will say that this is not for everyone and I think a timeshare "for a grand total of $98 sounds more like a scam then this. Just kidding

Please tell me how to buy a timeshare that cheap and i will.

What are the maintanace fees? What is the resort you own? And who did you buy it from?

You guys have to understand that we used it and it worked. So I have to be partial to it because of that.

Let me ask you guys this. If everything they say is true and we do get to stay in really nice resort all over the world for between $199-$799 is that a good deal?

Please just answer that for me.

Thanks Guys,
Stef-

Click to expand...

Stef is obviously not a shill. What worries me though is that the salesman no longer has patience with her after she has bought so I hope it is not a scam and she will not lose her $7,000 eventually.

The company belongs to the BBB but can she verify that? We can't even access the web site which is strange. Most web sites have an "about us" page but not here.

There are so many scams out there and new ones popping up every day. I hope for Stef and the others that it is OK and they can continue their vacations.

DeniseM said:

1. How long has this company been in business? - What's their track record?They have been in business for 17 years.

2. What's the quality of the condos they are renting? Wyhndam, Marriot, Shell, and a lot of private small named condos. All very nice I must say.

3. How difficult is it to get the exact week and resort you want? That may be the only catch. Not every resort will have every week there. But there is always something nice at all location on every week.

These vacation clubs are infamous for having problems in these areas.

I wish you well!

Click to expand...

Thank you guys for making me asked the hard questions.

P.S. my husband still thinks it is good.

Checking out if DP is any good

stefanie19, would you be willing to run some test to help us determine if DP is of any value? Perhaps DP is the next big thing in the travel industry and we're just too paranoid (and for good reason for the $$$ involved and lack of historical data).

Test 1:

Check DP for condo availability in the Washington DC metro area from 1/17 to 1/20? I would be impressed if you find any. Ok, ok, this is not a fair test. :rofl:

Test 2:

Check DP for condo availability in Washington state a week in the summer, say 7/11-7/18. How may places are in Seattle? How many places are in the San Juan Islands? How many places are there in WA overall? Although there many cool places in WA, if I were an out of state or country visitor visiting WA (not visiting relatives), I would probably be interested in Seattle and perhaps the San Juan Islands.

When we test drove the DP site during my presentation, about 5 pages of availabilities showed up, and all the places on the first page were in Lake Chelan. Although Lake Chelan is a fine place for boating, swimming, etc., I suspect it would not be a first destination of choice for a visitor.

Although DP claimed to be in biz for 17 years, the first 7 or so years were spent on software development prior to making their site live.

Thank you.

Hey SurferDude!

I just checked and there were a total of 781 and these were all the places for that week.

Blaine, Chelen, Copalis, Beach, Glacier, Manson, Ocean Shores, Port Townsend, Seattle, Union.

I looked into some of the places and every single one looks like a nice place. You got me looking into to making to trip up there. Thanks!

Stef

Thanks

Of all the places you listed, if I were to take a week off and fly in to visit WA, Seattle is probably the only logical destination for a typical visitor. The other places would be fine for visitors driving in from neighboring states.

Seattle covers about 92 sq miles, and most visitors would probably want to stay in the downtown area. It would be interesting to find out how many condos on the DP availability list actually is in Seattle downtown.

First Time Poster

Hi Everyone,

First time posting (ever!) My Husband and went to Waikiki for our honeymoon and bought into the whole Destination Paradise Scam. I have started doing a lot of research and have found A LOT of people that are in the same boat. I have file a complaint with the BBB of Hawaii and would like to get the names, contact info and stories of others that are in the same situation. Please contact me in any way that you would like to. We are having an extremely hard time trying to cancel, and it is (sigh) ruining our credit.

My email address would probably be the easiest, it is a.venegas@yahoo.com

Thank you
Ana

Could be, probably isn't....

Treat this company as a black box – you have no idea what it’s doing behind the scenes.

Maintenance fees are the base rate they can charge. I’m going to guess that for a 2BR fractional use condo (timeshare, fractional) the MF is $750 a year. So that would be a break-even price to charge.

For a 1BR $600 and for a studio $450.

No company can offer rentals for less than this unless they are RCI or II or some exchange company where the MF has no bearing. If this company gets into exchanging then the above rates are meaningless and exchange fees become the lowest rate charge. Let’s just guess $125 per villa plus a membership fee.