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The Timeshare Hard Sell Comes Roaring Back

MULTIZ321

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ROYAL HOLIDAY CLUB RHC (POINTS)
The Timeshare Hard Sell Comes Roaring Back - by Gretchen Morgenson/ Business Day/ International New York Times/ The New York Times/ nytimes.com

"For more than 25 years, Mary Ann Gutierrez, 77, has spent several weeks a year at on the southern shore of Lake Tahoe, Calif., often playing host to her children and grandchildren at one of two timeshare units she owns.

When she checked into one of the properties last year, she was stopped at the front desk. A $100 gift card would be hers if she attended a presentation by Diamond Resorts International, the company that owns the resort. But first she had to fill out some papers and supply her credit card information.

The gift card came with a cost, as Ms. Gutierrez soon learned. For five hours, she said, Diamond representatives pushed her to give up both of her timeshare deeds, including one at the nearby Tahoe Beach & Ski Club, a resort that Diamond does not own. With the upgrade and membership in Diamond’s ownership points system, they said, she would keep her maintenance costs low and could use her points at other resorts in the company’s network. It would cost just $30,000 upfront, they said..."

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The Tahoe Beach & Ski Club, a timeshare resort on Lake Tahoe, Calif. Credit Grand Pacific Resorts

I'm not sure the hard sell ever went away.


Richard
 

FLDVCFamily

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The part where they handed her a voided charge card slip for nearly 5K that they charged w/o her permission had me :eek::eek::eek: That's pretty bad even for timeshare weasels.
 

dominidude

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I didnt know about Diamond Resort International (DRI)'s shenanigans. I'm glad I read about in this article, now I feel I'm much more informed.
 

pedro47

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Thanks to everyone for sharing this information. The Internet can spread the message faster and to more consumers than any other media.
 
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