# [2011] Villa del Palmar, Timeshare Scams,Universal Vacation Club



## UVC Members

This post is primarily directed to Universal Vacation Club members who have 
attended a Villa Group sales presentation for the new Villa Preferred Access 
(points) system. I am soliciting feed back from members who may think they 
received less than forth right and dishonest “sales pitches”. During the 
presentation, you were led to believe this was such a fantastic opportunity, you agreed to purchase and now realize you have basically been scammed. 

In the last six months, I have been contacted by Club members via my website - www.universalvacationclubmembers.com - and other “social media” site postings. These members are advising me they they had been scammed and were fed lies and fraudulent misrepresentations by the Villa Group Developer sales staff. These fraudulent misrepresentations apply equally to “New Sales Presentations” for first time resort guests and also apply to “Update Presentations” for existing Club members. With the advent of the new Villa Preferred Access “VPA” memberships, there has been a push by some of the sales staff to promote the ease of renting your time for exorbitant amounts. The premise is with rentals, you are able to recoup your membership purchase cost or your additional cost to upgrade to VPA.
In addition to renting your regular points/weeks, they represent the VPA 
membership will allow for renting your Preferred Time weeks. The third party 
agencies being pitched are Enterprise Travel International, Phoenix Rental and Resale, Continental Connections and Regal Resales and Rentals. These agencies allegedly provide rental and resale services and do require an upfront “administrative” charge to set up your account. I have never heard of a successful rental or resale from members who contracted with these agencies. 

Another situation with the sales presentations is the developer will represent 
that these agencies could sell your current time share ownership (not UVC 
membership) and you can then apply the sale proceeds against your purchase or upgrade cost. It is represented the sale of your current time share ownership will occur within 90 days to six months and you will again receive an exorbitant sales price. It seems that Enterprise Travel has been the third party agency of choice by the sales staff for at least the last year.

I have worked with several UVC members who were given this “pitch” and the 
members ultimately realized they were scammed in their new purchase or their membership upgrade. Working together we successfully achieved satisfactory resolution with the developer. The new members were refunded their full purchase price with the contract cancelled and existing members who upgraded to VPA were refunded the associated upgrade cost and were reinstated to their previous Premier or Gold memberships. I have also worked with UVC members that were still within the five business day right to rescind and their outcomes were successful. There is no charge for my intervention and assistance. I achieve the ultimate personal satisfaction of turning this back against the developer and putting him on the defensive. 

If you wish to contact me, send a private message via this forum or respond via the "Contact Us" page on my website www.universalvacationclubmembers.com 

Jeff Robbins


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## nazclk

*Agencies of UVC*

You mention that people call them to no avail. Are they really companies, or just names that UVC has pulled out of a hat.


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## navsails

*Villas del Palmar Flamingos*



UVC Members said:


> This post is primarily directed to Universal Vacation Club members who have
> attended a Villa Group sales presentation for the new Villa Preferred Access
> (points) system. I am soliciting feed back from members who may think they
> received less than forth right and dishonest “sales pitches”. During the
> presentation, you were led to believe this was such a fantastic opportunity, you agreed to purchase and now realize you have basically been scammed.
> 
> In the last six months, I have been contacted by Club members via my website - www.universalvacationclubmembers.com - and other “social media” site postings. These members are advising me they they had been scammed and were fed lies and fraudulent misrepresentations by the Villa Group Developer sales staff. These fraudulent misrepresentations apply equally to “New Sales Presentations” for first time resort guests and also apply to “Update Presentations” for existing Club members. With the advent of the new Villa Preferred Access “VPA” memberships, there has been a push by some of the sales staff to promote the ease of renting your time for exorbitant amounts. The premise is with rentals, you are able to recoup your membership purchase cost or your additional cost to upgrade to VPA.
> In addition to renting your regular points/weeks, they represent the VPA
> membership will allow for renting your Preferred Time weeks. The third party
> agencies being pitched are Enterprise Travel International, Phoenix Rental and Resale, Continental Connections and Regal Resales and Rentals. These agencies allegedly provide rental and resale services and do require an upfront “administrative” charge to set up your account. I have never heard of a successful rental or resale from members who contracted with these agencies.
> 
> Another situation with the sales presentations is the developer will represent
> that these agencies could sell your current time share ownership (not UVC
> membership) and you can then apply the sale proceeds against your purchase or upgrade cost. It is represented the sale of your current time share ownership will occur within 90 days to six months and you will again receive an exorbitant sales price. It seems that Enterprise Travel has been the third party agency of choice by the sales staff for at least the last year.
> 
> I have worked with several UVC members who were given this “pitch” and the
> members ultimately realized they were scammed in their new purchase or their membership upgrade. Working together we successfully achieved satisfactory resolution with the developer. The new members were refunded their full purchase price with the contract cancelled and existing members who upgraded to VPA were refunded the associated upgrade cost and were reinstated to their previous Premier or Gold memberships. I have also worked with UVC members that were still within the five business day right to rescind and their outcomes were successful. There is no charge for my intervention and assistance. I achieve the ultimate personal satisfaction of turning this back against the developer and putting him on the defensive.
> 
> If you wish to contact me, send a private message via this forum or respond via the "Contact Us" page on my website www.universalvacationclubmembers.com
> 
> Jeff Robbins



Jeff:
My Father just about to turn 80 just returned from Puerta Vallarta and fell for the "misrepresentations" you have outlined. He paid $8,000.00 plus $785 for "rental" fee with the promises of sale of 5 weeks to recoop his expenses. He realizes now that this was a big mistake and that the lies you have outlined are what has happened to him. please contact me at navsails@aol.com . Please help my dad is really hurting form the deception.


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## pjrose

He should rescind NOW, following the directions in the contract.  

He also should contact his bank or credit card company, whichever the money came from.  

He should write down everything he remembers in terms of times, names, specific promises, etc, and keep details and copies of all correspondence.  Profeco, a Mexican consumer agency, may be able to help; search the Mexico forum for "profeco".


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## navsails

pjrose said:


> He should rescind NOW, following the directions in the contract.
> 
> He also should contact his bank or credit card company, whichever the money came from.
> 
> He should write down everything he remembers in terms of times, names, specific promises, etc, and keep details and copies of all correspondence.  Profeco, a Mexican consumer agency, may be able to help; search the Mexico forum for "profeco".



Thank You! We have done all you have suggested. Rescind can only be done in the first five days. At least that is my understanding.


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## DeniseM

navsails said:


> Thank You! We have done all you have suggested. Rescind can only be done in the first five days. At least that is my understanding.



He can still contact Profeco for help, since he was scammed - Here is  a brochure from Profeco.

They are a legitimate FREE consumer agency in Mexico.  They are slow, but if you are persistent, they can help.


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## navsails

DeniseM said:


> He can still contact Profeco for help, since he was scammed - Here is  a brochure from Profeco.
> 
> They are a legitimate FREE consumer agency in Mexico.  They are slow, but if you are persistent, they can help.



Thank you! :whoopie: Do you have any info on G&G TimeShare Solutions? They contend they can recover and take a fee from any money recovered with no upfront fees.


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## DeniseM

navsails said:


> Thank you! :whoopie: Do you have any info on G&G TimeShare Solutions? They contend they can recover and take a fee from any money recovered with no upfront fees.



They are not well-regarded on TUG, and since they are in Mexico, if you have problems with them, you have no protection under US Law.


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## navsails

navsails said:


> Jeff:
> My Father just about to turn 80 just returned from Puerta Vallarta and fell for the "misrepresentations" you have outlined. He paid $8,000.00 plus $785 for "rental" fee with the promises of sale of 5 weeks to recoop his expenses. He realizes now that this was a big mistake and that the lies you have outlined are what has happened to him. please contact me at navsails@aol.com . Please help my dad is really hurting form the deception.



 Thanks Jeff! My dad is very happy with the conversations you had. Looks like he'll slept a lot better after talking with you. KEEP UP the good fight.
Steve


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## Lloydwa1

*UVC/Jeff Robins Web*

Hey Mr Robbins, We bought into the Villa Group in 2008 and have enjoyed many visits to all of the Villa Resorts. Leaving for Loreto in 2 days. We were scheduled to visit Loreto in Feb but were put in the Hotel Santa Fe because they were not ready for the resort to be occupied.
 The first lie we were told on our original purchase was that they would show our investment as owners of Villa Del Arco. When we got the deed we found that we were shown as owners of Villa Del Palmar. I know about the UVC membership but dissapointed in not being able to reserve time in Arco. We told the salesman that we never plan to stay in Cabo/Palmar. 
Then on every visit we attend the owners update to learn of the latest Villa news and to receive the discount. Every sale person tells the same lies. I have complained to the very nice CEO's at the annual meetings and they seem to be aware of the problem. I wonder if the sales persons wages/commisions require them to tell the stories they all tell. With the advent of the internet, the car salesmen had to retrain themselves. With the great resorts the Villa Group offers and the very good service staff, I have hope that this problem will become a thing of the past. Just like the auto industry. Thanks for posting your web site Jeff. I plan to join on our return. As members we owe it to ourselves to make the developers aware of what they can do to make the resorts what we had hoped we had bought into.
 I'm already missing not being able to attend the annual meeting. I have met very many great Villa managers. I have high hopes for the Villa/UVC ownership.  Lloyd Olbricht


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## UVC Members

*Reply to Lloydwa1*

and a "hey" to you Lloyd.  You made an interesting post and I have added my comments into the body of your post.  Jeff

Hey Mr Robbins, We bought into the Villa Group in 2008 and have enjoyed many visits to all of the Villa Resorts. Leaving for Loreto in 2 days. We were scheduled to visit Loreto in Feb but were put in the Hotel Santa Fe because they were not ready for the resort to be occupied.  I have heard of this several times where UVC members reserved at Loretto but then put up at the Santa Fe.The first lie we were told on our original purchase was that they would show our investment as owners of Villa Del Arco. When we got the deed we found that we were shown as owners of Villa Del Palmar. This is not deeded property but simply a membership into the UVC.I know about the UVC membership but dissapointed in not being able to reserve time in Arco. We told the salesman that we never plan to stay in Cabo/Palmar. As a Gold or VPA member, you are a member of UVC and do not have a designated resort.  The developer will always allocate the unsold inventory from less desireable resorts first and the most desired resorts last.  As a result, the developer has better controls of the del Arco inventory.  As long as members keep surrendering their memberships, these surrendered inventories will be the first to be sold again by the developer.Then on every visit we attend the owners update to learn of the latest Villa news and to receive the discount. Every sale person tells the same lies. I have complained to the very nice CEO's at the annual meetings and they seem to be aware of the problem. They most definitely are aware of the problem but do nothing to discourage the lies.  They realize it cast a cloud over the organization but consider the sales lies as justification for increased sales.  I wonder if the sales persons wages/commisions require them to tell the stories they all tell. With the advent of the internet, the car salesmen had to retrain themselves. With the great resorts the Villa Group offers and the very good service staff, I have hope that this problem will become a thing of the past. Just like the auto industry. Thanks for posting your web site Jeff. I plan to join on our return. As members we owe it to ourselves to make the developers aware of what they can do to make the resorts what we had hoped we had bought into.  Many club members have determined they were scammed and taken.  Feel free to send me a personal message and we can discuss possible options and remedies. I'm already missing not being able to attend the annual meeting. I have met very many great Villa managers. I have high hopes for the Villa/UVC ownership. Lloyd Olbricht


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## DrewJ

*thanks for the info*

Jeff, I have just posted a new thread in the Mexico region area and also emailed you, we just purchased a VPA membership at the end of September and would very much like to speak with you and get some advice.
Thanks,
Drew


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## navsails

navsails said:


> Thanks Jeff! My dad is very happy with the conversations you had. Looks like he'll slept a lot better after talking with you. KEEP UP the good fight.
> Steve



 Just received ltter from Villa Del Palma Flamongos cancelling contract and returned credit to CC. Thank You Jeff Robbins!!!!


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## AZdutchman

navsails said:


> Just received ltter from Villa Del Palma Flamongos cancelling contract and returned credit to CC. Thank You Jeff Robbins!!!!



Jeff has done a lot of good here, and for me as well.  Thanks again Jeff


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## NAKONECHNY

*another victim of Villa group*

Hello Jeff

We are a couple that just bought a studio suite thinking it was from Del Arco in Jan 2 2012. We have been mislead and did try to cancel within 5 days with no success. Shane told us we would loose our down payment. We had bought a much larger package so instead of loosing it all he convinced us grudgingly to take an entry package. Upon arriving at home I tried to book in the Del Arco and the earliest is August. Also many discrepancies as to what we were told and what the booking agency is telling us. In fact my conversation with RCI ended up with them hanging up on me. Any suggestions as to what we can do?

Thanks Deb










UVC Members said:


> This post is primarily directed to Universal Vacation Club members who have
> attended a Villa Group sales presentation for the new Villa Preferred Access
> (points) system. I am soliciting feed back from members who may think they
> received less than forth right and dishonest “sales pitches”. During the
> presentation, you were led to believe this was such a fantastic opportunity, you agreed to purchase and now realize you have basically been scammed.
> 
> In the last six months, I have been contacted by Club members via my website - www.universalvacationclubmembers.com - and other “social media” site postings. These members are advising me they they had been scammed and were fed lies and fraudulent misrepresentations by the Villa Group Developer sales staff. These fraudulent misrepresentations apply equally to “New Sales Presentations” for first time resort guests and also apply to “Update Presentations” for existing Club members. With the advent of the new Villa Preferred Access “VPA” memberships, there has been a push by some of the sales staff to promote the ease of renting your time for exorbitant amounts. The premise is with rentals, you are able to recoup your membership purchase cost or your additional cost to upgrade to VPA.
> In addition to renting your regular points/weeks, they represent the VPA
> membership will allow for renting your Preferred Time weeks. The third party
> agencies being pitched are Enterprise Travel International, Phoenix Rental and Resale, Continental Connections and Regal Resales and Rentals. These agencies allegedly provide rental and resale services and do require an upfront “administrative” charge to set up your account. I have never heard of a successful rental or resale from members who contracted with these agencies.
> 
> Another situation with the sales presentations is the developer will represent
> that these agencies could sell your current time share ownership (not UVC
> membership) and you can then apply the sale proceeds against your purchase or upgrade cost. It is represented the sale of your current time share ownership will occur within 90 days to six months and you will again receive an exorbitant sales price. It seems that Enterprise Travel has been the third party agency of choice by the sales staff for at least the last year.
> 
> I have worked with several UVC members who were given this “pitch” and the
> members ultimately realized they were scammed in their new purchase or their membership upgrade. Working together we successfully achieved satisfactory resolution with the developer. The new members were refunded their full purchase price with the contract cancelled and existing members who upgraded to VPA were refunded the associated upgrade cost and were reinstated to their previous Premier or Gold memberships. I have also worked with UVC members that were still within the five business day right to rescind and their outcomes were successful. There is no charge for my intervention and assistance. I achieve the ultimate personal satisfaction of turning this back against the developer and putting him on the defensive.
> 
> If you wish to contact me, send a private message via this forum or respond via the "Contact Us" page on my website www.universalvacationclubmembers.com
> 
> Jeff Robbins


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## TSCH

*another Villa scam victim*

Jeff,
As with many others, it seems, I was lied to and scammed by the Villa Group into trading in my Marriott timeshare fro what seemed like a good trade in value and purchasing a two bedroom timeshare at Villa del Palmar Flamingos, with the promise of recieving rental income through Enterprise Travel International which would quickly make up and well exceed the purchase price.
I went through all of the paperwork and arrangements in Aug and Sep 2011. I have paid for the Villa timeshare, paid the maintenance fee for 2012, and it appears to be available to trade through Interval International. However, after paying search and closing fees to sell them my existing timeshare through a company called Vacation Trade World, nothing has yet happened with my existing property. 
After several calls to Steven Girard at ETI, who always promises that the rental is imminent and a check should come through within the next 4-6 weeks, of course nothing has happened.
Jeff Moore, the original salesperson, also promised several other things to close the deal, including a free cruise for two, and provided a coupon, which of course was not valid for a free cruise. There was also misrepresentations of the Interval International status and trading ability and costs.
Of course I would like to cancel all of this and get refunded, with any transfer of my old timeshare cancelled. 
Villa Properties appeared to be a large, reputable company, and the resort properties were nice, so I never expected such a scam. When I call the Villa Group, they basically say that if it is not in writing, then tough luck.
What are my options and can you help? 
Thanks, Tom


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## tourdog450

*Scammed*

Jeff,

I too have a similar situation to others on this forum. I was wondering if you would be able to help me figure out the best course of action for getting out of my contract with Villa Del Palmar as well? Any help or guidance you can offer would be much appreciated. 

Thanks!


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## beach.bar.bob

tourdog450 said:


> Jeff,
> 
> I too have a similar situation to others on this forum. I was wondering if you would be able to help me figure out the best course of action for getting out of my contract with Villa Del Palmar as well? Any help or guidance you can offer would be much appreciated.
> 
> Thanks!



Jeff hasn't been active here for over a year - although the TUG stats shows activity in his account...perhaps he's lurking.  I've previously had private contact with him but all subsequent communications have gone unanswered.  Jeff once had a website(see earlier message in this thread for link) that hosted UVC rentals and a UVC members page but that now points to the UVC home page.  All this leads me to believe that he came to some accommodation with UVC and as part of that had to discontinue posting.  My point being don't expect help form Jeff.  

If you acquired a membership very recently and you don't want it rescind immediately.  If you acquired the membership recently and have missed the rescission window not sure what you can do unless they materially and factually lied to you...perhaps them  Profeco can help you...see comments earlier messages on this topic. If you've had your membership and it is paid for and current and you want to get out from under the maintenance fees you can surrender your membership to UVC.  If you're unhappy with your membership because you can't make it work for you let us know your challenges...several of us here can help you use it effectively. 

FWIW. 


bbb


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## tartanwood

beach.bar.bob said:


> ,,,,, If you've had your membership and it is paid for and current and you want to get out from under the maintenance fees you can surrender your membership to UVC.  ...
> 
> bbb



We are enjoying our current membership and hope to for several more years, but I am thinking ahead to the future.

When we upgraded to VPA points a couple of years ago, the 30-year clock was reset, and it is not due to expire until we are 92.   I hope we can continue to enjoy traveling for another 15+ years, but I doubt we will be hopping on planes to Mexico at age 90+.

Are you saying that we can just surrender our membership and be free of maintenance fees when the time comes to stop traveling?  

Also, what happens if we die before the contract expires?  I don't want to pass on a burden to our son.


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## beach.bar.bob

tartanwood said:


> Are you saying that we can just surrender our membership and be free of maintenance fees when the time comes to stop traveling?
> 
> Also, what happens if we die before the contract expires?  I don't want to pass on a burden to our son.



1) *I'm* not saying it...UVC is saying it on their website.  I've never done it so I can't validate that it works.  The following was lifted from the Ask a Question section of the website.  I can't link to it as you must log into your account via the ResortCom site...go the the last tab "Ask a Question" - this content is on about page 14. 

_*"UVC: Contract/Membership Cancellation
Answer ID 68   |    Published 02/06/2005 08:29 PM   |    Updated 07/02/2008 10:31 AM

UVC:  What is the procedure for cancelling a contract?
Contract Cancellation 	

UVC does not cancel contracts. If you wish to cancel, your only option is to surrender your week back to the developer and lose the money that has been paid toward your account. In order to surrender loan must be paid in full and all maintenance fees must be current."*_

2) I have no clue what happens to a UVC membership should you die.  There have been several threads here on TUG about the subject where others with far more legal expertise than I have weighed in.  Search for it. 

Safe travels. 

bbb


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## BADTS

*VILLA GROUP - Jeff Robbins*

Jeff does not answer and either was part of the villa group or was bought out by the villa group his link now goes to the villa group web site. Do not expect help from him, however I would bet Villa group is getting the emails. Private messages are read but never responded too . .  . .

As noted in the prvious post comments on Shane, 
(see NAKONECHNY's post on him)   He did the same to us .  . . .

But we will now have to make best use of the plan .  . .


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## KAPS

Yes, I too just found out that Jeff does not respond to his private messages...we too were misled and pressured into purchasing a trial membership with the villa del palmar and have been trying to have our money refunded from the next day that we purchased it...months later still having no luck. Anyone have any luck???


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## easyrider

KAPS said:


> Yes, I too just found out that Jeff does not respond to his private messages...we too were misled and pressured into purchasing a trial membership with the villa del palmar and have been trying to have our money refunded from the next day that we purchased it...months later still having no luck. Anyone have any luck???



K, what exactly is your problem with UVC. In a different post you said they lied. What exactly is the lie ? 

I am a satisfied owner of several UVC contracts and have attended owners updates ( presentations) every year, sometimes twice. I have never heard of a trial run membership that you mentioned on your other post. Can you explain how that works ?

Bill


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## vmm54

*Villa Group*

I've signed the contract on Sunday, May 19.
As I understood the cancelation should be made in 5 working days.
So what is the last day I could cancel it Friday or Sunday ?


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## DenverSteve

I joined today and am feeling a little wary after all the reports of issues herein.  According to the contract, you can cancel within 5 days after signing the contract.  I feel the timeshare system is a good fit for me as I vacation a couple of months per year.  I am just wondering about the Villa Group and these complaints.


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## Karen G

vmm54 said:


> I've signed the contract on Sunday, May 19.
> As I understood the cancelation should be made in 5 working days.
> So what is the last day I could cancel it Friday or Sunday ?


I believe the rule is five business days and Saturday & Sunday do not count, so I assume Friday would have been the fifth day.



DenverSteve said:


> I joined today and am feeling a little wary after all the reports of issues herein.  According to the contract, you can cancel within 5 days after signing the contract.  I feel the timeshare system is a good fit for me as I vacation a couple of months per year.  I am just wondering about the Villa Group and these complaints.


If you have any doubts whatsoever about what you've committed yourself to, rescind while you still have a chance.  You only get this one opportunity to rescind and if you let the five business days pass, you'll never get this chance again.  You will almost always do better buying timeshare resale than from a developer.  Rescind your contract and take your time to do some research. The deal will still be available later if you decide it's really something you want/need, no matter what the salesman has told you.


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## beach.bar.bob

DenverSteve said:


> I joined today and am feeling a little wary after all the reports of issues herein.  According to the contract, you can cancel within 5 days after signing the contract.  I feel the timeshare system is a good fit for me as I vacation a couple of months per year.  I am just wondering about the Villa Group and these complaints.



If you are wary and uncomfortable - rescind immediately. 

I own three contracts with the Villa Group.  One purchased direct from the developer in 2008 and the other two purchased resale off of eBay. We really like the resorts and have not had the problems/issues that others have described - especially at the Cabo properties. We had a bad experience at the Villa del Palmar Flamingos once during in an owners update...but it wasn't related to business practices and misrepresentations, etc. I have always found them to be above board with me. I think they run a first class operation and look forward to continuing our travels to the Villa Group resorts. 

The most common mantra here on TUG would be to rescind and buy resale.  Good advice. Problem is that the resale market for Villa Group properties has dried up other than for summer weeks and studio weeks. Depending on what you're looking for it may be difficult to find what you want...that said, if I were looking to buy another week I'd be patient and wait for a resale opportunity. 

If you elect to keep the membership you've purchased be sure to carefully read the contract you signed. Regardless of what the sales rep may have said, if any representations that were made are not spelled out in the contract they will not be honored. 

FWIW 

bbb


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## aquadoll

*Can I Sell My Timeshare Back?*



beach.bar.bob said:


> Jeff hasn't been active here for over a year - although the TUG stats shows activity in his account...perhaps he's lurking.  I've previously had private contact with him but all subsequent communications have gone unanswered.  Jeff once had a website(see earlier message in this thread for link) that hosted UVC rentals and a UVC members page but that now points to the UVC home page.  All this leads me to believe that he came to some accommodation with UVC and as part of that had to discontinue posting.  My point being don't expect help form Jeff.
> 
> If you acquired a membership very recently and you don't want it rescind immediately.  If you acquired the membership recently and have missed the rescission window not sure what you can do unless they materially and factually lied to you...perhaps them  Profeco can help you...see comments earlier messages on this topic. If you've had your membership and it is paid for and current and you want to get out from under the maintenance fees you can surrender your membership to UVC.  If you're unhappy with your membership because you can't make it work for you let us know your challenges...several of us here can help you use it effectively.
> 
> FWIW.
> 
> 
> bbb




BBB,

I bought a Villa Preferred Access Time Share in the spring of 2011. My partner and I purchased it just before I was to begin a one year tour in Iraq. Since the purchase and my return, we have broken up and the Time Share just isn't part of my life. I have never returned to Cabo and have taken a pay cut at my job. The maintenance fee is a drain on my bank account I no longer want to endure if I will never use it. I would like to sell the Time Share back and try to recoup some of my losses if possible. I don't know what my options are at this point. Any advice or guidance anyone has is greatly appreciated.

Thank you in advance for your assistance.


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## easyrider

aquadoll said:


> BBB,
> 
> I bought a Villa Preferred Access Time Share in the spring of 2011. My partner and I purchased it just before I was to begin a one year tour in Iraq. Since the purchase and my return, we have broken up and the Time Share just isn't part of my life. I have never returned to Cabo and have taken a pay cut at my job. The maintenance fee is a drain on my bank account I no longer want to endure if I will never use it. I would like to sell the Time Share back and try to recoup some of my losses if possible. I don't know what my options are at this point. Any advice or guidance anyone has is greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you in advance for your assistance.



The developer won't buy it back ever but will let you give the membership back if its paid in full. Access Points membership revert to a premiere membership with a PV home resort when sold resale. The problem is the maintenance fee and Right to Use stays the same. MF on premiere contracts can be as low as $560 for a 1 bed 2 bath with as little as 8 years left on the RTU.   

http://www.myuvc.com/default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=241800&ssid=96514&vnf=1

Call the resort. The above link has the numbers and a faq.

Bill


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## beach.bar.bob

aquadoll said:


> BBB,
> 
> Any advice or guidance anyone has is greatly appreciated.



What Bill said...

There is little if any value if you try to sell this on the open market. 
Your best bet is to relinquish the membership back to UVC and get out from under the maintenance fees. 

bbb


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## Henryboy1

*Also scammed*

I was also scammed by Villa group at Villa del palmar, i would love to get out of this mess as what i was sold is not even close to being a saving or even usable. I have seen some posts here regarding getting out of it but not much has been affective. if anyone has a solution, please help!!

Henry..


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## Karen G

Henryboy1 said:


> I was also scammed by Villa group at Villa del palmar, i would love to get out of this mess as what i was sold is not even close to being a saving or even usable. I have seen some posts here regarding getting out of it but not much has been affective. if anyone has a solution, please help!!
> 
> Henry..


See post #6 in this thread about contacting Profeco. There's a link in that post that you can click to get the info you'll need.


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## T2man

*They'll try to keep your deposit*

I just went though the cancellation process the in March 2014.  We were impulsive and got caught up in their hype.  That night, I did some online research after signing a contract.  I notified my sales agent of my intent to cancel the day after we signed.  She brought in her supervisor to our meeting and then she said the only way they could "help" us out to cancel was for us to pay off the entire security deposit of almost $8000.  My jaw dropped and I asked them about the five day cancellation policy.  They said it only applied to the rest of the contract but didn't apply to the deposit--TOTAL BS!!  I then told them I'd talk to my wife and reconsider our options.

That night, I visited this web board and saw the threads where people were successful in getting their security deposit back.  I drafted a cancellation notice and the next day I went to drop it off.  They asked me to return later in the day with my wife, contract, ID's and credit card for a meeting with one of the supervisors.  I had a feeling they were going to try to get me to sign a new contract so I didn't bring any of the requested items except for the cancellation notice.  At the meeting, he was very belligerent and threatened legal action if I didn't pay the rest of the deposit.  He said, I signed a waiver to the five day cancellation period for the deposit and that Mexican law required that I forfeit the deposit-TOTAL BS!!  I told him I spoke to the PROFECO office in Cabo and they advised that Mexican law say's that I'm entitled to a full refund if I cancel within the five days.  He said Profeco wasn't a legitimate organization and that the only way he could "help" me was to pay the rest of the deposit and to sign a new contract forfeiting the deposit.-TOTAL BS!!!  I gave him our cancellation letter and left his office.  I also sent a letter from the Fed Ex location in Cabo.

I tried to not have this situation ruin the rest of our vacation but it was very stressful.  We returned home on day three of the five day grace period and I then emailed and faxed the same letter to memberservices@resortcom.com.  I also sent an additional letter to ResortCom via Fed Ex.  

It's now day five of my cancellation period and I just noticed that my credit card account no longer reflects the "pending" deposit---YEAH!!!

My only suggestion is to NOT go to the presentation without prior research.  Their only goal is their commission and they'll say anything for it.  If you decide to cancel, DO NOT go back to the timeshare office, they'll only try to get your security deposit and they will ruin your vacation.  Just head down to the Fed Ex office and send in your letter.  I followed up with emails, faxes and additional copies via Fed Ex.  I don't know which notice got the job done but I felt it was better to just scatter gun the notices and thankfully they stuck.

THANK YOU ALL FOR THE INFORMATION ON THE CANCELLATION PROCESS!!


----------



## Karen G

T2man said:


> That night, I visited this web board and saw the threads where people were successful in getting their security deposit back. . . .I told him I spoke to the PROFECO office in Cabo and they advised that Mexican law say's that I'm entitled to a full refund if I cancel within the five days. ...
> It's now day five of my cancellation period and I just noticed that my credit card account no longer reflects the "pending" deposit---YEAH!!!
> 
> My only suggestion is to NOT go to the presentation without prior research.  Their only goal is their commission and they'll say anything for it.  If you decide to cancel, DO NOT go back to the timeshare office, they'll only try to get your security deposit and they will ruin your vacation.  Just head down to the Fed Ex office and send in your letter.  I followed up with emails, faxes and additional copies via Fed Ex.  I don't know which notice got the job done but I felt it was better to just scatter gun the notices and thankfully they stuck.
> 
> THANK YOU ALL FOR THE INFORMATION ON THE CANCELLATION PROCESS!!


Thank you so much for reporting back with your experience. I know it will help others in a similar situation if they find TUG in time!

Congratulations!


----------



## missantonia

*[merged]*

This may be a duplicate post, the one I was writing seemed to disappear. Please excuse this if it is redundant, I do not have much experience with blogs.

I need help terminating a contract that I signed with Villa Group while I was in Cabo. I signed it April 2, 2014 and from what I understand the 5 day period does not include Sat or Sun? So I believe that I am still within that window. I just do not know what steps i should take. I cannot find anything in my paperwork that explains the process, but I expect that is not an oversight.

My contract is for Villa Preferred Access Club membership and apparently also for Interval International. I was told that my home resort would be Villa Del Arco, that is where the tour was. I have found out this is not so, and indeed it is not in my contract. I was not told about an annual fee from II. I was not told there was a fee for "banking" my points. I could go on and on. I want OUT.

As I am in the 5 day period, can anyone please please give me step by step instructions on this process? Unfortunately I made the deposit in cash, not having brought a credit card with me. I paid $6278 cash. I know this was impulsive and foolish, and I am beyond humiliated that I accepted their flowing cocktail service and fell for their pitch. Do I have any chance of recovering my deposit?

Please, I would be so grateful for advice and instruction. I am desperate and running out of time.
Thanks


----------



## missantonia

*[merged]*

How would on "track down" the senior verification loan officer? 
I have a similar story. I was able to FEDEX the cancellation letter to Contructora del Arcos in Cabo on the 5th day, and I have the receipt. But thats the only letter I sent, just one. I have sent a letter to profeco with all the appropriate attached documents to start a communication, and I am going to send a letter to memberservices@villagroup.  The email to member services I hope will be an announcement of the FEDEX letter that I DID send on time,although the email itself is a day late. Do you think that will suffice?

My biggest concern, and one I have not heard anyone address, is that I made a CASH deposit of $6278.00. Yes, I am humiliated and an idiot but yes, I did make a wire transfer into their bank account, which was provided to me by the agent. Has anyone had any experience with this? And how do I request that they refund me? Cashiers check? Money order? Am I screwed? 

Please..any suggestion or help would be more than welcome


----------



## missantonia

*Experience with CASH REFUND anyone? [MERGED]*

So I have joined the band of idiots who fell for a Villa Group/Constructora del Arcos timeshare load of crap while I was in Cabo last week. On the 5th day after signing I had the good fortune of finding this site and quickly wrote a cancellation letter and got it to FedEx in time. Thank you guys for that! Here is my concern: my deposit was left in cash, not debit, not credit card. Im ashamed to say that I wired $6278.00 directly into their bank account which was provided by my agent (for lack of a better word), located in Carlsbad, California. When I wrote the letter rescinding the contract and requesting a full refund of my deposit, I did not stipulate a method of reinmursement, not knowing what was the usual protocol, and I didn't want to suggest something that they could use as an excuse to not do it. Does anyone have any experience with this or a similar situation? Any kind of comment or advice is most welcome. Thank you


----------



## Passepartout

You've asked the same question here 3 times now. I don't know that anyone here has the answer. Have you asked the sales office? You've rescinded. They can't do any more to you. You certainly are not going to fall for any of their lies. Get hold of the sales manager, or financial office. Demand an immediate refund. Then specify where to have it sent. If you want it to your bank, fine, If you have a PayPal account, that would work too. If they send a certified cashier's check drawn on a U.S. Bank. OK.

Most people would have used a credit card for the down payment, and have the ability to challenge the charge- or even close the account. But usually, in time, (it can take 45 days) the account is credited. I suspect yours will be too, in due time. But there is nothing I can write or say that will quiet your concern.

Keep us posted.

Jim


----------



## missantonia

*Oops party foul*

So sorry about the duplicate posts, like i said not much experience.I thought the first two were buried so I started a new thread. Kudos to the moderators, they are really on the ball! I'm just anxiety ridden and have no patience- 
Thanks for the advice, I'll do it. Carry on.


----------



## pacodemountainside

If you  paid with credit card and properly rescinded  within proscribed time you would win hands down.

No personal experience,  gut feel is you are going to play Hell getting cash back.  Based on  several encounters with sales weasels there  and posts here.

Stick with Perfeco.  DO NOT get involved with any third party that is going to solve your problems  for  an up front fee or similar!

Keep us updated on this thread, it does not cost anything other than  a couple minutes of  your time.


----------



## Passepartout

Missantonia, What Paco was trying to say is to get theses people involved. This is the Mexican Gov't Office of Consumer Affairs. They (marginally) oversee the Mexican Timeshare industry. Can't hurt. Might help. http://www.profeco.gob.mx/english.htm

Jim


----------



## missantonia

Paco- yes, I suspected that not using a credit card would be my downfall. Its shocking how normally level headed people get swept up in the moment. Can you explain what you mean by third party? Do you mean companies that claim they can help rid me of this mess, like Mexican Timeshare Solutions? Are they no good either?? Thanks for taking the time to comment

Jim- I have written to Profeco, and they responded immediately, basically just reiterating the laws and saying that if Villa Group does not cooperate then to report back. If they do not refund my deposit, I wonder, do I have the right to take them to court in Mexico? Given I have a translator, is there any hope in the world that I might win? I have no time restrictions or anything to prevent me from doing so. Besides, I could use another week in Mexico at this point.


----------



## pacodemountainside

missantonia said:


> Paco- yes, I suspected that not using a credit card would be my downfall. Its shocking how normally level headed people get swept up in the moment. Can you explain what you mean by third party? Do you mean companies that claim they can help rid me of this mess, like Mexican Timeshare Solutions? Are they no good either?? Thanks for taking the time to comment
> 
> Jim- I have written to Profeco, and they responded immediately, basically just reiterating the laws and saying that if Villa Group does not cooperate then to report back. If they do not refund my deposit, I wonder, do I have the right to take them to court in Mexico? Given I have a translator, is there any hope in the world that I might win? I have no time restrictions or anything to prevent me from doing so. Besides, I could use another week in Mexico at this point.



The basic Mantra here is  if   someone/anyone   cold  calls  and  there is  an upfront fee required then  grab the  Vaseline jar. 

However,  if you contact  a duly licensed   attorney  he will probably want an upfront retainer. Exceptions are personal injury  attorneys  and  class action.


There have been some posts  here on working with Mexican  attorneys, but I don't recall outcome. You could  try  searching.

The other thing to consider is collecting if you do get a judgment.

At this point,  I would  stick with Profeco as you  generally have at least two years or more  to bring  lawsuits  although  state  statute of limitations.

Also. keep posting here. We have  some  super Sleuths like "RX8" that come  up with   great documentation.

Keep in mind mañana is way of  life South of the Border and those  sales   vultures  down there make Wyndham  sales weasels look like  amateurs.


----------



## cheyenne

Hi. I have been mislead by the sales staff and Villa Del Arco/palmar and am trying to resolve it but am not having much success.  I do not really want to post publically my situation so can Jeff please contact me?


----------



## Karen G

cheyenne said:


> I do not really want to post publically my situation so can Jeff please contact me?


Who is Jeff?  If it another person who posted in this thread, you can click on their blue user name over to the left and send them a private message.


----------



## beach.bar.bob

cheyenne said:


> Hi. I have been mislead by the sales staff and Villa Del Arco/palmar and am trying to resolve it but am not having much success.  I do not really want to post publically my situation so can Jeff please contact me?



Jeff no longer posts here regarding the Villa Group. It is very unlikely that you will hear from him. 

If you have questions/issues ask them. There are some here familiar with the resorts that might be able to help you. 

bbb


----------



## flexible

beach.bar.bob said:


> 1) *I'm* not saying it...UVC is saying it on their website.  I've never done it so I can't validate that it works.  The following was lifted from the Ask a Question section of the website.  I can't link to it as you must log into your account via the ResortCom site...go the the last tab "Ask a Question" - this content is on about page 14.
> 
> _*"UVC: Contract/Membership Cancellation
> Answer ID 68   |    Published 02/06/2005 08:29 PM   |    Updated 07/02/2008 10:31 AM
> 
> UVC:  What is the procedure for cancelling a contract?
> Contract Cancellation
> 
> UVC does not cancel contracts. If you wish to cancel, your only option is to surrender your week back to the developer and lose the money that has been paid toward your account. In order to surrender loan must be paid in full and all maintenance fees must be current."*_
> 
> 2) I have no clue what happens to a UVC membership should you die.  There have been several threads here on TUG about the subject where others with far more legal expertise than I have weighed in.  Search for it.
> 
> Safe travels.
> 
> bbb



Has anyone been told by Universal Vacations Club that in additiona to the above requirements (purchased paid off & maintenance fees current) that an additional fee is required based on the number of years left in the contract to be canceled and either the unit size or the most recent maintenance fee for the unit. For example cancelling the remaining 15 years of a one bedroom contract would incur a $540 surrender fee.


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## tboe

Hi. So my partner and I recently purchased with the villa group. We were still in our 5 day period of being able to cancel. I called the welcome call center and they directed me to the resort. I spoke with Emmanuel Galicia, the cancelation manager, and he told me he couldn't do anything because I activated my account when I called the welcome center. I called the welcome center back and they said they would send an email about me wanting to cancel and I would have to email member services to tell them I was canceling and the reason why. About a week later, I finally get an email from Emmanuel and he stated the correct way to cancel which I had done exactly. He then said he hadn't heard from my partner so he would have to confirm with her that she was aware of and agreed with the cancelation. She of course did, but then he emailed us back and said the request was invalid because I did not CC my partner in the cancelation email to member services so they will not proceed with canceling our membership. HELP!! Is there anything we can do? I've emailed member services and have tried calling to speak with someone higher than Emmanuel but am not having any luck. Should I contact Profeco?

Thanks so much for any help you can give.


----------



## Karen G

tboe said:


> Should I contact Profeco?
> 
> Thanks so much for any help you can give.


Of course you should contact Profeco. You have nothing to lose by asking for their help. You were certainly given the runaround from the sales staff. Was there anything stated in your contract about how to rescind? This is the first time anyone has reported being told that they could cancel by email--usually rescinding is done via a letter with proof that it was mailed within the rescission period.


----------



## tboe

tboe said:


> Hi. So my partner and I recently purchased with the villa group. We were still in our 5 day period of being able to cancel. I called the welcome call center and they directed me to the resort. I spoke with Emmanuel Galicia, the cancelation manager, and he told me he couldn't do anything because I activated my account when I called the welcome center. I called the welcome center back and they said they would send an email about me wanting to cancel and I would have to email member services to tell them I was canceling and the reason why. About a week later, I finally get an email from Emmanuel and he stated the correct way to cancel which I had done exactly. He then said he hadn't heard from my partner so he would have to confirm with her that she was aware of and agreed with the cancelation. She of course did, but then he emailed us back and said the request was invalid because I did not CC my partner in the cancelation email to member services so they will not proceed with canceling our membership. HELP!! Is there anything we can do? I've emailed member services and have tried calling to speak with someone higher than Emmanuel but am not having any luck. Should I contact Profeco?
> 
> Thanks so much for any help you can give.



So after many phone calls and emails, we finally got assistance with our cancellation and were assured that it would be finalized by January 10. Dave Smith was very helpful. Thanks for your response


----------



## ProTurbo

*Timeshare presentation Villa Del Palmar Advise*

We did book with BookVip and because of the price we will have to attend a timeshare presentation at the Villa Del Palmar. 

So on Feb 5 , 2015 will be checking in and the following morning will be  attending a 90 minutes or 4 hour presentation.

Can I have some advise on how to be able to get out of there ASAP and anything else to help go through this presentation.

I thank you very much 

Pro


----------



## Karen G

ProTurbo said:


> Can I have some advise on how to be able to get out of there ASAP and anything else to help go through this presentation.


Don't ask any questions or give them any information. They will have a comeback for anything you might bring up such as "I can't afford it."  Just keep saying NO.


----------



## Karen G

tboe said:


> So after many phone calls and emails, we finally got assistance with our cancellation and were assured that it would be finalized by January 10. Dave Smith was very helpful. Thanks for your response


Congratulations and thanks for letting us know.


----------



## PStreet1

Definitely, just keep saying "No."  Karen is right about any embelishment you make:  they've already thought of it and have an answer.  I have a friend who adopted "It just doesn't feel right to me," and when pushed said vaguely "I don't know why; it just doesn't."  She said there really wasn't any reply they could make to her "feelings."


----------



## Karen G

PStreet1 said:


> I have a friend who adopted "It just doesn't feel right to me," and when pushed said vaguely "I don't know why; it just doesn't."  She said there really wasn't any reply they could make to her "feelings."


I love that response!


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## ProTurbo

Thank you very much 

Pro


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## Passepartout

One of my favorites is to print out current offerings and completed auctions of the exact resort from eBay. It sorta takes the wind out of their sails when they know that you are aware of sales at their resort for a dollar. 'Course wearing a TUG T-shirt (Buy resale, save THOU$AND$) doesn't hurt either. Search Cafe Press dot com.

Jim


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## OlgaS

*to Jeff Robbins*

Dear Mr. Robbins,

   Hello and how are you? My name is David and I recently was taken advantage of by The Villa Group in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. To make a long story short, I had informed them that my wife and I absolutely could NOT get this because we could not afford it. Then, while my wife was crying, they said that they would provide us employment. I am starting to understand this was a hoax just to get us to sign. I also asked them if I could purchase the membership after I start employment. They informed us that 'no, everyone here is a member and you must first be a member before you can work here'. I also discovered this to not be true when I got back home and researched them on the internet. 
   Also in my research, I found out about you. It seems that you are very helpful to individuals in my position.
   Mr. Robbins, I would be beyond gratitude if you would get back to me and help us in this dire predicament. I am beyond shock with the tactics they used and the promises they made. And no, now that we understand, we never want to work in that kind of environment. We could never do such things to other people.

Sincerely and Gratefully,
David & Olga Steele


----------



## Ty1on

Jeff Robbins hasn't posted here in almost 4 years.


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## OlgaS

*Looking for anyone to help us cancel a timeshare*

Does anyone know any individual who can help me with cancelling a timeshare contract? My husband and I were incredibly swindled in quite an unbelievable way; we were even promised employment - of course that was a lie.
If anyone can help us with this information, we would appreciate it so much.
Thank you and sincerely,
Olga & David

Thank you Ty1on for the info. Do you know anyone else that can help with my query?


----------



## Ty1on

OlgaS said:


> Does anyone know any individual who can help me with cancelling a timeshare contract? My husband and I were incredibly swindled in quite an unbelievable way; we were even promised employment - of course that was a lie.
> If anyone can help us with this information, we would appreciate it so much.
> Thank you and sincerely,
> Olga & David
> 
> Thank you Ty1on for the info. Do you know anyone else that can help with my query?



Пожалуйста

I will defer to those who know more about Mexican timeshare issues, who will probably suggest you get Profeco involved.
ps I would take those emails down, unless you want every scammer on the planet to start spamming you.


----------



## Karen G

OlgaS said:


> Does anyone know any individual who can help me with cancelling a timeshare contract?


You can contact Profeco, the Mexican consumer protection agency through their website.

To contact another poster on TUG, click on their blue user name and a box will drop down where you can choose to send them an email or private message.


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## Passepartout

OlgaS, you said you were recently 'taken advantage of' by this outfit. If it was within the last week, you can notify them in writing that you wish to rescind. It's your right and cannot be signed away by you.

I agree that in your case, it appears that PROFECO would be your best defense.

We wish you well.


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## OlgaS

Thank you everyone, we sent email to the office we bought from and to main office ( which is in US), We researched in internet and found PROFECO, The Villa Group company seems to be registered in US and Mexico both, so we hope we can use legal help in both countries. We purchase last Sunday, and informed them about our decision to cancel last night, so hopefully "technically" we are not to late yet to rescind the deal. And yes, we were tricked, they used 5 representative on us, they all pretended to be nice, and kept repeating how honest company is, and bla bla bla, they didn't leave us even for a second alone to clear up our minds, and team promised us all possible good benefits, including the job in company...They lied into our face...I'm still shocked about techniques they are using to close the deal!!!
P.S. Ty1on thank you for advice about removing emails*)


----------



## Passepartout

Since you sent the rescission letter within a week, you should be fine. Keep the proof that you mailed it. It is not important when they get the letter, only that you send it in a timely manner, and the way they specify in the contract. I doubt that email is listed as a suggested way to deliver a rescission letter. FAX, possibly. Certified USPS, most likely.  And yes, Mexican timeshare sales techniques are high pressure, and there is little to no respect for the truth. They can and will say anything, and promise the moon to make a sale.

Now, you probably should consider alerting your credit card carrier that you intend to challenge any charge from these weasels, and if necessary, close that card account and open a new one- citing possible fraud. Do the same if you gave them access to a bank account. Change it.

Jim


----------



## OlgaS

Hi Jim!
We did call our bank last night, bank can't stop payment by this merchant(the Villa Group) they only can close account (which we can't do to right now) and they can change limit per purchase by card. We change limit till 100$ do you think it will work or we need to empty account?
Thank you


----------



## Passepartout

OlgaS said:


> Hi Jim!
> We did call our bank last night, bank can't stop payment by this merchant(the Villa Group) they only can close account (which we can't do to right now) and they can change limit per purchase by card. We change limit till 100$ do you think it will work or we need to empty account?
> Thank you



It really depends on your comfort level. If you trust that they will simply refund any down payment you made, then don't close the account- it will be better for them to credit an account they already have. But If you feel they will try to continue to withdraw any payments you agreed to, then close it and move any funds to a new account. Closing an account is a PITA because you have to change any automatic charges you have (utilities, other payments), and add the new account to other 'one click' payments you may have.

If it was me, if I was sure I had firm proof of the rescission letter being sent on time, I'd probably just alert the charge card of the fraudulent charge, then continue to watch that account daily until the down payment is returned. That can take up to 45 days. They are required to process your rescission. They are NOT required to give you a progress report, or even acknowledge that they are processing it.

It is a stressful time, with the waiting. But it's better than buying from these 'wolves in sheep's clothing'.


----------



## EJC

Did you JUST email them saying you wanted to rescind?  Did you JUST call them to inform them you want to rescind?  What specifically does the contract say you have to do to rescind?  I'm not sure emailing or calling them is enough.  Many times you have to send a registered letter.  I don't know whether or not your contract requires a registered letter to rescind.


----------



## OlgaS

We did emailed them, we JUSt found in contract that we can cancel with no fees within 5 business days. But we need to inform them in writing. So, in our case Monday to Friday were our 5 business days. Today is Sunday. So we probably late. We need to send certified mail to them, But until Monday (tomorrow) all post offices are closed. Even places we can send fax to them not available till tomorrow. We still gonna try and not give up on that. 
As per accounts we are trying to empty them now.
Any more suggestions? Please!


----------



## Ty1on

OlgaS said:


> We did emailed them, we JUSt found in contract that we can cancel with no fees within 5 business days. But we need to inform them in writing. So, in our case Monday to Friday were our 5 business days. Today is Sunday. So we probably late. We need to send certified mail to them, But until Monday (tomorrow) all post offices are closed. Even places we can send fax to them not available till tomorrow. We still gonna try and not give up on that.
> As per accounts we are trying to empty them now.
> Any more suggestions? Please!



You missed your rescission period, so I think Profeco is your avenue.


----------



## tartanwood

Back in 2003, we were pressured into buying 2 summer weeks.  We returned home to discover that my employer was making cuts, but by then it was too late to rescind. 

We called, anyway, and they did give us partial relief.  They allowed us to cut back to 1 week instead of 2 and they told us we would not have to pay that year's maintenance fee.  We found a way to pay off the remaining balance immediately, so that they could not automatically take any payments from our bank

Even with this partial relief, we still resented the whole experience and did not use the resort for several years.  The original resort in PV still leaves a bad taste in my mouth, but we finally used all of our banked weeks at one of the newer resorts and discovered that we enjoyed it.  We've gone back to the various resorts 4 or 5 times, and all is good as long as we do not attend sales meetings.  It was a costly lesson, but at least we are getting a little pleasure now for all of the pain.

Should we have purchased from the developer in the first place?  NO
Should we purchase any more from the developer?  NO

Are we making the best of what we have?  Finally, YES.

I hope you can get out of your contract completely; but if not, see if you can find a way to make it work for you.


----------



## OlgaS

Thank you Ty1on
To Tartanwood: Thank you for sharing your story, we will see what we can do to get out of that contract, fingers crossed for at least some refunds, we transferred all funds to other account now. We gonna keep trying, ourself and with profeco, or bbb, we even found some reporters who collecting those kind of stories, at least we want to post everywhere we can, so other people can be aware of those scammers.


----------



## Ty1on

OlgaS said:


> Thank you Ty1on
> To Tartanwood: Thank you for sharing your story, we will see what we can do to get out of that contract, fingers crossed for at least some refunds, we transferred all funds to other account now. We gonna keep trying, ourself and with profeco, or bbb, we even found some reporters who collecting those kind of stories, at least we want to post everywhere we can, so other people can be aware of those scammers.



BBB can't help you in any way, unfortunately.


----------



## melissaj

*Timeshare Scam*

I bought a timeshare too and it was one of the worst financial mistakes I ever made. I just attend the timeshare presentation for free stuff and the high-pressure sales person convinced me to sign the contract, and I ended up with a timeshare. It was one of the hardest things to get rid of, and I lost about $20,000 in the process. It was an expensive lesson learned.


----------



## sarinae

*Surrender and Mexican Timeshares*

Hi All,

We bought two contracts on Ebay for UVC.  When we traveled to Loreto, we upgraded to the points membership.  It works for us, and we felt the price was fair.  This was when they first started selling them, sounds like the sales tactics have changed.

I can confirm the scam about buying your other contracts.  We held a deeded ownership in the US, and 2 points memberships in Mexico with other timeshares (inherited from my deceased Mother).  They credited us a value for those contracts toward our purchase and told us that we had to use this company to finish getting rid of them.  Well, that was a scam.  It took a year, but I finally got a refund from my credit card company, I had to wait for deadlines in the contract to pass before I could request a refund.  The company never made an attempt to complete the transfer.  Every time I called I got another pack of lies.

We went to a company that offered to get rid of our timeshares.  The 'attorney' we spoke with said that he could help us with the deeded ownership but that any RTU Mexican timeshare was beyond his help.  But, we wouldn't need it, we could just stop paying the maintenance fees and it would disappear.  I doubted, but did some research here and other places about this.  It was true, we stopped paying the Raintree RTU (kept in my Mom's name).  After a year of requests to pay up, they just stopped bothering us.  We also had an inherited Grand Mayan, an odd contract that you only paid a MF on when you used it, but it still had the additional MF every 5 years.  I get an email once in a while on that one, but that is all. Fairly easy to ignore.  Evidently, it is too hard to pursue US Citizens internationally so they just give up and resell it.  If you read the RTU contract, it does say that if you fail to pay for it, you lose the right to use after 1 year.

The deeded US timeshare was tougher to get rid of, we finally ended up giving it away to someone in our state through Craigslist.  We handled the deed change ourselves and the person paid the transfer fee.  We were lucky, they were honorable.  This can be a tricky transfer.

I really do love the VDP resorts.  The hardest part is to get them to leave you alone about the "presentation" when you visit.  Like all of the TS companies out there going to points, they try to sell you on the fact that you can use the points to buy other things.  This is such a poor value.  If I consider my MFs alone, it represents a 20-50% markup on costs for things like the all inclusive meals, car rental, etc.

LIke all of those presentations, you have to be vigilant about saying no.  Go home and find the same ownership on the secondary market.  Usually you can pick them up for about 10% of the original price at the developer sales pitch.  Thank goodness for TUG, I've learned a great deal from lurking here and reading the experiences and advice of others.


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## LannyPC

sarinae said:


> It took a year, but I finally got a refund from my credit card company, I had to wait for deadlines in the contract to pass before I could request a refund.  The company never made an attempt to complete the transfer.  Every time I called I got another pack of lies.



Well I'm glad the CC company came through for you.  Hopefully others who have fallen for this age-old scam that these Mexican TS companies are selling will see your experience and get charges reversed on their cards.:whoopie:


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## TUGBrian

figured id put this here as this thread shouldn't ever die off!  Got this email from a TUG member while on vacation!




> TUG Website Blocked at Villa Del Palmar!
> 
> 2/21 staying at villa del palmar  cabo was trying to show visitors your website on rental/sales but could not open due to error due to website...I am sending this to you hoping that you can receive this message without being blocked..... Also I like all of the improvements made to tug....thanks Sent from my pad=


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## Sponge

We just stayed at Villa Del Palmar Loreto from 2/27 to 3/5 and the BBS page of  TUG was blocked, Got the same website error??? Have to give them an A for effort!!


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## beach.bar.bob

Blocked at Villa del Arco in Jan and at VDP Flamingos in Feb. 

Just FYI.

bbb


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## T-Dot-Traveller

*Blocking TUG BBS*

They must be using Chinese stuff 

Best in the world for blocking - the outside world


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## timesharejunkie4

Hmmm........... I had no problem at VDP Cabo in November. We will be at VDP Cancun in 2 weeks, I'll let you know what happens.


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## easyrider

Yup, Tug was blocked at VDP Flamingos last Jan but was working fine at the VDP Cancun in Feb.

Bill


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## Larry M

*Blocked? What to do when this happens to you*



TUGBrian said:


> figured id put this here as this thread shouldn't ever die off!  Got this email from a TUG member while on vacation!





> TUG Website Blocked at Villa Del Palmar!
> 
> 2/21 staying at villa del palmar cabo was trying to show visitors your website on rental/sales but could not open due to error due to website...I am sending this to you hoping that you can receive this message without being blocked..... Also I like all of the improvements made to tug....thanks



Okay, they are either blocking the domain name resolution or the IP address of the tugbbs.com website. Fortunately it's easy to get around this problem by simply using a _proxy_. A proxy is simply another website (different domain name and IP address) that accepts your desired web address, fetches the page, and relays it to you. The entire subsequent dialog (series of pages) continues to be relayed through the proxy, so you could log into the TUG BBS, visit pages, reply to posts, etc., all relayed completely transparent to you.

There are many free web proxies around, run by folks who believe in internet freedom. Just search for *web proxy free* and pick one.


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## timesharejunkie4

I have been at VdP Cancun all week and have had no trouble getting on TUG. I just didn't have the time!


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## TUGBrian

some super flattering reviews of this outfit here as well!

http://www.complaintboard.com/villa-group-universal-vacation-club-l5328.html


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## MartinN

TUG is blocked here as well in Villa del Palmar Puerto Vallarta. Given my job is as a software engineer for the last 20 years, it's fairly easy to bypass if you know how.


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