# [ 2016 ]  Palmera Vacation Club



## dwitter

I'm interested in finding out about Palmera Vacation Club in Hilton Head. Formally Coral.

Thanks


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## tschwa2

What do you want to know.  I own a platinum EOY at Island Links 3 BR.  It is in RCI points, 106,500 annually.  

Are you asking about buying direct (don't do it) or resale?  It's not a bad resort group on Hilton Head but they are not ocean front but they are large and comfortable.


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## dwitter

We stayed at the Island Links and attended a timeshare presentation. We were told that Coral (now Palmera) took their resorts back from RCI and are using them for their own vacation club. They have their own points system to be used within the resorts that are on Hilton Head. You can still trade outside their resorts through them. There is no need for an RCI membership. 
This part of the presentation was a little hazy but what I remember is the cost was $24,000 for 3000 points. I believe that was 3-4 weeks in a 3 bedroom. The maintenance fee was 598. They were willing to give us $14000 for our existing timeshare which would net to $10,000.
I’m wondering if anyone has any experience with the Palmera Vacation Club or has been through a presentation with regards to this.
Thanks


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## Sulalith

We have got a similar offer last week at Links resort. They were talking about the limited number of properties available on HH. Also they said it would be easier to sell it and we have to approach Palmera Vacation Club first if we wanted to sell it back. I see lots of bad reports about the previous incarnation of Palmera Vacation Club and wanted to find out about if they are true. I am posting the links to those stories here.. 
http://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article33578085.html

The sales folks at links were very pleasant and not forceful. Some of it seems too smooth.

Can you say you are able to book other vacation spots easily using Palmera Vacation Club? We are worried about that as well trying to move from a larger vacation group "Wydham".


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## tschwa2

I haven't seen a Palmera points chart but looking at the MF, I doubt you would be able to get a full week during prime season and would be lucky to get 2 off season weeks for 3000 points.  I doubt it would be hard booking within the vacation club as long you do so 11-12 months in advance.  Off season you probably only need to book 6-8 months in advance.  

Booking outside of the vacation club would require an external exchange company like RCI or II.
Generally you don't have to approach the TS first but they may have ROFR -right of first refusal, that just means that you have to find a buyer and then you have to submit the contract to Palmera and give them the opportunity to buy at the same terms or to waive that right.  They Coral resorts killed any resale value they might have when they instituted a $1500 fee to transfer a resale. $500 goes straight to the management company and the other goes toward future MF.  I don't think Palmera bought out Coral, they just changed names.  The properties are nice but they don't have any resale value and they have a long history of deceptive sales practices.


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## Thomas Doan

Unfortunately, we fell for the sales pitch. We swapped out a week at Port O'Call plus $7K for 2000 Palmera points. We were told that 2000 Palmera points would get 2-3 weeks in March or October. When we tried to book, however, we discovered that a week even in March was 6500 points. The sales pitch was not merely misleading, it was a bald-faced lie.

Our experience with the properties themselves has been excellent. We had a week at Island Links only a week after the hurricane, and they did an amazing job of getting it fixed up in time for that. It's unfortunate that they're embedded within an operation which uses shady sales tactics.


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## tschwa2

Do you have a copy of the points chart you could post?


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## Thomas Doan

I tried a few different dates and got (uniformly) 6060 for a week at Coral Reef, 6250 at Island Links and 8500 at Coral Sands. Port O'Call showed no availability. As you can see 2000 points will get you a closet for a week.


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## tschwa2

Are there any summer weeks available to look at? I have RCI points and my Island Links summer gets 106,500 points.  I am wondering if the points are something like 10-1 for Palmera points vs rci points.  If so then the 2000 points would get you 2 weeks when RCI has discounted 9000 point availability.

RCI doesn't cut and paste well but this is the points for one of the 3 br configs at Coral Sands:

Coral Sands Resort (#6736)
3BR 3.5  F  8/6
1 - 5 Weekly 41,000
6 - 10 Weekly  61,500
11 - 23 Weekly  81,500
24 - 32 Weekly  102,000
33 - 41 Weekly  81,500
42 - 47 Weekly   61,500
48 - 50 Weekly  41,000
51 - 52 Weekly  61,500


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## Thomas Doan

The Palmera points are strictly for internal purposes within the group of four HHI resorts. We've actually in the past stayed at Island Links and Coral Reef (never Coral Sands) on RCI swaps from our Port O'Call week. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure the intent is for 2000 points to get you effectively nothing.


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## tschwa2

Although you don't have to belong to RCI, I doubt they won't translate into RCI in some way.  All timeshares have an external exchange company if the potential buyer says, but I don't want to stay here every year.  In the past they always tried to sell the 40,000 and 60,000 RCI point weeks as a way that you could stay 4-6 weeks in HHI using your $900 MF.  By putting them in a trust they could sell smaller points packages with lower MF and just reduce the promises because the objection before might be I don't want to stay 4-6 weeks, I just want 1-2 weeks.


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## Althepal16

I just bought 3000 Palmera points for about $14,000 yesterday (a resale but brokered at Palmera) and Ben Knighton, my salesperson, told me this would for sure get me 3 weeks of vacation at Hilton Head at one of the Palmera owned properties, but there is nothing in the contract that states anything except I am buying 3000 Palmera points. So Ben's statement appears to be a total lie from what I see on this blog. I am going to meet with him in person today for some proof of what he said...but I am very very skeptical. Fortunately the contract I signed CLEARLY states I have 5 days to cancel it and that is probably what I should do....any suggestions?


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## LisaH

Cancel while you are still within the grace period.


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## Althepal16

Thanks!!!   That is my plan...I am just going to put my salesguy through some hell first. This was a waste of my time. I am going to show him how full of baloney he is in person.


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## Althepal16

I cancelled this morning...here are just a few of the statements that Palmera tells you:
1. That a single Palmera vacation club point is worth 10 RCI points...but they have nothing to prove that
2. That you get a Palmera Quest club membership included for free...but then they admit that it is a temporary gift and they can take it away at any time.
3. That any vacation you want to book with RCI will take less than 1000 Palmera vacation points...then they admit that is only if you book less than 45 days in advance. 

In reality, almost all slots in high demand vacation spots are booked up 100% more than 45 days out. So you will get nothing for less than 1000 Palmera vacation points in high demand season.

They are slick liars, no more.


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## Steve NH

Interesting - I went thru their presentation earlier this week,
They only got as far as the 3000 points, when I made him pull up the website and actually do a search for what I could get.
He never got to the point where he told us the price ($ 14,000 ugh - In my mind I was guessing $ 5,000 - and even at that what you could get would not be worth the yearly maint fee)
Ushered us out and gave me the $125 gift card.   Been going to Marleys on them.


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## HiltonHeadgolfer

We own at Island Links. Feel free to reach out to me. I purchased our week second hand and could not be happier with Island Links and all it has offered us for travel needs. Feel free to contact me to discuss


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## Cat McD

HELP.  Very confused, think I already messed up.  We had a timeshare "Alhambra at Poinciana" in Florida.  We went to Island Links in Hilton Head SC and listed to spiel.  We paid for Palmera Vacation Club about a month ago.  They want us to sign limited power of attorney so they can buy our timeshare and transfer it to Palmera AND we are told - don't tell Alhambra because they will cause problems.  Sounds like we totally messed up.  Any thoughts on what we should do now - I don't want to give anyone a limited power of attorney.


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## tschwa2

In all liklihood they are going to use a company that will try to sell it on Ebay for $1.  If no one takes it, they will attempt to transfer it out of your name either to a LLC that they plan on bankrupting or to an individual that in all liklihood has agreed to have the TS assigned to his/her name but has no intention of every paying MF and will cause the TS to foreclose on the unit.  IF your timeshare knows this is what is happening they will never approve the transfer.  It may or may not work to get the TS out of your name.  You may end up owning both if your TS does not approve the transfer.


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## Cat McD

tschwa2 said:


> In all liklihood they are going to use a company that will try to sell it on Ebay for $1.  If no one takes it, they will attempt to transfer it out of your name either to a LLC that they plan on bankrupting or to an individual that in all liklihood has agreed to have the TS assigned to his/her name but has no intention of every paying MF and will cause the TS to foreclose on the unit.  IF your timeshare knows this is what is happening they will never approve the transfer.  It may or may not work to get the TS out of your name.  You may end up owning both if your TS does not approve the transfer.


Is there a lawyer or something that I can contact to help me from getting in deeper?  Obviously they want the limited power of attorney and I need help.


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## Ty1on

tschwa2 said:


> In all liklihood they are going to use a company that will try to sell it on Ebay for $1.  If no one takes it, they will attempt to transfer it out of your name either to a LLC that they plan on bankrupting or to an individual that in all liklihood has agreed to have the TS assigned to his/her name but has no intention of every paying MF and will cause the TS to foreclose on the unit.  IF your timeshare knows this is what is happening they will never approve the transfer.  It may or may not work to get the TS out of your name.  You may end up owning both if your TS does not approve the transfer.



There is also a chance they want the interval to add that resort as a dot on their map.  They do appear to be trying to grow a club.


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## tschwa2

If they wanted to expand they would go to the resort and buy a block of off season weeks not take one or two weeks from new buyers.  What they are doing is the typical "mexican TS type" take backs through a 3rd party.  If it was above board they wouldn't have said not to let the resort know what is happening.  Funny thing is that type of takeback scheme is one of the reason that Corral Resorts/Reba before they changed to Palmera followed Spinnaker in requiring $1500 transfer fee when selling with $500 going to management and the remaining going toward prepaid MF's when transferring.


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## Michael williams

I'm currently at Hilton head and they are trying to buy my timeshare and sell me quest vacation club membership. Is it a scam. Thanks


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## Althepal16

The Palmera vacation club is a total scam, but I don't know about the Quest vacation club. Most likely it is also a scam.


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## jkfissjr

Just traded my Plan with Tan today for Palmera Vacation Club. PVC promised four weeks a year vacation anywhere in the world plus their HH Island resorts. I had to pay $1350.00 to secure the transfer. They gave me an RCI directory and said that I could use my weeks traded equally for weeks anywhere in the directory which includes properties in vacation spots all over the world. After reading this thread, I am thinking of backing out tomorrow. What do y'all think?


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## Althepal16

jkfissjr said:


> Just traded my Plan with Tan today for Palmera Vacation Club. PVC promised four weeks a year vacation anywhere in the world plus their HH Island resorts. I had to pay $1350.00 to secure the transfer. They gave me an RCI directory and said that I could use my weeks traded equally for weeks anywhere in the directory which includes properties in vacation spots all over the world. After reading this thread, I am thinking of backing out tomorrow. What do y'all think?



Look at the contract and ignore every word that comes out the their mouths. You are buying a certain number of RCI points, that is all you are getting. For me it was 3000 points for $14,000. Now go on the RCI website and try to book 4 weeks a year with your RCI points. Good luck. You will not even get a week in prime season anywhere for 3000 RCI points.


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## tschwa2

You likely traded your vacation club with TAN for an almost identical one and had to pay $1350.  If they are giving you 4 weeks they are going to be the left overs not anything in the book.


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## jkfissjr

Althepal16 said:


> Look at the contract and ignore every word that comes out the their mouths. You are buying a certain number of RCI points, that is all you are getting. For me it was 3000 points for $14,000. Now go on the RCI website and try to book 4 weeks a year with your RCI points. Good luck. You will not even get a week in prime season anywhere for 3000 RCI points.


Thanks, I already contacted a lawyer to write up the cancellation letter and notarize it. There was no language in the contract that outlined any of the points the sales rep told us. It is definitely a scam. I am going to deliver the letter myself.


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## jkfissjr

tschwa2 said:


> You likely traded your vacation club with TAN for an almost identical one and had to pay $1350.  If they are giving you 4 weeks they are going to be the left overs not anything in the book.


Thank God I have 5 days to cancel. The more I look at the paperwork, the angrier I get.


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## jkfissjr

jkfissjr said:


> Thank God I have 5 days to cancel. The more I look at the paperwork, the angrier I get.


The only thing I can say is look before you leap and never sign a legal document without your lawyer present.


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## jkfissjr

jkfissjr said:


> The only thing I can say is look before you leap and never sign a legal document without your lawyer present.


Did some research last night and Palmera use to be called Coral Resorts LLC, but because of lawsuits, 66 in all, they changed their name. They are represented locally by  Naert & DuBois, LLC, Attorneys at Law. There are tons of law firms right near them so beware.


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## jkfissjr

jkfissjr said:


> Did some research last night and Palmera use to be called Coral Resorts LLC, but because of lawsuits, 66 in all, they changed their name. They are represented locally by  Naert & DuBois, LLC, Attorneys at Law. There are tons of law firms right near them so beware.


check out: http://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/article33578085.html
I feel like a fool for having done this.


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## jkfissjr

jkfissjr said:


> Did some research last night and Palmera use to be called Coral Resorts LLC, but because of lawsuits, 66 in all, they changed their name. They are represented locally by  Naert & DuBois, LLC, Attorneys at Law. There are tons of law firms right near them so beware.


Correction, Naert & DuBois represent the people suing Palmera. They are the good guys.


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## Althepal16

Don't feel bad, they are really slick talkers, but almost nothing they say is in the contract. It is amazing that they are still in business.


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## theo

jkfissjr said:


> Just traded my Plan with Tan today for Palmera Vacation Club. *PVC promised four weeks a year vacation anywhere in the world plus their HH Island resorts*. I had to pay $1350.00 to secure the transfer. They gave me an RCI directory and *said* that I could use my weeks traded equally for weeks anywhere in the directory which includes properties in vacation spots all over the world. After reading this thread, I am thinking of backing out tomorrow. What do y'all think?



What exactly does "PVC promised" mean? Are those "promises" reflected in writing?  (I doubt it). Sounds like meaningless BS to me, frankly.
Since you've asked, I think that you should probably be preparing your rescission letter right now, _*today*_ instead of waiting until tomorrow.


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## SPAC

I trades into Island Links, here for 3 weeks. We went over for Palmera presentation.

They are courteous, but fast talking. They gave me a price of $22,500 for 4000 or 5000 points.
They also said they would be willing to take my Manhattan Club in trade.
The long and short of it was I told them I would not make a decision involving $20,000 or even $5,000
without doing my due diligence. I told the salesperson, "Trust is Good, Checking is Best"
The presentation ended immediately.


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## jkfissjr

I cancelled my Palmera Vacation Club Package the day after I traded my Tan Club package plus $1350 CC for 2000 points. When I went in to cancel, they signed the cancellation right away and gave me a credit slip for the $1350 on my CC. However, the credit didn't show up on my CC. I waited 5 days. When I called them, they gave me some bs story that it takes at least 5 business days to post a credit. I immediatly disputed it thru my Costco Citi card. Lucky for me, the card is my cosco membership card and my dispute went thru in one day. Palmera Vacation Club is a scam. Citi had all sorts of information about them. The morning we left the Island, one of their fish hook salesman was at the diner where we ate. On the way out, my wife and I paid him a visit while he was hooking in a potential fish. It was a very interesting talk, to say the least. They are all silver toung vipers. The fish didn't bite by the way. Palmera = scum


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## brad thomas

I purchased 3,000 points last October and so far am very happy.  My family and I went back there earlier this month with out using any of our points, we spent $212.  The trip was great, I don't think we could have done the same trip for $1500.  I also have a trip booked in may using 2000 of my points, we are going to the gulf shores.  We are new to Palmera but have been in timeshare for awhile and at this point we couldn't be happier with our choice to switch to them.


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## tschwa2

brad thomas said:


> I purchased 3,000 points last October and so far am very happy.  My family and I went back there earlier this month with out using any of our points, we spent $212.  The trip was great, I don't think we could have done the same trip for $1500.  I also have a trip booked in may using 2000 of my points, we are going to the gulf shores.  We are new to Palmera but have been in timeshare for awhile and at this point we couldn't be happier with our choice to switch to them.


If you went without using points did you book through RCI getaways or the Palmera club?


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## brad thomas

tschwa2 said:


> If you went without using points did you book through RCI getaways or the Palmera club?


for the trip to hiltonhead i used what they call a smart stay, the trip coming up is through rci using my points.


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## brad thomas

brad thomas said:


> for the trip to hiltonhead i used what they call a smart stay, the trip coming up is through rci using my points.


the smart stay is through palmera


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## tschwa2

brad thomas said:


> the smart stay is through palmera


So what is a smart stay?  Can you post a sample of upcoming smart stays available?  I own Island Links but avoid updates like the plague.  In the past they offered bonus weeks but you had to pay the full $900+ weeks MF even for off and mid season weeks.


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## brad thomas

tschwa2 said:


> So what is a smart stay?  Can you post a sample of upcoming smart stays available?  I own Island Links but avoid updates like the plague.  In the past they offered bonus weeks but you had to pay the full $900+ weeks MF even for off and mid season weeks.


I had to read the definition of a smart stay to answer you, but it is basically the ability to pick up weeks 45 days or less back at one of the resorts in palmera you can use points money or a combination of both.  We used one at the beginning of the month and it was $212 for a 3 bedroom at Island links.  I looked up the smart stay inventory for april and this is what it is:
Coral sands 3 bed in april $424
Island links 3 bed in april $424
Coral Reef 2 bed in april $362
There were units for very week of the month.  Im not sure yet how you use points for that stay instead I just learned about it after you asked the question, I will call and ask though.


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## tschwa2

brad thomas said:


> There were units for very week of the month.  Im not sure yet how you use points for that stay instead I just learned about it after you asked the question, I will call and ask though.


Thanks.  My concern as a non enrolled owner would be that they are now offering weeks less than the a standard weeks MF.  In the winter it looks like about 1/4 and during the shoulder season it is just under half.  If they are basing it on the number of points it takes to reserve then the summer rates would have to be at least double- $1800+.  I guess if it is unsold inventory that the Palmera club is paying MF, they can offer it at whatever rate they want but if they aren't paying MF and are reimbursing the HOA's at a rate lower than MF but only offering the price to Palmera members that doesn't seem right.


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## randster2

Brad I attended  A presentation yesterday.   Can you explain how it worked to get your gulf shore trade?  They said every trade is 1000 points, and a special palmera vacation club tab is used. Thanks.


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## brad thomas

randster2 said:


> Brad I attended  A presentation yesterday.   Can you explain how it worked to get your gulf shore trade?  They said every trade is 1000 points, and a special palmera vacation club tab is used. Thanks.


sure i just went to the palmera website clicked on the escape link which took me to rci.  I then entered where and when i wantd to go and chose between the two resorts that had availability.  I had to pay the rci exchange fee of $229 and that was it.


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## Bob G

I exchanged 2 RCI weeks plus $1500. Supposedly this would get me approx 4 weeks under the Palmera point plan 3000 points. This was not the case. I checked with RCI and they did not know Palmera. I talked to 3 RCI agents. 1 out of 3 was able to find a Palmera account and give me some RCI values. The other 2 were not help other than to say no go. Demand a chart of or map to RCI point system. I found that I got basically 1/2 my trading power in RCI for my Palmera exchange. 
The real kicker was that salesman promised 4 weeks for Palmera points. This was ONLY if you booked within 30 days of your vacation. I did not find this out until afterwards when researching what I got into. They do not seem to have very much customer support. Just a few salesmen and a contract guy. Good luck if you need to talk to someone. I went straight to voice mail on all of my calls except for the one to the Palmera New Owners Hotline.
It might work if you do short notice trips and like to book within 30 days. But for anything that involves a airflight or longer range planning you are screwed. I backed out. There is 5 day window to cancel. Refund was processed with no issues. 
All in all it might work for some folks but you really need to double check with RCI what your Palmera points will get you. This is a great Resort on HHI with 4 locations so if you want to go to HHI it might work but tread carefully if you are doing any kind of exchange for RCI weeks or points. There is no good chart of exchange that I could find.


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## randster2

My sister and I went to a presentation for Palmera Vacation Club the end of March.  They promised $18,000 for timeshares we both have -Lakeview in WV and Spicebush in Hilton Head.  Their program would cost $20,000, so we owed $2,000 after subtracting the $18,000 credit for our 2 timeshares.  For $2,000 we were each promised 3,000 points, which would get us 3 trades.  They said Palmera has a special relationship with RCI so we could get 3 trades.  There was no mention of the best trades being within 30 days.  Or we could book a Hilton Head summer week if we chose not to use the 3,000 points.  The yearly maintenance fee would be $595.  We each bought into the program.  We looked at the contracts that evening, and saw something different than promised.  The $18,000 credit for our 2 timeshares was not guaranteed.  We had signed a contract to buy 3,000 points for $14,000.  The summer Hilton Head week trade option was not mentioned.  We both cancelled the contract since the contract did not match what we were told.  We had been sold 3,000 points for $14,000 with no guarantee of receiving $18,000 for our 2 timeshares.  3 different Palmera reps had assured me that my out of pocket expense would be $2,000, but that was not guaranteed in the contract.


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## Gbelcinia

I just signed up to see what I bought. I traded two of my high maintenance fee timeshares for one Palmera and $2000 on top of that. This was back in October but I had not booked anything until recently. It took almost five months to get my money on the trade ins but it finally came.
I have only booked one trip to Myrtle Beach for this summer and used 1000 of my 3000 points to be able to book it but I will still get three weeks for the two that I traded in,so I am satisfied so far.


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## randster2

Did Palmera give you the money promised for your two timeshares?  When I canceled, the rep offered me $8000 immediately versus the $18,000 offered verbally  during the presentation.  I wanted a guarantee that I would only pay $2000 for the entire deal as promised in the presentation, but the rep would not promise after I signed the contract. The contract did not read that way. I was worried I would have to pay more than the $2000 difference. Glad it's working out for you.


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## Gbelcinia

I did finally get the money but it took longer than I was expecting.(Almost five months) They said they had to make sure I owned what I told them I owned and did not owe anything on it before they could pay.
I do not have much experience in booking yet as I have just made my first reservation. If they all are as easy as this booking however,I can't complain.


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## tschwa2

Gbelcinia said:


> I did finally get the money but it took longer than I was expecting.(Almost five months) They said they had to make sure I owned what I told them I owned and did not owe anything on it before they could pay.
> I do not have much experience in booking yet as I have just made my first reservation. If they all are as easy as this booking however,I can't complain.


Gbelcinia, Can you be specific about your exchange?  What did you get in Myrtle Beach, what resort, size and week?  What resorts did you trade in?


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## Gbelcinia

I traded into Wyndham Ocean Blvd. on the second week of June. I wanted July but there was nothing available. My daughter will just have finished school so I was hoping to get it a little later but the next week they had was the end of August and she would already have been back in school. The resorts I traded were Holiday Inn Myrtle Beach and a small Diamond Int. Points package. The maintenance fees on the Diamond were high for what you got for it.


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## tschwa2

Any way you could copy and paste a screen print of the exchange or send me a PM?  I really just can't believe that was a 1000 Palmera exchange.  It is outside of any discount period so it should be closer to 10,000 Palmera points for that kind of exchange even if their was availability which currently I only see October and November nothing anywhere near summer.


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## Gbelcinia

I am not very good on a computer as far as copy and paste goes,but my wife is good at that. 
I will have to have her do that for me. It is not a discount however. All the inventory that I pick from on my program is 1000 points or less. I actually paid full point value. You may be looking at a different point system.


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## tschwa2

Thank you.  I would like that.  It doesn't seem like your experience is like earlier posters who said the 1000 weeks are only select RCI weeks 45 days or less and that 3000 points wouldn't be enough to book a single Palmera June-August week within the club.


Ok I found this link to the 1000 point RCI vacations. 



 When you go in looking at online availability right now how many US vacations are available for 1000 points (throughout the next 2 years)?


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## Gbelcinia

I am glad you found it. That is the program my wife used when searching. That is what sold us on the program to begin with. 
Another tip I can give you is she actually did not find the June week in Myrtle Beach by using the online booking you just showed. She ended up calling and put in a search and it took a couple of days to get what we needed. We waited a little bit too long to book a summer week at the beach so there was not much to choose from.


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## tschwa2

Gbelcinia said:


> I am glad you found it. That is the program my wife used when searching. That is what sold us on the program to begin with.
> Another tip I can give you is she actually did not find the June week in Myrtle Beach by using the online booking you just showed. She ended up calling and put in a search and it took a couple of days to get what we needed. We waited a little bit too long to book a summer week at the beach so there was not much to choose from.


Your going to want to double check that confirmation.  When you call and put in a search you can't specify just the 1000 point inventory.  The 1000 points inventory is either off off season or discounted.  My experience is that the type of unit that you mentioned would only be discounted at 1 week prior to check in if at all.  I have seen Wyndham National Harbor the 3 days before check in during March at full point value which in terms of Palmera club would be about 8000 points.  If your week was the first or second week in June the values would be 4000/6000/8000 depending on size 1br/2br/3br.  You will want to make sure they didn't deduct all of your this years points and some or all of next years points.

The kind of inventory you should expect for 1000 points in Myrtle Beach booked beyond 45 days are Dec-early March studio and 1 br units and an occasional sleeps 2 hotel units through May but these would most likely not be within walking distance of the beach.  Its the kind of inventory that RCI often has in its extra vacations for $300-400 for the week and often has sales which bring it to below the exchange fee of $230.

So my guess is one of 3 things happened.  
1.  You got a very very rare glitch point price for that unit.  I would never expect it to happen again this far out.  If you have an ongoing search and search several times daily especially 21-3 days prior to check in you might get the same thing again in the future.  Otherwise think Orlando, Williamsburg, Branson type vacations 45 days in advance or off season smaller units.  

2.  You were lucky to confirm with a search this late in the game but you are using 6000 points (not 1000) for the 2 br unit.

3.  You are a shill, working for Palmera vacation club and completely making up your exchange and trade in story.  It really makes no sense that Palmera (basically the new name after Coral Resorts had several legal problems and years of complaints) can sell the kind of program that you are describing for $2000. Your trade ins were worth nothing and if Pamera were able to "dispose" of them, they would have had to pay someone to take them and then place them in an LLC in all likelihood bankrupt the LLC if they could not convince the developers to take the weeks back.


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## Gbelcinia

I was trying to help you but I really don't owe you anything. I did not pay $2000. I paid $2000 on top of my two trades. I can't help if you are not happy with your purchase but I did get what I booked and I hope it was not a fluke like you say. I will check back when I book my next trip and hope you are mistaken. If you are correct,I will say that as well.


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## tschwa2

You don't owe me but it would be helpful if you could provide a print screen of your exchange.  I am happy with what I own for the most part.  If the program was what you say it is I would be willing to do it myself.  I just don't think it is and would like more than your word before making that type of transaction.  I currently own an EOY week managed by Palmera which gets the equivalent of 10,000 Palmera points for a MF of around $960 paid EOY.  

Your two trade ins have a negative value so you gave them something that they have to pay to dispose of and $2000.  There are tons of people who would do the kind of deal you did if it were real. To trade in two high MF resorts in exchange for a new one with a MF of around $500 or so and get multiple in season or shoulder season exchanges into top 20% rci resorts.    I am trying to help myself and them with proof.  Even with just your name, I could confirm the price your HI Myrtle sold for.  I am not saying your number 3 but without evidence I doubt your number 1.


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## ed silberhorn

We purchased a Palmera Vacation Club package that included 2,000 points, Quest membership and golf benefit (just pay cart fees for a round up to four rounds per day during a stay) -- the deal included a trade in of our Gold Crown RCI January Red week (sleeps 6) in Los Olas in Satellite Beach, Florida.  We have not been able to get any status report on the sale of our trade-in, however, and are wondering if any of you know whether or not PVC follows through on their trade-in promise. We would not have purchased another timeshare without the opportunity of getting out from under our existing one. It is a nice one but we are too far away to enjoy it anymore.


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## tschwa2

I encourage you to read your contract very carefully.  If it isn't specifically in the contract you may be out of luck.  How long ago did you purchase PVC?  By your questions about the status of your transfer it sounds like it was more than 5 days ago.


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## ed silberhorn

tschwa2 said:


> I encourage you to read your contract very carefully.  If it isn't specifically in the contract you may be out of luck.  How long ago did you purchase PVC?  By your questions about the status of your transfer it sounds like it was more than 5 days ago.


Thanks -- fraud of course trumps the contract -- bought it in early March -- really interested in knowing if anyone has any experience with Palmera Vacation Club following through on their promise to sell the trade-in and credit the buyer?  My wife and I have knowledge of multiple promises both before the contract was signed and in consideration of us not rescinding the contract after it was signed within the 5 day statutory period so we would have multiple causes of action if it turns out that PVC does not keep its word.  Does anyone know of instances where people were actually paid. The person above says he was finally paid five months later and that is encouraging but we would like others to confirm if this is the case or not.


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## ed silberhorn

Any reply from Gbelcinia would be much appreciated!


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## ed silberhorn

Gbelcinia said:


> I did finally get the money but it took longer than I was expecting.(Almost five months) They said they had to make sure I owned what I told them I owned and did not owe anything on it before they could pay.
> I do not have much experience in booking yet as I have just made my first reservation. If they all are as easy as this booking however,I can't complain.


Would you or anyone else be able to describe the process of getting paid by Palmera for your trade-in. I've tried contacting them but they will not respond and I'm getting worried that we were scammed!


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## Clwin

Has anyone been paid by Palmero for timeshares that were traded?


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## ed silberhorn

We have not been paid and the person above who claims such has not responded. Wondering if some of the posts are "plants" by Palmera?


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## tschwa2

ed silberhorn said:


> We have not been paid and the person above who claims such has not responded. Wondering if some of the posts are "plants" by Palmera?


That was my suggestion.  What about his claims that he received a 2 br Wyndham Myrtle beach for the second week of June for 1000 points requesting more than 60 days in advance.  In your experience is that kind of inventory in the 1000 point range in advance or if available more in the 4000-8000 range?


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## ed silberhorn

tschwa2 said:


> That was my suggestion.  What about his claims that he received a 2 br Wyndham Myrtle beach for the second week of June for 1000 points requesting more than 60 days in advance.  In your experience is that kind of inventory in the 1000 point range in advance or if available more in the 4000-8000 range?


No -- I am so disappointed in Palmera -- I wish they would just respond to my communications but I am seriously starting to doubt their good faith!


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## jkfissjr

Simply put, Palmera Vacation Club is a scam. Nothing they tell you is in any contract. It's all BS to get you to hand over your hard owned money. My wife and I attended one of their presentations, purchased a membership, and canceled the next day. We had to go through our credit cart to get the refund. It is amazing that they have so many slick sweet talkers who are all on the same page. Every single one of them is in on the sting. It is a classic con job that has been run for decades. If you do any research, you will find out just that. They operate on the premise that people generally don't bring their business hat to vacation, and therefore are very vulnerable to their con. Palmera has been sued many times in their previous version. Don't beat yourself up, but get out of it if you can. Save yourself!!!!


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## ed silberhorn

Thanks, we will!


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## jkfissjr

Dear Ed S.,
They also operate with the knowledge that it would cost way more to sew them than whatever you got taken for. That is why in the past they have been the subject of class actions. Unfortunately, you are in vacation club purgatory. My suggestion is that you contact the law firm I mentioned in one of my earlier posts in February. They are on Hilton head Island and have been in class actions against Palmera's previous version.

Good luck to you,
JKF


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## Gbelcinia

Ed 
I am sorry that I did not get back to you sooner but I am rarely on a computer just for browsing. I finally did get paid on my trades,but as I said earlier it took around 5 months and that was a little longer than I was lead to believe. But I can't really complain because I did get paid was was agreed to when I was at the presentation.
I will report back when I try to book another trip and let you know if it goes as well as the first one or if that was just a fluke as another person wondered. I really don't have any immediate plans for another trip however.


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## chase mckinney

I have been a Port O call owner for years, recently switched to Palmera, since then booked a smart stay week as they call them for $420 coming up and all seems to be good so far. Actually excited about new benefits that they say I now have with the club.


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## Athena Starbright

ed silberhorn said:


> Thanks -- fraud of course trumps the contract -- bought it in early March -- really interested in knowing if anyone has any experience with Palmera Vacation Club following through on their promise to sell the trade-in and credit the buyer?  My wife and I have knowledge of multiple promises both before the contract was signed and in consideration of us not rescinding the contract after it was signed within the 5 day statutory period so we would have multiple causes of action if it turns out that PVC does not keep its word.  Does anyone know of instances where people were actually paid. The person above says he was finally paid five months later and that is encouraging but we would like others to confirm if this is the case or not.


I am convinced now we got totally scammed and wanted to know if anyone has gotten out of the contract once they realized they have been a victim of fraud


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## ed silberhorn

Athena Starbright said:


> I am convinced now we got totally scammed and wanted to know if anyone has gotten out of the contract once they realized they have been a victim of fraud


Try calling Joe DuBois, esq. on HHI --- depending on your facts and circumstances you may well be able to either cancel the contract or sue for treble damages.   





Athena Starbright said:


> I am convinced now we got totally scammed and wanted to know if anyone has gotten out of the contract once they realized they have been a victim of fraud


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## theo

ed silberhorn said:


> Would you or anyone else be able to describe the process of getting paid by Palmera for your trade-in. I've tried contacting them but they will not respond and I'm getting worried that we were scammed!



I don't know anything about Palmera VC or whether you (and / or Athena Starbright) were "scammed", but I have *never* before heard of a "trade in" situation *anywhere*  which resulted in the "donor" actually receiving cash back later. More bluntly stated, I simply don't believe it, but will gladly stand corrected after examining a verifiable report (or several) to the contrary. A single claim from a brand new TUG registrant (Gbelcinia) does not convince or persuade me at all, frankly. Most "traded in" timeshares in the U.S. end up listed on eBay for a dollar under a granted PoA. In Mexico, they often don't even bother to do that much, instead later extracting even *more* money from the "donor" to "allow" them to just *keep* their intended trade in.

Unfortunately, anything and everything stated (orally) by sales weasels during the "pitch" means absolutely *nothing*. Only the content found between the four corners of the contract really means anything at all. In fact, the contract itself likely states exactly that, clearly and in writing. Smiling (but lying) sales weasel verbal claims and promises just constitutes meaningless noise temporarily floating around in the air; no more and no less.

I wish you luck, but the word "fraud" has been tossed around in this thread and I respectfully submit that a whole lot more than recollections of sales weasel verbal statements is required to successfully make a case for "fraud". IMnsHO, once past the applicable state law rescission period, the "donor" is likely SOL unless PVC *voluntarily* steps up to grease and quiet a squeaky enough wheel, with or without the squeaky wheel obtaining legal counsel. I won't presume to speculate on the odds of success, but I personally wouldn't be willing to place that bet at all. Nonetheless, good luck.


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## ed silberhorn

You are right in stating that you don't know anything about Palmera Vacation Club's sales practices -- but try reading the SC Unfair Trade Practices Act and you will learn that
 "misrepresentation" and other similar "unfair trade practices" (oral or otherwise) are illegal in South Carolina and subject to attorney fees and treble damages. The deal some were allegedly promised to get people to buy (trade-in credit for our existing time-share against the purchase price of one of their time-shares) has not come to fruition so far -- that's why we are writing about it and trying to better understand our options. You are right about the contractual situation but "bait and switch" fraud, if that's indeed what happened to us, trumps contract disclaimers in SC.


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## ed silberhorn

ed silberhorn said:


> You are right in stating that you don't know anything about Palmera Vacation Club's sales practices -- but try reading the SC Unfair Trade Practices Act and you will learn that
> "misrepresentation" and other similar "unfair trade practices" (oral or otherwise) are illegal in South Carolina and subject to attorney fees and treble damages. The deal some were allegedly promised to get people to buy (trade-in credit for our existing time-share against the purchase price of one of their time-shares) has not come to fruition so far -- that's why we are writing about it and trying to better understand our options. You are right about the contractual situation but "bait and switch" fraud, if that's indeed what happened to us, trumps contract disclaimers in SC.


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## Athena Starbright

ed silberhorn said:


> You are right in stating that you don't know anything about Palmera Vacation Club's sales practices -- but try reading the SC Unfair Trade Practices Act and you will learn that
> "misrepresentation" and other similar "unfair trade practices" (oral or otherwise) are illegal in South Carolina and subject to attorney fees and treble damages. The deal some were allegedly promised to get people to buy (trade-in credit for our existing time-share against the purchase price of one of their time-shares) has not come to fruition so far -- that's why we are writing about it and trying to better understand our options. You are right about the contractual situation but "bait and switch" fraud, if that's indeed what happened to us, trumps contract disclaimers in SC.


Thank you for your input I totally agree and but you have to figure that you hire a lawyer it can take years and years to settle, in the meantime you are in a state of limbo.  I cannot believe we were so stupid.  I guess because we have dealt with Island Links for years I thought that they were honest.  And yes it is totally a "bait and switch" and fraud in my estimation.  The other question is why would they do this to people that have been good owners of timeshares and paid there maintenance every year?  And in our case our timeshare is fully paid for.  I be darned if we will ever give them another cent and that is why bothers me about the lawyer thing because we are already out 16,000 bucks


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## TUGBrian

I dont think anyone is arguing that what happened to you was somehow right, or even legal.

the party above was merely pointing out that without proof of this, its merely a he said she said situation where the resort/vacation club/salesman will simply say you misunderstood what he said during the sales presentation and still signed the contract without reading it and within that contract there is of course no mention of the items that were discussed orally.

its a despicable situation that plays out every single day in the timeshare world...one that has been fine tuned over the past 30+ years to swindle owners out of money using the fact that they trust the salesperson in front of them and dont actually read the contract they are signing!


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## Athena Starbright

TUGBrian said:


> I dont think anyone is arguing that what happened to you was somehow right, or even legal.
> 
> the party above was merely pointing out that without proof of this, its merely a he said she said situation where the resort/vacation club/salesman will simply say you misunderstood what he said during the sales presentation and still signed the contract without reading it and within that contract there is of course no mention of the items that were discussed orally.
> 
> its a despicable situation that plays out every single day in the timeshare world...one that has been fine tuned over the past 30+ years to swindle owners out of money using the fact that they trust the salesperson in front of them and dont actually read the contract they are signing!


Agreed, so I guess we are in a no win situation, a he said she said!!!!


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## TUGBrian

its certainly ugly for sure...and just to be clear...I have no doubt you were mislead during the presentation...or at the very least told things that were "partially true" but phrased in a way to make you think something completely different...it happens all the time!

but a wise lawyer once told me....even if you are 100% in the right...how much is it worth to you to prove you are right?

$5000 bucks?
$50,000 bucks?

entering the legal world each of those numbers can apply with ease....with practically zero chance of you ever seeing the money you spent "being right" ever again as itll just go into your attorneys pockets win or lose!  (and the chances youd ever recover any money already paid are even more slim)

I would however report the issue to both my states Atty Generals office, and every state said company has an office in.  If there is any outfit equipped to seek justice and restitution for customers who have been scammed, its an AGs office!  However they are only going to go after companies when enough individuals report the crime and sadly too many people just suck up the loss and never report it!


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## ed silberhorn

Athena Starbright said:


> Thank you for your input I totally agree and but you have to figure that you hire a lawyer it can take years and years to settle, in the meantime you are in a state of limbo.  I cannot believe we were so stupid.  I guess because we have dealt with Island Links for years I thought that they were honest.  And yes it is totally a "bait and switch" and fraud in my estimation.  The other question is why would they do this to people that have been good owners of timeshares and paid there maintenance every year?  And in our case our timeshare is fully paid for.  I be darned if we will ever give them another cent and that is why bothers me about the lawyer thing because we are already out 16,000 bucks





Athena Starbright said:


> Thank you for your input I totally agree and but you have to figure that you hire a lawyer it can take years and years to settle, in the meantime you are in a state of limbo.  I cannot believe we were so stupid.  I guess because we have dealt with Island Links for years I thought that they were honest.  And yes it is totally a "bait and switch" and fraud in my estimation.  The other question is why would they do this to people that have been good owners of timeshares and paid there maintenance every year?  And in our case our timeshare is fully paid for.  I be darned if we will ever give them another cent and that is why bothers me about the lawyer thing because we are already out 16,000 bucks





TUGBrian said:


> its certainly ugly for sure...and just to be clear...I have no doubt you were mislead during the presentation...or at the very least told things that were "partially true" but phrased in a way to make you think something completely different...it happens all the time!
> 
> but a wise lawyer once told me....even if you are 100% in the right...how much is it worth to you to prove you are right?
> 
> $5000 bucks?
> $50,000 bucks?
> 
> entering the legal world each of those numbers can apply with ease....with practically zero chance of you ever seeing the money you spent "being right" ever again as itll just go into your attorneys pockets win or lose!  (and the chances youd ever recover any money already paid are even more slim)
> 
> I would however report the issue to both my states Atty Generals office, and every state said company has an office in.  If there is any outfit equipped to seek justice and restitution for customers who have been scammed, its an AGs office!  However they are only going to go after companies when enough individuals report the crime and sadly too many people just suck up the loss and never report it!




Not sure if Ms. Starbright has reported it but I am aware the whole sales scheme has been reported and the response has been that SC does not allow class actions for this sort of matter and these alleged timeshare scams are not pursued by the Attoney General when a private cause of action is available according to what an HHI attorney who deals in these matters said. It is illegal to misrepresent though and the Plaintiff is allowed attorney fees and treble damages according to the statue in question as I have been led to understand it.


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## ed silberhorn

Not sure if Ms. Starbright has reported it but I am aware the whole sales scheme has been reported and the response has been that SC does not allow class actions for this sort of matter and these alleged timeshare scams are not pursued by the Attoney General when a private cause of action is available according to what an HHI attorney who deals in these matters said. It is illegal to misrepresent though and the Plaintiff is allowed attorney fees and treble damages according to the statue in question as I have been led to understand it.


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## TUGBrian

ed silberhorn said:


> Not sure if Ms. Starbright has reported it but I am aware the whole sales scheme has been reported and the response has been that SC does not allow class actions for this sort of matter and these alleged timeshare scams are not pursued by the Attoney General when a private cause of action is available according to what an HHI attorney who deals in these matters said. It is illegal to misrepresent though and the Plaintiff is allowed attorney fees and treble damages according to the statue in question as I have been led to understand it.



uh...say what?  that is one of the most basic functions of any attorney generals office.  they even have their own page dedicated to consumer scams where you can report it.  

http://www.consumer.sc.gov/Pages/Scams.aspx



by chance did this "Attorney who deals in these matters" want you to pay him a retainer and become his client?  Id run screaming from any attorney who actually made those claims.


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## TUGBrian

I also see you are in north carolina, if you are a resident there you should also report your situation to the NC atty generals office, here is their page to file complaints

http://www.ncdoj.gov/getdoc/fdbee1c7-c2a9-4f67-91b2-bb50beea1c0a/2-2-12-File-a-Complaint.aspx


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## ed silberhorn

TUGBrian said:


> uh...say what?  that is one of the most basic functions of any attorney generals office.  they even have their own page dedicated to consumer scams where you can report it.
> 
> http://www.consumer.sc.gov/Pages/Scams.aspx
> 
> 
> 
> by chance did this "Attorney who deals in these matters" want you to pay him a retainer and become his client?  Id run screaming from any attorney who actually made those claims.



No -- he sent me a legitimate CD of a hearing before the SC Supreme Court where he was effectively arguing that the Attorney General should change its policies on timeshares via mandamus -- the decision has not been rendered as of yet but when it is I'll post it!


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## Athena Starbright

ed silberhorn said:


> No -- he sent me a legitimate CD of a hearing before the SC Supreme Court where he was effectively arguing that the Attorney General should change its policies on timeshares via mandamus -- the decision has not been rendered as of yet but when it is I'll post it!


Thank you all I appreciate your input.  Tug and silberhorn have good advice.  It still makes thou sick to lose 16000 bucks.  There were some people from NY staying at the same time and the guy was a CPA I wonder if they realize the scam.  At this point I will ever set foot there ever again.  Elder abuse for those over 65 should be considered


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## TUGBrian

id still file the complaint...you have nothing to lose by doing so...and if enough people complain...the AGs office will act.

Most government agencies abide by the "its not my problem" attitude until it becomes a large enough problem to commit funds and manpower towards it.

also north carolina seems to be quite active against timeshare scams, with an entire seciton of the AGs website dedicated to it.  have you filed a complaint there as well as a resident of that state?


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## Athena Starbright

Agreed Silverhorn and I will ---and Tug we had friends that spent 37,000 fighting for something they felt right about and all they got was lost money.  So lawyers are not my cup a tea because as I said it takes years and more of your money.  I hope to hear from other people that have been scammed.


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## OntarioGuy

Any suggestions here, I just purchased 2000 points, and after reading the thread I am seeing a few people who feel Palmera is a scam, and a few that feel it is legit, really makes it hard to decide whether to follow through or not. So here is my question, if anyone has ever come across it. I have only put a small deposit on the points, the balance is due soon, or I can put it on financing. If I decide this is a scam and default from the remainder of the contract, anyone know of any ramifications that could occur? Would Palmera try to get the balance of the money? I am Ok with loosing the small deposit, but dont know if I want to put up the balance till I can judge for myself if this is legit.


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## jkfissjr

OntarioGuy said:


> Any suggestions here, I just purchased 2000 points, and after reading the thread I am seeing a few people who feel Palmera is a scam, and a few that feel it is legit, really makes it hard to decide whether to follow through or not. So here is my question, if anyone has ever come across it. I have only put a small deposit on the points, the balance is due soon, or I can put it on financing. If I decide this is a scam and default from the remainder of the contract, anyone know of any ramifications that could occur? Would Palmera try to get the balance of the money? I am Ok with loosing the small deposit, but dont know if I want to put up the balance till I can judge for myself if this is legit.



My suggestion to you is get out of it if you are still in the grace period. If not, you probably have lost whatever you paid for the 2000 points. When we opted out, we did it in the 5day grace period. We still had to dispute the charge on our credit card. Our credit card bank (Citi) had a list of boilerplate questions that showed me that they had delt with this many times. They even knew PVC. As I have stated my opinion other times in this thread, PVC is a total scam.


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## Orioles_Fan

Coral Sands Resorts and Palmera Vacation Club.    Hilton Head        Resort- Good,       PVC  - Bad and the Ugly
Two separate comments here, first the Resort with the brand new buildings, and staff attentiveness is outstanding and yes we did book our week in for Easter week (school break) with 3 bedroom villa in January of 2017 for April 2017.   The Staff and maintenance extremely helpful.   That is the 'good'.
Now for the Bad and Ugly.    First my background is 20 plus years in Professional sales management and sales training so I pay attention to a lot of nuances through the sales process both what is said and what is not said.   My wife is also well educated and can speak several languages so neither of us are babes in the woods.   With in my family we have obtained/have access to numerous weeks of time shares all owned free and clear. So when we went to attend the presentation it was with a certain amount of 'if the package is good you never know'  because we do like  Hilton Head.

We were very clear about our ownership status up front, as well as being clear we had to see what the advantages for  PVC over RCI were if were to 'buy' into the resort. As our presentations was going on, i was also 'listening' to other presentations close by to get and idea of the dollars they were asking for and what i was hearing did not make sense     $5,000  for 3000 points at one table,,   and another behind us was  $9,000  for  8,000  points  (yes i thought very low considering the first i heard)   while across the way from us later i heard $14,000  for   same 8,000 points.    both of these presentations  I kept hearing 3 weeks of vacation for  the 8,000 points.
At this point I 'clicked in to our presentation,   and was paying much more attention to what was being said, and not said,  regarding the points and RCI. I mean  3 weeks vacation for between 9 to 14 grand  at a resort as nice as Coral Sands of course I will listen.

He knew we were not interested in selling our time share, and that if we did anything it was to augment  so he switched gears to touting the benefits of  PVC.  The exact same spiel as mention by others that they had taken back their weeks to make a better vacation club, limited access to Hilton head.  
Was told that we would be 'guaranteed' a week in peak season in Hilton if we bought the appropriate amount of points, when we tried to pin him down on the amount of points that would be needed to do that.  He never answered the question directly, he kept going back to stating we could also get weeks for as little as 1,000 points.   He did say the minimum was 3,000 points.
He spent a lot of time  carefully dancing around the  questions about the points and exactly what one could get for their points.
Then he touted he website and portal,  and claimed how easy it was to use and he had just booked a week for himself in Florida via RCI.  This confused us because we  knew 3,000 to 5,000 points would not get your a week in Florida  this time a year. 
He implied, that  PVC  Points had a 'ratio'  with RCI, (being analytical) i tried to pin him down on what the ratio was he kept changing the subject saying it was something that PVC had arranged with RCI and the ratio changed depending the resort and time of the year. 
At this point we were like  "Great where do we go on RCI to see that?"  Because saying '3 weeks' and actually getting it are two different things.  He responded it was a 'special portal on RCI set up for PVC" , we asked if we could see it or log in to it just to do a comparison.    First answer was we would have to be members to log in so we couldn't.  The  look on his face was priceless when i said  Well can you log in to your account so we can see the comparison.   (Which we thought was odd) His response was he would have to check with management if that was okay.   I asked Why do u have to check?  Its your account, you can even cover up your ID info,, don't you want to make a sale ?   He went in back for about 5 minutes, during this time i notice the 3 sales people that had computers with them all went in to the back.   When our salesperson came back he said' well there are no computers that he can show this to us' on.  We even offered to bring in our lap top and he said that he couldn't.
Well I went for the 'close' at this point and said   'you have some one here ready to buy all you have to do is show us in writing what the ratio is of the point conversion is on RCI"     and or give us access to the the PVC portal for us to look and you can do neither ?   He shrugged and said  'it is out of my hands that is what the manager said"
At this point i asked again  'exactly how many points would it take to be able to be guaranteed a peak week every year in Hilton Head" because  you have never given us a price.    His response was  'what is the point if you will still need to  confirm the ratio, or the website information', and he ended our sales presentation.   (legitimately it was close to end of the sale day for them)
Even the 'manager' that has to log you out on the other side, made ZERO attempt to save the sale when he asked about the presentation and we said we found it hard to believe you can give us access or show us anything in the writing regarding the points, RCI.   His response, 'i don't know why that is, and what would like for your gift so i can get it for you.  
Bottom line is  *"IF A COMPANIES Sales practices can not stand the light of day,,  do business with them at your own risk*'

*IF all the  verbal claims they made during our time there were true then they would have at least some printed material to back it up, since nothing was provided,  we decided not to do business with the PVC>*

The bottom line it is a great resort,  however  i would not spend a dime on the Vacation club,  I will however  transfer in through RCI , (AGAIN) .


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## theo

I don't personally care much for HHI, but with that observation completely aside I have yet to read a single word (here on TUG or elsewhere) indicating that Palmera Vacation Club is even worth a brief conversation, let alone worth anyone's hard earned money.

Not at all surprising, really.  How many people (here on TUG or elsewhere) have *ever* expressed satisfaction with *any*  obscure timeshare "vacation club"?
Crickets. I hear only crickets.


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## Orioles_Fan

theo said:


> I don't personally care much for HHI anyhow, but that observation completely aside I have yet to read a single word (here on TUG or elsewhere) indicating that Palmera Vacation Club is even worth a conversation --- let alone anyone's hard earned money.
> 
> This is not at all surprising, really.  How many people (on TUG or elsewhere) have *ever* actually expressed satisfaction with *any* timeshare "vacation club"?
> Crickets. I hear crickets.


? Not sure if you read my entire comment,  i said the resort was great and would book  in there again and thought it was well worth my exchange into.     PVC however is a another story and that was posted to help educate others by sharing experience.                                                                                   As for my satisfaction, we joined Vistanna over 20 years ago, and  received out standing value what we paid at the time.    Two girls growing up was in Orlando 7 times in 10 years.   Been to HHI, Myrtle beach,   Scotsdale/phoenix , Hawaii, DR , Flagstaff and Jackson Hole.  The changes in ownership and how you book and exchange etc have  had its share of stories/learning curve over the years but things change and you have to learn to adjust. 
Hope you have a  satisfying vacation experience this year!


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## theo

Orioles_Fan said:


> ? Not sure if you read my entire comment,  i said the resort was great and would book  in there again and thought it was well worth my exchange into.     PVC however is a another story and that was posted to help educate others by sharing experience.                                                                                   As for my satisfaction, we joined Vistana over 20 years ago, and  received out standing value what we paid at the time.    Two girls growing up was in Orlando 7 times in 10 years.   Been to HHI, Myrtle beach,   Scottsdale/phoenix , Hawaii, DR , Flagstaff and Jackson Hole.  The changes in ownership and how you book and exchange etc have  had its share of stories/learning curve over the years but things change and you have to learn to adjust.
> Hope you have a  satisfying vacation experience this year!



Yup, I certainly read and thoroughly understood your entire post. My response made (perhaps inadequately specific) reference to *obscure* "vacation clubs", among which I certainly do not / would not ever include Marriott, Hyatt, Disney, Hilton, Starwood / Vistana.

By *obscure* "vacation clubs", I specifically intended reference to the likes of Melia, Silver Lakes, Global Exchange, Occidental, etc. --- all of which seem to "enjoy" universal (and well deserved) dissatisfaction. Palmera Vacation Club certainly seems to be an eminently eligible candidate for addition to any such list, no?


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## Orioles_Fan

theo said:


> Yup, I certainly read and thoroughly understood your entire post. My response made (perhaps inadequately specific) reference to *obscure* "vacation clubs", among which I certainly do not / would not ever include Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton, Starwood / Vistana.
> 
> By *obscure* "vacation clubs", I specifically intended reference to the likes of Melia, Occidental, etc.; which seem to "enjoy" universal dissatisfaction.
> Palmera Vacation Club certainly seems to be an eminently eligible candidate for addition to any such list, no?



Agreed, sorry I initially misunderstood the intent of your response .     I personally thought it was laughable that PVC could not/would not allow sales rep to show us the log in page and exchange he 'supposedly' had done,  which in essence would of secured them a sale if it was all true,  because the resort was very nice.                     When they didn't  at that point it was game over and at least my wife and daughters got to go on a sunset dolphin /wild life tour for free that  they absolutely loved.. So it was at least some compensation for the time wasted trying to make sense of their sales tactics.


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## tschwa2

I wouldn't say Palmera owners "enjoy universal dissatisfaction"  I am a resale Palmera deeded owner - as far as I can tell they weren't bought out or sold to anyone, they are the same Reba managed Coral Resorts, they just did a name change when they started to sell beneficial interests in a trust rather than deeded weeks.  The dissatisfaction is the same as it has always been with this developer:  high pressure, hard sell with a lot of confusing double talk -I can't say they all lie but they certainly lead you to conclusions that are not true about the way it all works.  So other than that one Happy poster who I believe is probably a shill, if you buy from the developer you will be unhappy and won't end up with what you thought you were buying.  That can certainly happen with less obscure clubs like Marriott or Wyndham too,  buying from the developer is generally a bad idea.  The difference is Palmera has a long history including a long legal history with walking the shadier side of the line when it comes to sales tactics and overselling the benefits.


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## theo

Interesting and a bit ironic that SC is apparently among *very* few states that require attorney involvement in timeshare transactions, yet deceitful parasites like these Coral / Palmera weasels apparently *thrive* in SC, happily slithering around while seeming to operate on (...at best) the outer boundaries of legality.


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## jkfissjr

Deceitful parasite weasel that thrives in SC.... I like that. I would add that these PVC weasels give you nothing when you sign your good money away except the potential of possibly getting a vacation. Read the contract!!!!!!! There is nothing that binds them to any promise they may have made in their presentation. It is a well oiled sting that everyone in their organization is involvolved with. They are well trained con men and women. Their only objective is to get you to make a hasty purchase which is guaranteed to give you a parasitic weasel filled stomach ache.


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## OntarioGuy

jkfissjr said:


> Deceitful parasite weasel that thrives in SC.... I like that. I would add that these PVC weasels give you nothing when you sign your good money away except the potential of possibly getting a vacation. Read the contract!!!!!!! There is nothing that binds them to any promise they may have made in their presentation. It is a well oiled sting that everyone in their organization is involvolved with. They are well trained con men and women. Their only objective is to get you to make a hasty purchase which is guaranteed to give you a parasitic weasel filled stomach ache.


My concern here is... why is there ZERO complaints about this company in either the BBB or Consumer Affairs for SC?....YET!!


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## jkfissjr

I honestly don't know the answer to that question . I know two things. Once they know that you are on to them, their posture towards you changes, and if you research them you will find out that they have been involved in over 60 law suits. Those were class action. Suing individually would be cost prohibitive. Buyer beware whenever vacation club timeshare is mentioned.


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## Athena Starbright

I check the BBB and they have one star out of 5 so they know about it, I guess they do not care.   I remember the sales person gave us his cell phone number and said call me with any questions! Ha, needless to say that was a joke, he never answered ever, not once.  I just cannot believe that we had been going there for years and always thought of them as reputable, what fools we were.


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## OntarioGuy

Well, I just got my information from them, and it is now confirmed--- total scam--sold 2000 points--after looking up their points to get a room in Hilton Head for a week--there is NOTHING less than 3150 for a week and that is in Jan. We were told 2000 points would get us 2.5 weeks a year in a 2 bedroom. And... I tried to book a week--guess what.. only one week was available for the off season month we want..and that is going to cost 5600 points for the week. So now I have 2000 points that will get me exactly nothing a year. Lucky we have not paid the full thing yet--now the question is.. what is the next step--suggestions?


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## Athena Starbright

My advice is do not give them another red cent! We already paid our money and gave up our timeshare but are trying to fight the contract because it is fraud and that does trump a contract.  You are lucky you have only paid partial.  We found out the same thing you get nothing for those points.  We are trying to dispute it and void the contract and possibly file a class action law suit.  The problem lawsuits go on for years and I do not want to pay another red cent to a lawyer.  Hard to believe this has been going on for years under a different name of Coral Sands now Palmera. Hilton Head was such a great place but I have lost all faith in Hilton Head since they are part of this Palmera. Only advice I can give is do not give them any more money cause you will never see it or them again.


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## Wegiel

We had the presentation yesterday morning. The guy kept telling us to never use the points on their resort, but instead pay the $200+ for a week stay. When we asked why, he would just say that it doesn't it make sense since you can just pay $200 for a week. 
I'm relieved to say that we didn't buy anything from them.


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## chase mckinney

Just returned from a smart stay in May thru Palmera, for $420. Couldnt be happier. Looking forward to going again in the fall. Seems best to use points thru RCI just as the rep above suggested.


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## Sulalith

Athena Starbright said:


> I check the BBB and they have one star out of 5 so they know about it, I guess they do not care.   I remember the sales person gave us his cell phone number and said call me with any questions! Ha, needless to say that was a joke, he never answered ever, not once.  I just cannot believe that we had been going there for years and always thought of them as reputable, what fools we were.



What's the name of the sales person who gave the phone number? I can't believe this is still going on. Apparently SC law system really does not care that people get scammed.


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## ed silberhorn

The only guy on this whole thread who is allegedly happy thinks using a "smart stay" is a good deal but if he were to average out what he's lost by buying in he'd see it costs him over $3,000 per dumb stay not including $500 a year in annual maintenance fees!


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## tschwa2

ed silberhorn said:


> The only guy on this whole thread who is allegedly happy thinks using a "smart stay" is a good deal but if he were to average out what he's lost by buying in he'd see it costs him over $3,000 per dumb stay not including $500 a year in annual maintenance fees!



No there are 2 so called happy members.  Chase and Gbelcinia.  I believe Chase.  Getting a late May early June week for $420 is a good deal but not an unbelievable deal.  He payed to upgrade (probably too much but almost all developer purchases are too much and people do it all the time) and is happy so far with the flexibility that he now has compared to his deeded week. 

Gbelcinia was the unbelievable one who supposedly received his multi thousand dollar payback when they sold his old unit and got an rci exchange for a number of points that would not happen during the time period he said.


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## ed silberhorn

tschwa2 said:


> No there are 2 so called happy members.  Chase and Gbelcinia.  I believe Chase.  Getting a late May early June week for $420 is a good deal but not an unbelievable deal.  He payed to upgrade (probably too much but almost all developer purchases are too much and people do it all the time) and is happy so far with the flexibility that he now has compared to his deeded week.
> 
> Gbelcinia was the unbelievable one who supposedly received his multi thousand dollar payback when they sold his old unit and got an rci exchange for a number of points that would not happen during the time period he said.


Palmera Vacation Club is a scam pure and simple but if you are stuck with it just wait until they screw up towards you in the future and go after them with both barrels.


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## tschwa2

I own an EOY at Island Links.  I bought resale but I know others who did not.  I don't believe the club is a scam.  I think the selling staff and techniques used to sell were/are underhanded and dishonest.  I think they are probably worse than some other sales staff by design and support of management but that doesn't make the product a scam- just overpriced and not necessarily the product that some thought they were buying.  This isn't different than many timeshares.  Comparing the actual product with the verbal promises made, I can see why you say it is a scam but like many timeshares if you can separate the resort and ownership/membership with the sales staff the product isn't bad and certainly isn't a scam.  They start with the top of the line package and since the price is overwhelming to most, they offer smaller and smaller products and certainly imply that the benefits and availability for a package that cost 1/20th the cost of the original one and have about 1/10th as many points which isn't true.  You basically end up with the equivalent of an every other year off season week  but are left with the impression that you have something more until you really learn to use it.


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## OntarioGuy

ed silberhorn said:


> Palmera Vacation Club is a scam pure and simple but if you are stuck with it just wait until they screw up towards you in the future and go after them with both barrels.


The problem with them is they sell you what you think is a legit deal, being 2.5 weeks per year with your 2000 points, and they do mention that there is such a thing as "smart stays"... BUT, our salesman told us "smart stays" were "bonus" deals, not once was it ever mentioned  or even hinted at, that that is where you should use your points to get this 2.5 weeks per year..So if I have to wait till last minute to book anything and Hilton head is very popular, and this is nothing but buying a sell off or last minute vacations.. what would be my chances of actually getting what I want on the week I want it? Not likely I would think. Why would any person pay these people upwards of 10,000 US dollars, along with almost 500 US dollars a year in maintenance fees, for the right to buy last minute deals? At least why would they knowingly buy in? They wouldn't, It is exactly what everyone has said, its not that there is anything in the contract that is not true, it is what is NOT in the contract that is the scam.
Follow up to my personal fight with Palmera, I have now made 5 phone calls, only once being able to contact a customer service rep, with zero satisfaction, I told the rep, write me a legal letter, and send it registered mail, proving I will be able to get 2.5 weeks per year in Hilton Head, anytime I want it, just as my salesman told me, and I will pay the entire deed in full on that day. Guess what, he was not able to guarantee me a thing. I have left 4 messages with a manager, with not one call back, as well, sent 4 emails, with not one reply. each one requests the same thing--PROVE IT or cancel my contract. NOTHING so far...not a word.


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## Athena Starbright

And Ontario Guy that was my experience also, you and call and call and never hear back and they know it is a scam and people that read this should know that you are giving up your hard earned money never to see your money or have them even talk to you and straighten things.  Liars all of them--such a lovely place to have such deceptive practices.  So forewarned is forearmed.


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## dontbuypalmera

Athena Starbright said:


> And Ontario Guy that was my experience also, you and call and call and never hear back and they know it is a scam and people that read this should know that you are giving up your hard earned money never to see your money or have them even talk to you and straighten things.  Liars all of them--such a lovely place to have such deceptive practices.  So forewarned is forearmed.



I've called six times in three days, left messages requesting a call back, no response?
CROOKS FOR SURE!!!!!


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## ckrcjr

dontbuypalmera said:


> I've called six times in three days, left messages requesting a call back, no response?
> CROOKS FOR SURE!!!!!


We have had a very similar situation as everyone else.  We have owned a timeshare for close to 30 years and never had any problems.  Last April we were visiting Island Links and went to our "update" since we had received a letter stating Palmera bought Coral Resorts, so we thought we would see what it was all about.  We were told we would have 5000 points, which would allow us 5 weeks (off season) on HHI or 2 weeks peak season.  We were also told we could use this "club" at Marriott, Hilton, etc vacation clubs as well.  We told our rep we were planning a trip to Hawaii in 2018 and would we be able to book a resort - and she said absolutely as long as we book 11-12 months in advance.  I also asked about our son and his family who were planning a trip to Disney in Nov. 2018 and would they be able to use this.  She said definitely - and they could stay in Disney resorts as long as they booked 1 year in advance and it would be 1000 points.  We agreed to the change and it has been downhill ever since.  Not one thing we were told has been true.  Nothing in Hawaii, nothing in Disney and we tried to get back into HHI - nothing!  No matter when I tried - nothing!  We have never had a problem booking at a HHI resort previously.  For the first 5 days after our update, she answered all texts and phone calls as I wanted to verify everything.  On day 6 - disappear!  We have called, left messages on her phone as well as the main number - nothing.  Sent emails to customer service - no response.  I feel very angry and stupid that we have been scammed after all these years.  Left message with customer service - nothing.  I have sent a certified letter to the COO advising of all of this and requesting to terminate everything since it was all fraud.......you guessed it....the letter was returned to us, so I have sent it one more time to see what happens.

We were also told the "club" membership fee is $69/month and if you decide you no longer want to belong, you just stop paying.  Much to our shock, we received a bill for over $800!  They said we have to pay this year AND next year upfront before the $69/month begins so they would deduct over $200/month for 8 months from our checking account and then change to $69.  Are you kidding me?  We were never told this and I cannot find it anywhere in our contract.  I refuse to pay this.

I am sickened by the fact I feel we have to pay on this for the next 10 years and will have absolutely nothing.  I would love to join a class action suit to figure out how to stop them and what to do.  If we could cancel everything and go back to what we had - it would be great.  Any suggestions?


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## tschwa2

Contact the SC Attorney General and file a complaint.  Palmera is a re-incarnation of Coral Resorts which has a long history of fraudulent selling practices with multiple cases which actually made it to court not just settlement.  It may not help but if the AG gets enough complaints maybe something will get done.


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## Gbelcinia

I just returned from my trip to Myrtle Beach using my Palmera points and everything worked as it was supposed to. Some of the member on here had me worried that they were going to charge me more points or money. That did not happen and I will be looking to book my next trip in the fall. I will let you know how that works out.
There is apparently a group on here who does not want to learn how to use the program properly even after someone posted a video on how to book for 1000 or less points. Is it perfect? Maybe not,but what timeshare is? It sounds like there are some of Palmeras competition on here trying to bad mouth a company that may have a better program than they have.


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## tschwa2

Glad your unbelievable exchange worked out for you.  In general shills don't bad mouth other companies, it think all the disgusted comments are from actual Palmera Customers.  Shills pop up and have unbelievably good things to say about their own company but of course pretend not to work for the company- just pose as a happy customer.

I would buy into/convert to Palmera if the company could provide proof not just the salesman words and not just the word of a single (or multiple) shill(s) or even actual customer who also can't offer any proof of the sales of their old deeds- and the price they received, redacted contract from Palmera, evidence of this RCI exchange, etc.


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## OntarioGuy

Gbelcinia said:


> I just returned from my trip to Myrtle Beach using my Palmera points and everything worked as it was supposed to. Some of the member on here had me worried that they were going to charge me more points or money. That did not happen and I will be looking to book my next trip in the fall. I will let you know how that works out.
> There is apparently a group on here who does not want to learn how to use the program properly even after someone posted a video on how to book for 1000 or less points. Is it perfect? Maybe not,but what timeshare is? It sounds like there are some of Palmeras competition on here trying to bad mouth a company that may have a better program than they have.


I am going to call BS right here right now... I am on the site---using the 1000 point option through Palmera's RCI exchange-=-I have it set at 1000 points or less--and for Nov --not one location in Hilton, ZERO--as well, not a single "smart Stay available at the present time , so please tell me where you booked this, since it sure was not on their website..


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## OntarioGuy

tschwa2 said:


> Contact the SC Attorney General and file a complaint.  Palmera is a re-incarnation of Coral Resorts which has a long history of fraudulent selling practices with multiple cases which actually made it to court not just settlement.  It may not help but if the AG gets enough complaints maybe something will get done.


Already do have a file opened with the South Carolina Consumer Affairs Department, and I would highly recommend anyone else who has been scammed contact them as well, there is strength in numbers.


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## Oihoohiohhiscam

This is a scam for sure! I've been scammed for the pas 5 years with coral.. same name as palmera now I walk in in and meet tareek hindi and remember we've already lost 32,000 dollars and he assures us if we do this new deal we can get our money back in 18 months wow we think great but need some assurances so he brings in this guy DK he assures us everything tareek says is the way the new company is doing things!! Guess what should've known when both party's are from different countries not too trust we did and now we're out 12,000 more looking for our money back as promised by both tareek and DK! How this company still runs same policy as coral buyer beware it's a scam for sure!


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## Ricktug

HiltonHeadgolfer said:


> We own at Island Links. Feel free to reach out to me. I purchased our week second hand and could not be happier with Island Links and all it has offered us for travel needs. Feel free to contact me to discuss



I purchased at Island Links several years ago and have stayed there several times. Have never had a problem with the resort itself. Of course, the value of my timeshare has dropped dramatically just like all timeshares (I didn't purchase 2nd hand). The question I have is do you know of any people with success at renting an Island Links timeshare or even selling one. I have a 3br platinum week in the summer which one would think would be very desirable. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated.


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## Kwood1065

Same thing has happened to us.  We were there last Feb 2017 and they promised us 8000 for our mystic dunes resort in FL as a trade for this one.  Told us it was guatanteed and they have a company that sells it for free but  if it wasn't sold within 6 months that they would be sending us the check for 8000 that was told to us.  
After waiting all this time and making payments of 187.00 a month on the balance I realize my contact is totally different from what we were told at our presentation. I've tried multiple calls and no one will return my calls.  I feel absolutely sick. I've owned my other timeshare for over 15 years and never had a problem.  I just want to cancel this contract and be done but I don't know what to do or where to turn at this point.


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## tschwa2

Kwood1065 said:


> Same thing has happened to us.  We were there last Feb 2017 and they promised us 8000 for our mystic dunes resort in FL as a trade for this one.  Told us it was guatanteed and they have a company that sells it for free but  if it wasn't sold within 6 months that they would be sending us the check for 8000 that was told to us.
> After waiting all this time and making payments of 187.00 a month on the balance I realize my contact is totally different from what we were told at our presentation. I've tried multiple calls and no one will return my calls.  I feel absolutely sick. I've owned my other timeshare for over 15 years and never had a problem.  I just want to cancel this contract and be done but I don't know what to do or where to turn at this point.


I would start by contacting the AG of SC and documenting everything that happened.  If the AG is not the right person in SC, that office will be able to point you in the right direction.


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## Kwood1065

Thank toy


tschwa2 said:


> I would start by contacting the AG of SC and documenting everything that happened.  If the AG is not the right person in SC, that office will be able to point you in the right direction.


Thank you.  I'm so upset and pissed off! I don't even want to sell my other timeshare now I just don't want this one at all.


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## tschwa2

Kwood1065 said:


> Thank toy
> 
> Thank you.  I'm so upset and pissed off! I don't even want to sell my other timeshare now I just don't want this one at all.


Unfortunately I don't think it is going to be that easy.  The AG will take your info and even if they have enough complaints it may take years for them to work out a settlement.  Palmera is a re-incarnation of Coral resorts and they have a history going back several years if not a decade of complaints that they fight tooth and nail including if I remember correctly getting their friend the mayors help to keep evidence and court records that should be part of the public domain suppressed.


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## Kwood1065

When I looked up the ag in south Carolina it states on their web page that they don't handle issues such as this and stated that I could pay for a private attorney.  50$ for a 30 minute consult.  I feel totally screwed. 
I feel like the person they said was selling my other timeshare is just some guy sitting at home answering a phone.  He was like,  that isn't going to sell for at least 6 months to a year and if palmera told you that you would be paid for it in 6 months (or at all) I better have that in writing.  Which obviously was not in the contract that I was given.  I also wonder if he isn't getting paid to sell it as he clearly stated to me, them what is he even doing.  Clearly he isn't advertising it anywhere.  Ugh


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## tschwa2

You may want to contact the Island Packet- a digital (and maybe print) newsletter for Hilton head and ask about telling your story.  There have been several stories about Coral resorts there.  You may also want to see if they can help you get in touch with the lawyers who worked on other cases.  This is an old story from a quick search but there are others  http://www.islandpacket.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article33694302.html

You may also want to contact Palmera, tell them you are contacting the island packet to tell your story and that you plan on hiring an attorney but before you do is there any way you could work it out with them to get out of the contact.     

In terms of your other timeshare, it is never going to sell for $8000 even if they were advertising it.


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## Kwood1065

I've called and called palmera but no one will answer or return my calls.  Like someone else said, they give you their cards as if you can contact them and that's just more bullshit. My Florida timeshare is close to Disney and have always been told it would sell easily.  I just don't think they are trying.


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## Kwood1065

Sorry now that we didn't read reviews and check with better business bureau to learn more before dealing with them. So frustrating.


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## tschwa2

Mystic Dunes has a resale value of $1 and even that would take some trying.  The only timeshare near Disney that is worth $8000 or more is DVC itself.  There are a handful in the $2000-$5000 range but yours isn't one of them.    This is Pamera's contact info.  You can call but you might want to start with a letter.  
Address: 33 Office Park Rd #219, Hilton Head Island, SC 29928
Phone: (888) 887-2563


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## SW357

Just read this entire thread. Nobody has mentioned Quest Travel Club..  Here's why I ask..  We bought a marketing package for 3 nights at HHI for $123 several months ago. Booked us into mediocre hotel. Attended Palmera presentation 2 days ago. Same scenario others experienced. We got them down to 2000 points for $7500 (nothing to trade and don't own any other TS).  We said "no" and were escorted to the check out room. We did receive our $60 Visa card and a rebate form for $40 when sending gas receipts. So far so good, only out $23 and had 3 great days on the island. We go every year. 

The lady checking us out asked if we were told about the Palmera "passport" program. We said "no" and she immediately pulled out a Quest Travel Club book. "Worldwide discounted travel". She did have her own notebook that showed screen shots of inquires she had done on the Quest portal. Trying to remember some of her examples (Cabo $350 wk, $140 2 days Gatlinburg in Nov, $240 for 1 night in NYC on NY Eve, etc.). 

The cost to join Quest was $2395. $195 down. Annual fee of $159. The kicker was the "free" deals she offered in;

1) Another 3 nights in HHI but in a 2br condo. Have to visit her again then to see if we want to reconsider Palmera. This is good for 2 years. 
2) 4 night cruise on Carnival with 3 options of routes and departure cities)
3) Two 7-day stays at anywhere in either the Quest or RCI destinations. These don't expire but once you request them, they are good for a year. 

She was very good about letting us call her the next 2 days and ask questions. 

We went back today and paid $195 down. We'll owe the other $2100 by end of Sept. We figured when we come back HHI next year (on them) and take the cruise we would at least get our $$ worth. The other 2 free trips would be gravy. We were also told anything we paid to Quest would be credited towards our Palmera price if we decided to reconsider the $7500 offer for 2000 points. Based on this thread, we won't do that.  But does anyone have experience or an opinion on the Quest deal I dined up for today. I have until Friday to rescind the deal. 

Sorry for the long post. If this is discussed on another forum, please advise.


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## tschwa2

I think the benefits are questionable.  I don't think they will let you book your 2 br condo until you have paid it off and if that is the case you won't know if they will have  anything available in season or just the dead of winter, or dead of winter but upgrade fees to come other times.  I am sure the carnival cruise is going to be lower end cabins and expect port taxes, etc per person.  I know nothing about Quest but the RCI certs are probably for locations and times that are similar to the $199 - $249 week long stays.


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## SW357

tschwa2 said:


> I think the benefits are questionable.  I don't think they will let you book your 2 br condo until you have paid it off and if that is the case you won't know if they will have  anything available in season or just the dead of winter, or dead of winter but upgrade fees to come other times.  I am sure the carnival cruise is going to be lower end cabins and expect port taxes, etc per person.  I know nothing about Quest but the RCI certs are probably for locations and times that are similar to the $199 - $249 week long stays.



Agree. I was planning on paying the outstanding $2100 off with first payment instead of their 15% financing. But we won't be able to see what's available on portal until next Wed when they activate our online account. Of course that's after the grace period..!


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## ckrcjr

Kwood1065 said:


> I've called and called palmera but no one will answer or return my calls.  Like someone else said, they give you their cards as if you can contact them and that's just more bullshit. My Florida timeshare is close to Disney and have always been told it would sell easily.  I just don't think they are trying.


A very similar thing happened to us - only they were not "buying" our previous timeshare with a cash value, but we were owners at Island Links so they said we had to switch since Palmera bought out all of Coral Resorts and the only way we could trade back in to any of the resorts, would be through Palmera since the resorts were being removed from RCI.  We were told so many stories, which unfortunately we believed and now have found not one thing is true!  We also tried repeatedly to call - no return phone calls,  email - no answers.  We sent a certified letter to Palmera stating all of the facts and saying we are prepared to take further action if they will not cancel our contract.  Not even an answer to that!!  They told us we would be able to book back into any of the HHI resorts without any problem - at any time - as long as we booked in advance....wrong........zero availability for next year.  Previously we have owned a timeshare for approximately 30 years and never ever had a problem - now it's all a joke.

There is a group of attorneys on HHI who, I believe, have taken on Palmera and we will be contacting them next week.  I know it is a long shot but I do not want to pay for 10 years for nothing I can use - plus the "club membership"...ridiculous.  Not one thing has proved to be true....when we got home and reread the contract, it was so different from what we were originally told.  At no time where we told there was a variable interest rate and it could up to ridiculous amounts!

I wish there was a way to stop all of this because it is nothing but a scam.  We received a call to "come visit for $99" or whatever the amount was and I asked if this included a "visit" with Palmera and they said yes.  I told them they are nothing but scam artists and to never call us again.

As to the question on Quest....be very careful.  We have checked their "benefits" and they are not much more than things we could find on our own.  Most likely the cruise would be to the Bahamas one on the older Carnival ships for a few days.  I firmly believe anything associated with Palmera is deceitful and a lie.

After all these years of great experiences with a timeshare, we have now been taken advantage of but will vow to fight back as much as we can!


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## Kwood1065

Yes I'm wondering if I'm still being told a bunch of bullshit!  It's hard to believe anything that anyone says at palmera. So many scammers in this world I have no idea who I'm really talking to.


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## tschwa2

Kwood1065 said:


> Yes I'm wondering if I'm still being told a bunch of bullshit!  It's hard to believe anything that anyone says at palmera. So many scammers in this world I have no idea who I'm really talking to.



If you are talking to sales, I would assume much of it is a misrepresentation.  If you are talking to owners services you can believe more of what they say.  Is there something specific that you want independent verification on?


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## Ohiotraveler

I could not believe we were lied to so bad...  They said they would sell my grandmother's  timeshares because she couldn't  afford the maintenance fees anymore... Well palmera scammed her for another 17  thousand! And never attempted to sell them which they guaranteed would sell in 3 months  We called a lawyer _[Deleted.]_.... That a guy recommend on here  to get out of it and she got all of our money back but it wasnt easy and cost a fortune.

_Moderator Note: Contact info deleted because this first post may be advertising for/by the mentioned lawyer._


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## Kwood1065

So Palmera has contacted me saying they want to work with me to resolve my issue and make things right. At this point,  Im very sceptical and still don't trust what's being promised.  I guess we will see how truthful or Not they really are.  Will keep everyone posted!


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## ckrcjr

Kwood1065 said:


> So Palmera has contacted me saying they want to work with me to resolve my issue and make things right. At this point,  Im very sceptical and still don't trust what's being promised.  I guess we will see how truthful or Not they really are.  Will keep everyone posted!


Be very, very cautious with their promises.  I know someone else who they contacted to "resolve" their issues and all they did was remove the club membership and would still hold them responsible for everything else.  They sent it back and told them nice try but no way.  How did you get them to contact you?  We have tried everything - including a certified letter, and we have zero response!!  So angry and disgusted with them.  Never in our previous timeshare experience did we experience anything like this....complete and total lies.


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## Kwood1065

Being cautious! Its so upsetting. I just want this to be over with. I never ever had a problem with my other timeshare company.  
Why can't people just be honest anymore?


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## Ohiotraveler

Kwood1065 said:


> Being cautious! Its so upsetting. I just want this to be over with. I never ever had a problem with my other timeshare company.
> Why can't people just be honest anymore?


Please contact me at hheadtimeshare@gmail.com I may be able to help.


----------



## ckrcjr

Kwood1065 said:


> Being cautious! Its so upsetting. I just want this to be over with. I never ever had a problem with my other timeshare company.
> Why can't people just be honest anymore?


I agree100%.  We had a call on Friday from Palmera regarding the letter I sent on June 14....seriously - it took that long for them to call?  Of course we have called back twice, left messages and no one has returned our call.  I know they will give us the same run around as before but we are over it and want the entire thing voided since it was all based on misinformation.  Have you talked with them yet?


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## Ohiotraveler

ckrcjr said:


> I agree100%.  We had a call on Friday from Palmera regarding the letter I sent on June 14....seriously - it took that long for them to call?  Of course we have called back twice, left messages and no one has returned our call.  I know they will give us the same run around as before but we are over it and want the entire thing voided since it was all based on misinformation.  Have you talked with them yet?


Please contact me at hheadtimeshare@gmail.com i went through the same thing and lets make them pay.


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## Ace

dwitter said:


> I'm interested in finding out about Palmera Vacation Club in Hilton Head. Formally Coral.
> 
> Thanks




The original post for this thread asked about Palmyra Vacation Club at Coral Resorts in Hilton Head.


My wife and I are owners of a Coral Sands unit (Hilton Head) (also owners of a Coral Reef unit – part of the same resort group, Coral Resorts). We stayed at Coral Sands in August, and we attended an owners update presentation.


We were informed during the update by a Palmera Vacation Club sales representative that Palmara Vacation Club had purchased Coral Resorts last year. Further clarifying, the representative said that Palmera purchased the Coral Resorts management company. She explained that Palmera is withdrawing from RCI and, instead, converting units into the Palmera Vacation Club program. The sales rep said that Palmera thought RCI was “terrible.” She said that RCI was increasing the number of points for Coral Resorts units, and that apparently was a bad thing, she said. We told her we would not mind if RCI gave a higher number of points for our units (because we might be able to use the higher number of points elsewhere), but she then said that RCI was charging people who want to use RCI points at Coral Resorts a higher number of points to use a unit similar to ours, but not giving us more points when our weeks are “deposited” into RCI. This did not make sense, because that is not our understanding of how RCI works. Then she told us that beginning in 2018, we would be able to use our units at Coral Resorts only during the weeks we actually were deeded, and that we could not use RCI points to exchange into other weeks if we could not travel during the weeks we owned. This also did not make sense, because the Coral Resorts master deeds are clear that deeded weeks are more or less “floating” weeks and that owners may reserve other weeks. She said that even though we would continue to receive RCI points for our units, we could use those points only at other resorts.


The point of the presentation, of course, was to convince us to buy into the Palmera Vacation Club.  Palmera has its own points system, separate from and unrelated to RCI. I did not pay any attention to whatever resorts are available other than the Coral Resorts.  The sales rep told us that the minimum number of points we could purchase was 6000 (but later one of the options she presented to us was 5000). (We later talked to someone who attended a Palmera presentation as a potential new owner – owned no timeshare anywhere – and learned that they were offered a program for 3000 points.) I am a little fuzzy on the figures, but the following figures are close enough. They wanted to charge us about $21,000 for the program (I cannot remember whether it was the 5000 point or the 6000 point program), and they would give us a credit for the $10,100 we originally paid for the Coral Reef triennial unit, so that we would end up paying a little over $10,000. It was unclear to me whether we would remain owners of the Coral Reef unit. I did not ask because by that time we were quickly losing interest in the presentation. The sales rep said (at least for credit purposes) they would not recognize the Coral Sands triennial unit we own for a credit, because we purchased it on the resale market. But they said we could transfer that unit back to them and they would send us a check for $680. (I did not ask how they came up with that figure – it has nothing to do with what we paid for the unit – but in thinking about it, it works out to roughly 2/3 of the triennial maintenance fee, and we are one year into the three-year maintenance fee period. Maybe that’s how they came up with the $680.) There also was an annual fee involved for the Palmera Vacation Club, which they said would be $229 more than the total we are now paying for the Coral Reef maintenance fee and annual RCI membership.


This did not sound like a good deal for us, and we did not buy into the program. There may be aspects of the program that are appealing to some people (maybe access to places that are not accessible through RCI), but not to us. It also may have been an annual points program, as opposed to the triennials we currently own, but as I said we were losing interest and not asking a lot of questions. We told them we were not interested and went on our merry way.  The update lasted about an hour.  They gave us $150 in “island cash,” which we spent at various places during the week.


My next stop was the front desk at Coral Sands. The previous management company (Elite Resort Group) still has its sign up, and the Elite Resort Group business cards are on the front counter. I asked the guy at the desk about this, and he told me that Elite is still managing the place, and that Palmera and Elite have common ownership. I do not know whether he is correct, and I have not verified that information.


Then I talked to the on-site RCI representative at Coral Sands. She was aware of the Palmara situation, but she told me that some of the information we received from the Palmera sales rep during the presentation did not seem to be correct. She said that she was unaware that Palmera was telling owners that RCI was “terrible.” She said that RCI is not charging anyone more points to reserve any unit than what the owners of those same units are receiving. She told me that Coral owners still can use their RCI points to purchase stays during weeks other than what they were deeded. And she told me that the Palmera Vacation Club is a separate entity from the Coral Resorts management company. She did explain to me that, as people convert their units into the Palmera Vacation Club, those specific units would no longer be available through RCI, so that the availability through RCI may go down over time if enough people convert. For example, if all three-bedroom owners during a specific week convert into the Palmera Vacation Club, then three-bedroom units during that specific week would no longer be available through RCI. I do not see that happening any time soon.


I then checked our RCI account. As the RCI rep indicated, we still have choices to reserve units at Coral Resorts.  There does not seem to be any limitation to the weeks we actually own.


I have no idea whether Palmera Vacation Club memberships are available on the resale market (such as the 5000 or 6000 point varieties we were offered or the 3000 point variety that our non-timeshare-owner friend was offered). And I have no idea whether the program is beneficial for anyone, because we were not paying enough attention to learn whether there are any real benefits other than what we already have as unit owners and RCI members. But as I said, we quickly concluded the program was not for us.


----------



## SW357

SW357 said:


> Just read this entire thread. Nobody has mentioned Quest Travel Club..  Here's why I ask..  We bought a marketing package for 3 nights at HHI for $123 several months ago. Booked us into mediocre hotel. Attended Palmera presentation 2 days ago. Same scenario others experienced. We got them down to 2000 points for $7500 (nothing to trade and don't own any other TS).  We said "no" and were escorted to the check out room. We did receive our $60 Visa card and a rebate form for $40 when sending gas receipts. So far so good, only out $23 and had 3 great days on the island. We go every year.
> 
> The lady checking us out asked if we were told about the Palmera "passport" program. We said "no" and she immediately pulled out a Quest Travel Club book. "Worldwide discounted travel". She did have her own notebook that showed screen shots of inquires she had done on the Quest portal. Trying to remember some of her examples (Cabo $350 wk, $140 2 days Gatlinburg in Nov, $240 for 1 night in NYC on NY Eve, etc.).
> 
> The cost to join Quest was $2395. $195 down. Annual fee of $159. The kicker was the "free" deals she offered in;
> 
> 1) Another 3 nights in HHI but in a 2br condo. Have to visit her again then to see if we want to reconsider Palmera. This is good for 2 years.
> 2) 4 night cruise on Carnival with 3 options of routes and departure cities)
> 3) Two 7-day stays at anywhere in either the Quest or RCI destinations. These don't expire but once you request them, they are good for a year.
> 
> She was very good about letting us call her the next 2 days and ask questions.
> 
> We went back today and paid $195 down. We'll owe the other $2100 by end of Sept. We figured when we come back HHI next year (on them) and take the cruise we would at least get our $$ worth. The other 2 free trips would be gravy. We were also told anything we paid to Quest would be credited towards our Palmera price if we decided to reconsider the $7500 offer for 2000 points. Based on this thread, we won't do that.  But does anyone have experience or an opinion on the Quest deal I dined up for today. I have until Friday to rescind the deal.
> 
> Sorry for the long post. If this is discussed on another forum, please advise.



Update 1/5/18:  Paid off the $2200 at end of Sept.  That was problematic due to their poor back office operations, but that's another story.  They said our return trip to HHI would not be at the Holiday Inn Express (Coligny Circle), but a nice 2br condo so we could invite another couple.  In the fine print of the package we received, it clearly states the return stay will be at the Park Lane Hotel & Suites.  We did not have a choice of other locations.  Booked it for 3 nights (must check in on Sunday, otherwise only 2 nights are available).  They still required $100 deposit, but give you a $50 Visa card and $50 worth of "restaurant money" good at 30 diners.  We'll see what that really means when we go this Spring.  They also offered 2-4 rounds of golf at lesser ranked courses with only cart fee due to the club.  If you wanted to play a Heritage Course (not Sea Pines), you could trade in the $50/$50 above and get "free" golf at one of their 7 courses (no cart fee?..  TBD).

We are still required to sit through "up to a 90-minute UPDATE" on what is available with our Quest Passport program.  No tour, just an update.  We don't plan to spend much time with them.  Our goal is to get $2400 worth of travel with the program.  This doesn't feel like it counts towards that since it's almost identical to the first $100 package we booked last year for the 1st presentation from Palmetto, then Quest.  We plan to book one of the 7-night stays later this Spring for sometime in the Fall.  Will update as things happen.  Still very cautious and skeptical...


----------



## WackyLucy

SW357 said:


> We are still required to sit through "up to a 90-minute UPDATE" on what is available with our Quest Passport program.



"Update" indeed. 
Tune up the 'ol BS detector --- and practice beforehand repeatedly saying *NO*, over and over again!


----------



## JLM2017

SW357 said:


> Just read this entire thread. Nobody has mentioned Quest Travel Club..  Here's why I ask..  We bought a marketing package for 3 nights at HHI for $123 several months ago. Booked us into mediocre hotel. Attended Palmera presentation 2 days ago. Same scenario others experienced. We got them down to 2000 points for $7500 (nothing to trade and don't own any other TS).  We said "no" and were escorted to the check out room. We did receive our $60 Visa card and a rebate form for $40 when sending gas receipts. So far so good, only out $23 and had 3 great days on the island. We go every year.
> 
> The lady checking us out asked if we were told about the Palmera "passport" program. We said "no" and she immediately pulled out a Quest Travel Club book. "Worldwide discounted travel". She did have her own notebook that showed screen shots of inquires she had done on the Quest portal. Trying to remember some of her examples (Cabo $350 wk, $140 2 days Gatlinburg in Nov, $240 for 1 night in NYC on NY Eve, etc.).
> 
> The cost to join Quest was $2395. $195 down. Annual fee of $159. The kicker was the "free" deals she offered in;
> 
> 1) Another 3 nights in HHI but in a 2br condo. Have to visit her again then to see if we want to reconsider Palmera. This is good for 2 years.
> 2) 4 night cruise on Carnival with 3 options of routes and departure cities)
> 3) Two 7-day stays at anywhere in either the Quest or RCI destinations. These don't expire but once you request them, they are good for a year.
> 
> She was very good about letting us call her the next 2 days and ask questions.
> 
> We went back today and paid $195 down. We'll owe the other $2100 by end of Sept. We figured when we come back HHI next year (on them) and take the cruise we would at least get our $$ worth. The other 2 free trips would be gravy. We were also told anything we paid to Quest would be credited towards our Palmera price if we decided to reconsider the $7500 offer for 2000 points. Based on this thread, we won't do that.  But does anyone have experience or an opinion on the Quest deal I dined up for today. I have until Friday to rescind the deal.
> 
> Sorry for the long post. If this is discussed on another forum, please advise.


----------



## JLM2017

We also recently attended and purchased a Quest Travel Club package for $2,395 with the same deals.  Have you been happy with  your decision?  We, like you, felt that with all the "free" stuff they gave us, it was well worth the $2,395 even if the travel club wasn't any good.  Can you please update us with your experience thus far?


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## Passepartout

Travel clubs are not well thought of here. Lots of 'bait & switch', unavailability, high pressure sales presentations, inferior accommodations, unanswered communications, and ultimately walking away feeling ripped-off. We hope your experience will be better.


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## Electrichead

Please excuse typos as this is all in my phone. My fiance and I just went to a presentation today in Hilton Head. We were not told how many points most trips were, in general. What we were specifically shown were resort stays under 1k points and the seller was very clear that you have to book them for 30 days out or LESS, as they are hugely discounted at that point due to needing to clear the monthly inventory.  He made no mention of availability issues with this method.     Now getting home and reading up on it, it seems like all the trips cost a lot of points, more than you get in one year, and that it's hard to book in advance for to lack of availability, much less last minute.  This send to be the biggest complaint from what I can tell, aside from those selling and running into problems.  I admit, I'm now concerned. We have not been able to see the points yet, only the destination resorts across the world.      We were told that the points can roll over each year if unused for a maximum of three years.     We can also get an advance on points for the current year by taking them from the following year. We can also buy extra points for a few hundred dollars.      To me, this all seems costly at first, but once it's paid for, you only worry about the annual fee of 595, which can raise with inflation. I was specifically told it has gone up $7 in seven years. Aside from that, you then own the deed to your share and it can be passed on for generations if you will it so.   We are both young and see it as a long term investment for not only discounted weekend trips, but for those large, point-expensive trips as well.    So that's what sold us in this. It was 12k total and we were given three packages... Quest, sports package, and I think something called smart stay but that could be part of quest... I can't quite remember at the moment.  I remember that quest had huge discounts on cruises, and I LOVE my cruises. Other perks were nice rooms discounted (believe me, they were definitely discounted compared to online research into similar rooms) and the discounted costs shown are prorated by night, so it's even less if not planning to stay a whole week.        I did look into a few of their hotels for the world abroad, Croatia for example, and not all of the resorts are extravagant. The review on that one was downright bad actually... so that's something to consider.     Our cancellation period is fresh, so I plan to read the fine print very carefully...       All in all so far, based on what I was told and what I have read here and on other internet sites, I find some things a little worrisome, but all in all I don't feel like they lied to me about any of it. He answered the questions I had, he was super friendly and personable, but at the end of the day I know he was a salesman.   They just focused really hard on the good part, like every other sales person ever. It's a matter of worth. Is the amount of money we plan to spend on vacations for the rest of our lives, both small and large, worth the price of the club now.  From what I can tell, it seems to be.  I worry about availability mostly. I an not sure if we will cancel or not at this point but will post more as I find out more.   Oh yeah, we were given a tour of Coral Sands, which was nice. Not beach front, but nice.


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## SW357

JLM2017 said:


> We also recently attended and purchased a Quest Travel Club package for $2,395 with the same deals.  Have you been happy with  your decision?  We, like you, felt that with all the "free" stuff they gave us, it was well worth the $2,395 even if the travel club wasn't any good.  Can you please update us with your experience thus far?



We've booked our return trip to HHI for this April.  They told us we'd have multiple resorts to pick from, but the fine print says you'll stay at Park Lane Suites.  It looks okay, but it's not Harbor Town or Palmetto Dunes.  They also said we could reserve a 2-br and bring friends to hear the pitch.  It's a 1-br suite...  We had to pay the same $99, but get $50 in VISA card and $50 in restaurant gift coupons.  I was skeptical about the latter but they say it's like monopoly money and the 40+ restaurants all take it.  We'll see...  We were told we wouldn't have to go thru the entire presentation again, but to block out 90 minutes.  We aren't supposed to take any tours of Coral Sands again.  I'm trying to book the 1st free 7-day certificate this fall in Napa Valley.  I'll let you know how that goes.  So, to answer your question... it's too early to tell.


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## Momonvacation

Athena Starbright said:


> My advice is do not give them another red cent! We already paid our money and gave up our timeshare but are trying to fight the contract because it is fraud and that does trump a contract.  You are lucky you have only paid partial.  We found out the same thing you get nothing for those points.  We are trying to dispute it and void the contract and possibly file a class action law suit.  The problem lawsuits go on for years and I do not want to pay another red cent to a lawyer.  Hard to believe this has been going on for years under a different name of Coral Sands now Palmera. Hilton Head was such a great place but I have lost all faith in Hilton Head since they are part of this Palmera. Only advice I can give is do not give them any more money cause you will never see it or them again.


Can you give me any update on what happened with your situation? Did you ever sue? Did you ever get out of it?


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## Momonvacation

OntarioGuy said:


> Already do have a file opened with the South Carolina Consumer Affairs Department, and I would highly recommend anyone else who has been scammed contact them as well, there is strength in numbers.


How would I do this?


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## Momonvacation

Kwood1065 said:


> Same thing has happened to us.  We were there last Feb 2017 and they promised us 8000 for our mystic dunes resort in FL as a trade for this one.  Told us it was guatanteed and they have a company that sells it for free but  if it wasn't sold within 6 months that they would be sending us the check for 8000 that was told to us.
> After waiting all this time and making payments of 187.00 a month on the balance I realize my contact is totally different from what we were told at our presentation. I've tried multiple calls and no one will return my calls.  I feel absolutely sick. I've owned my other timeshare for over 15 years and never had a problem.  I just want to cancel this contract and be done but I don't know what to do or where to turn at this point.


Did you ever get anything resolved? We are now in your same situation


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## Momonvacation

Athena Starbright said:


> My advice is do not give them another red cent! We already paid our money and gave up our timeshare but are trying to fight the contract because it is fraud and that does trump a contract.  You are lucky you have only paid partial.  We found out the same thing you get nothing for those points.  We are trying to dispute it and void the contract and possibly file a class action law suit.  The problem lawsuits go on for years and I do not want to pay another red cent to a lawyer.  Hard to believe this has been going on for years under a different name of Coral Sands now Palmera. Hilton Head was such a great place but I have lost all faith in Hilton Head since they are part of this Palmera. Only advice I can give is do not give them any more money cause you will never see it or them again.


What did you end up doing?


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## Tamaradarann

Althepal16 said:


> Look at the contract and ignore every word that comes out the their mouths. You are buying a certain number of RCI points, that is all you are getting. For me it was 3000 points for $14,000. Now go on the RCI website and try to book 4 weeks a year with your RCI points. Good luck. You will not even get a week in prime season anywhere for 3000 RCI points.



Clearing 3000 points in RCI can maybe get you 1 weeknight at a secondary resort during White or Blue Season.  The Palmera vacation club may have a special book with point values that are different than RCI.  The HGVC system has a different point system where 2400 points gets you a Studio during prime season in a Gold Crown Resort.  I think it is about 1700 points during a off season.

However, the real scam with destination clubs is that the resorts and the seasons that you can exchange your points for or pay cash for are the leftover units.  It is basically Last Call type of inventory, or the booking fee is not the minimum $249 or whatever they quote you but 3 or 4 times as much which is like extended vacations.  In either case there is a lot of timeshare leftover inventory out there so they are making it available for you for a fee.


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## tschwa2

Tamaradarann said:


> Clearing 3000 points in RCI can maybe get you 1 weeknight at a secondary resort during White or Blue Season.  The Palmera vacation club may have a special book with point values that are different than RCI.  The HGVC system has a different point system where 2400 points gets you a Studio during prime season in a Gold Crown Resort.  I think it is about 1700 points during a off season.


3000 Palmera points are the same as 30,000 rci points.  Its still bad but not as bad as if it were straight rci points.


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## Momonvacation

ckrcjr said:


> A very similar thing happened to us - only they were not "buying" our previous timeshare with a cash value, but we were owners at Island Links so they said we had to switch since Palmera bought out all of Coral Resorts and the only way we could trade back in to any of the resorts, would be through Palmera since the resorts were being removed from RCI.  We were told so many stories, which unfortunately we believed and now have found not one thing is true!  We also tried repeatedly to call - no return phone calls,  email - no answers.  We sent a certified letter to Palmera stating all of the facts and saying we are prepared to take further action if they will not cancel our contract.  Not even an answer to that!!  They told us we would be able to book back into any of the HHI resorts without any problem - at any time - as long as we booked in advance....wrong........zero availability for next year.  Previously we have owned a timeshare for approximately 30 years and never ever had a problem - now it's all a joke.
> 
> There is a group of attorneys on HHI who, I believe, have taken on Palmera and we will be contacting them next week.  I know it is a long shot but I do not want to pay for 10 years for nothing I can use - plus the "club membership"...ridiculous.  Not one thing has proved to be true....when we got home and reread the contract, it was so different from what we were originally told.  At no time where we told there was a variable interest rate and it could up to ridiculous amounts!
> 
> I wish there was a way to stop all of this because it is nothing but a scam.  We received a call to "come visit for $99" or whatever the amount was and I asked if this included a "visit" with Palmera and they said yes.  I told them they are nothing but scam artists and to never call us again.
> 
> As to the question on Quest....be very careful.  We have checked their "benefits" and they are not much more than things we could find on our own.  Most likely the cruise would be to the Bahamas one on the older Carnival ships for a few days.  I firmly believe anything associated with Palmera is deceitful and a lie.
> 
> After all these years of great experiences with a timeshare, we have now been taken advantage of but will vow to fight back as much as we can!


Did you ever contact the lawyers. Did anything happen? Are you still stuck with it?


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## Momonvacation

Kwood1065 said:


> Being cautious! Its so upsetting. I just want this to be over with. I never ever had a problem with my other timeshare company.
> Why can't people just be honest anymore?


Can you tell me anything more? Any update on what happened? Who did you talk to?


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## loringel

Palmera vacation club is a scam. Originally it was Reba management, then elite resort group, and now palmera vacation club. They use deceptive trade practices, and are constantly changing names as they are constantly being sued. It is the same people but you need a scorecard to see what they call themselves each year.


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## WBDB2017

tschwa2 said:


> I wouldn't say Palmera owners "enjoy universal dissatisfaction"  I am a resale Palmera deeded owner - as far as I can tell they weren't bought out or sold to anyone, they are the same Reba managed Coral Resorts, they just did a name change when they started to sell beneficial interests in a trust rather than deeded weeks.  The dissatisfaction is the same as it has always been with this developer:  high pressure, hard sell with a lot of confusing double talk -I can't say they all lie but they certainly lead you to conclusions that are not true about the way it all works.  So other than that one Happy poster who I believe is probably a shill, if you buy from the developer you will be unhappy and won't end up with what you thought you were buying.  That can certainly happen with less obscure clubs like Marriott or Wyndham too,  buying from the developer is generally a bad idea.  The difference is Palmera has a long history including a long legal history with walking the shadier side of the line when it comes to sales tactics and overselling the benefits.


Hello .. I know this post if from a couple years ago. But I have a question.  I myself just purchased a PVC deeded resale.  Has it been worth your time ?  Do you get all the portal benefits as someone who purchased from a sales pitch ? I guess I am asking as in with in the portal and RCI memberships ? Or can you become a RCI member on your own with your points ?  Or do they offer it through their portal?


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## WBDB2017

Was just hoping you could give me enlightenment. I see a lot of negative I hope to hear good things !


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## elaine

Duplicate


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## elaine

Sales gets a bad rep. Actual units are fine imho. We’ve been happy for almost 10 years as resale owner but never attended any sales presentation.


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## tschwa2

keep in mind if it doesn't work for you or when you decide to move on you will likely have to pay the $1500 transfer fee plus closing costs.  I bought for $1 (before they added the transfer fee) and thought I shouldn't have any trouble giving it away when I was ready to move on.  I have better points generators and would like to pass it on but  not enough to cover $1700+ to give it away.  (EOY 106,500 points deeded week 27- 3 BR Island Links)


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## elaine

Are you sure it’s $1500 for Eoy and not $750?


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## tschwa2

elaine said:


> Are you sure it’s $1500 for Eoy and not $750?


Spinnaker charges half for EOY,  Palmera does not.


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## cu97tigerlady

So we attended the sales pitch because we traded through RCI and they promised golf for 4 for the week for free and $200 in Island cash. They wanted us to exchange one of our weeks for 3000 points for $15k and promised to sell our timeshare for $12k. Hmm, the guy couldn’t even remember the name of where we own and I know no resale purchase has gone through for anywhere close to that number. In fact, I bought it for $100!

Similar story that 3000 points is 3 weeks in a 3 BR unit, but what he showed us through the portal was suspicious. We clearly said only interested in local travel and he never clicked on the 425 units available for spring break in the US. That number is very low if you know anything about RCI. Probably the bottom of the barrel stuff we wouldn’t take anyway.

Guaranteed week in the summer at HHI. Talked about Quest travel club. I also got the line about writing off my timeshare on my taxes too. The last ditch was how much we would save of MF and that we were throwing our money away.

The “survey” guy thankfully saw we were definitely not going to bite and signed off on our agreed to stuff. Most of the discounts for golf we found better deals online. It was only free if we signed up for the $15k! Haven’t tried to use the island cash yet.

In my RCI search for finding this place, I learned these resorts are wide open available up until 60 days out and then they disappear.  My cheap trade value unit easily got me a unit here for my kids September Fall Break. We had specific travel dates because of sports prior to the break, so ended up in a 1 BR. We are in a brand new building and the unit is very nice!  Sort of dumb luck to be in the new section of Coral Sands. We have played golf every day at a reasonable price. My kids have been playing at our local 3 par course for months, so any course was an improvement to them.

I’ll trade for here again, just not waste an hour of my time.


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## jdlloyd67

tschwa2 said:


> I haven't seen a Palmera points chart...



Attached is a PVC points chart for those that might be curious.


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## tschwa2

I own island links in rci points not PVC points but I think the conversion rate is a simple 10/1.  So 3000 PVC points would be equivalent to 30,000 RCI points when exchanging in RCI.  So if you could get 3 last minute 10,000 rci point weeks then yes you could stay 3 weeks in a 3 BR for 3000 PVC points.  Dead of winter it is possible there are tons of good deals in Dec-Feb in Hilton Head.  I think a 1 BR in summer would be higher than 30,000 points so I don't see how you could be guaranteed a summer week .


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## Sn0wbird

tschwa2 said:


> I own island links in rci points not PVC points but I think the conversion rate is a simple 10/1.  So 3000 PVC points would be equivalent to 30,000 RCI points when exchanging in RCI.  So if you could get 3 last minute 10,000 rci point weeks then yes you could stay 3 weeks in a 3 BR for 3000 PVC points.  Dead of winter it is possible there are tons of good deals in Dec-Feb in Hilton Head.  I think a 1 BR in summer would be higher than 30,000 points so I don't see how you could be guaranteed a summer week .


Did you convert your Island Links week/unit to RCI points?  Once you converted to RCI points, do you still have to pay MF for Island Links and RCI MF of the points?  Can you change back to week the following year?


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## tschwa2

Tam Dang said:


> Did you convert your Island Links week/unit to RCI points?  Once you converted to RCI points, do you still have to pay MF for Island Links and RCI MF of the points?  Can you change back to week the following year?


I bought one already converted.  To convert it would cost $5000+.  Converted rci points weeks pay the MF's to the HOA the same as deeded weeks.  The difference is that at 12 months if the home week isn't confirmed then it auto deposits into rci points.  You have to reaffirm rci points participation every 3 years at least a year before the 3 year term ends if you want out.


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## Sn0wbird

tschwa2 said:


> I bought one already converted.  To convert it would cost $5000+.  Converted rci points weeks pay the MF's to the HOA the same as deeded weeks.  The difference is that at 12 months if the home week isn't confirmed then it auto deposits into rci points.  You have to reaffirm rci points participation every 3 years at least a year before the 3 year term ends if you want out.


Thanks, what if the week is float not fixed?


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## tschwa2

Tam Dang said:


> Thanks, what if the week is float not fixed?


Your terms of 3 years will be determined by when you join rci points.  My guess would be 1 year before the end of the 3rd use year would get you out with your float week.


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