Cape Cod Sandcastle Owners Please Read

[Rambler65]

For information on Festiva (Outfield Marketing) and the points system being offered to Provincetown MA Sandcastle owners please read posts at this site:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Equivest-PeppertreeOwners/

Based on experience of others who have dealt with Festiva for the past few years, it would appear their sales practices are deceptive and mis-leading. Don't be bullied into buying points with threats of increased maintenance fees and the inability to trade your weeks. Others have been dealing with Festiva for years, and those who did not sell are happy they did not as fees have been stable and they can still trade off their weeks.

Be aware that Festiva DOES NOT OWN the Sandcastle Resort. A company has bought the remaining stock of unsold units, mostly on undesirable dates. Read the experiences of others on the above users group before even considering forking over 3K and you deeded property to Festiva.

 

[tyH]

Hi, we have been dealin with Festiva for 8 years and yes, they are Bullies! We received a call from Festiva/Outfield Marketing just last night. They wanted to come to our home to explain the "new system". I told them we would be using our week 12/6-12/13 and get the info then. I personally don't trust the points system and our weeks work well for us. I will post when I get the info.
Sandy

 

[joycapecod]

I got the fifth call last night and abruotly told the agent that it was the fifth call; I was not interested in buying more; I didn't want a rep to come to my home; I wasn't going to P'town to listen to their sale pitch and to please not call me ever again.

So, now, let's see what happens.

Joy

 

[Pat H]

I got the fifth call last night and abruotly told the agent that it was the fifth call; I was not interested in buying more; I didn't want a rep to come to my home; I wasn't going to P'town to listen to their sale pitch and to please not call me ever again.

So, now, let's see what happens.

Joy

I feel left out. I haven't received even 1 call!

 

[Sandy VDH]

Nor have I, but I don't feel left out.

 

[dneuser]

Sandcastle Owners - Please Attend Owners Meeting - April 25th

I'm assuming other Sandcastle owners have been getting the same annoying dinnertime phone calls from Outfield Marketing that we have - pleading for time to come to our home to explain their program. I'm not exactly on the beaten path so I'm curious why/how they are covering the country to meet and greet every owner individually - must be a very expensive proposition and a profitable one. We have repeatedly refused to meet with them. We've advised that we will attend the owners' meeting on April 25th to hear for ourselves what is happening and we have asked them to mail materials to us (they will not mail anything - they only want face-to-face with both spouses present so you can sign up w/them then. Sound familiar?). The caller advised that we will only get "one side of the story" by making the 5 hour drive up to Provincetown for the meeting.

If you care to hear the homeowners side of the story and have the opportunity to vote your ownership share, please attend the HOA meeting at Noon on Saturday, April 25th at the resort. Sandcastle, as one of the few waterfront TS resorts on the Cape could be a little goldmine for Festiva and they will advertise it heavily. We, the owners, will lose our access to it and expenses will rise to cover losses at other resorts. Today, Sandcastle only has to cover the expenses of Sandcastle and doesn't have to worry about the profit margin of the corporation. Please protect yourself and your fellow member owners by being informed.

We can only protect ourselves by unifying. We may have lost something by not being unified in the past and because there were so many foreclosed or unsold weeks out there, parties with an interest in controlling the resort can still influence the direction - but we should at least know what we're in for. Please try to attend the meeting or obtain a proxy by contacting the resort to obtain one.

 

[mweinberg]

Outfield called a few weeks ago and scheduled an appointment to come to our home tonight. They just called to cancel the appointment because the rep's plane was cancelled/missed his plane/is ill (pick one; I heard all 3). I've repeatedly asked why they need to visit my home to explain the changes at the resort rather than sending a letter, but I can't get a straight answer. All they tell me is that they are not trying to sell me inventory and that Outfield merely calls people to schedule appointments. They claim there is no relationship between Outfield and either Festiva or New England Vacation Services.

I think I smell a rat! Has anyone spoken to the Mass. attorney general or department of state?

 

[Fig]

Outfield called a few weeks ago and scheduled an appointment to come to our home tonight. They just called to cancel the appointment because the rep's plane was cancelled/missed his plane/is ill (pick one; I heard all 3). I've repeatedly asked why they need to visit my home to explain the changes at the resort rather than sending a letter, but I can't get a straight answer. All they tell me is that they are not trying to sell me inventory and that Outfield merely calls people to schedule appointments. They claim there is no relationship between Outfield and either Festiva or New England Vacation Services.

I think I smell a rat! Has anyone spoken to the Mass. attorney general or department of state?

You and others interested in the relationship between NEVS and Outfield and Festiva may want to read all the threads on "Southcape" and "Festiva has taken over my resort." You might also google Outfield and Festiva...there is a lot details of "in home" vists online.

 

[Sou13]

Complaint on file

There is a complaint on file at
Sandcastle Provincetown vs Festiva | T.O.C. - Timehare Owners Community
Complaint posted against Sandcastle Provincetown and Festiva ... Festiva resorts is now managing the Sandcastle Condominiums in PTown, Cape Cod. ...timeshareownerscommunity.com/services/rent/116.html?task=view - Cached

I found it by doing a Yahoo! Search for Sandcastle Resort Festiva

 

[Carolinian]

The Festiva S.O.P. seems to have a lot in common with the operations of the notorious Club Leisure Group in South Africa. A timeshare consumer organization leader kindly provided me with all of the material on the South Africa board of the old Crimeshare website, and I edited it to compile the Club Leisure posts and put them up on another timeshare website because a SA resort I own at is under a takeover attack by them. It makes interesting reading for comparision:

www.timeshareforums.com/forums/sout...r-areas/93039-takeover-attempt-dikhololo.html

The material from Crimeshare is in posts 4 and 7 as well as a newspaper article reprinted in post 2.

It seems that all over the world the points conmen are trying to scam timeshare owners out of their property.

 

[Sou13]

An observation from an Equivest owner

This is what happens when someone gets to serve on an "advisory" committee:

I am a member of the Equivest/Peppertree Vacation Club Advisory Committee and have had the opportunity to talk to Festiva Management. I have just two observations.

Nobody is holding a gun to your head to make the property convert to Festiva - it must be either a Board of Directors or membership decision. Sounds to me like a minority are trying to fight it. If it is the result of them 'populating' the BofD, that is a result of appathy on the part of owners not wanting to serve and allowing outsiders to 'sneak' in across time.

Once, and IF, they assume management control, you cannot use the word 'coerce' to address their encouragement to convert to Festiva's Adventure Club. What you need to learn is the word "NO!!!". They cannot MAKE you convert - they will try to sell you and sell you hard, They may mislead, quote erroneous information, and browbeat you, but they cannot MAKE you convert. I didn't convert and neither have about 5,300 other Equivest members. We have the right to say no.

Richard Dow
​

 

[Sou13]

I'm assuming other Sandcastle owners have been getting the same annoying dinnertime phone calls from Outfield Marketing that we have - pleading for time to come to our home to explain their program. I'm not exactly on the beaten path so I'm curious why/how they are covering the country to meet and greet every owner individually - must be a very expensive proposition and a profitable one. We have repeatedly refused to meet with them. We've advised that we will attend the owners' meeting on April 25th to hear for ourselves what is happening and we have asked them to mail materials to us (they will not mail anything - they only want face-to-face with both spouses present so you can sign up w/them then. Sound familiar?). The caller advised that we will only get "one side of the story" by making the 5 hour drive up to Provincetown for the meeting.

If you care to hear the homeowners side of the story and have the opportunity to vote your ownership share, please attend the HOA meeting at Noon on Saturday, April 25th at the resort. Sandcastle, as one of the few waterfront TS resorts on the Cape could be a little goldmine for Festiva and they will advertise it heavily. We, the owners, will lose our access to it and expenses will rise to cover losses at other resorts. Today, Sandcastle only has to cover the expenses of Sandcastle and doesn't have to worry about the profit margin of the corporation. Please protect yourself and your fellow member owners by being informed.

We can only protect ourselves by unifying. We may have lost something by not being unified in the past and because there were so many foreclosed or unsold weeks out there, parties with an interest in controlling the resort can still influence the direction - but we should at least know what we're in for. Please try to attend the meeting or obtain a proxy by contacting the resort to obtain one.

I hope you made it to the meeting and have signed up for the Sandcastleowners Google group.

 

[Bill4728]

I am a member of the Equivest/Peppertree Vacation Club Advisory Committee and have had the opportunity to talk to Festiva Management. I have just two observations.

Nobody is holding a gun to your head to make the property convert to Festiva - it must be either a Board of Directors or membership decision. Sounds to me like a minority are trying to fight it. If it is the result of them 'populating' the BofD, that is a result of appathy on the part of owners not wanting to serve and allowing outsiders to 'sneak' in across time.

Once, and IF, they assume management control, you cannot use the word 'coerce' to address their encouragement to convert to Festiva's Adventure Club. What you need to learn is the word "NO!!!". They cannot MAKE you convert - they will try to sell you and sell you hard, They may mislead, quote erroneous information, and browbeat you, but they cannot MAKE you convert. I didn't convert and neither have about 5,300 other Equivest members. We have the right to say no.

Richard Dow
​

Except of course that the salesmen tell you that you must convert or lose a significant ability to use your TS.


I'm moving this thread to the eastern US board since it isn't about RCI points.