Festiva takes over resort

[FestivaRep]

Tombo,
If your primary issue is that phase 2 of BRV has Festiva employees on the board, then we can offer to trade your deed for one in phase 1 of BRV, which is an owner-controlled HOA.

I've tried reaching out to you to resolve your issues directly to no avail, and if this is something you are interested in, please contact me directly at comments@festiva.travel.

Keep in mind that (1) Festiva employees only took places on the board at BRV-2 that were previously occupied by Wyndham when we acquired the resort and (2) the renovations in three buildings in phase 2 have been very well-received by owners and are nearing completion.

I hope to hear from you soon.

Festiva owns 80 percent of the vote in phase 2 and votes their votes to place their own employees and officers as board members. Because the resort's board members are predominatelly Festiva employees, the board can vote to raise MF's, raise Mgt fees paid to Festiva, and they can vote to assess. There is nothing the fixed week owners (like myself) or Festiva members can do about it except pay the increased fees or sell. The board can't be voted off by fixed week owners because we don't have enough votes and the Festiva Club members don't own anything so they don't even get a vote. Festiva control everything at the resort because they control the HOA's.

That is how they can force their financial problems onto fixed week owners.

 

[e.bram]

Responce from FestivaRep

"The fees are determined based on setting a 'break -even' budget. The fees plus any additional revenue (rental income, etc.) must equal the sum of the club expenses.

The per point fee for each member is designed to cover their share of the cost of the weeks in the club and the base fee is designed to cover the remaining operating expenses. The Club members do not have a say in how the fees are calculated."
"Originally Posted by FestivaRep
There are 27 resorts within the Festiva network, and the maintenance fees vary between the different resorts and unit sizes, so it's possible that an Adventure Club maintenance fee could be more than certain resorts' fees, and less than others.

Keep in mind that an Adventure Club membership is not bound to one particular resort, season or unit size as far as the members' usage goes.

Because FAC members can make multiple reservations per year and have such flexibility with stay lengths, unit size, season and the resorts they visit, some administrative costs built into the club maintenance fees may be higher than those of resort weeks owners, but in return club members get more options and flexibility.

A club membership vs. week ownership really comes down to the vacation habits/needs/desires of the individual owners and members, as some are quite happy returning to the same place during the same time year after year, but many enjoy the flexibility and variety of the club."

Need I say more? They can't even tell you the MFs. Suppose the Festiva execs take the Wall Street and bank route with their "bonuses".Members have nothing to say. Yag

 

[tombo]

Tombo,
If your primary issue is that phase 2 of BRV has Festiva employees on the board, then we can offer to trade your deed for one in phase 1 of BRV, which is an owner-controlled HOA.

I've tried reaching out to you to resolve your issues directly to no avail, and if this is something you are interested in, please contact me directly at comments@festiva.travel.

Keep in mind that (1) Festiva employees only took places on the board at BRV-2 that were previously occupied by Wyndham when we acquired the resort and (2) the renovations in three buildings in phase 2 have been very well-received by owners and are nearing completion.

I hope to hear from you soon.

The owners have not been polled about whether they like the renovations or not, at least I haven't received any questionnaire asking what I liked and didn't like about the renovations. I also never received a questionnaire, poll, or vote on whether us owners even wanted to renovate, how much renovation if any we wanted, or how much we thought that we should be assessed or have our MF's increased to do any renovations. I am sure that many owners like the renovations (they are very nice), but how many would have voted for the renovations if given the facts, figures, and the chance to vote? Festiva voted to renovate, they voted to raise MF's, they voted to assess, and they voted that the owners pay for the renovations they didn't get to vote on. Remember the tea party? Taxation without representation caused that revolt.

Thanks for the offer but to exchange a Phase 2 unit for a phase one unit just because Festiva took over the Phase 2 board would be a bad trade for me and a good trade for Festiva. The offers I have seen Festiva make so far to owners are always a win for Festiva and a loss for the owners IMO, and this offer to give me a phase 1 week for a Phase 2 week I own is no exception.

Another example of a Festiva win, owner lose offer is when Festiva offers a deeded owner a chance to swap the week he owns and a lot of cash for some points. Here is how this great deal works: Festiva wants to offer owners the chance to give up their deeded weeks that they own free and clear and $3500 of their personal cash for some festiva points which will not sell for $1 on ebay. After an owner accepts Festiva's offer Festiva will own the previous owner's week free and clear, the owner will no longer own anything, the owner will be a member of a "club" for 30 years (or until the club folds), the club member will be responsible for all Maintenance and upkeep on the week that festiva now owns, the club member will now be responsible for all assessments and upgrades that festiva wants to do, and at the end of 30 years the previous owner owns nothing and is no longer even a club member, and Festiva owns the week in perpetuity which has been maintained, upgraded for 30 years by the "member". Top that off with the fact that Festiva puts it's own mgt company in place to run the resort (with no bids on Mgt fees against other mgt companies ever taken) and Festiva gets to charge any Mgt fees they see fit to charge and make even more profit off of the "members" each and every year with no chance for the "members" to throw Festiva out as mgt company and hire a more efficient and fiscally conservative mgt company EVER. It is easy to see that everything about this deal is a win for festiva and a loss for the former owner.

I am sorry, I digressed, so back to your kind offer to me. Phase 2 units are newer than Phase one, and my phase 2 unit is one of the deluxe 2 bed rooms which is over 1400 square feet as opposed to a phase one 2 bed room which is older and smaller (I think about 1300 square feet). To swap to phase one would not make sense because I would be trading a larger newer unit for a smaller older unit. I understand why you would want me to trade, but I refuse to give up something of greater value to get something of lesser value. That would be like giving you a week I own and $3500 for some points. That reminds me of Jack giving up a valuable cow for some worthless magic beans. The beans did actually work in that fairy tale, but I am too old and wise to believe in fairy tales or that Festiva points will get me prime summer or winter weeks each and every year. I do know for sure that my FIXED weeks will get me what I want each and every year, no fairy tales or pixie dust, just pure old deeded ownership.

My primary issue is that Festiva does what it wants and does not care about owners wishes, wants, or needs. Festiva only cares about Festiva and Festiva profit from everything I have seen. Before Festiva came owners could list weeks for sale at the office, since Festiva took over the office said that they are not allowed to tell anyone about any owner weeks for sale anymore. Pre Festiva you could do internal swaps if there was availability, post Festiva the staff told me that they weren't supposed to do internal swaps anymore because Festiva doesn't like it. Pre Festiva the resort did maintenance and upgrades using the reserves from the annual MF's. Post Festiva assessments and MF increases are needed to upgrade and maintain the resort according to Festiva (Wyndham maintained the resort just fine within the buget and MF's we paid). Pre festiva we received detailed annual budgets in the mail each and every year, post Festiva nothing sent to owners showing where our money was spent or where it was going to be spent (Festiva claims that they are a club and not required to give out such things). Pre Festiva the owners had input and votes on expenditures, post festiva we get a bill in the mail. Pre Festiva no expansion plans for new buildings in the woods surrounding our resort, post festiva timeshare cabins in the woods will be built (if Festiva can sell them in this economy), and the new cabins will have access to our pools, lake, and other common areas crowding our existing facilites with no vote from us.

Did festiva take a vote of the owners to see if the majority of owners wanted to upgrade to granite counter tops and other things that aren't needed at a RUSTIC mountain resort? Not a vote, not an informal survey, not anything other than an upgrade plan hatched and implemented by Festiva with little if any owner input. Has Festiva gotten several sealed bids from numerous contractors to do the renovations so the owners can get the best price and to prevent any hint of graft or kickbacks? Nope, Festiva set up a budget and hired contactors without bids as far as us owners know. Did Festiva come in and take over the common areas claiming that festiva not the owners owned them? Yes Festiva did and the phase one board had to hire a lawyer to reclaim our pool, tennis courts, lake, and club house as our own. Even after we got legal counsel to regain control over the common areas that always should have been ours, Festiva still has the whole upstairs of the club house for their sales office and I have never seen anything in writing where Festiva pays the owners rent for using OUR clubhouse.

I do hate that Festiva controls the Phase 2 board, but I hate even more that thanks to Festiva's legal shenanigans that this resort will never be sold out and owner controlled. Festiva will always be involved unless(or until)Festiva goes bankrupt or broke.

It is nice to hear from you again Festiva rep, but I am afraid that I will have to turn down your offer to swap my larger newer unit for an older smaller unit. I also must turn down any offers to swap my prime fixed weeks that I own for some magical points that might or might not get me a prime summer week or a prime ski week in the future. Thanks again but I will pass on all of the Festiva offers I have seen so far.

P.S. While you are making offers, if you would like to offer to remove all Festiva employees from both boards and allow the owners and members who actually pay to maintain and upgrade the resort to be the board members who control the budget and decisions at BRV, that is an offer I will gladly accept.

 

[Sou13]

Thank you for the reply!

Thank you for your reply, tombo! It was your discussion Festiva is now managing my resort, how bad is it going to get? that inspired me to put my time and effort into fighting the "hostile" takeover of Southcape Resort. It was also your discussion of Festiva that inspired and invited FestivaRep to begin posting to TUG.

To date more than 270 Southcape weeks have been converted to Festiva points, most of them as a result of deceptive sales practices. Southcape owners aren't running to Festiva, they're running away from the Festiva takeover of the resort.

The latest ploy at Southcape is to have an Outfield Marketing representative at a special desk as owners and guests are checking in. After signing a consent form acknowldeging that they've read and will abide by the pool use rules, and signing a check-in form giving their names and email addresses as well as the # of cars in their party, they are directed to bring the private address/email info form to "Mike" at the desk, so that he can give them their parking passes. Mike then advises them to make an appointment for a 1/2 hour "informational" meeting with the "new owners" and adds that this is not a sales meeting.

Anyone who agrees to meet with the "new owners" soon finds out that it's not 1/2 hour and it is a sales meeting, and the records show that owners are continuing to surrender their deeds to InterCity Escrow Services in return for points in the Festiva Resorts Adventure Club.

It should be obvious to everyone checking in that handing their private info over to "Mike" is an invasion of the privacy that NEVMSLLC claims to be protecting by not turning over the names and addresses of owners as required by M.G.L. 183B*. If a "parking pass" is necessary it can and should be included in the informational packet that guests receive at check-in, and that "Mike" should not be given the addresses and email addresses of owners and guests. Unfortunately most guests (including myself) are too compliant to realize that they have just turned over their private info to a sales representative.

*(b) The managing entity shall keep reasonably available for inspection and copying by any time-share owner all addresses, known to it or to the developer, of all the time-share owners with the principal permanent residence address of each indicated if known. The managing entity shall revise continually the list of addresses in the light of any information it obtains, and the developer shall keep the managing entity advised of any information he has or obtains.

 

[tombo]

I didn't see your post until just now. I am glad that you were educated a little bit about the take over strategies of Festiva by reading my posts, and I am glad that Festiva Rep visited us here, but to be honest there is only so much that Festiva Rep can say or do because after all Festiva Rep is a Festiva employee and as such has to follow the company line. I never expected her to say Festiva is usurping the authority of owners, using a takeover strategy at our resorts, overcharging owners for MF's and renovations, or say anything else that might be true but which she can't acknowledge because she is a company employee. It was nice to hear some of her insight and one sided arguments heavily slanted to Festiva's advantage, but I always considered the source and who pays the source's bills. If I was employed by Festiva I would not post negative posts about Festiva on TUG either unless I already had another job lined up.

I am glad that my posts helped you prevent some owners at your resort from converting to Festiva points and I often read your posts about all of the work you are doing at Southscape for owners. When I check in my resort I also am told that I must attend an owner's meeting where I will learn important information regarding the changes at the resort. I decline. They call the room hour after hour, day after day, until I finally answer the phone and say NO!. They tell me that I am missing out on information that is important to all owners and by missing out my week could become worthless, etc. I tell them that I am on vacation and please don't bother me again. When they don't take no for an answer I tell them that if I take time out from my vacation to come to the lobby it will be to explain to every owners I see that Festiva Points will get zero bids on e-bay when the starting price is $1, that the points are worthless, and that they will regret forever letting Festva have their paid for for deeded week and $3000 cash for some worthless Festiva points. They finally decide to write me down as a no when it reaches that point.

It isn't just your resort where they are tricking people into attending meetings through lies and half truths, it occurs at every resort they become a part of as far as I know. They won't allow you to have access to the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the owners because they need the owners to be uninformed in order to have the best chance of getting them to swap their deeded weeks and cash for Festiva Points. If they gave you the addresses you could mail informative letters to the owners and all but kill their sales of point conversions at the resort. Of course they tell you that they can't give it to you because of privacy laws, but they give the names addresses, week(s) owned, etc to the sales force to prey upon the ill informed. The best you can do is warn all that you can before they screw up and convert a deeded week they can use into a points membership that might or might not get them a week that they can use each year.

Good luck and don't give up the fight. Every person you educate about deeded ownership at Southscape versus becoming a points member before it is too late, is a person that will undoubtably remain an owner at Southscape rather than a Festiva Points member, and they are someone who will owe you a great debt of gratitude for preventing them from making a horrible mistake. I know you have saved many so far, but there are many more to save. Not only are you saving individuals from making a horrible mistake, every owner who doesn't convert remains an owner and that is one less week owned by Festiva at your resort.

I hope you win your battles and that it doesn't take too much of your time and energy. I also hope that the owners appreciate what you have done and that they thank you profuselly for all of the hard work, time, and effort you have invested in Southscape for the good of all owners.

 

[tombo]

http://sandcastleowners.blogspot.com/

I was cleaning out my old e-mails and came across this blog from 2009 about Festiva backing down from illegally assessing the owners at the Atrium resort in St Maarten because they were sued by the owners. Here is a quote from the above blog: "Did you just understand what was written there? They had to be sued in order to behave legally". Rather than honor the contract that the owners had when they purchased their weeks, Festiva raised MF's more than the contract allowed and assessed at will as though the contracts didn't exist. The owners had to hire a lawyer to stop Festiva from doing what they knew they weren't supposed to do. The owners tried contacting Festiva to stop them from ilegally increasing their MF's, but in typical Festiva business model they do what is profitable for Festiva while ignoring the owner's wishes, and in this case while ignoring legal contracts too.

The Atrium was not an isolated or unusual occurrence where consumers had to sue to stop bad business practices. Festiva continued to market deceptivelly in Missouri after many complaints of deceptive marketing until the Missouri Attorney General sued them. They didn't stop because it was the right thing to do, they stopped because they were sued and it cost them money (http://www.legalnewsline.com/news/213804-time-share-company-agrees-to-pay-339000-settlement ) . Festiva raised MF's and assessed at the Atrium Resort while ignoring owner's complaints and while ignoring the legally binding contracts until the owner's sued.Once again Festiva does the right thing only after being sued. Currently at many other resorts (Southscape, Sandcastle, Church Street Inn, Blue Ridge Village, etc) they have owners up in arms about renovations, increases in MF's, and assessments with no vote or input by owners. All of these resort had control taken over by Festiva or else are in the process of being taken over by Festiva through the purchase of HOA owned weeks, developer weeks, and by converting deeded weeks to Festiva owned weeks by convincing the prior owners into giving up their deeded week and instead becoming a "points club member". When Festiva decides to do renovations at a resort after they gain control (whether owners want to renovate or not), no budgets are submitted to or approved by owners, and no bids are submitted by the contractors before being chosen to do the renovations from everything I have read and seen. They place themselves as the management company at the resort and charge whatever management fees they see fit to charge, the raise MF's to cover their expenses and renovations, and they take over the boards assuring that they can't be voted out as the mgt company. What a deal for Festiva and a disaster for the owners who have to pay all the bills and keep Festiva profitable through MF increases and assessments they don't get to vote on.

Why would anyone want to be a member of the Festiva Club when the company has showed again and again that they will charge owners ever increasing MF's and assessment after assessment until sued and forced to legally cease such actions? I assume that no informed consumer would buy Festiva points when given their past and current actions, and the comments below simply show more examples of why you shouldn't buy Festiva Points or convert your deeded week(s) to festiva points under any circumstance IMO.

Here is a Festiva complaints web site:
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/festiva-resorts-c170519.html

Customer who was talked into giving up deeded week and $3000 for festiva Points:
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/deed-with-misleading-tactics-c309342.html

And another person unhappy with the misleading sales tactics Festiva uses:
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/phone-sales-tactics-c301098.html

Another customer tricked into swapping to Festiva points detailing their loss of use of a week they used to own:
http://www.complaintsboard.com/complaints/additional-reservation-charges-c241327.html

There are many more. Read them all and look very hard for any positive remarks about Festiva's marketing, Festiva's customer service, or Festiva points.

Unfortunatelly barring a lawsuit that will cost Festiva money they seem to run over owners and do what they want while making the owners pay to upgrade the resorts that festiva owns more and more of each time some poor unsuspecting owner is tricked into giving festiva theur deeded week in exchange for some worthless points and $3000.

Anyone reading this please DO NOT GIVE FESTIVA YOUR WEEK IN EXCHANGE FOR FESTIVA POINTS! IF YOU DO YOU WILL REGRET IT FOREVER!

 

[Sou13]

FestivaRep

I noticed that Festiva Rep has been replying to complaints on the complaintsboard! Thanks, tombo!

 

[Fig]

For anyone considering going with Festiva here is yet another fan page to consider. It seems to be updated on a regular basis with first person accounts of what happens when you "upgrade" to points. Buyer beware! http://festiva-resorts.pissedconsumer.com/

 

[strandlover]

Fig! I think you saved my life! I was looking at buying a TS at a Festiva resort in Myrtle Beach. I used the pissedconsumer.com URL and lo and behold Peppertree in NMB is one of their's.

Thank you! Thank you!

 

[tombo]

Fig! I think you saved my life! I was looking at buying a TS at a Festiva resort in Myrtle Beach. I used the pissedconsumer.com URL and lo and behold Peppertree in NMB is one of their's.

Thank you! Thank you!

You dodged a big bullet thanks to Fig's post. This is why we must continue to post here on TUG and other places to save unsuspecting, uninformed buyers from making a horrible mistake and buying Festiva points or swapping the deeded week they own for Festiva Points.

Make no mistake, I have yet to visit a Festiva resort I didn't like (location, amenities, size of rooms, etc), but that is how they survive by selling worthless points at places you would like to vacation. The problem is that once you buy a membership and some "points" you rent but never own, you might never actually get to stay at that wonderful resort during a time of year that you would like to vacation.

Many owners like myself own prime fixed weeks which we won't let Festiva get their hands on (not giving them a prime deeded week for some useless points), so many of the weeks Festiva owns at these resorts are off season weeks few people want to use. If you own 1 million Festiva points and Festiva doesn't own a 4th of July week at a resort you want to stay at for 4th of July (most prime weeks are owned by deeded owners who won't swap them for Festiva points), then you will never get to vaction there. If you buy and additional million Festiva points and Festiva doesn't own a 4th of July week at the resort, you will never stay there for the 4th of July week. If they actually own a few 4th of July weeks then you and everyone else who bought Festiva points from the salesman who promised that you could stay at any of their resorts easily anytime you want will be fighting for the limited prime weeks owned by Festiva.

Purchasing Festiva points (either retail or swapping your deeded weeks for points) is something I strongly recommend against. Read this thread from beginning to end and research across the web and you will see how bad of a move it would be. You will be obligated to pay Festiva's MF's for 30 years for some points that will not get you into the resort you want at the time of year you want to go. Once you own these points you can not sell them for $1 on e-bay (numerous auctions have ended with no bids), you can't vacation when you want or where you want, and you will be out a lot of money.

Congratulations to strandlover for saving themselves a lot of misery thanks to Fig. Now we must keep posting to save as many others as we can from making a huge mistake and becoming members of Festiva's adventure club. We are saving people one post at a time!

 

[timeos2]

The title changed

I'm still surprised that the title of this thread at some point got changed from "Festiva takes over resort - how bad will it get?" to the less meaningful "Festiva takes over resort".

It is a shame that any company is deemed to have "taken over" a resort that has been sold to individual owners and should be independent and worse that they then wage a war of misrepresentation to entice owners to pay more to get less. This isn't limited to Festiva by any means but they are a prime example of the process. All owners should be aware and not fall for this type of misleading and costly (to them) "opportunity" and make use of what they already own. The takers depend on uninformed owners to make the scheme work.

 

[tombo]

I'm still surprised that the title of this thread at some point got changed from "Festiva takes over resort - how bad will it get?" to the less meaningful "Festiva takes over resort".

It is a shame that any company is deemed to have "taken over" a resort that has been sold to individual owners and should be independent and worse that they then wage a war of misrepresentation to entice owners to pay more to get less. This isn't limited to Festiva by any means but they are a prime example of the process. All owners should be aware and not fall for this type of misleading and costly (to them) "opportunity" and make use of what they already own. The takers depend on uninformed owners to make the scheme work.

Someone decided that this thread should be in the eastern forum rather than in the points forum where I posted when I started it and they moved it. Festiva is a points sales organization with resorts in St Maarten, New Orleans, Branson, Gatlinburg, Northern Cancun,wisconsin Dells Wisconsin, and other places besides the east coast. They sell points at all of these locations whether they are on the east coast or not, and whether they are in the US or not. The correct place IMO to discuss this thread about Festiva and their takeover of resorts through the sale of mpoints is in the points forum.

I complained when it was originally moved and the title of the thread I started was changed and I would like to voice my complaint to TUG again. Why the censorship? Why change the title I started the thread with? It contains no offensive language. Why move my thread from the points forum where I put it to discuss the sale of Festiva points as a means to usurp control of the resorts away from the owners at ALL of their resorts, not just those in the eastern US?

Would someone please explain to me how a points group like Festiva with resorts in many locations not associated with the east coast becomes relegated to the east coast forum. Don't you allow discussions of Mariott resorts in Orlando to be discussed in the Florida section even though there is also a Marriott section? If someone asks which resort in Orlando is the best should the whole thread be moved to Marriott once discussions turn to Marriott resorts (no because all discussion in the thread are not about Marriott)? Once Festiva's takeover at the Atrium in St Maarten was discussed should this thread have been move to the caribbean forum? If we discuss points sales by Festiva in Branson or New Orleans should the whole thread be moved to the central US forum? The main them of this thread is Festiva taking over resorts from owners by selling Festiva POINTS, and the best place to have this discussion is in the points forum.


This discussion is not focused on a specific resort like Sandcastle, Southscape, or some other eastern US resort whic actually have their own threads (rightfully so) discussing specific problems with Festiva and the sales companies selling Festiva at their resort. This is a discussion about the festiva organization taking over resorts all over the US and caribbean by selling and installing their POINTS system. If someone considering a purchase of Festiva Points in St Maarten looks in the carribbean forum they will not find this thread and neither will people considering new Orleans or Branson Festiva points if they look in the central US forum. These potential buyers will also not find any information about Festiva POINTS if they look for it in the points forum. Why in the world would they look in the eastern US forum to find out about points they are considering buying in St Maarten, New Orleans, Branson, etc?

Please move this thread back to the points forum under the original title. If people want to discuss east coast festiva resorts specificallly there are at least 2 other threads currently on the east coast forum. This thread is about Festiva selling points and taking over resorts all over the western hemisphere, so it needs to be discussed under the Points forum. I hope that you will move it back there under my original title.

Thanks,
Tombo

 

[e.bram]

Just curious

Does anybody what you tenure is vis a vis Festiva points. Cna you bail out and if not what is grip on you. Also, can you join Festiva as a LLS, corp or trust or do you have to be a natural person.

 

[tombo]

Does anybody what you tenure is vis a vis Festiva points. Cna you bail out and if not what is grip on you. Also, can you join Festiva as a LLS, corp or trust or do you have to be a natural person.

If you become a Festiva Points Club Member, you sign a contract for 30 years. The contract obligates you to pay any assessments and MF's that Festiva decides to charge it's members for the 30 year period or else you will be placed in collections just the same as if you owned. When you buy Festiva Points you get all of the expenses associated with ownership with none of the rights (you own nothing, no right to vote,no annual financial statements, no say in fees or assessments, no board members to represent you, etc, etc, etc).

Do not buy Festiva points under any circumstances, and by all means do not let Festiva to swap you some of their worthless points for a deeded week you own, not even if they offer to do it for free. Heck I told the last slaesman that called me that I wouldn't give them my week and get Festiva points in exchange if they paid me $3000 cash. I said that I knew that I would be stuck as a Festiva Club member for 30 years and the MF's and assessments would eat up the $3000 they paid me long before I could get out of their "club". When Festiva calls and tries to sell you FAC Points, just say NO!!!!

 

[Fig]

Fig! I think you saved my life! I was looking at buying a TS at a Festiva resort in Myrtle Beach. I used the pissedconsumer.com URL and lo and behold Peppertree in NMB is one of their's.

Thank you! Thank you!

These companies and their practices need to be known by more people. You will notice a Festiva Rep furiously posting to each complaint as if it the first and only of its kind and sometimes only a few hours pass and someone else chimes in with an amazingly similar story as these sales practices get revealed again and again and again. Ask yourself this, if as Festiva Rep asserts, these are exceptions, why do the same stories of scams and rip-offs get posted over several years on multiple boards by so many people? If you have not had the chance, you may also want to post to http://festiva-resorts.pissedconsumer.com/ and thank them, afterall, they did all the work...and paid dearly...I only posted a link. Keep the information flowing and maybe more people can be helped.

 

[Fig]

I noticed that Festiva Rep has been replying to complaints on the complaintsboard! Thanks, tombo!

The poetic justice of Festiva Rep replying to complaints is that it creates more traffic to the site and ups the Google rating. I plugged in Festiva Resorts and I think this is like the number 4 site that comes up. http://festiva-resorts.pissedconsumer.com/ So....Festiva Rep monitoring the site like a hawk and posting just causes more traffic and relevance among the search engines and ensures that when people plug Festiva Resorts in a search they get some pretty shocking news. For the heck of it, why doesn't everyone reading this post visit http://festiva-resorts.pissedconsumer.com/ now and then, of course to keep up with Festiva's doings and if the byproduct is we boost the search ratings, so be it. Hey, Festiva Rep, visit us every now and then too...TUG can use the traffic!

 

[Sou13]

There are two "Festiva" discussions that got moved

There are two "Festiva" discussions that got moved from points system forums to this one. The one started by tombo is Festiva is now managing my resort, how bad is it going to get? and was very helpful to me as I waged war against the Festiva takeover of Southcape Resort.

The title of this one got changed, and later the discussion was moved from the Point System Discussions forum to this one. The former discussion was about Festiva taking over management of tombo's resort, while this one started out asking for specifics about the kinds of offers that were being made by Outfield Marketing in their campaign to convert deeded owners to the Festiva Resorts Adventure Club.

I have even tried contacting the administrator about the move, to no avail. I agree with tombo that neither of these discussions belong in this forum.

 

[AwayWeGo]

OutField Marketing? What Is Up With OutField Marketing?

The former discussion was about Festiva taking over management of tombo's resort, while this one started out asking for specifics about the kinds of offers that were being made by Outfield Marketing in their campaign to convert deeded owners to the Festiva Resorts Adventure Club.

Shux, according to a number of TUG-BBS entries the OutField Marketing people are also cold-calling DRI timeshare owners & flogging DRI points & DRI trusts & I don't know what-all.

What is the connection between OutField Marketing & these various timeshare companies ?

How did OutField get connected with Festiva ?

Did Festiva hire OutField ?

Or are the OutField people simply free-lancing ?

Aren't the Festiva suits concerned that OutField's shenanigans will damage the brand ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Fig]

Shux, according to a number of TUG-BBS entries the OutField Marketing people are also cold-calling DRI timeshare owners & flogging DRI points & DRI trusts & I don't know what-all.

What is the connection between OutField Marketing & these various timeshare companies ?

How did OutField get connected with Festiva ?

Did Festiva hire OutField ?

Or are the OutField people simply free-lancing ?

Aren't the Festiva suits concerned that OutField's shenanigans will damage the brand ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

You ask some good questions. Outfield Marketing is kind of murky. Their CEO, Thomas Franks, has been cited by the FCC for marketing practices in the past. http://www.fcc.gov/eb/Orders/2002/EB-02-TC-256.html

Their legal address is supposed to be TX. But if you Google that address all you can see in Google street view is a bunch of run down shacks at 135 E Hickory Street in Denton TX. (Denton is pretty far from the CEO who lives on the East Coast.) When I asked Festiva Rep where their address was, she gave me the address of medical billing company on the same street. Cliff Hagberg, who uses Outfield to sell Festiva points, swore up and down that 135 E Hickory was not Outfield's address...yet he listed that under penalty of perjury on legal documents.

Steve Lamantia, an Outfield key player (identified as Festiva Rep in the post) http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopi...tiva_Outfield_Marketing-Branson_Missouri.html was in MO around the time Festiva was being investigated by the AG, getting thrown out of houses for doing same old stuff people are complaining about years later...some things never change, but luckily through the internet a few more folks find out about them.

 

[e.bram]

Again. Can Festiva points membership be in the name of a LLC, corp or trust. You could buy them on ebay(for $1.00) and stiff them.(Ha, Ha)

 

[licekwallion]

Sounds cool..!! Will they provide all lot of conveyance for those or we should have our own lawyer ..!! :whoopie:

Wallion..!!

.

 

[tombo]

Sorry Sou13, I posted on the wrong one by accident.

 

[Sou13]

Wrong, tombo!

No, tombo, this isn't the one started by you. Please see my above reference to the one you started, which still exists, and please don't mess with this one, although I greatly appreciate your contributions to any and all discussions of the way Festiva moves in and takes over resorts!

 

[Sou13]

Southcape Resort on YouTube

Having Southcape Resort annexed into the Festiva Resorts Adventure Club family of resorts has resulted in this YouTube video.

 

[Sou13]

Having Southcape Resort annexed into the Festiva Resorts Adventure Club family of resorts has resulted in this YouTube video.

It was working the day I posted it here, dunno why it's not working for me today tho.