Hosed at the Grand Mayan (2015)

[4x4ord]

We just purchased a membership at the Grand Mayan in Nuevo Vallarta. After letting the people keep us for 3 hours longer than promised we to
D them we were not interested. So all seemed fine we were going to get our cab money for our return cab ride back to our hotel. Before giving us our fare another sales guy let us know that if at anytime in the next 24 months we decided we would like to become members the offer was still open to us. In fact he would even upgrade from a one bedroom to a two bedroom for the lowest price the other guy had quoted. No pressure just letting us know. Then he brought out this too good to be true offer. We were told someone had upgraded their 100 year plan at the Myan Grand and this old 2 bed room contract with only 5 weeks used could be purchased for $4900 and the weeks could be used at an accelerated rate .... When we said we would take it he had a contract printed off ready to sign which only mensioned 5 weeks ..... not 95. I questioned him about that and he said they work in 10 year segments and there is only 5 years left in the first 10 year slot. When the 5 weeks are used we will start the next 10 year segment as long as we are continuing to make an annual $99 membership fee. We signed the documents and put the $4900 on our credit card. Last night I read on the internet about how dishonest the sales staff is at this resort. There is no mention of how I can rescind on my purchase but I am thinking I should phone my Credit Card company and have them reverse the charges. Have I been scammed.

 

[DaveNV]

To be brief, yes, you have been scammed. Rescind by whatever method is appropriate right now, while you have time. The process should be in the paperwork you were given. It is specific, and must be done correctly or it may not be honored. If you want to later buy into the Grand Mayan, or virtually any other timeshare group, you can do so on the resale market for pennies on the dollar. Sometimes even for free.

Search the Tug forums for rescind threads for your resort. There is a specific process you need to go through. Do it today, while you still have time. This could be a very costly thing if you hesitate.

Good luck,
Dave

 

[4x4ord]

I don't see any mention of a process to rescind. The paper works states that we purchased a DU Membership. It further states that no real estate nor timeshare were purchased. It says all matters relating to the marketing process shall be governed by Mexican law. I guess it depends how Mexican law defines timeshare. Anyway aside from taking them to court they do not specify any process to dispute the contract.

 

[Karen G]

You have five business days to rescind your contract under Mexican law. See this website for Profeco the Mexican consumer protection agency. Write a simple letter stating that you are exercising your right to rescind this contract according to Mexican law. Identify the contract by number and date and be sure that everyone who signed the contract also signed the letter. Send it by certified mail so that you have a receipt showing the date it was mailed.

Notify your credit card that you have rescinded the contract. Dispute the charge or close the card whatever you need to do. There should be an address somewhere in your paperwork to send the letter but it could also be hidden because they don't want you to find it. Contact Profeco for help if necessary.

Time is of the essence so you want to be sure your rescission is done with in the five business days.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

YOU HAVE NOT BEEN SCAMMED -you bought something you do not want ( apparently)

if you do not want it rescind .

Do so properly.

This forum has details on how to do this - as others have posted .

 

[rpennisi]

I have never heard of Grand Mayan contracts being 10 year repeating contracts. I thought they were 25 year contracts that could be repeated 4 times for a total of 100 years. Sounds more like the terms of the newer GL contracts.
Did you buy 5 years for $4900? Does the contract then have a charge to renew for another 10 years if so desired?
This seems like a new wrinkle in Mayan sales world.

I will never upgrade my eBay bought Mayan Palace contracts. I can deposit on RCI and then trade for Grand Mayan for around $200. After maintenance fee plus the $200, it comes to about a $1000 for a Grand Mayan week.

If you paid $4900 with no additional maintenance fees except for the $99 a year, then that's not bad for 5 years of a 2 bedroom Grand Mayan, and you are treated as an owner.

If that is not the case, rescind.

 

[4x4ord]

I have never heard of Grand Mayan contracts being 10 year repeating contracts. I thought they were 25 year contracts that could be repeated 4 times for a total of 100 years. Sounds more like the terms of the newer GL contracts.
Did you buy 5 years for $4900? Does the contract then have a charge to renew for another 10 years if so desired?
This seems like a new wrinkle in Mayan sales world.

I will never upgrade my eBay bought Mayan Palace contracts. I can deposit on RCI and then trade for Grand Mayan for around $200. After maintenance fee plus the $200, it comes to about a $1000 for a Grand Mayan week.

If you paid $4900 with no additional maintenance fees except for the $99 a year, then that's not bad for 5 years of a 2 bedroom Grand Mayan, and you are treated as an owner.

If that is not the case, rescind.

the more I look into Veda Vacations The more I come to realize they are dishonest. I doubt very much that I will be treated like an owner. I was lead to believe I was buying an ownership contract that had only been used for 5 weeks. Instead I bought a membership into a vacation club. From what others post about Veda Vacations they make big promises but when you go to use your membership you are told there is no availability at any of the resorts you were hoping to stay at. Additionally, it sounds as though the likely hood of rescinding is next to nil. When I phone the only contact # they gave me I get a Spanish recording followed by nothing. There is no address or other contact information to respond to.

 

[LannyPC]

Additionally, it sounds as though the likely hood of rescinding is next to nil. When I phone the only contact # they gave me I get a Spanish recording followed by nothing. There is no address or other contact information to respond to.

If there are rescission instructions, they should tell you where to send a letter, not to phone. The general wisdom here on TUG is to never make or accept any phone calls when it comes to rescinding. The people there will only try to make it harder on you to rescind.

And by Mexican law, you have the legal right to rescind within five days no matter what the sales people told you.

 

[Karen G]

There is no address or other contact information to respond to.

Contact customerservice@grupovidanta.com and ask them for the address. Put "Karen Rose" in the subject line somewhere as someone using that name in the customer service dept. has helped people on TUG before with issues with this company. Do it immediately!

 

[rpennisi]

the more I look into Veda Vacations The more I come to realize they are dishonest. I doubt very much that I will be treated like an owner. I was lead to believe I was buying an ownership contract that had only been used for 5 weeks. Instead I bought a membership into a vacation club. From what others post about Veda Vacations they make big promises but when you go to use your membership you are told there is no availability at any of the resorts you were hoping to stay at. Additionally, it sounds as though the likely hood of rescinding is next to nil. When I phone the only contact # they gave me I get a Spanish recording followed by nothing. There is no address or other contact information to respond to.

There are no ownership contracts in Mexico. Timeshares got a bad name, so they now call them vacation clubs. I bought two Mayan Palace contracts that were used for 4 and 6 years out of 25.
You should rescind because you never understood the system, but to my original question, did you buy 5years of GM usage of a 2 bedroom suite with or without additional maintenance fees?

 

[rpennisi]

FYI, Grand Mayans usually have lots of availability. Not so much the Grand Luxxe, partly because so many "owners" upgraded from Grand Mayan.

 

[4x4ord]

FYI, Grand Mayans usually have lots of availability. Not so much the Grand Luxxe, partly because so many "owners" upgraded from Grand Mayan.

Yes I am entitteled to 5 weeks in a two bedroom at the Grand Myan or lower which can apparently be used anytime ( no black outs) and can be escalated ( could use all 5 weeks in year one of I so choose) . There is an annual membership fee of $100 with the first charge being 1 year from now. No maintainance fees. There is a usage fee that is dependent on the resort you are booking at.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

You went on Vacation to Mexico -- and what language did you think they speak ???

. When I phone the only contact # they gave me I get a Spanish recording

You were expecting _____ ????? You are in Mexico - they speak Spanish .
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If you are still having problems understanding how to rescind go to the resort in Nuevo " Contracts Customer Service Office " ( not sales) and rescind in person and get a receipt copy etc . They may try to get you to keep the contract -- but you will not have a problem getting it rescinded if you firmly insist .

there are various posts on TUG Mayan threads about this if you use the search function.
------
By the way - you may wish to have the contracts dept explain the contract to find out what you bought and how it works .

Did you prepay for 5 use years ? The GM would run about $ 1000 week for an existing owner ,or is there additional cost ( MF or similar term ) when you use each of your 5 weeks ?( other than the $ 100 annual membership) OR is the $ 5000 essentially the resort transfer fee on an existing contract . Most Grand Mayan contracts were sold by Vidanta /Vida with the 5 x MF transfer fee . So if you found one on E- Bay, Craig's list etc. for $ 1 -either the buyer or seller would be paying approx. $5000 to transfer . If this is the case - your purchase of a"used " Grand Mayan with the maintenance fee on use only ( no go / no pay ) addendum for $ 5000 may be a superior deal to buying on E-bay because the addendum(s)!transfer . If you (still ) have any interest in owning Grand Mayan you may want to find these things out from the Contracts Dept .
When the renewal date comes - in 5 years how do you renew and what is the usage cost per week for the next 10 year term ? Also does the renewal week remain a " residence or registered " week or similar term with RTU specified rights ?
If you (were) to use your 5 weeks happily but have a contract without a required MF during all future renewal 10 year periods (only pay upon use ) you can renew (!find out cost ) or walk away after 5 years / weeks of use .

Vidanta has many contract variations since in Mexico all TS are Right to use contracts (RTU )
not deeded. ( Is this what you meant by a DU membership ? ) The benefit to you is that your term of ownership rights has an end date and IF you have a " maintenance fee on use only ( no go / no pay ) contract or addendum ,then you do not have any. yearly cost if your life circumstances change.

Exiting some TS can be costly.
The TS world today is full of owners paying more money to get rid of deeded ownerships they no longer use but continue to have to pay yearly mandatory MF . Many end up on eBay for $ 1 with the seller paying closing and transfer fees and the current or following years MF for the new owner.

Vidanta has sold many contracts that have the (no go,/ no pay )'feature and it generally does not transfer if resold (by anyone but them / there are exceptions ) .That becomes a no cost to you exit strategy -if needed due to future life circumstances .

I own MP level with them with ( no go / no pay ) and have read many posts on TUG on what others own or bought . However I am not really clear on what you bought and how it works - based on the information posted so far .

Remember that with Vidanta - <whatever you think you were told by TS sales >needs to be in the contract as written or as an addendum added .

 

[MuranoJo]

Based on what I've read, I'm not convinced you've been scammed, but it's obvious you don't understand what you purchased, so you should rescind and do some homework first.

Vida typically has the rescission rights included in their contracts, but you really don't need to be fancy about it. All you really need to do is write a simple letter stating you are hereby rescinding your contract or agreement (with a contract # or member # or whatever included). Mail it with some sort of receipt confirmation and get it done (postmarked) within the 5-day window.
They will honor this.

If you need more assistance, contact their Customer Service with the link Karen supplied in a previous post.

 

[4x4ord]

Thank you all for your guidance. I have sent an email to the email address Karren provided asking for the mailing address in order to rescind. I will be surprised if they respond within the 5 day window. Does anyone have their address and rescinding intructions?

 

[Karen G]

Thank you all for your guidance. I have sent an email to the email address Karren provided asking for the mailing address in order to rescind. I will be surprised if they respond within the 5 day window. Does anyone have their address and rescinding intructions?

Also contact Profeco. The link is in post #4 above. Call them or email them right away and see if they can give you an address.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

Still in PV - resicind on site - immediate peace of mind

If you are still having problems understanding how to rescind go to the resort in Nuevo " Contracts Customer Service Office " ( not sales) and rescind in person
and get a receipt copy etc . They may try to get you to keep the contract -- but you will not have a problem getting it rescinded if you firmly insist .

Bring your paperwork etc

This way you know it is done - and you can enjoy the rest of your vacation and not be worrying about mail delivery .

Rescinding is like returning an item to a store for full credit . You have 5 days from when you bought .
In this case you can mail it back and get a dated receipt or bring it back in person - same result

 

[rpennisi]

In the first post, the OP writes about taking a cab from the Mayan resort back to the hotel. I think the OP is reluctant to go back for whatever reason to rescind in person.
Some good advice was given here, but so far doesn't seem to be acted upon, and I am not so sure the OP was hosed. The one part I am not clear on is why there wasn't anything in the contract with instructions for rescinding in the 5 day time frame?

 

[DaveNV]

To the OP: The point everyone is making is that the longer you delay, the greater the risk that you'll miss the timeframe to rescind. If you don't do it properly, or in time, you will own what you bought. Right, wrong, or otherwise. Waiting for someone to email you back may turn into a very co$tly mistake.

If you're still at the resort, do as advised in post #17, and rescind in person. Time is critical.

Dave

 

[pittle]

It seems to me that you bought the "exit" package, aka "trial membership". Our neighbor bought that and since they are only interested in Puerto Penasco, it is working OK for them. Their contract is for Mayan Palace and that is about what they paid. I think they got 2 GM weeks and 3 MP weeks. If you must pay $99 per year, it is not a real "ownership". Those of us who are members of the vacation club just pay our maintenance fees, not $99 per year. I would read that contract very closely and make sure that you follow the directions to rescind. The customer service email address that you were given will help you more than anyone. Follow their instructions exactly.

rpennisi is correct, you can get a GM for an exchange or extra vacation at a great price. I was able to snag one for next November through SFX for $149 plus the cost of my PBEB MF., so for less than $900 (including the $75 fee they charge for internet, etc) we get a 2-bedroom GM in NV. That is less than the owners pay for MF. I have to say, the lower cost MP/GM units are seldom available any more like rpennisi said he has. We had a bunch that we used to leverage our upgrades over the years. Those were great because the older contracts also have lower MF.

Mayan World is great, but the "exit" package is a teaser. It may or may not work for you.

 

[rpennisi]

It seems to me that you bought the "exit" package, aka "trial membership". Our neighbor bought that and since they are only interested in Puerto Penasco, it is working OK for them. Their contract is for Mayan Palace and that is about what they paid. I think they got 2 GM weeks and 3 MP weeks. If you must pay $99 per year, it is not a real "ownership". Those of us who are members of the vacation club just pay our maintenance fees, not $99 per year. I would read that contract very closely and make sure that you follow the directions to rescind. The customer service email address that you were given will help you more than anyone. Follow their instructions exactly.

rpennisi is correct, you can get a GM for an exchange or extra vacation at a great price. I was able to snag one for next November through SFX for $149 plus the cost of my PBEB MF., so for less than $900 (including the $75 fee they charge for internet, etc) we get a 2-bedroom GM in NV. That is less than the owners pay for MF. I have to say, the lower cost MP/GM units are seldom available any more like rpennisi said he has. We had a bunch that we used to leverage our upgrades over the years. Those were great because the older contracts also have lower MF...

...and much lower transfer fees!
I feel the 10X MF transfer fees for the Grand Luxxe are absurd.
As usual, Phyllis, you are great for Mayan world info.
Ron

 

[MuranoJo]

So, Ron, when are you upgrading?

 

[4x4ord]

So I phoned the customer service in the USA. The woman was quite polite and gave me a number for customer service in Nuevo Vallarta and said they would look after me. I phoned the office at the resort in Nuevo Vallarta and she said they would look after me but I must come to the resort. I spent 3 hours there and was ultimately told by everyone I talked to that it was out of their control. They could not offer any kind of refund. One woman told me I just needed to write a letter and email it to an email address that would be sent to me shortly. They would refund my money. I asked if I could have that in writing...then she said there won't be any refund there was nothing she could do. I absolutely can not beleive that people can be trained to outright lie everytime they open their mouth. To I beleive what they are doing is selling extremely expensive memberships into a club that promises its members vacation time in these wonderful resorts....no blackout days....but they don't mention the dates are subject to availability. You can use your weeks up at an accelerated rate if you wish but the fact of the matter is that the developer has already sold the weeks to owners who during the busy season will want to use their rooms. Veda keeps selling more and more promises but they aren't building anymore rooms. I beleive these memberships are a scam. And yes it is the trial membership package I got but that was not what was explained to me by the lying snake that suckered me into this deal.

 

[4x4ord]

They told me I could leave a letter with them as well as the contract but that they would have to forward it to their legal department. I could not get anyone to put his or her name on paper telling me they would do this so I asked for the address of the legal department. Someone ripped a page out of a little notebook that had an address on the bottom. She said "this is the address of the people who can help you." My guess is that it is not the right address. I also doubt that Mexico law will protect me in this case because there is no rescinding procedure on the contract. This is not a time share....there are no maintainance fees. If someone can let me know the address where I can send the contract back to I would appreciate it. Monday will be day 5.assuming Sunday is not counted.

 

[Karen G]

Send your letter to the address you were given and be sure you have proof of mailing from the post office. Contact Profeco and tell them exactly what happened to you and what was said to you. Notify your credit card that you have rescinded the contract. Cancel the card if you have to.

Once you mail that letter with proof that it was mailed within your rescission period you have fulfilled your part of the deal. Keep all your records to provide to anyone who challenges your rescission. You will have done all you can possibly do since the sales dept. is obviously trying to obstruct you every way they can.