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National Timeshare Help Center

R

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If any of you have had dealings with the above co.
I would appreciate any info you can give me.
I rented and paid for a week at Playa Granda Resort in Cabo San Lucas about 3 months ago
for 11/22 to 11/29.
I dealt with Cindy Townsend at NTHC. Whenever I contact the resort they tell me that they have no record of my reservation and that this is "very irregular".
Cindy tells me that this will only be confirmed by the resort 24 hours
before arrival.
I have incurred thousands of dollars in expences on airfares and I'm very uncomfortable with this arrangement.
Cindy continues to give me the "run-around" after numerous requests to remedy the situation.
All I want is some peace of mind that the resort is expecting us.:confused:
Appreciate any comments from you.
 
Rest assured, Cindy is a member here and I would be very comfortable renting through her. :) Her TUG name is NTHC.
 
I have worked with them for about 7 years. Never had a problem; never expect to. Cindy will have everything in place for your check in.

Joy
 
I also vouch for Cindy and have done business with her. Sometimes the larger resorts have staff who're ill-trained or new; also in Mexico you get "irregular" info from desk help. I know, I own in MX and go there every year at least. I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. Have a great trip! :wave:
 
I would be kind of curious why the resort doesn't show the confirmation at this point (at two weeks out). Can anyone explain that?

I don't think that I would be very comfortable at this point either, despite these assurances.

edit:
After thinking about it, this person may be taking advantage of some kind of last-minute inventory offer... which would make me very nervous, especially at that time of year. At the least, you may want to call the resort and at the least verify that they do have inventory available and not completely booked.

Of course, just speculating...
 
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I would be kind of curious why the resort doesn't show the confirmation at this point (at two weeks out). Can anyone explain that?
Because the people at the front desk, when you call, are goofy. ;)

Maybe you can relate to the Wyndham issues. If you ever have to deal with Wyndham Grand Desert with a guest confirmation.............you just cannot believe the hassle of that one.:rolleyes:
 
I will chime in and also let you know that Cindy is a good member here and I found her helpful once when I needed some advice.:)
 
rickandcindy23 said:
I would be kind of curious why the resort doesn't show the confirmation at this point (at two weeks out). Can anyone explain that?
Because the people at the front desk, when you call, are goofy. ;)
Click to expand...

I think the clue here is what the OP said as 'won't be able to confirm until 24 hours prior'...

If it was me and my plane tickets at risk, I wouldn't deal with this person. And that would hold true no matter how 'nice' this person is.

Sorry to be the 'bad egg'. :mad:

Maybe this person can join the discussion, or maybe someone can invite this person. But, I would need more information about what is going on here before I took this risk.
 
ace2000 said:
I think the clue here is what the OP said as 'won't be able to confirm until 24 hours prior'...

If it was me and my plane tickets at risk, I wouldn't deal with this person. And that would hold true no matter how 'nice' this person is.

Sorry to be the 'bad egg'. :mad:

Maybe this person can join the discussion, or maybe someone can invite this person. But, I would need more information about what is going on here before I took this risk.
Click to expand...

Why the anger? I don't think that is necessary. I can only relate my experience with Cindy, and I would trust her completely. If you haven't worked with her, then I could see being concerned, and that is why the OP came here, to get reassurance. I gave that because I would be comfortable. It could be a front desk problem.
 
ace2000 said:
I would be kind of curious why the resort doesn't show the confirmation at this point (at two weeks out). Can anyone explain that? I don't think that I would be very comfortable at this point either, despite these assurances.
edit: ...
Click to expand...

Okay, let's get real. You now face two choices going forward:
1. You either try to back out and look someplace new; or
B. You take your chances (and a CC in case you need a hotel room).

Say you choose Option 1... What are your remedies?
Will get your $$ back or not? Say you don't...
What'cha gonn'a do about it?
Can you afford to find another place to stay?
Frankly, Option "B" may be your best bet.
 
First, there is no 'anger' on my part... only used a picture of an icon that looked like a 'bad egg'. I don't have a stake in this and I'm definitely not emotional about it. :)

The OP was asking for reassurance... and unless we can find out from the person who 'booked' this, we're not going to know for sure.

So 'at this point', one thing that would be helpful to know is why the OP cannot get a confirmation until 24 hours prior. And again, this has nothing to do with whether the renter is a nice person or not. But, it would be helpful for anyone else making future transactions with this company.

Let's just wait for the 'renter' to explain the situation, that's all I'm saying. But, I'm suspicious and also realize that there could be an innocent explanation for it all.
 
rickandcindy23 said:
I would be kind of curious why the resort doesn't show the confirmation at this point (at two weeks out). Can anyone explain that?
Because the people at the front desk, when you call, are goofy. ;)

Maybe you can relate to the Wyndham issues. If you ever have to deal with Wyndham Grand Desert with a guest confirmation.............you just cannot believe the hassle of that one.:rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Yes. I did a direct exchange into Mauna Loa Village (a Wyndham resort) via another TUGger. Despite four or five letters and contacts by the owner during the entire year before we checked in the front desk never confirmed that the reservation was in our name. when I rent or exchange units I often get welcome packages that should be going to my guests a week or two before checkin.

It just seems to be the way it is at many resorts.
 
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ace2000 said:
And again, this has nothing to do with whether the renter is a nice person or not. But, it would be helpful for anyone else making future transactions with this company.

Let's just wait for the 'renter' to explain the situation, that's all I'm saying. But, I'm suspicious and also realize that there could be an innocent explanation for it all.
Click to expand...

(Removing Mod hat)

This is not about whether Cindy is a "nice person" or not - Cindy/NTHC is an established TUG member - and if you look at the people who have vouched for her, you will see that they are also, long-time, knowledgeable, and active TUG members. I think the OP was wise to ask for references, but based on Cindy's well-established reputation, I don't think there is any reason to be "suspicious" about anything.

The OP emailed me and I suggested that he contact Cindy with his questions and ask for more info.
 
ace2000 said:
First, there is no 'anger' on my part... only used a picture of an icon that looked like a 'bad egg'.
Click to expand...

Just to clarify things: The similie you choose is labeled "mad." :)mad:) If you use it in a post, people are going to logically assume that you used it because you are "mad." If you want them to interpret it differently, you will have to spell it out.
 
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I did a direct exchange with a fellow tugger this past summer and the resort never did get it that we were not the owners. They would phone us and call us by the owners's names, etc. The person I exchanged with had everything set up, with paperwork with our names, etc. but the resort never did catch on. Some resorts are just like that.
 
It's starting to get a little silly around here... I'm going to keep to the original topic. First, I understand the OP's concern. I would like to feel assured that I actually have a reservation, especially if I'm flying down to Mexico!

And sorry folks, I don't care how many recommendations that the renter has from people on TUG (who may happen to know this person only from other postings on this board or have even rented from her previously). Hopefully, everyone understands this logic.

Second, I'm going to PM the renter and ask them to respond. As I mentioned earlier, maybe there is a valid reason why the reservation cannot be verified until 24 hours in advance.

But, as the OP has concerns, I would also feel the exact same way.
 
ace2000 said:
And sorry folks, I don't care how many recommendations that the renter has from people on TUG (who may happen to know this person only from other postings on this board or have even rented from her previously). Hopefully, everyone understands this logic.
Click to expand...

I don't understand your logic at all. When you are doing a private rental, one of the most important things you can do is to get references for the person you are renting from. Reputation is everything. It's easy to manufacture phony reservations - it's very difficult to manufacture a good reputation.

Just curious - have you ever been involved in a private rental yourself?

I already emailed Cindy and asked her to respond.
 
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DeniseM said:
Just curious - have you ever been involved in a private rental yourself?
Click to expand...

LOL - too many to count! Seriously, several of them. And I've never failed to put a person's name on a confirmation. And I've never seen a situation where the 'rentee' couldn't confirm this IF it was all done proper by the renter by a guest confirmation.

And on the one that I purchased, I made sure that my name was on the week before I made the trip down there. There's too much at risk. What if the OP was inviting someone else? You're telling me you wouldn't want to verify that your name was on the unit before you made a trip to Mexico???
 
ace2000 said:
You're telling me you wouldn't want to verify that your name was on the unit before you made a trip to Mexico???
Click to expand...

No, I'm saying that your posts are only making the OP more concerned, and that you may be damaging the reputation of a well-established Tugger, without knowing either party or having all of the facts.

I have no doubt that Cindy will resolve this to the complete satisfaction of the OP, and any speculation to the contrary is really unfair.

And now that we've aired this out, I suggest that we let Cindy respond with the facts.
 
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I rented out a week to Cindy's group in August and all went smoothly. I got my money and had to sign a release for the use of my week. Maybe you should ask Cindy for a copy of the release that I'm sure she had the owner fill out if they handle all transactions the same. You can use this as a permission letter when you check in.
 
DeniseM said:
No, I'm saying that your posts are only making the OP more concerned, and that you may be damaging the reputation of a well-established Tugger, without knowing either party or having all of the facts.

I have no doubt that Cindy will resolve this to the complete satisfaction of the OP, and any speculation to the contrary is really unfair.
Click to expand...

Denise, can we please discuss your concerns through PM?

First, I never said anything to damage anyone's reputation and I was only offering my concerns and advice to the OP. Every post that I speculated anything at all, I always said 'we won't know until they respond'. I thought I was being very careful about that issue.

Second, I'm getting a little nervous about TUG when the moderators start to endorse a private business like this.
 
Ace - feel free to pm me, but until Cindy responds, I don't know what more can be said...

And - I am not promoting anyone's business - I am trying to be sure that a Tugger with a solid reputation gets treated fairly, until she can speak for herself.
 
If I were Cindy, I'd be annoyed and tempted (among other things) to...
1. Send the OP his money back and wish him good luck; or
2. Scan and e-mail the OP something showing that she has the authority to broker the unit.
... and perhaps be clearer about how the arrangment works in the future.
 
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I do want to address this issue with everyone who has come to my defense as well as those who have concerns for the OP as well.

Since we are the middle man in many of our rentals, it is customary that we have the owner of the property sign a release allowing our guest to occupy the unit. We also have the guest sign a release so that we are all on the same page.

We immediately send a confirmation to the guest and pay the owner. All reservations are verified before the owner is paid. The contract sent to our guests is a contract with "us" as a company and we are the ones directly responsible to fulfill the obligation, not the actual owner.

Experience has taught us that even though we may submit to the resort a guest name 5 months out, it very often does not show up until 24 to 48 hours in advance of check in. For this reason our confirmations state just that. Additionally, we have a department that does nothing but confirm reservations, but anyone who has dealt with reservations at any resort can attest to the fact that it can often take time to get things accurate.

I was made aware by my staff of this guests' concerns last Wed. and have spoken to him directly. I can assure all of you including the guest that the reservation is intact.

As a side note, I would like to add, that one of our offices experienced a fire last Thursday night and that I was not able to touch base with the guest personally again until earlier today. We had no phone service temporarily and were not able to access some of our paper documents during the investigation which ended today. I can totally understand the OP's concern and frustration while trying to conduct business with us during this time.

Thanks,
Cindy
 
Cindy - thanks for responding!

I'm so sorry to hear about your fire - hopefully, it wasn't too bad.
 
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