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Oh no, are we suckers?

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So....first off, super glad I found you fantastic people because I've learned SO much already just browsing this forum for the last day or so!

My husband and I are in Orlando and attended a Parc Soleil HGVC presentation. I'm starting to feel like the pitch had A LOT of inaccurate info, now that I'm reading what you all have to say on this site.

So we signed the paperwork yesterday BUT we were very clear that we wanted time to research, and were told by "the manager" that the paperwork would not be formally submitted until Wednesday as a courtesy, allowing us about 72 hours to walk away and research a little more. However...now I feel icky, because they did have us sign, date and provide credit card info for the down payment - on the promise that they wouldn't charge us or make it final until the 72 hour mark.

So here are my reservations and the discrepancies I'm seeing now:

A) they're definitely going to process this, right? Lol I feel SO dumb for signing. They also didn't send us home with ANY paperwork, they said it would be emailed for us to take to a notary on Wednesday when we get home. And then we would have access to the app and member site once our purchase is confirmed. But like, I signed a contract for a $17k EOY (odds) for 5400 pts and I was sent home with ZERO paperwork, copies or confirmation of any kind. They said this was so it could "disappear" if we changed our minds and decide to opt out by Wednesday. They also said this way, it wouldn't negatively ding the agent for a rescind - they said we wouldn't have to go through the hassle of formally rescinding because they'll just shred the paperwork and it'll be like it never happened, and her rating or whatever wouldn't be effected. Could this be true or am I a sucker? They have not charged my card (yet). Should I put a fraud alert on my chase account in case I need to dispute it in the future?

B) I'm going to rescind or cancel or whatever, we realize we probably got screwed on this price. Should I send in a formal rescind letter by certified mail even if I talk to her at our scheduled call on Weds and she "voids" the contract? I feel like this is the right move but also, what happens if I send a rescind letter and it turns out they never did file the paperwork, so there's nothing to rescind? I don't have any confirmation info - no account number or deed number or anything to reference in my letter? Will a rescind letter still be accepted if I don't have the property info to cite?

C) we DO want to purchase a timeshare because it seems like it would fit our lifestyle! But I'm not fully understanding resales. One of the biggest benefits we were told was included in this direct purchase, was "unlimited open season". Which she described as "7 full days ANYWHERE in the world at any hilton club or affiliated property, at any time, no blackout dates or restrictions, for $300 per stay plus taxes." $300 flat rate for any in network studio, and then a little more for 1BR/2BR etc. Looking around this site, thay doesn't seem correct? It definitely looks like open season costs are location-specific and hugely variable. So was this just a blatant lie? It also seems like open season only applies to the Club Resorts, not hotels. Is that correct..?

D) Do resale deeds include open season? My husband would use it a ton for work if that's the case but that's assuming he'd get a 1-week stay at any hilton hotel (not club resort) for $300+tax. The club resorts are not located conveniently for the work he does - like, a resort Breckenridge doesn't help him if he needs to be in Golden at 6am for conferences. Also with resale, I've seen some posts that "club" doesn't transfer. What does that mean? We can't use the Club Resorts? We're not Club members? So what...what exactly do you purchase in a resale?

E) we were told we could use our Club points easily at any time at hotels - but it looks like to do this, we may have to convert them to honors points? We have a very nice Hilton brand hotel in our home city, so we're thinking this would be a nice perk if we could get a babysitter for a few nights and have a quick staycation getaway. Or would a better bet be to use "open season" if this hotel qualifies..? Even if we pay $300 for a week and only use 2 nights, it'd be a significant savings over that hotel's usual rate ($300-400/night, we've been there many times and love it). We were also told we could take advantage of hotel amenities as owners, even if we're not guests - again, this is a huge perk for us because we could take our kid swimming every weekend. But now I'm wondering if that was another empty promise? I feel like more people would be jumping for unlimited pool use if this was a real thing

F) kind of similar, but we were also told that all the perks at the Club Resorts would apply if we chose to stay in a hotel - so if we do the Hilton Orlando instead of Park Soleil, that we would still have free parking for example, even though Hilton Orlando has a nightly parking fee for hotel guests. Is this...accurate? Also that we wouldn't pay tax, resort fees, etc. But where's the fine print on those details?

Sorry I know that's a lot! I'm just still so confused. What we were told and what we're seeing on this site are not jiving lol I have no documents to reference because they refused to give me any or make copies of the contracts we signed šŸ˜± I know, we should've walked away but we genuinely thought that we'd keep it if these perks checked out the way they were presented

In a nutshell, if it helps anyone make a general recommendation for us, this is what we're hoping to accomplish:
A 1-ish week family vacation each year, or two more modest shirter trips. Our kid is 3 so theyll be less extravagant and closer to home for the next few years but we're hoping to eventually get to some fantastic places - scotland, japan, hawaii, maldives, greece. We usually plan in advance and during off season, we don't rush for holidays. We *could* plan on short notice also, but its not my preferred way to plan my year. We have a toddler, so a 2BR would be preferred but we could make a 1 BR work too!
My husband travels about 4-5x/year for work - sometimes staying as little as one night before moving on to the next location (for example: he recently drove from MI to Ohio, stayed one night, then drove through PA staying in two more hotels for 2 nights each - then a similar path on the way back).
 

HaberHGV

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I wouldn't say you are suckers. These folks are trained in every tactic to get you to do what you just did. That's their every waking action once they walk through those doors.

If you are distressed, I'd say, submit a formal cancelation of the contract asap. There is no rush on securing points...they will make you feel like there is, but really, with all the resale markets and such - you'll find something. Once you get the letter out then deep dive on this forum and do your research.
 

HuskerATL

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I would start by rescinding or make sure that they don't submit it. If they did, then you have a short window to rescind. The directions will be in your contract or an address then you just prepare a paragraph that says that you want to rescind, provide the location, date signed, contract number, and all owners sign it. Send via certified USPS.

Then research more and ask questions.

You can get many more points for less money via resale and yes, you have access to open season and the rest of the core ownership benefits. You just wouldn't be in Max.
 

SmithOp

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You can't get 7 days open season, and never for $300. That's more like two days. Open season is leftovers, so there is never a full week available that I have ever seen!
 
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I would start by rescinding or make sure that they don't submit it. If they did, then you have a short window to rescind. The directions will be in your contract or an address then you just prepare a paragraph that says that you want to rescind, provide the location, date signed, contract number, and all owners sign it. Send via certified USPS.

Then research more and ask questions.

You can get many more points for less money via resale and yes, you have access to open season and the rest of the core ownership benefits. You just wouldn't be in Max.
We weren't given a contract, so I don't have that information. I asked for it and they said it would make it harder for it to "disappear" if there were copies. Do you know where I can find directions to rescind online?
 

Luanne

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jp10558

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You can't get 7 days open season, and never for $300. That's more like two days. Open season is leftovers, so there is never a full week available that I have ever seen!
Last week I was like - I should look at Open Season again, and there were some full weeks, but they were like $1,300 - $1,800. You'd have to be in like Florida though, probably Orlando.
 

HuskerATL

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We weren't given a contract, so I don't have that information. I asked for it and they said it would make it harder for it to "disappear" if there were copies. Do you know where I can find directions to rescind online?
They need to provide the contract so maybe they really haven't filed it yet but you will get everything when you close so maybe you can put that brakes on it before they do. Just say that you decided against it.
 
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You can't get 7 days open season, and never for $300. That's more like two days. Open season is leftovers, so there is never a full week available that I have ever seen!
Can you explain a little more how open season works then? Because that was the biggest draw for us, at least the way it was presented. She wrote down "7 nights, any Hilton-ized property worldwide for $300 flat rate for a studio room." And then quickly showed us a tier system for larger rooms ($329/week for a 1BR, etc).
 

Talent312

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By law, the transaction doesn't close until they give you a written notice of your rescission rights (in the contract). However, you can't trust these sales weasels to do the right thing - they'd hornswaggle their own grandmother. So...

I'd go back to the office ASAP and hand them a written notice cancelling the transaction that is specific as to what you think you signed, by whom, when and where. Tell them you want to watch them shred the paperwork. If they refuse, then you refuse to leave until they confirm it's been done (unless they threaten to call the police). I'd follow that up with a certified letter to MetroWest administrative office that rescinds the transaction, just to be safe.

HGVC itself is otherwise a stand-up company that typically does the right thing, and treats it's resale buyers well.

You can make current year hotel bookings with your points, or convert to HH for the following year; however, the exchange valuation is so poor, that it's quite pointless (so to speak). But no, a $300 flat rate for open season is a flat-out lie. Open season can be a good deal, if you compare the rates on the hotel website. Since you have to wait until 30 days out, many here would advise making back-up refundable reservations before then.
 

WaikikiFirst

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Open season is leftovers, so there is never a full week available
Got to agree with this, not that I spend much time looking and caveat never say never, but OS is in no way a factor in whether or not put $$$$ into a HGVC TS
 

WaikikiFirst

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explain a little more how open season works
Leftovers. a night here & there, maybe 2 or surprise 3 nights in a row, somewhere at some time that prob isn't what you wanted.
TSs run at very high occupancy %, so the word "leftovers" is even more pejorative than you might normally think it.

Otoh, I don't want to go to Orlando or even LV so maybe Orlando has much more OS than other places and I have just never seen it.
If you want to go to ORL often, maybe it is sort of a ticket, not quite to "paradise", but ...
 

GT75

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First off, ensure that you get what you signed, cancelled. I like @Talent312 suggestion above since you have no paperwork. I have never heard of HGVC mailing you the paperwork later to have it notarized. So I certainly wouldnā€™t trust that part.

After you ensure that this contracted is either canceled or voided, then come back and research (like take your time) because you were fed a bunch of mistruths on what is actually cost effective. In general, HGVC points should only be used for HGVC stays and not converted to something else. Donā€™t purchase HGVC for specifically using OS (open season) or any ā€œsideā€ benefit to HGVC stays.
 

rickandcindy23

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Lucky you! You have an opportunity to get resale for a pittance compared to developer, and you will get great advice here on TUG to do exactly that.
 

dayooper

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So....first off, super glad I found you fantastic people because I've learned SO much already just browsing this forum for the last day or so!

My husband and I are in Orlando and attended a Parc Soleil HGVC presentation. I'm starting to feel like the pitch had A LOT of inaccurate info, now that I'm reading what you all have to say on this site.

So we signed the paperwork yesterday BUT we were very clear that we wanted time to research, and were told by "the manager" that the paperwork would not be formally submitted until Wednesday as a courtesy, allowing us about 72 hours to walk away and research a little more. However...now I feel icky, because they did have us sign, date and provide credit card info for the down payment - on the promise that they wouldn't charge us or make it final until the 72 hour mark.

So here are my reservations and the discrepancies I'm seeing now:

A) they're definitely going to process this, right? Lol I feel SO dumb for signing. They also didn't send us home with ANY paperwork, they said it would be emailed for us to take to a notary on Wednesday when we get home. And then we would have access to the app and member site once our purchase is confirmed. But like, I signed a contract for a $17k EOY (odds) for 5400 pts and I was sent home with ZERO paperwork, copies or confirmation of any kind. They said this was so it could "disappear" if we changed our minds and decide to opt out by Wednesday. They also said this way, it wouldn't negatively ding the agent for a rescind - they said we wouldn't have to go through the hassle of formally rescinding because they'll just shred the paperwork and it'll be like it never happened, and her rating or whatever wouldn't be effected. Could this be true or am I a sucker? They have not charged my card (yet). Should I put a fraud alert on my chase account in case I need to dispute it in the future?

B) I'm going to rescind or cancel or whatever, we realize we probably got screwed on this price. Should I send in a formal rescind letter by certified mail even if I talk to her at our scheduled call on Weds and she "voids" the contract? I feel like this is the right move but also, what happens if I send a rescind letter and it turns out they never did file the paperwork, so there's nothing to rescind? I don't have any confirmation info - no account number or deed number or anything to reference in my letter? Will a rescind letter still be accepted if I don't have the property info to cite?

C) we DO want to purchase a timeshare because it seems like it would fit our lifestyle! But I'm not fully understanding resales. One of the biggest benefits we were told was included in this direct purchase, was "unlimited open season". Which she described as "7 full days ANYWHERE in the world at any hilton club or affiliated property, at any time, no blackout dates or restrictions, for $300 per stay plus taxes." $300 flat rate for any in network studio, and then a little more for 1BR/2BR etc. Looking around this site, thay doesn't seem correct? It definitely looks like open season costs are location-specific and hugely variable. So was this just a blatant lie? It also seems like open season only applies to the Club Resorts, not hotels. Is that correct..?

D) Do resale deeds include open season? My husband would use it a ton for work if that's the case but that's assuming he'd get a 1-week stay at any hilton hotel (not club resort) for $300+tax. The club resorts are not located conveniently for the work he does - like, a resort Breckenridge doesn't help him if he needs to be in Golden at 6am for conferences. Also with resale, I've seen some posts that "club" doesn't transfer. What does that mean? We can't use the Club Resorts? We're not Club members? So what...what exactly do you purchase in a resale?

E) we were told we could use our Club points easily at any time at hotels - but it looks like to do this, we may have to convert them to honors points? We have a very nice Hilton brand hotel in our home city, so we're thinking this would be a nice perk if we could get a babysitter for a few nights and have a quick staycation getaway. Or would a better bet be to use "open season" if this hotel qualifies..? Even if we pay $300 for a week and only use 2 nights, it'd be a significant savings over that hotel's usual rate ($300-400/night, we've been there many times and love it). We were also told we could take advantage of hotel amenities as owners, even if we're not guests - again, this is a huge perk for us because we could take our kid swimming every weekend. But now I'm wondering if that was another empty promise? I feel like more people would be jumping for unlimited pool use if this was a real thing

F) kind of similar, but we were also told that all the perks at the Club Resorts would apply if we chose to stay in a hotel - so if we do the Hilton Orlando instead of Park Soleil, that we would still have free parking for example, even though Hilton Orlando has a nightly parking fee for hotel guests. Is this...accurate? Also that we wouldn't pay tax, resort fees, etc. But where's the fine print on those details?

Sorry I know that's a lot! I'm just still so confused. What we were told and what we're seeing on this site are not jiving lol I have no documents to reference because they refused to give me any or make copies of the contracts we signed šŸ˜± I know, we should've walked away but we genuinely thought that we'd keep it if these perks checked out the way they were presented

In a nutshell, if it helps anyone make a general recommendation for us, this is what we're hoping to accomplish:
A 1-ish week family vacation each year, or two more modest shirter trips. Our kid is 3 so theyll be less extravagant and closer to home for the next few years but we're hoping to eventually get to some fantastic places - scotland, japan, hawaii, maldives, greece. We usually plan in advance and during off season, we don't rush for holidays. We *could* plan on short notice also, but its not my preferred way to plan my year. We have a toddler, so a 2BR would be preferred but we could make a 1 BR work too!
My husband travels about 4-5x/year for work - sometimes staying as little as one night before moving on to the next location (for example: he recently drove from MI to Ohio, stayed one night, then drove through PA staying in two more hotels for 2 nights each - then a similar path on the way back).
 
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I would start by rescinding or make sure that they don't submit it. If they did, then you have a short window to rescind. The directions will be in your contract or an address then you just prepare a paragraph that says that you want to rescind, provide the location, date signed, contract number, and all owners sign it. Send via certified USPS.

Then research more and ask questions.

You can get many more points for less money via resale and yes, you have access to open season and the rest of the core ownership benefits. You just wouldn't be in Max.
What does it mean to be in "max"? What additional benefit is that?
 

1Kflyerguy

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Just to be clear, the open season rates only apply to HGV resorts, your timeshare ownership does not provide any discount on standard hotel rooms. So your ownership would NOT help with your husbands business travel. You can convert to Honors points to book hotels, but the points go fast and I would not recommend buying with a plan to convert regularly.
 
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GT75

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Max allows you to exchange in the ā€œotherā€ club at 6 month mark. I am not sure what you were purchasing. I suspect it was HVC trust points (old Diamond) and not HGVC. HGVC would have been a deed at a particular resort.
 

HuskerATL

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What does it mean to be in "max"? What additional benefit is that?
When HGV bought Diamond Resorts they created an exchange/program that allows HGVC owners to book in Diamond, The Club, and via versa. They exchange is called Max. It also has some perks that sit in top of your ownership benefits.
 

GT75

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WorldT

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Remember, written contracts is legally binding (and usually contains statements such as "this is the entire agreement") and they will deny anything they said verbally. Since your card has not yet been charged, I will block or cancel that card pronto while sorting out the cancellation with the sales team as mentioned in earlier post.
 

elaine

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I'm going to rescind or cancel or whatever, we realize we probably got screwed on this price. Should I send in a formal rescind letter by certified mail even if I talk to her at our scheduled call on Weds and she "voids" the contract? I feel like this is the right move but also, what happens if I send a rescind letter and it turns out they never did file the paperwork, so there's nothing to rescind? I don't have any confirmation info - no account number or deed number or anything to reference in my letter? Will a rescind letter still be accepted if I don't have the property info to cite?
I have not read all the posts. I love the HGVC system and am a happy owner.
But this is simple--RESCIND now. You can go to the same office and ask for the address, in writing, to send a rescission letter. Also ask for a copy of what you signed and check to see if rescission information is included, if not, get rescission information. Whether they "hold" the paperwork or not doesn't matter. Oral statements do not matter. Do not rely on them to say, "we're cancelling/destroying" the contract. Let them know that you are still sending a formal rescission letter and leave. Do NOT talk anymore or listen to any "other/better" deals. Then send a letter and get confirmation of mailing with return receipt. Then, research for at least a few weeks and then decide what works for you. You only have limited time to rescind. Do NOT rely on their 72 hour "hold the paperwork." Do not wait to see what emails you get.
 

weems637

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You signed the contract. As stated above, request to see the contract (with original signature) shreaded. If not, get a copy, you then will have access to the rescisson language in the contract. Do your homework by reading up more here on TUG. No need to answer any phone calls from sales during the remainder of your stay. Then, you can begin the work to determine what to buy on resale, at huge savings over developer purchase.

And welcome to TUG!
 

SmithOp

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Grand Pacific Seapointe EOY Odd
Can you explain a little more how open season works then? Because that was the biggest draw for us, at least the way it was presented. She wrote down "7 nights, any Hilton-ized property worldwide for $300 flat rate for a studio room." And then quickly showed us a tier system for larger rooms ($329/week for a 1BR, etc).
Here are the 2024 Open Season rates, you won't find any for $300. I think they used sales speak to mislead you about RCI Last Calls, which can be found for $399, but those are not HGVC and are overbuilt areas in off peak dates. You get access to RCI even if you purchase resale.

 

SmithOp

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Got to agree with this, not that I spend much time looking and caveat never say never, but OS is in no way a factor in whether or not put $$$$ into a HGVC TS

True, saying never means someone will find an outlier. Being west coast based I only ever check CA and HI, there could be weeks in Vegas or Orlando. I'm thinking as Max grows there will be less OS with HVC members picking up reservations at 6 months.
 
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