Possible Lawyer Scam While Trying to Get Rid of Timeshare

[pissedoffguy]

Hey all.

About 2 years ago, my parents were trying to get of their HICV timeshare. They were unaware of the Horizons program and had trouble getting through to HIVC via phone. They also couldn't sell it to anyone. So they contacted a lawyer to help them.

This lawyer did not charge them anything upfront, but sent them a contract stating they would give him $2k once they were able to be released from the timeshare. In the meantime, he told them to not pay the maintenance fees. So they racked up $4k in unpaid fees and interest on top of that.

Now, they're getting threatening letters from HIVC. They sent the letter to the lawyer who started talking about paying the timeshare fees and doing a deedback (this is what led me to discovering the Horizons program).

So it seems like this lawyer is scamming my parents since he should have just pointed them to this option to begin with.

Where do you all of you kind people recommend going from here? Just let it be at this point? Or pay the money back and do the Horizons program?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Ty1on]

Common swindle, charging money for the advice to stop paying and go into default.

Are they in a position where they need good credit, i.e. would a default on their record hurt them? If not, just let HIVC foreclose at this point.

And they shouldn't pay a dime to the attorney, no matter what path they take from here. Let him take them to court. I don't think he would, though. Not sure a judge would look favorably on a member of the bar telling a client to default an obligation under the guise of "getting released." But I'm not an attorney and there are some real POS out there, so......

 

[pissedoffguy]

Thanks for the reply.

So she might need credit in the future. But we're also concerned about what HICV will do if she doesn't pay. It looks like they'll just hit her credit score, but we don't for sure.

In terms of the lawyer, he wrote all over the contract that he can't guarantee anything and that we need to pay either upon termination of the contract (our termination) or if he successfully gets them out of the timeshare within 36 months. So I'm concerned that it might actually hold up in court. But that is a good point because, at no point in any correspondence do they mention default. Maybe we should just force him to sue them. I'm not sure.

 

[TUGBrian]

there will be no lawsuit from the attorney.

his entire goal was/is to collect money from you for doing essentially nothing. you are already in default, and it will eventually result in the end of your ownership at which time he will expect to be paid even though you can accomplish the exact same thing yourself for free.

 

[pissedoffguy]

Thanks for the response!

The timeshare isn't in default yet. It's close though I think.

I'm not sure I'm understanding what you're saying though. Are you saying that the attorney will probably not come after us if we don't pay him? Isn't that their entire model though?

 

[davidvel]

Thanks for the reply.

So she might need credit in the future. But we're also concerned about what HICV will do if she doesn't pay. It looks like they'll just hit her credit score, but we don't for sure.

In terms of the lawyer, he wrote all over the contract that he can't guarantee anything and that we need to pay either upon termination of the contract (our termination) or if he successfully gets them out of the timeshare within 36 months. So I'm concerned that it might actually hold up in court. But that is a good point because, at no point in any correspondence do they mention default. Maybe we should just force him to sue them. I'm not sure.

How do you know this person is a lawyer? What state are they in, what is their name and contact info? Did anyone verify they are a lawyer?

 

[pissedoffguy]

How do you know this person is a lawyer? What state are they in, what is their name and contact info? Did anyone verify they are a lawyer?

Yeah, the guy is definitely a lawyer. He's licensed in New York and he's listed in the New York State attorney verification system. His name is Kenneth Drammer, but my parents don't seem to have dealt with him much. Instead, they deal with a different person who is definitely not a lawyer.

 

[Happytravels]

Yeah, the guy is definitely a lawyer. He's licensed in New York and he's listed in the New York State attorney verification system. His name is Kenneth Drammer, but my parents don't seem to have dealt with him much. Instead, they deal with a different person who is definitely not a lawyer.

You can call HORIZON (the deeding dept for HICV) 1-866-228-8689 There is a fee of $1200.00 to turn it back into HICV but then they will be FREE!! Hope this helps and good luck

 

[pissedoffguy]

You can call HORIZON (the deeding dept for HICV) 1-866-228-8689 There is a fee of $1200.00 to turn it back into HICV but then they will be FREE!! Hope this helps and good luck

Thanks for the response.

Yeah, we became aware of that once I found this forum a few days ago. My parents are contacting them first thing in the morning.

 

[RX8]

The timeshare isn't in default yet. It's close though I think.

“So they racked up $4k in unpaid fees and interest on top of that.”

If what you say is correct, and your parents haven’t paid the past due yet, they are indeed in default at this time. While in default, the resort can continue an attempt to collect or they may start foreclosure proceedings.