Speedy123
newbie
- Joined
- May 20, 2024
- Messages
- 1
- Reaction score
- 2
- Resorts Owned
- Vacation Village at Weston, Villa del Palmar
I attended a presentation at the Nuevo Vallarta Vidanta property (stayed at the Grand Luxxe 2 bedroom unit through an RCI exchange). After my check-in I was instructed to talk to another staff (wearing the same Vidanta clothing so I assume he is part of the company as I was TOLD by the checkin staff to talk to him after my check-in). He offered me a FREE GIFT OF ONE WEEK STAY TO COME BACK TO VIDANTA after attending the presentation. I received this "FREE" gift after my "90 minute" that became 8-9 hour long sales presentation.
The lies and over-promises started EVEN BEFORE MY presentation, with the presentation gift incentives. I looked at the certificate for my FREE resort stay for attending and it will cost $749 for the week to "activate" and I was told later that this is a third-party incentive and that Vidanta or Vida Vacations is not responsible for it and that it is not "Mandatory" . Misleading and verbal promises, the gift to come back and stay IS NOT free if I need to pay $749 to use it!!! I did not receive this gift certificate until the next day as my presentation ended at 9PM (8 hour long). The staff also mentions that we may be able to go to the theme park for their pre-opening with a 50% discount and any money we spend on the restaurants will be "credited" back to our account towards anything we spend at the resort. When I asked about this the next day, they said that is not an offer and that the concierge can not offer this verbal offer from the person that set us up to go on a presentation. Another verbal promise that was not real.
Here is my experience
Sales rep told me at the beginning of our meeting at 1PM that the presentation is supposed to be "90 minutes" but it "will be shorter and an expedited process " since I already own a timeshare and know how it all works. We start at 1p.m. and have a casual lunch at one of the restaurant onsite. There was a total of 4 of us attending (myself, my husband, 2 kids (3 and 6 years old). She shows takes us on a private golf cart and shows us a 2 bedroom grand luxxe unit which is the same as the one we are staying in. Then we went on the golf cart again to go on the gondola and did a visual tour of the newly built but still under construction theme park that they claim will be finished by November 2024 and that Lady GAGA will be performing there for the opening. She mentions the PGA Tours and the Circus Du Soleil and how much rooms rent for the PGA tours since it is onsite at the property. This is all to establish how much demand is going to be for "renting" out our units. And we finally go into the presentation room about 1-1.5 hours into the start of the 1p.m. meeting. GRANTED this is already more than 1 hour in already as we sat down for lunch at 1PM and I expected to be out by 2:30 PM (which would be 90 minutes).
With the tour done, she goes on to explain that there is a very high demand for this resort. It is not listed in Expedia as it does not have a "hotel" license like the other resorts in Mexico. It is 1 of the few "non-all inclusive resorts" in Mexico, it hosts the PGA tours every year that brings in lots of money and renters for its members who own here. My sales person gave me ideas and examples of how I can and current owners have made money out of your weeks like renting it on Airbnb for $20k a week (using her computer to pull up a currently Airbnb Listing that show $20K for the week for rent, gifting your week to school auctions and writing off $20k a week on your taxes, or donating the week to Make A Wish Foundation and writing off $20k for taxes, making money off of your Ambassador weeks, up to $5,500 if your "zip code" qualifies you to get these weeks. My sales representative gave me an overwhelming amount of investment ideas such as “information” that “influenced” your decision to enter the contract. The sales representative has many suggestions and examples of how you can bring in income that “pays” for your membership other very clear suggestions of revenue generation. She spends about 1-2 hours explaining the benefits of this membership and how you can generate "income" and "make money" from our weeks.
$834,000 starting price, ends with $134,000 price with $67,000 deposit (this price is settled after numerous back and forth negotiations and renting back weeks, and giving unused deposits, etc. and then switching the "inventory" that they are selling me from "legacy" to "emperor's private reserve", which changes all the fees but they don't explain it).
I would get 2 Vidanta weeks to use at my home resort and 4 weeks to use with World Wide Vacations of which 2 weeks are "hybrid Vidanta weeks" that can be booked back at Vidanata properties for the NEXT 100 years and I will ALSO get 1 Vidanta bonus week for the next 10 years.
The price went down from $834,000 to $134,000 because of many changes that they offered throughout the next 4-5 hours, about 5-6 changes in prices and legacy program to emperor's private reserve program)
1) Vidanta will "rent back" from my 2 weeks a year at $20K a week for next 5 years (they call this the GMA weeks (global marketing and advertising) weeks that they need to get inventory to allow new visitors to exchange from RCI and II to the resort (you can do this once every 3 years through RCI and II), $200,000 credit toward price to $634,000 for "marketing inventory" -
2) Vidanta will buy my 2 current timeshares. "I will not longer have to pay the mandatory maintenance fees" and will CREDIT me with resales prices that "has appreciated" and is higher than my original purchase price. I am "making money" from transferring my unwanted timeshares AND will also GET RID my "future maintenance fee liability". The total credit of $60,300 to get to $573,700
3) After giving up 2 weeks a year for the next 5 years towards the GMA weeks (global marketing and advertising) weeks, I still have 3 Vidanta weeks a year for the next 10 years. Any weeks that I DO NOT USE, I will allow Vidanta access to those week (instead of depositing them) and they will be able to use it for marketing and bringing in new visitors to the property.
4) After the 5 year mark of the original $200K discount from the GMA weeks, Vidanta will re-negotiate their GMA weeks (global marketing and advertising) for years 6-10 which the sales rep said will likely be more than the currently $20K a week arrangement, so this will be future "rent back" from Vidanta of at least $200K that will be paid to their membership for giving up the 2 weeks a year back to Vidanta. So this is a future promise that is "to be negotiated and determined" after our 5 year is over. This future payout alone will PAY for my $134K investment into this membership. So if you can pay for this now, why won't you if you can make money later....says my sales representative.
5) Ambassador program, you get up to 10 Ambassador weeks you can invite friends and family or donate to schools and charity and make $5,500. When the sales rep told me that Vidanta will pay me $5,500 to send them new visitors, it was another way to make money. I find out later that it is NOT $5,500 for one visitor that you send on the Ambassador program. In order to get the $5,500 if you need to send a total of10 visitors. The Sales Rep choice of words is interesting and they don't give you all the facts correctly.
6) When the price was settled at $134K, its already 7 hours into the presentation, they send in ANOTHER SALES REP that tried to sell me their “Land and Sea” package (2 days of amusement park tickets and you get a weeklong pass, priority admission, park early access, free access to the gondola, 2 for 1 golf benefits, 2 for 1 50 minute massage or gym usage, that retailed for over $100K. The new sales rep was rude to me when I told him there is no way I will buy anything else. And my primary sales rep that sold me the $134k contract supposedly didn't like his attitude towards me and asked her manager to give me the Land and Sea package for “FREE” to add to my current contract. She said that the rep should have not treated her customers that way. They did the "good cop" and "bad cop" sales tactic. And with this additional free "Land and Sea" package worth over $100K added to my contract, I would be absolutely DUMB if I didn't buy this contract, right??!!
SO....is this an investment property? no... but is it an investment "opportunity" - absolutely YES. and did my sales representative give me all the information for me to feel like it is an investment opportunity? YES!
How did you feel when you were asked to sign and verbally acknowledge the rental and resale disclaimer? Did you feel like you were “smarter than the average Joe” because you will make the most out of your membership and because you have the money "now" to buy this membership that others may not have, you can make money "later" that pays for it and even make a profit? Did you feel like you are so smart that you sales representative is the "nicest" person in the world by "sharing her secret insights" to you about making money with your membership.
BUT In order to "purchase" this opportunity to "make money" you must SIGN ON ALL THE DOTTED LINES and verbally say that "No" you did not purchase this as an "investment property" on the "Rental & Resales Disclaimer" stating that the "Member has not received, from any salesperson or any other source, any information or inducement regarding rentals, resales, or investment value that was relied upon in any way influenced member's decision to enter into this Contract". When the only real reason you purchased the contact IS because of the sales pitch on how you can make money to pay off your investment with rentals (to the public) and also the verbal rental back weeks to Vidanta for GMA weeks that I can get in the future (years 6-10) of my contract. BUT AGAIN, when prompted and asked to sign, in order to PURCHASE the contract, you MUST answer NO to all the verbal verification questions, if you answer "yes" you will NOT BE ABLE TO BUY THE CONTRACT". If you answered yes, to any of those questions, they will stop the recording and prompt to you answer "No" in order to complete the purchase.
I lost $67,000 in my deposit for a 2 bedroom “Emperor’s Private Reserve” in Nuevo Vallarta. A pre construction property. I still owe them $67,000 for the balance but I asked them kindly to refund and cancel but they will not. I realized I was scammed 2-3 week into it when I finally had time to review all my documents and everything was different. Usage fees were different from the original unit that was offered to me ($2,200 to $3,250 which is a huge change) my "emperors reserve" level is only available in the Nuevo Vallarta location if and when it is built in 2025 which from what I hear from all members, they over promise on the timing of their construction projects. This is the highest level and I was verbally told that I can I was use all units but the contract does not show that I can use the "Kingdom of the Sun" units that are in the Amusement Park. When I asked, they just verbally said, "since you own the highest level, you will be able to go anywhere". This leave it open for them to eventually ask me to "upgrade" or pay more when I do stay at the Kingdom of the Sun property.
When I contacted my sales person about 2 weeks out, she said they will not refund or cancel after the 5 day rescind period. They never once mentioned the "5 day rescind period" to me when I was in the presentation as it would have created a mental note for me to check my contract within the days. I have not used any member services or any of their fake "discount" certificates that comes with all sorts of fees. All you pay is your "usage fee" is not true at all. Timeshare transfer $1879 x 2 weeks. Benefits and "free" certificates" with hidden fees. "Free Week" to come back for attending the presentation, activation fee of $749. $299 administration fee for Ambassador Certificate. Airlines ticket discount (10 first class /business class tickets + 2 private jet charters) $99 "activation fee", Hawaii exchange $299 "annual fee", Club Freedom "$495 fee". It is more than just "Usage Fee" we pay to use our membership in order to use all the benefits that comes being able to use our "weeks", there are additional fees.
When I emailed customer service, they have offered to cancel my contract (the $67,000 that I still owe to them) but will not refund me the $67,000 deposit that was paid via my American Express Credit Card. They offered to not take my 2 timeshare weeks and let me keep them. They also offered a paid-in-full contract with the monies they received of $67,000 for a fully paid contact for the Grand Legacy Master Suite; this will not include the Land or Sea benefit. The Sister Resorts will include the Grand Mayan Master Suite and Mayan Palace Master Suite.
ALL I WANT IS MY REFUND. I DO NOT WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS SCAMMING business and will not want to ever return back to their properties.
I have since contacted American Express to fie a dispute and they have credited my account for the $67,000 charge and is investigating my case. I am hope the Credit Card Company will side with me and not pay the vendor the $67,000 charge as they lied to me to sell me a product that is full of verbal promises and hidden cost to be able to fully use the contract benefits. Unethical sales practices and false advertisements to lead to sales of their project should not be supported by credit card companies. I am also asking Amex to look into removing them as a "vendor" so that they can not keep charging other customers for their timeshare purchase on a credit card deposit.
The BBB has over 83 complaints filed for Vida Vacations and over 24 complaints for Vidanta. Most of the complaints are about the verbal promises and the misleading LONG sales presentations. Most of the responses from the business, Vida Vacations, falls back to "customer passed the 5 day rescind period" and that they signed a contract and verbal verification that they were "not" in a high sales or high pressure sales and that they did not receive any information from the sales person regarding rentals that will "influence" their purchase.
So imagine Vidanta get 10 people to sign a contract a day (using their misleading and false verbal promises and long drawn out, tiring, confusing sales presentation), of which each of person put down $5K in credit card deposit, and IF ONLY half of these people realize they were lied to int he 5 day rescind period because they are still in vacation in Mexico and dont have the time to review the contact in details after spending 8 hours at a sales presentation and wasting a day of their vacation. The company Vidanta will AUTOMATICALLY PROFIT without doing anything and keep the other half (5 people's $5K deposit each, so a total of $25K for that day of work). All they have to do is hire these highly trained sales rep who will lie and confuse the heck out of you to get to a selling price you will agree on, print out these pretty binders, brochures, and contract paper, and pay for a 3-party verification company to record your responses "the exact way they need it" to make that they cover any customers who come back saying otherwise and they can just send in this "highly prompted" response recording. But we all know that most of the sales deposit is higher that $5K, so just imagine how much money Vidanta is making just by getting people to sign a contract and literally banking on the customers not realizing that they have been lied to in the 5 day rescind period.
But as you can see, it is not always a $5K deposit that they are able to get people to give, it can range, and in my case it was $67,000. I have not used any of the discounts or gift's that was offered from my purchase on 4/1/24, none of their fake "free" flights, fake "free one week stay" or fake "discounted airline tickets". I have not received any benefits or services for this "CONTRACT" so I am hoping that my credit card company American Express will not pay the $67,000 to Vidanta as there was no service or product that I used in that one month of credit card charge.
Here is my BBB complaint that I filed on 5/3/2024
Attended high pressure high stress (8-9 hours!!) sales presentation on 4/1/24. $834,000 starting price, ends with $134,000 price with $67,000 deposit. -Vidanta rents back 2 weeks a year at $20K a week for next 5 years, $200,000 credit toward price to $634,000 for "marketing inventory" -Vidanta buys my 2 current timeshares. "I will not longer have to pay the mandatory maintenance fees" and will CREDIT me with resales prices that "has appreciated" and is higher than my original purchase price. I am "making money" from transferring my unwanted timeshares AND will also GET RID my "future maintenance fee liability". The total credit of $60,300 to get to $573,700 -we end up with $134,000 after 4-5 hours of negotiations! -highlight current membership is NOT a TIMESHARE BUT A MEMBERSHIP and YOU ONLY PAY USAGE FEE. NO ADDITIONAL COST for life! -Sales Rep talks for 1-2 hours with all the ways current members are able to make money from membership (Airbnb rentals of $20K/week, shows me listing online. Ambassador program, your guest just pay our usage fee and you make up to $5,500. Vida Vacations will re-negotiate "rent back weeks" after 5th year as it "may" be more than $20K a week they will "rent back", a minimum $200,000 will paid to me after the 5th year from Vidanta that will offset my $134K purchase. -ALL HIDDEN COST not revealed until the last 15 minutes of presentation. Timeshare transfer $1879 x 2 weeks. Benefits and "free" certificates" with hidden fees. "Free Week" to come back for attending the presentation, activation fee of $749. $299 administration fee for Ambassador Certificate. Airlines ticket discount $99 "activation fee", Hawaii exchange $299 "annual fee", Club Freedom "$495 fee". It is more than "just Usage Fee" we pay to use our membership. A lot of associated fees not discussed during presentation that is presented in the last 15 minutes when I am tired want to leave. I had 2 kids with me (3 and 6 years old). High pressure and high stress. SCAMMED
I hope this helps others that are either considering to buy a contract or went through something similar to what I did. DO NOT BUY directly from Vida Vacations. Just rent the weeks from members who are currently owning weeks and support those people. I talked to so many members since the purchase and they all say they were lied to about the market rate for rentals. Most only are able to rent out their weeks for a few hundred over the usage fee and not the $20K that the sales rep told them.
The lies and over-promises started EVEN BEFORE MY presentation, with the presentation gift incentives. I looked at the certificate for my FREE resort stay for attending and it will cost $749 for the week to "activate" and I was told later that this is a third-party incentive and that Vidanta or Vida Vacations is not responsible for it and that it is not "Mandatory" . Misleading and verbal promises, the gift to come back and stay IS NOT free if I need to pay $749 to use it!!! I did not receive this gift certificate until the next day as my presentation ended at 9PM (8 hour long). The staff also mentions that we may be able to go to the theme park for their pre-opening with a 50% discount and any money we spend on the restaurants will be "credited" back to our account towards anything we spend at the resort. When I asked about this the next day, they said that is not an offer and that the concierge can not offer this verbal offer from the person that set us up to go on a presentation. Another verbal promise that was not real.
Here is my experience
Sales rep told me at the beginning of our meeting at 1PM that the presentation is supposed to be "90 minutes" but it "will be shorter and an expedited process " since I already own a timeshare and know how it all works. We start at 1p.m. and have a casual lunch at one of the restaurant onsite. There was a total of 4 of us attending (myself, my husband, 2 kids (3 and 6 years old). She shows takes us on a private golf cart and shows us a 2 bedroom grand luxxe unit which is the same as the one we are staying in. Then we went on the golf cart again to go on the gondola and did a visual tour of the newly built but still under construction theme park that they claim will be finished by November 2024 and that Lady GAGA will be performing there for the opening. She mentions the PGA Tours and the Circus Du Soleil and how much rooms rent for the PGA tours since it is onsite at the property. This is all to establish how much demand is going to be for "renting" out our units. And we finally go into the presentation room about 1-1.5 hours into the start of the 1p.m. meeting. GRANTED this is already more than 1 hour in already as we sat down for lunch at 1PM and I expected to be out by 2:30 PM (which would be 90 minutes).
With the tour done, she goes on to explain that there is a very high demand for this resort. It is not listed in Expedia as it does not have a "hotel" license like the other resorts in Mexico. It is 1 of the few "non-all inclusive resorts" in Mexico, it hosts the PGA tours every year that brings in lots of money and renters for its members who own here. My sales person gave me ideas and examples of how I can and current owners have made money out of your weeks like renting it on Airbnb for $20k a week (using her computer to pull up a currently Airbnb Listing that show $20K for the week for rent, gifting your week to school auctions and writing off $20k a week on your taxes, or donating the week to Make A Wish Foundation and writing off $20k for taxes, making money off of your Ambassador weeks, up to $5,500 if your "zip code" qualifies you to get these weeks. My sales representative gave me an overwhelming amount of investment ideas such as “information” that “influenced” your decision to enter the contract. The sales representative has many suggestions and examples of how you can bring in income that “pays” for your membership other very clear suggestions of revenue generation. She spends about 1-2 hours explaining the benefits of this membership and how you can generate "income" and "make money" from our weeks.
$834,000 starting price, ends with $134,000 price with $67,000 deposit (this price is settled after numerous back and forth negotiations and renting back weeks, and giving unused deposits, etc. and then switching the "inventory" that they are selling me from "legacy" to "emperor's private reserve", which changes all the fees but they don't explain it).
I would get 2 Vidanta weeks to use at my home resort and 4 weeks to use with World Wide Vacations of which 2 weeks are "hybrid Vidanta weeks" that can be booked back at Vidanata properties for the NEXT 100 years and I will ALSO get 1 Vidanta bonus week for the next 10 years.
The price went down from $834,000 to $134,000 because of many changes that they offered throughout the next 4-5 hours, about 5-6 changes in prices and legacy program to emperor's private reserve program)
1) Vidanta will "rent back" from my 2 weeks a year at $20K a week for next 5 years (they call this the GMA weeks (global marketing and advertising) weeks that they need to get inventory to allow new visitors to exchange from RCI and II to the resort (you can do this once every 3 years through RCI and II), $200,000 credit toward price to $634,000 for "marketing inventory" -
2) Vidanta will buy my 2 current timeshares. "I will not longer have to pay the mandatory maintenance fees" and will CREDIT me with resales prices that "has appreciated" and is higher than my original purchase price. I am "making money" from transferring my unwanted timeshares AND will also GET RID my "future maintenance fee liability". The total credit of $60,300 to get to $573,700
3) After giving up 2 weeks a year for the next 5 years towards the GMA weeks (global marketing and advertising) weeks, I still have 3 Vidanta weeks a year for the next 10 years. Any weeks that I DO NOT USE, I will allow Vidanta access to those week (instead of depositing them) and they will be able to use it for marketing and bringing in new visitors to the property.
4) After the 5 year mark of the original $200K discount from the GMA weeks, Vidanta will re-negotiate their GMA weeks (global marketing and advertising) for years 6-10 which the sales rep said will likely be more than the currently $20K a week arrangement, so this will be future "rent back" from Vidanta of at least $200K that will be paid to their membership for giving up the 2 weeks a year back to Vidanta. So this is a future promise that is "to be negotiated and determined" after our 5 year is over. This future payout alone will PAY for my $134K investment into this membership. So if you can pay for this now, why won't you if you can make money later....says my sales representative.
5) Ambassador program, you get up to 10 Ambassador weeks you can invite friends and family or donate to schools and charity and make $5,500. When the sales rep told me that Vidanta will pay me $5,500 to send them new visitors, it was another way to make money. I find out later that it is NOT $5,500 for one visitor that you send on the Ambassador program. In order to get the $5,500 if you need to send a total of10 visitors. The Sales Rep choice of words is interesting and they don't give you all the facts correctly.
6) When the price was settled at $134K, its already 7 hours into the presentation, they send in ANOTHER SALES REP that tried to sell me their “Land and Sea” package (2 days of amusement park tickets and you get a weeklong pass, priority admission, park early access, free access to the gondola, 2 for 1 golf benefits, 2 for 1 50 minute massage or gym usage, that retailed for over $100K. The new sales rep was rude to me when I told him there is no way I will buy anything else. And my primary sales rep that sold me the $134k contract supposedly didn't like his attitude towards me and asked her manager to give me the Land and Sea package for “FREE” to add to my current contract. She said that the rep should have not treated her customers that way. They did the "good cop" and "bad cop" sales tactic. And with this additional free "Land and Sea" package worth over $100K added to my contract, I would be absolutely DUMB if I didn't buy this contract, right??!!
SO....is this an investment property? no... but is it an investment "opportunity" - absolutely YES. and did my sales representative give me all the information for me to feel like it is an investment opportunity? YES!
How did you feel when you were asked to sign and verbally acknowledge the rental and resale disclaimer? Did you feel like you were “smarter than the average Joe” because you will make the most out of your membership and because you have the money "now" to buy this membership that others may not have, you can make money "later" that pays for it and even make a profit? Did you feel like you are so smart that you sales representative is the "nicest" person in the world by "sharing her secret insights" to you about making money with your membership.
BUT In order to "purchase" this opportunity to "make money" you must SIGN ON ALL THE DOTTED LINES and verbally say that "No" you did not purchase this as an "investment property" on the "Rental & Resales Disclaimer" stating that the "Member has not received, from any salesperson or any other source, any information or inducement regarding rentals, resales, or investment value that was relied upon in any way influenced member's decision to enter into this Contract". When the only real reason you purchased the contact IS because of the sales pitch on how you can make money to pay off your investment with rentals (to the public) and also the verbal rental back weeks to Vidanta for GMA weeks that I can get in the future (years 6-10) of my contract. BUT AGAIN, when prompted and asked to sign, in order to PURCHASE the contract, you MUST answer NO to all the verbal verification questions, if you answer "yes" you will NOT BE ABLE TO BUY THE CONTRACT". If you answered yes, to any of those questions, they will stop the recording and prompt to you answer "No" in order to complete the purchase.
I lost $67,000 in my deposit for a 2 bedroom “Emperor’s Private Reserve” in Nuevo Vallarta. A pre construction property. I still owe them $67,000 for the balance but I asked them kindly to refund and cancel but they will not. I realized I was scammed 2-3 week into it when I finally had time to review all my documents and everything was different. Usage fees were different from the original unit that was offered to me ($2,200 to $3,250 which is a huge change) my "emperors reserve" level is only available in the Nuevo Vallarta location if and when it is built in 2025 which from what I hear from all members, they over promise on the timing of their construction projects. This is the highest level and I was verbally told that I can I was use all units but the contract does not show that I can use the "Kingdom of the Sun" units that are in the Amusement Park. When I asked, they just verbally said, "since you own the highest level, you will be able to go anywhere". This leave it open for them to eventually ask me to "upgrade" or pay more when I do stay at the Kingdom of the Sun property.
When I contacted my sales person about 2 weeks out, she said they will not refund or cancel after the 5 day rescind period. They never once mentioned the "5 day rescind period" to me when I was in the presentation as it would have created a mental note for me to check my contract within the days. I have not used any member services or any of their fake "discount" certificates that comes with all sorts of fees. All you pay is your "usage fee" is not true at all. Timeshare transfer $1879 x 2 weeks. Benefits and "free" certificates" with hidden fees. "Free Week" to come back for attending the presentation, activation fee of $749. $299 administration fee for Ambassador Certificate. Airlines ticket discount (10 first class /business class tickets + 2 private jet charters) $99 "activation fee", Hawaii exchange $299 "annual fee", Club Freedom "$495 fee". It is more than just "Usage Fee" we pay to use our membership in order to use all the benefits that comes being able to use our "weeks", there are additional fees.
When I emailed customer service, they have offered to cancel my contract (the $67,000 that I still owe to them) but will not refund me the $67,000 deposit that was paid via my American Express Credit Card. They offered to not take my 2 timeshare weeks and let me keep them. They also offered a paid-in-full contract with the monies they received of $67,000 for a fully paid contact for the Grand Legacy Master Suite; this will not include the Land or Sea benefit. The Sister Resorts will include the Grand Mayan Master Suite and Mayan Palace Master Suite.
ALL I WANT IS MY REFUND. I DO NOT WANT TO BE A PART OF THIS SCAMMING business and will not want to ever return back to their properties.
I have since contacted American Express to fie a dispute and they have credited my account for the $67,000 charge and is investigating my case. I am hope the Credit Card Company will side with me and not pay the vendor the $67,000 charge as they lied to me to sell me a product that is full of verbal promises and hidden cost to be able to fully use the contract benefits. Unethical sales practices and false advertisements to lead to sales of their project should not be supported by credit card companies. I am also asking Amex to look into removing them as a "vendor" so that they can not keep charging other customers for their timeshare purchase on a credit card deposit.
The BBB has over 83 complaints filed for Vida Vacations and over 24 complaints for Vidanta. Most of the complaints are about the verbal promises and the misleading LONG sales presentations. Most of the responses from the business, Vida Vacations, falls back to "customer passed the 5 day rescind period" and that they signed a contract and verbal verification that they were "not" in a high sales or high pressure sales and that they did not receive any information from the sales person regarding rentals that will "influence" their purchase.
So imagine Vidanta get 10 people to sign a contract a day (using their misleading and false verbal promises and long drawn out, tiring, confusing sales presentation), of which each of person put down $5K in credit card deposit, and IF ONLY half of these people realize they were lied to int he 5 day rescind period because they are still in vacation in Mexico and dont have the time to review the contact in details after spending 8 hours at a sales presentation and wasting a day of their vacation. The company Vidanta will AUTOMATICALLY PROFIT without doing anything and keep the other half (5 people's $5K deposit each, so a total of $25K for that day of work). All they have to do is hire these highly trained sales rep who will lie and confuse the heck out of you to get to a selling price you will agree on, print out these pretty binders, brochures, and contract paper, and pay for a 3-party verification company to record your responses "the exact way they need it" to make that they cover any customers who come back saying otherwise and they can just send in this "highly prompted" response recording. But we all know that most of the sales deposit is higher that $5K, so just imagine how much money Vidanta is making just by getting people to sign a contract and literally banking on the customers not realizing that they have been lied to in the 5 day rescind period.
But as you can see, it is not always a $5K deposit that they are able to get people to give, it can range, and in my case it was $67,000. I have not used any of the discounts or gift's that was offered from my purchase on 4/1/24, none of their fake "free" flights, fake "free one week stay" or fake "discounted airline tickets". I have not received any benefits or services for this "CONTRACT" so I am hoping that my credit card company American Express will not pay the $67,000 to Vidanta as there was no service or product that I used in that one month of credit card charge.
Here is my BBB complaint that I filed on 5/3/2024
Attended high pressure high stress (8-9 hours!!) sales presentation on 4/1/24. $834,000 starting price, ends with $134,000 price with $67,000 deposit. -Vidanta rents back 2 weeks a year at $20K a week for next 5 years, $200,000 credit toward price to $634,000 for "marketing inventory" -Vidanta buys my 2 current timeshares. "I will not longer have to pay the mandatory maintenance fees" and will CREDIT me with resales prices that "has appreciated" and is higher than my original purchase price. I am "making money" from transferring my unwanted timeshares AND will also GET RID my "future maintenance fee liability". The total credit of $60,300 to get to $573,700 -we end up with $134,000 after 4-5 hours of negotiations! -highlight current membership is NOT a TIMESHARE BUT A MEMBERSHIP and YOU ONLY PAY USAGE FEE. NO ADDITIONAL COST for life! -Sales Rep talks for 1-2 hours with all the ways current members are able to make money from membership (Airbnb rentals of $20K/week, shows me listing online. Ambassador program, your guest just pay our usage fee and you make up to $5,500. Vida Vacations will re-negotiate "rent back weeks" after 5th year as it "may" be more than $20K a week they will "rent back", a minimum $200,000 will paid to me after the 5th year from Vidanta that will offset my $134K purchase. -ALL HIDDEN COST not revealed until the last 15 minutes of presentation. Timeshare transfer $1879 x 2 weeks. Benefits and "free" certificates" with hidden fees. "Free Week" to come back for attending the presentation, activation fee of $749. $299 administration fee for Ambassador Certificate. Airlines ticket discount $99 "activation fee", Hawaii exchange $299 "annual fee", Club Freedom "$495 fee". It is more than "just Usage Fee" we pay to use our membership. A lot of associated fees not discussed during presentation that is presented in the last 15 minutes when I am tired want to leave. I had 2 kids with me (3 and 6 years old). High pressure and high stress. SCAMMED
I hope this helps others that are either considering to buy a contract or went through something similar to what I did. DO NOT BUY directly from Vida Vacations. Just rent the weeks from members who are currently owning weeks and support those people. I talked to so many members since the purchase and they all say they were lied to about the market rate for rentals. Most only are able to rent out their weeks for a few hundred over the usage fee and not the $20K that the sales rep told them.
