Vidanta Timeshare

[soyarte1]

We stupidly fell into the timeshare trap while in Puerto Vallarta after visiting the Vidanta Legacy property. The property was gorgeous & of course the models you’re shown are spectacular along with being unaffordable for middle class families. But nonetheless, somehow after spending the entire day there we had stupidly signed up. At the time we left a $750 deposit $450 on a credit card & $300 cash. Thankfully, once we really had time to read the contract & process; we decided to cancel the very next day. At the next port Mazatlán, we met by chance a person who guided us to the PROFECO office to get a letter drafted to send out via registered mail, email & to drop off at Vidanta’s sister hotel Mayan Palace. At the Mayan Palace you would have thought the letter was contaminated because they did not want to accept or handle it; however I videotaped myself leaving it on their table. The representative via email cancelled the contract & has returned the $450 to our credit card. But the $300 in cash Vidanta “office manager” says the only way they’re able to return my $300 is for me to provide them with our bank account number so they can wire transfer. I have suggested they cut me a check since Vidanta supposedly has an office in the US, PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, crediting my credit card the additional $300 or even a Visa gift card; but to no avail they want my bank account information (which my bank avises against) & for me to sign on the same form a release stating I will not post any negative comments about Vidanta. I asked the Vidanta rep for a written policy that I had signed about how payments would be returned & he just ignored my request. Well, what I have stated is the truth! If it seems negative, shady, suspicious, lacking good customer service, etc to others who read this post then maybe it says volumes about Vidanta’s business practices. I will caution others to think twice before doing business with Vidanta.

 

[DRIless]

We stupidly fell into the timeshare trap while in Puerto Vallarta after visiting the Vidanta Legacy property. The property was gorgeous & of course the models you’re shown are spectacular along with being unaffordable for middle class families. But nonetheless, somehow after spending the entire day there we had stupidly signed up. At the time we left a $750 deposit $450 on a credit card & $300 cash. Thankfully, once we really had time to read the contract & process; we decided to cancel the very next day. At the next port Mazatlán, we met by chance a person who guided us to the PROFECO office to get a letter drafted to send out via registered mail, email & to drop off at Vidanta’s sister hotel Mayan Palace. At the Mayan Palace you would have thought the letter was contaminated because they did not want to accept or handle it; however I videotaped myself leaving it on their table. The representative via email cancelled the contract & has returned the $450 to our credit card. But the $300 in cash Vidanta “office manager” says the only way they’re able to return my $300 is for me to provide them with our bank account number so they can wire transfer. I have suggested they cut me a check since Vidanta supposedly has an office in the US, PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, crediting my credit card the additional $300 or even a Visa gift card; but to no avail they want my bank account information (which my bank avises against) & for me to sign on the same form a release stating I will not post any negative comments about Vidanta. I asked the Vidanta rep for a written policy that I had signed about how payments would be returned & he just ignored my request. Well, what I have stated is the truth! If it seems negative, shady, suspicious, lacking good customer service, etc to others who read this post then maybe it says volumes about Vidanta’s business practices. I will caution others to think twice before doing business with Vidanta.

Sorry that you had to endure a day with them on your cruise. Glad that you were able to take care of business while on the go. Why don't you open a separate account at your bank with nothing in it, never to be used for anything except to accept your $300, close it when they pay?

 

[soyarte1]

Sorry that you had to endure a day with them on your cruise. Glad that you were able to take care of business while on the go. Why don't you open a separate account at your bank with nothing in it, never to be used for anything except to accept your $300, close it when they pay?

My bank did say that could be done as a last resort. However in the time of scams my hesitation is having an account with my name floating around even if it’s closed. And the other part of it is while it’s $300, I think it’s also the fact that they want me retract or not to post anything they deem as negative about my experience. I feel like others should be warned.

 

[WorldT]

Sorry that you had to endure a day with them on your cruise. Glad that you were able to take care of business while on the go. Why don't you open a separate account at your bank with nothing in it, never to be used for anything except to accept your $300, close it when they pay?

Great recommendation!

 

[DRIless]

My bank did say that could be done as a last resort. However in the time of scams my hesitation is having an account with my name floating around even if it’s closed. And the other part of it is while it’s $300, I think it’s also the fact that they want me retract or not to post anything they deem as negative about my experience. I feel like others should be warned.

If you feel strongly that way, then $300 is not a big price to pay for your freedom to speak the truth.

 

[T-Dot-Traveller]

...... But the $300 in cash Vidanta “office manager” says the only way they’re able to return my $300 is for me to provide them with our bank account number so they can wire transfer.

I have suggested they cut me a check since Vidanta supposedly has an office in the US, PayPal, Venmo, CashApp, crediting my credit card the additional $300 or even a Visa gift card; but to no avail they want my bank account information (which my bank avises against) & for me to sign on the same form a release stating I will not post any negative comments about Vidanta. I asked the Vidanta rep for a written policy that I had signed about how payments would be returned & he just ignored my request. Well, what I have stated is the truth! If it seems negative, shady, suspicious, lacking good customer service, etc to others who read this post then maybe it says volumes about Vidanta’s business practices. I will caution others to think twice before doing business with Vidanta.

In my opinion Vidanta is using what they feel is best financial business practice to create a fully traceable financial transaction.

A check could be cashed by anyone [should it in some manner not reach you] and their records would simply show a mailed check.
The same for a Visa gift card [ that is why the fake IRS scammers ask for payment using gift cards]

A wire transfer puts a verifiable 3rd party [The Bank] in the transaction loop. This insures that the refund to you is completely verifiable.

 

[PerryKing]

You're lucky you even were able to rescind your purchase much less get some money back.

 

[Moberg6240]

So I was a sucker I did buy in to the Vida Vacations membership. It was the classic tale. We sat down with zero intention to buy. Just to get our 10% discount. We had a nice yet awkward breakfast that took about 45 min. He then took us to see their super nice 4 bedroom suite. It was beautiful.

Of course that was where the started. Once back in the office they started out at $273000 for 4 weeks in a two bedroom for their new Legacy developer. After about five hours it was down to about 18k with a restriction on Jan-March. We kept doing the math and decided that we were not gonna pay it all at once and the monthly fee with the high interest was still too much. We said thank you and they took us to another area to get us our free stuff.

Then another guy came out and offered us a deal too good to be true. He could not waive the interest but had lowered the cost down to $15k with $3100 down.

This is where I turned into an idiot. It was too good to be true. We spent 5 hours haggling and then at the very last moment an offer came that seemed like a no brainer. So we signed. I knew I should have paused and really read the contract. But I thought I understood the details. It was now two weeks for 100 years and two weeks for 10. Or so I thought.

After looking at the contract more closely I realized that everything changed. I was now stuck with the “white” week so I could only go in June or September. If I wanted anytime outside of that it would be a studio depending on availability. It would also cost now $2200 a week vs the $1150 they quoted. It was nothing like our 5 hour conversation.

Thanks to TUG I was able to better understand the contract and the cancelation info. We had signed on a Monday so we had until the following Monday to cancel. Well we had already left when o discovered all of this and it was Sunday morning. I figured I was screwed. But one thread on here gave me the path forward. I immediately looked online for a timeshare cancelation letter. I modified it for my use and made sure to include any and everything that could possibly be needed. My fiancée and I went to the UPS store on Sunday and had the letter notarized. We Sent the letter via UPS and I had pictures and the tracking info.

When I got home I emailed my intent to cancel and attached the notarized letter and tracking info.

I then called them live and told them that I wanted to cancel and shared my tracking info. They opened a case file for me. She told me someone would contact me in 3-5 days. About an hour later I got a call from my salesman trying to convince me to change my mind. I did not.

It took about 10 days and multiple emails but I finally got a return call. The agent was very helpful and not pushy. She canceled it without much of a fight and within two days my mo ey was back on my card. Thank god I’m out.

 

[WorldT]

So I was a sucker I did buy in to the Vida Vacations membership. It was the classic tale. We sat down with zero intention to buy. Just to get our 10% discount. We had a nice yet awkward breakfast that took about 45 min. He then took us to see their super nice 4 bedroom suite. It was beautiful.

Of course that was where the started. Once back in the office they started out at $273000 for 4 weeks in a two bedroom for their new Legacy developer. After about five hours it was down to about 18k with a restriction on Jan-March. We kept doing the math and decided that we were not gonna pay it all at once and the monthly fee with the high interest was still too much. We said thank you and they took us to another area to get us our free stuff.

Then another guy came out and offered us a deal too good to be true. He could not waive the interest but had lowered the cost down to $15k with $3100 down.

This is where I turned into an idiot. It was too good to be true. We spent 5 hours haggling and then at the very last moment an offer came that seemed like a no brainer. So we signed. I knew I should have paused and really read the contract. But I thought I understood the details. It was now two weeks for 100 years and two weeks for 10. Or so I thought.

After looking at the contract more closely I realized that everything changed. I was now stuck with the “white” week so I could only go in June or September. If I wanted anytime outside of that it would be a studio depending on availability. It would also cost now $2200 a week vs the $1150 they quoted. It was nothing like our 5 hour conversation.

Thanks to TUG I was able to better understand the contract and the cancelation info. We had signed on a Monday so we had until the following Monday to cancel. Well we had already left when o discovered all of this and it was Sunday morning. I figured I was screwed. But one thread on here gave me the path forward. I immediately looked online for a timeshare cancelation letter. I modified it for my use and made sure to include any and everything that could possibly be needed. My fiancée and I went to the UPS store on Sunday and had the letter notarized. We Sent the letter via UPS and I had pictures and the tracking info.

When I got home I emailed my intent to cancel and attached the notarized letter and tracking info.

I then called them live and told them that I wanted to cancel and shared my tracking info. They opened a case file for me. She told me someone would contact me in 3-5 days. About an hour later I got a call from my salesman trying to convince me to change my mind. I did not.

It took about 10 days and multiple emails but I finally got a return call. The agent was very helpful and not pushy. She canceled it without much of a fight and within two days my mo ey was back on my card. Thank god I’m out.

Glad you found TUG on time to get your money back. Never trust what comes out of the mouth of a sales person, always read the contract. If they say no or if you do not understand the contract, walk.
Vidanta is a beautiful resort (I have only been to Riviera Maya) but July and September are not exactly prime months and the legacy units have not been built yet. You can always get vidanta from an owner or cash on RCI or interval.

@TUGBrian

 

[TUGBrian]

glad you found TUG and saved 15k!