I am sitting here ripping mad. I just opened my mail and in the mail is a brand new RCI credit card that I never asked for or applied for.
Last Tuesday my daughter and I went to Atlantic City on a timeshare exchange. After checking in as per usual the desk asked if we would attend an update on Wyndham's now owning RCI and what the future of timesharing was going to be looking like. I told her that I don't do presentations but my daughter who recently turned 21 and is an owner on one of my timeshares wanted to hear. I thought it would be better for her to go through the "experience" with me as I wanted to "educate" her on the ways of salespeople in the world of timeshares.
Of course the first "lie" by the desk girl that it was a 45 minute update done with a group proved false right from the get go. We talked to the host of salespeople with me steadfast in my resolve that I did not want to convert ANY of my resorts to points. I did show them my drivers license at some point as they asked for my credit card which I did not bring with me and I sure as heck wasn't going to give them that. Of course it was on file at the front desk from when I checked in.
I did tell them what I owned, an Ocean City fourth of July week which they insisted would be basically worthless after March of this year, A couple of South africa weeks that they did say could be converted to points, and a RTU mexico week which I haven't even registered with RCI yet.
On and on they go with how worthless my weeks will become after March of 2009 and how "amazed" they were with that no one contacted me about how it would affect how RCI will be working in the future now that Wyndham has aquired RCI. I told them time and time again that I wasn't worried about it that I had aquired my weeks resale and I wasn't about to fork over money for something that I am happy about using the current way and if things changed in the future then I've had a happy 15 years or so timesharing the old weeks way. She went on to say it would be nearly impossible for me to sell my weeks in today's market or basically to use them at all after March of 2009, to which I replied that I have sold several weeks in the past and knew how to dispose of them if need be. Things change and I am prepared to handle the decline in weeks usage if that's what comes of owning out and out weeks.
I repeatedly told her I was not interested, don't go "do the math" that I wasn't interested in seeing how much it would cost me to convert to points, Not only am I not employed now, but I have two children in college that I am paying for and even if I wanted to there was no way I would go into debt to pay for something that I already owned. Well she kept doing the math anyway, and I kept signing "decline" slips telling her if she gave it to me for free I wouldn't take it. That I was tired and agitated with her and her upper level manager and I just wanted to go.
Then they tried to get my daughter to sign up. Now here she is, 21, in college with a job one day a week at a restruant to help pay her college incidentals. They drag out a financing package where she could pay something like $28 a month, don't say how long and that she is going to be kicking me down the road for turning down such a wonderful offer because of course it can never be repeated again.
She isn't even registered on my RCI account, the timeshare she co-owns with me is the RTU that they would not put into points anyway. Of course the picture they paint is so pretty that she starts arguing with me but Mamma knows better and just keeps signing the decline slips that they keep sticking in front of me. I just want out. I wanted a copy of what they were offering, basically so I could take it and show my daughter how they bamboozle you with BS. Of course they will not give you one unless you sign up. Of course they tell you about how you can rescind and of course I tell them no way-I'm not interested in the first place and only a fool would sign something obviously complicated and complex in the kind of setting they were providing. So I sign no documents except the "decline" offerings so I can get the **** out. I guess I should have requested a copy of them also, but they seemed pretty straight forward showing what I could have had and "Decline" over the top of each.
Now finally after all the pretty pictures and me finally just insisting that they let us go, that I am getting an anxiety attack from their inability to accept no for an answer we leave. On monday in the mail is a brand new RCI credit card with a credit line of approximately the same amount that they wanted me to finance. I know that the basic information was taken from my driver's license as it spells my name different than it really is, I have a double name and only on my drivers is it all together and looks as one name. Just like my new credit card-how coincidental.
I use one credit card and pay it off each month, I don't want my credit wrecked with lots of applications and credit cards in my name. I have good credit for a reason. I called the credit card company and they said that I requested it on the 17th the day of the presentation. NEVER was there any talk of opening up a new credit card. They did say they could arrange RCI financing with 0% interest to which I said no way, wasn't interested-forget it. Apparantly they applied on my behalf. Total slime. Hopefully what I got out of this experience is to what lengths these vultures will go to to get you to sign up for their "package". A lesson that will hopefully one day save my daughter from falling for a slick presentation and pretty picture. She was mad at me that day for not signing up. Now after seeing the aftermath of just sitting through the presentation, taking her through the TUG site and reading the posts she hopefully understands a bit more of the wonderful world of developers and their fast talking ways. She is planning on taking trips on her own very soon and it looks like they don't even screen for income elgibility any more. We were not even asked once before the "update" what we made. We were assured that it wasn't for "selling" us a timeshare as we already were owners and they just wanted to let us know what was happening with Wyndham now an owner of RCI.
Now what I want to know is was it "legal" for them to apply for a credit card in my name without my consent? I personally feel violated. Never at any time did I give them any indication that I was considering any of their offerings, I was adamant about not wanting their product. I guess it could have been worse-they could have hijacked my daughter with their line of using the points in their new all-inclusive resort for only $38 a person for the week with a portion of our maintenance fees being pre-paid, no RCI membership fee, and free airline tickets and had her on the string for the rest of her life. I am so sorry for rambling but once again I come to TUG to vent my frustrations.
Hopefully this will be a life lesson learned for my daughter and eventually worth the frustration it caused me, my only aquistion is a new credit card with a $0 balance that I don't even have to activate. I already have a RCI credit card, when I got home I went to check my balance online and wondered what the new number was on my account-now I know.
Lee
Last Tuesday my daughter and I went to Atlantic City on a timeshare exchange. After checking in as per usual the desk asked if we would attend an update on Wyndham's now owning RCI and what the future of timesharing was going to be looking like. I told her that I don't do presentations but my daughter who recently turned 21 and is an owner on one of my timeshares wanted to hear. I thought it would be better for her to go through the "experience" with me as I wanted to "educate" her on the ways of salespeople in the world of timeshares.
Of course the first "lie" by the desk girl that it was a 45 minute update done with a group proved false right from the get go. We talked to the host of salespeople with me steadfast in my resolve that I did not want to convert ANY of my resorts to points. I did show them my drivers license at some point as they asked for my credit card which I did not bring with me and I sure as heck wasn't going to give them that. Of course it was on file at the front desk from when I checked in.
I did tell them what I owned, an Ocean City fourth of July week which they insisted would be basically worthless after March of this year, A couple of South africa weeks that they did say could be converted to points, and a RTU mexico week which I haven't even registered with RCI yet.
On and on they go with how worthless my weeks will become after March of 2009 and how "amazed" they were with that no one contacted me about how it would affect how RCI will be working in the future now that Wyndham has aquired RCI. I told them time and time again that I wasn't worried about it that I had aquired my weeks resale and I wasn't about to fork over money for something that I am happy about using the current way and if things changed in the future then I've had a happy 15 years or so timesharing the old weeks way. She went on to say it would be nearly impossible for me to sell my weeks in today's market or basically to use them at all after March of 2009, to which I replied that I have sold several weeks in the past and knew how to dispose of them if need be. Things change and I am prepared to handle the decline in weeks usage if that's what comes of owning out and out weeks.
I repeatedly told her I was not interested, don't go "do the math" that I wasn't interested in seeing how much it would cost me to convert to points, Not only am I not employed now, but I have two children in college that I am paying for and even if I wanted to there was no way I would go into debt to pay for something that I already owned. Well she kept doing the math anyway, and I kept signing "decline" slips telling her if she gave it to me for free I wouldn't take it. That I was tired and agitated with her and her upper level manager and I just wanted to go.
Then they tried to get my daughter to sign up. Now here she is, 21, in college with a job one day a week at a restruant to help pay her college incidentals. They drag out a financing package where she could pay something like $28 a month, don't say how long and that she is going to be kicking me down the road for turning down such a wonderful offer because of course it can never be repeated again.
She isn't even registered on my RCI account, the timeshare she co-owns with me is the RTU that they would not put into points anyway. Of course the picture they paint is so pretty that she starts arguing with me but Mamma knows better and just keeps signing the decline slips that they keep sticking in front of me. I just want out. I wanted a copy of what they were offering, basically so I could take it and show my daughter how they bamboozle you with BS. Of course they will not give you one unless you sign up. Of course they tell you about how you can rescind and of course I tell them no way-I'm not interested in the first place and only a fool would sign something obviously complicated and complex in the kind of setting they were providing. So I sign no documents except the "decline" offerings so I can get the **** out. I guess I should have requested a copy of them also, but they seemed pretty straight forward showing what I could have had and "Decline" over the top of each.
Now finally after all the pretty pictures and me finally just insisting that they let us go, that I am getting an anxiety attack from their inability to accept no for an answer we leave. On monday in the mail is a brand new RCI credit card with a credit line of approximately the same amount that they wanted me to finance. I know that the basic information was taken from my driver's license as it spells my name different than it really is, I have a double name and only on my drivers is it all together and looks as one name. Just like my new credit card-how coincidental.
I use one credit card and pay it off each month, I don't want my credit wrecked with lots of applications and credit cards in my name. I have good credit for a reason. I called the credit card company and they said that I requested it on the 17th the day of the presentation. NEVER was there any talk of opening up a new credit card. They did say they could arrange RCI financing with 0% interest to which I said no way, wasn't interested-forget it. Apparantly they applied on my behalf. Total slime. Hopefully what I got out of this experience is to what lengths these vultures will go to to get you to sign up for their "package". A lesson that will hopefully one day save my daughter from falling for a slick presentation and pretty picture. She was mad at me that day for not signing up. Now after seeing the aftermath of just sitting through the presentation, taking her through the TUG site and reading the posts she hopefully understands a bit more of the wonderful world of developers and their fast talking ways. She is planning on taking trips on her own very soon and it looks like they don't even screen for income elgibility any more. We were not even asked once before the "update" what we made. We were assured that it wasn't for "selling" us a timeshare as we already were owners and they just wanted to let us know what was happening with Wyndham now an owner of RCI.
Now what I want to know is was it "legal" for them to apply for a credit card in my name without my consent? I personally feel violated. Never at any time did I give them any indication that I was considering any of their offerings, I was adamant about not wanting their product. I guess it could have been worse-they could have hijacked my daughter with their line of using the points in their new all-inclusive resort for only $38 a person for the week with a portion of our maintenance fees being pre-paid, no RCI membership fee, and free airline tickets and had her on the string for the rest of her life. I am so sorry for rambling but once again I come to TUG to vent my frustrations.
Hopefully this will be a life lesson learned for my daughter and eventually worth the frustration it caused me, my only aquistion is a new credit card with a $0 balance that I don't even have to activate. I already have a RCI credit card, when I got home I went to check my balance online and wondered what the new number was on my account-now I know.
Lee