Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] attended sales
presentation in the office of Grand Discovery in Simpsonville on November 14,
2014. They were contacted by an independent marketing company to attend a sales
presentation and offered a promotional incentive. Before attending...
the sales
presentation, they completed the Guest Registration which states,
“Guests are under no obligation to purchase the membership offered today. All
guests receive a gift package for their participation in the presentation, not
for the purchase of a membership in Grand Resort Travel” Ms. [redacted] and Ms.
[redacted] were aware and understood prior attending the sales presentation they
were under no obligation to purchase the membership. At the conclusion of the
presentation, they made the decision to purchase the membership. Prior to
completing the purchase they were taken into a private office away from the
sales area to complete, initial and sign the documents included for your
review. Specifically with regard to Ms. [redacted] complaints, she and Ms.
[redacted] initialed their understanding of the following statements from the
Acknowledgement and Description of Benefits and Services: “Condominium Gold
Weeks are priced for one week stay (seven nights), are secured at a discount
rate of up to 65% off the published resort rental rates and are subject to
wholesale availability.”; “Grand Discovery sales representatives have made no
verbal or written guarantees regarding availability or pricing for specific
condominium resorts or any other travel arrangements”; “My Membership in Grand
Resort Travel is a Wholesale Condominium Vacation Club Membership, not a
discount travel agency, timeshare or ownership in real estate.” “I agree this
document is consistent with the verbal description of the benefits and services
of the Grand Resort Travel Membership made by Grand Discovery Consultants sales
representatives” It is unreasonable to believe that Ms. [redacted] would have
initialed and signed her agreement with these statements if she had been
believed she purchased a vacation timeshare program and was promised specific
properties for a set price. Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] signed their agreement
with and understanding of the Understanding of the Purchase document which
clearly states, “I(WE) UNDERSTAND AND AGREE OUT PURCHASE IS NOT FOR A TIMESHARE
VACATION PLAN” Ms. [redacted] clearly understood her purchase was not for at
timeshare. On December 23, 2014, a person by the name of [redacted] called the
office of Grand Resort Travel on the customer relations line and indicated he
was “an attorney representing Ms. [redacted]”. Mr. [redacted] left a message
with [redacted], the condominium reservations manager and asked for a return
call. Ms. [redacted] does not handle legal matters for Grand Resort Travel.
Therefore, the phone call was not returned. Ms [redacted] has never requested
service using the Grand Resort Travel membership. Ms. [redacted] has never
requested service using the Grand Resort Travel membership. Ms. [redacted] and
Ms. [redacted] understood they were under no obligation to purchase the membership
BEFORE they attended the sales presentation as evidenced by their signatures on
the Guest Registration. Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] understand there is no
cancellation and no refund of the membership purchase price BEFORE they
completed their purchase as evidenced by their signatures. Ms. [redacted] and Ms.
[redacted] agreed and understood the discount they should expect to receive with
the membership, that they had not received verbal or written guarantees
regarding availability or pricing, and they were not purchasing a timeshare
BEFORE they completed the purchase as evidenced by their signatures and
initials. Ms. [redacted] did not personally contact the office of Grand Resort
Travel. A Mr. [redacted] who identified himself as Ms. [redacted] attorney contacted
the customer relations department demanding a refund and a return call. The
customer relations department is there to assist members with accessing the
benefits and services of the membership. Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] remain
members with Grand Resort Travel. If they wish to make a request using the
membership, they should contact the customer relations department toll free at
1-[redacted] to make a request. At this time, Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] do
not have a valid complaint with the services of the membership because they
have not made an attempt to use the membership. The membership benefits are
clearly disclosed in the Acknowledgement and Description of Benefits and
Services, which they signed before completing their purchase.
During the presentation we attended in [redacted], SC, we made it a point to verify the things stated in the sales presentation that were important to us: go anywhere anytime we want, any time we want, handicap accessible and week costing no more than $550 (many specials lower than that). We wanted to make certain of this. First, was price. They assured us we would never have to pay more than $550 for the only five locations we had expressed interest in and wheelchair accessibility would always be available. The sales couple disappeared as it was closing time so we never got to verify these same concerns with the closing agent. The stated someone would be calling us about adding our 6 children and that did not happen. Someone by the name of Ed called and said we could add 2 children. After a short discussion on that, he hung up on us. So, we never contacted to add our 6 children. The places they referred to in Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach that were in our price range were not wheelchair accessible. In fact, in at least one case not even an elevator. Yet, they assured us this would not be a problem for us. Regarding the five locations we were interested in, they again verified one of the features of the program that had been highlighted in the presentation was we could go anywhere we wanted, any time we wanted. Regarding two of our 5 locations, Lake George, NY and St. Augustine, FL, we found nothing on the website. The 3rd location Jupiter, FL, they could not even locate anything 6 to 7 months out yet our family did.
After being disappointed with other travel related programs we had seen before, and turned down, we felt this was a reputable company that would deliver on its promises. Unfortunately, that has proven to not be the case. We tried to use it as it was presented in the sales presentation and since it did not meet those requirements we request our refund. Thank you. PLease advise.
[redacted]
Please be aware that my District Manager has attempted to contact [redacted] case/Id number [redacted] on three different occasions in regards to her concerns on our lease break fees. Our policy is 60 days notice and two months termination fee per our lease agreement. If she would like to...
get further information on the lease agreement she can contact the Marabou Mills leasing office at 317-559-3840 or contact the District Manager at 317 731-2631 If you have any additional concerns or questions please feel free to contact us. Thanks, Michaela D[redacted] Property Manager Marabou Mills 3402 Marabou Mills Drive Indianapolis, IN 46214 P#317-559-3840 Md[redacted]@elonmgmt.com www.maraboumillsbyelon.com
There letter stated nothing about having to join to receive the tablet. Also stated that there was age age and income restestions, but did not state that there were any other conditions or restrictions. They also said that I did qualify to receive the tablet. I just had to pay for the membership, and processing and handling.
Revdex.com: This needs to be sent 'Certified or by UPS/FedEx', to insure that delivery is made.
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]
Before completing their purchase, Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] initialed their agreement to the following statements, "Condominium Hot Weeks are priced between $225.00 and $370.00 for a one week stay. Condominium Hot Weeks are published on the website and are subject to wholesale availability. I understand to book a Condominium Hot Week I must contact Grand Resort Travel at 1-[redacted]"; "Condominium Gold Weeks are priced for a one week stay, are secured at a discount rate of up to 65% off the published resort rental rates and are subject to wholesale availability. The price of a Gold Week depends upon the published resort rental rate of the unit, location and time of year requested."; "Grand Discovery Consultants sales representatives have made no verbal or written guarantees regarding availability or pricing for specific condominium resorts and or other travel arrangements."
Service was provided to them EXACTLY the way it was disclosed to them prior to their purchase. They have been offered a Condominium Hot Week for the price stated and that they agree to in the Acknowledgement and Description of Benefits and Services; have been offered a Condominium Gold Week for EXACTLY the discount they initialed and signed they would expect to receive; and agreed that they were not guarantees pricing in writing or verbally.
Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] have bee provided service.
Mr. [redacted] does not have to purchase anything, or join anything to receive the tablet, if he meets the qualifications and attends the required sales presentation. If Mr. [redacted] received a mail piece, Mr. [redacted] should contact the marketing company using the telephone number provided. If Mr. [redacted] meets the qualifications, he is required to attend a sales presentation to receive the promotional incentive. Mr. [redacted] is NOT required to purchase anything during the sales presentation. However,he is required to attend the entire sales presentation to receive the tablet.
Hi,
I actually went to their presentation in [redacted] this evening. I received a call last week offering me 2 " free" airline tickets and 2 nights at a hotel. I thought BS. Asked a bunch of questions about which airline, what hotels, how much does it cost for 'free' tickets, do I have to join a club, is there a service fee. I was told I only had to pay taxes on the tickets and the room. That instead of buying another form of advertising they were giving tickets away hoping for referrals and future travel business from me. They said they were going to explain why and how they were cheaper than [redacted], [redacted] etc. I am a travel agent and was interested in how they were cheaper than the online booking sources so I decided to go listen.
You know how [redacted] has tried to reposition themselves as NOT being a pyramid scheme? Well they tried to reposition themselves as NOT being timeshare. Which, they aren't exactly like the time shares of old, and they do offer discounts on airlines, cruises, all inclusive resorts etc. How are the cheaper then [redacted]? Because they charge you thousands of dollars, as the guy previously said 6k, for 4 weeks a year of CONDO stay at a cost of only $270 - $550 for 7 nights, plus a $25.00 booking fee and an $89.95 annual renewal fee. So by the week booked according to their propaganda, they can 'save' you 50% or more on certain condos. 5- 15% on air line tickets, 30-70% on cruises, I forget the percent on all inclusive resorts. So they can probably be cheaper than [redacted] if you only look at your week stay. But you can't look at that. You have to look at the bigger picture and do the math. Long story short, based on an annual week my family takes to the Outer Banks, and the final cost saving amount they wanted me to pay for the ability to book 1 week a year of 2K plus all the fees, and the cost of renting the condo or the week, I'd end up paying the same amount or more than I already pay for a house up there renting from the realtors. So we said NO, not that I ever intended to buy it in the first place.
So I get my voucher for free airline tickets. First you have to send in a form within 120 days with a $100.00 validation deposit by money order or cashiers check only. yeah, sure, I'm going to do that!
But that is refundable 30 days after travel. They send you a reservation letter. To make a reservation you have to fill out a form and send in a $75.00 per person booking fee by cashiers check or money order. Then you after you submit your reservation request via mail, you get a confirmation letter advising you of your tax deposit deadline( $40-$75) that again has to be paid via cashiers check or money order. Of course any excess tax deposit will be refunded but they don't say when. There is a bunch of other junk about dates, days etc. So the answer to my question of are there fees to make the reservations was and out and out lie.
Did I learn anything? Yeah. It if feels like a scam and smells like a scam it probably is. I feel really bad for those folks here that paid their money. They did make is sound worthwhile. You can find legitimate travel vendors online outside [redacted] and [redacted] the do offer cruises a deep discounts. Once those ships sail, they can't sell that room, so the cruise lines do offer deep discounts as sailing dates near. Airlines are just crazy and have been since [redacted] Airlines left the scene and they used 9/11 to justify all types of nutty fees and surcharges. But what are you going to do if you want to go to Hawaii? You can't drive there!
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.
Grand Discovery Resort failed to mention that you have pay $25 everything you call to find their "better" properties. I have checked their hot week properties by Googling a
them. For the ones that don't have a lot of scam alert sites, I search for them on [redacted] only to read very poor reviews.
We have no problems with the deceptive airfare/travel ploy to get us to the presentation, although it was much worse than most time shares deals.
We haven't used the service, we haven't used any of their call center time. If their product is so good, why do they have to hide behind a "no refund/no cancelation" policy.
Regards,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.
Regards,
[redacted]
I would like to add the following comments regarding their response.
1. We understood "no obligation to purchase..." clause
2. Our decision to purchase the membership with [redacted] was made only if we could get an offer to take all our kids on the cruise otherwise there was no deal. I was not interested in the membership without that agreement. The offer he substituted did not allow minors to go, something he should have known when making the substitution. If I had know that, we would not have accepted the membership. PERIOD.
3.Both of us did not sign the agreement. I have our copy to show that.
4. Terms agreed upon were understood but their substitution which was my term did not meet our requirements so in our mind they did not hold up their end of the agreement regardless of who issues the offer. They are the ones that put in my hands so they gave it out. Maybe their company does not oversee the details but it came from their hands on their site. PERIOD.
5.The 2nd voucher came after the deadline of the first one and so facing a deadline and possibility of losing it (the offer) and since I was unable to speak with anyone at Cruise Advisor I sent in the one given to us by [redacted] at Grand Discovery. In addition , the lady did not even know if she could even do anything when I spoke with her about it. She said she would try but she could not guarantee any thing.
6.Their numerous attempts have amounted to 2, both of which I returned to [redacted] at 1-[redacted]. Both messages I left I asked her to call me back. I have those messages recorded. So yes I have responded to their 2 attempts and she has not called me back.
7. A man named [redacted] called from another company about the issue but when he learned that the offer did not come from his company he could not help. He was not from Cruise Advisor.
8. I know we did not purchase a cruise but our agreement to purchase the cruise was only if the offer could be extended to include all our children not to exclude them. So the offer he [redacted] substituted did not meet our agreement-THIS OFFER HANDED TO US BY [redacted] EXCLUDED US FROM TAKING ANY OF OUR CHILDREN.[redacted]Not the deal[redacted]
9. I and my my husband have attempted to call CRUISE ADVISOR on many occasions, 15 or more times as well as contacting them in writing requesting that they call us. Cruise Advisor has not called us. PLUS they do not leave any option to leave a message and no one answers the phone so it has been physically IMPOSSIBLE TO DISCUSS THIS WITH CRUISE ADVISOR.
I will send copies of the papers within the next few days
Thank you
[redacted]
Grand Discovery has qualification requirements for attending
a sales presentation and for receiving the promotional incentives. One of the
requirements is that any two people who attend a sales presentation as a “couple”,
whether married or unmarried, present identification...
which validates they
reside in the same household. We have no guest registration which shows Mr.
[redacted] attending a sales presentation in our office, which is one of the
requirements for receiving the promotional incentive. Based upon Mr. [redacted]
description in this complaint, we are confident he did present to our office,
and was, according to our company policy told that he and his wife must have
matching addresses in order to attend the presentation as a couple. The
managers and staff of our company upheld the company policy in this case. However,
we are willing to make an exception to this policy based upon Mr. [redacted]
account of and explanation in this complaint. Our company is willing to mail
him the promotional incentives he would have received if he had attended the
sales presentation. The promotional incentives are an Android Touch-pad Tablet
Computer and up to a $100.00 Wal-Mart gift card. With regard to the Wal-Mart
gift card; the amount each person receives is based upon choosing a number
between 1 and 10 to reveal the increment of gift card they are to receive at
the conclusion of the sales presentation. The minimum amount is $10.00 and the
maximum amount of $100.00. Since Mr. [redacted]
did not attend the sales presentation, and did not choose a gift card, he is
not eligible to receive a gift card. However, we will mail Mr. [redacted] the
tablet.
The customer was aware at the time of his purchase by his initials on the Acknowledgement and Description of Benefits and Services that all Condominium Gold Week requests and Condominium Hot Week reservations are subject to a $25.00 processing fee, and that if Grand Resort Travel is unable to locate a property for his requested dates of travel for this requested location for his Condominium Gold Week, he may request a refund or apply the $25.00 to another Condominium Gold week request, or Condominium Hot Week reservation.
The customer has made 4 different claims to his credit card company with regard to the purchase in 5 different disputes. The credit card company has upheld the charge 5 times. This customer has not attempted to book a Condominium Gold Week and has not made a request for a Condominium Hot Week using the membership.
The customer understood and agreed to the "no cancellation" policy before completing the purchase.
He remains a member with Grand Resort Travel and is encouraged to contact the customer relations center toll free to make requests using the membership.
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.
We called that following Monday to ask for a refund and they declined to provide it to us. They then also submitted the $2100.00 charge to complete the transaction.
Regards,
[redacted]
Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] attended a sales presentation in our office on January 18, 2014. At the conclusion of the presentation they made the decision to purchase the Grand Resort Travel Membership. In order to take advantage of the benefits and services of the membership, they are required to contact...
the Customer Relations Department and request service. There is no record of them contacting our company, or the Customer Relations Department to request service. For this reason, it is impossible for them evaluate the services of the membership they purchased.
Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] own a timeshare at [redacted] Florida. At the time of their purchase they expressed and interest in transferring ownership of this property. For this reason, our company referred them to an independent timeshare closing company which COULD transfer the timeshare out of their name. We fully disclosed to them in writing that they were NOT required to enter into an agreement with the closing company and if they chose to enter into an agreement they would be required to pay the closing costs directly to the closing company. It was further disclosed that if they chose to enter into and agreement with the closing company, the agreement was solely with the them and the closing company and NOT with our company. Our company contacted the closing company and they informed us that Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] did not contact them and did not enter into an agreement to transfer their timeshare.
Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] are members in good standing with Grand Resort Travel and are encouraged to contact the Customer Relations Department toll free at 1-[redacted] to take advantage of the membership benefits and services.
Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] attended sales
presentation in the office of Grand Discovery in Simpsonville on November 14,
2014. They were contacted by an independent marketing company to attend a sales
presentation and offered a promotional incentive. Before attending...
the sales
presentation, they completed the Guest Registration which states,
“Guests are under no obligation to purchase the membership offered today. All
guests receive a gift package for their participation in the presentation, not
for the purchase of a membership in Grand Resort Travel” Ms. [redacted] and Ms.
[redacted] were aware and understood prior attending the sales presentation they
were under no obligation to purchase the membership. At the conclusion of the
presentation, they made the decision to purchase the membership. Prior to
completing the purchase they were taken into a private office away from the
sales area to complete, initial and sign the documents included for your
review. Specifically with regard to Ms. [redacted] complaints, she and Ms.
[redacted] initialed their understanding of the following statements from the
Acknowledgement and Description of Benefits and Services: “Condominium Gold
Weeks are priced for one week stay (seven nights), are secured at a discount
rate of up to 65% off the published resort rental rates and are subject to
wholesale availability.”; “Grand Discovery sales representatives have made no
verbal or written guarantees regarding availability or pricing for specific
condominium resorts or any other travel arrangements”; “My Membership in Grand
Resort Travel is a Wholesale Condominium Vacation Club Membership, not a
discount travel agency, timeshare or ownership in real estate.” “I agree this
document is consistent with the verbal description of the benefits and services
of the Grand Resort Travel Membership made by Grand Discovery Consultants sales
representatives” It is unreasonable to believe that Ms. [redacted] would have
initialed and signed her agreement with these statements if she had been
believed she purchased a vacation timeshare program and was promised specific
properties for a set price. Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] signed their agreement
with and understanding of the Understanding of the Purchase document which
clearly states, “I(WE) UNDERSTAND AND AGREE OUT PURCHASE IS NOT FOR A TIMESHARE
VACATION PLAN” Ms. [redacted] clearly understood her purchase was not for at
timeshare. On December 23, 2014, a person by the name of [redacted] called the
office of Grand Resort Travel on the customer relations line and indicated he
was “an attorney representing Ms. [redacted]”. Mr. [redacted] left a message
with [redacted], the condominium reservations manager and asked for a return
call. Ms. [redacted] does not handle legal matters for Grand Resort Travel.
Therefore, the phone call was not returned. Ms [redacted] has never requested
service using the Grand Resort Travel membership. Ms. [redacted] has never
requested service using the Grand Resort Travel membership. Ms. [redacted] and
Ms. [redacted] understood they were under no obligation to purchase the membership
BEFORE they attended the sales presentation as evidenced by their signatures on
the Guest Registration. Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] understand there is no
cancellation and no refund of the membership purchase price BEFORE they
completed their purchase as evidenced by their signatures. Ms. [redacted] and Ms.
[redacted] agreed and understood the discount they should expect to receive with
the membership, that they had not received verbal or written guarantees
regarding availability or pricing, and they were not purchasing a timeshare
BEFORE they completed the purchase as evidenced by their signatures and
initials. Ms. [redacted] did not personally contact the office of Grand Resort
Travel. A Mr. [redacted] who identified himself as Ms. [redacted] attorney contacted
the customer relations department demanding a refund and a return call. The
customer relations department is there to assist members with accessing the
benefits and services of the membership. Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] remain
members with Grand Resort Travel. If they wish to make a request using the
membership, they should contact the customer relations department toll free at
1-[redacted] to make a request. At this time, Ms. [redacted] and Ms. [redacted] do
not have a valid complaint with the services of the membership because they
have not made an attempt to use the membership. The membership benefits are
clearly disclosed in the Acknowledgement and Description of Benefits and
Services, which they signed before completing their purchase.
During the presentation we attended in [redacted], SC, we made it a point to verify the things stated in the sales presentation that were important to us: go anywhere anytime we want, any time we want, handicap accessible and week costing no more than $550 (many specials lower than that). We wanted to make certain of this. First, was price. They assured us we would never have to pay more than $550 for the only five locations we had expressed interest in and wheelchair accessibility would always be available. The sales couple disappeared as it was closing time so we never got to verify these same concerns with the closing agent. The stated someone would be calling us about adding our 6 children and that did not happen. Someone by the name of Ed called and said we could add 2 children. After a short discussion on that, he hung up on us. So, we never contacted to add our 6 children. The places they referred to in Hilton Head or Myrtle Beach that were in our price range were not wheelchair accessible. In fact, in at least one case not even an elevator. Yet, they assured us this would not be a problem for us. Regarding the five locations we were interested in, they again verified one of the features of the program that had been highlighted in the presentation was we could go anywhere we wanted, any time we wanted. Regarding two of our 5 locations, Lake George, NY and St. Augustine, FL, we found nothing on the website. The 3rd location Jupiter, FL, they could not even locate anything 6 to 7 months out yet our family did.
After being disappointed with other travel related programs we had seen before, and turned down, we felt this was a reputable company that would deliver on its promises. Unfortunately, that has proven to not be the case. We tried to use it as it was presented in the sales presentation and since it did not meet those requirements we request our refund. Thank you. PLease advise.
[redacted]
Please be aware that my District Manager has attempted to contact [redacted] case/Id number [redacted] on three different occasions in regards to her concerns on our lease break fees. Our policy is 60 days notice and two months termination fee per our lease agreement. If she would like to...
get further information on the lease agreement she can contact the Marabou Mills leasing office at 317-559-3840 or contact the District Manager at 317 731-2631 If you have any additional concerns or questions please feel free to contact us. Thanks, Michaela D[redacted] Property Manager Marabou Mills 3402 Marabou Mills Drive Indianapolis, IN 46214 P#317-559-3840 Md[redacted]@elonmgmt.com www.maraboumillsbyelon.com
There letter stated nothing about having to join to receive the tablet. Also stated that there was age age and income restestions, but did not state that there were any other conditions or restrictions. They also said that I did qualify to receive the tablet. I just had to pay for the membership, and processing and handling.
Revdex.com: This needs to be sent 'Certified or by UPS/FedEx', to insure that delivery is made.
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
Regards,
[redacted]
Before completing their purchase, Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] initialed their agreement to the following statements, "Condominium Hot Weeks are priced between $225.00 and $370.00 for a one week stay. Condominium Hot Weeks are published on the website and are subject to wholesale availability. I understand to book a Condominium Hot Week I must contact Grand Resort Travel at 1-[redacted]"; "Condominium Gold Weeks are priced for a one week stay, are secured at a discount rate of up to 65% off the published resort rental rates and are subject to wholesale availability. The price of a Gold Week depends upon the published resort rental rate of the unit, location and time of year requested."; "Grand Discovery Consultants sales representatives have made no verbal or written guarantees regarding availability or pricing for specific condominium resorts and or other travel arrangements."
Service was provided to them EXACTLY the way it was disclosed to them prior to their purchase. They have been offered a Condominium Hot Week for the price stated and that they agree to in the Acknowledgement and Description of Benefits and Services; have been offered a Condominium Gold Week for EXACTLY the discount they initialed and signed they would expect to receive; and agreed that they were not guarantees pricing in writing or verbally.
Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] have bee provided service.
Mr. [redacted] does not have to purchase anything, or join anything to receive the tablet, if he meets the qualifications and attends the required sales presentation. If Mr. [redacted] received a mail piece, Mr. [redacted] should contact the marketing company using the telephone number provided. If Mr. [redacted] meets the qualifications, he is required to attend a sales presentation to receive the promotional incentive. Mr. [redacted] is NOT required to purchase anything during the sales presentation. However,he is required to attend the entire sales presentation to receive the tablet.
Hi,
I actually went to their presentation in [redacted] this evening. I received a call last week offering me 2 " free" airline tickets and 2 nights at a hotel. I thought BS. Asked a bunch of questions about which airline, what hotels, how much does it cost for 'free' tickets, do I have to join a club, is there a service fee. I was told I only had to pay taxes on the tickets and the room. That instead of buying another form of advertising they were giving tickets away hoping for referrals and future travel business from me. They said they were going to explain why and how they were cheaper than [redacted], [redacted] etc. I am a travel agent and was interested in how they were cheaper than the online booking sources so I decided to go listen.
You know how [redacted] has tried to reposition themselves as NOT being a pyramid scheme? Well they tried to reposition themselves as NOT being timeshare. Which, they aren't exactly like the time shares of old, and they do offer discounts on airlines, cruises, all inclusive resorts etc. How are the cheaper then [redacted]? Because they charge you thousands of dollars, as the guy previously said 6k, for 4 weeks a year of CONDO stay at a cost of only $270 - $550 for 7 nights, plus a $25.00 booking fee and an $89.95 annual renewal fee. So by the week booked according to their propaganda, they can 'save' you 50% or more on certain condos. 5- 15% on air line tickets, 30-70% on cruises, I forget the percent on all inclusive resorts. So they can probably be cheaper than [redacted] if you only look at your week stay. But you can't look at that. You have to look at the bigger picture and do the math. Long story short, based on an annual week my family takes to the Outer Banks, and the final cost saving amount they wanted me to pay for the ability to book 1 week a year of 2K plus all the fees, and the cost of renting the condo or the week, I'd end up paying the same amount or more than I already pay for a house up there renting from the realtors. So we said NO, not that I ever intended to buy it in the first place.
So I get my voucher for free airline tickets. First you have to send in a form within 120 days with a $100.00 validation deposit by money order or cashiers check only. yeah, sure, I'm going to do that!
But that is refundable 30 days after travel. They send you a reservation letter. To make a reservation you have to fill out a form and send in a $75.00 per person booking fee by cashiers check or money order. Then you after you submit your reservation request via mail, you get a confirmation letter advising you of your tax deposit deadline( $40-$75) that again has to be paid via cashiers check or money order. Of course any excess tax deposit will be refunded but they don't say when. There is a bunch of other junk about dates, days etc. So the answer to my question of are there fees to make the reservations was and out and out lie.
Did I learn anything? Yeah. It if feels like a scam and smells like a scam it probably is. I feel really bad for those folks here that paid their money. They did make is sound worthwhile. You can find legitimate travel vendors online outside [redacted] and [redacted] the do offer cruises a deep discounts. Once those ships sail, they can't sell that room, so the cruise lines do offer deep discounts as sailing dates near. Airlines are just crazy and have been since [redacted] Airlines left the scene and they used 9/11 to justify all types of nutty fees and surcharges. But what are you going to do if you want to go to Hawaii? You can't drive there!
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.
Grand Discovery Resort failed to mention that you have pay $25 everything you call to find their "better" properties. I have checked their hot week properties by Googling a
them. For the ones that don't have a lot of scam alert sites, I search for them on [redacted] only to read very poor reviews.
We have no problems with the deceptive airfare/travel ploy to get us to the presentation, although it was much worse than most time shares deals.
We haven't used the service, we haven't used any of their call center time. If their product is so good, why do they have to hide behind a "no refund/no cancelation" policy.
Regards,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.
Regards,
[redacted]
I would like to add the following comments regarding their response.
1. We understood "no obligation to purchase..." clause
2. Our decision to purchase the membership with [redacted] was made only if we could get an offer to take all our kids on the cruise otherwise there was no deal. I was not interested in the membership without that agreement. The offer he substituted did not allow minors to go, something he should have known when making the substitution. If I had know that, we would not have accepted the membership. PERIOD.
3.Both of us did not sign the agreement. I have our copy to show that.
4. Terms agreed upon were understood but their substitution which was my term did not meet our requirements so in our mind they did not hold up their end of the agreement regardless of who issues the offer. They are the ones that put in my hands so they gave it out. Maybe their company does not oversee the details but it came from their hands on their site. PERIOD.
5.The 2nd voucher came after the deadline of the first one and so facing a deadline and possibility of losing it (the offer) and since I was unable to speak with anyone at Cruise Advisor I sent in the one given to us by [redacted] at Grand Discovery. In addition , the lady did not even know if she could even do anything when I spoke with her about it. She said she would try but she could not guarantee any thing.
6.Their numerous attempts have amounted to 2, both of which I returned to [redacted] at 1-[redacted]. Both messages I left I asked her to call me back. I have those messages recorded. So yes I have responded to their 2 attempts and she has not called me back.
7. A man named [redacted] called from another company about the issue but when he learned that the offer did not come from his company he could not help. He was not from Cruise Advisor.
8. I know we did not purchase a cruise but our agreement to purchase the cruise was only if the offer could be extended to include all our children not to exclude them. So the offer he [redacted] substituted did not meet our agreement-THIS OFFER HANDED TO US BY [redacted] EXCLUDED US FROM TAKING ANY OF OUR CHILDREN.[redacted]Not the deal[redacted]
9. I and my my husband have attempted to call CRUISE ADVISOR on many occasions, 15 or more times as well as contacting them in writing requesting that they call us. Cruise Advisor has not called us. PLUS they do not leave any option to leave a message and no one answers the phone so it has been physically IMPOSSIBLE TO DISCUSS THIS WITH CRUISE ADVISOR.
I will send copies of the papers within the next few days
Thank you
[redacted]
Grand Discovery has qualification requirements for attending
a sales presentation and for receiving the promotional incentives. One of the
requirements is that any two people who attend a sales presentation as a “couple”,
whether married or unmarried, present identification...
which validates they
reside in the same household. We have no guest registration which shows Mr.
[redacted] attending a sales presentation in our office, which is one of the
requirements for receiving the promotional incentive. Based upon Mr. [redacted]
description in this complaint, we are confident he did present to our office,
and was, according to our company policy told that he and his wife must have
matching addresses in order to attend the presentation as a couple. The
managers and staff of our company upheld the company policy in this case. However,
we are willing to make an exception to this policy based upon Mr. [redacted]
account of and explanation in this complaint. Our company is willing to mail
him the promotional incentives he would have received if he had attended the
sales presentation. The promotional incentives are an Android Touch-pad Tablet
Computer and up to a $100.00 Wal-Mart gift card. With regard to the Wal-Mart
gift card; the amount each person receives is based upon choosing a number
between 1 and 10 to reveal the increment of gift card they are to receive at
the conclusion of the sales presentation. The minimum amount is $10.00 and the
maximum amount of $100.00. Since Mr. [redacted]
did not attend the sales presentation, and did not choose a gift card, he is
not eligible to receive a gift card. However, we will mail Mr. [redacted] the
tablet.
The customer was aware at the time of his purchase by his initials on the Acknowledgement and Description of Benefits and Services that all Condominium Gold Week requests and Condominium Hot Week reservations are subject to a $25.00 processing fee, and that if Grand Resort Travel is unable to locate a property for his requested dates of travel for this requested location for his Condominium Gold Week, he may request a refund or apply the $25.00 to another Condominium Gold week request, or Condominium Hot Week reservation.
The customer has made 4 different claims to his credit card company with regard to the purchase in 5 different disputes. The credit card company has upheld the charge 5 times. This customer has not attempted to book a Condominium Gold Week and has not made a request for a Condominium Hot Week using the membership.
The customer understood and agreed to the "no cancellation" policy before completing the purchase.
He remains a member with Grand Resort Travel and is encouraged to contact the customer relations center toll free to make requests using the membership.
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.
We called that following Monday to ask for a refund and they declined to provide it to us. They then also submitted the $2100.00 charge to complete the transaction.
Regards,
[redacted]
Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] attended a sales presentation in our office on January 18, 2014. At the conclusion of the presentation they made the decision to purchase the Grand Resort Travel Membership. In order to take advantage of the benefits and services of the membership, they are required to contact...
the Customer Relations Department and request service. There is no record of them contacting our company, or the Customer Relations Department to request service. For this reason, it is impossible for them evaluate the services of the membership they purchased.
Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] own a timeshare at [redacted] Florida. At the time of their purchase they expressed and interest in transferring ownership of this property. For this reason, our company referred them to an independent timeshare closing company which COULD transfer the timeshare out of their name. We fully disclosed to them in writing that they were NOT required to enter into an agreement with the closing company and if they chose to enter into an agreement they would be required to pay the closing costs directly to the closing company. It was further disclosed that if they chose to enter into and agreement with the closing company, the agreement was solely with the them and the closing company and NOT with our company. Our company contacted the closing company and they informed us that Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] did not contact them and did not enter into an agreement to transfer their timeshare.
Mr. and Mrs. [redacted] are members in good standing with Grand Resort Travel and are encouraged to contact the Customer Relations Department toll free at 1-[redacted] to take advantage of the membership benefits and services.