Welk Platinum Point Owner Number [redacted] Dear Mr. [redacted], I apologize for the delay in responding to your Revdex.com complaint. I was waiting on a resolution to be met. It is my understanding that you have agreed to terms with our Sales team to a...
satisfactory resolution to your concerns. I have been notified today that your concerns have been addressed and that you are satisfied with the outcome that has been reached. Please let me know if, for any reason, this may not be the case. As always, if you have any further questions or concerns feel free to reach out to me directly. Best regards, [redacted] Director of Consumer Affairs Welk Resorts [redacted]
Dear Mr. [redacted], I am in receipt your Revdex.com complaint filed on January 5, 2015. Please allow me to address your request for a refund of your room and tour deposits. I show that, per our records, your hotel fee was refunded on January 4, 2015 and your tour...
deposit was refunded on January 14, 2015. I am happy to provide you documentation if needed. Please reach out to me directly with any further questions or concerns regarding this matter. Sincerely, [redacted] Director of Consumer Affairs Welk Resorts [redacted]
I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint filed on November 1, 2014. Please allow me address the concerns brought forth in your complaint.
I show that you both became Welk Platinum point owners on October 26, 2013. You purchased 240,000 Platinum owner points to be used on an every “even” year basis. The first usage year for your ownership was 2014. You chose to upgrade your ownership on February 2, 2014 when you upgraded to 360,000 Platinum owner points to be used on an every “even” year basis The first usage year for your upgraded ownership was 2014.
I am sorry if there were any misunderstandings during your sales presentation. Welk is highly rated for owner/guest experiences and for the high trade value through the exchange companies. We take great pride in assisting our owners planning memorial vacations.
I apologize if you felt pressured, or felt that the sale process took an excessive amount of time. The sales presentation is 90 minutes. The purchase agreement negotiation, based upon the owner needs, pricing, discounts and incentives, takes additional time. Every contract is negotiated personally and pricing, discounts and incentives can change daily. You are only obligated to stay for the 90 minute sales presentation to receive your initial free gifts. You always have the right to leave at any time.
Your Welk Platinum point ownership allows you the flexibility to stay in any of our villas on property at the San Diego Resort or any other Welk Resort location within the Platinum point program. The only question is how you want to customize your stay. Your points can be used in any configuration at all Welk Resort locations. The villa types determine whether you have enough points to stay in a 1BR small, 1BR large, 2BR for a full week or less than a full week. You have the opportunity to place points into Interval International for exchange and still be able to use points to stay at any Welk Resort location.
Please allow me to clarify your exchange opportunities with Interval International. Your ownership options include depositing a week with Interval International in exchange for a week anywhere in the world. When depositing with Interval, you will also receive a second week of vacation (any size villa requested, based upon availability) as a “Resort Accommodation Certificate” (bonus week). When you deposit your ownership with Interval, they will extend the expiration of the deposited week for two additional years. The bonus week from Interval International is good for one year. I show that you chose to deposit a two-bedroom exchange equivalent with Interval International on March 3, 2014.
For each week that you deposit with Interval international you will receive one bonus week. If you deposit two 1BR one week equivalents (120,000 Platinum points) with Interval International, you will receive two bonus weeks from Interval International good for travel for one year. You would still have enough points remaining to stay in a small 1BR Villa at our Welk Resort San Diego location. You have 120,000 Platinum points for your 2014 usage year that remain unused.
Interval International has thousands of resort choices worldwide and Welk demands a very high trade value. The process is that you choose a resort destination, have several date choices and call Interval International. They will check availability. If nothing is available at that moment, they will start a “pending search” by collecting the exchange fee. Their system searches 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As soon as a match is found, they will generate an instant confirmation. More than 73% of our owners receive a confirmation within 48 hours.
The exchange fee for usage of a deposited week with Interval International will range from $169.00 - $189.00. The fees for your bonus week exchange with Interval International, based on villa size, have increased slightly as of January 1, 2014. When you use an Interval International bonus week the fees will range from $249.00 to $449.00 based on the size of the villa. All of these fees are clearly outlined in your owner documents.
These are two separate fees for two separate events. The fees associated with your deposited Interval International week and the fees for usage of your bonus week that you receive with each Interval International deposit. These fees are not combined. They are separate fees depending on which Interval exchange option you want to use.
When you upgraded your ownership your owner obligated maintenance fee obligation would have increased as well. It is in proportion to the amount of your Platinum point increase. The maintenance fees obligation for your usage year area also in your ownership upgrade paperwork. I have included a copy of your contract information. The documents have been highlighted for your review. Please note the payment differences for each contract. I have included the signed promissory note from your ownership upgrade as well.
I do not have a cancellation option for your ownership. We understand that you are given a large amount of information on the date of sale. That is why we legally allow you seven days to read your contract after the date you signed. Included in your documents were specific procedures on how to utilize your vacation ownership, as well as directions to cancel that same ownership.
If you wanted to cancel within that timeframe you had the right to do so. The instructions are specific that it must be done within the defined timeframe. As for your request to terminate your contract, it is not Welk’s policy to cancel contracts that have passed beyond their rescission period.
We are an ethical company and cover everything thoroughly in our documents. Every contract is negotiated personally and pricing, discounts and incentives can change daily. We take our service levels and company ethics very seriously. Contracts are created, signed and explained to protect both parties in a transaction. Not only did you meet and talk to the Sales Person and Sales Manager, the Escrow Analyst also went through the documents with you independently during each of your purchase transactions.
Please know that our Owner Services team is here to assist you and guide you through your ownership to make sure you are enjoying it to the full potential. We will customize the ownership to fit your vacation needs, based on what you purchased. Please allow us to help you use your time. If you need any assistance in booking a reservation, use of our Owner Rental program or help with using the Interval International exchange benefit please reach out to our Owner Services team @ 1-800-240-9342.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any further questions or concerns in reference to this matter
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]
RE: Welk Platinum Point Ownership Number [redacted] Dear Mr. [redacted], Mrs. [redacted] & Mr. [redacted], I am in receipt of your letter of dispute sent to Welk Resort group and stating that you would like your ownership obligation dissolved. Please allow me to address the points in...
your letter. Our records show that you became Welk Platinum point owners on August 8, 2010 when you purchased 90,000 Platinum owner points to be used on an every “odd” year basis starting in 2011. You chose to upgrade your ownership on November 4, 2011 to a 240,000 platinum point ownership with a first usage year of 2013. I am sorry if there were any misunderstandings during your sales presentation. Welk is highly rated for owner/guest experiences and for the high trade value through the exchange companies. We take great pride in assisting our owners planning memorial vacations. Yes, Welk does have an Owner Rental program. Our program allows you to put days/weeks into a rental pool to assist when you cannot travel or use. Our owners have used the program successfully to supplement their monthly and annual fees. Rental rates are based on unit size, season and weekend versus mid-week. The processing fees for Welk to advertise and rent your property are approximately 40%. The remaining roughly 60% is paid to you the owner. Our Owner Services team is here to help you with best practices for successful usage of our Owner Rental program. I do not show in the history of your ownership you have ever inquired about using the Owner Rental Program. Please allow me to clarify your exchange opportunities with Interval International. Your ownership options include depositing a week with Interval International in exchange for a week anywhere in the world. When depositing with Interval, you will also receive a second week of vacation (any size villa requested, based upon availability) as a “Resort Accommodation Certificate” (bonus week). When you deposit your ownership with Interval, they will extend the expiration of the deposited week for two additional years. The bonus week from Interval International is good for one year. Our records show you have made deposits with interval International in 2012 and 2013. I do not show you have ever spoken to our Owner Services team in reference to any challenges regarding usage of your exchange benefits. For each week that you deposit with Interval international you will receive one bonus week. If you deposit two 1BR one week equivalents (120,000 Platinum points) with Interval International, you will receive two bonus weeks from Interval International good for travel for one year. Interval International has thousands of resort choices worldwide and Welk demands a very high trade value. The process is that you choose a resort destination, have several date choices and call Interval International. They will check availability. If nothing is available at that moment, they will start a “pending search” by collecting the exchange fee. Their system searches 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As soon as a match is found, they will generate an instant confirmation. More than 73% of our owners receive a confirmation within 48 hours. The exchange fee for usage of a deposited week with Interval International will range from $169.00 - $189.00. The fees for your bonus week exchange with Interval International, based on villa size, have increased slightly as of January 1, 2014. When you use an Interval International bonus week the fees will range from $249.00 to $449.00 based on the size of the villa. All of these fees are clearly outlined in your owner documents. We understand that you are given a large amount of information on your date of purchase. That is why we legally allow you five days to read and review your contract after the date of purchase. The documents are provided to you prior to leaving on the date of sale. The disclaimers that you reviewed when you purchased specifically cover that all the information has been personally reviewed by you, that you have received copies of all documents and that there are no other representations that are not covered in writing. We review this information with you with the sole purpose of eliminating possible misunderstandings or confusion. Included in your documents were specific procedures on how to utilize your vacation ownership as well as cancel the same ownership. If you wanted to cancel within that timeframe you had the right to do so. Unfortunately, since you have passed your legal rescission period, we cannot simply cancel your contract. However, I know that happy owners are our most valuable asset, and welcome your ideas on how we might overcome your concerns regarding your Welk Platinum Program vacation ownership. Please allow us to help you use your time. If you need any assistance in booking a reservation or help with using your Interval International exchange benefits please reach out to our Owner Services team @ 1-800-240-9342. They are here to help you with any ownership need. Please feel free to reach out to me for any further assistance needed to resolve this matter. Sincerely, [redacted] Director of Consumer Affairs Welk Resorts [redacted]
I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint filed on November 5, 2014 asking Welk Resort Group to cancel your ownership contract. I have responded to your cancellation requests previously on...
March 31, 2014, April 14, 2014 and on June 2, 2104. Please allow me to address this challenges brought forth in your complaint.
I show that you both became Welk Platinum point owners on September 13, 2011 when you purchased 120,000 Platinum owner points to be used on an annual basis. Your first usage year for your Welk vacation ownership was 2012. Your points for both 2012 and 2013 were deposited with Interval International for exchange travel. Your 2014 usage year points have not been used. Your ownership is in a collection status due to non-payment of your owner obligated maintenance fees.
The sales presentation is 90 minutes. The purchase agreement negotiation, based upon the owner needs, pricing, discounts and incentives, takes additional time. Every contract is negotiated personally and pricing, discounts and incentives can change daily. You are only obligated to stay for the 90 minute sales presentation to receive your initial free gifts. You always have the right to leave at any time.
Yes, Welk does have an Owner Rental program. Our program allows you to put days/weeks into a rental pool to assist when you cannot travel or use. Our owners have used the program successfully to supplement their monthly and annual fees. Rental rates are based on unit size, season and weekend versus mid-week. The processing fees for Welk to advertise and rent your property are approximately 40%. The remaining roughly 60% is paid to you the owner. Our Owner Services team is here to help you with best practices for successful usage of our Owner Rental program. I have reviewed all of your owner notes and I do not see you have ever contacted us for assistance with usage of our Owner Rental program.
As you know, you have the option of depositing a week with Interval International in exchange for a week anywhere in the world. Your ownership with Welk includes the annual membership fee with Interval. When depositing with Interval, you will also receive a second week of vacation (any size villa requested, based upon availability) as a “Resort Accommodation Certificate” (bonus week). When you deposit your week with Interval, they will extend the expiration of your deposited week for two additional years. The bonus week from Interval International is good for one year. Your 2012 1BR deposit was exchanged into a 2BR week in Hawaii at the Point at Poipu in Kauai, Hawaii. Your stay at the Point at Poipu was from August 31, 2013 thru September 7, 2013. Your exchange deposit for your 2013 time remains unused.
Interval International has thousands of resort choices worldwide and Welk demands a very high trade value. The process is that you choose a resort destination, have several date choices and call Interval International. They will check availability. If nothing is available at that moment, they will start a “pending search” by collecting the exchange fee. Their system searches 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As soon as a match is found, they will generate an instant confirmation. More than 73% of our owners receive a confirmation within 48 hours. The only contact we have had with both of you in reference to Interval International is to deposit your time for exchange usage. We have never had an exchange challenge brought to our attention or a request made for assistance with booking exchange travel in the history of your ownership.
You can also use their “Short Stay” Gold Membership option that allows up to three short stays for every Welk week deposited. The fees for exchange were covered specifically in your ownership documents. I have previously sent you a highlighted copy of your Welk Resorts Platinum Program Deposit Incentive Program Disclosure for your review.
Your complaint references numerous usage challenges and a problem understanding how to use your owner benefits. Our Owner Services team is here seven days a week to assist owners with usage and to explain their owner benefits. You have never reached out to them for assistance. You have spoken to them to have your time deposited for exchange usage but we have no requests for assistance using your benefits or booking travel within the Welk family of resorts.
I can find no evidence of misrepresentations. We are an ethical company and cover everything thoroughly in our documents. We take our service levels and company ethics very seriously. Contracts are created, signed and explained to protect both parties in a transaction. During your sales presentations, not only did you meet and talk to the Sales Person and Sales Manager, the Escrow Analyst also went through the documents with you independently during your purchase transaction.
I do not have a cancellation option for your ownership. We understand that you are given a large amount of information on the date of sale. That is why we legally allow you seven days to read your contract after the date you signed. Included in your documents were specific procedures on how to utilize your vacation ownership, as well as directions to cancel that same ownership. If you wanted to cancel within that timeframe you had the right to do so. The instructions are specific that it must be done within the defined timeframe. As for your request to terminate your contract, it is not Welk’s policy to cancel contracts that have passed beyond their rescission period.
Welk does not have a “take-back” program that would allow you to simply return your ownership. Welk Resorts will not be refunding monies to you that were paid toward your ownership obligations. Our expectation is that you honor your Welk ownership commitment. We will continue to assist you to the best of our abilities with your ownership, use, exchange and rental as applicable, but we will not nullify our contract with you. At this point in time you need to bring your maintenance fee commitment current to be able to use your owner benefits.
Our Owner Services team can help you with best practices for successful usage of the Interval International exchange program or planning a vacation at any of our Welk Resort locations. You both purchased this vacation ownership with the intent on using it for vacation travel. Please allow us to help you use your time.
Feel free to reach out to me with any further questions or concerns in reference to this matter.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]
I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint filed on November 11, 2014. Please allow me to address the concerns you have put forth in your complaint.
I do show that you have been a Welk...
Platinum point owner since May 16, 2009. You have upgraded your ownership twice, the final time being on March 25, 2012. Your current ownership consists of 270,000 Platinum owner points to be used on an annual basis. The first usage year for this ownership was 2013.
I apologize for any confusion with our Loans team. I have asked the manager of that department to reach out to you personally to resolve this issue. Her name is [redacted] and she will be contacting you on the number provided in your complaint. I show your last payment on your ownership mortgage was made in October of 2014 and that your maintenance fees for 2014 were fully paid.
I apologize if you felt you were treated less than professionally. That is certainly not how we want an owner of ours to feel after an interaction with one of our associates.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any further questions or concerns regarding this matter. My personal e-mail is listed below.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]@welkgroup.com
Dear Hutch Farrell, Please find in this letter additional information supporting the request on my mother’s and aunt’s behalf ([redacted] and [redacted]) for a refund of their money and the Welk Resorts contract they signed, be deemed null and void based on misrepresentation of Welk Resorts employees from the Branson Missouri location. My mother and aunt did not receive what they were told they would receive. In this response I am including information that has been communicated to Welk Resorts and others; however, I am not sure that you have received all of this specific information. My mother, [redacted] (76), and my aunt, [redacted] (then 77), were vacationing in Branson, Missouri. They went to The Branson Tourism Center to pick up tickets to several shows in which they had paid for in advance. An employee asked them if they would like to receive $100.00 for listening to a 60 minute presentation at the Welk Resort. They said, “Why not. 60 minutes is not that much time.” (I found out later, by finding the Facebook page for Bob [redacted], the General Manager of the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri, that the Welk Resort in Branson bought the Branson Tourism Center several months ago.) This is important, as many seniors pick up their show tickets at the Branson Tourism Center and this gives them a great opportunity to approach those who might seem vulnerable. Branson is a vacation destination known for catering to the elderly. They went to the Welk Resort presentation. My mother later stated she did not know the presentation was about timeshare sales until they arrived at the resort for the presentation. This presentation was supposed to last 60 minutes. It lasted 4 1/2 hours. They arrived at 12:30 and they left at 5:00. They initially met [redacted]. He identified himself as as a guy who had only been on the job for about 3 weeks. He was trying to learn everything about the job but might need some help a little later, if he did not have answers to all their questions. He also said he was working really hard because he was getting married and wanted to earn a nice honeymoon for his wife. After they spent time with [redacted], he got to know them and about their lives. He learned they were in the their seventies, they were widows, they had family and wanted to travel over the next few years in an economical, safe, easy, stress-free manner. My aunt had used travel agents and expressed to [redacted] that this is the type of travel arrangement she would like to make in the future. She wanted to tell the “agents” where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do and she expected the travel agent would make the arrangements. At this point, [redacted] assured them he would be their travel “agent”, stating they could call him anytime and he would make their travel arrangements. My mom and aunt were told that they could give their timeshare to their family as an “inheritance” when they passed. My mother stated that she noted that this was something nice that she might be able to do for her family when she died. They were taken to view a suite and pool area that would be representative of what they should expect when traveling to a Welk Resort. They were also told that if they signed the contract “today” they would get a free trip to Hawaii. (Welk Resorts would pay the air fare. A $125.00 fee would be charged and my mom and aunt could bring 2 family members with them; however, the family members would pay heir own air fare.) Once [redacted] gathered the initial information and they decided that they were interested in discussing the timeshare further, [redacted] left the table and another man came to discuss things further. They do not remember his name but noted that the sales approach became more pressured and that he quoted the price of the time share as $36,000.00 and maintenance fees of approximately $800.00. They started getting uncomfortable with things at this point as the sales direction became significantly more pressured. They asked if they could think about it overnight and they were told if they wanted to get the “FREE” Hawaii trip they must sign before they left the table. My mom and aunt started telling the salesman that they didn’t think they would do it. Then, another salesperson came to their table. The new salesperson was a soft-spoken woman who said that maybe they would be interested in their “Senior Package”. It was only $12,000.00 and allowed for travel every other year. My mother and aunt signed the contract and it has been something they have regretted ever since. Bob [redacted], General Manager of the Welk Resort at Branson, Missouri, “assisted” my mother and aunt through the final contract process. They described a barrage of paper-flipping and paraphrasing of sections that were to be initialed. Mr. [redacted] would paraphrase sections and he would say something like, “If you are OK with that, initial right here.” It is important to note that AT NO TIME WERE MY MOTHER AND AUNT GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO READ THE CONTRACT AND THEY WERE NEVER INFORMED THAT THEY HAD 5 DAYS TO RESCIND THE CONTRACT TO GET A FULL REFUND. At the end of the contract, in large print, there is a statement that notes the 5 day period required for refund; however, THERE IS NO SPACE FOR INITIALING THIS SECTION. THEREFORE, SINCE ALL SECTIONS REQUIRING INITIALS WERE PARAPHRASED BY MR. [redacted] AND THIS SECTION DID NOT REQUIRE INITIALS, IT IS POSSIBLE, IF NOT PROBABLE, THAT THIS INFORMATION WAS NEVER COMMUNICATED TO MY MOTHER AND AUNT. My mother and aunt asked for time to think about this decision over night and they were told they would lose the trip to Hawaii if they did not sign before they left the table.They paid their required down payment of $620.00 a piece with debit cards and they were told that they could begin scheduling arrangements with the $620.00 payments made that day. Before they left, they were given two $50.00 coupons for dinner at Chateau By The Lake and $100 cash. Upon arriving home, my mother to Anadarko, Oklahoma and my aunt to Shawnee, Oklahoma, they started immediately working on making their vacation arrangements. During this planning process, they were told they had to pay the balance of the $12,000.00 within 60 days or start making payments with interest. They paid the balance to avoid paying interest by giving their checking account information over the phone and the money was deducted directly out of their accounts. My mother called [redacted] early on, trying to make arrangements for for a trip to Dollywood. He told her he would call her back. He never did. When my mother called him back, he said that he no longer worked for the company, that he was “fired”. This is very curious to me. If he no longer works for the company, and was “fired”, why was he fired? There is also the very real possibility that he was never fired and his promise of being their “agent” was just a ploy to get my mother and aunt to sign the contract. If the later is true, then he still works for Welk Resorts and he is available to say similar things to other seniors, to get them to sign a contract. So, with [redacted], their travel agent, no longer working for Welk Resorts, they knew this was not going to be what they expected, but they continued to try to arrange their vacations. They were given multiple steps and multiple reasons why they could not schedule their trips. (They were trying to arrange the FREE trip and accommodations to Hawaii, as well as a separate trip to Dollywood.) They were told they had to transfer points, so they tried to transfer points. At this point, they found out that they cannot transfer points until they paid their maintenance fees up front. So, they immediately, paid the $819.00 maintenance fee (splitting the fee between the 2 of them.) This too, was not explained to them; that they had to pay the 2 year maintenance fee up front ( they thought they would pay it at the end of the year as is done with property taxes). They were also not told until a much later date that the maintenance fees would be subject to go up every year. My mother and aunt spent numerous hours reviewing their options in the Interval Catalogue provided with their purchase. There are specific terms used in describing the units available for selection which are unique to Interval and Welk Resorts. They studied options and pre-requisites for travel and were given a new set of pre-requisites each time they completed one. Once I became aware of their situation with Welk Resorts, I took a look at the catalogues and paperwork. I am a college graduate with a MS degree. The series of steps, terms and timeframes that must be met were very confusing to me. I am in my 50‘s; how much more difficult it must be when you are in your late 70’s and have no experience in this type of business. Obviously, this is not what they understood they purchased. Remember, [redacted] told [redacted] she wanted to make one phone call to an agent who would make their travel arrangements and he assured them he would be their agent. [redacted] even told them that they could call him personally. He gave them his direct phone number. He said he would make all their arrangements for them personally. All they had to do was tell him where they wanted to go and he would make all the arrangements. One of the communications my mother received from the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri, was an email from Diane Harrelson who noted that Bob [redacted] asked her to send an email to my mother. The email requested that my mother and aunt complete the Quarterly Payment Form, and return it as soon as possible, so they could start accessing their credit card for quarterly payments as of January 2015. Welk Resorts didn’t have the appropriate form for 2015. The email asked them to write at the top of the attached form “For 2015 and Forward”, fill it out and mail it back to them. It is strange to me that Welk Resorts does not have an appropriate form. They work with thousands of customers on a regular basis, yet, they use a 2014 form and ask customers to amend a legal document with hand written notes. This is not acceptable. If signed, this form would give Welk Resorts the ability to charge their credit card quarterly beginning with 2015 and ongoing. Since they signed the timeshare contract they have had MANY documented conversations with Welk Resorts. A few conversations were in regards to the process they had to go through to participate in the timeshare. Again, this is not what they were told they would receive when they signed with Welk Resorts. In fact, my aunt has said that MOST of her conversations with Welk Resorts were to try to get their money back; get a refund. It was only after they tried to get this resolved with no success that they came to me and told me about everything they had experienced with Welk Resorts. They were embarrassed that they had been taken advantage of and found it hard to believe that people could look them in the eye and be so deceptive and basically take their money. I would like to give some of my own thoughts, as [redacted]’s daughter. 1) I believe that the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri, uses the Branson Tourism Center as a baiting ground. They are predators. They look for senior adults who are honest, do business on a handshake and are loyal and trusting. My mother and aunt walked in there to get show tickets and they were prime candidates for their scam; sisters in their 70‘s traveling together. My mother and aunt are not wealthy women, they have worked hard for their retirement and depend on this money to live out their golden years. My mother noted that all the other people who were listening to a presentation at the Welk Resort that day were about their same age. 2) They were told they would have a travel agent-type relationship with Welk Resort. [redacted] gave them his direct phone number for the purpose of assisting them with vacation arrangements; then, when they asked for his assistance, he told them he no longer worked for the company because he was “fired”. 3) They were NEVER informed that they had a 5 day window to receive a full refund. Although it may have been in the contract text, it was not a section that required initials. All sections that were to be initialed were paraphrased by Mr. [redacted]. 4) They were never given an opportunity to read the contract, even though they requested time to review and consider the proposition. 5) I believe the “free trip to Hawaii” is just a manipulative tool used to lure people into signing the contract. 6) I do not think it is coincidence that the 1st salesman established a social contact with my mother and aunt, a newly married guy trying to earn a vacation for his honeymoon. He was followed by the guy who used much more harsh sales tactics and quoted the initial price of $36,000.00, only to be followed by and soft spoken woman who reduced the price to $12,000.00. I believe this is a deceptive system taught by the Welk Resorts. 7) My mother and aunt are in their seventies, they WILL NEVER LIVE LONG ENOUGH to reap the benefits of a $12,000.00 contract which limits their vacationing to EVERY OTHER YEAR! 8) Maintenance fee schedules were never explained and they were never told the maintenance fees would have the capacity to go up every payment. 9) They were told that the presentation would last 60 minutes. They were there for 4 1/2 hours Lastly, I feel that my mother and aunt were targeted and systematically processed through a manipulative program of deception, starting at the Branson Tourism Center, where they were first groomed to attend the presentation. I believe that the truth regarding [redacted]’s employment is not fully known and if he was fired by Welk Resorts, it is likely that some of his unethical practices may have been the cause for his termination. If [redacted] is actually still employed with Welk Resorts and he told my mother and aunt that he was no longer with the company simply to get them to stop calling him, then that deception is a cold, calculated lie, as well. If my mother and aunt had known about the 5 day time frame for refund, they would have done so (this section in the contract was never covered and did not required an initial). If they had been given an opportunity to read the contract they would never have signed it. When they asked to “sleep on it”, this should have been granted and the Hawaiian trip “sign on bonus” still honored. You have said more than once that Welk Resorts is an ethical company. Prove it. Do something noble. Do something right! My elderly mother and aunt were told by [redacted], a Welk Resorts employee, that he would serve as a travel agent for them. HE GAVE THEM HIS PERSONAL CELL NUMBER, FOR THE PURPOSE OF THEM CALLING HIM AS THEIR TRAVEL AGENT. That was the primary reason they went through with the decision to buy the timeshare. As a Welk Resorts salesman, he represents Welk Resorts. He lied to them! That is not ethical. Also, you have mentioned that Welk Resorts could not rescind the contract because there is a large print section in the contract that states there is a 5 day window in which this must take place. Yes. I have read that section. It exists. However, I also saw that all important sections have a small line that must be initialed by the buyers. ON THEIR CONTRACT, THIS SECTION HAS NO LINE FOR INITIALS. My mother and aunt were never given the contract to read. Each section was paraphrased for them and then they were told something like, “If you are ok with that, initial here”. My mom and aunt were never told about the 5 day period and they never read it. Welk Resorts must be responsible not only for what they sign, but also for WHAT THEY SAY, AND DON’T SAY. They must be responsible for what they communicate, in any medium. Employees of the Welk Resorts at Branson, lied, manipulated and took advantage of two women, 76 and 77 years old. Ethical? No, that is an embarrassment. Our ultimate goal is for [redacted] and [redacted] to receive a full refund for all payments made in relation to the timeshare purchase at Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri. We want this contract deemed null and void due to misrepresentation by the Welk Resorts at Branson, Missouri. My mother and aunt will NEVER take a trip through Welk Resorts. NEVER. And, Welk Resorts will never get one more red cent from my mother and aunt. No, Never. I am devoted to my mother and my aunt who have been a wonderful example to our family of what a woman should be in this world. They are God-loving, trustworthy, hard-working, women who have sacrificially given so that those around them can prosper. They, in good faith, entered into a business agreement with the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri, and they held up their end of the bargain. Welk Resorts has not. Welk Resorts has got to be held responsible for promises made when talking to people they are trying to persuade into joining Welk Resorts timeshares. I am well motivated and have a long enduring patience. The longer it takes to resolve this issue, obviously, the more people are told this story. The beginning of this story is not very becoming to Welk Resorts. Only you can write the ending. A person’s reputation is based on how one treats others and most importantly, how you treat those who cannot protect themselves: the young...the old..the injured. The same goes for an organization or a company. Make no mistake, however this story ends, I am going to tell it to whomever will listen. I support any and all entities that will seek to hold timeshare businesses to a higher standard, particularly when dealing with seniors. In closing, I want to be clear and concise. My mother and aunt: 1) want their money refunded 2) want the contract they entered into with Welk Resorts rescinded, based on misrepresentation, as noted clearly throughout this letter. Also, I have a few other specific questions I would like answered: 1) Has [redacted] ever worked for Welk Resorts Branson Missouri? 2) If so, does [redacted] still work for Welk Resorts? 3) If he does not, why is he no longer with the company? 4) Why does Welk Resorts require that sections of the contract be initialed? Please respond to my specific requests. Thank you. I will be awaiting your response. [redacted].[redacted]@sbcglobal.net ###-###-####
Mr. [redacted], I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint filed on February 23, 2015. I apologize for the repeated calls. I have personally sent all of your information to our team that controls our Do Not Call and Do Not Solicit lists. I have asked for your...
information to be added to both lists. This should halt any future calls. Please reach out to me directly if you receive a phone call. If there are any additional numbers you would like me to add to these lists please feel free to e-mail them to me and I will get them added right away. If you have any further questions or concerns regarding this matter please reach out to me directly at the e-mail address listed below. Sincerely, [redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs Welk Resorts [redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear Part of the statement is true. We did purchase the time share on the dates stated. We did want specific dates. We did want actually one location. Now the part that is not true is what we were sold on. After meeting with our sales rep at Welks she brought over two other sales reps. Both showing us pictures of their trips. One trip being the location we requested and the second being Costa Rica. They told us how easy it was to book and that they only booked 3 weeks out. Then we told those reps the location and date we wanted. They told us with as much notice as where giving that wouldn't be a problem. Now after we paid out $31,500 we are being told something else. We got a call two night ago offering us a location in a hotel that was built in the 70's and is not even close to what they sold us. I feel this was a bait and switch.
Regards,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Mr. [redacted],
This is to confirm receipt
of your response to the Revdex.com. You made the comment that we were free to leave
the presentation at any time. In our opinion, you are stating that these
are no-pressure sales presentation, when in fact that is not the case. When
we attended the presentation at Welk Resort back in September 2011, leaving did
not feel like an option until they were finished with their
"presentation". However, there was never any formal conclusion
and they transitioned straight into their sales pitch, in which there was a lot
of pressure to buy their product. As far as being free to go when we desired,
we wish that leaving would have been as easy as saying "No thank
you", walking outside to our car, and driving home. But again this is
not the case. We are sure you are already aware of these tactics being that
your company has received numerous complaints and a vast amount of those
outlines the pressure you are subjected to and the only way out is to agree to
purchase.
When we first arrived at
Welk Resort in Escondido, we entered a small welcome center where we
were personally escorted via golf cart by a Welk employee up a hill
to where the Club House was located and we were given the sales
presentation. If we wanted to leave, we would need to have Welk resort staff
escort us back down the hill to where our car was parked or walk the distance
ourselves. Of course, this was never offered to us during the
presentation after we initially stated that we did not wish to
purchase the timeshare. Instead we received one offer after another for hours on
end until we finally caved, ONLY under the impression that we would have a
resale option later if we chose to sever ties.
Not only was resale not
an option, but we had not even had the timeshare for two years before the
resort wanted us to refinance the entire loan or risk not being able
to use our membership because we would not have enough
"points,” or so we thought.
Therefore, our
choice would have been refinance or pay for something we cannot fully
use. Either way we are losing our money to Welk. In regards to
your comment, "never reaching out", that is very untrue Mr.
[redacted]. As we have stated in our initial letter to your company, we
had attempted to call the resort for assistance from their "concierge
services". The few individuals that we have spoken to on the
phone clearly did not have any knowledge about renting our units
or how to use the short stay vacations. Quite frankly, those
individuals had no desire to really take any time to assist us
in answering our questions or helping us plan future vacations. Calling their so-called
"concierge services" was a waste of time, and left feeling like a
severely unappreciated customer.
Mr. [redacted] for you to
give the impression that your methods are honest, transparent, and honorable
is completely false. We will continue to argue through and through, no
person should ever be pressured to the extent that we were into
first purchasing something and then forcing them to keep it for the rest
of their lives. There is no earthly possession that a person should
be forced to keep for the rest of their lives; as in cars, homes, jobs, even
spouses (as tragic as that sounds). A timeshare should not be
any different!
We do expect for your
company to cancel our contract and we do expect a refund of monies paid. We
will not accept anything less.
Regards,
[redacted] & [redacted] [redacted]
Welk Owner Number [redacted] Dear Mrs. [redacted], I am in receipt of your rebuttal regarding my response to your Revdex.com complaint. Please allow me to address the points in your response. You are correct. I have addressed your ownership challenges in my previous letter and e-mails to you. Allow me to address your questions about exchange. When you deposit your week with Interval International you will receive an exchange week and a bonus week in exchange for your deposit. You are free to use both of these as you choose. You would not still have the week that you placed into exchange, to receive the Interval International exchange week and bonus week, to use for personal travel The exchange fee for usage of a deposited week with Interval International will range from $169.00 - $189.00. When you use an Interval International bonus week the fees will range from $249.00 to $449.00 based on the size of the villa. These are two separate fees for two separate events. The fees are associated with your deposited Interval International week and the fees for usage of your bonus week that you receive with each Interval International deposit. These fees are not combined. They are separate fees depending on which Interval exchange option you want to use. The fees and restrictions are clearly covered in your ownership paperwork. There are restrictions that come with your Catalina trip voucher. We ask you to register the voucher within 21 days. This is not an expiration date for your voucher. Our redemption partner successfully sends thousands and thousands of our guests on wonderful gifted excursions on an annual basis. I have asked you previously to provide me the information on the type of gifting challenge you are encountering. We are happy to reach out to our redemption company and ask them to extend your time to use your gifts. I am not sure who you spoke to regarding the usage of your ownership by family members. You would need to make the reservation and then simply fill out a guest authorization form for them to use the villa. There is no additional cost incurred when you have a guest or family member use your time. As stated previously, I do not have a contract rescission option for your ownership commitment. Welk does not have a “take-back” program that would allow you to simply return your ownership. Welk Resorts will not be refunding monies to you that were paid toward your ownership obligations. We can continue to go back and forth on the issue but our stance will not change. From where we stand: We will continue to assist you to the best of our abilities with your ownership, use, exchange and rental as applicable, but we will not nullify your Welk ownership contract. You have a contractual ownership commitment to Welk Resorts that we expect you to honor. I do not have any further options available for you. Please feel free to reach out to me with any further questions or concerns in reference to this matter. Sincerely, [redacted] [redacted] Director of Consumer Affairs Welk Resorts [redacted]
complaint. Please allow me to address the points in your complaint.
You still have an automatic reservation being set up based on your original Welk ownership. You have weeks 24 and week 52 each year in a two-bedroom villa. These weeks are automatically reserved for you per your ownership agreement. Based on your original ownership agreement if the weeks go unused they are lost. We have not had any contact from you regarding your ownership and we are unable to contact you to help you manage your Welk ownership. If you would like to contact us for assistance with managing your ownership we are more than happy to provide assistance.
Your ownership was upgraded on August 11, 2012. Your new ownership kept your agreed weeks (24 & 52) in place but allowed for those weeks to be converted to Platinum owner points for usage within our Platinum Owner Program if your reservations were cancelled. We have pending reservations set for you for December of 2014 and June and December of 2015 and 2016. With your upgraded Platinum point ownership if the set week reservations are cancelled the time will be converted to Platinum points so it will not be lost.
With your Platinum point upgrade there is an additional maintenance fee commitment that is incurred. This information is detailed in the purchase contract documents. Those same documents include the right to cancel at any time, for any reason, within seven days of the purchase date. It is not Welk’s policy to cancel or rescind and ownership that has passed beyond the legally allowed rescission period.
I do show Mr. [redacted] spoke to our Owner Services team on December 10, 2012. This was the last time we spoke with either of you. That conversation addressed questions about how our Owner Rental program works. We also sent e-mail reservation confirmations for your week 24 and week 52 reservations for years 2014 and 2015.
Please let we know if I can be of further assistance in reference to this matter.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]@welkgroup.com
I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint rebuttal. I felt I specifically addressed the issues in your complaint with my first response.
As stated in my previous response, there are no challenges listed within your ownership notes. You have stated that the dates to book travel are unavailable. We have a pending exchange reservation for you to travel to Maui, Hawaii in December of 2014.
Your contract documents and signed promissory note contain the agreed upon terms for the purchase of your ownership. The interest rate, payment terms and late fees are all specifically covered. I have included a copy for your review. These are the terms of your purchase agreement
We are an ethical company and cover everything thoroughly in our documents. Our documents cover in detail your ownership commitment. Included in your documents were specific procedures on how to utilize your vacation ownership as well as the specific steps to be used to cancel your ownership contract. All of the documentation is provided to you prior to leaving on the date of sale. Welk does not have a “take-back” program.
You could have legally canceled anytime, and for any reason, within your legally allowed rescission period. Since you have passed your legal rescission period, contract cancellation is not an option. There is not a release or give-back option for your ownership contract. Our expectation is that you honor your ownership obligation to Welk Resorts.
Please know that our Owner Services team is here to assist you and guide you through your ownership to make sure you are enjoying it to the full potential. We will customize the ownership to fit your vacation needs, based on what you purchased.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any further question or concerns regarding this matter
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. But 2 concerns: 1) It says "refunded" as past tense. Was it reportedly already mailed? If so I've obviously not in receipt of such refund as of yet.2) Is there no apology or such extended to me whatever for what they put me thru over a simple matter including needing to contact the Revdex.com on this?3) On the part you said that if I accept then this matter will be available on your website or such as a posting..However can you do initial at best or even anonymous v. my name to publicized?? I'm hopeful that can be avoided due to well known privacy concerns.
Regards,
[redacted]
Welk Lawrence Welk Resort Villa Owner Number 48894
Mr. [redacted],
I apologize for the time it took me to get this response to you. I know our Loans team was looking into this matter and trying to determine the best way to reach a successful conclusion to your request. I am...
assuming as I write this that you have already received a message from our Director of Loans to contact her. If you have not you will be hearing from her shortly. Please get in contact with her. She wants to talk to you personally and resolve this matter.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me directly. My e-mail address is listed below.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]
Mr. [redacted] has been refunded.His complaint ID number is [redacted]The complaint date is April 6, 2015.Please let me know if you need anything else for this complaint. Best regards, [redacted]|Team Member Since 2012Director of Consumer Affairs|Welk Resorts8860 Lawrence Welk...
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[I refuse to accept anything from the Welk Group or Mr. [redacted] other then cancellation of my ownership. Not that they have offered me anything besides copy pasted insincere replies. I have honored and will continue to honor my "fraudulent contract" until I no longer have to and that day will come. I will continue to pursue legal action against the Welk Group. I wonder who hired Mr. [redacted] to begin with, what kind of professional brags about their company only to turn around and say the value of their product is based off pennies on the dollar? This nonsense and nonchalant attitude must be stopped!]
Regards,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Mr. [redacted], Thank you so much for taking the time to address our concerns; however there are many over sights or downright ignoring of several of our complaints about the product we purchased. Your records of our purchases are accurate but you never once addressed the misrepresentations that took place when made these purchases; rather you insult us by stating that we ‘misunderstood’. Misunderstanding means that we are at fault for not comprehending the information and the details that surrounded our purchases and this implication on your behalf and Welk further goes to show how distorted and falsified the product information was. You mentioned that the Welk provides its owner an Owner Rental Program and thus far, we as owners, have never been made aware of such a program. Since hearing of this in the letter you sent to us, we did some research looking to see what sort of rental rates you all were advertising for. Well, none of these rates seem to be able to cover my maintenance fees due to the large percentage Welk takes, so I am not exactly clear on how this will actually benefit us. You go on to mention that we never inquired about using this program and that would be because we were never aware of this. If you all are so successful at helping owners supplement their monthly and annual fees, would it not be fair to say that this information would be clearly relayed to your owners? You further go on to explain how highly rated your company is with owner/guest experiences and for the high trade value through the exchange companies, that are not associated with Welk and to be quit frank, we purchased a Welk ownership for the resort locations within your company and not to vacation through an exchange company. Especially the Branson location, we clearly outlined the selling factors in our previous letter to you but you obviously did not go over every point of our dissatisfaction nor took the time to address each of our concerns. However, your sales person did spend time highlighting the ability to vacation throughout the World but Welk only have a total of 5 resort locations. I am assuming that this was another misunderstanding on our part but again, I did my research and find that there is no association with Welk and Interval International; if this company were simply go out of business or no longer agree to the terms and conditions that you base the “sale” of your product then were would be as owners? We feel that you tried to pull certain areas of dissatisfaction and focus on how these issues are due our inability to have either done our homework or just our inability to comprehend plain English. I am further confused to the detailed explanation on how to utilize my ownership through someone other than Welk, do you work for Welk or Interval International? You further go on to explain the exchange fees, which again were not explained to us when we made our purchase and why would we be interested in paying additional fees for a product that was clearly outlined that would work to accommodate our needs. The information that was given to us on the day that we purchased as exaggerated and it seems that you do not believe that your employees would mislead owners like myself to make a sale. Five days after our purchase there was no way for us to know the reality of this ownership, we were not planning another vacation and as you see our points allotment was not for another year; so exactly how were we to know that we were deceived? Your final statement outlines that you, Welk, review this information with us with the sole purpose of eliminating possible misunderstanding or confusion? Why would you make it a practice to review any information to assure that there is no confusion? If your product works the way that it is represented than there should not be any sort of “misunderstanding or confusion”. You also speak as if you were physically present during the signing of the documents but I do not recall anyone other than Bob Stiff, Quality Assurance Manager, Don Alt and [redacted] present; therefore it is not a fair statement to imply that all these protocols took place. Again, as we outlined in our letter to you all, we sat through a so-called “update meeting” that lasted almost 4 hours and by the end of this ordeal there were many documents that required us to sign and we were never once given the opportunity to review these documents in their entirety prior to signing. Faye constantly reassured us that she would be there to help us with anything of our needs in the future but we were never able to reach her and were later told by someone with Welk that she had been let go because she was under the influence of alcohol and her incompetency. We also feel that you did not address the scam off of $18,295 for our Bluegreen contract and in reality had we been given this amount the true sales price of 240,000 points our mortgage would have only been in the $8,000 range and not $26,295.00. Mr. [redacted], we feel that you deliberately over looked many of our complaints and that resolving our concerns is not truly a priority. We have been in contact with the Revdex.com regarding the business practices of your company and stand true to the concerns that we advised you of. We were promised many things about this ownership and many of them never came to light. The allure of this big water attraction coming and resulting in more tourism would build the value of our ownership, was all sham. We would like you to reassess our original complaint and put forth a valiant effort to resolving our issues.
Regards,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]
Welk Platinum Point Owner Number [redacted] Dear Mr. [redacted], I apologize for the delay in responding to your Revdex.com complaint. I was waiting on a resolution to be met. It is my understanding that you have agreed to terms with our Sales team to a...
satisfactory resolution to your concerns. I have been notified today that your concerns have been addressed and that you are satisfied with the outcome that has been reached. Please let me know if, for any reason, this may not be the case. As always, if you have any further questions or concerns feel free to reach out to me directly. Best regards, [redacted] Director of Consumer Affairs Welk Resorts [redacted]
Dear Mr. [redacted], I am in receipt your Revdex.com complaint filed on January 5, 2015. Please allow me to address your request for a refund of your room and tour deposits. I show that, per our records, your hotel fee was refunded on January 4, 2015 and your tour...
deposit was refunded on January 14, 2015. I am happy to provide you documentation if needed. Please reach out to me directly with any further questions or concerns regarding this matter. Sincerely, [redacted] Director of Consumer Affairs Welk Resorts [redacted]
Dear Mr. & Mrs. [redacted],
I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint filed on November 1, 2014. Please allow me address the concerns brought forth in your complaint.
I show that you both became Welk Platinum point owners on October 26, 2013. You purchased 240,000 Platinum owner points to be used on an every “even” year basis. The first usage year for your ownership was 2014. You chose to upgrade your ownership on February 2, 2014 when you upgraded to 360,000 Platinum owner points to be used on an every “even” year basis The first usage year for your upgraded ownership was 2014.
I am sorry if there were any misunderstandings during your sales presentation. Welk is highly rated for owner/guest experiences and for the high trade value through the exchange companies. We take great pride in assisting our owners planning memorial vacations.
I apologize if you felt pressured, or felt that the sale process took an excessive amount of time. The sales presentation is 90 minutes. The purchase agreement negotiation, based upon the owner needs, pricing, discounts and incentives, takes additional time. Every contract is negotiated personally and pricing, discounts and incentives can change daily. You are only obligated to stay for the 90 minute sales presentation to receive your initial free gifts. You always have the right to leave at any time.
Your Welk Platinum point ownership allows you the flexibility to stay in any of our villas on property at the San Diego Resort or any other Welk Resort location within the Platinum point program. The only question is how you want to customize your stay. Your points can be used in any configuration at all Welk Resort locations. The villa types determine whether you have enough points to stay in a 1BR small, 1BR large, 2BR for a full week or less than a full week. You have the opportunity to place points into Interval International for exchange and still be able to use points to stay at any Welk Resort location.
Please allow me to clarify your exchange opportunities with Interval International. Your ownership options include depositing a week with Interval International in exchange for a week anywhere in the world. When depositing with Interval, you will also receive a second week of vacation (any size villa requested, based upon availability) as a “Resort Accommodation Certificate” (bonus week). When you deposit your ownership with Interval, they will extend the expiration of the deposited week for two additional years. The bonus week from Interval International is good for one year. I show that you chose to deposit a two-bedroom exchange equivalent with Interval International on March 3, 2014.
For each week that you deposit with Interval international you will receive one bonus week. If you deposit two 1BR one week equivalents (120,000 Platinum points) with Interval International, you will receive two bonus weeks from Interval International good for travel for one year. You would still have enough points remaining to stay in a small 1BR Villa at our Welk Resort San Diego location. You have 120,000 Platinum points for your 2014 usage year that remain unused.
Interval International has thousands of resort choices worldwide and Welk demands a very high trade value. The process is that you choose a resort destination, have several date choices and call Interval International. They will check availability. If nothing is available at that moment, they will start a “pending search” by collecting the exchange fee. Their system searches 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As soon as a match is found, they will generate an instant confirmation. More than 73% of our owners receive a confirmation within 48 hours.
The exchange fee for usage of a deposited week with Interval International will range from $169.00 - $189.00. The fees for your bonus week exchange with Interval International, based on villa size, have increased slightly as of January 1, 2014. When you use an Interval International bonus week the fees will range from $249.00 to $449.00 based on the size of the villa. All of these fees are clearly outlined in your owner documents.
These are two separate fees for two separate events. The fees associated with your deposited Interval International week and the fees for usage of your bonus week that you receive with each Interval International deposit. These fees are not combined. They are separate fees depending on which Interval exchange option you want to use.
When you upgraded your ownership your owner obligated maintenance fee obligation would have increased as well. It is in proportion to the amount of your Platinum point increase. The maintenance fees obligation for your usage year area also in your ownership upgrade paperwork. I have included a copy of your contract information. The documents have been highlighted for your review. Please note the payment differences for each contract. I have included the signed promissory note from your ownership upgrade as well.
I do not have a cancellation option for your ownership. We understand that you are given a large amount of information on the date of sale. That is why we legally allow you seven days to read your contract after the date you signed. Included in your documents were specific procedures on how to utilize your vacation ownership, as well as directions to cancel that same ownership.
If you wanted to cancel within that timeframe you had the right to do so. The instructions are specific that it must be done within the defined timeframe. As for your request to terminate your contract, it is not Welk’s policy to cancel contracts that have passed beyond their rescission period.
We are an ethical company and cover everything thoroughly in our documents. Every contract is negotiated personally and pricing, discounts and incentives can change daily. We take our service levels and company ethics very seriously. Contracts are created, signed and explained to protect both parties in a transaction. Not only did you meet and talk to the Sales Person and Sales Manager, the Escrow Analyst also went through the documents with you independently during each of your purchase transactions.
Please know that our Owner Services team is here to assist you and guide you through your ownership to make sure you are enjoying it to the full potential. We will customize the ownership to fit your vacation needs, based on what you purchased. Please allow us to help you use your time. If you need any assistance in booking a reservation, use of our Owner Rental program or help with using the Interval International exchange benefit please reach out to our Owner Services team @ 1-800-240-9342.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any further questions or concerns in reference to this matter
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]
RE: Welk Platinum Point Ownership Number [redacted] Dear Mr. [redacted], Mrs. [redacted] & Mr. [redacted], I am in receipt of your letter of dispute sent to Welk Resort group and stating that you would like your ownership obligation dissolved. Please allow me to address the points in...
your letter. Our records show that you became Welk Platinum point owners on August 8, 2010 when you purchased 90,000 Platinum owner points to be used on an every “odd” year basis starting in 2011. You chose to upgrade your ownership on November 4, 2011 to a 240,000 platinum point ownership with a first usage year of 2013. I am sorry if there were any misunderstandings during your sales presentation. Welk is highly rated for owner/guest experiences and for the high trade value through the exchange companies. We take great pride in assisting our owners planning memorial vacations. Yes, Welk does have an Owner Rental program. Our program allows you to put days/weeks into a rental pool to assist when you cannot travel or use. Our owners have used the program successfully to supplement their monthly and annual fees. Rental rates are based on unit size, season and weekend versus mid-week. The processing fees for Welk to advertise and rent your property are approximately 40%. The remaining roughly 60% is paid to you the owner. Our Owner Services team is here to help you with best practices for successful usage of our Owner Rental program. I do not show in the history of your ownership you have ever inquired about using the Owner Rental Program. Please allow me to clarify your exchange opportunities with Interval International. Your ownership options include depositing a week with Interval International in exchange for a week anywhere in the world. When depositing with Interval, you will also receive a second week of vacation (any size villa requested, based upon availability) as a “Resort Accommodation Certificate” (bonus week). When you deposit your ownership with Interval, they will extend the expiration of the deposited week for two additional years. The bonus week from Interval International is good for one year. Our records show you have made deposits with interval International in 2012 and 2013. I do not show you have ever spoken to our Owner Services team in reference to any challenges regarding usage of your exchange benefits. For each week that you deposit with Interval international you will receive one bonus week. If you deposit two 1BR one week equivalents (120,000 Platinum points) with Interval International, you will receive two bonus weeks from Interval International good for travel for one year. Interval International has thousands of resort choices worldwide and Welk demands a very high trade value. The process is that you choose a resort destination, have several date choices and call Interval International. They will check availability. If nothing is available at that moment, they will start a “pending search” by collecting the exchange fee. Their system searches 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As soon as a match is found, they will generate an instant confirmation. More than 73% of our owners receive a confirmation within 48 hours. The exchange fee for usage of a deposited week with Interval International will range from $169.00 - $189.00. The fees for your bonus week exchange with Interval International, based on villa size, have increased slightly as of January 1, 2014. When you use an Interval International bonus week the fees will range from $249.00 to $449.00 based on the size of the villa. All of these fees are clearly outlined in your owner documents. We understand that you are given a large amount of information on your date of purchase. That is why we legally allow you five days to read and review your contract after the date of purchase. The documents are provided to you prior to leaving on the date of sale. The disclaimers that you reviewed when you purchased specifically cover that all the information has been personally reviewed by you, that you have received copies of all documents and that there are no other representations that are not covered in writing. We review this information with you with the sole purpose of eliminating possible misunderstandings or confusion. Included in your documents were specific procedures on how to utilize your vacation ownership as well as cancel the same ownership. If you wanted to cancel within that timeframe you had the right to do so. Unfortunately, since you have passed your legal rescission period, we cannot simply cancel your contract. However, I know that happy owners are our most valuable asset, and welcome your ideas on how we might overcome your concerns regarding your Welk Platinum Program vacation ownership. Please allow us to help you use your time. If you need any assistance in booking a reservation or help with using your Interval International exchange benefits please reach out to our Owner Services team @ 1-800-240-9342. They are here to help you with any ownership need. Please feel free to reach out to me for any further assistance needed to resolve this matter. Sincerely, [redacted] Director of Consumer Affairs Welk Resorts [redacted]
Welk Platinum Point Owner Number: [redacted]
Dear Mr. & Mrs. [redacted],
I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint filed on November 5, 2014 asking Welk Resort Group to cancel your ownership contract. I have responded to your cancellation requests previously on...
March 31, 2014, April 14, 2014 and on June 2, 2104. Please allow me to address this challenges brought forth in your complaint.
I show that you both became Welk Platinum point owners on September 13, 2011 when you purchased 120,000 Platinum owner points to be used on an annual basis. Your first usage year for your Welk vacation ownership was 2012. Your points for both 2012 and 2013 were deposited with Interval International for exchange travel. Your 2014 usage year points have not been used. Your ownership is in a collection status due to non-payment of your owner obligated maintenance fees.
The sales presentation is 90 minutes. The purchase agreement negotiation, based upon the owner needs, pricing, discounts and incentives, takes additional time. Every contract is negotiated personally and pricing, discounts and incentives can change daily. You are only obligated to stay for the 90 minute sales presentation to receive your initial free gifts. You always have the right to leave at any time.
Yes, Welk does have an Owner Rental program. Our program allows you to put days/weeks into a rental pool to assist when you cannot travel or use. Our owners have used the program successfully to supplement their monthly and annual fees. Rental rates are based on unit size, season and weekend versus mid-week. The processing fees for Welk to advertise and rent your property are approximately 40%. The remaining roughly 60% is paid to you the owner. Our Owner Services team is here to help you with best practices for successful usage of our Owner Rental program. I have reviewed all of your owner notes and I do not see you have ever contacted us for assistance with usage of our Owner Rental program.
As you know, you have the option of depositing a week with Interval International in exchange for a week anywhere in the world. Your ownership with Welk includes the annual membership fee with Interval. When depositing with Interval, you will also receive a second week of vacation (any size villa requested, based upon availability) as a “Resort Accommodation Certificate” (bonus week). When you deposit your week with Interval, they will extend the expiration of your deposited week for two additional years. The bonus week from Interval International is good for one year. Your 2012 1BR deposit was exchanged into a 2BR week in Hawaii at the Point at Poipu in Kauai, Hawaii. Your stay at the Point at Poipu was from August 31, 2013 thru September 7, 2013. Your exchange deposit for your 2013 time remains unused.
Interval International has thousands of resort choices worldwide and Welk demands a very high trade value. The process is that you choose a resort destination, have several date choices and call Interval International. They will check availability. If nothing is available at that moment, they will start a “pending search” by collecting the exchange fee. Their system searches 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As soon as a match is found, they will generate an instant confirmation. More than 73% of our owners receive a confirmation within 48 hours. The only contact we have had with both of you in reference to Interval International is to deposit your time for exchange usage. We have never had an exchange challenge brought to our attention or a request made for assistance with booking exchange travel in the history of your ownership.
You can also use their “Short Stay” Gold Membership option that allows up to three short stays for every Welk week deposited. The fees for exchange were covered specifically in your ownership documents. I have previously sent you a highlighted copy of your Welk Resorts Platinum Program Deposit Incentive Program Disclosure for your review.
Your complaint references numerous usage challenges and a problem understanding how to use your owner benefits. Our Owner Services team is here seven days a week to assist owners with usage and to explain their owner benefits. You have never reached out to them for assistance. You have spoken to them to have your time deposited for exchange usage but we have no requests for assistance using your benefits or booking travel within the Welk family of resorts.
I can find no evidence of misrepresentations. We are an ethical company and cover everything thoroughly in our documents. We take our service levels and company ethics very seriously. Contracts are created, signed and explained to protect both parties in a transaction. During your sales presentations, not only did you meet and talk to the Sales Person and Sales Manager, the Escrow Analyst also went through the documents with you independently during your purchase transaction.
I do not have a cancellation option for your ownership. We understand that you are given a large amount of information on the date of sale. That is why we legally allow you seven days to read your contract after the date you signed. Included in your documents were specific procedures on how to utilize your vacation ownership, as well as directions to cancel that same ownership. If you wanted to cancel within that timeframe you had the right to do so. The instructions are specific that it must be done within the defined timeframe. As for your request to terminate your contract, it is not Welk’s policy to cancel contracts that have passed beyond their rescission period.
Welk does not have a “take-back” program that would allow you to simply return your ownership. Welk Resorts will not be refunding monies to you that were paid toward your ownership obligations. Our expectation is that you honor your Welk ownership commitment. We will continue to assist you to the best of our abilities with your ownership, use, exchange and rental as applicable, but we will not nullify our contract with you. At this point in time you need to bring your maintenance fee commitment current to be able to use your owner benefits.
Our Owner Services team can help you with best practices for successful usage of the Interval International exchange program or planning a vacation at any of our Welk Resort locations. You both purchased this vacation ownership with the intent on using it for vacation travel. Please allow us to help you use your time.
Feel free to reach out to me with any further questions or concerns in reference to this matter.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]
Welk Platinum Point Ownership Number: [redacted]
Dear Mr. [redacted],
I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint filed on November 11, 2014. Please allow me to address the concerns you have put forth in your complaint.
I do show that you have been a Welk...
Platinum point owner since May 16, 2009. You have upgraded your ownership twice, the final time being on March 25, 2012. Your current ownership consists of 270,000 Platinum owner points to be used on an annual basis. The first usage year for this ownership was 2013.
I apologize for any confusion with our Loans team. I have asked the manager of that department to reach out to you personally to resolve this issue. Her name is [redacted] and she will be contacting you on the number provided in your complaint. I show your last payment on your ownership mortgage was made in October of 2014 and that your maintenance fees for 2014 were fully paid.
I apologize if you felt you were treated less than professionally. That is certainly not how we want an owner of ours to feel after an interaction with one of our associates.
Please feel free to reach out to me directly with any further questions or concerns regarding this matter. My personal e-mail is listed below.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]@welkgroup.com
Dear Hutch Farrell, Please find in this letter additional information supporting the request on my mother’s and aunt’s behalf ([redacted] and [redacted]) for a refund of their money and the Welk Resorts contract they signed, be deemed null and void based on misrepresentation of Welk Resorts employees from the Branson Missouri location. My mother and aunt did not receive what they were told they would receive. In this response I am including information that has been communicated to Welk Resorts and others; however, I am not sure that you have received all of this specific information. My mother, [redacted] (76), and my aunt, [redacted] (then 77), were vacationing in Branson, Missouri. They went to The Branson Tourism Center to pick up tickets to several shows in which they had paid for in advance. An employee asked them if they would like to receive $100.00 for listening to a 60 minute presentation at the Welk Resort. They said, “Why not. 60 minutes is not that much time.” (I found out later, by finding the Facebook page for Bob [redacted], the General Manager of the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri, that the Welk Resort in Branson bought the Branson Tourism Center several months ago.) This is important, as many seniors pick up their show tickets at the Branson Tourism Center and this gives them a great opportunity to approach those who might seem vulnerable. Branson is a vacation destination known for catering to the elderly. They went to the Welk Resort presentation. My mother later stated she did not know the presentation was about timeshare sales until they arrived at the resort for the presentation. This presentation was supposed to last 60 minutes. It lasted 4 1/2 hours. They arrived at 12:30 and they left at 5:00. They initially met [redacted]. He identified himself as as a guy who had only been on the job for about 3 weeks. He was trying to learn everything about the job but might need some help a little later, if he did not have answers to all their questions. He also said he was working really hard because he was getting married and wanted to earn a nice honeymoon for his wife. After they spent time with [redacted], he got to know them and about their lives. He learned they were in the their seventies, they were widows, they had family and wanted to travel over the next few years in an economical, safe, easy, stress-free manner. My aunt had used travel agents and expressed to [redacted] that this is the type of travel arrangement she would like to make in the future. She wanted to tell the “agents” where she wanted to go and what she wanted to do and she expected the travel agent would make the arrangements. At this point, [redacted] assured them he would be their travel “agent”, stating they could call him anytime and he would make their travel arrangements. My mom and aunt were told that they could give their timeshare to their family as an “inheritance” when they passed. My mother stated that she noted that this was something nice that she might be able to do for her family when she died. They were taken to view a suite and pool area that would be representative of what they should expect when traveling to a Welk Resort. They were also told that if they signed the contract “today” they would get a free trip to Hawaii. (Welk Resorts would pay the air fare. A $125.00 fee would be charged and my mom and aunt could bring 2 family members with them; however, the family members would pay heir own air fare.) Once [redacted] gathered the initial information and they decided that they were interested in discussing the timeshare further, [redacted] left the table and another man came to discuss things further. They do not remember his name but noted that the sales approach became more pressured and that he quoted the price of the time share as $36,000.00 and maintenance fees of approximately $800.00. They started getting uncomfortable with things at this point as the sales direction became significantly more pressured. They asked if they could think about it overnight and they were told if they wanted to get the “FREE” Hawaii trip they must sign before they left the table. My mom and aunt started telling the salesman that they didn’t think they would do it. Then, another salesperson came to their table. The new salesperson was a soft-spoken woman who said that maybe they would be interested in their “Senior Package”. It was only $12,000.00 and allowed for travel every other year. My mother and aunt signed the contract and it has been something they have regretted ever since. Bob [redacted], General Manager of the Welk Resort at Branson, Missouri, “assisted” my mother and aunt through the final contract process. They described a barrage of paper-flipping and paraphrasing of sections that were to be initialed. Mr. [redacted] would paraphrase sections and he would say something like, “If you are OK with that, initial right here.” It is important to note that AT NO TIME WERE MY MOTHER AND AUNT GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO READ THE CONTRACT AND THEY WERE NEVER INFORMED THAT THEY HAD 5 DAYS TO RESCIND THE CONTRACT TO GET A FULL REFUND. At the end of the contract, in large print, there is a statement that notes the 5 day period required for refund; however, THERE IS NO SPACE FOR INITIALING THIS SECTION. THEREFORE, SINCE ALL SECTIONS REQUIRING INITIALS WERE PARAPHRASED BY MR. [redacted] AND THIS SECTION DID NOT REQUIRE INITIALS, IT IS POSSIBLE, IF NOT PROBABLE, THAT THIS INFORMATION WAS NEVER COMMUNICATED TO MY MOTHER AND AUNT. My mother and aunt asked for time to think about this decision over night and they were told they would lose the trip to Hawaii if they did not sign before they left the table.They paid their required down payment of $620.00 a piece with debit cards and they were told that they could begin scheduling arrangements with the $620.00 payments made that day. Before they left, they were given two $50.00 coupons for dinner at Chateau By The Lake and $100 cash. Upon arriving home, my mother to Anadarko, Oklahoma and my aunt to Shawnee, Oklahoma, they started immediately working on making their vacation arrangements. During this planning process, they were told they had to pay the balance of the $12,000.00 within 60 days or start making payments with interest. They paid the balance to avoid paying interest by giving their checking account information over the phone and the money was deducted directly out of their accounts. My mother called [redacted] early on, trying to make arrangements for for a trip to Dollywood. He told her he would call her back. He never did. When my mother called him back, he said that he no longer worked for the company, that he was “fired”. This is very curious to me. If he no longer works for the company, and was “fired”, why was he fired? There is also the very real possibility that he was never fired and his promise of being their “agent” was just a ploy to get my mother and aunt to sign the contract. If the later is true, then he still works for Welk Resorts and he is available to say similar things to other seniors, to get them to sign a contract. So, with [redacted], their travel agent, no longer working for Welk Resorts, they knew this was not going to be what they expected, but they continued to try to arrange their vacations. They were given multiple steps and multiple reasons why they could not schedule their trips. (They were trying to arrange the FREE trip and accommodations to Hawaii, as well as a separate trip to Dollywood.) They were told they had to transfer points, so they tried to transfer points. At this point, they found out that they cannot transfer points until they paid their maintenance fees up front. So, they immediately, paid the $819.00 maintenance fee (splitting the fee between the 2 of them.) This too, was not explained to them; that they had to pay the 2 year maintenance fee up front ( they thought they would pay it at the end of the year as is done with property taxes). They were also not told until a much later date that the maintenance fees would be subject to go up every year. My mother and aunt spent numerous hours reviewing their options in the Interval Catalogue provided with their purchase. There are specific terms used in describing the units available for selection which are unique to Interval and Welk Resorts. They studied options and pre-requisites for travel and were given a new set of pre-requisites each time they completed one. Once I became aware of their situation with Welk Resorts, I took a look at the catalogues and paperwork. I am a college graduate with a MS degree. The series of steps, terms and timeframes that must be met were very confusing to me. I am in my 50‘s; how much more difficult it must be when you are in your late 70’s and have no experience in this type of business. Obviously, this is not what they understood they purchased. Remember, [redacted] told [redacted] she wanted to make one phone call to an agent who would make their travel arrangements and he assured them he would be their agent. [redacted] even told them that they could call him personally. He gave them his direct phone number. He said he would make all their arrangements for them personally. All they had to do was tell him where they wanted to go and he would make all the arrangements. One of the communications my mother received from the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri, was an email from Diane Harrelson who noted that Bob [redacted] asked her to send an email to my mother. The email requested that my mother and aunt complete the Quarterly Payment Form, and return it as soon as possible, so they could start accessing their credit card for quarterly payments as of January 2015. Welk Resorts didn’t have the appropriate form for 2015. The email asked them to write at the top of the attached form “For 2015 and Forward”, fill it out and mail it back to them. It is strange to me that Welk Resorts does not have an appropriate form. They work with thousands of customers on a regular basis, yet, they use a 2014 form and ask customers to amend a legal document with hand written notes. This is not acceptable. If signed, this form would give Welk Resorts the ability to charge their credit card quarterly beginning with 2015 and ongoing. Since they signed the timeshare contract they have had MANY documented conversations with Welk Resorts. A few conversations were in regards to the process they had to go through to participate in the timeshare. Again, this is not what they were told they would receive when they signed with Welk Resorts. In fact, my aunt has said that MOST of her conversations with Welk Resorts were to try to get their money back; get a refund. It was only after they tried to get this resolved with no success that they came to me and told me about everything they had experienced with Welk Resorts. They were embarrassed that they had been taken advantage of and found it hard to believe that people could look them in the eye and be so deceptive and basically take their money. I would like to give some of my own thoughts, as [redacted]’s daughter. 1) I believe that the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri, uses the Branson Tourism Center as a baiting ground. They are predators. They look for senior adults who are honest, do business on a handshake and are loyal and trusting. My mother and aunt walked in there to get show tickets and they were prime candidates for their scam; sisters in their 70‘s traveling together. My mother and aunt are not wealthy women, they have worked hard for their retirement and depend on this money to live out their golden years. My mother noted that all the other people who were listening to a presentation at the Welk Resort that day were about their same age. 2) They were told they would have a travel agent-type relationship with Welk Resort. [redacted] gave them his direct phone number for the purpose of assisting them with vacation arrangements; then, when they asked for his assistance, he told them he no longer worked for the company because he was “fired”. 3) They were NEVER informed that they had a 5 day window to receive a full refund. Although it may have been in the contract text, it was not a section that required initials. All sections that were to be initialed were paraphrased by Mr. [redacted]. 4) They were never given an opportunity to read the contract, even though they requested time to review and consider the proposition. 5) I believe the “free trip to Hawaii” is just a manipulative tool used to lure people into signing the contract. 6) I do not think it is coincidence that the 1st salesman established a social contact with my mother and aunt, a newly married guy trying to earn a vacation for his honeymoon. He was followed by the guy who used much more harsh sales tactics and quoted the initial price of $36,000.00, only to be followed by and soft spoken woman who reduced the price to $12,000.00. I believe this is a deceptive system taught by the Welk Resorts. 7) My mother and aunt are in their seventies, they WILL NEVER LIVE LONG ENOUGH to reap the benefits of a $12,000.00 contract which limits their vacationing to EVERY OTHER YEAR! 8) Maintenance fee schedules were never explained and they were never told the maintenance fees would have the capacity to go up every payment. 9) They were told that the presentation would last 60 minutes. They were there for 4 1/2 hours Lastly, I feel that my mother and aunt were targeted and systematically processed through a manipulative program of deception, starting at the Branson Tourism Center, where they were first groomed to attend the presentation. I believe that the truth regarding [redacted]’s employment is not fully known and if he was fired by Welk Resorts, it is likely that some of his unethical practices may have been the cause for his termination. If [redacted] is actually still employed with Welk Resorts and he told my mother and aunt that he was no longer with the company simply to get them to stop calling him, then that deception is a cold, calculated lie, as well. If my mother and aunt had known about the 5 day time frame for refund, they would have done so (this section in the contract was never covered and did not required an initial). If they had been given an opportunity to read the contract they would never have signed it. When they asked to “sleep on it”, this should have been granted and the Hawaiian trip “sign on bonus” still honored. You have said more than once that Welk Resorts is an ethical company. Prove it. Do something noble. Do something right! My elderly mother and aunt were told by [redacted], a Welk Resorts employee, that he would serve as a travel agent for them. HE GAVE THEM HIS PERSONAL CELL NUMBER, FOR THE PURPOSE OF THEM CALLING HIM AS THEIR TRAVEL AGENT. That was the primary reason they went through with the decision to buy the timeshare. As a Welk Resorts salesman, he represents Welk Resorts. He lied to them! That is not ethical. Also, you have mentioned that Welk Resorts could not rescind the contract because there is a large print section in the contract that states there is a 5 day window in which this must take place. Yes. I have read that section. It exists. However, I also saw that all important sections have a small line that must be initialed by the buyers. ON THEIR CONTRACT, THIS SECTION HAS NO LINE FOR INITIALS. My mother and aunt were never given the contract to read. Each section was paraphrased for them and then they were told something like, “If you are ok with that, initial here”. My mom and aunt were never told about the 5 day period and they never read it. Welk Resorts must be responsible not only for what they sign, but also for WHAT THEY SAY, AND DON’T SAY. They must be responsible for what they communicate, in any medium. Employees of the Welk Resorts at Branson, lied, manipulated and took advantage of two women, 76 and 77 years old. Ethical? No, that is an embarrassment. Our ultimate goal is for [redacted] and [redacted] to receive a full refund for all payments made in relation to the timeshare purchase at Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri. We want this contract deemed null and void due to misrepresentation by the Welk Resorts at Branson, Missouri. My mother and aunt will NEVER take a trip through Welk Resorts. NEVER. And, Welk Resorts will never get one more red cent from my mother and aunt. No, Never. I am devoted to my mother and my aunt who have been a wonderful example to our family of what a woman should be in this world. They are God-loving, trustworthy, hard-working, women who have sacrificially given so that those around them can prosper. They, in good faith, entered into a business agreement with the Welk Resort in Branson, Missouri, and they held up their end of the bargain. Welk Resorts has not. Welk Resorts has got to be held responsible for promises made when talking to people they are trying to persuade into joining Welk Resorts timeshares. I am well motivated and have a long enduring patience. The longer it takes to resolve this issue, obviously, the more people are told this story. The beginning of this story is not very becoming to Welk Resorts. Only you can write the ending. A person’s reputation is based on how one treats others and most importantly, how you treat those who cannot protect themselves: the young...the old..the injured. The same goes for an organization or a company. Make no mistake, however this story ends, I am going to tell it to whomever will listen. I support any and all entities that will seek to hold timeshare businesses to a higher standard, particularly when dealing with seniors. In closing, I want to be clear and concise. My mother and aunt: 1) want their money refunded 2) want the contract they entered into with Welk Resorts rescinded, based on misrepresentation, as noted clearly throughout this letter. Also, I have a few other specific questions I would like answered: 1) Has [redacted] ever worked for Welk Resorts Branson Missouri? 2) If so, does [redacted] still work for Welk Resorts? 3) If he does not, why is he no longer with the company? 4) Why does Welk Resorts require that sections of the contract be initialed? Please respond to my specific requests. Thank you. I will be awaiting your response. [redacted].[redacted]@sbcglobal.net ###-###-####
Mr. [redacted], I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint filed on February 23, 2015. I apologize for the repeated calls. I have personally sent all of your information to our team that controls our Do Not Call and Do Not Solicit lists. I have asked for your...
information to be added to both lists. This should halt any future calls. Please reach out to me directly if you receive a phone call. If there are any additional numbers you would like me to add to these lists please feel free to e-mail them to me and I will get them added right away. If you have any further questions or concerns regarding this matter please reach out to me directly at the e-mail address listed below. Sincerely, [redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs Welk Resorts [redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear Part of the statement is true. We did purchase the time share on the dates stated. We did want specific dates. We did want actually one location. Now the part that is not true is what we were sold on. After meeting with our sales rep at Welks she brought over two other sales reps. Both showing us pictures of their trips. One trip being the location we requested and the second being Costa Rica. They told us how easy it was to book and that they only booked 3 weeks out. Then we told those reps the location and date we wanted. They told us with as much notice as where giving that wouldn't be a problem. Now after we paid out $31,500 we are being told something else. We got a call two night ago offering us a location in a hotel that was built in the 70's and is not even close to what they sold us. I feel this was a bait and switch.
Regards,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Mr. [redacted],
This is to confirm receipt
of your response to the Revdex.com. You made the comment that we were free to leave
the presentation at any time. In our opinion, you are stating that these
are no-pressure sales presentation, when in fact that is not the case. When
we attended the presentation at Welk Resort back in September 2011, leaving did
not feel like an option until they were finished with their
"presentation". However, there was never any formal conclusion
and they transitioned straight into their sales pitch, in which there was a lot
of pressure to buy their product. As far as being free to go when we desired,
we wish that leaving would have been as easy as saying "No thank
you", walking outside to our car, and driving home. But again this is
not the case. We are sure you are already aware of these tactics being that
your company has received numerous complaints and a vast amount of those
outlines the pressure you are subjected to and the only way out is to agree to
purchase.
When we first arrived at
Welk Resort in Escondido, we entered a small welcome center where we
were personally escorted via golf cart by a Welk employee up a hill
to where the Club House was located and we were given the sales
presentation. If we wanted to leave, we would need to have Welk resort staff
escort us back down the hill to where our car was parked or walk the distance
ourselves. Of course, this was never offered to us during the
presentation after we initially stated that we did not wish to
purchase the timeshare. Instead we received one offer after another for hours on
end until we finally caved, ONLY under the impression that we would have a
resale option later if we chose to sever ties.
Not only was resale not
an option, but we had not even had the timeshare for two years before the
resort wanted us to refinance the entire loan or risk not being able
to use our membership because we would not have enough
"points,” or so we thought.
Therefore, our
choice would have been refinance or pay for something we cannot fully
use. Either way we are losing our money to Welk. In regards to
your comment, "never reaching out", that is very untrue Mr.
[redacted]. As we have stated in our initial letter to your company, we
had attempted to call the resort for assistance from their "concierge
services". The few individuals that we have spoken to on the
phone clearly did not have any knowledge about renting our units
or how to use the short stay vacations. Quite frankly, those
individuals had no desire to really take any time to assist us
in answering our questions or helping us plan future vacations. Calling their so-called
"concierge services" was a waste of time, and left feeling like a
severely unappreciated customer.
Mr. [redacted] for you to
give the impression that your methods are honest, transparent, and honorable
is completely false. We will continue to argue through and through, no
person should ever be pressured to the extent that we were into
first purchasing something and then forcing them to keep it for the rest
of their lives. There is no earthly possession that a person should
be forced to keep for the rest of their lives; as in cars, homes, jobs, even
spouses (as tragic as that sounds). A timeshare should not be
any different!
We do expect for your
company to cancel our contract and we do expect a refund of monies paid. We
will not accept anything less.
Regards,
[redacted] & [redacted] [redacted]
Welk Owner Number [redacted] Dear Mrs. [redacted], I am in receipt of your rebuttal regarding my response to your Revdex.com complaint. Please allow me to address the points in your response. You are correct. I have addressed your ownership challenges in my previous letter and e-mails to you. Allow me to address your questions about exchange. When you deposit your week with Interval International you will receive an exchange week and a bonus week in exchange for your deposit. You are free to use both of these as you choose. You would not still have the week that you placed into exchange, to receive the Interval International exchange week and bonus week, to use for personal travel The exchange fee for usage of a deposited week with Interval International will range from $169.00 - $189.00. When you use an Interval International bonus week the fees will range from $249.00 to $449.00 based on the size of the villa. These are two separate fees for two separate events. The fees are associated with your deposited Interval International week and the fees for usage of your bonus week that you receive with each Interval International deposit. These fees are not combined. They are separate fees depending on which Interval exchange option you want to use. The fees and restrictions are clearly covered in your ownership paperwork. There are restrictions that come with your Catalina trip voucher. We ask you to register the voucher within 21 days. This is not an expiration date for your voucher. Our redemption partner successfully sends thousands and thousands of our guests on wonderful gifted excursions on an annual basis. I have asked you previously to provide me the information on the type of gifting challenge you are encountering. We are happy to reach out to our redemption company and ask them to extend your time to use your gifts. I am not sure who you spoke to regarding the usage of your ownership by family members. You would need to make the reservation and then simply fill out a guest authorization form for them to use the villa. There is no additional cost incurred when you have a guest or family member use your time. As stated previously, I do not have a contract rescission option for your ownership commitment. Welk does not have a “take-back” program that would allow you to simply return your ownership. Welk Resorts will not be refunding monies to you that were paid toward your ownership obligations. We can continue to go back and forth on the issue but our stance will not change. From where we stand: We will continue to assist you to the best of our abilities with your ownership, use, exchange and rental as applicable, but we will not nullify your Welk ownership contract. You have a contractual ownership commitment to Welk Resorts that we expect you to honor. I do not have any further options available for you. Please feel free to reach out to me with any further questions or concerns in reference to this matter. Sincerely, [redacted] [redacted] Director of Consumer Affairs Welk Resorts [redacted]
I am in receipt of your Revdex.com...
complaint. Please allow me to address the points in your complaint.
You still have an automatic reservation being set up based on your original Welk ownership. You have weeks 24 and week 52 each year in a two-bedroom villa. These weeks are automatically reserved for you per your ownership agreement. Based on your original ownership agreement if the weeks go unused they are lost. We have not had any contact from you regarding your ownership and we are unable to contact you to help you manage your Welk ownership. If you would like to contact us for assistance with managing your ownership we are more than happy to provide assistance.
Your ownership was upgraded on August 11, 2012. Your new ownership kept your agreed weeks (24 & 52) in place but allowed for those weeks to be converted to Platinum owner points for usage within our Platinum Owner Program if your reservations were cancelled. We have pending reservations set for you for December of 2014 and June and December of 2015 and 2016. With your upgraded Platinum point ownership if the set week reservations are cancelled the time will be converted to Platinum points so it will not be lost.
With your Platinum point upgrade there is an additional maintenance fee commitment that is incurred. This information is detailed in the purchase contract documents. Those same documents include the right to cancel at any time, for any reason, within seven days of the purchase date. It is not Welk’s policy to cancel or rescind and ownership that has passed beyond the legally allowed rescission period.
I do show Mr. [redacted] spoke to our Owner Services team on December 10, 2012. This was the last time we spoke with either of you. That conversation addressed questions about how our Owner Rental program works. We also sent e-mail reservation confirmations for your week 24 and week 52 reservations for years 2014 and 2015.
Please let we know if I can be of further assistance in reference to this matter.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]@welkgroup.com
Dear Ms. [redacted],
I am in receipt of your Revdex.com complaint rebuttal. I felt I specifically addressed the issues in your complaint with my first response.
As stated in my previous response, there are no challenges listed within your ownership notes. You have stated that the dates to book travel are unavailable. We have a pending exchange reservation for you to travel to Maui, Hawaii in December of 2014.
Your contract documents and signed promissory note contain the agreed upon terms for the purchase of your ownership. The interest rate, payment terms and late fees are all specifically covered. I have included a copy for your review. These are the terms of your purchase agreement
We are an ethical company and cover everything thoroughly in our documents. Our documents cover in detail your ownership commitment. Included in your documents were specific procedures on how to utilize your vacation ownership as well as the specific steps to be used to cancel your ownership contract. All of the documentation is provided to you prior to leaving on the date of sale. Welk does not have a “take-back” program.
You could have legally canceled anytime, and for any reason, within your legally allowed rescission period. Since you have passed your legal rescission period, contract cancellation is not an option. There is not a release or give-back option for your ownership contract. Our expectation is that you honor your ownership obligation to Welk Resorts.
Please know that our Owner Services team is here to assist you and guide you through your ownership to make sure you are enjoying it to the full potential. We will customize the ownership to fit your vacation needs, based on what you purchased.
Please feel free to reach out to me with any further question or concerns regarding this matter
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. But 2 concerns: 1) It says "refunded" as past tense. Was it reportedly already mailed? If so I've obviously not in receipt of such refund as of yet.2) Is there no apology or such extended to me whatever for what they put me thru over a simple matter including needing to contact the Revdex.com on this?3) On the part you said that if I accept then this matter will be available on your website or such as a posting..However can you do initial at best or even anonymous v. my name to publicized?? I'm hopeful that can be avoided due to well known privacy concerns.
Regards,
[redacted]
I would like to close my complaint. They have since refunded me.
Thanks.
Welk Lawrence Welk Resort Villa Owner Number 48894
Mr. [redacted],
I apologize for the time it took me to get this response to you. I know our Loans team was looking into this matter and trying to determine the best way to reach a successful conclusion to your request. I am...
assuming as I write this that you have already received a message from our Director of Loans to contact her. If you have not you will be hearing from her shortly. Please get in contact with her. She wants to talk to you personally and resolve this matter.
If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to reach out to me directly. My e-mail address is listed below.
Sincerely,
[redacted]
Director of Consumer Affairs
Welk Resorts
[redacted]
Mr. [redacted] has been refunded.His complaint ID number is [redacted]The complaint date is April 6, 2015.Please let me know if you need anything else for this complaint. Best regards, [redacted]|Team Member Since 2012Director of Consumer Affairs|Welk Resorts8860 Lawrence Welk...
Dr.|Escondido, CA 92026[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
[I refuse to accept anything from the Welk Group or Mr. [redacted] other then cancellation of my ownership. Not that they have offered me anything besides copy pasted insincere replies. I have honored and will continue to honor my "fraudulent contract" until I no longer have to and that day will come. I will continue to pursue legal action against the Welk Group. I wonder who hired Mr. [redacted] to begin with, what kind of professional brags about their company only to turn around and say the value of their product is based off pennies on the dollar? This nonsense and nonchalant attitude must be stopped!]
Regards,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted] and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
Mr. [redacted], Thank you so much for taking the time to address our concerns; however there are many over sights or downright ignoring of several of our complaints about the product we purchased. Your records of our purchases are accurate but you never once addressed the misrepresentations that took place when made these purchases; rather you insult us by stating that we ‘misunderstood’. Misunderstanding means that we are at fault for not comprehending the information and the details that surrounded our purchases and this implication on your behalf and Welk further goes to show how distorted and falsified the product information was. You mentioned that the Welk provides its owner an Owner Rental Program and thus far, we as owners, have never been made aware of such a program. Since hearing of this in the letter you sent to us, we did some research looking to see what sort of rental rates you all were advertising for. Well, none of these rates seem to be able to cover my maintenance fees due to the large percentage Welk takes, so I am not exactly clear on how this will actually benefit us. You go on to mention that we never inquired about using this program and that would be because we were never aware of this. If you all are so successful at helping owners supplement their monthly and annual fees, would it not be fair to say that this information would be clearly relayed to your owners? You further go on to explain how highly rated your company is with owner/guest experiences and for the high trade value through the exchange companies, that are not associated with Welk and to be quit frank, we purchased a Welk ownership for the resort locations within your company and not to vacation through an exchange company. Especially the Branson location, we clearly outlined the selling factors in our previous letter to you but you obviously did not go over every point of our dissatisfaction nor took the time to address each of our concerns. However, your sales person did spend time highlighting the ability to vacation throughout the World but Welk only have a total of 5 resort locations. I am assuming that this was another misunderstanding on our part but again, I did my research and find that there is no association with Welk and Interval International; if this company were simply go out of business or no longer agree to the terms and conditions that you base the “sale” of your product then were would be as owners? We feel that you tried to pull certain areas of dissatisfaction and focus on how these issues are due our inability to have either done our homework or just our inability to comprehend plain English. I am further confused to the detailed explanation on how to utilize my ownership through someone other than Welk, do you work for Welk or Interval International? You further go on to explain the exchange fees, which again were not explained to us when we made our purchase and why would we be interested in paying additional fees for a product that was clearly outlined that would work to accommodate our needs. The information that was given to us on the day that we purchased as exaggerated and it seems that you do not believe that your employees would mislead owners like myself to make a sale. Five days after our purchase there was no way for us to know the reality of this ownership, we were not planning another vacation and as you see our points allotment was not for another year; so exactly how were we to know that we were deceived? Your final statement outlines that you, Welk, review this information with us with the sole purpose of eliminating possible misunderstanding or confusion? Why would you make it a practice to review any information to assure that there is no confusion? If your product works the way that it is represented than there should not be any sort of “misunderstanding or confusion”. You also speak as if you were physically present during the signing of the documents but I do not recall anyone other than Bob Stiff, Quality Assurance Manager, Don Alt and [redacted] present; therefore it is not a fair statement to imply that all these protocols took place. Again, as we outlined in our letter to you all, we sat through a so-called “update meeting” that lasted almost 4 hours and by the end of this ordeal there were many documents that required us to sign and we were never once given the opportunity to review these documents in their entirety prior to signing. Faye constantly reassured us that she would be there to help us with anything of our needs in the future but we were never able to reach her and were later told by someone with Welk that she had been let go because she was under the influence of alcohol and her incompetency. We also feel that you did not address the scam off of $18,295 for our Bluegreen contract and in reality had we been given this amount the true sales price of 240,000 points our mortgage would have only been in the $8,000 range and not $26,295.00. Mr. [redacted], we feel that you deliberately over looked many of our complaints and that resolving our concerns is not truly a priority. We have been in contact with the Revdex.com regarding the business practices of your company and stand true to the concerns that we advised you of. We were promised many things about this ownership and many of them never came to light. The allure of this big water attraction coming and resulting in more tourism would build the value of our ownership, was all sham. We would like you to reassess our original complaint and put forth a valiant effort to resolving our issues.
Regards,
[redacted]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and find that this resolution would be satisfactory to me. I will wait for the business to perform this action and, if it does, will consider this complaint resolved.
Regards,
[redacted]