do not buy a timeshare from Bluegreen
Complaint
Ben Travis
Country: United States
Do not...I repeat...do NOT buy a Bluegreen timeshare under any conditions. No matter how sweet it may sound, it is a rip-off. My wife and I bought one, and we are in a continual state of regret about it. It is virtually impossible to sell (the same amount of points we bought for $10,000 are selling for about $3,000 online), plus we have yearly fees of about $700 that must be paid for us to even be able to keep using it.
Here are some of the things you may not hear while you're in a Bluegreen presentation... we didn't:
-each year you will have to pay both "maintenance fees" and "club dues," which for us amount to over $700. If you don't pay, you can't use any of your points at all until you do pay.
-many of the resorts they tell you about can only be booked in 7-day increments, which means you'll take that trip and no others for two years because you'll use up all your points on that single trip.
-we just found this one out... if you don't have the points, you can't book a trip... for example, we get 12,000 new points in July, so I called to book something in August. Well, I can't do that until I "have the points." Of course, by the time the points actually show up, all the places will be booked for the summer. We're all paid up on maintenance fees and club dues, so we will definitely get the points, but too bad... we have to wait. The person on the phone even sympathized with me and said he understood what I was saying, but too bad.
-they say they will help you rent your timeshare, but this is a joke. Your timeshare will never rent for anything near what you need to maintain the fees on it, much less pay it off.
-take a look at this web site to see what points are actually worth if you buy them on eBay: http://popular.ebay.com/ns/Real-Estate/Bluegreen.html If you really desperately want Bluegreen points, don't buy them from Bluegreen.
-they tell you that you can book things just a day or two in advance, but this is almost never possible in real life. Things are booked up months in advance.
Owning a Bluegreen timeshare is like a weight that you have to drag around with you for the rest of your life. There are many places that will rent timeshares if you like that kind of thing, and you can usually get them fairly cheap and without any obligation for the future. When I imagine paying $700 a year for the rest of my life, it feels amazingly scary. Don't do it. You're locking yourself into something that will never end when there is absolutely no need to do so.
They give you the free trip, then take advantage of how little you've researched timeshares when you're in the presentation. They tell you this price can only be offered this one time, and that you can't take another trip. It's all cheap sales techniques, and they wouldn't be necessary if it were something people really benefited from.
We even looked on the internet during our sales presentation... if only I had come across a letter like this, we probably wouldn't have bought, and we'd be much better off. At least take a few days to think about it. If they can't give you that long to think, they're tricking you anyway.
Buying a Bluegreen timeshare is a terrible decision. They, like many salespeople, will tell you whatever you want to hear to get you to buy, knowing that they will not personally be accountable for any misrepresentations of the truth later on.
One thing they promised us is that we could rent our timeshare. Now they've done away with that aspect as well, so you either use it, keep paying about $700 in fees each year along with whatever you paid originally, or you just lose the points. Every letter we receive is something else they're taking away from us.
The most recent thing that happened was that we had tried to rent ours out for 10,000 points (most of our points) before they decided to stop letting people do that. So I called today, 10 days in advance, to check and make sure it was rented, since this is the cut-off for when I can cancel without losing points. So the guy on the phone told me that yes, it is rented. And I asked, "Well, what happens if the people cancel sometime in the next 10 days?" He said, "We don't have any control over that, sir." And I said, "I understand that, but I don't either. So what happens to my points if they cancel?" And he said, "Well, you lose those points."
So some renter I don't even know can decide to back out at the last minute, and I lose 10,000 points and don't get to travel or make any money from my timeshare for 2 years! That seems fair...
Everything Bluegreen does seems to be a way to get themselves more money and screw over their "valued customers."
And Bluegreen, if you're reading this, don't bother calling me trying to get me to revoke the complaint... we're trying to sell our timeshare as quickly as we can and hopefully never have any interaction with you for as long as we live.
Here are some of the things you may not hear while you're in a Bluegreen presentation... we didn't:
-each year you will have to pay both "maintenance fees" and "club dues," which for us amount to over $700. If you don't pay, you can't use any of your points at all until you do pay.
-many of the resorts they tell you about can only be booked in 7-day increments, which means you'll take that trip and no others for two years because you'll use up all your points on that single trip.
-we just found this one out... if you don't have the points, you can't book a trip... for example, we get 12,000 new points in July, so I called to book something in August. Well, I can't do that until I "have the points." Of course, by the time the points actually show up, all the places will be booked for the summer. We're all paid up on maintenance fees and club dues, so we will definitely get the points, but too bad... we have to wait. The person on the phone even sympathized with me and said he understood what I was saying, but too bad.
-they say they will help you rent your timeshare, but this is a joke. Your timeshare will never rent for anything near what you need to maintain the fees on it, much less pay it off.
-take a look at this web site to see what points are actually worth if you buy them on eBay: http://popular.ebay.com/ns/Real-Estate/Bluegreen.html If you really desperately want Bluegreen points, don't buy them from Bluegreen.
-they tell you that you can book things just a day or two in advance, but this is almost never possible in real life. Things are booked up months in advance.
Owning a Bluegreen timeshare is like a weight that you have to drag around with you for the rest of your life. There are many places that will rent timeshares if you like that kind of thing, and you can usually get them fairly cheap and without any obligation for the future. When I imagine paying $700 a year for the rest of my life, it feels amazingly scary. Don't do it. You're locking yourself into something that will never end when there is absolutely no need to do so.
They give you the free trip, then take advantage of how little you've researched timeshares when you're in the presentation. They tell you this price can only be offered this one time, and that you can't take another trip. It's all cheap sales techniques, and they wouldn't be necessary if it were something people really benefited from.
We even looked on the internet during our sales presentation... if only I had come across a letter like this, we probably wouldn't have bought, and we'd be much better off. At least take a few days to think about it. If they can't give you that long to think, they're tricking you anyway.
Buying a Bluegreen timeshare is a terrible decision. They, like many salespeople, will tell you whatever you want to hear to get you to buy, knowing that they will not personally be accountable for any misrepresentations of the truth later on.
One thing they promised us is that we could rent our timeshare. Now they've done away with that aspect as well, so you either use it, keep paying about $700 in fees each year along with whatever you paid originally, or you just lose the points. Every letter we receive is something else they're taking away from us.
The most recent thing that happened was that we had tried to rent ours out for 10,000 points (most of our points) before they decided to stop letting people do that. So I called today, 10 days in advance, to check and make sure it was rented, since this is the cut-off for when I can cancel without losing points. So the guy on the phone told me that yes, it is rented. And I asked, "Well, what happens if the people cancel sometime in the next 10 days?" He said, "We don't have any control over that, sir." And I said, "I understand that, but I don't either. So what happens to my points if they cancel?" And he said, "Well, you lose those points."
So some renter I don't even know can decide to back out at the last minute, and I lose 10,000 points and don't get to travel or make any money from my timeshare for 2 years! That seems fair...
Everything Bluegreen does seems to be a way to get themselves more money and screw over their "valued customers."
And Bluegreen, if you're reading this, don't bother calling me trying to get me to revoke the complaint... we're trying to sell our timeshare as quickly as we can and hopefully never have any interaction with you for as long as we live.
Comments
Anyone with anything up top knows that it is not a $investment but a vacation investment.
Stop moaning and get your fat butt into action and enjoy what you have.
You are wrong about the 7 day booking most can be booked for 2 days or more and Lyn the one in Charleston you can book for one day
You are also wrong about points you have always been able to borrow your next years points as long as the MF are paid in full
If you want to rent it to someone do it yourself and again get of your butt
I have to say that a lot you have written in your "complaint" is a load of bull the real truth is that yYOU signed the contract You said and sign that YOU understood what you were buying and now you want to blaim someone else
we have had 2 weeks vaction this year already with 2 weeks still to take in a few weeks
and since they have now changed what we get for being gold we will have a free week to take as well
so stop moaning and start enjoying
I feel for u so I hope u can either use the points or get your money which u probably wont get.. Good luck
We have sent letters of complaints to FTC; AG in three states, including Florida where BG is home based-but no one could or has tried to assist. BG pays billions in taxes, and, therefore I believe we will never get help from any Government agency.
Be very careful of on-line re-sale companies; BG owns some of them under differeny names and Florida is investigating them for taking peoples' money and then not selling the time share. This year as my wife and I returned from vacation in Florida, I did not see one billboard with a phone number for selling your time share. I think it's probably because BG owned them and they were under investigation. I hope you find someone to help you; I feel your pain.
However for the owner with less than 12000 annual points who does not know how to take advantage of the ownership is is something that does not work. I don't like the high pressure sales feature but BG is far more reputable than most other timeshare networks. I do not work for Bluegreen. Never have, never will. It's too much fun just using my points
what are you asking for your points?
I have 8,000 points... will sell for $3000
what are you asking for your points?
Email kbken1966@gmail.com
Do over 2,000 of us work for Bluegreen?
Nope...
I love my Bluegreen...and have for 6 years now...
22 resorts later, I've enjoyed every one !
At least give them a try and if you want any advice to get the most of your points just ask us.
DON'T give up just yet without trying!
Maintaince fee is around $650.00 per year
Let me know
One thing I found out that most of owners I bet do not realize is that this debt that we pay monthly along with our yearly MF will be passed onto our children when we die. They tell you that you can pass it on in their little sales pitch, but what they don't tell you is that you are not only weighing yourself down for 20 years or so but that you are also making that decision for your heirs. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. I checked, it's legal and there is little to nothing you can do about it. We are going to consult a lawyer and if it is try then we are going to change our will and make sure the BlueGreen goes to the NAACP.
contact g.crabb@myactv.net
Please let me know,
Eric
Should anyone like to purchase my points, I would love to sell them. I'd like to get what I owe in back maintenance fees if that's possible. Purchase has been paid in full for at least 7-8 years, so there is no mortgage. I lost my job and paying the mortgage on my house is a far greater priority right now than paying maintenance fees. For me, this has been the worst financial decision I have ever made even before I lost my job. You can email me at dblors@centurytel.net or call or text my business cell 920-203-8660 during reasonable hours (Central time zone).
anything to do with such an unscrupolous outfit. Now all I have left after a $22.000.- loss started in Branson,
MI is a "FORECLOSURE" in my Credit Report as he had cancer and passed away. Luckily I am able to
have a GOOD CREDIT REPORT . Not long before he passed away we paid a MAINTENANCE FEE
of US$1640.- and what do I have left ?????
We could have stayed at "5 * HOTELS"...and not lost US$22.000.- Our children wish they could have taken the pen away before we ever signed anything with them.
How can such an outfit stay in business??
Amber
jjw0405@comcast.net Do NOT try to sell them through an online agency...money down the tube!
Learn to use Bluegreen correctly...it's unfair to those of us who are happy to read things that are not true..
You have top priority to get that week...
So you have never exercised that right in 3 years...
Whose fault is that?
email me at efraz1949@aol.com
If you don't use them by the end of the second year, they are gone..
Give it away on ebay ! I know lots of happy Bluegreen owners who are getting them for free on Ebay...happy to pay the maintenance fees....
I've got 4 weeks in the summer at Big Cedar...weeks I can get before anyone else can...Hard as it has become to book Big Cedar in the summer, I'm happy I'm not deeded there..
constitution....because...know...
I won't even attempt to correct your grammar..
You made the choice, Ronald...and you had a time period in which to change your mind and get out of the contract...
You have the constitutional right to learn how to use and enjoy it ! Utlilize that right !
I love my Bluegreen !!
Why would anyone come to this, or any other consumer website and defend this crap fest of a company. Why??? Because they are paid to. Yes - they are paid to. Rep. defenders, and sales agents. Paid to...and forced to. That is a fact.
Folks - DONT ENGAGE THESE SEPTIC DWELLERS!!!! They are trash. They work for Blueturd because they have no other alternative. Uneducated, unethical, immoral trash.
Blueturd resorts is the most unethical enterprise in the United States. No doubt about it.
Go on Yahoo..and see what people in the Bluegreen group there have to say...Are all of us employees of Bluegreen? Over 2,000 of us? lol
I have 4 summer weeks at Big Cedar Wilderness Club....and could not be happier.. I have traveled to 22 other resorts... Anyone can use THEIR deeded resort before ANYONE else can...
Nobody put a gun to anyone's head to sign...The ignorance displayed in some of the posts is appalling... Are there salesmen who lie ? DUH ! But it's consumer beware no matter what you buy these days...Anyone who has posted here has internet availability and could have researched online as to what people said and gone back and rescinded during the period allowed.....
If you own Bluegreen then LEARN how to make it work for you!
I've been to 22 of the resorts and have never HEARD of such a thing.....lol
Maintenance fees have not gone up one cent the past two years..
Maintenance fees have been 4.5 cents per point...hardly HUGE !
I don't remember what they were when I bought 6 years ago...Do I like that they had gone up? NO! But I don't like the increase in my house taxes either, when the value of my house has decreased $ 100,000.00..
You People that Love Bluegreen So Much, I have 4500 Saved Points and I Get 9000 Points Bi-Annually and they gave us Unlimited Bonus Time Points for as they said "A Quick 2 Day vac. " NOT!! You can't use Bonus Points at most of the Resorts OH and Bluegreen Doesn't even Own Most of the Resorts they Brag About!! They have a FEW Rooms at someone elses resort and the people with the Gold memberships (Thousands Of points) book them up Years In Advance!
Like I Said, If any of you Blugreen Lovers want to buy my Membership, You can have it for the Payoff!! I JUST WANT OUT!!!
Why would anyone come to this, or any other consumer website and defend this crap fest of a company. Why??? Because they are paid to. Yes - they are paid to. Rep. defenders, and sales agents. Paid to...and forced to. That is a fact.
Folks - DONT ENGAGE THESE SEPTIC DWELLERS!!!! They are trash. They work for Blueturd because they have no other alternative. Uneducated, unethical, immoral trash.
Blueturd resorts is the most unethical enterprise in the United States. No doubt about it.
I've owned since 2006...and I along with thousands of others who you can fine in Bluegreen groups on Yahoo have had great vacations because we're smart enough to have learned how to use our weeks !
I don't need to be PAID to say I love my Bluegreen...
It's sad that you haven't a clue...I feel sorry for you if you dont' educate yourself about what you bought of your own free will !
I hate crybabies !
My advice to all the people that are happy, leave us alone. We are allowed to be unhappy just as you are allowed to be happy about it. Stop bashing us and we will stop pointing out the facts to you.
Cou2g...you don't...except for what you said about in your case..in the state you bought in, having only 72 hours... In some states you have 10 days...I've never seen 2 weeks..
Bluegreen owns at all but their associate resorts..NOBODY...I don't care if they are the highest level, platinum...can book more than 11 months in advance...what they ARE able to do is waitlist their request in advance...and even platinum can't waitlist more than 15 months in advance...
If you want to get rid of it, put it on ebay...and give it away ...or rather than whining learn how to USE it and enjoy what you CHOSE to buy..
I went to gold last month and love my Bluegreen vacations !
It's all there on TAPE..
AND when you looked it over at home, if you felt it was different you had a time period to cancel !
I cancelled once after buying some points in Charleston...All it took was a letter sent certified mail..
If you don't want to learn how to enjoy it, give it away on ebay !
In this review I will attempt to give some details that form an objective viewpoint rather than a red faced rant. My hope is to give people trying to figure out if timeshares are a good idea for their family some real information to help them evaluate.
I am middle aged, married, and have one small child. I purchased a promotional weekend almost a year ago with BG knowing it included a timeshare presentation. I received 75% of the purchase of the weekend back in gift cards at a retailer that I shop at a lot, so this 2 night weekend cost me about $59 out of pocket. We received a 3BR cabin that in my opinion was one of the nicest cabins I have ever stayed in. The weekend was a win for me for celebrating 14 years of marriage regardless of the timeshare topic. (I’ve heard that at this resort these cabins are the nicest, so everybody may not get the same experience here).
My wife and I sat through the presentation with a very open mind. For the first time in our lives we are financially in a position to invest in our entertainment future so we were very interested in hearing about existing opportunities. There was a 1 hour presentation from a pretty good communicator. The presentation is a very “over-the-top” view of what BG can offer, and, of course it is all the good stuff with not much detail. Remember, they are selling something. After the presentation you get a consultant to answer your questions privately and explain pricing. There are plenty of questions that you should ask that go well beyond “how much is it?” People don’t like to read contracts and go through details, but as the saying goes, “the devil’s in the details”. You simply can not skip over the details and expect to get any respect from others when it’s not going how you like it. However, you have to be mentally disciplined to not jump to the most favorable conclusion. If you haven’t learned it in life already then let me give some advice. DON’T TAKE ANYONE’S WORD FOR ANYTHING. READ THE FINE PRINT.
The consultant and the financial guy that we dealt were very courteous. I’m sure this is very dependent on who you get but at no time did I feel disrespected. Some people complain about “high pressure” sales tactics. I’m not sure what that means since normally no examples are given but I did not experience what I would consider “high pressure”. In my opinion, pressure is very much what you allow it to be. I suppose some would say that being told you have to make a decision right now, is high pressure. That is only high pressure if you let it be. If at anytime you don’t feel comfortable you simply say no thanks and it’s over. Where is the pressure? In our case, we listened to the whole thing, asked questions and discussed for about 1hr, and did not feel comfortable making a decision. I told them that I am not an impulsive decision maker and if I had to make a decision right then that the answer was “no”. I had one more day at the resort so I asked if I could think it over and get back to them the next day. Obviously they don’t want this to be but then it’s up to them to turn down the opportunity to gain an owner. They said yes. We took this time to call some friends that we knew had timeshares with other companies and to evaluate the information that was presented.
Here’s the conclusion: we decided that it was a “no” for us at this time. It wasn’t BG and it wasn’t the timeshare concept. I put the numbers into a spreadsheet. This included the buy-in , the maintenance fees, the property taxes, etc. I looked at the total cost over 10 years. For the package we were looking at we could expect 5 vacations over 10 years paid for by points. When it came down to it, we were going to pay $2,800 per vacation for lodging. I do not think this is an astronomical figure, but it depends on how and where you currently vacation. We do not normally spend that much on our vacations and didn’t think that we would for the next 10 years so it was an easy decision.
There are a number of other factors that you need to consider though. Timeshare’s are good for life but be careful with this concept. They have done some things to “lock” point values and claim that it is “inflation proof” I don’t personally think that is a concept that has much validity. In today’s economic market I don’t know how anyone can claim that with certainty. Conceptually it’s legit but in the real world I think that’s a tall order. What if the resort sells all of its current holdings and adds new ones that were not in the pool when you signed up? Locked rates won’t matter then. This is very likely over at 10-20 year period. Most businesses look at investments in that same time frame. (that’s just one example of what could happen) Can you pass this down to your kids? Sure, but it might not be worth anything when you do it. These are just some of the reasons we looked at a 10 year period.
During the 1 hour presentation we were told that BG knew that at least 50% of us would not sign up and that was just fine. In our case, that was us and when we finally came to that answer the consultant shook my and hand and said “thanks for your time”. What else can you ask for? I walked away with some knowledge about timeshares, a basically free weekend getaway and an opportunity help some others in a similar situation. Tell me where else you can do that by giving a few hours of your time.
If you're like my ex husband, when he bought a timeshare, he thought he could call up in May to book something in June !
Learn the system, don't just complain...and you get first dibs on wherever you are " deeded " up to 11 months in advance..
I'm loving my Bluegreen !
What is a charter member?
How many points do I need for a vacation?
How much should I be paying for MF's?
What are the "secrets" to booking and getting the vacation spot I desire?
How can I rent my vacation and protect myself from cancellations?
How does RCI work with Bluegeen?
How does Bonus Time work?
What are they talking about when they refer to this $189 fee??
Timeshares maybe right for me if I understood those things
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I am not an employee of Bluegreen...lmao
How many points do I need for a vacation?
How much should I be paying for MF's?
What are the "secrets" to booking and getting the vacation spot I desire?
How can I rent my vacation and protect myself from cancellations?
How does RCI work with Bluegeen?
How does Bonus Time work?
What are they talking about when they refer to this $189 fee??
Timeshares maybe right for me if I understood those things
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think it would be in your best interests if you learned how to use it properly.
I love my Bluegreen.
I'm in the airport right now on my way home from South Mountain, in New Hampshire...