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
Thanks
All in all, we have saved money or at least broke even for what it would have cost each year to book a comparable resort/area.
Happy Bluegreen owners will book a week in the off season with saved points. (red, white and blue weeks)and bank it with RCI. When they do this they can choose to stay a week at any RCI resort in the world. do more research
my job at BG is to ensure that couples, friends and families that stay at my BG resort have a great vacation experience
Our timeshare has been listed with Timeshares Only for 2 years with not even one offer or interest in renting in any way, shape, or form.
Don't get suckered like the rest of us. Just save your money and go where you want when you want!
These people are SALES REPS! Bottom feeders, one and all, and they will steal your money, cheat your children, and threaten to ruin your credit if you refuse to pay them. That is a fact!
If you own a timeshare - from another company...WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT THIS BOARD?????
I'll tell you why - You are a BLUEGREEN SHILL!!!!!!!!!
PEOPLE LISTEN....Why, why, why would someone with no investment in Bluegreen bother to read these posts and then....whats more - TO RESPOND! They wouldn't!!!!
Bluegreen is an evil corporation that cares only about your money!
Folks, if you've take the time to read this far into this thread you've got to know this company is the worst kind of ilk...and posters like "just say know" are actually Bluegreen employees!!!!!
As for you...."just say know", Your the kind of scum that perpetuates the timeshare salesperson stereotype. I hope that Kharma has it's way with you.
ALL COMPLAINTS TO THIS BOARD ARE 100% TRUE. ABSOLUTELY TRUE
Bluegreen is the worst of the worst folks.
We were met the next am by a very "nice" salesman who gave us the whole spiel. Very personable. Honed in on my husband's love of Baseball (Redsox) and went in to this long story of how he runs a little league team for underpriveliged kids and so on.
I never thought we were gullible, but to make a long story short we were made a promise that if we purchased a package that day we would have our room upgraded to one of the "newly renovated" rooms he showed us during the tour.
The promise was made by the salesman, in front of the Sales Manager, and the girl who filled out the paper work. (Yes we fell for it.) Like many of you, what was supposed to take 90 minutes took 6 plus hours. When we said we wanted to take some time to discuss it and think it over we were told that if we left the room without making the "Deal" there would be NO deal and the price would go up. Why this didn't send up a red flag to us I really can't say, but after we signed the papers and came out to look for the salesman or the sales manager to collect on the promise they made, they were nowhere to be found.
I immediately right then and there wanted to cancel the contract but by then the office was closed. We went back the next day to talk with the sales mgr. and he told us he never said they would get us a new room - I told him we wanted to cancel the contract and he said there was nothing he could do. We also had given a $3000 dollar deposit the day before.
My vacation was basically ruined. I started having "Nightmares" and couldn't sleep if they lied about this what else have they lied about? Apparently there is a no "Cancellation or Refunds" claus in the paper work. Usually when you are doing a "Real Estate" transaction you have a certain amount of time to change your mind. Apparently that is not the case according to the Sales Mgr. and Aruban Law. We only found this out after we signed the papers and were back in our room looking them over. This certain claus was on papers never given to us until after we signed the contract. I told my husband we had to get OUT of this contract, he was convinced we were "STUCK".
I told him there is not a contract in the world that can not be broken.
We kept going back to the office and demanded to see the "Sales Mgr's Boss. Twice we were told he was in a meeting and then on a conference call. We kept returning demanding to see him and finally caught him as he was trying to leave through another door.
He had no choice but to meet with us because there was a room full of "Potential Victims" being bambooseld by their lying salesman and he did not want THEM to hear from US how they REALLY operate.
When we were finally in his office he was ready to call and see if he could get us a room and we finally said what we should have said in the beginning ---- "NO" we want the contract "CANCELLED" and we want our $ back. I told him we only bought 6,000 points for $15,000. How much $ will BG lose if we go out and tell all the people out in that room and any and everyone in this resort who checks in over the next few days how you lie and deceive to make a sale.
All of a sudden he wanted to make us happy, he didn't want any UNHAPPY customers and said the contract would be cancelled and our $ returned that afternoon. Which he did. I also had them give me a copy of the original contract with VOID written all over it and the Signature and names of all involved.
I did not relax until I checked my Bank to make sure my $ was refunded back to my account.
Anyone we talked to about BG (LaCabana owners or BG owners) said to stay away from them, they lie just to get a sale and the product sucks.
We came away learning a very valuable lesson. If we go back to LaCabana next year (we really liked the Resort itself) I am having T shirts made with the word NO on them in very large letters.
My grandmother always told me nothing is "Free" and if it sounds "too good to be true" it is. I temporarily forgot that and believed what someone was telling me. Never Again.