Universal Vacation Club International / UVC International’s earns a 3.0-star rating from 38 reviews, showing that the majority of members are somewhat satisfied with vacation experiences.
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Shady deals with timeshares
Dear Complaints Board,
I recently purchased a timeshare at Villa del Palmar Flamingos with Gareth Jones November of 2009. I called and spoke to Daniel Sauer, Gareth's manager, to which he said that he will try to take care of the situation with no reply or response from him in over a week.
I have filed two complaints with the boardmembers and UVC! Surprisingly no response. Please don't allow this to happen to anyone! I don't understand how companies can get away with this considering one of the UVC headquarters is in San Diego with the Villa Group.
We were promised many things from Gareth to which we believe was mostly false:
We were told by Gareth Jones at Villa del Palmar Flamingos:
-Continental Connections (CC) would sell our current timeshare ( San Diego) for $28k within 6 months after the purchase Villa del Palmar Flamingos. He also said that Continental Conenctions would give a $9, 500 good faith estimate (to which they have no knowledge of). I have proof of this this referral because I have a business card given to me by Gareth Jones and a point of contact at CC by the name of Karen Bryce. After spending $650 for their services and numerous messages, she has not replied to my calls.
-Gareth also told us that we could list our timeshare with CC just incase we couldn't make it to the Flamingos to help pay our association fees as an investment property. Later we read that the contract was for only personal enjoyment which was a lie.
-Gareth also told us a reserved 20% of all Interval International hotels cater to the Villa residential customers and the Top 20 Chairman's Club, so we could purchase 4 getaway weekend at a set price of approximately $299 to $749 a week. This was also a lie because we already Gold Members with Interval International.
-Gareth also changed his story when we signed the contract. We were under the impression that we would own title to the timeshare as a tax write-off instead we own a 30-year lease. He said there would be a small fee of a $1 to renew the timeshare after the 30 years to which was also a lie after talking to the customer service department.
Please help anyone! You can contact me, David, at [protected]@rocketmail.com
Complaint resolved.
I had spoken to Joshua Garcia for the past month through the escalation procedures. He was very understanding and compassionate about my situation. Joshua explained to me that he had to get authorization to review my case and resolve the dispute. After some negotiations, we have resolved my case. The reason why we purchased with Villa del Palmar Flamingos is because it is one of the most beautiful places we have ever visited. They have a wonderful product, but it ultimately came down to one rogue sales agent and a property management company not affiliated with Villa del Palmar or the developer. I can honestly say that Joshua and the Villagroup are here to listen to the voiced concerns and do their best to make thing right. Thank you, Joshua and the Villagroup!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Total rip off
We spent $28, 000 on a luxury 2 bedroom unit at Villa Del Arco. Promised to be able to trade with Interval International at millions of equal luxury units all over the world.
I have tried for 3 years to trade this unit with something comparable or even book at Arco, Nothing
$2500 maint fees, $600 Interval fees later there is never anything available.
The only available units not even close to comparable or during unusable season.
There has to be a class action suit out there against this company. Anybody have any information
on what to do? Someone needs to stop these people.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Trusting these scam artists was the biggest mistake of my life. They lie, cheat, and rip-off anyone they get their hands on. They show you one thing and stick you in another. They constantly try to get you for more money. I tried to bank a week. I gave them a credit card to bank it and they charged me to cancel but failed to bank the week. Now they want $280 to reinstate the week. I am having my attorney look into breach of contract and am also reporting them to the BBB. Even at high attorneys cost it is cheaper than paying these crooks.
Hi, if you still have problems with UVC contact Joshua Garcia these are his e-mails jngclac@gmail.com and joshg@resortcom.com, he is a representative from UVC and claims to represent the board of directors, don´t stop and keep fighting for your money.
I would like to direct any readers of this posting to go to a website I just published www.universalvacationclubmembers.com and read to your heart's content. It is addressing many issues and concerns with the Villa Group (Developer) and the UVC. If you are a UVC Member and would like to add your name to my UVC Member mailing list, please contact me via the “Contact Us” page on the site or send an email to jeffsuomi1@msn.com. Jeff Robbins.
Dear Member, we appreciate you speaking out about your concerns and would like to take this opportunity to respond to your claims.
Villa Del Arco is the newest resort within the Villa Group properties. Like with any new product, Villa Del Arco happens to be the most widely requested destination within the Villa Group properties. If your frustration lies with finding availability at Villa Del Arco, it is because a large percentage of our membership base is also seeking availability at our Villa Del Arco property at popular times during the year.
If you were to ask any of our longstanding members about this, most would agree that our newer properties will always fill up more rapidly than our older properties. For instance, in 2005, after completing our newest resort, Villa Del Palmar Flamingos, it became the most popular resort immediately following and for the first 2 years, consistently filled up more rapidly than any of our other properties.
Currently, we are completing 2 brand new properties in Cancun and Lareto for our members to enjoy. It is certain that after the completion of these 2 resorts, these properties will then become the most popular destinations within our Villa Group properties and will also fill up more rapidly than older properties like Villa Del Arco and Flamingos.
I hope this helps you understand the dynamic that goes along with building newer properties and hope that by explaining the companies reservation trends, it gives you a better knowledge about what properties will have higher availability levels. If you have further questions regarding this issue, please don't hesitate to contact the Developer's Representative directly at [protected] or [protected].
My complaints against UVC have been resolved. Thank you UVC.
Below you will find the letters I sent to the email addresses for the owners of the Villa Group. The Villa Group is the company that builds the hotels in Mexico and should be named on your contracts. They are based out of Mexico (conveinent) but have offices at the same address as UVC and ResortCom international. UVC is just a front and only handles the timeshare portion. We all have exactly the same complaint about unethical sales practices and lack of disclosure. The Villa Group is the party we should be talking to. Urge the people who visit your site to contact the Villa Group and the owners at the following email addresses:
FGONZALEZ@VILLAGROUP.COM
LUZMARIATORRES@PRODIGY.NET
Stay away at all costs
In early August our family took a vacation to Puerto Vallarta in Mexico. At the airport we were stopped by the “Tourist Advisors” who actually turned out to be Time Share representatives. The offered us couple of incentives to listen to the time share presentation and we accepted (Our First mistake)
During the Time Share Presentation at Vila Del Palmar they introduced a person called Gareth and said that he is a representative of Continental-connections and he will sell our existing time share guaranteed for $35, 000. Also they told us that it will be two different transactions. For the first transaction they told us we should sign a paper work stating that we are buying the time share with no expectation of resale of the original time share and they will send us another paper work for resale through mail. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN OUR CLUE TO WALK AWAY.
When we got home we did get the paper work for the resale but it asked for more money and had no mention of a guaranteed sale. The Continental-Connection representative told us that Gareth is actually the employee of the resort and not their employee and hence they can not do anything
We tried to contact the sales person but he never responded. However his boss called and said that the sales person should not have made that promise and he will investigate. However he never got back to us.
I have documented all of this at http://www.villagroupresorts.org
and am hoping that people will read he infor before they get to the resort.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
This issue was resolved to the Member's satisfaction as of January 2010. If further issues remain, please contact the Developer's Representative at the listed number above.
Dear Member, we recognize that you currently have an issue related to the Villa Group. We take every one of our member´s issues seriously and would like to hear more from you. We encourage you to contact the Developer´s Representative Office in Mexico at [protected] to help address any concerns you may have.
LIES
Please be advised, this letter serves as documentation for a DECEPTIVE AND FRAUDULENT TIMESHARES SALES PRACTICES which we were victims of during our trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
We inquired at the concierge desk about how to arrange a jungle zip line tour. We were told the hotel could arrange a “FREE” jungle tour if we agreed to meet a salesperson for a “FREE BREAKFAST”. We explained we were not interested in Timeshares, the concierge insisted that the best way to enjoy a zip line was to first to listen a Timeshare Seminar.
The next morning met a sales representative, Abe Gardner. He was promising many, many specials deals that we were inaccurate and very misleading. We tried to walk away from the discussion with Abe several times, but he insisted to stay and hear the special deals he was able to offer us as “GOLD MEMBERS OF UNIVERSAL VACATION CLUB”.
These “special” offers made by the salesman on behalf of UVC turned out to be MISLEADING, DECEPTIVE AND FRAUDULENT LIES SUCH AS:
1.-As Gold Members we could receive a special offer getting LOW COST AIRFARE RATES.
UVC gave us a lot of excuses why were could not lock in this travel such as their “SYSTEMS WERE DOWN AND WE NEEDED TO CALL BACK”.
2.-As Gold Member we would get 2 weeks for the price of one.
We were told we would need to notify UVC 14 months in advance of our desire to rent the 1st week and it was not guaranteed.
3.-We were told this was a good investment which could be sold if we ever desired to do such.
When we were unable to rent the 1st week, we looked into selling out timeshare, but we found there was essentially no market for the sale of such a unit without taking a loss of more than 90% on the sale.
My family really enjoyed the city of PV and we would really like to keep taking trips to Mexico in the future, we also would like to recommend Mexico as a vacation destination to our friends and extended family. However, we feel betrayed and mislead by our bad experience at the VILLA DEL PALMAR AND WITH UVC.
Big J. http://villapalmarfraud.blogspot.com/
My concerns have been clarified and my situation with UVC have been resolved to my satisfaction.
Big J.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Hello Big J,
I find it very interesting that your concerns were clarified and your situation had been resolved to your satisfaction. That is exactly the same follow upresponse I saw from the who was unhappy with the Developer and the Club.
Just this month, (3/2010), I published a website www.universalvacationclubmembers.com which addresses many issues and concerns. Please review and add your name to my UVC Member mailing list. Either contact me via the "Contact Us" page on the site or send an email to jeffsuomi1@msn.com.
I am gathering all information possible about the organizations and your input would be highly appreciated.
Jeff Robbins [protected]
Buyer beware of the villa group - uvc
We need to get the word out before more innocent people get scammed. The Villa Group and UVC are in the process of building 2 new resorts and you know what that means, they need more timeshare owners. If only they honored what they sell... that's all anyone wants, no more, no less. The Villa Group or UVC does not seem to care about their existing...
Read full review of Universal Vacation Club International / UVC International and 108 commentsAnnual Maintenance Fees
Are any other owners, like me, at Villa del Palmar-Flamingos fed up with the annual 20% increases in maintenance fees for the last few years? Have you also been stonewalled by the operator when you requested reasonable explanations for the increases. Have you been insulted with the line "it's legal"? If so, contact me with your story. I'm a retired accounting and finance professional that has experience in exposing overcharges and dealing with difficult companies. If there are others like me, we need to take united action to avoid future abusive increases.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Hi, if you still have problems with UVC contact Joshua Garcia these are his e-mails jngclac@gmail.com and joshg@resortcom.com, he is a representative from UVC and claims to represent the board of directors, don´t stop and keep fighting for your money.
I would like to direct any readers of this posting to go to a website I just published www.universalvacationclubmembers.com and read to your heart's content. It is addressing many issues and concerns with the Villa Group (Developer) and the UVC. If you are a UVC Member and would like to add your name to my UVC Member mailing list, please contact me via the “Contact Us” page on the site or send an email to jeffsuomi1@msn.com. Jeff Robbins.
Hi Diane and Cristina,
We would really appreciate if you give us the opportunity to contact you and clarify your issues with our firm, as the personnel for Gonzalez & Gonzalez is highly trained and supervised; and we can assure you that none of our customers have been attacked in any way.
Looking through the files and data base of our company we do not show any record under the name of ¨Diane Jersey¨ and/or ¨Cristine ----¨, who are the people complaining and defaming against the firm.
After 15 years of experience we knew some day this will happen, being conscious of this we back up ourselves by recording every incoming and outgoing telephone call.
In case of the existence of a recorded conversation with you under another name, we would like to expose it to the internet community to prove the opposite of the complaints made on June 30th against Gonzalez & Gonzalez to discard the fact that the post was exposed by our competitors or from the timeshare developers full of frustration by our advocacy and success on the resolution of the cases handled at Gonzalez & Gonzalez.
Also, Gonzalez and Gonzalez has never charged such exaggerated retainer fees, we have a long list of satisfied customers who support our firm, with identifications to validate their existence and able to show their satisfaction by the success in the resolution of their cases.
Gonzalez & Gonzalez counts with ample evidence, to show the Internet community and guarantee that there is no existence of this type of situation in our firm.
Respectfully,
Jose Gonzalez
Blatant Lies
ad my first Mexican vacation in Cabo San Lucas in April 09. Fell in love with the place, the lifestyle and the local people. Stayed at an All Inc resort, and took a tour "Taste of Los Cabos' on about the 4th day. While on the tour in downtown Cabo San Lucas, I popped by a real estate office to pick up some magazines and got chatting with a lovely girl in a booth outside offering cheap and discount tours.
I told her where I was staying and that I would like to take an ATV tour, but was planning to book it through the rep at hotel for $65. She told me she could offer me 50% off, if I booked through her and she'd also throw in a complimentary breakfast at a brand new 5* resort. Even offered to come pick me up in taxi next morning. I had no idea about timeshares, and honestly thought I was going on tour to a new resort looking to 'poach' potential return vacationers.
at 7.30 next morning she picked me up from resort and took me to Villa Del Arco.
I met with a lovely young mexican man who took me to breakfast, before showing me the rooms and amenities of the resort and I must say I was impressed with what I saw, and thought that yes, I may consider booking my next vacation to Cabo and stay there.
Once the tour was over he lead me to the gorgeous upper level sales room, where the view is breathtaking, and where the big closing sharks lie in wait.
I sit and listen to a slick presentation, get flirted with by one of the senior guys, and I realise that I'm being sold to. Credit card firmly in purse, I listen to what they say half heartedly, knowing that I can't afford anything like a timeshare. I'm a single woman, used to taking last minute all inc vacations and had been happy doing so for a few years. But then the room gets filled up, and before you know it champagne corks start popping, and a sense of excitement and urgency is created in the room, and you start thinking "hey, hang on I want one too"
Before I know what I'm really doing I'm signing contract. One week per year for next 30... Instead of one vacation of a lifetime, welcome to a lifetime of vacations... in USD goes 3085 deposit on my credit card and the next 7 years of monthly payments at $175...on top of that an annual maintenance fee of $585, plus an annual 'membership fee of $84, which they were waiving for year 1...
I left feeling a little stunned about what I had done, but the saleswoman had asked me to join her for dinner that night and I had agreed to go. I went back to hotel, and sat chewing fingernails all day. Trying to mentally sort out my finances at home, and trying to work out the currency exchange. By the time she picked me up I was waivering BIG TIME and needed reassuring, and she did a great job of doing so. We had a great night, and by the end of it, I felt like I'd made a friend in Cabo. She added me to her email contact list and 'sent' me an email to my home address, so I'd get it when I got back to Canada and would be able to keep in touch with her. I even made a bit of joke, teasing her that her taking my for swanky dinner downtown, was probably part of the closing? and she said "no, I dont usually mix with tourists but I really liked
you, you should come stay with me at my house, next time you come visit"
Next day I felt sick again. I talked to a few people and even bumped into the lovely little Mexican guy who had taken me on the tour of Los Cabos and he asked me if I was sure I had done right thing. I looked at him and said not really no, and he told me I should cancel then and I had 5 days to do so under Mexican Law.
I gave him a big hug and kiss on cheek and felt a million times better and headed off to the resort to do so.
When I got there, I was taken up to the sales office again, lead into the BIG BOSS's office and sat and explained my buyers remorse and that I wanted to cancel. He sat cutting his fingernails and casually said, "how much of a deposit did you put down yesterday?" I told him 3085...and that I was going to get nailed with the US to CAD currency exchange, and simply couldn't manage it.
He said "thats allot of money to lose"
"Not if I cancel within 5 days, I dont, which is what I'm doing under Mexican Law"
and he replied with "Oh, that, nope, that law doesn't apply to us, as we are a US based company. Thats the loophole that makes us exempt from that law"
"you are kidding me?""
"No, in fact, if thats what you were looking for you picked the worst company to deal with, because we are the only ones on whole area that it doesn't apply to, but then again you picked the BEST company to buy timeshare with as we are the most luxurious in area"
I felt sick, stunned, unsure of my rights. I felt emotional and got a bit choked up, and he continues "but heres what I'll do for ya, I'll give you half the deal, every other year, for half the price you paid yesterday, and even give you a credit off the deposit.
But its either that, or lose the full deposit completely if you decide to cancel"
I felt cornered and bullied. I couldn't think or see straight and all around me are seemingly happy people and champagne corks popping. I agreed to take the half deal rather than lose my full deposit. I just wanted to get out of there to throw up.
which is what I did, I went back to my room, spent afternoon being sick and crying and went to bed at 8pm. I felt so depressed. I was scheduled to leave the next day, but my flight was delayed twice and then eventually cancelled. We were picked up from hotel and taken to San Jose Del Cabo for night, and then picked up from there and taken to airport at 5.30 am, but the flight didn't leave until 4pm.
I arrived home exhausted about midnight on friday, spent saturday unpacking laundry and settling in, and then on sunday checked for emails, and the email I was supposed to have gotten from the sales lady wasn't there. My gut churned and I started looking on the net for everything I could, came across Profeco, tried calling them but the offices were closed.
I gathered all my stuff together on Monday morning and called them again, and they told me that under Mexican Law I did have right to cancel regardless of US company. As long as the company received written cancellation within 5 days. I was stunned again that I'd been blatantly lied to.
I told them I was back home now, and that this was my 5th day, and they advised me to send a fax or email directly to the company, and also follow up with registered letter. I scrambled to put a letter of complaint/cancellation, took copies of all contracts, where on one it clearly states I could cancel within 5 days with no penalty, and fired off a $52 fax to the resort, and 2 registered letters, one to resort and one to Profeco copying them each on both.
I heard from Profeco, who told me that I was entitled to full refund, and that resort should do so within 20 days, and if they hadn't by that time then they would step in and act on my behalf.
On April 22 the deposit appeared on my credit card. On April 23, I got the 'welcome to club membership' courtesy call, and I explained my situation to them too, and once again I was told that yes I did have a right to cancel.
He asked me to forward all the information to him and he would follow up with the resort.
I did so, and so far I havn't heard anything back, nor has my credit card been credited back the refund...but I am a little more hopeful than I was a week ago.
Hopefully I will get full refund. I am already booked to return to Cabo on June 8th, and if not then I will pay another visit to resort in person, and this time I will keep credit card firmly locked away in drawer at home!
Hope this helps to warn others of slick sales pitches and not to get carried away with emotion. Look before you leap, do tons of research ask loads of questions and always take time to read the fine print, or better yet, tell them you cant sign anything without a lawyer reviewing the contract first.
The same deals are all over the place, dont let them convince you to take the 'one time only offer' or get seduced by the incentives.
Best of luck
Hi, if you still have problems with UVC contact Joshua Garcia these are his e-mails jngclac@gmail.com and joshg@resortcom.com, he is a representative from UVC and claims to represent the board of directors, don´t stop and keep fighting for your money.
Thank you for your rendition of more experience exactly! I am on my 4th day and now want to cancel. Can you tell me the email and fax numbers that you sent the cancellation to? I am in desperate need to cancel this agreement. Please let me know asap, as tomorrow is my final day!
Hi Amber
thanks for your support and reply
I spent the last day of my vacation feeling really upset. My flight was delayed for 24 hours and I didn't arrive back in Canada until the saturday. I got online and found Profeco, and called them but as it was the weekend the offices were closed.
First thing Monday morning I was on the phone to them and they confirmed that I had been lied to, and I did have 5 days to cancel. I called the Head offices in San Diego to cancel and complain and they told me I had to notify the resort in person or in writing within the 5 days. I was in day 5, and it all had to be done by the end of that day. I sent 2 faxes, ($110) one to resort one to Profeco, copying everything. I followed up with 2 registered mails ($60). 2 days later the deposit was put onto my credit card.
I heard from Profeco telling me they had recieved my complaint and that if I hadn't recieved my full refund back within 20 days they would act on my behalf as mediator.
A day later I recieved a call from head office in San Diego 'welcoming me' to my membership and to set up my payment plan. I told them what had happened and that I had cancelled my contract.
The agent asked me to forward all of the information to him and he would follow up and get back to me.
I didn't hear back from him for a couple of days, so I sent another email. Still didn't get a reply.
I came on this board and found a reply to another complaint and noticed the information for Gonzalez and Gonzalez a law firm in Jalisco specialising in timeshare fraud.
I called and spoke to Cindy, who was extremely helpful and empathatic. She told me to send all of information to her and she would pass along to Jose Gonzalez the attorney. Jose himself called me back in Canada and spent about 30 minutes on the phone with me explaining to me that I had a case, I had been lied to, and unfortunately the timeshare business was a huge money making business in Mexico and alot of that money was made each year from people like me.
He didn't pressure me into using his services, but he did tell me that I had done everything right, however the timeshare resorts were notorious for not acknowledging cancellations. If I was to succeed I was to be persistent, and it may take 3 - 6 months before I could expect a refund if they even agreed to do so. Even if they told me that they were taking care of it, I still had to be persistent until the money was back in my account, because in reality what they really want is for you to simply become so exhausted that you simply give up, or just forget about it, and end up keeping it rather than go through the hassle of it all.
Even if Profeco stepped in, there was no real garuantee that I would get my refund back, instead they would simply help me in cancelling my contract.
He also warned me that the timeshare companies were also pretty ruthless in putting accounts into collection agency's which destroyed credit ratings as a scare tactic for people who simply refused to make payments.
I thanked him for his time, and decided that I would give it about 1 more week, and if I didn't get refund back then I would retian his services, but I would follow up with the head offices with another phone call. Which I did that afternoon. I left a curt message for the agent I had been dealing with and told him I was requesting a formal status update of my cancellation and when I could expect my full refund.
He called me back that evening at home and apologised for not getting back to me sooner, and told me that yes he had heard back from the resort, the cancellation had been in compliance and that I should be getting a refund within a couple of business days.
I felt a little skeptical, however I went online to do some banking that night, and my refund had been applied back on to my credit card!
We must have been a few of the lucky ones.
Glad you were successful too.
Amanda
Greedy Crooks
I hope to possibly help others from my timeshare nightmare with Universal Vacation Club.
My wife and I went to Puerto Vallarta Mexico in April of 2006 on our honeymoon. Once we arrived at the airport, we were invited to a presentation. My wife and I were hesitant but we agreed to go. We were picked up and brought to Villa Del Palmar Resort where we were introduced to Terri. Terri appeared to be a confident woman who really knew what she was doing. Normally, I'm a very skeptical person, but I must admit that she had us wrapped around her finger. She said many things that we later found to be untrue about our timeshare. We were told that you could deduct your timeshare on your IRS taxes because you would own investment property. She also said that we would not only be buying a vacation, but an investment for our future. She also told us that if we wanted, we could easily rent or sell our timeshare if we ever were too busy to travel which is completely untrue. Once we agreed to purchase the timeshare, they never even once mention that there was a 5 day cancellation period. Instead, they pointed out that if we were to cancel our membership, we would lose our down payment and possibly be reported to the debt creditors. Once our honeymoon was over, we went home and realized that we had made a mistake and needed to cancel our membership but it was too late. Not really knowing our options, we stupidly paid off our timeshare and continued to pay our maintenance fees in fear of having our credit affected and hopes of selling it one day. Of course to sell it, you have to keep the timeshare for one year. This is where we had made the mistake. What we should have done is file a complaint with the Federal Attorney's Office of Consumer (PROFECO) web site(http://www.profeco.gob.mx/english.htm). I've tried filing a complaint after 2.5 years, but they told me that there is a statute of limitations of one year since the purchase of my timeshare to file a complaint. So, even though it is too late for me, I urge anyone else to try to file a complaint with PROFECO([protected]@profeco.gob.mx). I don't want these stinking timeshares to take anymore money from unsuspecting victims.
Hope this helps as many people as possible and if anyone has any suggestions on what I can do with my timeshare, please let me know.
Thank you.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I would like to direct any readers of this posting to go to a website I just published www.universalvacationclubmembers.com and read to your heart's content. It is addressing many issues and concerns with the Villa Group (Developer) and the UVC. If you are a UVC Member and would like to add your name to my UVC Member mailing list, please contact me via the “Contact Us” page on the site or send an email to jeffsuomi1@msn.com. Jeff Robbins.
In response to the postings on this site, the Villa Group has responded to 90% of these complaints individually. If there remains any further disputes, the developer encourages members to contact the Developers Representative directly at [protected] and try to resolve each issue.
Did you get the lower fees in writting on the contract or verbally ?
In February I was in Puerto Vallarta and of course was hounded to death about going to a presentation. Finally we went to one, I said no to the salesperson but then was approached outside by a person who said he was with the Developer and not a salesperson. He told me about a Gold Trial Membership for $1, 500.00 and said it was with Interval International. He also said several times during the presentation that the maintenance fees were only $138.00. Well to my huge surprise after getting home I find out the membership is with Universal Vacation Club - first lie. Then I find out that the maintenance fees are over $700.000 - second lie. My list goes on and on. Minimally I think they should honor what their SALESPERSON Don Keefe told me about the $138.00 maintenance fee. How can these companies continue to scam the consumers and get away with it?
Try going to Cabo San Lucas and relax
Terrible company
We were stopped at the Puerto Vallarta airport after we got our bags and were told these people were from Apple Vacation and they wanted to talk to us about upgrading our stay, they told us that we were Premier customers and were eligible for this upgrade. The gentleman told us we needed to meet with a representative from the upgraded resort and he wanted us to commit to a date so we agreed to meet on Sunday, this was Friday. He said he would pick us up Sun. We were then given a taxi ride to our resort, normally with Apple vacations ride is on a bus with the people in the colorful shirts, but we were told we were Premium vacation guests and this was part our our vacation.
We went to the Flamingo Resort on Sunday and were greeted by a gentleman named Gareth who took us to breakfast then showed us around, we asked on several occasions if this was a time share and were told over and over it was not, that it was an exclusive invitation for us to experience this resort, we were told we could spend the day and enjoy the facilities if we desired after his 75 minute presentation which was information letting us know how we could make this our vacation destination.
We got the whole sales pitch and Gareth made this sound too good to be true, finally after 2.5 hours Gareth got to the point. We told him we were not comfortable making this kind of decision in such a short time and that we needed time to think this through, he then offered for us to stay the day, then said he could see if they could 'move us in' so we could appreciate the amenities there, that if we made a decision right then they would 'allow us a special considerations of 5 days to cancel' no strings. He told us to talk about it and he would go and see if they could move us in. We told him this was not a deal maker for us, that we were fine at our resort and that we had paid for the all inclusive there and weren't prepared to leave that behind. He said they would provide the same as what we had 'if' he could get the ok from his supervisor.
He came back and told us they would be happy to move us in, that the cost for us to stay there would normally be $2000 but if we signed the agreement there would be no charge. We told him again that this was not necessary and wouldn't make a difference in our decision. He said if we were to stay then if we had questions he would be right here to answer them rather than us being so far away at our resort. We agreed to the term once he told us we could have unlimited summer weeks, but said this was not the norm so we were not to tell anyone at the resort that he gave in to our demands, however through out his presentation he told us no less than 5 times that everyone gets the same deals, and there were no special circumstances given to anyone, all deals were the same.
Guess this should have been our first and biggest red flag but we decided to leave our resort and move in, Gareth reimbursed us for the taxi to come back and also for our trip back to the airport when we were to leave.
We had ample opportunity to visit with other folks at the resort, and through out the course of 2 days we heard so many different offers and concessions that our heads were spinning. We went to find our sales person Gareth to voice our concerns (we were told to speak to only him if we had any questions or concerns) but were told he had the day off, this was Wednesday, we checked again on Thursday and he was off this day also, we were leaving on Friday and had lots of questions and concerns about the contract we signed and we knew we had to get this settled before we left because we only had the 5 days and Friday was it.
this place makes you sign for every thing you get, every drink or meal we had we signed for, we were constantly reassured by the staff that this was normal and no charge but we were still skeptical so we checked with the front desk to see what our room charges were, when we were told our balance was zero we were relieved.
We finally got a hold of our rep and voiced our concerns, he told us everything was fine, that we would get all this in writing when we got home, yet he wasn't able to answer our question about all the different offers that were given out, so we said we needed to talk, the person from the front desk told us the amount of $20, 515.78 peso's or around $1400 was what we owed for our stay there, we told her we were still not sure if we were canceling our contract and she told us we were to go and speak with the finance person, that he wanted to see us right away. We went to his office and he asked us what our problem was, we told him our concerns and he laughed at us and told us there are many different deals that go on and we could never think that they were all the same, even though we trusted Gareth was telling us the truth.
We told him we were canceling our contract, he said our card would be reimbursed in 7-10 working days for the deposit we paid, and he had us sign a paper with our reason for canceling, he gave us a copy and told us to go and see the person at the front desk. We were then told by the front desk clerk that we were responsible for paying the 5 days we were there, that the original amount she gave us was the members price and the new total we owed was now $24, 816.95 peso's or about $1700. We were told there was no way we would not have to pay for our stay there, even though we had given our reservations up when we checked out of our resort for which we had already paid, we told them we would never knowingly commit to paying an additional $1700 for a vacation we had already paid for and that we felt we were coerced into moving in to this resort, and were not able to speak with Gareth for 2 days, had we seen him earlier all this would have been resolved and we would have known we were being charged and could have attempted to go back to our resort.
Needless to say they did not care, and when we attempted to leave AFTER paying the amount owed because we had to get to the airport or miss our flight home they still made us wait by the main gate until we were cleared by the front desk. So basically we were tagged once we even started asking questions on Friday morning.
We won't know for sure about the refunded deposit for a few days, but we are stinging from having to pay that additional amount to stay there, and are even more angry that as soon as they knew we were canceling our contract they raised our rate an additional $300.
We didn't solicit this, didn't ask to be lied to at the very beginning of our trip nor did we asks to be moved to this resort and then have to PAY an additional $1700, we have no way to resolve this on our own and feel we should not have to take this without some fight on our part. They told us we signed a paper that said we agreed to pay for our room if we canceled our contract, but frankly after being there from 8:30 that morning until we were allowed to leave at 3:00pm I have to say we don't recall signing anything like that, but we signed a lot of papers so they managed to screwed that into the equation too.
They should be ashamed of themselves.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Nobody forced you to sign those papers. You got conned and you can't accept that a smart person got persuaded with breakfast and repetition.
I would like to direct any readers of this posting to go to a website I just published www.universalvacationclubmembers.com and read to your heart's content. It is addressing many issues and concerns with the Villa Group (Developer) and the UVC. If you are a UVC Member and would like to add your name to my UVC Member mailing list, please contact me via the “Contact Us” page on the site or send an email to jeffsuomi1@msn.com. Jeff Robbins.
Hi Diane and Cristine,
We would really appreciate if you give us the opportunity to contact you and clarify your issues with our firm, as the personnel for Gonzalez & Gonzalez is highly trained and supervised; and we can assure you that none of our customers have been attacked in any way.
Looking through the files and data base of our company we do not show any record under the name of ¨Diane Jersey¨ and/or ¨Cristine ----¨, who are the people complaining and defaming against the firm.
After 15 years of experience we knew some day this will happen, being conscious of this we back up ourselves by recording every incoming and outgoing telephone call.
In case of the existence of a recorded conversation with you under another name, we would like to expose it to the internet community to prove the opposite of the complaints made on June 30th against Gonzalez & Gonzalez to discard the fact that the post was exposed by our competitors or from the timeshare developers full of frustration by our advocacy and success on the resolution of the cases handled at Gonzalez & Gonzalez.
Also, Gonzalez and Gonzalez has never charged such exaggerated retainer fees, we have a long list of satisfied customers who support our firm, with identifications to validate their existence and able to show their satisfaction by the success in the resolution of their cases.
Gonzalez & Gonzalez counts with ample evidence, to show the Internet community and guarantee that there is no existence of this type of situation in our firm.
Respectfully,
Jose Gonzalez
Misrepresentation
I paid over &15, 000.00 cash for a timeshare w/UVC at Villa Del Palmar. I was never told that the maintanence fee would go up &90-100.00 per year. I am now getting priced out of the membership. In 2005 I paid 555.00 per year and the sales person Jill THOMPSON, told me it "almost never goes up", because I specifically asked about this. All the contract said was that the maintanence fee can ONLY go up with a vote from the Board of Directors. She made it sound like it was almost impossible to have the fee go up. This makes the timeshare NOT worth the money. I can rent a place less than that...What is going on? Are we being frauded? At this rate I will have to give the membership back eventually. I am going to contact an attorney to see if there is any recourse.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I would like to direct any readers of this posting to go to a website I just published www.universalvacationclubmembers.com and read to your heart's content. It is addressing many issues and concerns with the Villa Group (Developer) and the UVC. If you are a UVC Member and would like to add your name to my UVC Member mailing list, please contact me via the “Contact Us” page on the site or send an email to jeffsuomi1@msn.com. Jeff Robbins.
Dear Chosen 1, it is difficult for us to handle any issue related to the Villa Group if we cannot identify you as a member. We encourage you to contact the Developer's Rep in Puerto Vallarta to discuss your claims individually. You can contact the Developer's Rep directly at [protected] (US Number) so that we may address your issues.
Regards,
Developer's Rep
Villa Group
yes, we have had problems with them re: raising the maintanence fee - we have a studio that sleep 4, our fee started out $300.00 and has went up to $649.00, it is not worth us, to keep this. I was thinking about doing a quick claim deed!
Apparently and in my opinion, there is fraud nearly at every turn with this company. From the attempt to pump us full of alcohol during the tour to the outlandish promises that are made during the tour and sales process scream "caviat emptor"! Buyer beware, you are about to be scammed out of your pants. After you have completed your transactions with UVC and the Villa Group, expect several phone calls. They will promise you the world stating when you give up your friends and family, they as well as you will reap the rewards and be entered into drawings that cannot be tracked. Fraud, Fraud, Fraud! In my opinion, the single most fraudulent claim that still makes my blood boil with this company is the claim that they will be more than happy to help you resale your albatross when you finally come to your senses and realize you now being flat out scammed. You will receive a return email stating the following:
Thank you for contacting ResortCom International.
Your resort does not have a resale program in place at this time. You are more than welcome to rent your week to a friend or family member, sell you contract privately, or work with a resale agent or company in order to transfer your membership into the name of another individual.
Best regards,
Member Services
ResortCom International
Timeshares are a waste of money for 95% of the people out there. Majority of timeshares are crooks and I feel ashamed for falling for their marketing gimmicks. I spent too much money and did not visit the timeshare. I hope as many people will see this as possible.
Dear Member, we recognize your concern with regards to the issue of Maintenance Cost and want to be sure your concerns are addressed. The Villa Group does its best to ensure that our Properties maintain the highest quality each time you visit the property. Any increase in Maintenance Cost is directly used to improve the property and all future properties. In fact, Villa Del Palmar in Dowtown PV and Cabo San Lucas have recently seen drastic facelifts, which you will be able to enjoy on your next visit. If you would like to review any details regarding these improvements you can find them in recent issues of the UVC Newsletter at MYUVC.COM.
Yes. That is our problem. I also paid it off and now I'm told if I don't pay my maintanence fee of 850.00 per year they can turn it over to a collections agancy. I would love to sue UVC for the fraudulent information given us at signing. We were also told you can sell back your timeshare to them. LIE..These people arre unreal. ANY ATTORNEY'S OUT THERE THAT WOULD LIKE TO FILE A CLASS ACTION SUIT FOR A PERCENTAGE? Good Luck to all...
David Kenner - 916.743.4833
We have the same problem with our timeshare from UVC. They are charging us $720 in maintenance fees! We wanted to cancel our membership, but they never informed us of the 5 day cancellation period so we missed our opportunity. :(
No Availabiltity
We also purchased a 2 bedroom suite at Villa Del Arco, we love Cabo and go there a couple of times a year so we though it would be wonderful. WRONG! I have had the timeshare since 2007 and still am unable to book an actual week to use my 2 bedroom suite. I have banked my weeks for 2 years now and as of 2009 I called again. Again, no everything is booked up! Even at all their other properties too. I have heard this same complaint from many of my friends that I have heard were suckered in to buying this timeshare also! I told them to shove it when they called for their payment this month because after 3 years I'm still not able to use what I am paying for! They informed me they are turning me over to collections! DON'T BUY UVC! TOTAL RIP OFF!
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Hi, if you still have problems with UVC contact Joshua Garcia these are his e-mails jngclac@gmail.com and joshg@resortcom.com, he is a representative from UVC and claims to represent the board of directors, don´t stop and keep fighting for your money.
Hi Diane and Cristine,
We would really appreciate if you give us the opportunity to contact you and clarify your issues with our firm, as the personnel for Gonzalez & Gonzalez is highly trained and supervised; and we can assure you that none of our customers have been attacked in any way.
Looking through the files and data base of our company we do not show any record under the name of ¨Diane Jersey¨ and/or ¨Cristine ----¨, who are the people complaining and defaming against the firm.
After 15 years of experience we knew some day this will happen, being conscious of this we back up ourselves by recording every incoming and outgoing telephone call.
In case of the existence of a recorded conversation with you under another name, we would like to expose it to the internet community to prove the opposite of the complaints made on June 30th against Gonzalez & Gonzalez to discard the fact that the post was exposed by our competitors or from the timeshare developers full of frustration by our advocacy and success on the resolution of the cases handled at Gonzalez & Gonzalez.
Also, Gonzalez and Gonzalez has never charged such exaggerated retainer fees, we have a long list of satisfied customers who support our firm, with identifications to validate their existence and able to show their satisfaction by the success in the resolution of their cases.
Gonzalez & Gonzalez counts with ample evidence, to show the Internet community and guarantee that there is no existence of this type of situation in our firm.
Respectfully,
Jose Gonzalez
Deceptive Timeshare sales
DONT BUY A TIMESHARE FROM VILLA DEL PALMAR / UNIVERSAL VACATION CLUB. We own several timeshares and love to vacation in Mexico. We were at Villa del Palmar Flamingos in Nuevo Vallarta in April 2008. We were approached for the timeshare sales; we went to get the “discounts” and made it clear from the beginning that we were not interested because we already...
Read full review of Universal Vacation Club International / UVC International and 9 commentsThey do not honor contractual benefits
When my husband and I bought into UVC in June 2008, it was promoting an airfare guarantee of up to 5 years program through their partner Travel Escape Club. Now, UVC is not honoring the program, though we have this in writing.
When I spoke with the sales manager at Villa Del Palmar Flamingos, he was shocked that that benefit is not being offered. He even told me that they had training on that program about two weeks ago, and that he's going to get to the bottom of it. I'm not sure whether to believe him, as I've not heard back.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Hi, if you still have problems with UVC contact Joshua Garcia these are his e-mails jngclac@gmail.com and joshg@resortcom.com, he is a representative from UVC and claims to represent the board of directors, don´t stop and keep fighting for your money.
I would like to direct any readers of this posting to go to a website I just published www.universalvacationclubmembers.com and read to your heart's content. It is addressing many issues and concerns with the Villa Group (Developer) and the UVC. If you are a UVC Member and would like to add your name to my UVC Member mailing list, please contact me via the “Contact Us” page on the site or send an email to jeffsuomi1@msn.com. Jeff Robbins.
My complaints against UVC have been resolved. Thank you UVC.
Below you will find the letters I sent to the email addresses for the owners of the Villa Group. The Villa Group is the company that builds the hotels in Mexico and should be named on your contracts. They are based out of Mexico (conveinent) but have offices at the same address as UVC and ResortCom international. UVC is just a front and only handles the timeshare portion. We all have exactly the same complaint about unethical sales practices and lack of disclosure. The Villa Group is the party we should be talking to. Urge the people who visit your site to contact the Villa Group and the owners at the following email addresses:
FGONZALEZ@VILLAGROUP.COM
LUZMARIATORRES@PRODIGY.NET
I just wanted to follow-up on this posting. From the time I posted this complaint, UVC and I have now resolved my issue, and they have cancelled my contract and refunded my deposit.
From the time I first learned that the benefits of my UVC Gold Membership will not be fully honored, it took me almost three months to resolve our differences. Plus, the staff at the UVC San Diego headquarters (Sheryl Williams, Loan & Collections Supervisor) was rude and unprofessional. They were not helpful at all.
My husband was told that only the sales manager of our resort in Mexico could cancel our contract. It tooks us many weeks before getting a hold of Bill Conley, director of member services, but once he reviewed my complaints and the supporting documents I provided, he quickly took care of my account balances and removed late fee charges.
Scammers
Universal Vacation Club lied during the presentation and sweetened the deal with a Free Summer Week. Yes, they said entirely free, no maintenance fees. Turns out the other name for the Free Summer Week is a Gold Week which requires a maintenance fee. They say they never heard of a Free Summer Week. Our presenter, Rebecca McCallie really scammed us. She wouldn't return any phone calls either when we were disputing the contract terms. I filed with the FTC and the California States Attny who states they have no jurisdiction over the issue because the contract was signed in Mexico. We'll my answer is that UVC has no jurisdiction over me since I am a US citizen and the contract was signed in Mexico. I am currently mailing the US Consulate for Mexico in order to get out of this contract. If everyone that has ever had an issue with this company does the same, we may get results.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
That's what you get for feeding the corprate machine that is taking land from it's rightful owners just so that you can tan your white [censor] .why don't you just take it as a lose lime the natives have and move on with your life like we are tring to do with ours .Enjoy your family and mansion.and stop with this poor me crap. That's what you sheeple get when you wanna be greedy and want to own a place you only stay at one week out of the year.
In response to the postings on this site, the Villa Group has responded to 90% of these issues individually. If there remains any further disputes we encourage our members to contact the Developers Representative directly at [protected] to resolve the issue.
My complaint with UVC has been resolved. Thanks UVC.
Below you will find the letters I sent to the email addresses for the owners of the Villa Group. The Villa Group is the company that builds the hotels in Mexico and should be named on your contracts. They are based out of Mexico (conveinent) but have offices at the same address as UVC and ResortCom international. UVC is just a front and only handles the timeshare portion. We all have exactly the same complaint about unethical sales practices and lack of disclosure. The Villa Group is the party we should be talking to. Urge the people who visit your site to contact the Villa Group and the owners at the following email addresses:
FGONZALEZ@VILLAGROUP.COM
LUZMARIATORRES@PRODIGY.NET
i try to get a rental form from suitegetaways.com/ and cannot get on their site.we are unknown.our membership # is 16-24143
and our id # if g-1002586. i tried to send and e-mail but it was returned .last year they sent a check to juergen hiller, our name is Hille. one cannot call either.please help us.
irmgard hille and juergen hille
615 mountain meadows rd.
boulder, co .80302
phone [protected]
They screwed me
Bought time share at new hotel, have not been able to stay at new hotel for 3 years. UVC tells me only a portion (35%) of the hotel (via del arco) is open to the time share holder. oops, forgot to mention that during the sales pitch. totally poor customer service...don't stay at a villa resort / or a uvc property... they will try to suck you dry.
Rhonda Mayer / director of customer service is helpless / worthless in helping out. They gave me an "equivalent" room at Villa del Palmar which was not even close to what i bought. The room had mold on the walls. You can't walk around the hotel without someone trying to get you to spend money. It verges on harassment. Don’t go there.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I know how you feel, and it seems like this is a common problen in Mexico. I purchased a travel program through Sandos Playacar at Royal Elite Timeshare Resort in Playa del Carmen last March and I requested to cancel within the 5 day grace period but they still have not refunded my down payment of over $9000 US dollars. I have been in touch with people there and they say they are working the process but it takes time. It has now been almost 5 months and I am losing faith they will ever pay me back. This is another forum with more complaints about this company:
http://www.timesharescam.com/timeshare-complaints-resorts-black-list/6-royal-elite-sandos-timeshare-complaints/
I believe we should do something about it, as I understand Mexican regulations forbid the offering of gifts, free vacation certificates or any other promotion strategies without informing the consumer the specific purpose of the offer. I want to complaint with PROFECO about this, and get my money back
I would like to direct any readers of this posting to go to a website I just published www.universalvacationclubmembers.com and read to your heart's content. It is addressing many issues and concerns with the Villa Group (Developer) and the UVC. If you are a UVC Member and would like to add your name to my UVC Member mailing list, please contact me via the “Contact Us” page on the site or send an email to jeffsuomi1@msn.com. Jeff Robbins.
My concerns have been clarified and my situation with UVC have been resolved to my satisfaction.
Big J.
Check this page and leave your comments
http://villapalmarfraud.blogspot.com/
Big J.
Please be advised, this letter serves as documentation for a DECEPTIVE AND FRAUDULENT TIMESHARES SALES PRACTICES which we were victims of during our trip to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.
We inquired at the concierge desk about how to arrange a jungle zip line tour. We were told the hotel could arrange a “FREE” jungle tour if we agreed to meet a salesperson for a “FREE BREAKFAST”. We explained we were not interested in Timeshares, the concierge insisted that the best way to enjoy a zip line was to first to listen a Timeshare Seminar.
The next morning met a sales representative, Abe Gardner. He was promising many, many specials deals that we were inaccurate and very misleading. We tried to walk away from the discussion with Abe several times, but he insisted to stay and hear the special deals he was able to offer us as “GOLD MEMBERS OF UNIVERSAL VACATION CLUB”.
These “special” offers made by the salesman on behalf of UVC turned out to be MISLEADING, DECEPTIVE AND FRAUDULENT LIES SUCH AS:
1.-As Gold Members we could receive a special offer getting LOW COST AIRFARE RATES.
UVC gave us a lot of excuses why were could not lock in this travel such as their “SYSTEMS WERE DOWN AND WE NEEDED TO CALL BACK”.
2.-As Gold Member we would get 2 weeks for the price of one.
We were told we would need to notify UVC 14 months in advance of our desire to rent the 1st week and it was not guaranteed.
3.-We were told this was a good investment which could be sold if we ever desired to do such.
When we were unable to rent the 1st week, we looked into selling out timeshare, but we found there was essentially no market for the sale of such a unit without taking a loss of more than 90% on the sale.
My family really enjoyed the city of PV and we would really like to keep taking trips to Mexico in the future, we also would like to recommend Mexico as a vacation destination to our friends and extended family. However, we feel betrayed and mislead by our bad experience at the VILLA DEL PALMAR AND WITH UVC.
Big J.
We share your grief and have to agree that the Villa Group or UVC does not seem to care about their existing customers and they do not tell the truth in their sales presentations. We need to get the word out before more innocent people get scammed. They are in the process of building 2 new resorts and you know what that means, they need more timeshare owners. If only they honored what they sell...
We have tried to fix our issues with just about everyone with the Villa Group and UVC and they have done absolutely nothing. Below is our original complaint sent to UVC and the Villa Group. Since complaining, all 3 of our referrals that are joining us next week at the property were called within the last day and informed that they are "ineligible for the referral program because they are traveling with us" - so they are no longer being offered the round-trip transportation to/from the airport/resort or the $300.00 in resort credit - retailiation? Does anyone know what the heck is going?
To make matters worse, today I get my UVC newsletter in the mail where they are promoting their "referral program" and claim that referrals can stay for $25.00 per night. So why was I charged $987.00 to upgrade my unit to accomidate our "referrals" that are joining us and why did we have go through a travel agent to book an additional night at the resort when our flight was cancelled and we were booked on a flight a day later? (UVC said they were sold out and couldn't help. So what exactly are we getting for the $17K we've spent plus yearly maintence?
Background:
On August 4, 2006 while we were in Cabo San Lucas, we were approached by a Villa Group Senior Sales Representative, Linda Salisbury, about an exciting opportunity to purchase a timeshare at a soon to be developed premier resort called Villa Del Arco. She invited us to tour the property and hear about the exciting pre-development discount pricing being offered by the Villa Group/ResortCom International. Ms. Salisbury then drove us to the property where we were shown the future layout of the resort (still under construction) and an already built and furnished 1-bedroom unit. Liking what we saw, we then sat down with Ms. Salisbury to discuss the details of purchasing a 1-bedroom unit at Villa Del Arco. Following are the contract terms we were promised if we purchased and became owners of a 1-bedroom unit during the summer season (weeks 18 - 43) for the purchase price of $16, 995.00:
1. Two 1-bedroom ocean view/pool view units for the price of one unit - second unit was called a "Gold Week"
2. Guaranteed use of 1 1-bedroom unit for two weeks each year or 2 1-bedroom units for 1 week each year.
3. As a "Gold Member/Property Owner" we would have the right to use our "Gold Week" anytime during our summer season.
4. Guaranteed stay at Villa Del Arco during our time slot or the option to use Interval International to travel elsewhere.
5. Guaranteed owner priority reservations.
6. Guaranteed owner priority upgrades to larger units if available at no additional cost.
7. Guaranteed extended stay at maintenance fee rates.
6. UVC and Interval International membership.
7. Maintenance fees not to exceed $602.00 per unit per year.
8. Complimentary resort shuttle service to and from the airport to the resort.
9. Resort use is exclusive to timeshare owners and will not be available to the open market. This was explained to ensure member use, unlike other timeshares.
All sounded wonderful to us and we entered into a contract and became timeshare owners, paying for our purchase in full.
Issues from the beginning:
Our problems began with our first attempt to stay at the property:
We wanted to use 2 units for 1 week in June 2007 and were told that because of the high demand from owners, the Villa group could not honor the 2nd unit. After a lot of complaining and run around, we were finally granted the use of the second unit. We were also informed that the complimentary shuttle service was not yet being honored and we had to rent a car for the week at a cost of $875.00 Upon arrival at the property we were put in units that faced the swamp next door (no ocean/pool view) and in the middle of very noisy construction. We complained to member services and they informed us that there was nothing they could do - the resort was sold out.
After being at the resort for 2 days and constantly going to the front desk to see about being moved, we learned from the hotel manager that the resort was not sold out and in fact units with views were available but not for "timeshare owners" - the Villa group only owned 35% of the resort and those were sold out. If we wanted to purchase units with better views we could directly from the hotel at a cost of $425.00 per night. This was clearly not acceptable and we immediately went to the member services desk where we literally made a scene. We were quickly moved into the type of units we purchased.
2008 reservation issues:
We elected to not vacation at the resort in 2008 when we were told there was no availability for 2 units - clearly a breach of contract.
2009 reservation issues:
Over a year ago we booked 2 1-bedroom units for the week of 7/12 - 7/19, 2009 - we originally wanted to vacation in June (not July) but even booking a year in advance we were told it wasn't available - so we adjusted our plans and made a reservation in July.
Shortly after two different couples we know were interested in vacationing with us and to possibly buy into the resort. We contacted member services to see about upgrading one of our units to a 2-bedroom so that we could all fit. We were told that the resort was sold out and there was nothing member services could do about an upgrade. We then called the hotel and learned that was not true and 2-bedroom units were available (again through purchase direct from the hotel) we also checked Expedia and Travelocity and sure enough there is availability. We contacted UVC and were told those units were not available to us - the Villa Group only owns 35% of the property. We then called the on-site Villa Group reservation manager, Blanca Montes, who confirmed the same. After many phone calls and threats, we were able to upgrade 1 of our units to a 2-bedroom at an additional cost of $987.00. So much for your referral program. 2 days later we saw on your Villa Group website that we could of and should of been able to upgrade that unit for only $25.00.
Then in early June we we received a call from Alaska Airlines informing us that our return flight on 7/19 was canceled and we were moved to a flight on 7/20. We immediately contacted UVC about adding an additional night for each unit and were told that we could not - the resort is sold out. Knowing this was not true (we called the hotel and looked on-line) we began making phone calls everywhere. To this day this additional night has not been resolved and we have no idea where we are staying the night of 7/19.
Class-Action Law Suit
Clearly we are not alone in being misrepresented by your company/company representatives. We were contacted recently by an attorney representing 48 other Villa Group/Villa Del Arco property owners about a class-action breach of contract law suit that will seek full purchase price refunds. We have our own file documenting everything as well as the video tape from the sales presentation.
This has become the biggest nightmare and possibly the biggest investment mistake we have ever made. We have spent numerous hours trying to work with your company and have no choice but to keep our reservation this year, but still need an additional night. We also do not feel we should have had to pay the additional $987.00 for the upgraded unit since we are bringing people who are set up to hear your sales presentation. We also do not yet know how we are getting to/from the airport to the resort - apparently your shuttle service is "still not available." (current status: we booked on own final night through a travel agent - UVC still couldn't help us)
We look forward to hearing what your/your company plans to do to rectify this situation and ask that we receive an email back within 24 hours. We would also like to inform you that our family attorney will also be in Cabo San Lucas the same week we are there to do his own investigation on our behalf. We refuse to be taken advantage of and also feel an obligation to ensure this never happens to anyone else.
Sincerely,
Ernest and Terri Silva
Member #: 16-25063
Hi Diane and Cristine,
We would really appreciate if you give us the opportunity to contact you and clarify your issues with our firm, as the personnel for Gonzalez & Gonzalez is highly trained and supervised; and we can assure you that none of our customers have been attacked in any way.
Looking through the files and data base of our company we do not show any record under the name of ¨Diane Jersey¨ and/or ¨Cristine ----¨, who are the people complaining and defaming against the firm.
After 15 years of experience we knew some day this will happen, being conscious of this we back up ourselves by recording every incoming and outgoing telephone call.
In case of the existence of a recorded conversation with you under another name, we would like to expose it to the internet community to prove the opposite of the complaints made on June 30th against Gonzalez & Gonzalez to discard the fact that the post was exposed by our competitors or from the timeshare developers full of frustration by our advocacy and success on the resolution of the cases handled at Gonzalez & Gonzalez.
Also, Gonzalez and Gonzalez has never charged such exaggerated retainer fees, we have a long list of satisfied customers who support our firm, with identifications to validate their existence and able to show their satisfaction by the success in the resolution of their cases.
Gonzalez & Gonzalez counts with ample evidence, to show the Internet community and guarantee that there is no existence of this type of situation in our firm.
Respectfully,
Jose Gonzalez
My complaints against UVC have been resolved. Thank you UVC.
Below you will find the letters I sent to the email addresses for the owners of the Villa Group. The Villa Group is the company that builds the hotels in Mexico and should be named on your contracts. They are based out of Mexico (conveinent) but have offices at the same address as UVC and ResortCom international. UVC is just a front and only handles the timeshare portion. We all have exactly the same complaint about unethical sales practices and lack of disclosure. The Villa Group is the party we should be talking to. Urge the people who visit your site to contact the Villa Group and the owners at the following email addresses:
FGONZALEZ@VILLAGROUP.COM
LUZMARIATORRES@PRODIGY.NET
Misrepresented availability of the unit we bought
We bought a unit at Los Arcos and we can never make a reservation to use our week in a 2 bedroom unit. We have two years now deposited because they never have any space. I think the developer is hogging all the two bedrooms for promotions to get new buyers. I have tried for three years now to use our timeshare in Cabo San Lucas but it is never available. We own another timeshare and have never had this problem. We only bought the unit because our friends did and now everyone is dissatisfied. I went to Cabo when the property first opened and I couldn't stay in Los Arcos even though they had plenty of finished units that were not occupied.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Below you will find the letters I sent to the email addresses for the owners of the Villa Group. The Villa Group is the company that builds the hotels in Mexico and should be named on your contracts. They are based out of Mexico (conveinent) but have offices at the same address as UVC and ResortCom international. UVC is just a front and only handles the timeshare portion. We all have exactly the same complaint about unethical sales practices and lack of disclosure. The Villa Group is the party we should be talking to. Urge the people who visit your site to contact the Villa Group and the owners at the following email addresses:
FGONZALEZ@VILLAGROUP.COM
LUZMARIATORRES@PRODIGY.NET
Timeshare
I have a fixed week timeshare with UVC, at the Villa Del Arco resort in Cabo San Lucas. My wife and I were scheduled to stay our week at the resort, but I had to cancel on the day we were supposed to leave. I called the hotel receptionist four days later, and found out that they had rented my fixed week without telling me. In addition to getting my monthly payment, the hotel profited from my fixed week without telling me. When the receptionist found out it was me on the phone, she freaked out and told me to call my local office. Does anyone know if this is legal? Has anyone had a similar experience?
Does anyone know what UVC does if you stop paying maintenance fees?
My complaints against UVC have been resolved. Thank you UVC.
Below you will find the letters I sent to the email addresses for the owners of the Villa Group. The Villa Group is the company that builds the hotels in Mexico and should be named on your contracts. They are based out of Mexico (conveinent) but have offices at the same address as UVC and ResortCom international. UVC is just a front and only handles the timeshare portion. We all have exactly the same complaint about unethical sales practices and lack of disclosure. The Villa Group is the party we should be talking to. Urge the people who visit your site to contact the Villa Group and the owners at the following email addresses:
FGONZALEZ@VILLAGROUP.COM
LUZMARIATORRES@PRODIGY.NET
This company mislead me into a purchase, and then will not acknowledge the contract cancellation
I went to a sales presentation at Villa del Arco and was led to believe I was purchasing a unit at Arco. When I went back to the sales presentation place two days later and told them of my desire to cancel, they told me I could not and that I would lose my deposit. They also told me that I was purchasing at Arco. These were all lies it turns out and in violation of Mexican law. When I returned to the states and was contacted by UVC, they said they had nothing to do with the sales people. Strange isn't it, that they have no connection with the persons selling their products. They refused to accept the cancellation and have now put my account into a collection agency. My credit card refunded the deposit. Do not go near this resort or UVC, it is a scam, they are crooks and could care less if they screw people over. Spread the word.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
I read on line the price other people paid for a silver membership was much less then what I paid. How muck did you pay?
My complaints against UVC have been resolved. Thank you UVC.
Below you will find the letters I sent to the email addresses for the owners of the Villa Group. The Villa Group is the company that builds the hotels in Mexico and should be named on your contracts. They are based out of Mexico (conveinent) but have offices at the same address as UVC and ResortCom international. UVC is just a front and only handles the timeshare portion. We all have exactly the same complaint about unethical sales practices and lack of disclosure. The Villa Group is the party we should be talking to. Urge the people who visit your site to contact the Villa Group and the owners at the following email addresses:
FGONZALEZ@VILLAGROUP.COM
LUZMARIATORRES@PRODIGY.NET
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Universal Vacation Club International / UVC International phone numbers+1 (800) 852-4755+1 (800) 852-4755Click up if you have successfully reached Universal Vacation Club International / UVC International by calling +1 (800) 852-4755 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached Universal Vacation Club International / UVC International by calling +1 (800) 852-4755 phone number Click down if you have unsuccessfully reached Universal Vacation Club International / UVC International by calling +1 (800) 852-4755 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have UNsuccessfully reached Universal Vacation Club International / UVC International by calling +1 (800) 852-4755 phone numberCustomer Service+1 (866) 464-9284+1 (866) 464-9284Click up if you have successfully reached Universal Vacation Club International / UVC International by calling +1 (866) 464-9284 phone number 0 0 users reported that they have successfully reached Universal Vacation Club International / UVC 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Universal Vacation Club International / UVC International address6850 Bermuda Rd, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89119-3615, United States
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Greg Jones, form above, has now graduated to questionable car sales on kijiji.ca A Volkswagan convertible was presented for sale. Just a single picture was posted. When asked for more pictures an excuse was given that his daughter was away on vacation. I was then presented with a proposal that I would get 3 weeks accommodation at the Villa del Palmar Flamingos for $1 per day if I purchased the car. Requests, more that a week later, for more pictures including one of the dash with mileage yielded no replies. Another request for an address to have a friend drop by to view the car caused ALL communication to stop. The ad also presented the postal code of a PARK in Victoria. I the end some digging produced a Rwandan phone number.
Hi, if you still have problems with UVC contact Joshua Garcia these are his e-mails jngclac@gmail.com and joshg@resortcom.com, he is a representative from UVC and claims to represent the board of directors, don´t stop and keep fighting for your money.
Gareth Jones is the son of Greg and Sharon Jones. Greg Jones is a South African National living in Canada in Victoria, BC. He lives in an area of Victoria known as Oak Bay, and rents from Bob Wright owner of Oak Bay Marine Group. Greg can be reached through his accountant Durell Wiley [protected]. From here you can reach Gareth Jones. I hope that this helps you reach Gareth, and resolve your issues.
MC Brian...
Dear Members and interested parties, please be aware the number for the Developer Representative in Puerto Vallarta has changed. If you need to contact the Developer's Representative for any issues related to the Villa Group, you may now contact [protected] or [protected] (US Lines). We look forward to hearing from you.
Developer Representative
Puerto Vallarta Area
I would like to direct any readers of this posting to go to a website I just published www.universalvacationclubmembers.com and read to your heart's content. It is addressing many issues and concerns with the Villa Group (Developer) and the UVC. If you are a UVC Member and would like to add your name to my UVC Member mailing list, please contact me via the “Contact Us” page on the site or send an email to jeffsuomi1@msn.com. Jeff Robbins.
Dear Member, we recognize that you have some ongoing issues regarding your recent purchase.
Based on the information you have provided above, most of these items are covered in the contracts you are presented at the time of the sale.
Item 1) There are no resale services offered by the Villa Group. Any resale services used by a member is at the member's discretion and the Villa Group cannot speak to the performance of such resale services. Noted in your contract is the following phrase: 'If resale of another timeshare was your primary reason for purchasing, we recommend you reevaluate your decision.'
Item 2)'You acknowledge that any investment consideration which you may have is solely for the savings on future vacations.'
Item 3)The Getaway weeks are specifically covered in the Interval International documents also provided to you at the point of sale.
4)The Villa Group places Verification Officers at the time of sale to ensure there are no misunderstandings regarding your purchase. If the issue of ownership of title or right to use membership was raised, it would be covered by our Verification Officer when signing documents.
We truly hope that this helps clear matters regarding your membership. Additionally, the Developer's Representative direct line is always open to any member who would like to discuss their issues individually. Please feel free to contact [protected] to discuss your issues further if you feel the need.
Regards,
Developer Representative
Villa Group