Diamond Resorts-is it a scam?

trisontana

Thank you for the above answers. Although you seem to be "converted" to the cause I am still of the opinion that anything that has to be sold in this way must have something wrong with it. People buying "ordinary" holidays do have to go through this rigmarole. They just buy one either on-line or at a travel agents.

CharlieChap1979

Sheepster wrote: »

Reputable companies don't need to use such tactics, this little fact is surely enough to tell you all you need to know.

Do you know what...

I´ve decided you´re right.

If they just advertised on the papers they´d have to close the doors. If people didn´t come to the resorts to look into buying, the whole thing probably wouldn´t work. Which is a shame. (come on, that´s too easy, don´t bother).

I´ll think more about that one before I come back.

trisontana

CharlieChap1979 we seem to be at cross-purposes here. The majority of people on here are talking about the presentations given by DR at some hotel or other located here in the UK where potential customers are lured there by the promise of a free short-break, and are then subjected to several hours of hard-sell to make them sign up to the scheme.

You seem to be talking about the sales presentations that take place at the actual resorts. Am I correct?

As to my question about the brochure. I was actually referring to a booklet that would show in plain English all the rental costs and maintenance fees that would incurred by the customer, plus any other terms and conditions. Just like the holiday brochures published by other holiday companies.

lesp_3

i have been a member of diamond resorts and previously sunterra and GVC for the past 9 years.

i purchased the pionts off my father in-law for a very low price as he could not afford the management fees after retirement.

diamond resorts management fees are NOT cheap, i have 24000 pionts and the fees are £1700 per year but each time we go on holiday we book 2 or 3 apartments and take family and friends with us.

all diamond resorts are high quality especially in america.

what i am trying to say is YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

dacouch

Charlie you mention you have worked with the GISC and FSA regulations, if you have you would be well aware that so many things about the sale you carry out would fall foul of the FSA.

Here are just a few of the regulations that would apply if you operated under FSA regulation

For instance you would have to ensure the product you are selling is suitable for the customer.

You would have to supply documents that spell out any bad points just as clearly as any good points.

You would have to supply the customer with a list of any potential fees upfront eg at the start of the sale.

You have to have a proper chanel for making complaints with any complaints being dealt with under strict criteria and in certain time scales. You would also have to give the client details on how to complain at the point of sale.

Go through a Demands and Needs process with the client and supply a copy of this to the customer

You would also have to abide by their general rules of Treating Customers Fairly which are listed below.

We have defined six consumer outcomes, which explain what we want TCF to achieve for consumers.


Outcome 1: Consumers can be confident that they are dealing with firms where the fair treatment of customers is central to the corporate culture.
Outcome 2: Products and services marketed and sold in the retail market are designed to meet the needs of identified consumer groups and are targeted accordingly.
Outcome 3: Consumers are provided with clear information and are kept appropriately informed before, during and after the point of sale.
Outcome 4: Where consumers receive advice, the advice is suitable and takes account of their circumstances.
Outcome 5: Consumers are provided with products that perform as firms have led them to expect, and the associated service is of an acceptable standard and as they have been led to expect.
Outcome 6: Consumers do not face unreasonable post-sale barriers imposed by firms to change product, switch provider, submit a claim or make a complaint.


So having refreshed yourself with some of the FSA regulations which ones of these if any do you think a sale of a Diamond Resorts Timeshare actually abides by?

costapkt

lesp wrote: »

i have been a member of diamond resorts and previously sunterra and GVC for the past 9 years.

i purchased the pionts off my father in-law for a very low price as he could not afford the management fees after retirement.

diamond resorts management fees are NOT cheap, i have 24000 pionts and the fees are £1700 per year but each time we go on holiday we book 2 or 3 apartments and take family and friends with us.

all diamond resorts are high quality especially in america.

what i am trying to say is YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Quiet right and you can get what you pay for on a holiday booked through Travel Agent or similar, even high quality, for a lot less than 1700 quid and you dont have to take family and friends with you.:T

roughanready86

F.Y.I a presentation takes upto 90 minutes, where all persons will participate in watching a fun visualised media film on other worldwide resorts, At any point participants are under NO OBLIGATION to buy, rent or join anything. Every potential consumer is made fully aware what is required of them before attending. Run to a fixed criteria that Diamond Resorts run to all persons must be also made aware that the offers run are to introduce them as potential future holiday makers of the club. If the person are not interested in the product then they won't be forced into nothing they don't require.

BFG_2

Scammer employee alert!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave101t

of course they wont be forced, well everything but.
they are all scams, which is why MSE exists, skip the scams, onto the bargains!

CHR15

roughanready86 wrote: »

all persons will participate in watching a fun visualised media film

I agree it's a comedy... unfortunately the years of debt facing the unfortunate viewers is no laughing matter.