Diamond Resorts-is it a scam?

popsicat

otheexplorer wrote: »

respecting the "newbie be nice" message
so you've joined here today to post this...why?
First of all, why “respecting the "newbie be nice" message”? Am I not allowed to air my views/concerns? I have an opinion on the DRIP site and that is one of suspicion. Read my above comments and you will see why.
Yes I joined on that day and posted a comment, Why? I was looking for information on Diamond resorts and help in getting out of it (see my above comment). I’d heard of the DRIP site and had a look at it but became very suspicious of it when it won’t even let you read the posts without first joining and giving your full name and address. There is no reason why you should have to give out that information and I certainly don’t except the reasons as to why you have to give them (see post above).
Now seeing some of the comments below my original comment, I’m even more suspicious.
Just an opinion.

well if you really want out of DRI it's your loss not giving the DRIP a proper chance - the reason for stopping non-members reading all the forum postings...well we post full letters and replies on there as well as supporting each other. And if you have really been on the site you would know there is a place for visitors to post http://drip.enjin.com/forum/m/1894208/viewthread/969090-open-house
The site saved my sanity showing me that there was a way out of my nightmare - AP who set the site up and does most of the running single handed is one of the most supportive moderators I've come across - he gives up his time to help us and if he wants to exercise caution over his membership so be it

And recently we did debate openly whether there could be fully open foum that even DRI staff could post in - "Ben" perhaps the well known UK moderator from the DRI site

And yes I do know all about trolls - this site is wonderful but - many of the newbie low entry number posts are from company staff - the Drive Assist threads here and elsewhere are a case in point.

Perhaps you'll be lucky and resolve your DRI issues on your own - if not my best wishes are with you because the stories on DRIP of bullying and harrassment are awful:(

popsicat

and just to prove the visitor posting rights there is a thread there now

triumph_stag

I have just joined DRIP it is a very good forum, they do want to know who you are and vet you.

They do this to stop the DRI scum likev Former DRI, Rough and Ready, Secret Locator and probably a few more infiltrating the site.

If you realy want to fight DRI and try to put a stop to them join this site

:j:rotfl::j

slugs

otheexplorer sorry if i was pushy with the drip thing,just wanted people to know there are other alternatives out there,i think in the end we all want the same thing from DRI to be free, good luck.:)

jchuillier

Hello all,

I went to a DRI salespitch last week while on a holiday in the US to get a rebate on some disney tickets. I had never heard of timeshare except for the usual horror stories

1) I got the rebate (360 $) which in fact exceeded what I had been promised (336 $)
2) I did not buy anything
3) They were nice, it lasted 2.5 hours but when I told them I would not buy they insisted for 10 minutes and then dropped it.

Now back home in France and in the process of doing my homework by reading this forum and others I have a few questions that perhaps some people here can answer

So far the ONLY problem i can see with DRI and the others is that the management fees can be "out of control" because it is not written in the deal that they will not rise by more than xxx % per year, is it still so, can we ask IN WRITING from DRI a calendar of their management fees increases and so on ? Does anyone have the magic formula used by DRI to compute the fees ?

A person I've met in Disney has a timeshare with Marriott and another one with Disney (DVC program) and in his contract it is written that the fees can not increase by more than 5% a year, he's been a member since 94 and ON AVERAGE they have increase 3% a year (so some years they hiked up 4% some years 1% and so on...)

Obviously the fees are high if you don't use several vacations, if you have 4000 points and want to use a timeshare to take 1 week of holidays per year then basically the fees are the amount you woud pay for the accomodation only, if you take 3 vacations per year the accomodation value comes down to 33% of the fees and so on, so basically the more you use it the cheaper each one gets. I have read a lot of testimonies from the first pages of this topic where peole in the UK got stuck with 4000 points, high fees and not wanting to travel outside of the UK, basically this is not a product for this kind of usage, think of it like buying a Porsche, paying the full insurance for it, and driving 1000 miles per year, if you have a Porsche and pay the full insurance you might as well drive 50 000 miles per year with it to enjoy it

It would seem that DRI is perhaps a bit too "upmarket" for people willing to buy only 4000 points, and that for these clients the better deal is definitely to get a package deal with the plane, food and so on, once again to ue the car example if I have the money to buy a Renault and I buy a Porsche then I can"t complain too much because of the gas it uses.

You can now find on Ebay points for free, but the fees are not included of course, what are the DRI "laws" saying about people buying points not from them direct, is there a problem with getting stuck with points that would be valid in the US only, points valid for DRI only and not valid for interval...basically are there different points at DRI

I am not too worried about what would happen if I want to get out of DRI, the EU customers laws are VERY protective for the citizen and in the worst case, you send back their points to them (whether they accept them or not is quite irrelevant), say you won't use them ever after and stop paying the fees, I don't believe that they will be able to make you pay for something you don't use, even the phone companies cannot do this now anymore for 100 euros so I doubt very much that a US company working in a field with such a bad reputation as timeshare would be able to get a european court to force you to pay 2000 euros per year on a deal that you cannot get out from and has no expiry date, if the deal is written like that then it is automatically non valid because of such twisted clauses.

Thanks for the answers

Tangible

From your comments chuillier , it appears that you went to Disneyland and never came back.

'Companies' like Diamond Resorts International are predatory organisations that should be avoided at all costs and I wouldn't even accept a free no 'obligation' gift from them.

The last time I investigated them they were operating in Cancun and I had very detailed information on their set up and those behind it. Your comment that EU law will protect you, is like advising people to set off fireworks indoors and rely on the fire brigade.

The sensible thing to do, is never have dealings with companies that have a stinking reputation in the first place. Trying to whitewash the situation and give them a quick fix 'face job' won't work I'm afraid.

I'll see what I can dig up.

jchuillier

Hello tangible

I'm looking for FACTS, I know the fees are going up (and I'm also looking at the other points systems with deed that can get me into interval) and YES that this is a problem.

But so far on this thread and on others the only people I see complaining rightfully are the ones with not so many points and that they can't get what they were told they would get and that the fees are high.

For me AT THE MOMENT (so I can change my mind later) it seems that diamond is good ONLY if you have 15k points minimum, below that the high fees are making the math work against you. Is there anybody here unhappy with 15k+ points ?

And sorry to say that but if someone goes in a sales presentation and buys immediatly he loses the right to complain, I went there, listened to what they had to say, told them "yes but no thanks" and now I'm doing my homework and researching FACTS about DRI, if they are so bad as what some people say then I have full confidence in the EU courts, look at it this way, you sing into a contract which is basically saying "you will pay until you die" and after a while you say "i don't want to use it anymore" then I am SURE that a french, or uk, or ANY european court will FORCE you to pay for something you don't USE...(think telephone contract).

If it comes to that then I will give them their "points" back, I will give them their deed back and they can send as many debt collectors as they want

I'm not worried AT ALL by not sticking to a contract which is illegal by nature (no realistic termination clause besides death or bankruptcy), unless they would have me sign it with my blood on a moonless night

So far at the moment I can find on ebay 17000 points for 39$ with 2420$ fees, the only question I still need to find the answer for is to know whether these points allow me to connect to interval since apparently (still to be confirmed) if you buy points from "outside" DRI you have access onyl to DRI's own resorts and not to the interval catalog.

Thanks

Tangible

.....if someone goes in a sales presentation and buys immediatly he loses the right to complain

.. and why would you say that ?

It has no validity in law or common sense. I can see that a DRI ramper might take that view, but it's not correct and I can post you the link to current EU legislation if you aren't up to date.

When you start mentioning points and what a certain amount may/or may not entitle someone to, I glaze over, simply because that's the 'shell game' these organisations play.

If DRI don't offer holidays then I wouldn't touch them. Effectively they offer poor investments with unlimited access to a client's bank balance, and I would advise anyone offered the 'opportunity to purchase, not to touch with a bargepole. Look at the complaints all over the internet.

If I want a car I don't buy a share in a taxi hire company. It's a ridiculously complex way to buy a holiday. Refer to EU legislation for confirmation.

If a holiday requires a sales presentation - it isn't a holiday that's being offered. It's that simple really.

jchuillier

Tangible wrote: »

.. and why would you say that ?

Because if you buy immediately using as your information ONLY what the sales guy tells you without checking if it is true it means you are believing entirely the seller (the keyword being here being SALES GUY) which MIGHT tell you ALL the truth (but might also "forget" to tell you part of the truth).

Since we are not talking about buying a piece of bread or choosing between chicken or beef at the restaurant but investing a sizable piece of your savings into something; you are going to believe 100% some guys who's PAID for you to buy it without checking if what he says is true ?

Well sorry to say that and to potentially sound a bit offensive to some people here, but if you behave like that then yes you lose your right to complain, and all the "i told you so" in the world won't change the fact that you are extremely not cautious with your savings...it can be DRI but it could have been a 22% revolving credit for a new couch, car, tv or whatever and then ending up not being able to pay for it.

That's why I am doing my homework now and trying to discover more about DRI before deciding (and not letter the sales guy decide for me) if i want in or not.

So does anybody have an answer for me with my "resale points" vs original points usage ?

Thanks

Tangible

The legal position under EU law is that you have the right to cancel a timeshare contract within 14 days after signing it

http://ec.europa.eu/consumers/ecc/consumer_topics/timeshare_en.htm

... so you can do a lot more than just complain if you sign a contract during a sales presentation.

The interesting issue now is what the new 'points' gizmo is all about. Is it an attempt to circumvent the new EU directive ? - and how can you sell a timeshare that isn't a timeshare ?

It sounds much more like an investment, which not only sets the whole process in a whole new (choppy) sea of consumer regulation, but marketing an investment to people wanting a holiday is a salesman's nightmare, moreso because the value of the points has only ever gone one way (to the bottom of the deep end of the swimming pool) and along with the investment, comes swingeing annual management fees in perpetuity, whether you ever take a holiday or not.

if it's a timeshare - steer clear, but if it's an investment, it is of a unique kind that costs you a fortune just to hold it. At least with shares you can only lose the money you invest. In this investment you can lose a whole lot more.