Diamond Resorts-is it a scam?

tbw

I still have a timeshare in Lanzarote and I do use that one as I can get flights from Bristol at a reasonable price if I steer clear of school holidays. I also had a larger one but found it far too expensive to use to its full occupancy ie taking grandchildren in school holidays - the flight prices were unbelievable! And the maintenance was around £500.

I kept getting cold calls from various companies offering to sell it for me - they were ALL a con, wanting around £900 from me first. Just before Christmas I got fed up with it, decided I wasn't paying any more maintenance and told the Company they could have it back! Big weight off my mind and I was glad to get shot of it.

Be VERY careful about buying timeshare. Its not easy to exchange into popular resorts so you are restricted in where you can go, flights are expensive (often a decent package deal will work out cheaper), maintenance fees are high, you will frequently have to hire a car as many resorts are well away from airports, and - YOU WILL HAVE ONE HELL OF A TIME GETTING ANY MONEY BACK ON A RESALE! Timeshare suits some people but its NOT the cheap holiday deal you are promised at the presentation sales pitch.

Turtle

Hi, we became members of Sunterra in 2007. We've booked to go to Pine Lake for a week at the end of this month, and to the Carribean for a fortnight in December. We would never have joined this kind of club (in fact, 'sucker' would have been the word that sprung to mind) but we do know several families that have been in it for years, and had very enjoyable holidays. Unfortunately it seems that our joining has coincided with DRI taking over from Sunterra and the management fees going sky high. It seems that DRI won't allow you to resign from the club any more and to be honest we don't want to do this as it would be throwing a large amount of money down the drain if we don't at least get a few holidays out of it. So, for now at least, I try not to think about the white elephant round our necks and hope to enjoy some holidays. At least we've no kids so not competing for school holidays.

chris.s_5

TURTLE. You should be aware that on another site (the Daily Mirror blog) which is airing the views of angry members of DRI, someone has done a research into the cost of DRI holidays comparing annual maintenance fees with the cost of identical holidays sold through agents on the open market. DRI fees come out on average a staggering 27% more expensive. This takes no account of the huge investemnt which members have made up front which is already 'money down the drain' whether you use your points or not. This awful company DRI have simply pocketed this money and are using their assumed stranglehold on members to chisel out these outlandish fees from people who can no longer afford them and do not want to be associated with this company. It is a major scandal.

Turtle

Hello Chris. I am aware of the site and have it on my favourites, thanks. I agree its a scandal and we were definitely missold it (or lied to, take your pick). In reality, even though people on there seem to think there is no possibility of being taken to court for unpaid fees I can't take that risk with my job. So, for now, we will continue to use the site and I will never (and I'm being really strict with myself about this) look at travel agents sites, like I used to, to 'see what's available'. I am keeping my eye on the progress.

williesmall

I for my sins was also conned int duying points some ten years ago 25 points in them days or 2500 now. I have never bought any more I am glad to say and although I have tried to tell Diamond or Sunterra or GVC as it was That I could no longer afford them I was not given any help what so ever to pass on my points other than converting them into a static week and selling this through some agency or other which would have been of less value than a week in jail. Anyway in ten years I have been to Spain twice and one of them was my free week so for the past nine years or so I have been trying without sucsess to part with these points. Even if I manage to get some other member to take them off my hands Diamond will still want about I think about £250 to transfer them. Any one want them? Only cost you the transfer fee. This years management fees are paid. Oh yes and to cap it all I was made redundant this January.

royaloxcock

Ok so i stumbled across this forum whilst searching for offers from time share companies,
For a couple of years i have been "using" time share offers to my advantage, i have never had and never will have any intention of signing up to any time share however i have enjoyed 3 "offer" holidays with freinds, and they way i look at it is if you understand 1 couple have to attend a presentation , in the uk the meeting normally lasts about 2 hours and in teneriffe for example its about 1/2 a day, but when we went to the 1/2 a day demo, we did take 4 other members of our family away over xmas for 120quid each yes it was a right ball ache and yes the hard sell was tedious and i do understand why people just sign to get away however once it was out of the Way we enjoyed a holiday at a price we would never have had unless we went for the "offer"
if any one has any links for more of these offers i would be greatful of them :T
as for if the compay is it any good to its mebers i dont know but their accomidation is great

hvc_2

Griffiths_Bowen wrote: »

Do not touch Diamond Resorts with a barge pole.

Have been a member for some 10 years or more and the user charges are now astronomical.

Am desperately trying to get out and am prepared to lose my investment or give it away just to get out. Any takers?

Griffiths_Bowen wrote: »

Do not touch Diamond Resorts with a barge pole.

Have been a member for some 10 years or more and the user charges are now astronomical.

Am desperately trying to get out and am prepared to lose my investment or give it away just to get out. Any takers?

The members site for owners of Diamond International (try and google "dri members") offers an escrow service - you contact other members to say you have points you want to sell, someone makes an offer, you lodge your points with a 3rd party who looks after them until you confirm that you have received the money. Safer than ebay, perhaps? We initially bought the minimum and decided to buy more after a sales pitch by one of the reps. We then found we could buy them cheaper off a member who could no-longer use them - we cancelled the points we had ordered from the rep and bought twice as many from another member for the same price. You do still get hit by the rising mantenance fees, and there are now some restrictions of what you can use these exchange points for...

There is also a membership fee for the dri-members . co . uk site (£10/year?) but it might be worth it to try and get something back on your unwanted points without giving it all back to Diamond management!

CHR15

sniff sniff!! I smell sheeeet !

chris.s_5

Are you seriously suggesting that there are now any DRI members who, knowing the way this company operates and the kind of service they now offer, would be willing to buy more of these points? Do you not think it would be kind to refer them to a good psychiatrist? Who on earth would want to buy into a commitment to part with oodles of cash over many years for the privilege of joining the queue for an ever-decreasing range of over-priced holidays?

roughanready86

if anyone is interested in actually finding out what its all about why dont you come to the presentation i mean il be honest with you, nobody can force you to sign up to it can they, there is a 90 minute presentation which as 20 mins hardsale in but come on guys its worth it to get your gifts at the moment there is

camera worth £159.99
cruise of choice worth upto £2000
£500 cash
holiday for 6 for 4 nights in any of 15 resorts for £25 each (5 star)
home entertainment system worth £2500

these are guaranteed as they send you a legal guarantee with it and you receive two of the gifts not just one
surely its got to be worth a try an it, before you start saying i must work for them
il be honest .....yes i do lol. but the point is what we say is your time worth you coming down i mean these gifts are there as a bribe and i feel its a very good bribe. we have a high success of people interested that way so offering them means were going to see more people than if we were on media like tv or radio, timeshare works for some but not for others all we ask is if you have a look. but like i said you get them gifts if you like the club or not its a win win situation hope this helps