I purchased a 32-year floating week time share with World Connections Travel in 1996. Just before we took our very first week (of a total of 21, all high season, all 'RED') in the company was changed to American Vacation Resorts by some class action court order. We had purchased and paid cash up front for our plan, so when the courts and the new company gave us the opportunity to opt out - that was of no value to us because we had paid cash up front. Only people who were in the process of making time payments would benefit from that. We went on that vacation in no problem.
When we bought WCT owned and leased properties all over the world. Many in Florida, Jamaica, Myorca, Spain, Mexico, Hawaii, etc., etc. There was a list of about 40 resorts we could go to. Then in 2004 we were notified that American Vacation Resorts would now be managed by Celebrity Resorts. Since my wife and I wanted to try to take a vacation in the fall of we first checked the AVR website, AVResorts.com - which had now disappeared. It began to post a notice that it was under construction or something like that. A few days later it gave an error '80040e14' with a bunch of technical gobbledygook.
After getting that I began to call the phone number for AVR and never seemed to get anyone on the line. Once I did the representative told me I would have to wait until we received instructions from Celebrity Resorts before using our weeks. We had already scheduled a trip in February, so we got concerned about the service we were getting. We finally got a representative who said our confirmed reservation was still good and we went on the vacation as planned with no particular issues.
Later in 2005 we called to check on the status of our account and on attempting to schedule a week in the fall of 2005 (our benefit year begins in November). The representative again told us that to use our week (s) we would have to wait until we got information from Celebrity Resorts. Our maintenance fee of $370 was due November 1, so we reluctantly paid the fee and kept asking for authorization for using our weeks from Celebrity Resorts. Each time they would say it would be out in a couple of weeks. This continued until May, at which time I requested that Celebrity Resorts (AVR) bank my week with my RCI account, since it appeared I wouldn't be able to use my week before the end of October at the rate they were going. I gave them my RCI account number (7409-13653) and the representative assured me the week would be banked. I checked with RCI in a couple of weeks to find that my week hadn't been banked, so I called Celebrity Resorts back in June to check on the status of my request to bank my week. They pretended they didn't know anything about my request nor did they seem to know my RCI account number so I gave it all to them again both on the phone and over the website with explanations of what I had been through over the past months. I waited and checked RCI again to find the week had still not been banked, so I called Celebrity Resorts again and insisted to talk to a manager.
I think her name was Lydia, not sure, at any rate she said that RCI wouldn't be able to bank any of Celebrity's requests due to some sort of 'hold' or computer issue and that I would need to wait and call back at a later date. So, I called RCI and talked to their Customer Service department. They were not aware of any such 'hold' or computer glitch and they said Celebrity still had not posted my banked week. So, I called back to Celebrity again and was told that the letter of instructions would be out in just a very few days and that RCI would be taking over management of the Celebrity program, at least the AVR members and that I should wait for the instructions on that. She said she thought I would be pleased with what they would be able to do.
Well, the letter came the next day (July 8) and stated that Celebrity Resorts was having financial challenges and that all AVR members were being assessed an additional amount equivalent to their annual maintenance - for me that was $370. The letter stated it was due July 1, and that no services of any sort would be provided unless it was paid first, including the service which was now to be provided by RCI. We would have to pay the additional $370 and then request a 'week' certificate number and then contact RCI to make reservations through them for available resorts. Evidently they have sold or failed to renew all but three (3) of their former resorts, all of those jsut in Florida. This was according to the representative I talked to in late June.
So, former AVR members now members of Celebrity Resorts either go with the new RCI plan or only have the remaining three resorts to pick from, and in either case, we have to pay the special $370 assessment or get nothing. My account number with Celebrity Resorts (AVR) is 855-20459. I have experienced such shabby customer service that I feel I am entitled to a refund of my unused weeks (18 left) and/or years (22 left). I just do not trust these people at all after all the disception and postponements over the last 18 months and the outright lies about RCI being the problem, etc. This organization is a ripoff. I want my money back and I don't want to pay any more special assessments nor annual maintenance.
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