On August 10 I visited Sunset Lagoon and Royal Sunset for a timeshare presentation that was supposed to be only for 90 minutes. Six hours later I ended up buying a timeshare that I really didn't want.
The sales lady that I had was very friendly. I told her that I was a single mom and couldn't really afford the time share. She showed me several rooms in the resort that were very pretty but with my single income, I just couldn't see myself buying those. They tried to sell me a resort for 35,000 with 16% interest rate. I told them there was no way that I could invest in something like that.
I started to get up and leave when her manager showed up and offered me another deal for 25,000. When I told them, I couldn't do it, they said they understood but they had a better option for me. They were going to sell me another time share that hasn't built yet for about $15,000 with 1 week every other year. They called it 1 3 which I never really understood. They told me what a great investment a timeshare is. The salesman explained to me how to make money with timeshares. Pay $795 a year and $85 management fee. He told me I could make money by renting it and I myself didn't even have to stay there.
Even then I told them that the interest rate was ridiculous. So, they came up with 4 year interest free plan. First they were giving me 16% finance rate and now they were ready to give me interst free for 4 years if I opened the credit card with them and let the payments be withdrawn automatically.
They said, they'll take about $4,000 out in the first 90 days and then I could pay the rest over 4 years. I thought this would cover the time share. It wasn't until after I signed all the papers that they told me that I still had to pay $795 management fee of $85, plus $75 per person all inclusive if I stayed in Mexico. This didn't sit with me. The sales person told me that she would meet with my family to give us a yacht ride on 8/13/07.
I had five business days to back out of the deal. Even my underage kids told me that it was not a good deal. I called their sales office from Mexico pay phone and they kept on bouncing me around. Then I went to see the sales lady on 8/13/07 for the yacht ride and decided, I would tell her in person that I wanted out of the contract.
Well, I waited for her 2 hours and she never showed up. I asked around at the front desk, from the yacht guy and nobody had seen her. There was another lady named Carla who was there but she said she hadn't seen the 'Karla' we were talking to either. So, we came back to USA on 8/14/07. This was the 3rd business day.
I wrote an email to my sales lady and to her boss Max Ortiz at [email protected]. Mx on 8/14/07 telling them that I legally wanted out of the contract and I won't be making any payments. I told them that I will also be sending this through registered mail. I copied the email and had it notarized and sent it to Sunset Lagoon through registered mail the same day. I had legally gotten out of the contract.
Two days later some lady called me welcoming me to the resorts and I told her that I had canceled the contract. Few hours later, I received a phone call from Hector someone from Sunset Lagoon. He claimed that he was head of their legal department and that I couldn't cancel the contract. I told him that I have sent the email in due time and that is my legal notification to them. He told me that email was not legal and that I could change the date on my computer. I told him I couldn't change the date on Yahoo server so I know my cancellation is legal. He told me to either get a lawyer or I can't cancel.
Well, I emailed a Mexican lawyer and found out that email is a legal way of giving notification and it holds in the court of law. Then I also hired an attorney that cost me $250 / hr in USA who told me the same thing. Hector kept on harassing me with phone calls and I told him to talk to my lawyer. He would not call my lawyer. My lawyer left him 5 messages but he didn't return any calls. He left me a message that since your lawyer doesn't talk to me, we assume you have no legal representation so I'll be taking the legal action against you. Also, that he would send a collection agency after me.
My lawyer told me to cancel my credit card and get my money back. Also, I suggested that I don't talk to Hector. Finally, Hector talked to my lawyer and told him that I couldn't back out of my contract and that he would be sending the collection agency after me. My lawyer said if he does that we will counter sue them and then charge them for harassing.
All this caused me so much mental anguish and extra money that I didn't need to spend on the lawyer's fee. I told them that I was a single mother, yet all the contracts have 'Mrs.' written on them and they insist on calling me Mrs. Whatever you do, don't trust Sunset Lagoon time share. They will cheat you, con you and harass you until you pull your hair out or have a heart attack. It is just not worth it.
I am waiting to see what they pull out next but I am not giving up even if I have to take them to court and get some money from them instead for putting me under so much stress and financial loss.
0 comments