Don't you love the name? Shell Vacations Club. Sounds great Huh? You will get to travel the world! Don't be fooled. It starts with a mandatory 90 minute, (is that all) presentation where everyone is your friend. You don't even see it coming, and when it is all over, you wonder how it happened. Pressure, with free trips, pressure, with more free trips, pressure, with gift cards, pressure, you get the point? They are very, very good! They become your best friend, promise you everything, get you to fork over a down payment, sign a contract, (which, by the way, is nothing like the verbal one you were promised), which is for "points" to be used yearly on your vacation packages. We opted for the premier membership which entitled us points that according to the salesman, and our agreement, do not expire. We rolled them over and were told after a year that they cannot be rolled over again. This was a complete shock to us who were told repeatedly that it was an option. We were referred to the "club rules" (which is not a contract), where it clearly states that they can only be rolled once. Besides this, we were never able to collect our "free" trip to Hawaii, because the two packages we got for free couldn't be coordinated into one vacation, (Which, by the way), was suppose to be so easy. We were told to contact one of their agents, who immediately informed us that the free trips were done by other companies and they couldn't help us. We tried two other times to use our points and were told there was no availabilities. It was apparent that unless you want to travel between Monday and Thursday, and plan your trip at least a year in advance, you can kiss it all good-by. We are paying for all this why? The agents also never mentioned that we were able to cancel within a week, just like any real estate transaction.instead, while signing all the papers, they put this form on the table in front of you which informs you of this right, has you sign while everyone is talking about how much fun you are going to have in Hawaii, and bury it in the middle of a 6" document folder. There is also a yearly "maintenance fee" which never ends, even after you pay off your contract. The maintenance fee alone can get a family of three a round trip airfare to New York if you plan as far ahead as you need to with this operation. Don't be fooled! Run as fast as you can! If you do get caught up in the sales pitch, watch the clock and when the 90 minutes are up, run as fast as you can, (with your free gift that you will never get to use), and get out of Dodge. If you end up signing, cancel immediately!!! Don't let SHELL VACATIONS CLUB steal your hard earned money!
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