On May 10 VLADIMIR JIMENEZ who introduced himself as the chief financial officer of EL CID MARINA RESORT in MAZATLAN, MEXICO baited us in a timeshare presentation with the following:
LIE #1: NO DOWN PAYMENT. Any money down would have been a "deal breaker" for us, so Vladimir repeatedly stated there was "absolutely no down payment" not even the $100 figure he had initially wrote down. When we finally decided to purchase after being told many other lies, he insisted my husband fill out an application for the RCI Elite Rewards MasterCard from Bank of America. Despite our telling him that we did not want or need another credit card, he reassured us this was just a service for new members.
The TRUTH was EXPOSED when we arrived home and opened a new Bank of America statement with a $5,000 balance.
LIE #2: GUARANTEED TO RECEIVE $5,000 EACH YEAR FOR THE NEXT 3 YEARS BY GIVING UP OUR TIMESHARE WEEK. We actually laughed initially at this one, and replied: "So you're going to put that in writing for us?" This he actually did, presenting us with a document that had the name of PHOENIX VACATION PROPERTY MANAGEMENT at the top of the form. That seemed a bit confusing since Vladimir kept stating "we will send you a check" thus implying the monies would come from El Cid. However, since the form had the original signature of an El Cid authorized representative, we figured the company was a subsidiary of El Cid.
The original document which I have states the following under the heading Future Rental:
1 rental weeks for 3 (years) at $5,000 per week or a total of $15,000.
Furthermore, in spite of an email from Alex Stewart of Phoenix Vacation Property Management telling me they are "the licensed rental broker for El Cid members" and stating "I see that you have 1 week for 3 years @ $5,000 per week, " when I emailed back the question: "If we give up our rental week at El Cid for the next 3 years, is your firm going to GUARANTEE IN WRITING that we will receive $5,000 U.S. Dollars each year for doing so?" Her response was: "no, my company, Phoenix Vacation Property Management, will not guarantee anything in writing." So there we had the TRUTH about Vladimir's LIE #2 exposed.
Vladimir had really embellished this LIE # 2 by stating several times: "Be responsible." He said others get their checks and go on spending sprees. We stated that we wouldn't be doing that. We were naively believing we would have this purchase paid off in 3 years by means of this. He actually used the word "FREE" in his presentation. We knew it wouldn't exactly be free since we'd be paying interest on the original amount of $15,000, but we figured each year we'd get $5,000 to help us pay it off in 3 years.
LIE # 3: TRADE ALL YOUR POINTS FOR AIRFARE. Vladimir later admitted only 30% can be used for airfare, while Benjamin Goon, an El Cid Member Representative, stated in an email "keep always in mind that the exchange value of your points will always be more powerful when booking reservations at El Cid."
At one point during the presentation, just to see if we "qualified for this deal, " Vladimir asked for my husband's credit card. When he brought the card back, he also gave us a credit card slip showing a charge of $250.00. We repeatedly asked him what this was for, and he kept saying, "don't worry, you'll get it back."
Eventually we swallowed Vladimir's lies and agreed to purchase. At one point he shoved a document in front of us that actually had blanks. When I pointed that out, he made up some flimsy excuse about how he had to go "upstairs to the office." thus implying that it would be a big bother for him. I shooed him away and told him we would sign nothing that had blanks.
In hindsight, that's when we should have got up and left.instead, we went on high alert and reasoned that if we carefully read everything before we signed, things would be O.K. Time would reveal now very wrong that thinking was.
After we had meticulously read and cautiously signed documents for the purchase, we asked Vladimir for copies, but he denied our request stating we would get copies of everything along with our "welcome packet" in a couple of weeks. That way, he continued, we wouldn't have to carry the heavy package back in our suitcases.
To this date, more than 12 weeks since we signed, we have not received our "welcome packet" from El Cid. However we have received 2 invoices for payments due and one "Urgent" past due invoice for the maintenance fee (which we'd never been billed for previously).
When we arrived home after our week in Mazatlan, we started uncovering the lies. Immediately I disputed the $5,000 charge with Bank of America and the $250 charge on our personal Visa with Wells Fargo Bank. I also posted a fraud alert to all 3 credit reporting agencies.
I began sending Vladimir very stern emails demanding that he immediately cancel our membership/purchase, and refund the charges to both Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank since we considered the contract null and void due to his lies. He phoned a few times to tell us he was not in his office, and repeatedly asked me what the $250 charge on our personal VISA was for, to which I replied: "You tell me. You gave us the charge slip and kept telling us we would get the money back."
On June 29 in an email from Benjamin Goon, he wrote: "About the 250 of your personal wells fargo, I don't understand what those 250 USD are for if you can explain I will give you an accurate answer."
In a particularly heated phone conversation with Vladimir when I told him that I intended to expose his lies so people would be forewarned about what is happening at his "reputable resort, " he threatened me with the words: "If you put anything on the internet, we have many attorneys and they will go after you!"
While both Bank of America and Wells Fargo Bank initially credited us back the respective $5,000 and the $250, we learned recently that Wells Fargo Bank received "new documentation" from VENTAS TIME SHARE MARI (El Cid) supporting the $250 charge and would be rebilling us.
I contacted them and asked them to fax copies this "new documentation" they had been sent. Now in a desperate and incredibly evil attempt to bind us to this contract, VLADIMIR JIMENEZ and/or others at EL CID have now RESORTED TO THE FOLLOWING CRIMINAL TACTICS:
1. ALTERING DOCUMENTS, specifically the "Declarations" page of the contract. The altered contract now shows a down payment of $5,250. This was clearly not the "Declarations" page of the contract we signed. Also on a page entitled: "El Cid Vacations Club New Owner Verification Form, " item 2 had been altered to include the clause in parentheses (With VISA $ 250.00 U.S. Dollars & MASTERCARD $ 5,000.00 U.S. Dollars.) That clause never appeared anywhere in any documents we signed or initialed. There is a 3rd altered document with another inserted clause we had never seen before or read.
2. Fabricating a completely new document. This form has the at the top of it in bold lettering: CREDIT CARD ACKNOWLEDGEMENT and it states that we have indeed received goods and services for the amount of $250. This is a form we never had seen before much less signed since we were disputing this charge from the beginning. However since it appears to have my husband's signature on it, it is likely that someone is "cut and pasted" it on this new document.
3. The merchant copy of the credit card slip reflecting the $250 charge has what appears to be a FORGERY of my husband's signature.
On July 27, I sent a detailed letter to Wells Fargo Bank and requested that due to the aforementioned criminal acts they now advance this case to the FRAUD DEPARTMENT.
On August 2 I filed a complaint online with the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, and received back an acknowledgment that it has been entered into an online database available to civil and criminal law enforcement agencies worldwide.
On August 3 I sent a detailed letter to RCI to advise them of the corruption going on since they send unsuspecting tourists to El Cid. I hope they will act quickly and responsibly to spare others the agony and nightmare we as well as others have been through.
Due to the lies and now criminal tactics used to bind us to a fraudulent contract, we want nothing to do with El Cid. Therefore, I have advised Benjamin Goon of El Cid that in addition to terminating our contract, I am further seeking reimbursement in the amount of $673.75 which is the value of the 4th and final week of the value of an original package we purchased called the "El Cid Dream Vacations Club." Our "dream vacation" really turned into a "nightmare" and unfortunately it's not over yet.
If anyone reading this has had a similar experience, tell your story. We need to get the word out and help protect the public from TIMESHARE PREDATORS who think nothing of weaving lies to entice their victims into a "financial glue trap." Vladimir Jimenez is a criminal who deserves prosecution.
Furthermore, El Cid should step up to relieve anyone who has been defrauded at their resort. Such actions would go a long way to help to restore their name as a "reputable" resort.
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