I purchased a timeshare (based on a point system) from Festiva Resorts. We purchased 3100 points for $200 per month and a down payment of around $1400.00. During the sales pitch, one of those BUY HERE BUY NOW OR YOU DON'T GET ALL THE SPECIAL OFFERS deals, we were told that these 3100 points would get our family 2-3 weeks a year at Myrtle Beach (depending on when we went), and that we could stay on weekends for as little as $59.00 a night without using points... After everything was signed and done they handed me a large notebook full of Festiva Owner information. After reading through the notebook I received AFTER I signed everything I realized that what I had been SOLD and what I actually BOUGHT were very different. Not only can my family not get 2 weeks at the beach, we can't even get a week at the beach when there is SNOW on the ground with the points that we have! The room on the weekend for as little as $59.00 a night was a partial truth - they neglected to mention that there is a booking fee that has to be paid! I was also informed that out of the weeks my points would earn me, I could stay a week and rent the other weeks out for a profit... The problem here... Again, I can't even get one week with snow on the ground... I don't know where the other "rentalbe" weeks the sales people were referring to are at!
During the presentation the gentleman doing the sales pitch mentioned an OPT-OUT option. I, MYSELF, raised my hand and asked the question that if we purchased, could we excersize this opt-out option and let the time share go at any time without going through a realtor to try and sell it. Yes, was the answer I received. I have since found out that his answer should have been Yes, once the time share is PAID FOR IN FULL you can excersise the opt-out option... WHY would I opt-out once the thing is paid for?!? I was also told that I was buying a vacation FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE which sounded wonderful to me. WRONG, I bought a vacation that will be paid for in full in 10 years but will no longer belong to me in 40 years! Again, why was it not explained that I was going to have to pay for a piece of "property" that I would not get to keep. I have a mortgage much the same as this on my house but when it's paid for, it's MINE... No one comes to take it away... I guess I was led to the impression that this mortgage would be the same. I have tried several times to contact the restort and the resort "Higher-ups" hoping for an amicable resolution but to no avail as every message I've left has gone unreturned and every person I've talked to has left me hold for long periods only to come back and say Sorry may I transfer you to so and so's voicemail. I am at loss and thought I was doing something good for my family. I thought with this time share I could create memories with my children. Not only will there be no memories created at the Festiva Resorts with my children but there will be no memories created ANYWHERE for the next 10 years as my vacation money is being used to employ the people who sucked me in to this scheme.
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