January 2, 2022
Hundreds of veterans and active duty service members have reached out to share their timeshare experiences since 2016. Six veterans, who purchased a timeshare from Club Wyndham (Travel & Leisure), report how they were harmed because of buying a timeshare. Active duty service members have reported being falsely told that they could reduce or eliminate maintenance fees, or obtain easy financing because they are military. A timeshare default can put security clearances in jeopardy. Our veterans and those currently serving deserve better.
Financing a perpetual timeshare contract at 12% to 19%, with little to no secondary market, can be an accident waiting to happen, as happened to six veterans who share their timeshare experience.
Margaret Chandler, June 5, 2018
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwnQ_2RCwF0
My husband Edward and I are both 70 years old. Edward is an Army veteran, E6 at discharge. Our timeshare nightmare started with Wyndham in 2012. We filed complaints with the Florida Attorney General, the Nevada Real Estate Division, the Better Business Bureau, and the Texas Attorney General after purchasing points several times in Nevada, Texas, New Jersey and Florida.
Each time we attended a meeting we were told buying more points would improve availability, but availability did not improve. We were told there was no availability when we tried to book six months ahead in San Antonio, yet online sites showed River Walk Wyndham was available. How does it happen that owners cannot get a room, but rooms are available to the general public??
We went to Hawaii in 2014 and bought what they said was deeded property. At Pompano Beach in Florida, we were told we would be better off with non-deeded points. They said there would be higher maintenance fees with deeded points because points are tied to real estate. We gave up our Hawaii points. Maintenance fees did not go down. In Las Vegas they said our location’s value would rise. It did not.
We are financially devastated. We always paid more money to fix a situation that never improved. It’s like a drug dealer hooking a new junkie. You have to pay more and more to get something that gives you less and less satisfaction. We signed six contracts between 2012 and 2017.
Wyndham’s salespeople have always told us that they have our best interests at heart. One salesperson even called me ‘mom’ and another invited us to her son’s wedding. Others said they had military connections when they found out Edward is a veteran.
We are both being treated for high blood pressure, worrying about the money. Edwards’s face turns red every time the topic of timeshare comes up. We cannot talk about it anymore. He wants us to be able to enjoy our remaining lives without the threat of bad credit, missed payments or annoying phone calls from Wyndham all day long. I keep telling Edward not to answer calls, but he forgets and answers anyway. He was working a part time job but gave it up because his blood pressure was increasing due to the worry over these timeshare loan payments. He has not been sleeping well. We are nearing the end of the money. Wyndham offered to cancel our latest contract but not the first two. We tried to explain that the reason we have so many contracts is because they told us the new contracts would fix problems.
Wyndham sales agents said to get a line of credit using the properties as collateral, but we learned timeshares are not considered properties. We were told the contract would pay for itself with rentals and that they would help us rent, but when we tried to rent they told us it would cost 40% of the fee of the booked room to put it in the rental pool and if not rented, we would have to cancel or lose our points.
They told us we could resell the timeshare with ease because timeshares are in demand but when we called Wyndham they said we couldn’t sell because we still owed money. They didn’t disclose this. If you buy a house and have a loan, you can still sell your house. We were referred to two licensed resale companies that wanted to charge us 10% to 15% of the sale, but said there really was no market because the market was flooded. Our ‘personal reps’ were never available. We are tired and exasperated.
Marine veteran Jim Sherwood, 100% Disabled, March 8, 2019
Wyndham eventually resolved Jim’s request for hardship after he produced a YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEHBhtGlbQI&t=12s
I am a retired Marine Corp Master Sergeant. I spent 20 years in the service of my country and am 75 years old. My wife and I could not use our timeshare due to health issues that piled up over the years. Wyndham denied my request for release, despite a letter from the VA stating that I was unable to travel. Wyndham wanted proof I couldn’t travel. They requested full access to my medical history. I found this an egregious invasion of privacy, so I refused. Wyndham then sent me to collections with Pinnacle Recovery, Inc. We bought the timeshare in 2014. Our sales agent did not tell us about the Wyndham Armed Forces Veterans Club.
Getting old is no fun. I am sure there are plenty of timeshare buyers happy with their timeshare, but what happens when circumstances change? One of the reasons for this article is that I would like for as many people as possible to be aware of what they are getting into before purchasing a timeshare, or one day you find yourself hit in the face with the reality that there is no way out if there is a loan outstanding.
The third Stooge in this story after Wyndham and Pinnacle is Barclays Bank. When Wyndham tried to open a credit card for us, my application was refused, but my wife was accepted. Our sales agent added my social security income, military retirement, and VA compensation to her retirement income.
Ron Dashiell, Army Veteran, 80% Disabled, followed by five other veterans
I am a 31-year retired Fire Captain. Due to chronic and debilitating health problems, we sought release from our Wyndham contract several years ago. My wife Barbara, age 75, spent 43 days in the hospital this year after undergoing two neck surgeries. Barbara passed away December 18, 2021.
We bought our Wyndham timeshare at Ocean Walk in Daytona Beach several years ago. I travel with Toby, a Pug Fiest, prescribed by my doctor, and related to my service in Vietnam. I had an injury that kept me almost bedridden for nine months.
We complained to our sales agent Chivonne about hotels and resorts not allowing Toby. She promised me that I could take Toby to many Wyndham properties. We had taken Toby to Ocean Walk once, so I did not question this. However, Wyndham changed their policy, so I was unable to use the timeshare.
A service animal cannot be denied entry into any facility. An emotional support animal can be admitted to communities that don’t allow pet animals, but it is not required to be admitted to all facilities. For example, Toby would be allowed to ride with me on an airplane.
Several years ago we paid a company called Searchlight in Long Beach $300 for help. Next, we attended a dinner sponsored by an exit company and paid them $2,000. They said they would sell our timeshare. They did help us sell our other timeshare for $1, but we had an outstanding loan with Wyndham, so the exit company was not able to help.
We stopped Wyndham loan payments to Barclays about 5 months ago.
David Athage, a Marine Veteran, January 11, 2019
I would like to share my Wyndham experience, hoping others will take the time to think about a decision that can so easily become a financial albatross. I served with the Marines from 1964 to 1968 ending my service as a Corporal E4. I spent most of 1965 and 1966 in Vietnam. My specialty was as a machine gunner that I did on the ground and also as the door gunner on helicopters. I was wounded twice and have suffered from skin cancer, possibly from Agent Orange. All of that seems a lifetime away. These days, at age 73, I repair mobile homes. My wife and I were in a Branson, Missouri mall when a woman at a kiosk told us she had some things to give away, but we would need to attend a 90-minute presentation. The presentation lasted over five hours. We started at 8:30 a.m. They did not tell us how much the timeshare would cost until about 12:30 p.m. and they talked so fast it was difficult to take it all in. We were tired, hungry. We kept asking how much longer it would take. The reps did not offer lunch nor would they allow us to leave to get lunch. Due to our medical issues, our heads were spinning. My wife’s blood sugar was dropping. I suffer from macular degeneration and glaucoma, and also need cataract surgery. It was impossible to properly examine all the paperwork.
The promise of show tickets on the Branson Belle, failed to materialize. It was sold out.
We found out that if you have to cancel a booking, you have to do it 17 days in advance of your reservation or you lose your points. This is an egregious way to treat senior citizens with medical hardships!
The sales reps told us that by taking out visa cards through Barclays, and by making all our payments through these cards, the timeshare would “pay for itself” by generating income from points on purchases that we could use to pay our maintenance fees and our Barclay credit card payments. This was nonsense!
One of the reps told us that if we decided we did not want the timeshare, we could easily sell it. We were shocked to find out that timeshares have almost no value and, unlike a house, impossible to sell a timeshare if you have a loan.
Finally, the reps never gave us a hard copy of the contract. We asked for one, but were instead handed a tablet saying that everything was electronic. The device didn't work. I called Wyndham and asked for a hard copy. It took a long time to arrive.
The Kleen Family, a Veteran, Wyndham Worldmark
January 18, 2019
We purchased our Wyndham Worldmark timeshare in 2011. We would have been eligible for Wyndham’s Armed Services Vacation Club. This would have been a better program. I told the sales agent I was a veteran. Our son Matt believes it is imperative that veterans be provided more disclosure. The housing market requires that veterans be provided greater disclosure, like on HUD loans.
In 2016 we wanted to help Matt because he is disabled. We are his full time caregivers. We can’t use the timeshare because Matt and his daughter require financial and medical support. Our son needs special furniture. Traveling by car or plane is nearly impossible due to his lack of mobility. More than eight months ago we contacted Wyndham to request a hardship release. We called several times, but never received any answers.
Every time we went to a resort, the staff enticed us with offers of gift cards to attend “owner updates” which were just high pressure sales. Sales agents told us our points would never lose value, but then the next sales agent told us that our previous point level was worthless and could only be rendered of value by buying more points. They wanted us to sign statements about the cost of points in the future if we did not buy right then. They got nasty when we refused.
We hope our report reaches the eyes of those considering a timeshare purchase. The fact is, a worthless timeshare holds you hostage. We question why anyone would spend so much money on an “asset” that can easily turn into a liability. We wish we had known.
Ron Tzinski, an 11-year Army Veteran, June 21, 2019
I would not be in a dispute with Wyndham had I been told about Wyndham’s Veterans Holidays program. Instead, I am driven to foreclosure. I have not made a payment in eight months. I am a small business owner on the verge of bankruptcy due to massively decreased income. My family’s needs dictate that I provide basic day-to-day necessities. My wife passed away two years ago after we had purchased the timeshare. My income decreased to $12,000 a year. I never used the points.
I bought my Wyndham timeshare in Tennessee October 2016. In October of 2017, I talked to someone at the Wyndham Grand Desert about getting out but instead I got talked into buying additional points. They promised that if this purchase was a problem, Wyndham would buy back the timeshare. They explained the reason for this convenience is because Wyndham self-finances loans. This made sense.
I applied for a hardship release. Wyndham started three files, but ultimately denied a release. A draft of this article was sent to Jason Gamel, Sr. VP Legal at Wyndham, asking why I would not qualify for hardship. Mr. Gamel testified at a Florida legislative workshop in 2019 that Wyndham members need not seek timeshare exit provider services because of Wyndham’s hardship department. You must have to be on welfare to qualify.
We are now veterans in a different kind of war.
Related articles:
The Better Business Bureau notes Wyndham has a pattern of complaints with 1,449 complaints in the last three years, as of 12/31/21.
Better Business Bureau’s Current Alerts for This Business (Wyndham)
Pattern of Complaints: BBB files indicate that this business has a pattern of complaints concerning misrepresentation in selling practices. Consumer complaints report that the verbal representations are inconsistent with the written agreement. According to complaints, claims include representations that the purchase is an "investment" and the same as "real estate" in that it will increase in value. Owners report mandatory meetings that they are led to believe are to introduce new features and benefits but result in a sales presentation to purchase or upgrade their points….
Yahoo Finance reporter Abigail Fisher recommends timeshare stocks because they trick people into signing contracts, and since families sign while on vacation, few rescind. She likens timeshare stocks to the money made by those investing in Phillip Morris.
https://www.yahoo.com/now/best-timeshare-stock-buy-according-135051667.html
Timeshare Sales were #9 on the Federal Trade Commission’s Top Ten Scam list in 2021. Timeshare Resales (Fake buyers) #10.
https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/info-2020/ftc-top-scams.html