Vacation Internationale

Considering that Hawaii should be a destination highly sought, I was frustrated to have traveled so far to find such inadequate accommodations. I had the feeling that the front desk staff was there to check-in clients, then the staff became unavailable. Myself and family have stayed at other VI resorts; found similar issues, not updated, missing lights, or damaged items inside the condo. I recommend a walk through after each client checks -out of the condo.

I am in sales and then Byron the sales guy pretty much said people with no money come here for a free trip. So other words people that can't afford it do and they convince them to buy into into something they shouldn't. Not to mention it was a turn off that the sales guy said we didn't have the money to buy, We could've cashed out without any payments on the most expensive one but bottom line is we weren't SOLD on it because we felt it wasn't worth it. Little disappointed in the attitude we got when we said no. Also at the very end they tried to shoo us out of there without giving us our 40. Deposited that we gave. Bad experience overall. Bottom line we have plenty of money to make any decision and cash out but your people ruined it.

I went with my boyfriend, was chastised for being at a presentation before, by an older man, Jerry, who then told me because I was not married to my boyfriend who attended with me, I needed to pull up my bank account on my phone to prove I could purchase something. I refused and was very angry, several other salespeople apologized and one asked me not to give a bad review with his name, "He is just old and can be inappropriate". I did not purchase anything and left with a certificate for the trip. I filled out the certificate, mailed it in as required, was contacted by Casablanca Resorts by mail: to schedule the trip I had won (at the Embarcadero Resort, Newport Oregon) was told it would be 3-4 months later in Sept before they would have availability to schedule.

I made the reservation for 9/22/2019-9/24/2019. I took time off work, my boyfriend took time off work. Two days ahead I called the Embarcadero about the reservation, they had nothing and told me to call Vacation International at 541-574-7743, they did not have the reservation. The person I talked to, Sherry, stated that the certificate says Casablanca Express so this is not Vacation Internationals problem, would not give me the next person in charge name or number, who she said was the GM, and that they were out for the weekend anyway. When I insisted someone had to be available for members, she then said she would have the GM call me back, she called back instead and said there was nothing she could do, I would have to address this with Corporate, 9/23/19.

One of the best perks of VI is that if one learns how to “work” the system; plan ahead; make reservations well in advance...you can generally get your location when you want. AND you’re not locked into the same location, weeks, property, unit size as most all the other timeshare companies sell. The units are always renovated and kept clean; the grounds impeccably maintained; and onsite staff helpful and friendly. Maintenance costs over the years have increased to be sure; but where else can one stay in resort locations, in comfortable accommodations (not luxurious if that’s what your budget allows), at more that reasonable daily rates?! I’m sold on the program and have been since we first made our purchase. As I’m currently in my mid 70’s; my traveling days are going to be winding down about the time my contract runs out. It’s been a great experience and I have many happy memories that revolve around my VI vacations!

Matt told us we could get a 2 BDR which slept 6 People on Oahu for 4 nights with our 52 points a year. The nights are 20 points a night, that’s only 2 nights a year. There’s no 2 BDR on Oahu. And on the other islands if you get a 2 BDR you have to book 7 nights according to the booklet they gave us. Matt told us if we couldn’t use our timeshare they would sell it for us. My wife called a year later and was told no one wanted to buy our timeshare. So you sold us something no one wants. We can’t use it. We don’t own anything. It’s worthless.

According to the booklet VI has no places in Alaska, San Francisco. and other places we were told they have. If we go to Sedona, AZ would cost 18 points a night. Which is only 3 nights year. We tried to get a place at Whitefish, MT for a year and no rooms available, had to rent a motel 17 miles away on Expedia. When my wife called to complain they told her they could get us a room at White Fish in the winter? I'm not water skiing in the winter. WOW. We tried Leavenworth, WA. Must book over a year in advance. According to the lady at the Blackbird Inn. In Leavenworth. We had to rent a motel there. Last year we took 3 vacations. Had to use Expedia. No places available or VI had no place we wanted to go. Matt also told us we could get airfare for ½ price through VI Resorts. Don't think so. VI has no place by Disneyland nor on the strip in Vegas.

We talk to an Attorney who gets people out of timeshares. He explained that this is fraud. VI don’t own all the buildings and the ones you do own They rent out. This way there’s no openings for the owners. This was not explained to us. Nor is it written in our contract. Also he said the renters don't pay Maintenance fees. But the shareholders do. Even if we can't use our points. So we are paying for their maintenance fees. He said this is fraud. He told us much more. But that’s for later. Except they want thousands of dollars to get us out of our timeshare. Which he said they would do.

OUR Contract is for 105 EOY or for 52 points a year. For 12yrs, at $ 7,734.00 with 1,160 down. Financing $6573.90 at 16% = $12,413.25 for the timeshare package plus Mnt fees of $850.00 EOY for 6 years = $5,100.00 for a total of $17,513.25. In Hawaii. We would only get 2 days in other places, 3 in some areas, 4 days a years. With an average of 20 points per night. 3 days per yr on average. For 12 yrs = 36 nights... 36 nights divided by $17,513.00 = $486.00 per night. VI has no place in Oahu for 6 people. Expedia is $375.00 for 6 people per night. At 2 nights yr, $729.00 per night. Matt showed us it was only a couple of hundred dollars. A night for 6 people. San Fran $190.00 per night Expedia. VI has nothing in San Francisco. If they did it would cost us $486.00 per night. VI has no place in Alaska. Expedia would be $90.00 to $200.00... If VIP had any it would cost about $400.00… Nothing we were told is real.

VI resorts has no places anywhere we want to go at all. Matt told us they did. We told Matt I traveled for work and didn't always know where I would be or when I could take a vacation. Matt told us that was no problem because they owned these big resorts... Apparently not... This is the worst investment of our lives. MY opinion it's a SHAM... Don't do it. There is nothing in my contract that says they can take away my points, but they are going to... How is this right. Some who is not a shareholder is in my room and I'm paying for it too. That's double billing.

We attended the presentation. At first this were ok. The young lady who was with us was pleasant and not pushy. We were told that everyone who attends their presentation is always treated with respect regardless to if we sign up or not. We saw a demo room in the Carriage House and we were very unimpressed. The room put us in the mind of a motel and not a luxury vacation home. With that we were very turned off. My cousin said she had to decline and that she had checked out. An account person came over and didn't take her saying she was out. He continued to push and once he saw she wasn't changing her mind, he became very rude and dismissive. After this we were both very turned off and knew the was no way either of us would ever purchase with VI Resorts.

They gave us our "gifts" and it was not what was promised AT ALL! We received various free show tickets but there was not 5 of the same show ticket in anything they have us. We only received $100 in the slot credit and it was for a casino that none of us had ever heard of or seen. We also did not receive the food voucher. Instead, we received a discount card for a limited amount of restaurants. We did get a card for a 2 night stay at the Plaza Hotel and Casino. However, it was not free. We would have to travel Someday through Thursday or have to pay a surcharge and we would also have to pay a $25 reservation fee. The was no airfare included at all in the "gifts". The only thing we did get as expected was the $50 gift card. This was a complete waste of our time! Just based on my presentation experience, I would not recommend VI Resorts-Vacation Internationale to anyone.

My first usage was The Oasis in Palm Springs, as my dream was to someday own a condo there. We drove thru the guard gate & checked into our lovely unit with its private garage, 2 bicycles, full kitchen & washer dryer. It was so exciting to settle in for that first long weekend (just 3-4 nites) and feel like we owned a vacation condo. So exciting! The trick about owning a timeshare (and I now own multiple ones) is you must plan ahead. As long as I plan properly, we have traveled the world with the most amazing accommodations at such a low prices.

Our other favorite spot is South Lake Tahoe... tho that resort is quite humble, it SO beats a normal hotel room. It can’t be beat. And V.I. is a pleasure to deal with. Their online booking system is smooth & efficient, & whenever I call the main office, each person is nicer than the last. My husband and I now own over 800 points, so that should be all you need to hear. Most of them we’ve purchased on the secondary (resale) market — at a nice discount— from either elderly owners who can no longer travel, or sometimes from their children (heirs) who have no interest in using it. Their loss is our gain. We save a FORTUNE on travel accommodations.

But, I believe, VI organization as a whole operates within Owner Board Members; this becomes a lucrative and cohort 'side business' for those who's been with VI for a very long long time! As you move up the point tier, you receive cheaper discounts, up to 50% when making reservations at different propriety sites within 60 day period. So, now being in the 'in crowd' VI family with over 350 points and above. It's extremely cost-effective and tax deductible as a '2nd property' annual dues/maintenance (HOA group expense).

As a Sunterra Pacific owner, I owned Interval International, yet, VI did not grandfather that additional Vacation option in during the forced takeover. 5 years prior VI tried to sell me Interval International again, which got me more upset with my timeshare takeover experience. I told them, "but I'm an owner of Interval International back before the VI takeover in 2003-2004." And was hung up on! No possible arbitration to regain Interval International ownership. See, the very governing bodies of Sunterra Pacific makes up VI members and individuals may very well transferred my I.I. ownership to their personal inventory in hopes that I no longer have any hard copies of my original contract with Sunterra Pacific, which is now one of the same!

Most recently, points were disappearing from my banked points and there is no way of understanding why they have disappeared! A Total of 103 Points in a span of 5 years vanished! I finally spent 3 full days to figure out their complexed point removal system, an error of 103 pts as an up-to-date fully paid VI timeshare owner. Which, by-the-way is more expensive than my annual property taxes on my condo... annually!

I'm just surprised that VI hasn't started bankruptcy papers as more Property Share on-line Vacation is the new wave for tech savvy individuals with FBI and local government agency background checks made available as for public view! Point share has become downgraded and I'm surprised VI is still floating. They also overvalue the point stays at their property! You still pay at check-out time of more taxes when it should be built in on the annual dues. Yes, buyer beware! I have so many VI points saved and give them away as Christmas presents as I DO NOT like to stay at their inventory resorts! Out of principle! I think they operate as a not for profit organization as their lifetime members run the show! I'm just not in the 'in crowd'. One strong advice! BUYER BEWARE!!! Week stays are starting to bring back more of an appeal, rather than overnight stays! At least for myself!

VI places are not luxury, so if you are looking for large swanky vacation spots, then VI is not for you. If you are looking for clean, well maintained condos, in some of the of the best vacation spots in North America at reasonable prices, then I would definitely recommend VI. We bought 91 points from VI, which roughly speaking means we can rent a one bedroom condo for 7 days in high season demand. It cost us under $700 a year. Try and find a one bedroom condo on the beach in Maui for $700 a week. My wife and I decided two years ago to buy another 91 points, and will likely add more as we just retired.

I see some people have had issues with the sales process. I cannot vouch for the sales tactics, as I bought 20 years ago. I can vouch for the product. If you are looking for quality vacation options, a flexible system, and people interested in maintaining properties at a reasonable cost then VI should be on your short list. If you are looking for a free vacation for spending 1 1/2 hours in a sales presentation, well... what do you expect.

After the 2+ hour sales-pitch I see on the fine print of the 3rd party certificate it isn't what they told me on the phone and that you can only depart Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday (I have no problem being told the truth from the get go but the fact that they lied to me just really peeves me off). During my sales-pitch I felt condescended. NOW I UNDERSTAND WHY VI AND CASABLANCA EXPRESS HAVE SUCH HORRIBLE REVIEWS! I couldn’t even image buying into their crap, I would definitely be worried that they are taking my money for nothing, and from what I see with other people reviews it does seem like they take people’s money and don't provide the service they promise. That doesn't even mention the "dining gift cards" that are a total crock! They are not gift cards, I still have to pay! They are closer to coupons which is total **! SUCH A WASTE OF MY FRIDAY NIGHT!

The women did explain to me that we would have to sit through a 90 minute seminar and to bring a credit card to show them just in case we were interested in buying anything they had to offer, but she made it clear that we do not have to buy anything and to come with an open mind and we will still walk away with our FREE GIFT that valued up to $1500 no matter what. So after many phone calls we caved in and said, "Why not." We had never been to anything like this before and decided to go to get our gift we were told we won. We got there and were greeted by a young guy named Ian, he walked us into a room with about a dozen tables, he offered us refreshments asked us questions to start getting to know us and then walked us to our table where we sat with him.

He told us he was new so he introduced us to a girl that had been there longer than him and she would help him along the way as needed. He went over his whole spiel and then they began the seminar, it went over why a timeshare type business is the way to go if you want to vacation more in your life or if you do vacation how this will save you money in the long run. At the end of the seminar they show you how much it would cost each month and all the benefits of the packages. My fiance and I kindly declined and said financially we weren't interested and that we are trying to buy a house soon and this just isn't for us, we have money going other places and it just wasn't for us. Well that ticked them off and the girl that was helping Ian because he was new was very pushy and kept questioning us as to why we wouldn't want this for our future and it will help us build our dreams financially and what not.

She then left the table and came back to show us an option that was a low monthly payment and no money down today and really tried all she could to get us to spend some kind of money and sign a contract that day. We kept saying no and she just kept pushing, it was so uncomfortable and about an hour of sitting there repetitively telling them no, I caved in and said, "Fine. We will do it," and man they were so thrilled they just got what they wanted. My fiance at this point walked away and texted me "NO. DON'T SIGN. LET'S GO." He's bad with confrontations so couldn't say it in front of them.

I told her before even filling out the paperwork that no we won't be signing and we would like to go now. She said, "Okay but why was it a yes and now all of a sudden is it a no," I told her it was a no from the beginning and that the only reason I was even going to say yes was because she was so pushy and we felt like we would never get our FREE GIFT and be able to leave. She said, "Fine whatever." Pretty much and said, "It's still going to be a few minutes to get your gift," we acknowledged and waited. Ian came back with the $100 Gift card and the trip to Vegas voucher.

He then went over how it works, he told us we can't go on weekends. It's only food Monday through Thursday, we have to put a $100 check with the voucher when we mail it and that there will be taxes that each person would have to pay up to $75 each. So what part of this is FREE? At this point we were so done with being there and ready to go so we signed for the gift and left. So what was suppose to be a 90 minute seminar turned into two and a half hours. Our experience with Vacation Internationale was everything but pleasant. Don't waste your time.

We went to the presentation and opted not to sign up for timeshare. I called the salesman after and told him we went and let's meet so I can collect. That's when the excuses started. Everywhere from them claiming we didn't go to the presentation (I texted him a picture of the free Vegas trip brochure we acquired at the presentation) to saying his bosses are "being **" and not letting him pay. Very unethical, we were even considering signing up in a few years to take advantage of travel but now definitely not. Stay away!

Let's round that up to $1000 or $100 per night, to get a basic hotel room with two queen beds right next to each other would be greater than $200 per night after taxes. This is a very basic room for 4 adults and no privacy. To get an equivalent room as the VI rooms I would estimate greater than $250 per night easy. Then for the bigger two bedrooms units at Sea Village and Sea Mountain the cost would be $300+. Those are assumptions but I believe that they are accurate.

We have booked three Hawaii trip within 6 months of flying for the months of August, September, and October. If you book a full year out there is no way you can't find a room for 2 people up to 6 people. I just checked and I could go to any of the 4 major islands. I have stayed on the Oregon coast in the off-season with only a month of planning and that was for 6 of us. If you are planning a summer trip then book a year out. At this point I am pro VI and think with some planning and flexibility you can get great deals and excellent vacations.

I have decided that I will not be taking VI up on this "Fine offer" they have extended me. It sounds like I would be spending more money than needed. I have no desire to go to Mexico or even CA - been there done that. I live in the Sunny State of Florida. By doing the math, using hotel.com, shopping for a flight /car rental - I found I come out a lot cheaper just to do it myself. Believe me you - I live in a state that these type of businesses thrive. No thanks keep your so called "freebie" to yourselves. 40 resorts - what a joke!!

To have the insurance to protect points for exchange products is a must for this category of consumers. I am surprised nobody from VI has truly thought about it. I've tried to contact Member Services but haven't gotten any positive responses. My last attempt was as recently as a few weeks ago when I left a message to supervisor of the Member Services as its Rep suggested. I have never heard back from anyone. Also, I had been using the nightly exchange option much more too until I realized that several properties disappeared from the menu of nightly exchanges. All these properties changes in the VI regular inventory and exchange inventory as well truly have made VI product less usable for its consumers. By the way, my Paris trip was fantastic. I would want to have more trips like this.