Vacation Village Resorts Reviews

I then started questioning what actually benefits members have aside from pricing and there is nothing that supervisor could say. (You cannot cancel, you cannot change your mind about a vacation or you put double the money out and they give you a week back.) Absolutely zero benefits aside from a small savings, their board dictates emergency reasons to cancel unless it's medical.

I am absolutely making a huge deal out of this being I can just book a hotel and cancel the day before no questions asked. That is also extremely sneaky sales tactic to hide prices and availability on a hotel to sell out the more expensive one first. The entire point of being a member and paying that fee is to save money in the long run.

The maintenance fees we're forced to pay are absolutely outrageous, especially since they changed the program so we can only use it every other year now. What exactly are we paying for? During our stays we've had a broken toilet that my husband had to fix HIMSELF after staff ignored us, curtain rods falling off the walls, and broken appliances. The properties are falling apart all while they pocket our money! To add insult to injury, every single time we visit we're forced into more insufferable sales meetings where they try to pressure us into buying more weeks or roping our friends and family into this nightmare.

We are FURIOUS about being deceived by this company and their predatory sales tactics. Everything they promised in that miserable sales presentation was a lie - the "investment" opportunity, the "free" weeks, the "luxury" resorts, all of it! They trapped us in a room for 6 hours, bombarded us with pressure and manipulation, then rushed us through signing before we could understand what we were getting into. This whole experience has been nothing but stress, disappointment and regret. STAY AWAY from Vacation Village Resorts unless you want to throw your money away on broken appliances and endless harassment!

To this day I still get frustrated and overwhelmed knowing that a company can take advantage of people like that. They never disclosed to us that if we passed that our children would be obligated to the debt. To make matters worse, the annual maintenance fees have escalated over time and are now exceeding $1,000 per year, which was never disclosed to us upfront. I see many other people leaving their reviews and expressing how they were also taken advantage of. Vacation Village Resorts needs to be put to rest as their practices are predatory and wrong.

This prevented us from knowing we had a 5 day cancellation window. We paid in full for this membership and it’s useless. The workers keep important information to themselves and purposely send our contract way past the time allowed to cancel. Avoid this company and do not do business with these thieves. Scam artists are what they are.

I knew nothing about timeshares so I had questions during this presentation. I would ask the representative questions and I would get very vague answers in response and would immediately be redirected as to how much I was spending on my current vacation, how many people could go with me at no additional cost, how I could go on cruises, pick resorts from all over the world and imagine all the memories that I would make from traveling. If I could go anywhere in the world, where would it be, and then we would talk about that, what I would do there, who I would take, etc. A few times they would find other representatives to tell me how great their vacation life is and how big of a savings the “never been done before Anniversary Special” low price is and that I would be crazy to pass up a deal like this.

In conversation I had mentioned real estate as an interest of mine so they called over another representative to talk to me. They went on to tell me what a great business investment this timeshare would be, that they own 8 timeshares themselves and that they rent out their weeks for thousands of dollars, especially during the holidays and during local events. They stated that this rental income more than covered the annual maintenance fees for the units, which apparently is all illegal to say or do as a timeshare representative. But nobody cares as long as they can close the deal.

I wanted to look into this further but was told, "No, there's no time, you need to sign today to get this price." When I was hesitant and told them I do not think this is for me, three separate times my representative stepped away to “speak to the manager” and would come back with an even lower price and a “we’ve never done this low of an offer before, but I like you and I want to help you. You are getting a deal of a lifetime here”.

Over 4 hours into this 90-minute presentation, I finally gave in as what I was being told and shown seemed to be a fair deal. When you sign the contracts, they basically point to where you need to sign and they shove the paperwork into a folder. I was told to lock this folder in the trunk of my car to keep the nosey housekeepers out of it (sounds like you have a serious staffing issue here) and to keep it safe while I went on the 7-day Bahamas vacation deal that was included (which had a full list of issues of its own).

The extended stay vacation the timeshare gives you is great stall tactic on their part so you do not have sufficient time to read the full contract and cancel the contract in time. When I finally got home over a week later I had a chance to read through (some of) the lengthy contract. I did not agree with what the contract stated. Not only about the annual maintenance fees that will go up every year with no limitations, but I was NOT told about the subscribing member fees, deposit restore fees, deposit extension fees, deposit combining fees, processing fees, trading power protection fees, guest pass fees, and there may be other fees or charges that I did not notice. Even though I owned the timeshare, if I wanted to give this week as a gift to my parents to use, it was going to cost an additional fee to let them use it instead of me. Really??? Why?

During the initial presentation, whenever I would ask about any additional, annual, reoccurring, add-on costs and expenses, it was always a vague answer about getting into that information later, or redirecting the conversation about where I would like to vacation next and what things I would do there. A total distraction from my questions. When I later asked the resort why these additional fees and charges were never discussed during the presentation I was told that they could not possibly cover everything the resort includes as it would have been overwhelming. Obviously it is easier to ignore and hide that information than to have explained it when I specifically asked about it.

I did not want this timeshare and I needed to cancel it. I had called the Lando Realty, Inc. loan officer that approved my contract at the resort over 30 times and not one time did they return a single message. They would not return my voice mails and would not respond to my emails. I would call Vacation Village guest services and they said I had to talk to RCI. I would call RCI and they said I had to contact the resort. I got nowhere with anyone. Twice I was told that I could apply for their Hardship Program to deed back the timeshare to the resort and twice I was denied. What an unprofessional and unbelievable way to treat your timeshare owners.

After these heartless representatives repeatedly lied to me and deceived me, and then having to seek legal action to get this resolved, I got ripped off of $20,000.00 (resort and lawyer) and I did not spend ONE SINGLE NIGHT at this resort. I had my vacation funds for the next 10 years stolen from me and nobody cares. Treating unsuspecting people like this every day as your job…. It’s criminal. The resort claims they have done nothing wrong and there is nothing that anyone will do about it. I could accept losing a few hundred dollars and take it as a lesson learned but $20,000???!!! Gone!!! For nothing!

Then it was an additional $1,200 to the resort in order to “deed back” the timeshare, where the resort is now going to sell that same timeshare to their next victim for another $15,000. On the paperwork it states: Vacation Village At Parkway Owners Association, Inc., a Florida not-for-profit corporation. So you sell me a timeshare for $15,000, charge $1,200 to have it returned to you, then sell it again for another $15,000 or more. And my timeshare was for every other year. Think about every room sold for $15,000 a week x 52 weeks/yr x 2 (for every year as mine was for every other year), plus $1000+ a year from every owner for maintenance fee’s…. Please explain to me how this is not for profit. I cannot express enough and no words would do justice to explain what they did and the financial burden they put on me and my family. A total scam and not a guilty conscious among them. Completely unacceptable and unforgivable.

After declining their offers three times, a woman approached us, inquiring, “What seems to be the problem?” as if our hesitation was unreasonable. She joined us and began lowering the prices to entice us further. At one point, she even reduced the maintenance fee and assured us that it would remain fixed if we signed the contract that day.

Our experience with Vacation Villages has been nothing but a series of hoops to jump through, all while paying extra for benefits they said we would automatically receive as timeshare owners. They misrepresented the value of the real estate deed, claiming it would appreciate when we own nothing of value, resulting in zero resale potential. Ultimately, it appears that all Vacation Villages and El Dorado Resorts offered were a web of misinformation and deceit, designed to ensnare us in a scheme to take our money. We cannot understand how they allow their salespeople to blatantly lie about what they are selling. From the promises of traveling worldwide for $299 to the dream Hawaii vacation we were promised, this cannot stand, and we have demanded the termination of our contract.

The strong arm experience was exhausting, We said NO multiple times, how could we even think of investing in a Timeshare, we all of the information given to us was LIES. IF YOU ARE READING THESE COMMENTS, BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ... DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY, WE DID NOT, THE only positive was the pool and jacuzzi.

Furthermore, most of the selling points that originally attracted us have turned out to be untrue; spontaneous vacations with a huge inventory of locations, good locations are never available, and the lead time generally is 6 to 8 months. The increasing maintenance fees and yearly memberships fees, the never-ending increase in exchange fees, and the hidden costs associated with our contract all make it difficult for us to afford essentials, gasoline money to travel is not a luxury we have.

The main sales pitch at the time centered around the idea that "retirement was approaching, and what better way to spend it than traveling?" Their associates talking about their great experiences redirecting our focus during the signing, which, looking back, seems to have been a tactic to distract us. After enduring hours of high-pressure sales tactics, we finally relented to the pressure and decided to purchase. We were both working at the time, with a good income, and we were told that this would force us to take vacation time and travel. Regrettably, that’s not how things panned out. Our bigger concern now, centers around our death and the looming responsibility that this debt will pass on to our children, something we were never fully informed about or that they even touched on. At our age, this is an agonizing worry.

The inflexibility surrounding booking dates further exacerbated the situation. My daughter's travel plans were dictated by the inflated cost of flights, yet Vacation Village insisted that she could only check in on specific days, which did not align with her schedule. This rigidity completely undermined the notion of a convenient getaway, which is what we were sold during the initial pitch.

Since that first experience, we have chosen not to use the timeshare again. The reality is that we can secure better vacation deals on our own, without the constraints and hidden fees that come with this timeshare. The annual maintenance fees continue to rise, adding to our frustration. My husband experienced a troubling incident where a representative mishandled his payment information, leading to unauthorized charges on our credit card. Despite our attempts to address this with the company, the response was dismissive and unhelpful.

In short, this timeshare has proven to be a waste of money and a source of ongoing stress. I urge anyone considering Vacation Village to think twice. It has not only failed to provide the promised benefits but has also created a burden that we cannot escape easily. Save your money and invest it in a vacation that truly offers the flexibility and enjoyment you deserve.

Throughout the presentation, the sales approach was highly pressured and relentless, with a focus on pushing the "benefits" of making further investments. They spent a lot of time explaining how I could maximize the value of my points by booking RCI units with fewer points, which they claimed would allow for more vacations each year. I was convinced by their offer and benefits and decided to buy the timeshare. Before making this decision though, I asked the salespeople how I could get out of the Holiday Inn contract, and they told me to just stop paying them. Vacation Village employees (like apparently much of the industry) is full of shysters!

In addition to the misleading and coercive sales tactics employed, the closing of our contract was alarmingly rushed and lacked transparency. We were not given the appropriate time to review the documents we were signing, nor were we permitted to ask questions about the terms we were agreeing to. During this hurried process, we were coached by this Vacation Village employee to not mention that we were told the timeshare was an investment from which we could generate income. This critical piece of information was presented as a key selling point during our initial conversation, yet we were instructed to omit this detail during the formal closing process.

Furthermore, we were never shown or informed about our rescission rights or provided with the Public Offering Statement, which are fundamental rights and pieces of information for any timeshare purchaser. This lack of disclosure and the deliberate omission of crucial information severely impacted on our ability to make an informed decision, leading us to agree under false pretenses to a contract we would not have otherwise signed. Upon returning home and conducting further research, we realized the extent of the misinformation provided, including undisclosed escalating maintenance fees and the false assurance of the property's resale value and demand. We also found out that renting the timeshare is not allowed and is incredibly difficult to even do.

All of this makes us wonder what our maintenance fees are going towards, because it is certainly not going towards the maintenance and upkeep of the resort. We requested a formal response to our grievances, including an explanation of the steps Grandview at Las Vegas will take to address these issues and ensure better experiences for us and other timeshare owners in the future. Our initial trust in Vacation Villages has eroded, and we are eager for an opportunity to rebuild that trust, should they demonstrate a commitment to addressing our concerns. Despite them not acknowledging our complaint letter, they certainly have the staff on hand to make harassing phone calls to obtain further payment from us!

We were falsely assured that the ability to exchange our designated week for points would enhance our possibilities. The reality is that not one promise has been met and now we are looking to cancel our timeshare with Vacation Village. We were advised that our grown son needs to be accompanied by us to check in when we were initially promised that our family members and friends can use it with ease. Every time we try to book a vacation, we are told we do not have sufficient points or weeks to book any desirable locations. We put more money into something we can barely use when we could have easily saved up money and enjoyed many trips without the hassle of poor customer service and lies all in the effort to steal money from us. Do yourselves and your family a favor and avoid buying a timeshare with Vacation Village.

The presentation was about an hour, including viewing the unit which is a walk across the parking lot. Super easy. A few games on the little piece of paper he uses to jot down information about your travel style, plans, etc. He comes up with a price. We tell him, yah...nah. Then, he flips the paper over and there is the same unit, "today only" for 2000 bucks cheaper. Ok. Not surprising. Every timeshare presentation is exactly the same. Wait, if you actually want to buy but want it cheaper. Then, his manager comes over and offers us the same timeshare for 20,000 cheaper. A HUGE drop in price, but we came for the prize, not the purchase. As they say.

We end this amicably with them, they sign us out, give us our deposit back on a gift card that includes the deposit plus $150 cash gift. AND....2 nights, 3 days stay to come back and use at the resort at a later date. This is not totally free, however. You still have to pay taxes and a "resort fee", but it's like 20 bucks a night. No big deal. That's our story. Don't be duped. If you get duped, that's all on you.

#1: The TV options are seriously outdated—our 2-bedroom rental had three TVs, but all news or very old sitcoms and none were smart TVs. #2: We asked for some light soca music by the pool, and the uptight manager had it turned off immediately. #3: We almost had a run-in with raccoons scurrying around coming back from Disney after dark! #4: When we checked in, they took $20 with the promise of a free breakfast and a $100 gift card if we attended their timeshare pitch. The breakfast options were terrible, with no orange juice or milk, and the sales pitch was a mess. I managed to escape after just an hour, leaving my $20 behind, rather than spending 4-5 more hours with a pushy salesperson who got on every NYC nerve I have.

Overall, the room accommodations were decent—clean and well-maintained (though one of the two refrigerators buzzed, so I had them turn it off since we weren’t using it). Housekeeping was helpful with light cleaning and providing towels. The Vacation Village staff were friendly and pleasant, and the location is great for access to all the parks. This is why I might consider returning by trading in my RCI weeks, but as a newcomer to this system, If I find something more exciting I’ll never return. Disney aside, the resort itself was a bit underwhelming.

I’ve written to the company, and in this letter, I documented the multiple ways in which I have been deceived by this company, leaving me with no choice but to request the termination of my contract. In the last three years since upgrading, my maintenance fees have risen to over $1200, and I haven’t been able to use my timeshare a single time! This, after upgrading to the points system, a financial investment they said would solve all my problems, only compounded them. The amount of dishonesty I have been subjected to by Vacation Village–whether it’s price, ability to travel, or the quality of stays–is simply unacceptable, and it is why I am requesting my contract be terminated. I am prepared to do whatever needs to be done to secure the documents needed to end this farce.

During the presentation they continued to use various sales tactics. It started off with them taking our driver’s licenses. We were told this was an investment and that we would be building equity. After we continued to tell them for hours that we weren’t interested they kept finding cheaper and cheaper properties. They even went as far as offering us multiple gift cards to restaurants and passes to Disney World theme parks, which they said would become part of the membership perks or benefit for purchasing the timeshare.

Despite initially declining the offer, the pressure intensified, making us feel foolish for not taking advantage of this "investment." Feeling overwhelmed and exhausted, we eventually succumbed to their tactics. We were misled about the availability and exclusivity of the timeshare. Furthermore, we were never informed that the property would be owned in perpetuity. To date we have paid approximately $14,000 in mortgage, assessments, and maintenance fees for a property we have not used once.

That is only a brief summary of what you can expect from Vacation Village timeshare presentations and memberships. We hope this generates a response from Vacation Village regarding our request for cancellation and raises awareness among the public and/or anyone that plans on doing business with Vacation Village or any timeshare.

This began when we were invited to a presentation in exchange for a discount on event tickets. During the presentation, we were given a tour of the resort with misleading information, such as being told that only owners have access to the resort. We were told how easy it would be to book a vacation, which turned out to be the exact opposite. The sales agent emphasized the ease of using the timeshare, including the ability to make reservations anywhere in the world. We were told that we could make income by renting out the timeshare, which was another lie.

On July 8th, 2022, we purchased a timeshare at Grandview Resort in Las Vegas. We were pressured to make the purchase, not giving us time to think it over, telling us that the deal was only good for that day, and refusing to accept "no" for an answer. After 2 hours, we finally gave in and moved forward with the purchase. Our salesperson told us not to mention the rental opportunity in the contract signing and told us we had to tell them we were buying it for personal use and our own vacations. We were promised exclusive access to Disney resorts, cruises, and parks, which turned out to be more lies. After more than 18 months, we have been unable to use our timeshare and feel deceived by the misrepresentations and omission of important information during the sales process. We would never have purchased anything if it weren’t for the lies and misrepresentations that we had to endure from shady sales reps!

In response, they do not care. I was told that they will not help to sale or will take the timeshare back. They truly do not care. I have never been able to enjoy anything but just pay, pay and pay. Every month, I cry, how I'm going to make it next month payment. They have cranked all my credit card paying this useless timeshare which I totally hate because is taking food out of my child mouth. I do not recommend anyone a timeshare with this people. It is not worthy. I am extremely disgusted and disappointed the lies. If I can put less than a zero I would. The RCI is worst. It cheaper renting a hotel that doing business with their RCI.

Using our timeshare has been very frustrating as well as a financial strain. It turns out that booking directly with hotels is actually more cost-effective than relying on their so-called "network." We have been denied opportunities for booking through the timeshare, but miraculously, when we book through third-party organizations such as Expedia, we can secure much cheaper rates, and sometimes much nicer resorts.

Vacation Village also failed to explain that maintenance fees would increase, and the debt would be passed along to our heirs for life! We are also promised access to Disney Cruises, Disney Resort stays & discounted Disney tickets. However, it was conveniently omitted that our children would be burdened with the responsibility of paying a maintenance fee to enjoy this privilege. Our frustration with Vacation Village is beyond words for the countless lies, deceptive sales practices, and overall financial burden that they have bestowed upon us. We’ve paid enough into the contract with little in return, unless you consider $2850 per night a benefit of ownership. To anyone considering a Vacation Village package, turn around and run!

We felt that a real estate investment was a very interesting asset we could own for a lifetime. Because Disney was set to acquire the property (or at least we were told), we thought the rental income would more than pay off the loan quickly and we would be traveling for free throughout retirement. Well, we’re retired and as we previously stated we’ve NEVER USED THE TIMESHARE, because of the severe lack of availability. They told us that the resorts were exclusive to their owners, but we recently debunked that statement by looking at Hotels.com and voila – there is availability to non-owners at a fraction of the price we paid.

After learning of this, we tried to use the buyback program we were told about during the sales presentation, only to find out that this does not actually exist! The worst part of this is the financial details were clearly miscommunicated. They did not disclose the interest rate, nor did they disclose the finance charge which has more than doubled the total cost of our purchase. Had we known these details, we could have cared less about Disney acquiring Vacation Village and all the purported benefits which are plain and simple myths of timeshare ownership. Take it from us, these timeshare salespeople will tell you whatever you want to hear to get you to buy!

Now for the reason of this review. We noticed in 2021 our points started decreasing and now our unit is only valued at 137,675 points. So we have lost 34,325 points. We started reaching out to Vacation Village and to Interval International but were not getting anywhere. Of course we were told that TDI of Travel Demand Index was the reason. Maintenance fees have also increased to $507.00 per year. We knew from the time we were shammed into transferring our fixed week for points in 2012 for $7500 was going to backfire on us and now we see it has. We were offered a weekend at Williamsburg Plantation to have an owners meeting to discuss RCI because we were told RCI points remain constant. Trying to make this short.

We went to the presentation meeting and were greeted by Sweden, the sales rep. We were then advised that Vacation Village now only trades with RCI. WOW, no one had told us that. We were still trading with II. They went to RCI about the same time we started losing points with Interval International (coincidence???) So as an owner with over 21 years with Williamsburg Plantation/Vacation Village/Interval International, we were not told that RCI would be the new trading company they were using. So as in true time share fashion we were offered to re-purchase our 4 bedroom unit for about $32,000.00 of course that was reduced down, again and again and again and again. So finally we were offered to re-purchase our time share (just to change to RCI) for $5000.00. This is just a shell game.

I have been happy with time sharing but we should have never had to pay to transfer our unit to points and now have to pay to be able to trade with RCI. All owners that had bought under the Interval International trading company should automatically be transferred to RCI. This is just my first review of what was done to us but we will be seeking legal counsel as to options. PLEASE, IF YOU HAVE HAD THIS TYPE OF EXPERIENCE WRITE A REVIEW!!