My RCI Timeshare Horror story - The Grandview Las Vegas
In October 2006, my fiance and I decided to get away for a weekend and visit a few of his friends in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite our amazing hotel deal, we were pretty tight on funds and the trip was last-minute in nature, so when we were approached by two sales associates at the Mandalay Bay offering “free show tickets”, there was no hesitation to find out more. We were informed that we would be eligible for numerous Vegas show tickets that evening including Cirque de Soleil, Lance Burton, and others. We were also told that to qualify for the tickets we would need to attend a brief presentation on “real estate opportunities” lasting about 2 hours in length and that there was no obligation to buy - I would later realize that the latter part of this statement was entirely false. Within what seemed to be seconds of accepting the invitation we were whisked through back corridors of the Mandalay Bay and lead to a secluded parking area where a handful of sight-seeing vans were waiting. The 5 minute drive turned into 20 minutes and we ended up pulling into a dilapidated strip mall, far from the glitz and glamour of the strip.
Next came the waiting area. I estimate there were 50 other couples crowded in the converted grocery store that now housed the sales headquarters for the Grandview Las Vegas. We were processed by a Grand View employee and told to wait until our name was called. After waiting you were actually pretty excited when your name was called because this meant you could eat some free food, get on with your day, get your show tickets, and get on with your trip.
After our time share purchase, I realized that a portion of our monthly income was now dead and it was at this point I sincerely believe I went through Kubler-Ross’ stages of dying:
- Denial and isolation - I simply pretended there was no time share and did not tell anyone about it or my experience with RCI.
- Anger - I wanted to sue RCI for everything they were worth, spam them everywhere, and warn everyone of their unfair business practices.
- Bargaining - Just please let me bank these weeks that I can not afford to take a vacation!!
- Depression - We are never going to be able to make this time share worth it, how could I have been so stupid?
- Acceptance - I am now a part of the RCI time share community, how can I make this work for me? What benefits can this offer? How can I help other people?
I have created this site to help those in all stages of their timeshare experience in hopes to create a more informed buyer, owner, and seller.
July 3rd, 2007 at 1:28 pm
Yikes, same boat, you want to buy ours??
July 8th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Was your experience with the Grandview Las Vegas as well? Good luck with selling!! Be sure to check out some of my other posts with tips on how to sell your timeshare - I am always adding new content.
Best wishes.
August 7th, 2007 at 12:10 pm
Sorry to hear about your experience with RCI,did they tell you guys that you had seven days to cancel after the day of purchase? They didn’t mention this to us, but another timeshare co. told us about it. We just purchase ours and after looking at the hotels that they offer we are going to cancel this contract. Some of the hotels are in very bad shape and they look like motels and not resorts. Hope you guys are able to do something with this information. Good Luck.
September 4th, 2007 at 7:00 am
Yes, it is. When we bought RCI timeshare at Vacation Village at Parkway in FL, we went through the exact experience. Now, we are stuck. My wife and I are trying to make the best out of our timeshare but it is very difficult. Can someone post their sort of happy stories? We want to pick a few tips from the happy buyers if there are any.
September 4th, 2007 at 6:46 pm
I do recognize that experience - unfortunately or not (depending on your point of view), my mom and I were veterans of that set up before we decided to buy. My mom owns a timeshare at the Jockey Club adjacent to the Bellagio, and they are owned by the same parent company. Mom’s managed to snag more than a few free or discounted tickets out of these places (and she loves the idea of free food), so I am more or less resigned to giving up a half to 3/4 of a day when she wants to go to one of these.
In this case, we purchased a one bedroom instead of the entire suite. Since you can bank up to three years or borrow into future weeks, I figure we can get a two bedroom suite every other year and hopefully drag friends and family along. It can be rough going, trying to figure out when to get away and how to afford things beyond just the lodgiing (assuming you go on your exact week).
I would definitely be sure to calculate the annual cost of maintaining the timeshare (maintainence fee, RCI membership), add the cost of going any other week other than your week (that’s what, $150) and see if you have any takers amongst family and friends. Even at $99 per night on an internet special at Paris or Aladdin, $550 is a little cheaper than close to $700 for a week with a kitchenette. I guess that you can also donate your week to a charity for an auction or fundraiser, though I don’t know too much about the legal aspects of that idea. All of which you seem to have covered in other articles - so great job there!
I am sorry that you had such a terrible experience. I know that a lot is promised about the sort of business that is *supposed* to be creeping its way down the strip. I’m hoping that later on down the road this will turn out to be a not-so-bad situation for all of us.
Best, Liza
October 22nd, 2007 at 1:46 pm
I am back today from 5 days in Las Vegas and bought the 2 bedroom at Grandview believing trading would be easy. I was fortunate enough to meet buyers from 2 years ago with bad experience on the bus returning to the airport and they highlight the possibility to cancel after 5 days. At business center at Luxor they told me at least one customer cancel each week which I immediately did through fax and Fedex. I didn’t get one single positive comment so far as trading is almost impossible. I hope this comment would help people that are within the cancellation window
October 30th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Hi,
I have been reading all your posts and have 2 positive and 1 negative response. First the positive: We purchased a 2 Bdr. timeshare in Carlsbad Calif. 7 years ago and it was the best thing we could have ever done. This summer we wanted to go to Hawaii instead, so instead of trying to trade, which is virtually impossible, we rented our unit on Ebay and used the income to purchase 2 tickets on Princess Cruises for 2 weeks from LA roundtrip to 5 of the Hawaiian islands.
As a RCI member you can get great deals for hotels in Mexico and other countries. We stayed at the Westin Regina in Cabo San Lucas for $129 for the entire week. So if you love to go on vacation owning a timeshare and using RCI is a good thing.
Now the negative:
We were in Las Vegas last year and after attending a presentation, we wanted to get free Circe de Soleil tickets, we purchased 1 Bed. at Tahiti Village. It is a beautiful resort and part of Interval International. We have been trying to exchange the unit for something closer in Cal. but no go. So we decided to stay at Tahiti Village and got roped again into attending a “Owner Update”, which resulted in our agreeing to trade in our 1 Bed for a 2 Bedr. suite. After 3 grueling hours the price difference went from $21 000 down to $11 000. Even though we thought this was a good deal, it isn’t when you can’t afford it. I read thru all the paperwork and found the page that explains we can rescind within 5 days. I sent the notice via certified mail and am waiting what happens. These guys are pros and know exactly what it takes to make a sale.
By the way, Liza, your mom must be extatic. You say she owns at the Jockey Club. Rumor has it that the owners finally agreed to sell out. She must be getting a bundle.
November 13th, 2007 at 12:05 am
I have just returned from Vegas today, November 12, 2007 and I purchased a 1 bedroom unit from Grandview at Vegas for $4,400.00. This is what I get. This is what they promised. I get one free week every year from a Extra Vacation certificate that states I can go anywhere they service the mainthing is that I keep up with my renewl fee each year. My deed week is every third year. So since I purchased in November of 2007 I can tack advantage of this in 2009 and then 2012 and so forth. Do you all think this is worthit. And does anyone know info. on Extra Vacations certificate that they promise?
I would love to hear from someone quick.
Thank you
November 17th, 2007 at 12:15 am
Hi Kehaukainani,
I had been meaning to write a post about RCI ‘extra’ vacations, and your comment pushed me to get it done! So please visit RCI Bonus Vacations for more information. And as for a certificate for extra vacations, I have not personally heard of this before, you may want to contact your RCI salesperson and inquire about that, or contact RCI directly. Did you get it in writing that this certificate would be produced? Also, do you need to just keep up on your membership fees each year, or are you required to also pay maintenance fees for the years that you are not staying at Grandview?
November 20th, 2007 at 3:42 pm
Hi,
What is the grand view vegas address that we need to mail the cancellation to. I also had trouble finding the fax address. Could somebody help me with that. Where on your deed documents did you find the fax address for sending your cancellation of deed.
Thanks,
Anshu
November 20th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Hi Anjie,
You will be able to find the address and fax number on your contract. It will most likely be on the last page where you signed and/or in the header on the contract. Make sure if you are mailing the rescission papers you use certified mail so you can be sure it arrived. These other two articles should also be of some help to you - 10 Steps to Successfully Rescind Timeshare and Can I Return My Timeshare? Good luck and let us know how it goes!
November 30th, 2007 at 6:04 pm
Hi Guys,
Me and my wife are scheduled to go for the 3 days and 2 nights trip to Vegas courtesy the Grandview promotion.
My understanding is that we both have to attend this 2 hour timesharw presentation BUT are not “required” to buy anything. Is this false? Are we in anyway legally or otherwise bound to buy anything?
We are promised 2 show tickets and $50 in gaming coins for “just attending”…am I being grievously misled?Please advise>
Thanks,
Sandy.
November 30th, 2007 at 7:26 pm
Hi Sandy,
You are in no way EVER required to purchase timeshare by simply attending a presentation or taking part in a courtesy getaway promotion. My advice - enjoy your vacation, attend the presentation to obtain the freebies, and if you end up being really interested in purchasing timeshare at the resort, do so on the resale market.
Here are some articles I have written in the past that will help you be more prepared to attend a timeshare presentation -
7 Tips to Avoid Timeshare Scams
Common Timeshare Sales Practices
Have a great time and let us know how it turns out.
Best wishes,
Mandie
December 16th, 2007 at 10:21 am
WE PURCHASED TWO WEEKS AT OAKPLANTATION RESORT IN KISSIMMEE FL TEN YEARS AGO AND I NEVER ONCE USED MY TWO BEDROOM THERE WHAT WE DO IS BANK AND REQUEST AND HAVE TAKEN GREAT VACATIONS ALL OVER I WOULD NEVER SELL MY WEEKS IT FORCES YOU TO GO ON A QUALITY VACATION MAKE YOUR TIMESHARE WORK FOR YOU PS PUERTO VALLARTA IS A GRETA DESTINATION THE MAYAN PALACE IS EXCELLENT
December 27th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
Well some good news. My fiance and I did purchase timeshare and even upgraded since then and have had good experiences thus far. We have only used it once (in florida) and the resort was excellent and so was the service. We just upgraded and will be using it again next year. I’ve had good experiences but I will tell you this, when it comes to timeshare, its ok to walk away and not be bullied into anything. Also, negotiate well, very well. Timeshare sellers will negotiate so if you can’t afford a high payment but can afford a small one, tell them that and STAND FIRM!!!! and you’ll be fine. Thats what we did. Also, I recommend the points system instead of the weeks system. Points are easier to manage and use. Good luck everyone!!!
December 29th, 2007 at 9:10 pm
My wife and I recently spent a week in Vegas for the first time. We were offered $200 in gift certificates for our hotel resturants or gaming for paying $50 and going to a “presentation” the next morning. We decided to do this and ended up going out to the Grandview also. I found it a little awkward that our hotel was trying to sell us out in such a way. (Different desk attendents try to sell me again for the next two days, and even another desk attendent from another casino with a similar offer). We got up early took the bus out to the grandview which currently looks like a small outlet mall with desert on the other side of the road. They herded us all into a room full of chairs where we sat, and a couple at a time were called out by a salesperson coming out of the back room. He tooks us down to the grandview to see the rooms, single and double bedroom. They looked nice but it just wasn’t for us. After a tour we went back into a room and were very suprised by probably 40 other salesman and couples sitting at small tables all over the room. With all the noise, sales pitching and confusion it resembled the stock market floor! We sat down and let the gentleman do his sales presentation for about an hour. He had some very pushy sales tactics as in “You have to decide now, yes or now.; If you do not want to buy today you cannot come back to use for at least 2 years; I can let you think about it but it will cost you at least $300 today, and you can make up the difference of the deposit in the coming months.” It was tempting severals times for a few seconds, but then we came back to reality and realized anyone who has anything decent to sell wouldn’t have to push like that. We said if we had some time to research we might possibly consider it. That is when we were hit with the “we can do that but you have to pay $300 today…” After several adament attemps to tell the sales personwe were not interested but appreciated his tour we were wisked away to another back room. He had even went so low as to say how dissapointed he was in that he thought for sure it’s exactly what I wanted (guilt trip sales?). He was not quite as friendly from that point on. In the back room we were greated by another person who was a fast talking no conversation sales closer, ABC - Always Be Closing. I think he had a time quota of 5 minutes per sale. He offered us the same 1 bdrm with 1 week a year for almost 1/3 of what the previous salesperson had. This again was very tempting but luckily reality gave us a little nudge and brought us back. We respectfully declined again and were took to yet another room to receive our gift certificates. The morale in this room was that of the DMV. At this point we just wanted to get our tickets and get back to our “vacation.”
All in all it was an interesting experience but I feel bad for anyone who gets suckered into that right from the get-go. I would do it again if asked but only for the gifts. I feel the time is worth it, just keep your senses near.
January 2nd, 2008 at 6:37 pm
I wish I would have bought when I was there last november, does anyone know where I can go to purchase a timeshare at grandview (hopefully directly through them)as they have their own financing and I am currently carrying 2 mortgages and dont htink I can get a third yet.
January 8th, 2008 at 8:35 am
Brian, I did buy a timeshare when I was at Grandview on Dec23 2007. I think I bought it for a pretty good price. I get 1 week of vacation every 3 year at Grandview and I paid $4491.I am planning to sell this as I realized that I won’t using this as much because I rarely go on vacation.Let me know if you are interested.
January 8th, 2008 at 12:44 pm
I purchased a timeshare at Vacation Village Parkway, Orlando Fl in Oct. 06. As many of the horror stories of the bullying I was somewhat put into the same situation - no credit check, etc. I was also talked into buying both “A” & “B” sides and that I have a great “Trading” week as it is the 24th week of the year (when kids get out of school - what’s that all about)? I asked about refinancing or getting my own financing because Lando Resorts rate is at 17% - the sales guy told me it should be no problem. Much to my dismay nobody will finance a timeshare because it is considered an entertainment home and I really have no equity per say. Secondly, I asked why they don’t check my credit (although very good) what would happen if I just couldn’t make the payments, they said they would just take the timeshare back - no problem - the money I paid of course I would eat…well not true either! I didn’t take vacation last year and was deciding if I just wanted to forfeit my timeshare when I called RCI (or Lando Resorts) they told me that I would go into collections, etc. the whole 9 yards.
So it is I am stuck paying $208.00 p/month for 6 more years plus $89 p/year RCI plus $655.00 p/year maintenance. I only hope that I can at least get some decent vacations out of this but according to the emails above it’s highly unlikely!!
By the way if anybody can shed some light on how to obtain a separate loan or something so I am not paying 17% interest, please let me know.
Here’s to hopeful happy timeshare retirement at least (oh and maybe a couple of trips to Hawaii) By the way if anyone wants to come down to Orlando, Florida and needs an extra unit my “A” side is available for rent 24th week. (I believe it’s about the 14th of June)
January 10th, 2008 at 3:00 pm
Tracy,
We do have a week at Vacation Village Parkway too. This is what we did with their 17% ridiculous rate. We paid them $14k and transfer balance to 0% APR credit card luckily. First a couple years after we purchased a timeshare my wife and I tried to rip off them. We went to many timeshare presentations for free perks like, breakfast, lunch, theme park tickets and dinner show tickets. And that was something very stupid, I admit. As you know, these presentations takes long time, you have to go on tour, listen not just one sales rep but like three or more. Then, at the end when they can’t convince you to buy, they give you the tickets. The whole process could take up to 6 hours. We were mentally and physically tired after spending our two small children in their office for 6 hours. Basically, we wasted one day out of our precious week vacation for stupid free park tickets. As I said it was very stupid for me to do that. Now, we are trying to make the best out of it.
January 15th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
Jan 15th 2008
Hi there. My wife and I just got back from vegas. Long story short,
we purchased a 2br suite at the grandview for 22900 plus 89 anual renewal fee and 590 per year for maintenace for 1 week in a 2br or 2 weeks in a 1br. We were also “given” 4 additional free weeks (we still have to pay the 199 fee) at any RCI affiate resort for every year for life. We were also told (it is in writing) that we can will our timeshare as well as the free weeks to our kids.
Does anybody out there think we got ripped off? We are still within the 5 days so a quick response would be greatly appreciated.
March 11th, 2008 at 2:33 am
I have read most of these posts and think that most everyone here do not understand all about the Grandview timeshare. We have taken the extra vacations and my wife could not have been more pleased. It was an extremely NICE place. We have banked our time to be used in 2009 for a month stay in Hawaii. I feel like this is a good deal.
March 11th, 2008 at 6:53 pm
Oh my Gawd, people act like they put a gun to your head to buy. Just say no, thank you, take your show tickets and move on. As someone posted, if you like what you see, buy it on the resale market for nickels on the dollar. You can buy the Grandview on ebay for $1500 w/ lots of points and the same $295/mo maintenance you will pay the developer $20,000 for. THE SAME EXACT THING except one person pays $2k and another pays $20k. People need to perform due diligence and use common sense. It is a real estate purchase and a complicated one at that. Would you walk into a BMW dealership because they offered a free lunch and then buy a car you couldn’t afford because the salesman was pushy?! C’mon people, take some responsibility for yourselves.
April 15th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Mandie, you didn’t buy from an RCI person. RCI arranges (for a fee) exchanges. You bought from a representative of the developer of the resort.
Mike (03-11-08) hit the nail on the head. When you go to a presentation, ONLY buy if you think it’s a good deal. It rarely is. It’s usually much less expensive to buy the same timeshare property as a resale. Ebay is always full of timeshares for sale for excellent prices.
Exchanging can be difficult, but not impossible. You can see from some of the above posts, that some people are doing quite well with exchanges.
If you decide to go to a presentation, the routine is almost always the same. First, you meet a salesperson who takes you on a tour and gives you a high price. If you don’t bite, then a second salesperson (usually called a manager or something like that) comes in with a better deal. Frequently this is where the “Extra Vacations” are offered. Keep in mind that these are only offered to places that no one wants to go to. For instance, the Florida panhandle in mid-winter. It’s quite cold, so the demand for condos is minimal so you could use your “Extra Vacation” week for something like that. The “manager” might offer lower price, or a one bedroom unit instead of a two bedroom unit. If you still don’t bite a third person shows up supposedly to make sure the saleperson did a good job. SAY THAT IT WAS EXCELLENT!! You don’t want to get trapped any longer than possilbe. This final salesperson will have the best price or some offer of a free vacation in addition to the unit you’re considering. So, even if you think it’s a good deal, hold out until you’ve seen 3 people.
I feel badly for all you people who have purchased something you really don’t want. If you want to buy something and not have any regrets, buy Disney points. I’ve purchased a number of timeshares since 1988 and the only one where I could sell the unit for more than I paid is at Disney. There is no high pressure. They don’t need to pressure you. The places are so desireable that people are standing in line to buy. Disney trades through Interval International (II) and you can get anything you want anytime you wnant it because the Disney properties are in such high demand. I believe Hilton and Marriott points are also very good, but I don’t personally own them.
Timesharing is great. We’ve been all over the US and also a few places in Europe.
Good Luck!
April 17th, 2008 at 11:36 am
We just bought a timeshare at the Grandview - 1 bd with 2 extra weeks every year for 16,999. We bought because we knew we could afford it. I don’t understand people who could not say no. What is the matter with you?
April 17th, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Just a note - this is not a forum for people to post discouraging remarks directed toward people who made uninformed timeshare purchases. This site is dedicated to informing consumers and to provide support for timeshare owners - whether they knew what they were getting themselves into, or not. That said, if you do not have anything constructive to say, please keep it to yourself - any posts containing disparaging remarks will be edited and/or deleted. If you need to find an outlet for your negative energy try Craigslist’s Rants and Raves section. Thank you:)
May 6th, 2008 at 12:05 pm
I currently own a timeshare through Fairfield Resorts, and 2 weeks with 4 bonus weeks at
Grandview Las Vegas. I love my Fairfield Resorts timeshare. No problems at all with them. Grandview on the other hand has been my worst nightmare for the past month that I have owned it. I was walking to get breakfast on the strip when I was approached by a guy trying to get my wife and I to check them out. He offered us $400 in casino cash at the Grand Royal Casino, and free breakfast. Said the presentation would take 2 hours max. I figured I would wait that long in line anyway at the buffet so we went for the free cash, and food knowing we were not going to buy. Once we got there our sales rep gave us this line about how it was his last day, and he was going to hook us up with a sweet deal. Said we would get 6 weeks for what everyone else paid for 2. He then proceeded to tell me that Grandview rents back their weeks from their owners at $1250/week. He promised me that all 6 weeks can be rented back each year if I wanted to do so. I even verified this with his manager. With that being that case I would have been an idiot not to take the deal. It would have been paying me to take it. I asked the guy 6 times if he was for real, and check 2 different times with his boss. They both said all 6 weeks and can be rented back to them for $1250/week no questions asked guaranteed. I was never told that
The 4 extra weeks were treated any differently than the other 2. They way it was told to me is that I got 6 equal value weeks. I know, because again I asked that question a few times. It all seemed hard to believe. Guess that should have tipped me off. Needless to say the guy who was quitting the company still works there, the $400 casino cash could only be used on a very limited selection of slot machines that could not be cashed out unless the jackpot was hit, the breakfast we a small selection of doughnuts, I later found that the 4 weeks were extra weeks, with minimal value, yet I still get charged the same maintenance fee as the 2 1br weeks, I can not rent back the 4 weeks, and the 2 that I can rent back are not guaranteed, but if rented back they kindly take a 30% fee off of the $750 that they really give you instead of the $1250. Horrible company. Oh yeh, and don’t try calling them to ask any questions unless your prepared to be put on hold for 15 – 20 minutes before anyone answers. I have called several times, and every time I had to wait a minimum of 15 mins before the call was even answered. For issues with your contract you will be directed to your verification officer who will conveniently be in a meeting every time you call and will also kindly NEVER call you back when their meeting is over. As for transferring my 2 deeded weeks to RCI, no problem after you pay your maintenance fee, luckily when you call RCI you get a foreigner on the line, who is conveniently hard to understand, but is as equally helpful as the Grandview Resort staff. Luckily I had the 2 powerful deeded weeks on my RCI account when trying to book my vacation this summer because I was told I can go to either Georgia, or Vermont. Everywhere else is booked. With sooooo many options I have yet to decide which of these exciting locations I should go to. Now I did get online myself and found several locations I could go to elsewhere, but that is the kind of help I was offered when calling in. Despite all of the hassle I was very nice to everyone I spoke to so I could not have received poor service for being a jerk. They just provided it willingly. Although I joke about my ordeal, none of this was an exaggeration. I rarely get suckered into anything like this. I guess that’s what I get for trusting a sales rep in Las Vegas. I would say it would be a good deal if you spent the $24,000, and your time there if your other option was losing $24,000 at the tables. If you read this, and still buy from Grandview then send me an e-mail sometime, and we’ll schedule a time to play poker online heads up. Fairfield Resorts GREAT company. I just wish I had spent the money on more points with them.