My RCI Timeshare Horror story – The Grandview Las Vegas
** UPDATED IN 2022 **
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.
We were lead to a R.C.I. conference room of epic proportions and seated at a table with four chairs, our RCI assistant strategically sitting between us. To be perfectly honest, with all the commotion going on and our RCI guide throwing out as many facts and figures as humanly possible (he could have used differential calculus equations to predict the perfect ketchup to hamburger ratio and I would have been none-the-wiser), the events that transpired are somewhat of a blur to us. There are a few disturbing facts I am certain of, I do know that no credit check was ever done on either of us. The RCI salesperson had no regard for our present financial situation and in fact this was used against us to bully us into purchasing the time share because it would be “an investment we would have FOREVER”. When we asked if we could have time to think and possibly come back tomorrow or a later date, we were informed that the timeshare opportunity would have dissipated by then. Somehow R.C.I. convinced two twenty-somethings, in the midst of starting their own business, that it would be in their best interest to have a $500/month timeshare payment and additional fees if they actually decide to take a vacation. So much for no obligation to buy!
After our time share purchase, I realized that an untenable 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 – 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 timeshare community, how can I make this work for me? What benefits can this offer? How can I help other people?
Since this website’s inception in 2007, I have spent over 15 years helping other individuals learn more about their options regarding a timeshare they may have unwittingly agreed to purchase and/or no longer want. This site is designed to help those in all stages of their timeshare experience in hopes to create a more informed buyer, owner, and seller.
If you would like more information on your options, I encourage you to download my free eBook – The Ultimate Guide To Getting Rid Of Your Timeshare. It’s absolutely free, no strings or spam! It includes a wealth of knowledge regarding ways you may choose to release yourself from your timeshare burden.
All the best!
Hi. My husband and I purchased at the Grandview back in February. We thought everything was good with it until now. We’re buying a house and looking to cut extra cost. I was researching on how to sell the timeshare and came across this site. WOW! I can’t believe how bad this is! It’s been a few months, is it still possible to get the money back? Does this Advocate place charge up front or once it’s settled. We’re just a little worried about paying more money to another place we don’t know. Bad enough getting scammed once. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
My husband and I just got back from Vegas. We had never attended a timeshare presentation before. But decide to try it so we could get tickets to a show. That is the last time I would do that. Time is money, right? Well after wasting my 3.5 hours with those clowns, I would have just paid the full price for the ticket. But we did have fun, we really ticked off our sales lady, she was young and was dressed for a nightclub. She had only been living in the area for 2 years, she was from Israel. But she had it down pat, at least if you have someone to push over. It took 3 hours to do the drive over, the presentation, the walk through and then the final room for re-presenting. We still did not have a number to go with yet. Finally my husband asked to see the manager. And a few short minutes later we were on our way down to do a survey and then get our vouchers and on the bus. Our sales lady was rude and pushy. But she will make a good story for now on. What a joke this place was.
Boogra – you’re totally correct except that if you read many of the tales above, you’ll see that a large number of people were not told this was a timeshare presentation to begin with, were fooled into thinking this was organised by the hotel they were staying in and were made to believe they had tickets etc… secured for specific performances.
To many people, this is not an issue of timeshare sales tactics, this is an issue of misrepresentation and downright lying. Had, in my case, we been away for the 2-3hrs as we signed for and had been given the tickets we had been promised by the salesman in the Luxor, we would not have had any complaints.
Please re-read my account above and please tell me all the areas we made mistakes given the information we had at the time! It’s not the sale I have an issue with, it’s the dishonest tactics employed.
If you cancel do you get your closing costs back?
Boogra, whatever you wrote I 100% agree with that.Thanks for making me understand.
I love to read about how people get so upset when they succumb to a salesman’s pitch. They actually blame the salesman, and not themselves for signing on the dotted line. What’s unfair about their business practice? Do you seriously believe that you aren’t guilty of an ethical breach if you go to their presentation for free tickets just for the free tickets with no interest whatsoever in purchasing a timeshare? What does it say about a person who will take things for free without any regard to the offering attached to those free items? You went there to get something for free, and then get upset when the salesman does his job and sells you a timeshare? Do you see where a trhinking person would get confused about your being so angry?
This is classic entitlement theory. “Big business owes me something, and heaven help them if they end up making some money off me.” You gave them permission to pitch you. Where you failed was that you walked into a sales meeting with no plan – which a potential customer should never do. You and your husband/partner/whatever should have agreed beforehand that you were not in any way shape or form going to cave in, and that after the two hour presentation, you would both agree, in unison, to leave the premises.
I hate that you bought something that you didn’t want, but bear in mind that this is the salesperson’s job. He isn’t a fiduciary for you – that’s what financial planers are for. He isn’t there to counsel you on your financial condition. You showed up there to get free stuff, and by doing so, you agreed to hear a sales pitch. You knew what was coming. By showing up, you essentially say to him, “Hello, Mr. Salesperson, I am a potential customer. Please sell me something.” Do you see what I’m talking about? If you weren’t in the financial condition to purchase a timeshare, you had zero business being there – even if free stuff was being offered.
I don’t sell anything. I get in the middle of the customer and the seller in my business, to help the buyer get the best price possible for his/her dollar. I see people about to make mistakes all the time on these so-called “relationship buys”, with things like construction equipment, street and highway repair, building renovation and construction , etc. where, through personality and guile, the seller somehow convinces the buyer that he actually has the buyer’s best interests at heart, and so the buyer should only be speaking to him. This is similar to what happened to you. The timeshare salesperson’s environment is designed to be chaotic to throw off your thinking process. He wants to make you wait, so that you are impatient to leave. He wants to crunch numbers 36 different ways to impress his knowledge of financial matters upon you, so that he appears the expert. You simply fell for it. These guys rely on the “No, you can’t think about it – this offer is only good today.” Ask why the offer is only good for that day. Ask if the people who come in tomorrow are going to get a deal not as good as yours, and if the deal you are being offered isn’t as good as the deal was yesterday. Ask why there is no consistency in the deals being made. These kinds of questions throw monkey wrenches in the canned pitch of a salesperson, and can help to slow things down in an environment like that, which is what you need. You need breathing room, and attacking back with questions like these can give you that breathing room. You should also be very wary of anyone who won’t honor a deal a week or two from the time they offer it, and demands that you sign on the dotted line “right here, right now”.
Best of luck next time, but know this – that a salesperson always has a plan. Always. A customer who walks into a sales meeting without a plan is the same as a general who fields his army into unknown terrain in the backyard of his enemy. He was doomed to failure before he ever woke up that morning.
WOW MB! That was fast… My case has been pending for longer than that but you know, at least someone has gotten their contract cancelled and money refunded using TOA.
I posted my initial comment on December 3, 2008 regarding The Owner’s Advocate. Just to reassure those who are working with them, we did get our contract cancelled and 100% refunded from the Grandview. It took us about 6-8 weeks but that was last June. TOA was great to work with too! I actually spoke with them several times before I gave them any personal information or committed to them. They never pressured me – they just answered my questions. Good luck to all of you – the Grandview needs to know that they cannot use deceptive tactics to get people to buy!!
My case is still pending but TOA definitely gives me updates about it so I am at least in the loop about what is going on… they are great! Trust me, I was scared too to use them but they were very concerned about why these people have lied to us and they want justice done.
So go ahead and give them a call, at least. Talk to them about your case, sit on it, talk to them again and really ask them alot of questions… they DON'T pressure you to use them… but they are there to help you when you do. 🙂
I feel its better than trying to resell this on the market… Trust me, I've tried to resell (on one of those popular timeshare websites)but when I heard doing that isn't good either, I pulled out right away and got my money back. I think Owner's Advocate is a lonng process, don't think you're going to get your money right away 'cause you won't BUT at least I know there is a company willing to help with my case. TOA really needs more testimonials… having ALOT of testimonials for the Grandview WILL make it ALOT easier for them to have a case. So if it takes a year for my contract to end and get my money back so be it… I'll wait for whatever it takes.
Nimco, they are not expensive i have called them today they charge $1000 and your contract will be terminated if not you will get 100% money back. I don’t know if they have ressolved anybody’s case yet.
Comments on this post have been continued on our forum @ RCI VIP Timeshare Help Forum
RM, I know you hired owner’s advocate back in jan 09.what’s your case status right now?are they too expensive? please advice.
Thanks
I am currently using Owner’s Advocate right now to help me get my money back. I came across this posting the other day and looked into them. They are very helpful and the only way I found in trying getting a refund. It’s essential that those who feel they got scammed to use them ’cause they need more testimonials about the Grandview at Las Vegas. It helps those who want to get their money back!! ** Please do not try to resell your timeshare on those resale websites!!! They don’t work either!!**
Hey there,
My better half and I have never been to any sort of timeshare thing and had only heard very little about them in my short time on this planet.
The whole experience was masterful from the inception. We were staying at the Excalibur and had just finished check in, looking through the very crowded lobby for little signs that pointed to the tower numbers. A very cleanly cut person in a very nice suit and official looking nametag saw us and our current lost predicament, asked us where we were looking for. We stated “Tower II” and he said, “This direction, oh here, let me show you.” and shuffled us toward their desk. This was exceptionally brilliant, not missing a beat, the man behind the desk, equally in a nice suit began his spiel about if we were looking to see a show, etc. Of course, we were planning on it due to our interest in being there and stated there were five of us. We were given the option of getting these five tickets for a small fee. A huge felt tipped pen, writing upside down, and a lot of blurry numbers showed us the bargain we would be getting for the only catch of getting a walkthrough of a new casino built by MGM and Disney. Sure, why not. A whole point of going to vegas is seeing the amazing hotels, right? He advised it will be a two hour walk through of the hotel, breakfast and lunch will be provided and it is only about two blocks away. (Basically saying that the hotel is just beyond Mandalay Bay).
So I accepted this and he asks me to pay 90$ for five tickets. This is of course a deal, even with the “2 hour” walk through we would have to take. So I pull out my card and everything gets funny. He says they only take cash. I am about to giggle at this point, but I’m going to lose money anyway in gambling. I go to a nearby ATM, give him the money, and chalk it up to a loss if it doesn’t pan out. We don’t have anything to prove we were getting the tickets other than some weird little paper. I agree to go to the absolute earliest showing they have, 8:30 AM the next day so that I still will have a large amount of time to do whatever with my friends.
Luckily my better half is just as skeptical of things as I am and very supportive of whatever I choose to do so we decide we will actually show up the next day as we said we would. Especially if it means getting some free tickets for our friends. However we agree we will not buy anything. If it is something overly aggressive or weird, we will just walk back since we both could use the excersize.
The next morning, we stagger down to the meeting area and fill out a small bit of paper, reading it very carefully for anything that might be dangerous for our wellbeing but finding nothing of the sort. It just requests our personal information and promises it will not be sold. We are given lovely little name tags and told to wait for the bus.
It comes rather quickly and we head into it, again making the promise to each other that we will not buy anything if we are asked. We still fully think we are going to look at a new hotel, but with some sort of catch (Maybe becoming an investor, or something? Even though I doubted Disney or MGM would need that sort of thing from average joe me.)
The bus drive takes us straight down Las Vegas Blvd, or whatever that major strip street is for approximate ten or fifteen minutes. We both are very aware that we may be calling a taxi to get out if needed at this point. We end up pulling into a brand new strip mall with very little in it. Most of the buildings are empty, but it is a nice enough looking mall. We end up being directed into a building with a few seats as the salesmen are sent out one by one to find us.
We were both really impressed with ours, he was nice, friendly, and very good at what he does. He also answered every question we had, which were pretty sparse in our inexperience in this section. Neither of us have any complaints about him at all. He was very funny, very calm, and non-threatening.
The food was a few doughnuts and such, which neither of us were really interested in. We wanted to find out what we were there for. The room we were moved in, just as described, was a series of very close together round tables with four seats to each one. Oddly, one seat at each table had a balloon on it. I figured this was for kids, or something.
He did the whole blue-booklet explaination writing upside-down thing which, before my Vegas trip I had never seen and now I had seen it two days in a row. There was a lot of focus on money and our particular interests for travel. Neither of us knowing a thing about timeshares let him continue talking, soaking in as much as we could. He advised us of the changing location, the new hotels being built, the proximity to existing hotels (M and South Pointe) and new expansion happening around the area as far as it being a soon-to-be part of the strip that will force the property value up. We were taken to the location and, what we were shown, was very nice. The rooms were absolutely lovely, although I could easily hear sounds from upstairs. (To be expected in hotels and timeshares, I guess.) The possibilities of what I could do with this sort of thing were very interesting to me and even though I had come in with thoughts of not wanting to buy anything, was getting very persuaded to do so on my own.
I did notice that every empty lot nearby, however, had for sale signs on them. My brain began telling me to put on the brakes fast. The location was still easily within distance of the strip which I liked, but the fact that a possible hole in the sales spiel made me a bit more cautious. We went back and he very patiently gave us a few moments to talk after iterating his upside-down writing display of money and such and my better half and I were both exceptionally interested in something we had no interest or no inkling of walking in. However, we decided that we were going to take it slow. We decided we would not buy anything today, we would put together our finanical plan over the next month or two and then plan on obtaining something like this if it fit into our life plans. Based on what we heard, we were pretty sure this property would likely not be available when we made our decision, but perhaps the company would have other things we could look at.
So, our sales representitive came back and showed us the “everyday price” which, in my mind based on location and such sounded reasonable and easily feasable based on my financial situtation at the time. Then we were shown the “Today price” that was several thousand dollars lower with the additional incentive of having less money down. I frankly and politely told him I was not interested in the today price, even with the value, in that I am interested in looking at my financials and such to plan out this sort of venture as well as doing my own research. He was receptive but attempted to tantalize me with another sales person who was going to show me a better deal.
This new deal was able to cut the amount in half which seemed generous, but being something that was just pulled out of a “book of things that were just placed on the market by people who had sold or upgraded their timeshares, and that we would only be paying the balance left from what they left” I decided it was also not something I should look at and that I should plan on the “Everyday price.”
I advised of this and the second salesman left. I advised again of the generosity but the interest in protecting my money with responsible shopping and research and again, he was receptive but advised me that if I did not buy from him today, I would not be able to again for six months. At this point my brain started yelling at me. The fact that a company attempting to sell real estate did not have brokers or salesman you could call at any time to do business just seemed very bizarre, especially since the only way to get in to buy one was to go through this sales pitch once every six months. I explained to our salesman that we were not going to spend any amount of money today and he respectfully took us to the next room, asking how close we were to making him a sale. Truthfully, we told him that if we had known more about timeshares and what we were getting into, we may have been very interested if everything he was telling us was true. (Taking the word only of the person who is trying to sell to you is never something I do.) He taught us a ton about timeshares and their particular system of weeks and all and we were overly happy with the experience.
The next part, however, was what got under my skin. After our nice sales rep left us, we had a new one who asked us about numbers that we were offered and how our sales representitive treated us. We advised how much we liked him and then he started talking… and talking… and talking… and still more talking. He did not care about us or our situation, he just kept throwing out numbers and regurgitating things that our sales represensitive had advised us of much more eloquently. This guy was just obnoxious. I attempted to explain, politely, that I was not going to buy anything today without looking into it, to which he advised me of the 5 days to cancel with no obligation or strings at all. I explained twice more before he finally took us to a final room, where we sat a good five minutes before a very nice, quiet and to the point lady finalized the vouchers and the experience, asking us through a form of our experience again. We boarded the bus and realized the whole thing had taken us four hours.
Again, this was a good learning experience. Learning what I know now, I do not believe I would ever do anything like this again, even for free items. I would much rather just spend the money and utilize my time for other things.
In conclusion, this was a decent experience. We were both happy we did it. We got our five tickets and turned them into the box office early enough to get good seats for our 8:30 PM show, and learned a lot.
Thanks for reading, be careful and keep a level head.
J in AZ.
please help me.
I bought mine two weeks ago and 5 days time period is over what should i do??
We just got back from 10 days in Vegas and had a Grandview experience ourselves.
Being a few days in to our ‘holiday’ (we’re British) we decided we really should see some shows and, staying at the Luxor, were particularly interested in seeing the much-hyped Criss Angel show. When we were on our way to the Luxor box office we were grabbed by a lady asking if we were interested in show tickets and we said yes, initially believing this to be an official Luxor box office clerk (they want to sell tickets to their own shows after all, right?). She also asked if we were both over 25 and we said yes (I am 30, the girlfriend is 23 and this was proven by our ID but ignored).
The very friendly rep on the desk advised us to see 2 shows at the Luxor – Fantasy and Criss Angel and that he could get us both tickets to the 7pm showing of Criss Angel the following night and the 10.30pm showing of Fantasy the night after for $50 (around $150 off the standard ticket price). We jumped at the chance, gave details and knew this would be a great deal, regardless of catches. He then also said he would give us a free lunch tomorrow because they needed feedback on a new hotel which we would have a brief tour of, all we needed to do was turn up at 1.45pm tomorrow, we’d be given a tour of the hotel, asked if we were interested in investing, we just had to say no and we’d get our show tickets. We also had to tell them we’d been living together for 2 years (we’d actually been living together for about 3 months and he knew this but said we had to tell a white lie). He categiorically stated that we would be back at the Luxor before 5pm.
After leaving the desk we knew it was going to be a timeshare presentation but that 2-3 hours would be worth it (we would have spent an hour over lunch anyway plus $30 on a buffet so to us this was 2hrs lost for nearly $200 in benefits). We then booked tables for dinner and sorted out our plans for the next few days based on the facts we were given.
The next day we turn up at 1.45pm as requested, signed a form that had the 2-3hrs in bold lettering and stating ‘no refunds’ and sat around for half an hour with other people. These other people included another young couple who had also been given the impression they were touring a new hotel and a family (the kids were bored before we even got on the coach). It was gone 2.30pm by the time we got to the sales centre and our rep took one look at us and knew we were there purely for the benefits. He was perfectly polite and friendly, and at one point even said ‘I won’t waste your time, if this isn’t for you, just let me know’. The opening presentation was from a very charismatic lady who claimed to be ex-military. The whole emphasis of the presentation was on vacations being about spending quality time with your family. The video, even by the standard gut-wrenching American sales standards we see in the UK, was so over the top. Elderly people breaking down in tears at how wonderful vacations are etc… This took about an hour.
At that point, we expected to be taken to the site and given a tour but no, we were given about an hour of one-on-one pitch. Our rep told us about the new ‘London’ casino that was being built next door and would be complete by 2011 (this is complete crap as we discovered through a simple google search – 2 London themed casinos have been rejected in the last 10 years and there are none planned).
We were then taken on a tour, lasting about another hour before we got back to the sales centre. The place seemed very desolate but the apartments incredibly nice. There was no denying the location was miles from the strip and the bus was only twice a day. We were far more interested in the abundance of wild rosemary (which is apparently a weed in Nevada but to us Brits it’s an expensive herb!). By now our patience was going but we were told we’d go back to the sales centre, be told about prices and that would be it.
On returning, we sat down again and were then given well over an hour of repetitive sales speak. Our rep went into his folder to tell us about things over and over again. Everytime we thought it was over, he found another excuse to go back to his folder. The price came out ($24,995) and we said it was too much. He then went to get his ‘manager’ who took a straightforward approach and dropped it down to $11,995. He then took it down to $9,995 and only stopped when we said that our priorities had to be a house in the UK, weddings, babies etc…
We were then shown through to the next room where we had an even more straightforward lady who surveyed us on the sales tactics of the previous reps “because we don’t want people being too pushy or agressive”. She also told us that because we’d be getting on a coach with others, she wanted to know what the lowest offer we’d had was, and she wrote down if they’d gone as low as $4,995 and if that would have changed our minds. I told her it was an offer that was, on the face of it, impossible to refuse, but that even if they offered it to us for free, we were not willing to make any such committment. She then showed us through to the next room.
Some on here have described the ‘reject room’ as being like the DMV, in the UK, it would be best likened to a Doctor’s waiting room. There were at least 20 people in there being seen to at a rate of about 1 every 10 minutes with virtually no staff and one security guard. At this stage, people were at breaking point. It now being 5.30pm, we realised there was no way we were going to get back for a 7pm show, let alone 5pm. Other groups were overheard telling the staff about mis-selling over the show tickets (it now came to light that we were not booked in for anything at all, we just had vouchers – a far bigger problems for other couples who were heading home the following morning). When we were finally seen (there was no sense of urgency at all) we were told that we would never have got to Criss Angel at 7pm because the vouchers had to be redeemed by 5pm at the box office. We hastily re-arranged the next two nights, shifting dinners and plans and got it sorted. It also came to light at this stage that Grandview was nothing to do with the Luxor or the MGM Mirage Group.
We thought we had just been unlucky in terms of the now over 5hrs of time we’d spent but back on the bus were many of the same people, all looking thoroughly suicidal with no energy left at all. The kids had gone beyond boredom and were, quite rightly, in full-on whinge and terrorise mode. Even then, we still waited 15 minutes for the coach to leave. Bear in mind that we were miles from the main part of the strip – stranded.
We made it back to the Luxor at 7pm (the Grandview staff had all vanished, presumably to hospital to get treatment from the black eyes dished out by previous returning coaches), I went ot the box office and finally got back to my room at 7.15pm – FIVE AND A HALF HOURS after it started. The others standing in line at the box office with Grandview vouchers all gave each other a knowing look when handing over the vouchers. We got the back row for Criss Angel but good tickets for Fantasy.
Angel was very underwhelming (go see David Copperfield for magic, go see any other Cirque show for cirque stuff) and Fantasy was good.
For the next few days we desparately wanted to be harassed again (an excuse to launch into a tirade of abuse) but we weren’t, perhaps we had that look about us!
Was it worth it? No. I’d rather have paid the money for the show tickets and sat watching TV all afternoon. Had we been back by 5pm as promised and got the seats we were promised, it would have been ok, but this was complete mis-selling and unacceptable.
Don’t forget that they pitch this to you on virtue of spending quality family time on vacation. They also, with retrospect, make fallacious comparisons between the cost of the timeshare vs the cost of your own hotel bills. Their pitch that it will save you money is based on a one week timeshare vs 3-4 weeks of hotel bills. Complete crap.
Quite why MGM Mirage allow this to take place in their hotels is beyond belief. It puts their otherwise good hotels in a very bad light as people are led to believe the timeshare is connected to the hotel, which it is not. The number of Luxor reviews with negative comments about timeshare salesmen is single-handedly damaging the hotel’s reputation.
Finally, I see there are some on here who come out with almost the exact line on ‘great for those who travel’ as given in the presentation – give me a break. Australians and New Zealanders travel the world more than anyone, and I have never met an Aussie or a Kiwi with a timeshare. Ever.
joe, I'm guessing because you bought week 26 and I bought week 2…Week 2 probably sucks compared to week 26…being that mine is in January and yours would be june or july…I'm guessing less people are vacationing in January…but we were thinking more along the lines of trading because of the "high demand" of las vegas and was told we needed to only look at it as deed purposes because we could use it as high trade value since it is gold crown or whatever…BLAH! They said we could always trade it for a different week and pay the $139.00 or something…It was alot to take in at one time…all these numbers being thrown at us along with lies that the extra weeks would be so easy to get whatever we wanted to the same value as the gold crown…who knows…I just know that I'd rather buy on the resale market and save a ton of money…I'm hoping my revocation goes through just fine…I'm still freaked out…that's the reason why I'm still researching today…I'm calling vegas and ft. lauderdale again tomorrow since tomorrow is my 5th day…I want to find out about sending the breifcase thing back or whatever….I don't want to be charged for that…and I want to speak to the cancellation lady myself since they said she's not in on the weekends…I can't wait for this to be done and behind me! One good thing is I've learned a lot about timeshare… I will not feel better until I get my letter saying it was revoked and my refund….I'm praying everything goes fine with it!!!
KT,I bought the same package but week 26 for 24,990 last week. how come i paid 24990 and you paid 15,000.
My husband and I bought a two bedroom suite with 4 extra weeks at the grandview for like $15,000…for week 2…I had a sick feeling after leaving…But felt like my husband really wanted it so I agreed…This was on April 8th, 2009…Got home last night and started researching right away and I freaked out and called my credit card to stop payment on the $1,000 deposit and the bank wanted to cancel my card altogether and issue another one to be safe…So I did…But we put the remainder of the doposit on our debit and it has already been posted…so needless to say, I'm hoping we get it refunded and I'm hoping my bank cancelling my credit card altogether is not going to mess anything up…..We faxed revocation letter to Las Vegas this morning from fed ex and I followed up with 2 phone calls to confirm they recieved it….Then We sent a revocation via certified mail to both las vegas and Ft. lauderdale early this morning since our 5 days will be up monday and it is Saturday and mail doesn't run tomorrow…I called Ft. Lauderdale and she confirmed that as long as it's postmarked by the 5th day that we will be fine….I know I already had faxed las vegas and they had confirmed they recieved it, I just don't feel like I can trust them…I'm still worried…I couldn't sleep at all last night and don't think I'll feel any better until we get our other $996.60 refunded and we cancel that card as well…I don't think I'll ever go on a timeshare presentation again!!! Besides the guy with the gold ring on his pinky finger with the slicked back hair really creeped me out…EWWE!
my brother wants to buy time share at lasvegas but he is looking one bedroom with two free weeks with 50,000 rci points.how much i can get for?
Clarification for post #74. My relative just found out that he was misled to believe that his timeshare at Grandview was for annual usage, as the Sales person kept emphasizing that he could come every year for a One-bed room condo for only $5000. In fact, it is only for triennial usage. he is told now (while trying to make reservation via RCI) that for the 2nd and 3rd year, he has to pay $164 for the usage, then the 4th year free (once every 3 years). The Sales person was very tricky. Unfortunately my relative didn't pay enough attention to the contract before signing it.
Rob,I bought the same package the one you got can you tell me how many points you got and how much you paid for. I have week 26 two bedroom with four extra weeks and 98,000
points Ipaid 22,990, do you think it's agood deal
oh my! too bad i found this site after i got bought it (i'm just a natural born sucker – especially with the gymnast with the accent telling stories of family time, value and all that other mush). I'm already past my cancellation period so I'll make do … I figure I have to at least give it a try before I cancel. I love to travel so when i did the math while I was there, I figured I would start to break even and save money by the 7th year of owning my timeshare. And just for kicks because I'm a numbers cruncher, I put it on excel sheet just now and by year 20 I would have saved more than $10,000 (I'm in my 20's so this is totally do-able)! I love to travel and get 4 weeks of vacation with my job so I figured I could sell my 5th week and I will get good use out of this thing (fingers crossed – not too sure after I'm reading all these horror stories!). Few things I have questions on – if anyone can help clue me in since I'm new to all this …
(1) My sales rep totally sold me when he said we get discounts on airfare, car rentals and activities … anyone know if this is true???
(2) Selling your weeks – is it really that hard??
(3) RCI.com – why can't I bank my weeks on their website? Am I totally missing something? I thought I could bank & book trips on the rci site, but I'm not able to??
Thanks in advance …
Good luck to everyone … I'm still hopeful that this will work … but I haven't booked a vacation just yet, so I'll post after I actually put my timeshare to use!! haha
Boy I am sorry to hear that SO many people have gotten "sucked" into buying something they couldnt use or really need… I (we) on the other hand Had a very nice time during our nearly 3 hour time with the folks from The Grandview in Las Vegas… Which I'd like to reput is NOT part of RCI… grandview is a separate company as is Pizza hut is from mc Donalds. We bought a 2 bedroom with 4 extra weeks a year in addition to our standard 1 week each year… we pushed back until we got what we wanted…like a used car center. BUT, we got what we wanted… a top notch rental trading property!! That rents for over a $1000 a week in most cases. Good luck to all who didnt need or want a time share…
~ Rob
Phil, you are right about the hotels, I won't stay at the Excalibur again for that reason. Everytime my wife and I were together they jumped on us big time. But if we were alone, they left us alone. The only reason I sent it fedex, is that I live in a rural area, and certified mail would not reach them the next day, fedex was the only way to get it there the next day, but I have the signatures from whom signed them. But I was told by Susan at the cancellation department at the Grandview that she received it in time and the cancellation process will begin. MAN I HOPE.
Next time I'm going to the Orleans, nice place, and NO HOUNDS!!!!
I would think that the way the economy is and the slumping visitors at Vegas they would want you to come to the city, but it makes you want to stay away because of those experiences.
But the only person I have to blame is me, because I should have said was NO!!
You are in for a lot of sleepless nights then Knotsmart. They wait the full 15 days if not longer to give you the refund. Then you get a call from the person who sold you the property in the first place asking why you canceled. I sent mine in on the 9th and am still waiting for my refund to arrive. The good news is they say it is on the way :-p. I would be leary about FedEx since it says on the forms to send certified mail. I always make sure to follow the instructions to the letter and there could be issues with FedEx instead of certified mail. I know what you mean about it ruining your vacation…next time I am in Vegas I will know better and I am telling anyone and everyone I know to steer clear of anyone offering free tickets. They got us by actually being in the hotel and looking like they worked for the hotel. They must have paid the hotels a lot of money to be there since anyone who is bothered by these people will likely not stay in that hotel again.
like so many of you, my wife and I were suckered too. not too much to say but if these are such great deals, then why is it an on the spot decision? if it is a good decision then you can go check the internet on details on the property, on RCI, and on Eldorado Resorts. That is the problem. and i know there is probably good things about timesharing, and people who know about it feel good about their decisions, BUT for us who were basically bullied, and you are not giving the same deal as the person next to you is WRONG!!!!
I purchased two – one bedroom units at the Grandview for $15,990(probably good price) with the $640 yearly fee with the $89 rci yearly membership. After I left signing the papers, I had a sick feeling to my gut and couldn't sleep at night for the rest of my vacation (nice vacation) only to come home and read other horror stories.
So at Midnight on my first night home I started getting Revocation forms ready to go.
That morning I fedex to both sites(Florida and Vegas), faxed non-stop for two hours, and scanned and emailed the revocation to all sites.
Like others I talked to Susan at the Grandview, she did receive my fax with the revocation forms and said it will be cancelled with all payments returned within 15 days. Once that is done, I am cancelling my CC, so no other payments can be made on it. Yes, I got in on the five day out (THANK GOD!!) maybe I can start sleeping at night again once credit is returned.
I should have stuck to my guns when I walked in there, I guess I was takin' in like so many others.
But, if you can afford what you are getting into and travel alot, then go for it, but in today's economy, you would have a hard time reselling your timeshare. Other people I have talked to say go with the points system instead of the weeks, but all I know, is that I never want to go through that experience again.
You know, time share isn't for everyone. If you don't like traveling much, its not for you.. This type of vacationing was meant for people who want to invest their money in vacations for a LIFETIME for themselves and their family. This is deeded property that you can pass on to your children and grandchildren, or whomever you want. When you calculate the cost of taking two weeks of vacations every year, you acutually do end up spending more money renting your vacations with a hotel each time you go anywhere over time. Time share make dream vacations a reality. Some people try to save up for years and years to go to Europe, Hawaii, Alaska or where ever else. YOu can literally put that money into your time share and start traveling wherever you want and with whomever you want!!!! THe key is WHERE YOU OWN. THis will determine your value for value excahnge. So please educate yourselves before bashing the idea. My family has owned for the last 10 years. We are all still traveling on that initial investment. Now I have children. They will also be using it. SO IT IS AWSOME TO HAVE!!!! So please people, stop advising people to cancel. You might be the one that is helping to crush that family's opportunity to see the world. The best way to use it is to exchange to all the places you want to go. If that's something you want to do, Time Share is the best way to do it!
If it was truly 4 Deeds I think that was a smokin deal….it is very unlikely, if he failed to mention the rci system, i think he was pulling your chain. I was offered 1 deed for 1 week for a two bedroom plus 4 additional weeks I believe in a 1 bedroom (could have been 2) all for a low today only price of 19,990. It was a greuling experience, and I fell for it. But got out in the nic of time!!….too much money, plus the exchange from usd to cad is a killer right now. If you do the math on 20,000 a week times 52 (not counting the fact that holidays are more) that is per unit and there are how many units? per building, some people pay more some pay less. That is a crazy amount of money that someone is making!! That is not including the 600 per year for maintainance, my fee was 641/year for a 1601 sq. ft. 2bedroom for 1 week a year, that is (if everyone paid the same amount) for that unit $33,332 per year, just for maintainance!…. no wonder they can afford new furniture every 3-5yrs. I was excited about the new furniture part. Every 5 years they would have 166,660 minus a percentage for upkeep. I don't want a timeshare anymore I want to buy in to a building!!!
hey p89115,
just CANCEL.
CANCEL CANCEL CANCEL!
FAX in your CANCEL.
CANCEL CANCEL CANCEL!!!!!
NOW!!!!
DO IT !!!!
CANCELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL
My experience was unique to all these i read here. My wife and I just moved to the vegas area. We still had our SD drivers liscense. We told the guy who walked up to us at the Excalibur that we were not out of state, he didnt mind. He said just tell them you are on vacation. We picked our tickets and planned to listen to the presentation and declice for the goodies.
We took the shuttle (DONT USE IT IF YOU DONT HAVE TO). All of us were filed into a room with chairs (reminded me of DMV). A loud, overweight, roucus man made his enterence. (my wife and I whispered please dont let him be our agent). He called our names and we moved into a room with 100+ 4 person round tables, music playing louder than normal ambiance music. "Big Jim" immediatly started his shpeal with a blue colored booklet. In 30 minutes, it was full of numbers, and illegible. He was filling our head with information that "sounded too good to be true". My wife thought it all made sense, but I never let up my guard. Also, a side note, I noticed that the salespeople there use emotional back stories to persuade. Get this, "Big Jim" was all the following and dared us to ask anyone else there to disprove:
1)a Vietnam Vet
2)A POW-for 2 years
3)A Silver Star recipient
–I guess my military haircut keyed him in. I didnt buy it. I told him after 5 hours and him mentioning it again and again, "I hope someone would never use that horrible story as a ploy to gain trust…" He went white as a ghost. I mean other salepeople would see us passing them and say stuff like;" Hey POW, Silver Star…" to us as to back it up.
Back to the cherry on top:
He offered us FOUR 2 bdrm's, yes FOUR. That was 4 deeds to 4 seperate doors from the main hallway…equalled 8 single units…
For the price of 12000…
He told us he runs a side business and he would take over the job of finding renters for them. He would wheel and deal, and send us checks (cashier checks that we "should not claim as income for taxes". He promised us we could have it all paid off in 45 days…He said he has been making 100's of thousands doing this. I kept asking him, "then why are you here doing this on a Sunday morning and not enjoying the income…?" He said "Because I have a higher calling as a Christian to share this with others…" Ok, SUNDAY MORNING, CHRISTIAN, why arnt you at church then?! Oh, bad play there Jim. He offered to pay the 10% down, all we needed was the 283 for NV tax and paperwork. My wife was sold, I was close to caving. I stood my ground and didnt piss off my wife while remaining polite and interested…By the end of the 5 hours, I was wiped out mentally. We told Jim we would come back, he knew we were not.
He failed to mention the point system with RCI, said FULL airfare/hotel/rental car was ours for a week ANWHERE for 183 dollars. He would cover up the point numbers in the RCI Book he showed us.
I almost wished we had gotten someone less animated, less experienced. Someone like other folks were done dealing with in 2 hrs.
Ugh, mind you the units are nice and spacious, and I am doing research on the resale market.
However, in all the dealings on this site, did I miss out on a deal with the 8 units, handing them over to this guy -they stay in my name- for the profit? Insight would be appreciated…
Yes I did cancel in time, thanks. I started reading the fine print, as well as this website and faxed in my revocation. I just talked to the cancellation dept, talked to susan – very nice, no problems (yet). I also sent origional via ups to main office and vegas office just in case. Susan said that there was no need to send contract doc’s back to her. They have fifteen days to refund money. We will see what happens.
Dman,
You have 5 Calendar days after you signed not 5 Business days! Read post 112 which states the Nevada law. I hope you canceled in time!
Thank-you all for all of your informative advice. I have been stressing about this decision since I made it. I thought it was a good idea at the time. As we were sitting there deciding, my wife was to the point that after 5 hours being grilled and (although not as much pressure as I thought there was going to be) the 20k didn't matter she just wanted the hell out of there! We signed up for a 2 bedroom for 1 week plus 4 additional weeks. We had friends down with us who went to the tahiti village tour, so I had been grilling them as to what they were offered for the rest of the trip. I figured I had five business days to decide, since that is what we were told when we were signing the papers (which they did not bring up – I was reading my copy and spotted it – I said outloud 'oh thats good you get 5 days to cancel if you want' that's when the girl doing the paperwork got really snotty and rude about it – then explained it to us. I think its something that you are not supposed to see or ask about!!) I finally decided to look online and see what they are going for resale, and most are close to what we paid, but some are much cheaper. They make everything so confusing, you cannot clearly compare apples to apples. Now here I am, I just faxed in my copies of the revocation form to every fax number I could find on this site before midnight. I still am not sure about what day equals five days after, I think I still have 1 day to go but I thought I had better be safe than sorry! So I am going to phone this Sheri tommorrow and see what she has to say, as well get my copy notorized by my lawyer and sent off. This maybe a little overboard, but there is a lot riding on it! I am also going to send my copy of my fax confirmation with the time and date??
This experience ruined the better part of our vacation, starting on day 1! There were three couples who didn't know anything about this, all we new is that we could get cheap tickets by going to this short seminar. Well we spent 2-3 hrs trying to figure out how it all worked, the first lady had no clue what she was doing, she offered us all of these tickets. As it turned out that was false. Long story short it consumed a lot of time and caused a lot of unnecesary stress (all to save about $120 – looking back, a bad investment). Now I have to hope that I get my deposit back, and my name of this crap! I guess, it was a learning experience, but I will certainly let everyone I know, know about this and what to look out for etc… It is unfortunate that we have to experience this, and not know about it before hand! I will let you know how this turns out for me.
Thanks again for the posts, it really helped me to decide my timeshare fate!
Here are several phone numbers that will prove useful during your revocation process:
(954) 563-2444 Phone
(954) 561-5711 Alt
(954) 564-0264 Alt
(954) 564-4046 Fax
(954) 561-8594 Alt Fax
(800) 454-4771 Toll-free
You will need all these numbers as some numbers are busy at times. I ended up talking to Kathy and sent my cancellation via Fax. She said I did not need to send the certified original copy via mail but I am sending it anyway since it says so on the revocation contract. I just made it by the skin of my teeth as my 5 day period was up today!
I did not know you could cancel until I talked to another timeshare place on the strip. I said no thanks I have a timeshare but they said you know you have 5 days to cancel. Well lo and behold in my paperwork is the revocation contract. We will see what transpires next but they indicated to me I should receive my refund in 15 days. I thought it was a good deal until the company they told me to refinance through at 9% turned me down in a matter of seconds. Sorry but the 18% they offer you is way too much to finance. I thought to myself if they lied about this what else are they lying about. That is when I looked at this site and decided to cancel. I thought my 13,990 with 2 extra weeks was a great deal but it turns out it is the typical offer given to people despite the fact this was the 4th offer we received. I wonder who in their right mind takes the first offer. I want to thank those on this website for opening my eyes!
In hindsight the free tickets and gambling money is not worth a full day of my life to these people. I will tell anyone who will listen that anyone who offers free anything is offering a timeshare and to steer way clear of anyone offering this. I would gladly pay full price for a show than go through another one of these meetings!
eheh we bought a timeshare in las vegas at christmas 2008, they gave us 3 weeks instead of 1. we are trying to rent it, for 2 weeks, and then use the other week for us.
i will let you know how it goes…anyways, we could pay the full amount withing the 45 days, so we dont have mortgage. it was 14k USD..with the rent one day we will get all the money back..even if it took 10 years..but i think i will enjoy to travel the world now..and have discount on plane tickets..i fly every year to italy..i need to save some $$$!
I brought a time share in 2006 at Grandview and I have to say although initially it is a lot of money as long as you use it it is really good. November last year I did an exchange to the desert rose resort and for £150 we had a two bedroom appartment for a week it was lovely. Plus this year have exchanged for a villa in Orlanda have two weeks for £300 in a 8 person villa. I also have the extra weeks you just phone up and activate the certificate for those two weeks. You just have to use it!
For those interested, here is a direct copy of the Nevada Code Regarding Timeshare Cancellation:
NRS 119A.410 Right to cancel contract of sale.
1. The purchaser of a time share may cancel, by written notice, the contract of sale until midnight of the fifth calendar day following the date of execution of the contract. The contract of sale must include a statement of this right.
2. The right of cancellation may not be waived. Any attempt by the developer to obtain a waiver results in a contract which is voidable by the purchaser.
3. The notice of cancellation may be delivered personally to the developer or sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the business address of the developer.
4. The developer shall, within 15 days after receipt of the notice of cancellation, return all payments made by the purchaser.
(Added to NRS by 1983, 982; A 1985, 1141; 1987, 894; 2003, 984; 2007, 1549)
Hey everyone, thank you so much for this website. I think it will be a lifesaver. I am another one who fell in the Grandview trap. We bought a 1BDR alternating year timeshare on Thursday 29th. By that evening I had found this site and drafted a rescinding letter. Friday morning, I faxed to the number above and sent out a certified letter to FL. I'm well within the revocation period. Those who canceled in time, did you get your money back? Does anyone have an corp. email I can send it to? I just want to make sure ALL my bases are covered.
Stephanie,
SEND YOUR CANCEL NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
don't rethink this.
CANCEL CANCEL CANCEL.
GET your letter postmaster stamped and ask them for a duplicate receipt.
send it registered mail.
send it by fax as well.
send it by email.
JUST SEND IT!!!!!!!
Attended sales pitch and bought timeshare at grandview las vegas. both salesmen and then the woman were very nice and not pushy. we were given 4 weeks and 80,000 points for a two bedroom. sounded like a great idea at the time but now that i am home, well you know. have called and left a message for sheri to call back, will send, by certified return mail, cancellation tomorrow unless i change my mind again. any ideas??
We got our full refund today.
Sheri Waldrip is the one you should contact for cancellation. Her fax number is 954-564-4046. I faxed my revocation form to her at this number and confirmed she received it via a phone call. I also requested her to confirm the receipt of the cancellation form via email, which she did. Her phone number is above. Another way to reach her is to call 954-561-5711 and press 0. The call will be directed to a operator. Request the operator to direct the call to Sheri.
I called the Las Vegas sales office many times and left messages for Susan; however she never replied my calls. Finally I received a call from Florida (from a guy named Larry) and he was also trying to force me not to revoke my contract.
I think the key was to act within the 5 day period and follow-up with fax and phone calls.
Thanks to everyone for useful information on this web site.
Hey JJ,
FAX for eldorado is 425 514 3493
make sure you follow up with a phone call to shari waldrip
877 588 8728
she will tell you that you used the wrong fax, but she's just bs'ing you.
send an original signed copy postmarked TODAY!!! don't wait.
send it to the address on your contract in ft lauderdale florida
they will steal your deposit if you don't do it soon!!!
luckily for us, it was only chump change.
also,
Fax your cancellation to 702 407 7524
call them and make sure they received your cancellation notice.
talk to the notary that you signed with or ask for SUSAn or Karen wald.
Hi-just bought the 1 bedroom deal at grandview.
The first salesman was a great nice person and because the idea is really good I felt for it after the second salesman offered better deals (this one was very pushie and more like the typical salesperson who is not honest)
I do want to cancel my contract now and I just want to make sure I will do it right ( I have 2 days left to cancel).
– Should I just sign and send by fedex that single Revocation Form from the paper work/contract they gave us?
– Also, does anyone have the FAX number from the cancelation office (Florida?).
Any help is welcome. Thank you so much for all the info in this site!
I just contacted the cancellation office at the grandview. We lose our deposit; whatever you agreed to put down that is; it was only a small amount for us. I am hoping that they are telling me the truth. i have cancelled all other methods of payment.
you need to ask for the cancellation department – talk to an agent, seemed nice, explained that we are past our 5 day recision period. oh well, lesson learned.
My husband and I attended the same presentation most of you did and decided not to buy. Though we do go to Las Vegas at least once a year for a yearly conference and we only live a few hours drive from there – we thought we were in the perfect position to buy the Grandview Las Vegas timeshare.
So, we're interested in buying your timeshare. cryptelligencia (atsign) gmail.com
just wondering who to contact about canceling the contract for grandview.
Thanks MB. I will also contact the Owner's Advocate.
I called their Florida office and got hold of a lady by the name Shari Waldrip (Vacation Village Voyages; 1-877-588-8728 / 1-954-660-1603). She send me a confirmation that they have received my Revocation Form and that it will take 15 days to process the cancellation and refund. I called their Las Vegas sales office and they never returned my phone calls.
I checked with my CC bank and the bank confirmed that if I get a confirmation from them I can dispute the deposit charge and then the bank will take over.
I hope to get my refund soon.
I have owned timeshares for many years, and have been very happy with our purchases. We have bought everything on the secondary market, and have used them extensively for trading, using, etc. We own three marriotts, and can find nothing else that trades as well, and I never worry about the quality of the resorts. We own at Cypress Harbour in Orlando. Though the resort is probably 15 years old, it is still rated in the top 30 in the world. (www.tug2.net)
We just bought at Grandview. We did not do the presentation, as we saw the legions of salespeople, and overheard many lies in their presentations. We had done an exchange, liked the layout, and purchased a resale for about 15% of what some are paying. We purchased with points, as we find great flexibility using them on our vacations.
For those taking vacations, as we do, timeshares offer great value. You only need to understand the system to be able to use it properly.
A word of advise – don't do the Mayan Palace timeshare presentation. We have turned down $500 cash to go to them, but refuse to sit thru their high pressure tactics.
Hope this helps.
EK