Vida Vacations & Grand Mayan lies

I hear you. My husband has a blood sugar problem and HAS to eat often or he can't think straight. He would've signed anything they put in front of him in exchange for a plate of tacos! With us, I have an inflammatory disease and need to take meds in humid climates, so both of us had specific medical needs, which they ignored and which makes what they did illegal. They didn't ask if we had any issues that would make a long session difficult in a physical manner, which they should've done. Instead, they literally stalked us, found us at a cafe, and drug us to the sales office -- AFTER we had turned down their "invitation" three times already. They literally wouldn't take "no" for an answer -- the woman started grabbing my purse in order for us to go with her. It was quite a scene. They also started serving margaritas, which is illegal in both the U.S. and Mexico. Absolutely NO alcohol is allowed during contract negotiations or presentations. I used Lonestar Transfer in the U.S. to help cancel the contract and also Profeco. What helped the most, though, was the daily social media blasts against them, Conde Nast, Travel and Leisure, Cirque du Soleil, etc. Their corporate partners are accessories, as they draw in clients for them to get ripped off, so go after them. Also, the U.S. State Dept has issued a travel warning for people to not go to Mexico, due to how dangerous it is. I sent that to Vidanta, Vida Vacations, and Grand Mayan via Twitter and Face Book, and it got their attention very quickly! Just keep at it, and good luck!!

We were also served alcohol numerous times, will use that in our case.

lindeh2 wrote:

Serving alcohol during the "meetings" is illegal, which is what they did to us. That's considered getting someone "impaired", and Profeco takes that very seriously. They also kept us in the office for over six hours and didn't feed us, which makes people light-headed and can lower their blood sugar -- further impairing them and affecting decision-making processes. The problem with most people who might complain to Profeco is that they don't go into enough detail and include all of this. They scheduled a hearing date for us and everything...sure got Vida Vacations attention!

Did you have to appear for a hearing date? How does that work?

lindeh wrote:

12 hours without food IS illegal!!!! You need to report this to Profeco, as I did. They will provide you with a hearing date, as they did for me. Honestly, it's worth the fight....I got my contract canceled and my money back after two months of fighting. It was a slog, but worth it in the end.

We purchased yesterday - a vacation club membership with promise for them to buy out our timeshare. Can we still rescind? Buyers remorse here! It’s ruining the rest of my vacation!

Yes, you can rescind within five days -- DO IT NOW!!! Take all the paperwork back to the sales office and DEMAND to cancel your contract. According to Mexican law, they are required to do so. It's the law! Don't believe them if they tell you otherwise, because they will try to lie to you and make up stories. That's what they do. Stay put and demand it!!

Tell them you'll call Profeco, which is the Mexican consumer protection agency, if they don't do as you wish. If they still give you a hard time, tell them you want to talk to the owner/manager of the resort -- NOT someone within the sales office. BE STRONG!!!!

Also, get your money back, and don't let them try to downgrade you or transfer you to some other membership. It's ALL a scam.

Email Profeco immediately to let them know you are trying to rescind. They will send you a questionnaire. You need to get the ball rolling NOW. You can call them if the sales office is too difficult and refuses to cancel your contract and won't give your money back. There's a toll-free number in Mexico you can call. Do it NOW within the five-day time period!!!!

If you just purchased yesterday, you should be able to cancel. Make sure you follow the procedure listed in your contract and do that right away. Otherwise, they will not let you. Don't wait!

Also put a stop payment on your credit card

sarag227 wrote:

We purchased yesterday - a vacation club membership with promise for them to buy out our timeshare. Can we still rescind? Buyers remorse here! It’s ruining the rest of my vacation!

Hi Sara,

We bought on Monday Feb 3rd. Just read on line that Vida Dollars are virtually worthless 🤨. What a nightmare!

I called my credit card company’s & filed security complaints (deposit was so much that I had to put our deposit on 2 cards!!! Also, was given this advise: send an email advising of cancellation plus put it in writing & make a copy. I’m going to do both then go there tomorrow morning. I’m so friggin mad at myself.

I guess that when something is too good to be true it probably is☹️

Gail

Hi Laura B,

Thank you for all your advise!

Gail

I have notified my credit card company. I have an appointment tomorrow with the sales office to rescind. I have sent an email to Profeco (no response yet). Will the sales office give me documentation of the cancellation? Should I be asking for something specifically? I’m so ready to be rid of this headache. Thank you so much for your help!

Thank you for the email advise and putting it in writing. I am going to the office tomorrow morning to rescind. I too am so mad at myself! Good luck to you!

Sara

Don't let them talk you out of cancelling .

UPDATE: thank you everyone for your help! I was able to go to the business office today and get out of the contract I signed. It wasn’t easy but it wasn’t as hard as I thought. I learned many lessons but most of all - I’m happy to be right back where I started. I couldn’t have done this without this group! Now I can enjoy the 2 days of vacation I have left!

Did you have any luck with Porfeco? have submitted claims twice to them and never hear back. Have they helped anyone?

How did you contact Porfeco? I sent two emails and did not hear back from them. I purchased in December and tried to rescind while there, but they said I needed an appointment. If you meet with them they will offer you more junk that you don't want. I would send by certified mail immediately as the contract states. Thanks, Kathy

Yes, you can rescind. However, you must go back to them, as we did, and tell them you "talked it over" and for many reasons, some personal, you'd like to cancel the contract and they return your deposit. Of course they will give you some more grief and offer you more reasons why you should not cancel but you MUST be strong and insist you'd like your money back. There are "cool off" periods in Mexico and if you get back to them in a day or two you have a fighting chance!! They are the most sinister bloodthirsty group we have ever encountered. Every day hundreds get slaughtered. Reading the reviews of the sales pitches makes us angry and sick that that kind of behavior is accepted in Mexico and makes all timeshares suspicious and questionable. It surely seems that people at the top could insist that those high pressure tactics cease but obviously someone is paying those in authority to look the other way!!

Yes, they got back to me and scheduled a hearing even. If you're still in Mexico, call their number listed on the site. If not, fill out the form they send you, which they eventually will. They ask for you to do it in both English and Spanish. Just go online and get a free translation of whatever you write, then cut and paste in the document. That probably made mine go faster. If you're in the U.S., paying for a phone call to their Mexican office might be worth it.

Good luck!!

I submitted the form after I got back to the U.S., and then they scheduled a hearing. Fortunately, Vida Vacations had caved and cancelled my contract and returned my funds, so I didn't have to go through the hearing. They were really nervous, though, and wanted me to "call off the dogs" when it came to Profeco.

Hey Laura, We are current owners of Vida / Grand Mayan as well. Like everyone else we are not happy. We haven’t paid our maintenance fees in 4 years. We want to get rid of our contract. Do you have any advice?