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BlueGreen Vacations Timeshare Scam Warning!!!
Disclosure: Results my vary, as this is my personal experience only.
My video review on the BlueGreen Vacation Timeshare Scam.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qVc7ImQNeS4
I paid $150.00 to Bluegreen Vacations at the mall last year. I was told I would receive a 3 night stay at a nice resort, and a 4 night cruise with Carnival (Sound Familiar)? My job was to complete a 2 hour timeshare tour on the second day of my resort stay, and after completing, I would receive a 4 night cruise voucher. We drove 2 hours from Orlando, FL to St. Petersburg, FL to stay at the Bilmar Beach Resort.
We were suppose to stay from Sunday to Wednesday, but ended up coming in a day early on Saturday (4 nights). We were told on the phone it would be an upgrade of half off for that night (about $75) but when we got their, the hotel staff made us call Bluegreen to confirm this in writing and fax over the paperwork. Bluegreen contacted them, and sent them a conformation number. We were given the hotel key for our 4 night stay.
BlueGreen then calls my phone telling me to authorize the room for $159 (more than the cost of the room), then after arguing dropped it to $143 (the same cost of the room) with a $25 Visa gift card coming in the mail to me (I already got that when I signed up). What happened to half off? By the way, we also had to pay $107 in resort taxes and fees for the 4 nights.
I decided to call BlueGreen and discuss the true cost of the 4 night cruise before attending the Timeshare tour. She told me it would be a total of $373.00 which included taxes and port fees, plus $96 in tips ($12 per day, per guest, per night). Thats a total of $469.00!!! We left the resort, drove back to Orlando, and just enjoyed the rest of our day.
COST TO GET INVOLVED: $150.00
COST FOR THE RESORT STAY: $250.00 ($178.50)
COST FOR THE CRUISE: $469.00
TOTAL COST: $869.00
Glad we did not fall for this all the way and pay for the cruise! Get this. I called Carnival directly, and she said for the exact same thing, I would pay $517.00 directly through them, and the taxes, port fees, and tips would only be $292.00, yet with BlueGreen, they are making me pay $469.00 for the exact same thing.
I rest my case.
Rodney W.
Still don’t get where the “scam” is in all this.
First, the resorts are beautiful and I’ve stayed at one.
Second, I was offered a MasterCard of $150 not a cruise.
Third, there are people who have been owners for years that continue enjoying their vacations.
Fourth, you got something for your money and time.
It may feel like a scam just like if you go to the mall and buy a pair of shoes that you later find are almost half the cost online. But, get over it and move on. Timeshare is a way people can own a vacation home without having to actually pay the cost of a second full mortgage.
Gena A.
NO!! It is a scam, when you are told you will be staying at nice resort. We made our reservations, they called to confirm our stay at a Comfort Inn miles down the road from the resort. The only amenities the Comfort Inn had to offer was a parking lot view, and a broke down swing set plus we would have to pay the taxes of $176.00 for the 3 nights. The regular Comfort Inn price was only $76.00 a night and my husband is ex military so we could get a discount off of that price making the total cost with tax $186.57. Now they already received $200.00 from us, what is the benefit to do this if we do not get to stay there. OH Wait! Then we were offered to stay at the resort for another $290.00 plus taxes. Seriously! I am expected to travel 9 hours to check out a your resort but stay in a parking lot hotel!! I am sure hundreds of people do not use their $200.00 package after finding out all the charges, so they are making a killing off people for nothing, a TOTAL SCAM. By the way this just happened today July 18, 2018 not a three year old post. Believe me I will be sharing this information with everyone and every time I see them at any mall/store. If they do not get their money from people they are ripping off in the malls then they will have to get it from their time share holders, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!!
Tresa S.
We just got back from a wonderful vacation in Lincoln, NH. This company was wonderful. We definitely didn't stay in a Comfort Inn! We paid $199.00 at Bass Pro Shop, received a $100 g/c immediately. Spent 3 nights, and 4 days at Riverwalk Resort in Lincoln, NH. We paid $37.00 in tax. Went to a 1 hour presentation, and after the presentation, we received another $125.00 in g/c to Bass Pro. It was worth it for us because my husband spends money at Bass Pro all the time. Bluegreen Vacations employees were great! Of course that's expected, they're trying to sell. We had zero problems. Now as far as the actually timeshare is concerned, I do not have any experience with that, yet!
Stefanie A.
I booked the St Petersburg, FL location thinking it would be on the beach(as shown on their website). I received a letter confirming my stay would be at a 2 star Comfort Inn & Suites, also with a parking lot view, far from the beach! I called one of their vacation specialists to be moved to another hotel. Oh it absolutely can be done for an additional charge. Umm... no, thanks. I live close enough to the area to show up just for the cruise certificate but I don’t know if it’s even worth it at this point. Disappointing, to say the least.
Melanie R.
It definitely is a scam. They used a sweepstakes to win a brand new Camaro at an outlet mall by my house as a way to get people to by their vacation plans. They called me up and told me I was one out of 50 people nationwide that won a VIP vacation package for a 4 day cruise for only $248. The guy told me that I only had a few minutes to decide if I want to pay for it, and when I told him that it sounded sketchy, he told me he would drop the price to $198, but since it’s a VIP package, if I hung up then I would lose my offer. I asked him if everyone else gets a call for the “VIP” vacation package, and he told me no that only 50 people in the U.S. are getting this offer. However, when I filled out the raffle ticket to win the car, my girlfriend was with me and she filled one out, too... so I told the guy I didn’t want the package and hung up, and literally 5 minutes later, my girlfriend got a call for the same VIP package.
If only 50 people in America got offered the VIP package, what are the chances that both me and my girlfriend would be selected for it? Lol. We must be the luckiest couple in the world to both win the VIP vacation package.
If you really want a timeshare, just take your time to do the research, visit different seminars, and really ask around about them. Don’t get talked into buying one by someone on the phone. Treat buying a timeshare the same you would treat buying a home. Depending on your timeshare plan and how often you use it, your timeshare will be like your second home.
Andrew A.
It sounds like you had the same deal as we did except we paid less than $30 at the Comfort Inn. We were told that it would be at a resort also then found out after we booked that it would be at the Comfort Inn. I would also like to say, even though we were disappointed that we would have to pay to upgrade to the actual resort, everyone at Comfort Inn was very nice. We paid the $199 at the first encounter plus $30 at hotel. We received in return, two $75 gift cards and one $25 gift card. So for the weekend, we paid less than $55. Three nights. The cruise was explained beforehand as far as the port fees and taxes. We knew that this would be approximately $400 for two of us. We also knew that it was a category 1A cabin and that we would have the option of upgrading. Our biggest disappointment was when trying to book the cruise, I was told that they didn't honor the free 1A out of Tampa, even though we were told several times that we could sail out of any port. Even the folder that they put the certificate in, shows Tampa as a port. However, they did accept the certificate for a discount and it was less than $200 to upgrade. Total was a little over $600 for a five day cruise. I did a mock booking on Carnival for the exact same cabin and it would cost over $900. So we are actually paying a little over $200 for the cabin. The rest we would have to pay anyway and we do cruise a lot so for us, it is a discount. I'm still trying to figure out the amount they charged you at Comfort Inn. We were there this last week of June, this year, 2018. Unless it was a Comfort Inn that was a luxury resort, the "require resort fees/taxes" should never add up to that amount.
tresas9 wrote:NO!! It is a scam, when you are told you will be staying at nice resort. We made our reservations, they called to confirm our stay at a Comfort Inn miles down the road from the resort. The only amenities the Comfort Inn had to offer was a parking lot view, and a broke down swing set plus we would have to pay the taxes of $176.00 for the 3 nights. The regular Comfort Inn price was only $76.00 a night and my husband is ex military so we could get a discount off of that price making the total cost with tax $186.57. Now they already received $200.00 from us, what is the benefit to do this if we do not get to stay there. OH Wait! Then we were offered to stay at the resort for another $290.00 plus taxes. Seriously! I am expected to travel 9 hours to check out a your resort but stay in a parking lot hotel!! I am sure hundreds of people do not use their $200.00 package after finding out all the charges, so they are making a killing off people for nothing, a TOTAL SCAM. By the way this just happened today July 18, 2018 not a three year old post. Believe me I will be sharing this information with everyone and every time I see them at any mall/store. If they do not get their money from people they are ripping off in the malls then they will have to get it from their time share holders, GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!!
Jodie L.
Hello, I am just adding my experience. I was in Bass Pro with my husband and was approached regarding a vacation. I thought, this is just a scam, but I did want to listen. This is what we were offered and told. A 3 night stay in a Choice Hotel in New Orleans, $75 (total, $50 now & $25 later) & a cruise certificate for a 3-5 night cruise. This is what we got, this far, a 3 night stay in a Choice Hotel in New Orleans, $75 (total, $50 now & $25 later) & a cruise certificate for a 3-5 night cruise. Additional comments, we were told, up front, we would have to go thru a sales presentation in order to get this discount, and that we were responsible for tax and parking (if applicable and if you know downtown New Orleans, parking is always applicable). Furthermore, we were told that we needed to pay for the taxes with a major credit card & when we called to confirm the hotel stay, we were told exactly how much the taxes were. There was nothing, in anyway, that was misleading or misconstrued about what we were being offered. Regarding the sales pitch, I'll be honest here, it is a bit expensive... but that's not what got me to walk away. What didn't like abput this whole experience#: I would say that I see the value of it, but there's no way we're going to put (at minimum) $13K on the table (financed or not) without thinking about it. We turned them down and stated it would be a year before we would be able to commit to something like this. They offered us a sample package. Less than $900....with some workable, but substantial, limits. Now, we agreed to this...I was told this package was not based on credit, I was very clear about this because I know my husband has much better credit than myself and, if it was, it would be much better to keep me off this whole thing and I'll be his guest, but they ran an inquiry anyway... and next thing you know, that $900 entry level program is not available to us... they wanted us to get this package with a few more points, and, as far as I can tell, the same restrictions, but for $3500. We said that if we can't get the $900 deal, we would walk. They said they could do that and we walked away...with our $25 gift certificate and cruise certificate. I have to wait 90 days to book the cruise, so we'll see how that goes! Oh, they originally, didn't have any available rooms (based on the website), so I called them back to rebook the vacation. They originally gave me a location across the river, but I called them back and they rebooked me at a very nice hotel. I did run the numbers, this same weekend would have cost me $500 just for the hotel, plus parking... so I'm pleased with that...
Denise S.
Hi, just wondering when you took your vacation & what they're is to do there? We just purchased this & were thinking of going to NH as well.. Thanks! :)
stefaniea17 wrote:We just got back from a wonderful vacation in Lincoln, NH. This company was wonderful. We definitely didn't stay in a Comfort Inn! We paid $199.00 at Bass Pro Shop, received a $100 g/c immediately. Spent 3 nights, and 4 days at Riverwalk Resort in Lincoln, NH. We paid $37.00 in tax. Went to a 1 hour presentation, and after the presentation, we received another $125.00 in g/c to Bass Pro. It was worth it for us because my husband spends money at Bass Pro all the time. Bluegreen Vacations employees were great! Of course that's expected, they're trying to sell. We had zero problems. Now as far as the actually timeshare is concerned, I do not have any experience with that, yet!
Dawn A.
I used to work for blue green. Had no idea it was a scam. I decided to do some research on it because I'm planning a Cruise now. I found out they raised the pay and they lose so many people so often because no one can met the sales quota and other people just can't stand to bother people all of the time. My grandparents owned a time share and my dad used to take me on trips like this all of the time but they weren't with blue green. Plus all of the hidden fees, which they don't tell employees about. Everyone I worked with while I was there quiet or was fired,The entire staff. I was really excited about the free cruise myself. Now I feel bad for staying as long as I did, but I was young right out of high school and never planed a vacation on my own.its great to know that you can get a cruise for the same price and not have to go thru the harassment of the sale pitch.
Kia T.
Yes it is a scam in that they do not deliver on what they promise to get you buy into the package. I could not even get an idea of what cabin we would be in. They said we wouldn't know until we arrived there at the welcome center...really?! So how can anyone plan a trip around not even knowing lodging info, location, pictures, anything? I asked them to call cabinsforyou.com and friggin lock one down for us and then call us with a confirmation...nope, they wouldn't do that. I asked what it is they do there in that call center other than book vacations...they said nothing else except for answer questions about the timeshare experience. So, I say if I cannot get what was promised upon purchasing the package and my money is non-refundable...IT...IS...A...SCAM! I told them to shove it and that I would reflect my experience online. If you want a vacation cabin, or anything else, just book it with a credible private owner folks. Pay the extra and you will thank yourself for it. Moreover, this was purchased in a BASS PRO SHOPS, so I'm doubly pissed.
Jesse B.
Last edited by phyl21 on Apr 24, 2019 08:59 PM
Wow, what a disappointment. Thought this type business would operate with some integrity. I purchased a package to visit and listen to what they have to offer. The lure was a 3,4 or 5 day cruise certificate. I purchased this from Bass Pro Shops (Shame on them too) and was told without a doubt that the promotional cruise included the Port of Galveston and it is even listed on the brochure. After the presentation I call to check my options and guess what they don't do promotions out of Galveston as a matter of fact there are 4 out of the 9 ports listed in the brochure they don't do promotions out of. Can you says FALSE AND MISLEADING ADVERTISING! What a joke, Never again and anyone I can tell I will tell them to stay away. If they are this misleading in trying to get me to purchase their product I can only imagine how difficult they will be after a purchase. Don't WALK but RUN away!!!
Michiel W.
Follow up...they did call me back and refunded the $120 i paid. She said she was told to call me back and refund me by someone upper. I think maybe they heard the recording of the call and heard me say that I would publicly post my experience everywhere I could. Still doesn't change the taste in my mouth.
jesseb96 wrote:Yes it is a scam in that they do not deliver on what they promise to get you buy into the package. I could not even get an idea of what cabin we would be in. They said we wouldn't know until we arrived there at the welcome center...really?! So how can anyone plan a trip around not even knowing lodging info, location, pictures, anything? I asked them to call cabinsforyou.com and friggin lock one down for us and then call us with a confirmation...nope, they wouldn't do that. I asked what it is they do there in that call center other than book vacations...they said nothing else except for answer questions about the timeshare experience. So, I say if I cannot get what was promised upon purchasing the package and my money is non-refundable...IT...IS...A...SCAM! I told them to shove it and that I would reflect my experience online. If you want a vacation cabin, or anything else, just book it with a credible private owner folks. Pay the extra and you will thank yourself for it. Moreover, this was purchased in a BASS PRO SHOPS, so I'm doubly pissed.
Jesse B.
The hotel we stayed at for $199 for 3 nights was beautiful but after our required timeshare presentation we have still not got the 30,000 points promised to us. They gave us 5000 and I’ve been calling for close to a month to get the other 25,000. No one seems to care and they just direct me to call other numbers. If this is how they run this part of the business I can’t imagine trying to actually book a trip!
Bobbi R.
I am currently battling Bluegreen after spending nearly $18,000 on something I cannot use because I cannot book where or when I need to. We were told lies and given false information about the entire membership. I have yet to use my points. The only thing they told me was to buy more points because premier would give me advantages over 80% of the other members. This is a scam and you will be paying a high interest rate mortgage for non-real property. Do not believe them when they say you can refinance it. You can't!!!! They refused to help me and ignored my calls and emails. I had to get an attorney. Then they said they could not help me since I have legal representation and to have the attorney contact them.
Bluegreen has yet to return the attorney's calls and demand letters. I have PAGES and PAGES worth of complaints regarding the lies they told me. Due to the pending legal action, I will not go into further details, but do stand you ground with them regarding your complaint! Please, if you have issues with Bluegreen, contact the BBB in Florida where Bluegreen is based. Also, contact the consumer protection division at the Attorney General's Office in your state and/or the state where you purchased your package. Bass Pro sued Bluegreen and broke their partnership due to Bluegreen sales tactics and breach of contract until a high dollar deal was agreed to. Bluegreen stocks have fallen considerably since I signed up in July 2018. At that time, the stock was 25.25; however, today the stock 11.22 with a low of 7.79 on July 7th.
I filed a complaint with the BBB; however, since Bluegreen answered me, they closed my compliant. Also, since I filed a complaint, I can not leave a review. The BBB will decide if they will post my complaint or not. I can not fathom how a business with nearly 900 complaints (over 300 the past year) can still maintain an A+ rating because they answered the complaints. Be vigilant in your complaints. Although the person who is hired to answer the complaints has no idea what was said, they will try and deny there was any wrong doing. Bluegreen needs to be held accountable.
Dee S.
worst company ever. we realized that it was a big scam after all. we bought the "package" at bass pro shops for $199 and were promised $100 visa gift card and $50 bass pro shops gift card after we finished their "presentation". We booked the stay at Boyne mountain resorts right away for a 3 night stay and were excited and happy and everything was going fine. we drove for 6 hours and finally got to the destination (exhausted and wanting to go to our room so we could rest), went into the Bluegreen office and were asked to sign a bunch of papers including our income and other information. By accident (being pretty tired from a 6 HOUR drive) I marked the first income box (0-39999) thinking that it said 0-399999 (we found out later than this little mistake would be irreversible as if we were signing something this important). The "nice" ladies didn't say anything to us to signal that we might of made a mistake, she just told us to sign a bunch of other stuff, not telling us what each one was for. after about 15 minutes of signing papers, out of no where she tells us that we have to leave tomorrow because we "don't meet the criteria". we were shocked and tried asking what the thing we didn't meet was but all she said was that we didn't meet it (she didn't even tell us that it was because of the income mistake). and trust me I tried hard for them to just tell us what the problem was, all she did was give us a paper with a bunch of "criteria" and told us to read it over and see what the thing we didn't meet was. so we took it back to our hotel and called costumer service and spend at least 4 hours talking to them trying to solve the issue but sadly all they could tell us was that we either needed to provide proof of our income (even though we already filled out the correct income at bass pro shops prior to purchasing the package) or we could stay for the remainder of the 2 more day but we'd have to pay $300 extra. How would I know to bring my username and password to the irs website when going on a vacation and they know this pretty well. they know that no one will have proof of their income so they could rip them off. We tried soooo many times to fill out the paper again but they didn't let us. I don't know why they made it such a big deal for such a tiny mistake and wouldn't let us fix it but I have a pretty good idea. we even tried to get our money back or even the gift cards we were promised but nothing worked. we went back to the office a couple of times and they kept telling us that they explained everything to us, which they didn't. there was a camera there and we urged them to open the tape so we could see who was lying and who wasn't, but they kept changing the subject and ignoring our request every time we mentioned the camera, because they knew for a fact that we were right. Don't buy any "package" from this company, they just wanted us to make a small mistake so they could do this, it's all a big scam. the ladies at Boyne mountain in Michigan were not helpful at all and when asked to speak to the manager, she could "call" him but wouldn't let us hear him or speak to him so I'm pretty sure she was lying. By the way, their names were Barbara (the supervisor) and the other one was Stephanie. we only saw the supervisor when checking in and after we complained about the mistake we went back a couple of times but she "wasn't there" but I'm pretty sure she was hiding. this company is all a big scam, just read the other reviews. After that one day at Boyne, we left and got another hotel somewhere else because we were forced to book another hotel, it wasn't worth it to drive back 6 more hours. Also, we got a crappy hotel with no waterpark passes. Worst company ever, ruined our whole stay. Everyone took off 3 whole days off of work to go on this vacation and we were also ready to buy their "ownership" thing, but thank God we didn't buy anything else from this scam company. I really have no idea how they haven't been shut down yet reading all these other horrible reviews. I wish I could have given them 0 stars. Save your money and just get a nice hotel for probably less than $199, trust me it's all a scam, don't let them talk you into it like we were.
Kate S.