ILG/Vistana Westin Nanea Time Share Nightmare. Stay away from this dirty corporation!

Hi,

Does anyone have the contact information to Westin Nanea HOA and Vistana ILG developers? We were duped, lied to, and tricked into buying our timeshare. The sales person Hinky told us with a straight face multiple times during the presentation reassuring us security.These were her words "Please give us the opportunity to buy back should anything happen. We will buy back because we have no more availability.""This unit has value and worth over $70,000""You will make money, don't be afraid if you can't make payments. This will be another source of income""You can convert Star Options to Star Point to travel anywhere in the world. You can go to a new place every year!" Come this past month just coming back from Maui (Westin Kaanapali because Nanea obviously was booked up) we found out in the Update Meeting all of what Hinky told and sold us on was all B.S...We were so angry and irritated in the Update Meeting from finding we were lied to the sales team thought it would be OK to still sell us on another unit. Regardless how many times we said NO!, the pressure and sales person tag team got worse until it was obvious we were upset. When I remember back to the 1st presentation we said No a multiple of times too, but our genuinely nice nature was played on. There needs to be an enforced law because this is fraudulent and worse, it's psychological form of mental rape/manipulation to pry on people using deceptive sales techniques especially when we've said No many times!

If someone out there has the direct contact information with names, email or phone number I would greatly appreciate it so I can open a can of whoop ass. Being a person that utilizes social media to the core, I am ready to fight and make them run for the hills for taking taking advantage of us.

We need to buddy up, help each other, and make this right. Give each other visibility and support.

Thanks for listening and contributing your positive knowledge

First of all, take a deep breath so you can think rationally. I understand that you are quite peeved but people with that mind set start to make unwise decisions. Many scam operations prey on people like that.

Now, could you answer a couple of questions? How long ago did you buy your unit? From what you are saying, it sounds like you have passed your rescission period.

If you have passed your rescission period, then we have to know if you have paid off your mortgage and are up-to-date on your maintenance fees. If so, then you could either look at selling your unit or simply using it since you likely saw some value in it. A Vistana in Maui usually has good resale value (but not as much as what you originally paid). There are many people in situations like yours who bought at a high-pressure sales presentation but have learned to use what they bought.

I don't recommend seeking a lawyer to sue since you have signed a legally-binding contract. Lawyers don't have magic powers to make contracts and timeshares disappear.

Hey Lance,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. We bought back in September of 2015 and just had a first chance to use it this year a month ago. We already decided we were not going back ever. We're pretty disgusted with their sales tactics. They even had the nerve to send in a 3rd sales person that told us he was only there to only take a survey and NOT sell anything, but was still trying to sell us 1 week at $2500.00 to get us to come back to Maui because we said loud and clear that we never want to come back. We have mortgage and pay that on time, but maintenance fee we stopped. Its not obligatory and until I can get someone to talk to work it out, then maybe I'll pay what we owe but until then...Not getting it out of me because we're not going back.

My hubby and I actually saw a lawyer two days ago. We agree at this point, its better for us not to get a lawyer. All this lawyer was going to do was going to park our timeshare with someone else. Which was weird though because as I asked more questions and asked to get some things in writing, this law firm refused to clarify the retainer in writing for the sake of 100% transparency. There was some honesty in our meeting and advised if we value our credit history then this route was not for us.

All I want is a fair outcome and chance to talk to the HOA, not an admin assistant or customer service rep but a person that really could make a difference to help work it out and get meaningful results. I am not asking for a refund or even trying to get any money we paid the past 2 years back. Even trying to get a point of contact from Vistana is the worse. You'll get directed to HOA but HOA only directs you to ARDA. What the hell is ARDA going to do. When I do get directed to HOA, the person on the other end doesnt have a clue and really cant help. I want names, and addresses where I can write letters. If not I'll start uploading You Tube videos and upload all my phone conversations of how Vistana really treats their people and give BS answers. I'm going to make noise and a lot of noise. Thank goodness, I am an avid social media user, and have the necessary skills to create effective powerful media videos and release them on all forms from Twitter, Snap Chat, Tumbler, Reddit, etc and ask my generation to please share and continue to hashtag. Hopefully the younger generation will catch on and stay away from these creeps and stick with AirBNB.

Whoever is reading...Remember these names: Hinky, Tim, and Phil at Westin Maui Kaanapali/Nanea sales team . Please throw a can of soda at them. These guys will send you to your grave. Say NO, to the update meeting, Say NO to every meeting. If they try to tell you, you wont be welcomed back to Westin ever, like they did us, say "Cool, ok" and walk straight to the beach to enjoy your day. Forget the $100.00 dinner certificate, because you don't need it.

I would also like to help you out as much as I can like Lance. First of all like Lance said calm down a little. What is done is done. You now have to consider what is in your best interest . As you have stated is that you still owe money on the purchase that needs to be paid off . I agree that it is in your best interest to pay that off and protect your credit rating .

Now you should look into mitigating your damages . There are a few options . One is to use your ownership to trade for a location that you would like to visit . There are numerous well known and trusted exchange companies to choose from . Yes they will charge you a fee to exchange but at least you will have use of your purchase .

Another option is to rent out your timeshare . You probably won't make a profit and you will most likely even lose a little but you can mitigate your damages until you finish paying off your financing . Even consider renting to friends or family for the equivalent of the maintenance fees. You could use social networking to connect that idea .

Once you finish paying off your legal obligation then you should make it your priority to get it out of your name. The first option there is to contact the home resort and explain to them that you want to deed the timeshare back to them . That is called a " deed back " . I got rid of two timeshares in 2011 that way . I called each resort and told them that I was going to get them out of my name and it was in their best interest to work with me to avoid lost maintenance fees and legal expenses . You don't need an exit company or an attorney to do that . You can become your own advocate .

If they fail to work with you then you might have to find a way to transfer ownership out of your name . I didn't have to go that route since they agreed to take them back but I was prepared to get them out of my name by any means I had to use .

What I find ironic is that when a wealthy person uses the system to reach his goals they call him or her a genius but when a common person like you or myself find a legal but what others consider questionable tactic some people think we are deceitful . I was prepared to fight fire with fire . I would never propose anything illegal but sometimes you have to be very creative .

Like Lance advised you calm down and consider your options . Your situation is not life threatening . You will eventually get through this and look back and learn from it . I have stated in the forum many times that if this product was sold on the open market the timeshare developers would go out of business . They spend millions of dollars researching marketing techniques to get people off the street to sign on the dotted line. You are not alone . Please think it over and decide what is right for you and your family .

I also encourage you to continue sharing your story as it unfolds in the forum . You might even pick up some more ideas from others over time . Good luck .

Alisag17, Would you mind elaborating on what the sales team told you that later turned out to be false? I am interested in buying at The Westin Kaanapali Villas on the resale market (not Nanea, but close), and would very much appreciate any more that you can share on the difference between what they advertise and the reality of the product.

Thanks, Amy

HI Lance/Don,

Thanks so much for all your help and support. I greatly appreciate your honesty. I'm just super angry. Being fooled is the worst feeling.

I am going to share my story and be as detailed as possible, as I do not want others to be suckered into this timeshare thing, especially seniors. When I think about it, it really puts people's livability on the line. The things that people have to do to be free is insane. Vistana really needs to put a program in place to buy back. It's not going to hurt them if all they do is recycle a fully paid unit over and over again to the next trusting individual/couple. I'll be back later tonight to talk more.

Thanks Alisa

FYI : The Orlando Sentinel Business section wrote a story about a couple who purchased from Wyndham under similar circumstances. The couple contacted the Orlando Sentinel after having been denied relief from their timeshare. The couple stated that the high pressure sales presentation lasted over four hours . They were then offered out of their contract by Whyndam after contacting the Sentinel . It seems Wyndham didn't like the bad press . You can probably look up that article in today's paper .

Morale to the story : The squeaky wheel gets the grease .

amym969 wrote:

Alisag17, Would you mind elaborating on what the sales team told you that later turned out to be false? I am interested in buying at The Westin Kaanapali Villas on the resale market (not Nanea, but close), and would very much appreciate any more that you can share on the difference between what they advertise and the reality of the product.

Thanks, Amy

HI Amy,

Please don't do it. You don't need to buy a timeshare. It is better to rent a week from T/S owners renting out on Redweek or get an AirBnB. If you want pool access, you can just crash it. We swam with locals using the Westin Kaanapali pool and it was no big deal. Trust me, it's not a gift you would want to pass down either because maintenance fees are always climbing. I will be back later tonight after work and write out all things that were said to us to get us to sign and the reality after. The below are just a few the sales rep Hinky told us with a straight and convincing face. (I can't believe we believed every bit!! I'm so pissed) Have you ever watch the horror movie It Follows? The maintenance fees would be the monster that follows you for life.

1. Sales team was very adamant and firm, the 1 BD/1 Bath has value and worth $70K+. We were getting a deal.. -We find out Its not worth a damn thing and the day of the our Update Meeting, it was only $31K per another Sales Manager

2. They said it was hands down a great investment. Sales team told us, "You will make money, don't be afraid if you can't make payments. This will be another source of income. I have many clients that have multiple units and rent out. My clients have retired early!" -We find out many owners are renting out to help pay their maintenance fees, or just renting out for the sake of renting it out to recoup loss.

3. We were told we can convert Star Options to Star Points to travel anywhere in the world. -We found out in the Update Meeting we had in June 2017, we needed to be level 3-5 Elite members to convert Star Options to Star Points The only way to be an Elite member was to buy another 1/1 bathroom for another 31K. Believe me, the sales team tried to tag team to get us to buy another one. My husband and I were upset that we wanted to get up and just walk out. This time it was annoying and disgusting how we were thrown different sales pitches in different disguises...Anyhow, we have to come back to Maui every other year. For us we would probably rent out our unit on those years because we do not want to go back to Maui. Seriously, how many times can you see a blow hole or do the whole Road to Hana thing without going nuts?!

4. Sales team told us should we have any issues or hard times, the developer/resort would buy back our Time Share. Before we signed we even confirmed with the sales rep told her we were only signing on this condition. She said, "Yes, we will always buy back. Our properties are in demand and we completely sold out." -Currently, I've reached out to Portfolio services, Home Owner Services, the HOA, and there is no such thing and NO one is interested in buying this Nanea timeshare unless its free. To this day they are still selling Nanea time shares. It is NOT sold out.

5. The pool was suppose to be "Massive"... -The pool is a joke. There's only 1 on the entire property and it's about 1,000 sq feet big in the shape of a lagoon. It's like Holiday Inn status size. 30 people in it make you want to get out because you want "American Space". In our update meeting a new sales rep was trying to rage how big it was. She didn't know we walked over there to check it out the day before. We pointed out that it was small and disappointing as we were told it was going to be the biggest pool on that side of Maui. She paused for 10 seconds and tried to make a come back that it wasn't finished yet (Yeah, whatever.)

6. On the presentation day we were taken to build 2 and was shown this awesome room that had half resort/half beach view. The price we were paying was for "this" view therefore it's why we had to pay a little more per Hinky. -Find out on the update meeting, we have no view and could be facing a parking lot. Chances are slim and most likely facing some parking lot or another building as there is only 8 buildings. According to the construction plan Building 2-4 do not have 1 bd/1 bath and Buildings 4-8 have only about 10 units each that are 1 bd/1 bath. Building 1 has 3 units that are 1/1 ( Most likely its for Sales presentations). All other rooms are 2/2 or 3/2...So there is about 30+ 2/2 that out number 1/1 per building..We counted about 45-50 rooms that are 1 bd/bath out of a 390 room location. Trying to reserve a 1/1 will be tough since there is very little and Nanea rents out non owners as well...

7. They told us we can easily get this refinanced with a credit union or any bank. -No bank or any credit union will touch this because a timeshare is NOT real property.

The list goes on...I wish I could attach some marketing material that is very deceptive. Marketing materials per FTC should be clear and conspicuous. Its obvious the material is only for gaining sales. I attached them on a TUG post. We would have never have purchased this timeshare if we known the truth.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/need-help-gething-out-of-timeshare.258166/#post-2026737

Thank you for taking the time to respond so thoroughly. This is helpful information!

Amy

Also remember the name Michael Jackson in the Sheraton at Kauai, selling vistana. Crook, lied all over the place to get my ticket buy. I bought in March this year, can't even stay until next year 2018. But that already charged me for 2 years maintainane fees... Told me they were selling fast and if I decided not to keep it I could sell it easily. LIE!!!! DO NOT BUT AT THE RESORT

alisag17 wrote:

Hey Lance,

Thanks for taking the time to reply. We bought back in September of 2015 and just had a first chance to use it this year a month ago. We already decided we were not going back ever. We're pretty disgusted with their sales tactics. They even had the nerve to send in a 3rd sales person that told us he was only there to only take a survey and NOT sell anything, but was still trying to sell us 1 week at $2500.00 to get us to come back to Maui because we said loud and clear that we never want to come back. We have mortgage and pay that on time, but maintenance fee we stopped. Its not obligatory and until I can get someone to talk to work it out, then maybe I'll pay what we owe but until then...Not getting it out of me because we're not going back.

My hubby and I actually saw a lawyer two days ago. We agree at this point, its better for us not to get a lawyer. All this lawyer was going to do was going to park our timeshare with someone else. Which was weird though because as I asked more questions and asked to get some things in writing, this law firm refused to clarify the retainer in writing for the sake of 100% transparency. There was some honesty in our meeting and advised if we value our credit history then this route was not for us.

All I want is a fair outcome and chance to talk to the HOA, not an admin assistant or customer service rep but a person that really could make a difference to help work it out and get meaningful results. I am not asking for a refund or even trying to get any money we paid the past 2 years back. Even trying to get a point of contact from Vistana is the worse. You'll get directed to HOA but HOA only directs you to ARDA. What the hell is ARDA going to do. When I do get directed to HOA, the person on the other end doesnt have a clue and really cant help. I want names, and addresses where I can write letters. If not I'll start uploading You Tube videos and upload all my phone conversations of how Vistana really treats their people and give BS answers. I'm going to make noise and a lot of noise. Thank goodness, I am an avid social media user, and have the necessary skills to create effective powerful media videos and release them on all forms from Twitter, Snap Chat, Tumbler, Reddit, etc and ask my generation to please share and continue to hashtag. Hopefully the younger generation will catch on and stay away from these creeps and stick with AirBNB.

Whoever is reading...Remember these names: Hinky, Tim, and Phil at Westin Maui Kaanapali/Nanea sales team . Please throw a can of soda at them. These guys will send you to your grave. Say NO, to the update meeting, Say NO to every meeting. If they try to tell you, you wont be welcomed back to Westin ever, like they did us, say "Cool, ok" and walk straight to the beach to enjoy your day. Forget the $100.00 dinner certificate, because you don't need it.

We also were told things that weren’t true when we traded “up” from KOR to Nanea a year ago. Specifically, we were told we would be able to use our options for a one-bedroom unit. Despite my best efforts, using online booking exactly at midnight, I could not get a one-bedroom.

What week were you trying to unsuccessfully book?

February 27-March 6, 2019

I just looked up the unit sizes at Nanea and apparently only 14% of the building is 1 BR. Owners with enough points can book up to 14 nights in a single reservation so it is possible that every 1BR was already booked before midnight eastern a year prior by other owners. The most popular weeks are going to be Whale season, holiday's and summer. If you are diligent you probably will be able to book a 1 BR but you probably will have to check multiple days at midnight especially if you are looking to book during whale season.

We were trying for any week a year in advance. After several days of calling exactly at midnight EST, on 3/2/2018, I was able to book a one-bedroom for 3/2/2019. I felt like I had won the lottery. We were happy at KOR and thought Nanea would give us more flexibility. We still like our timeshare but aren’t happy about the shortage of one-bedroom units.

I am working with resolution services at Vistana to see if we can figure out a solution.

Hinky was our sales person to they totally bait and switch to us instead of buying our property for the life we ended up getting a hundred and twenty thousand points we tried to book and didn't even have enough points to stay there are very first time feel free to contact us at 520-350-1171 we would like we would be interested in a class action lawsuit that same person was our sales person to she is a scammer and a liar

No need to apologize or feel stupid over this. I am a Marriott owner and had two separate meetings with their sales ppl . To include this “hinke” woman. I asked every question every which way you could. Not once did they disclose this was based on points. How does one have a mortgage and a deed on points? That obviously evaporate over time. We were told 2 bdrm every two yrs 20 days. Best part unlike Marriott anytime of year. They Lied! First time called oh no. You only have 6 days because of time of year all based on points... class action anyone? Let’s do it!

lancec13 wrote:

First of all, take a deep breath so you can think rationally. I understand that you are quite peeved but people with that mind set start to make unwise decisions. Many scam operations prey on people like that.

Now, could you answer a couple of questions? How long ago did you buy your unit? From what you are saying, it sounds like you have passed your rescission period.

If you have passed your rescission period, then we have to know if you have paid off your mortgage and are up-to-date on your maintenance fees. If so, then you could either look at selling your unit or simply using it since you likely saw some value in it. A Vistana in Maui usually has good resale value (but not as much as what you originally paid). There are many people in situations like yours who bought at a high-pressure sales presentation but have learned to use what they bought.

I don't recommend seeking a lawyer to sue since you have signed a legally-binding contract. Lawyers don't have magic powers to make contracts and timeshares disappear.

Still upset I am happy to help. It is an issue of accountability. Right now everyone thinks they are not accountable... wrong. Abridged list of those accountable... US, & Hawaii governments', Mariott, SPG, Westin brand, Vistana. I am all about value creation for others. Where it is going horribly wrong is individuals are harming others outright and stealing assets without giving a fair value in return. The answer here is technology and ownership. If owners are identified anonymously together they have real ownership collectively. Than it gets real, real fast for the brand. Could do a go fund me or indigogo to get funds to spend to identify them for you property and all others and get interested parties organized. Its a good time to pursue because the combination of marriott and spg and Ritz has yet to address points so a collection of owners would benefit from a seat at the table about now....

Ill get an indigogo up for this to raise money today

I read your concerns with interest. We noted at the last annual meeting that the budget was equal payment between owners and guests. I requested of the Association a breakdown as to the nights rented per owners and members. Silence. Repeated silence. I obtained a phone number and have left 3 messages....no response. If nights are 50/50, then I don't mind owners paying 50% of the annual expense. The silence makes me believe that owners are paying more than their share....and whenever I call to get a room, because of time shares being oversold, I can't get the dates that we want. TD