My husband and I decided to create this blog to share our horrible experience with Royal Holiday timeshare scam we were forced in to buying while we were vacationing in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. We are currently filing a litigation against Royal Holiday Club (RHC) and we welcome any Canadians who have experienced similar issues with RHC to contact us at dinethraj@hotmail.com.
How it all began...
It all started when we arrived in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic at the Bavaro Princess Resort September 9th, 2008. We planned this trip for our one year anniversary and we were ecstatic to be there as this was our first all inclusive experience in the Caribbean. On our second day at the resort, we were approached by some staff regarding a non obligatory presentation about "free vacations to Punta Cana for life" with the promise of a bottle of Mama Juana (A Dominican Specialty Alcoholic Beverage). We tried to by pass them a few times but the staff member kept on tracking us down and begging us to attend the free presentation. We figured he was on commission and decided to drop by and get our freebies and get out!
Once we entered the presentation hall, it was a complete different environment. They showered us with praises and gifts and compliments and made us feel very special. After they obtained our personal information such as Country of residence, Annual Income, and Employer etc. we were introduced to a lady who gave a brief overview of the "Royal Holiday Vacation for Life" concept.
What is Royal Holiday Vacation Club?
We were told that it is an exclusive club for members that give free accomodation and access to facilities in participating resorts and hotels around the world for a one time package fee.
After completing a questionnaire about our vacation habits, they decided we needed to be Silver Package members that entitled us to 15000 credits a year for 30 years for a total price of $15, 000 US dollars. While we were being informed of benefits we were showered with alcoholic beverages such as pina coladas, mama juanas (Specially when they found out we were celebrating our one year anniversary) continuously.
These were some of their selling points:
· Pick up from air ports around the world and delivery to the destined hotel/resort by Royal
Club
· Free travelling (without using points) to Punta Cana, as this was our home base (since we
signed up there), for a total of 10 of our family and friends for a small administration fee of
$25/night. Choice of
· Any hotel/resort we made reservations will always provide the best suite in the location,
which was equivalent to the honeymoon suite with a Jacuzzi and an ocean view
· With 15000 points we are able to get any of the hotels under Royal Club for 2-3 weeks
depending on the location
· 0% financing for the amount that cannot be paid on the spot
Although we liked what we were hearing, we knew couldn't afford it and we decided to walk away. That is when the Sales Lady brought another gentleman that took us for another spin.
If you are a Canadian and you have had a similar experience with Royal Holiday Club please contact us at dinethraj@hotmail.com
