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
see blog ENGANADOSPELAROYALHOLIDAY.BLOGSPOT.COM.
ReplyDeleteUse translate in google or babelfish.altavista.com (portuguese to english)
Royal Holiday Scam at Wyndham in New Providence Spoiled Our Visit to Bahamas!!!
ReplyDeleteI was scammed--deceived, defrauded and duped--at the Wyndham Hotel in New Providence, Naussau, in March 2011. I want to express my extreme frustration with Royal Holiday Club's predatory sales practices. Since I was hoodwinked into signing a contract with this unethical company, I havebeen obliged to pay $220 per month and an annual fee in excess of $1,000. In exchange I have received NO net benefits--I would have saved thousands of dollars by making travel arrangements myself for the one resort trip I didmanage to work outwith Royal Holiday Club. Over the past two years I have been obliged to pay them some $7,300.
I would like help in taking steps to cancel my contract with The company. The money I've wasted in payments is a secondary concern, but I would like to recover any of it I can. I would also like to do my part in closing down this scam operation once and for all.
My wife and I were taken in by a deceptive high-pressure sale at the Wyndham in Nassau in March 2011. Having second thoughts soon thereafter, we attempted to cancel the contract prior to the closing of the five-day window in which cancellations were permitted by law, but a sales representative persuaded us to remain on the timeshare plan with the offer of extra points--which disappeared completely by the time we needed them.
Two years after signing I finally managed to get a booking that coincided somewhat with my travel plans. This after numerous phone calls to attempt to get bookings we could use, and after making costly payments to Royal Holiday and receiving evasive explanations from company representatives on the phone. Indeed, my wife and I have spent hours and hours on the phone listening to company representatives give long and convoluted "explanations" of policies. At our last call on May 17, 2013, we sought an explanation of the system by which we could know how many points we needed to transfer to affiliate RCI to get a desired accommodation, but no one could or would explain how. Agents sent our call and query to other departments, whose representatives subjected us to other long and complicated run-arounds. And it turned out that the point transfer and combination of weeks, which I had to do blindly without knowing how many points were needed for my desired accommodation, would cost an additional $260, and the points I had transferred would expire if I didn't use them over the next three months. That, and the extremely long holds on which they put us while we waited on the phone to be served, made the whole process of getting the plan an excruciating ordeal. After we obtained our booking, RCI told us that other substantial charges will likely be added at the resort destination.
The ugly truth is this: The surcharges for transfers and combinations, the monthly deductions from my credit card, and the huge yearly fee are seriously damaging my future prospects for financial security. And the yearly fee is steadily going up, no matter what I say or do in protest. All told, the stupidest thing I've ever done in my life is to sign on with this predatory company. There have been no net benefits coming from Royal Holiday and affiliate RCI, to which I was told to send my "transfer powers." I would have saved thousands by making bookings on my own. I"m sick and tired of this consumer fraud of global proportions, and I'm mortified to know that the governments of Arizona, Florida, Mexico and the United States are doing nothing to eliminate this blight on the vacation-travel industry--even after the airing of the 20/20 exposé of Royal Holiday in 2005.
Please help us find a way to escape the contract or tell us about any class action suit we can join so we can close down this rapacious and scurrilous "club," to which I sadly and contractually must continue to belong despite my desperate need to break away. Is there anything I can do?
Thanking you for any help you can give.
This is Gino Philip Eni. Royal Holday Club and I have ended our relationship in a mutally satisfactory agreement. Please remove my posting of May 29, 2013 immediately.
ReplyDeleteJust wondering how you were able to end your relationship with RHC. My parents joined 6 years ago and are sick and tired of it. Any advice you can offer would be appreciated.
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