Bluegreen The ripoff artist with the Timeshare Trap. the hidden agenda Pigeon Forge Tennessee

Being that timeshares are not an investment, and many financial magazines catalog them as a terrible purchase, timeshares are considered one of the things you should always buy used, and what better than a free timeshare? but nothing in life is free.

Timeshares have been consistently known for different things: some positive, but most of them are very negative, which has created a smokescreen around the whole idea of timeshares. There are many timeshare owners who feel joyful with their purchases, but there are even more who regret having bought a timeshare, and want to get rid of it at all costs.

Tell the manager that the people want to talk to them about leaving. I guarantee that they will not want to keep the people there any longer.

Just a note about the 90 minute presentation. I have many times in the past had buyers that questioned the 90 minute guideline and demanded to be let go only to have my manager tell me to hold them past the 90 minutes because they would usally buy just to get out of the building or make sure I keep them just to inconvienance them and make sure I took my time in getting thier gifts after I was done. Oh and lets don't mention the bs promotions that they use that they do not truly havebut use to try and make the customer feel "special" in order to get them to buy. The one I praticularly liked that they used most often was the so called Red, White and Blugreen promotion that they supposedly gave to veterans, police, teachers and EMS. These specials ended up being the same "extras" that everyone else got. Try and tell me i'm wrong, I sat there and listened to these so called managers do it on a daily basis untill I just could not bring myself to continue to screw people over. I found that I did have morals and this was not the way I wanted to feed my family.

You state that people were "FORCED" to stay longer than the 90 minute presentation. How were they forced? You failed to include that in your list. If you complete your 90 minute obligation, you can leave, even if the presentation if not over, with your gifts. You can even leave before the 90 minutes if up; however, you will not receive the gifts, because you have not completed your obligation. You also failed to mention before the people touring being the presentation the sign a paper that states that the presentation will be 90 to 120 minutes of longer. I find it kind of funny that they sign the paper and then complain about the length of the presentation. You also state that people purchased packages that they could not afford. How is this Bluegreen's fault??? People like this are what caused the recession that we are in now. You also state that the contact is misleading. You did not mention that when people are signing their contact, they are read and agree to and Owner Confirmation Interview that states information from how long it takes for the new ownership to be activated to paying it off early. And, IT IS RECORDED. Before the recording ends, the people are asked if the have any questions. As to your statement about the contract not being easy to understand and the timeframe for cancellation being wrong, you are incorrect on both. First, what part of the contract is not easy to understand. Right under the signature lines on the "Owner Beneficary Agreement" it states the timeframe and procedure to cancel. On this same form it states the points purchased, amount of downmayment, and terms of the loan. You must be on of the people you mentioned you could not afford to buy, did not read the contract, and waited too long to cancel, and is now pissed off. If you are going to post a complaint about a company not telling the truth, make sure you are telling the truth too.

I recently went to the discussion boards on Yahoo! to find that many of the people are just as pissed off at Bluegreen as the above ( except smithiekid ). They post that the CEO of Bluesh*t is taking 1.6 MILLION dollars of these idiots money and that is fine with them. They will pay the outrageous fees and never complain, they must think he is wonderful providing such a fantastic service?? NOT!! Pick up the clue phone people. All of these consumers can't be full of it. They are telling of their experiences in hopes of keeping others from making the same mistakes. I think it is a nice gesture. However, all you supposed "satisfied" customers just tell them that they are stupid,etc.. YOU ARE THE STUPID ONES!

I read on Yahoo! that not only is the CEO taking 1.6 MILLION $$$ of your money, but, he's running Bluesh*t right into the ground. The stocks are dropping. Diamond resorts can't secure the financing necessary to buy-out Bluesh*t. Not to mention all of law suits filed against them and all of the lawsuits that have yet to be filed in the courts.


WHY HASN'T ANY OF THE HAPPY OWNERS COMMENTED ON THE LAWSUIT FILED BY THE ATTORNEY GENERAL IN PENNSYLVANIA??

I would LOVE to hear your response? Will you actually have the stupidity to defend even ONE of the charges brought against Bluesh*t?? Go ahead read the suit and tell US ALL what you think. Put it here- in black and white for all to read.
Folks- this should be entertaining- to say the least!

Attorney General Corbett announces lawsuits against Florida timeshare & vacation companies accused of advertising, real estate, and telemarketing violations

HARRISBURG - Attorney General Tom Corbett today announced lawsuits today against four Florida-based companies accused of illegally marketing vacation packages, using 'free' airline ticket offers and other worthless prizes to lure consumers into aggressive and deceptive timeshare presentations.

Corbett said consumer protection lawsuits were filed against Bluegreen Corporation, Bluegreen Resorts, Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited, Inc. and Great Vacations Destinations, Inc., all of Boca Raton, Florida. Bluegreen contacted consumers by phone and through kiosks at shopping malls, fairs, and festivals throughout Pennsylvania, and also operates full-time sales facilities in Hershey and King of Prussia.

'Virtually any consumer with a checkbook and a pulse allegedly qualified as a 'winner' in these promotions,' Corbett said. 'Unsuspecting consumers who believed they were contest winners were actually drawn into a high pressure bait-and-switch campaign designed to push timeshare vacation packages costing thousands of dollars.'

Corbett said more than 5,700 Pennsylvania residents purchased Bluegreen timeshares, with many paying $20,000 to $40,000 or more for packages that violated Pennsylvania's Consumer Protection Law, the Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act, the Telemarketer Registration Act and other consumer regulations.

Phony Prizes
Corbett said that Bluegreen representatives allegedly called consumers who believed they were entering contests and other promotions promising cars, cash and vacations.

According to the lawsuit, consumers were told that they had not won the 'grand prize,' but had been selected to receive other items, like free airline tickets. Consumers were also promised free gasoline and meals when they collected their prize, if they attended a 90 minute timeshare presentation.

Corbett said the lawsuit alleges that consumers who were contacted by Bluegreen were not actually randomly selected prize winners. Instead, virtually everyone who entered the contests was contacted and falsely told that they were a prize winner.

In one case, Corbett said a consumer informed a Bluegreen representative that the person they were trying to reach did not live at that address. The consumer was told that it wasn't a problem - they would give her a prize too.

High Pressure Sales and False Advertising
Corbett said that in order to collect their 'prizes,' consumers were required to schedule an appointment with a Bluegreen sales representative. In some cases, consumers who believed they would be attending a 90 minute timeshare presentation were actually subjected to relentless marketing pitches that lasted five hours or more.

According to the lawsuit, numerous deceptive statements were made to consumers during these presentations in an effort to get them to sign contracts immediately, including phony claims that prices would increase the next day, misrepresentations about when and where consumers could travel if they made a purchase and false statements about certain fees being waived.

Corbett said that some consumers bought vacation programs because they were told they were entitled to a one-week stay in Hawaii, only to learn afterward that the program they purchased could not be used in Hawaii.

According to the lawsuit, consumers who sat through the timeshare presentations received 'prizes' that were nothing like what they had been promised. The 'four free airline tickets' were actually booklets that offered two airline tickets with each hotel room reserved, at high prices, in a limited number of cities. In some situations, consumers were required to commit to a 10 night stay at overpriced hotel rates before being able to select a local airport for their flight.

Corbett said 'free' gasoline and meals that consumers were promised turned out to be coupons or certificates with lengthy terms and conditions. For instance, consumers who were promised $40 in free gas were required to submit written requests to obtain a series of gas coupons. The coupons required consumers to pay for their gas first and then mail a receipt for reimbursement, with each coupon limited to a $5 purchase, with no more than one purchase per month.

Illegal Contracts
Corbett's said contracts used by Bluegreen failed to properly inform consumers of their right to cancel their purchase. Pennsylvania law requires that consumers have five days to cancel any timeshare or campground purchase. Bluegreen is also accused of violating a state law that requires all consumer contracts to be written in easy-to-understand terms.

Do Not Call Violations
According to the lawsuit, Bluegreen made numerous calls to consumers who were on Pennsylvania's Do Not Call list, allegedly basing those calls on referrals from other customers. Additionally, the companies are accused of making repeated calls to consumers who clearly told them not to call again.

'Bluegreen took advantage of hardworking Pennsylvania residents eager to find an affordable getaway,' Corbett said. 'Using deceptive contests, relentless sales presentations and misleading contracts, consumers were pressured into paying thousands of dollars for vacation packages that don't meet their needs or their budgets.'

Corbett said the lawsuits seek restitution for consumers who suffered financial losses because of these deceptive or illegal practices.

Additionally, Corbett says the lawsuit asks the court to void all illegal consumer contracts and give consumers the right to cancel any agreement that did not include the state-required notice of cancellation.

The lawsuit also seeks up to $1,000 in civil penalties for each violation of the Consumer Protection Law, or up to $3,000 for each violation involving a senior citizen.

The lawsuits were filed in Commonwealth Court, in Harrisburg, by Senior Deputy Attorney General David Sumner of the Attorney General's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Corbett says the investigation began after consumers contacted his office to report these practices. He encouraged other consumers who have problems with Bluegreen to file a complaint by calling the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-441-2555 or submit an online consumer complaint.

This just validates what these ripped-off consumers have been saying ALL ALONG.

If PA is not your home state, you may contact the ATTY.GENERAL in your state and file a formal complaint. (either online or they will send you a form in the mail)
All of the AG's offices have a toll-free phone number also.
I wish you the best and I hope that you can recover some if not ALL of the money that was practically stolen from you.

Comments anyone?? Yeah- I didn't think so!!












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You ask why,
I work a lot of night shifts and I have to admit that some of these complaints are better than comic cuts.
Most of these complaints are because people do not read what they sign and when they try to use the points then they find it difficult

You think that you have it all sorted but you dont

In the above you say buy more points and the club fees increase well that is a complete lie
You pay the same club fee only once a year and it does not matter if you have 6000 points or 60000 its the same

If my comments get only 1 or 2 of these people to join the group on Yahoo and understand how to use the points then its all worth it.

What you seem to forget is that people have spent money and bought something they think they can't use but by sitting down asking question many find how to use it and DO go onto buy more points on the resale market from people like you who only want to hear what they want to hear

and by the way spelling does not come into it only hard facts and the truth something you seem to shy away from

If you read the full article mentioned above, you will see that most everything Gary said is in fact true. The author of the article says so himself, although he enforces it with a little backward logic just to (attempt to) prove his point.

Gary may have a few spelling errors in his complaint, but what he said is absolutely true - Bluegreen makes all of their money on the maintenance fees and club dues that you pay EVERY YEAR for the rest of your life. The fact that they pick up the tab for the first few years is just so that you almost forget that you're responsible for these outrageous fees. And when they pressure you on EVERY SINGLE vacation you take, they're not trying to "show you how to use the program in a way that would benefit you and your family better". What a load of crap. They're trying to get you to buy more points so your maintenance fees will increase. Here's what it really is in a nutshell....when you purchase your initial package, you get screwed. Then you finally go on vacation, go to your little "owner update", complain that you've had difficulties scheduling anything, and they suggest that you purchase more points so that you can "better use your membership". So you do, thinking that will solve the problem. Only it doesn't. And now you've got even more maintenance fees and club dues and still can't schedule a dang vacation.

I seriously doubt that all 125 or so complaints on this website are the "ramblings of complete idiots", as the author of the above article states (again, WTF are you doing on this website if you think we're all morons? Welcome to the club). They're the honest stories of people who were pressured into situations that they didn't have the time or the resources to fully research, and most of them admit that they did the wrong thing because they felt pressured. I consider myself a pretty intelligent person - I own a business, teach, and am largely successful by many standards. Hardly a rambling idiot. Yet I am one of the many unhappy Bluegreen owners. I find it hilarious that people who are so happy with their Bluegreen membership actually spend time surfing around this website reading about those of us who feel we got screwed. Something smells fishy to me. Anyway Gary, I'm with you!

I am sorry to have to say that sum of your figs. do not add up the club dues are infact $125 and have been for around the last 9 yrs
Bonus time rates do not depend on the resort they depend on the size of unit you have $49 will give you a nice studio at Lodge Ally Inn in Charleston (I had one 2 weekends ago) $59 for a 1 bed and $69 for a 2 bed
You can get a nice one bed unit at Harbour Lights in Myrtle Beach for 7000 points in July/Aug and you can make your reservation at 11 months out (I have made this kind of reservation 8 or 9 months out so there is plenty of availability)
BG only have very limited number of units at Hilton head thats is the reason you could not get a unit ( it is not a club resort since it is not owned or managed by BG)

So as the first comment states not all you read on the internet is true

Be careful...Just because you read a negative comment about a company on the internet doesn't mean it is even close to being true. I have extensively commented on this post on PlanetTimeshare.com. You can check out the post here:
http://planettimeshare.com/blog/2008/07/18/hidden-agenda-or-visible-idiot/