Fairfield Resorts - Discovery Vacations ripoff Charges for a service it does not provide Orlando Florida

Now that the northern region of the US is gearing up for travel season, and those who may have purchased Discovery in the south during the winter are getting past their six-month waiting period to use it, maybe this thread is going to come back to life. I know this certainly wasn't the first link I expected to find when I searched for Discovery Vacations by Fairfield on google.

The little graphic is going to say ex-employee, so I'll tell you straight out what I was doing for them: I was one of the people who toured you around the resort and went through the entire timeshare presentation, and I was also an employee of the Discovery office, where your timeshare salesperson brought you at the conclusion of a non-sale timeshare tour.

I'm not a bitter ex-Cendant employee (I left due to family obligations and am now in a different industry). I do VERY MUCH take exception to the idea here that Fairfield (now Wyndham) preys on the vulnerable. The largest timeshare package I sold was a Fairfield VIP package to a gentleman who was ANYTHING but vulnerable. That man was a penny-pincher, who kept us at the table long after the managers had given up on the idea of a sale - he worked the numbers for himself, and realized that with the kind of money he spent every year on vacations, he was getting one helluva deal.

But that's timeshare, and we're talking Discovery. There's a big difference, the most notable being that DISCOVERY IS NOT REAL ESTATE!! That's for the above comments that linked this to real estate. It's NOT, kids. It's buying a vacation in advance, being able to stay in actual Fairfield resorts instead of the motels around the resort that the Timeshare-touring folk stay on their $99 3-day, 2-night "vacations."

So you say you bought this in April of 04. October of 04, you had access to it - good, that follows the six month waiting period as stated in the contract. You used it to go to Orlando in December of 04, and here's where I scratch my head. You used only 35,000 points for 5 nights in Orlando? Are you joking? Did you miss the part of the presentation where we talk about staying in better, more luxurious accomodations? 35,000 points for 5 nights in Orlando - in what, a studio facing the parking lot next to the laundry room?

I would like to know what part of the contract Fairfield didn't meet. You had access to the Discovery system - contract signed in April 04, waiting period over in October 04, access through October 05. Traveled in Dec 04! And Fairfield went beyond what the letter of the contract said they had to do by extending you to March 06 - they did NOT have to do that.

There is such a thing as becoming a knowledgeable owner of ANYTHING you buy. Did you read the Discovery book? The contracts that you signed? You were obviously online to write this complaint, did you ever go to Fairfield's site and look at the section on Discovery to see what you could do as a Discovery owner online? Ever research the fact that you can bank Discovery points (little known fact, and no, Fairfield will not tell you that, you HAVE to find these things out on your own through your own due diligence). If you don't know what I'm talking about when I say "bank" then you have done zero research into understanding what it is that you bought, and shame on you for being an uneducated consumer.

Ripoffreport is a great website, as there are many, many scams and ripoffs out there. This isn't one of them - Fairfield delivered to you exactly what they were contractually obligated to do, and MORE with the five month extension.

you guys are right chris must work for fairfield he has also defended this company on other reports and bee just as rude e.g. (ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff158466.htm )
He also just happens to be from the same city as fairfield HQ.

As far as salesmen it was said "It does not benefit a Fairfield Sales Professional to deceive their customers, because Fairfield has a wonderful referral program that benefits both their owners and the original sales agent. And, obviously, word of mouth (or now text)can still be very effective or implacable.
". This is entirely falsemost of these agent work strictly on commision. They also have a vershort term and high percentage of turnover. Meaning #1 most agents arn't even around long enough to make use of referalls , but also #2 They must sell in they first place to get a refferal. They don't lie to everybody only those who pay $ for the truth.

I use to take calls In Indianapolis planning fairfield vacations. The great majority of owners I spoke with stated they had benn lied to!

S, I don't know where you got your comment about timeshares helping the economy of Hawaii after
9-11. I've lived in Hawaii for the last 24 years nd have never heard or experienced any of what you are saying. We have very few timeshare businesses in Hawaii.

As far as sales people lying to their customers, this is a high turn over business that I'm sure most workers do not intend to stay in very long, so making as much as they can as fast as they can and getting out is probably what most worker intend from day one.

If you read these comments of the many complaints about this company you know the tremendous pressure sales people are under to make the sale at any cost. Yes they do lie and the company knows it and encourages it. Some sales people have admitted it on this website. Get real. This is a deceptive industry.
Mike

It does not benefit a Fairfield Sales Professional to deceive their customers, because Fairfield has a wonderful referral program that benefits both their owners and the original sales agent. And, obviously, word of mouth (or now text)can still be very effective or implacable.

No system is perfect. But the flexibilty that Fairfied and all their affiliates offer is the best that vacation ownership can provide right now.

Fairfield Resorts has over 800,000 owners for a reason. And they have a high percentage of owners buying more. That says alot.

As for Timeshare itself, in the months following Sept. 11, the most traversed state in the US, Hawaii, feared the loss of their #1 commody - tourism. It was all the timeshare owners that kept the economy going, with daily, full-flight arrivals of frightened but dedicated owners sharing their time.

For those of you that own or have Fairfield points to try, I encourage you to stick it out. Call your sales agent, call the travel cooridators, further educate yourself on how to make your ownership work for you. It's about traveling for life, and I hope that is a long time for all of you. God Bless.

If you knew that you could not afford a timeshare, and that you had extremely limited time to travel, how were they able to "convince" you to buy a timeshare? That really makes no sense to me ...

in january i paid the $139 for 3 days in a resort but i havent took the trip yet. i plan on going next month and after reading all these responces im not going to sign anything but i am looking for advice on the trip. or am i already suckered in when i paid the $139 for the trip

I am sorry that the woman had such a problem with her Discovery package. I am an owner who started with a Discovery package and I thought it was great. I purchased Discovery to take advantage of being able to travel using the points given for the price which is not a bad deal. My time as a Discovery owner made me want to own. To be able to stay in a place that offers bedrooms, a kitchen,living room,w/d,jacuzzi in deluxe units,pools,game rooms and much more sounded great when you were only paying $95 month.

To stay in most places that offer that type of lodging can cost at least $100 a night. You can get more out of what you pay if you know what you are doing and travel wisely. I feel she should not have purchased if she knew she would not be able to use the points in the time allowed. As an owner I do know the sales people can be pushing but you have to know how to say NO if it is not in your budget or you wont be able to use your points.

That does not fall on Fairfield as they are doing there job which is to sell,sell,sell. I do not agree with the lies I know some tell but in most sales position they do that. As far as people saying they can never get reservations they should not expect to be able to book a vacation last minute or during peak season a few weeks or months in advance. That can be impossible anywhere not just with Fairfield. Reservations can be made 10 or 13 months before travel date and this option should be taken advantage of. I have had issues with Fairfield myself but overall I am pleased.

My issues have been handled professionally with me knowing how to pull out my book to review rules if there are any misunderstandings or questions that need to be answered. Most times they will give you the benefit of the doubt if something is unclear to you. They would rather make you happy instead of upsetting a customer but with any company there are always a few jerks in the office that don't know how to properly deliver good customer service. And No I Do Not Work For Them.
Thanks

I've been on this website for like 3 years and have commented on hundreds of letters but never a Fairfield letter. I just want to say that I am disappointed to read all the complaints here about this company. My inlaws own a timeshare thru this company and I've enjoyed many, many fabulous vacations at various properties throught the SE. My experiences have all been positive. Course, I wasn't trying to buy a timeshare, it was already purchased years before, but I've had good experiences. Again, I'm disappointed to read these negative reports. Good luck to the OP wiht your complaint. Hope you get things resolved.

Christopher, with the number of comments you have recorded in response to Fairfield complaints, you must work for them. But your arrogance is showing. You title your comment "You knew the rules...", but it's obvious the victim was mislead. You state "sell your points on E-Bay...", so now you are suggesting that the victim spend their time and effort to try to get out of a situation that they should have never been part of. Fairfield will do whatever they can, to sell to whoever they can, at whatever price they can get. A salesperson who refuses to recognize that a product is not a fit for a prospect, is either incompetent or unethical.

Christopher, Tell the truth. You are one of the professional Fairfield employees working to do damage control on the internet for the company.

This Lady has another legitamate complaint against this illegitamate company and should pursue legal action as should all of us who are taken in by their lies. You can read all of the horror stories right here on this website. Obviously all of these people, some of whom are former employees, are not lying.

This is a business that should have been stopped years ago. It is time the government did something about this atrocious deception of a business. They are operating outside of the law which in every state requires full disclosure when dealing with real estate. This company does not even try to give anything close to full disclosure. It gives lies and deceit.

Billye I would look into suing Fairfield. If enough law suits are initiated, they will spend more on defending themselves than they can afford.

Take the extension and then sell the remaining points on EBay to somebody who can use it.