Copeland Marketing - Worldwide Vacation Marketing - Elite Charged $899. 00 to credit card Company was supposed to research title Contract listed property wrong, not signed. Refuses to refund money ripoff Daytona Beach Florida

In May 2006 I was contacted by Anthony McDermott wanting to sell our timeshare that we have owned for 20 years and have never used. It would sell fast because it would be advertised in seminars to people that are looking for timeshares. The cost $899.00, refundable after 1 year.

After explaining that we had been burned before by companies that simply took our money and never called again, he assured me Copeland sells many timeshares at these seminars. Still reluctant, I asked him several times to call me back but of course that was not possible. He even left me on hold to talk to someone and came back with a lower cost, $499.00.

I explained that we had never received the deed of trust and could not even tell him the specifics of our timeshare (# bedrooms, weeks or season of availablity) The only thing I was sure of was the location of the seminar where we purchased it and the timeshare was located elsewhere. I told him I need to get all the specifics but he assured me that Copeland does all that before it is listed. That according to him, is what their company does.

Reluctantly I agreed to the $499.00 but now Anthony said they are going to rent out our 2 weeks for $1400-$1600 wk--the charge to me is $200.00 per wk. Now the price is magically $899.00, again. I received an email agreement within hours, listing the timeshare in the wrong city, as a 1 bedroom, flt week, red season. I did not sign it. As luck would have it, the next month my credit card bill showed a charge of $899.00. My calls went unanswered.

I figured that I would at least get a refund after the year was up. In April 2007 I talked to Ryan who told me I was not due a refund because they had advertised the timeshare. He said they can legally charge a credit card without a signed contract and that I had only hurt myself by not returning the signed contract because without the agreement Copeland could not present any offers to me. How stupid did his explanation sound?
1. We can charge you a fee for our services without an agreement but........
2. We cannot present you with any offers because you did not sign the agreement......and guess what
3. You only hurt yourself--it is your fault, consumer, that your property did not sell. We still are entitled to your $$

Anyway, after hanging up on him, I eventually talked to Joanne and explained the whole story about the timeshare supposedly being advertised wrong. I looked into it myself and our timeshare is a studio in Palm Springs Not a 1 bedroom in Escondido, Ca. She agreed that if it was advertised wrong, I could be due a refund. She would check into it and call me back. I have called her, so far, at least 3 times. She says it is not looking good for me but will be in contact with the finance department.

It has been 3 weeks since she has started looking into it. I'm filing this rip-off report now and if by some miracle I get the refund that is due to me I will update my report. But, to quote Joanne, It is not looking good for me. Copeland dropped the ball and did not follow through as promised by Anthony, therefore, it is not looking good for me?

Claudia
Santee, California
U.S.A.