Exploria Resorts
Reviews and Complaints

Dear Complaints Board,

I am writing to you to express my disappointment with Exploria and the way they have treated us. My husband and I were lured in by the promise of a great vacation opportunity, but instead, we found ourselves trapped in a timeshare nightmare. From the moment we arrived, there was a lot of pressure placed on us to sign up for a timeshare. We were given gifts and promised that it would only take 90 minutes, but it ended up taking up to 4 hours. The sales rep even went as far as to dissuade us from going to the bathroom so we could talk it over, which is highly unethical. We were led to believe that we could afford $330 a year, but it turned out to be a lie. We were never told that we were signing a blank check, and we only received $124 in rent 2020. We were also told that it was an investment that we could pass on to our children, but we were never informed that our children would definitely get hit with fees in the thousands of dollars. The sales rep told us that we could sell it, but we quickly discovered that no one wanted it. We were also told that we could upgrade to points, which would make it easier to book vacations, but that turned out to be a lie too. We paid $3150 more and still cannot get what we want. We were promised that there was more value in buying points at the resort, but our sales rep failed to mention that it would cost $17,000. He also said that we could sell it easily on eBay, which is not true. His contract said that we needed 51,000 points if we used certain weeks, which was not told to us. It has been a financial struggle for us to keep up with the maintenance fees, and it has only added to the hardship my husband is already facing after his throat cancer diagnosis. We cannot use it anywhere else, and if our children find out about this, they will hate us. If we had known what Exploria was going to do to us, we would have never gone through with it. They offer you nice gifts and lie to you. We want to warn others about this and hope that our situation can be resolved.

Joan Antilla

It is with great regret that I must express my dissatisfaction with the way that Exploria runs its business. My wife and I fell prey to their high-pressure sales tactics in 2006 when we purchased a Summer Isles Condominium Unit for $17,361. At the time of purchase, we were promised a range of benefits that were simply too good to be true. We were told that we could choose any week to stay at the home resort, at any time of year. We were also promised that we would never lose our weeks, as RCI would bank all points for us, and that if we bought points instead of weeks, we could increase availability and flexibility, reduce exchange fees and costs of travel, and even use exchange points for airfare, car rental, entertainment, golf, and more.

Unfortunately, our experience with Exploria has been far from what was promised. We have been subjected to numerous high-pressure timeshare presentations over the years, which have been at best stressful and at worst harassing. Despite owning two units we have been unable to book them when we wish or rent them out, making the investment a huge waste of money. In addition, when we have visited the resort, we have never been treated as guests at our own property, but rather as targets for sales. This has left us feeling disappointed and undervalued as investors.

Furthermore, the annual maintenance fees we are charged are rapidly increasing and have ballooned out of control. This is just adding to the good money that was already sunk into this disastrous investment. We are now just a few years from retiring and do not wish to incur such a wasteful expense.

Despite being promised special marketplace weeks, personal concierge services, the ability to rent out our timeshare, reward credits, all-inclusive packages through the new Summer Bay Resorts Crown Club, we have been unable to capitalize on these supposed benefits. Instead, we have suffered tremendous financial and emotional losses.

In light of our personal experiences with Exploria, We cannot recommend them to anyone who may be considering investing in timeshares. Their high-pressure sales tactics, false promises, and lack of follow-through on commitments have left me and my family feeling deceived and mistreated. It is my hope that others will be spared similar experiences by avoiding this company altogether.

Mike Plonka

My family and I have been struggling with timeshare ownership for quite some time now, and unfortunately, we have not received any support or assistance from the timeshare company despite numerous attempts to seek their help. I have reached out to the timeshare for assistance on multiple occasions, explaining my situation and pleading for their help in finding a solution. Unfortunately, all I have received in return is the same generic advice to sell it or give it to someone else. It is incredibly frustrating that the timeshare company is refusing to acknowledge the severity of this situation and the impact it is having on my family. I am burdened with an unneeded expense that I cannot afford, and it has caused us undue financial stress. I am not looking for a handout, but rather a reasonable solution that does not leave me struggling to make ends meet. I am not interested in any sort of payment arrangement or an upgrade to my contract. Despite numerous efforts to communicate my concerns, the timeshare is ignoring my complaints and is no longer willing to address this issue. I am left at a loss with no assistance from the company, and I feel that they have let me down as a customer.

I am not satisfied at all with this company. Exploria Resorts has done nothing but deceive me and take my money. I have been asking them, for what seems like forever, to help me cancel my timeshare. I have so many reasons to not want to be involved, but mainly, I have had to move out of state to an assisted living facility because my wife has passed away, and need to be close to family for my care. We were trying to get rid of the timeshare a long while ago. Now it is even more of a hassle and none of the representatives seem to want to help. They don't care about the seniors or the bind it puts them in having to deal with something like this timeshare. I will never be able to use it and the money it is costing me is unbelievable. I would truly just like for them to take this from me and allow me to live forward without this headache. No one wants to be bothered with this and I can't blame them. I would like to be out myself.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to formally file a complaint against Exploria Resorts for their unethical practices regarding our timeshare. We were originally attracted to this resort by the promise of great vacations and the ability to transfer ownership to family members as a gift. We were also told that if we ever grew tired of it, we could easily sell it due to its high demand as an investment. Our experience with this timeshare has been an absolute nightmare. First of all, we had a difficult time staying in the location we were promised, despite speaking with three sales representatives beforehand. We were informed that we could be placed anywhere at the discretion of the resort. We had to become assertive and even confrontational to obtain the area we were promised.On one occasion, we requested that the property be cleaned before we stayed, but instead of addressing our concerns, the resort simply moved us to another spot. We have also been disappointed to discover that the promised on-site restaurant never materialized, and we have been forced to eat at a snack bar instead. To make matters worse, when we were unable to use our timeshare due to a serious medical emergency, we contacted the resort to explain the situation and request that our points be extended. Despite the fact that we had every intention of booking the following year, we were penalized for something out of our control and watched helplessly as our points dwindled. We have also noticed that rentals for properties within the resort are available for less money than our maintenance fees, which leads us to question the value of our investment. When we requested an extension due to the Covid-19 pandemic, we were told that we had to use our points or lose them and that we could pay a fee to extend only a few of them. The quality of customer service has also been severely lacking, with wait times getting longer and staff becoming increasingly rude and unhelpful. As a retired older couple on a fixed income, this timeshare has become a burden both financially and mentally. We cannot in good conscience sell this terrible investment to anyone and would never burden a family member with it either. We strongly urge the complaints board to investigate these unethical practices and hold Exploria Resorts accountable for their misconduct. We beg Exploria to take action to ensure that other innocent consumers do not fall victim to this deplorable behavior. Our health and safety come first, and we refuse to travel to Florida until the state gets the Covid-19 pandemic under control.

Please help us in getting this to Exploria as they continue to deny helping us!

Thank you,

Bruce and Joye Lyon

I am a timeshare owner with Exploria Resorts, and I have been facing numerous problems with their services. Despite my multiple attempts to contact them for help, I have not received any positive response from their end. One of the main issues I have been facing is the difficulty in terminating my timeshare contract. I have been trying to reach out to them for instructions on how to do so, but no one seems to be available to address my queries. This has caused me a great deal of stress and anxiety as I am stuck with a timeshare that I do not wish to own anymore. Moreover, my health issues prevent travel, and the maintenance fees continue to be an issue. Despite explaining my situation to them, they have not been understanding or cooperative in any way. The timeshare usage policy is also very inflexible, and my family and I have not been able to use the timeshare at all as the weeks assigned to us do not work for anyone. Additionally, I was misled about the option to bank the week and use it anytime I wanted. I later realized that this was not true at all. As a result, we have paid for years for a timeshare that we have not been able to use and will not be able to use in the future, especially with the current situation we are all facing. I have asked time and time again for Exploria Resorts to help me but there has been no help from them at all.

Dear Complaints Board,

I am writing this complaint about my experience with Exploria, specifically in regards to a timeshare purchase that I made with them. My 19-year-old daughter and I attended a 90-minute presentation where we were shown an upscale room. The salesperson made promises that were not kept and provided inaccurate information about the resorts available.

Initially, the salesperson assured me that I would be able to "sell" my points to pay the mortgage on my timeshare. However, when I indicated on a questionnaire that I wanted to make money off of it, I was informed that I could not use that as a reason for purchasing a timeshare. This was misleading and left me feeling frustrated and concerned about the accuracy of the information I was being given.

Furthermore, during the presentation, the salesperson continuously lowered the price until I finally agreed to purchase. This left me with financial stress and concerns over making the payment, especially after discovering that there were additional maintenance fees that were not explained at the time of purchase. The salesperson provided inaccurate information about the travel options available with the timeshare. I was told that we could travel anywhere we wanted, but in reality, they only own four resorts. Any other travel would have to go through RCI using my points and paying a fee, which was not made clear to me at the time of purchase. Additionally, the website provided to book travel was unnecessarily complicated and confusing, and I had to call the reservation center with long hold times, and unfortunately, they never had any rooms available when we wanted to travel.

This has caused me financial stress and frustration. I feel as though I was lied to about the timeshare purchase, and even after returning to the sales floor a second time to address these concerns, I was reassured that I had the correct information. Therefore, I seek a resolution for misleading information given during the presentation, the inaccuracy of travel options available, and the financial stress caused by the hidden maintenance fees.

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,

Dana Przybyszewski

Stay away from this property they first lied about the rooms it was a old stanky room they had just painted you can smell the paint as soon as you open the door to the hotel not villa but a old ran down hotel the elevator wasnt working i called spoke with several customer service reps to be agai. Lied to never was able to speak to a manager i was giving the run around they took my money and we never stayed on the property i never attend the timeshare tried contacting someone to resolve this but never got an answer just excuses please dont waste your time nor money its not worth it this is a spam a straight rip off

I have gone to this company for several years asking them to assist me with the problems I have with this timeshare. It has been nothing but disappointment after disappointment. I am on disability with a limited income and I have tried for what seems like forever to get help from this company. The costs are ridiculous and I was never expecting something like this. They have let people out of these situations before and I can't understand why I am not allowed to give this timeshare back. I can't use it and it is draining me financially. They refuse to help you once they get you into the contracts. Don't waste your time or money getting involved with this company. You will be trapped.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am filing a formal complaint regarding my experience with Exploria Resorts. In February 2008, my husband and I were sold a timeshare under false pretenses by your sales representative. We were promised the world, but instead received a financial burden that has caused us years of stress and financial hardship. At the time of the sales presentation, we were told that owning a timeshare would allow us to travel all over the world at a fraction of the cost of booking through a travel agent. We were also told that owning a timeshare would be a great investment for our family's future. However, none of these promises have come to fruition. We made a down payment of $3,463 and had a balance of $4,130, which we have been paying off through monthly payments and yearly maintenance fees. However, these fees continue to increase and have become a financial burden for us. We were never informed by your sales representative that we could call the main office to cancel if we were uncomfortable with the situation or unable to pay the yearly fees. We were encouraged to purchase RCI points, which has resulted in another yearly fee. If we fail to use these points, we either lose them or have to pay the bank for them for the next year. It is unacceptable that your sales representatives are using deceptive tactics to sell these timeshares. We were never given time to think and consider all the strings attached before signing any contracts. It is clear that your company does not have the best interests of its customers at heart and is more concerned with making a profit. We demand that Exploria Resorts cancel our timeshare contract immediately and refund us any payments made thus far. We also demand that your company cease using deceptive tactics to sell timeshares in the future. We will not accept anything less than a satisfactory resolution to this matter.

Arnold and Lilawati Baboolal

Dear Complaints Board,

I am writing to express my outrage and disappointment with the unethical and deceptive practices of Exploria. My family and I were gifted a time share under Summer Bay, and we were coerced and pressured into upgrading by several sales representatives who relentlessly pursued us for hours on end. As a result, we were swayed into opening up a PayPal account to make a down payment for the alleged "upgrade."

However, our experience with this timeshare has been nothing short of a nightmare. Our maintenance fees have relentlessly gone up, and despite promises of a spa, it was never delivered. One of the times we used it, we weren't given our condo or anything equal out of it. We are currently under a tight budget and limited income due to my husband's disability, and the financial strain caused by the maintenance and yearly dues has become unbearable for us.

This time share was presented to us as a "smart" investment that could be sold easily. However, that has been far from the truth, particularly since Exploria took over. Our family's finances are being affected by these exorbitant fees, and we are now faced with the possibility of being in unrelenting debt.

We have attempted to reach out to sell our time share, but we were told that it's not our business and that we need to speak with a different broker. This is in direct contradiction to what we were told from the beginning. I want to emphasize the immense pressure we were put under to upgrade, and the fact that these time shares are not easily sold. Our family has been left with a financial burden and an unfulfilled promise of a wonderful vacation experience.

In light of all these issues, I plead that you help us with Exploria in allowing them to terminate our contract and refund us all fees paid to date. We are not interested in being tied to a company that lies and misleads its customers.

Exploria should have to take accountability for their action and deceptive sales practices.

Sincerely,

Timothy Ming

We can't believe we got involved with this company. There was barely enough time to make an informed decision and now we understand why they were pressuring us to sign and purchase this timeshare. It is not what you think it is and it will not deliver what was promised. We have now gotten trapped in this timeshare and Exploria Resorts will not give us a way out. They refuse to work with us to find a solution to the mess we are in even though the fault could easily be put on their representatives for not being truthful about the timeshare and the cost. We were shown one place but in reality, we were only able to stay at one of the older resorts. The sad part about all of that is we had to purchase more points in order to stay at the old facility. What we were sold initially was not enough to book a vacation. Nothing is ever available but they expect you to continue paying for the timeshare even if you can't use it. Don't allow yourself to be fooled. We want out immediately.

8/25/23

Own this property outright and all fees are up to date. Trying to deed the property back to Exploria since it is no longer needed. I have spent the last 2 days on the phone talking to various Exploria personnel. Contacted Legal Dept, at Corporate, today and explained what I was trying to accomplish. He transferred me back to Member Services as they were the only ones who could help. Member Services help consists of sell it, find someone to give it too, or rent it out. I have explained to numerous individuals that I had been trying to sell it for 2 years without any luck. No one wants to take it from me, and I have no desire to try and have it rented. I went so far as to ask what happens if I stop paying my maintenance fees. They said it could take several years before Exploria would take the deed back under those circumstances. No reason provided as to why it would take years. I have asked repeatedly why they would prefer to incur legal costs and there is no response other than those provided above. FYI I owned 3 other resort properties and they were all deeded back within 90 days of contacting the resort.

Despite doing everything to ensure I would receive a renovated unit requesting it, reserving more than 60 days in advance and paying entire yearly fees at the end of Jan. I was still given an old outdated unit. My reason for needing a renovated unit is for medical purposes. The older unit has unevened tiled flooring with several spcaes of missing grout. Oxygen machines, walkers and canes get stuck in many of the grouted spaces, this causes sharp sudden stops and is very dangerous. To make a long story short I did not receive a renovated unit, I tried to cancel but I was informed that I would not receive any compensation so my family member spent the vacation with no independent mobility they had to be physically carried. This was just unacceptable I think this does not comply with the disability act shame on you Exploria.

Received a call from Exploria Resorts to convert my Timeshare weeks to Exploria Expo's, this inquired cost to switch and yearly premiums. The representative explained that we can book premium weeks at a timeshare and then give them back to the marketplace on voice in turn getting credits for gift cards or other means of using the funds put into our account from expo's to credits. This would enable us to get back the yearly fees we are paying on a timeshare we are not using. That worked for us somewhat at the beginning of the program as during premium weeks the exchange rate was high. Then the exchange rates went down only giving us the opportunity to get about half our yearly expenses back. Now they changed program again and you have to change expo's directly into credits yet again losing even more money in the exchange. Also for the last 2 years when trading credits for gift cards to cash out they are supposed to convert in 3-4 business days as outlined in their rules, and in reality that is taking weeks for the marketplace to turn them around. And in most cases you need to contact them or you will never receive your request

I have been a time-share owner for approximately 20 years. My home resort has always been in the Poconos, and my family has always enjoyed our annual retreats up to the Poconos for horseback riding, boating, etc. Occasionally, we visit Summer Bay in Orlando to engage in water sports. Last year we upgraded our membership to the platinum level. We were told it would give us more options to utilize or "vacation club." So we put a $5000.00 down payment on a credit card they provided and there was increased monthly dues.

This year we planned vacation in April and in June. As soon as we hit send on the Exploria website and our vacation was confirmed, I started to get harassing messages demanding I pay 2023 maintenance fees. In February, I had just paid $696.93 in maintenance dues, and now they wanted an additional $4,500, or they threatened to cancel our vacation reservations. It was extortion at its finest!

I had already made plans and had no choice but to pay. I put the payment on a credit card on 3/25/23. Subsequently, I went to the Exploria website, I found out they had already canceled my vacation for April. I called to complain, and the best they could do was put us in one of their rundown 2-bedroom lofts. That is the straw that broke the camel's back. The women in customer service are often sassy, pugnacious, and rude. Exporia does not value its owners and treats them like cash cows. Since I upgraded my plan to platinum, this has become abundantly clear. I explained to several supervisors in their member service department, and they all said there was nothing that could be done, you just have to pay the money.