Festiva Development Group’s earns a 3.2-star rating from 112 reviews, showing that the majority of timeshare owners are somewhat satisfied with vacation experiences.
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time share
We were visiting downtown Charleston (we had just moved to the area). I went into a building titled "Welcome Center" though I thought I was going into the visitors center. I feel like Festiva misrepresented themselves by putting “Welcome Center” on their sign. Believe me, whenever I have a chance, I will sit outside their door and warn people of their misrepresentation. As well, I will be contacting the Charleston City Council and Better Business Bureau. Once in the Welcome Center, I was told that I could get 3 coupons for free attractions and 2 nights free stay at the Church Street Inn if I gave them $20 cash (refundable) and would just listen to what they had to say about their Inn. I thought it couldn’t hurt. So we did.
Once at the place we were directed to go to, we filled out some paperwork including information regarding our income (WARNING…if they ask your income…BEWARE). We were taken for a walk by a man named Matt Anderson and spent the next 2 hours under high pressure sales pitches. I wasn’t sure I wanted to purchase the timeshare until Matt told us of the website and vacation packages (I now know as Platinum Rewards). Once I saw the benefit of the Platinum Rewards and that I could get vacation packages to my hometown cheaper, I was sold. I mentioned this to Matt multiple times that this is what I was most interested in. In passing, Matt said we would get the first 2 years of the Platinum Rewards membership free with our timeshare purchase. He said a few other things and quietly he later said that there is a $79 a year fee to stay in the Platinum Rewards. When I looked at him about this, he said not to worry, we did not need to pay for it after the 2 years—all we would need to do is contact them and get the benefits of the vacations. AGAIN, WE SHOULD HAVE BEEN SKEPTICAL AND WALKED AWAY!
Matt and the old man working with him came and went over pricing. When they determined the overall cost, they played around with numbers and told us that we would get 4000 points on every even year and would get a discounted rate from $13, 000 down to $9, 400. AGAIN, WE SHOULD HAVE WALKED AWAY! And, they would throw in 4000 points for 2009. Once we had agreed upon this, Matt said, there was a maintenance fee of $650 to activate the 4000 points. AGAIN, WE SHOULD HAVE WALKED AWAY!
Finally, Matt said that we can sell our 4000 points and would make about $3, 600. When I asked him how we could do that, he said, “We will help you do that, just call me.” He gave me his phone number. At the completion of the transaction, Matt told me he would call me the next day to answer any questions.
After the purchase was done, I mentioned to Matt and the old man working with him that I was promised 2 free nights at the Inn. They looked at me like I had a 3rd head. I could tell by their non-verbals that they were not happy. I told them that it was written on the piece of paper given to me at the Welcome Center. They told me that they would have to call me about it later. I was uneasy then…I should have cancelled the whole thing then and there. Over the next 24 hours of purchasing the Festiva Timeshare, I continued feeling uneasy about everything.
I did not get a phone call the next day as promised. Two days later, I got a phone call. I SHOULD HAVE CANCELLED IT THEN!
Now that I have researched everything fully, guess what…I feel it was a rip off! In addition to paying $9, 400 for the timeshare, I must pay $650 for the 4000 points (every other year). Something they did not tell you is that whenever you make reservations you will be paying an $89 processing fee.
Remember the key to me buying this timeshare was the Platinum Rewards?! Well, guess what, you can purchase a lifetime member ship for $1, 499 now that will give you access to this program or you will be subject to paying $300 a year (if not more) for it once the 2 year free membership is over.
I have tried to call Matt (on the number he gave me), and apart from one time where he answered, he never returns my phone calls. The time he did answer, he acted disgusted and shocked that I called. I tried calling other times with no return calls. Today I called his number, the phone was answered, and then I was hung up on. When I tried again, I just got a voicemail and left a message. I tried calling the office at [protected], and never get an answer.
DO NOT BUY INTO FESTIVA! IT IS NOT WORTH IT! In fact, after investigating, I found that I can save as much money (or more) on vacations and hotels by doing online searches by myself.
Thank you for your response. As of right now, I have not heard from anyone. I sent another email today. I will be waiting until Wednesday to hear from someone and then will call Thurday if I have not heard anything.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
promotion fraud
Festiva Resorts just moved their sales office to New Orleans and they are using a fraudulent scam to bate consumers to their dispicable sales pitch. They retain a company called SMG doing business as awards claim center. The telemarketer specifically told me on the phone I would have a one in three chance to win a grand prize of either a new 2009 Ford Explorer or $25, 000.00 cash at my option. I recorded the conversation. After she set up an appointment during hours in which the Festiva sales office was closed, she called back and re-assured the specifics of the promotion and rescheduled an appointment. Once I sat through their shameful sales pitch, they never honored the promotion that they described in detail. I am filing with Louisiana Attorney General and the N.O. District Attorney for violating Louisiana Consumer Protection Act and False Advertising Law. This company is also charging little old people almost 16% interest to finance $30, 000.00 packages. Their whole business model is shameful and disgusting. I look forward to doing everything I can to shut them down or get them out if my town.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
To E&SP:
We do apologize for all of the trouble you have had in using your membership. If you could write to us at comments@festiva.travel with your contact information we would be happy to have a manager review your situation and get in touch with you.
Can someone please help, I purchased a timeshare with Festiva in New Orleans June 4, 2010. I have been very disappointed and dissatisfied with Festiva from the very beginning and wish that I would have canceled my services within the seven day cancellation period. For starters I called last summer after a sales person took advantage of us and caused us to spend twice the money we wanted to for vacation. We bought the timeshare in June and explained to him that we couldn't afford to buy at the time because we already had a vacation planned for July 2010 that would cost us right at $1, 200.00 to stay a week at Residence Inn in San Antonia Texas. He assured us that we can cancel our stay there and that he would see to us staying at a nice resort for no money at all if we bought the timeshare with Festiva. So we agreed and had to pay Festiva $1, 355.00 down payment for a lifetime of beautiful vacations and pay $ 187.00 per month. Since we were going to pay Residence Inn $1, 200.00 we were convinced that this was a much better deal and we agreed. After this we made numerous calls to him most to no avail and finally when we talked to him, he said that he couldn't get us in a resort but he had a really nice hotel to put us in. This hotel was the Hawthorn Suites in San Antonia and that the cost was $656.82. He said that he couldn't get it for free but that he would pay half the cost and he did. We meet him at a gas station in Gonzales and he gave us $ 350.00 to pay for our stay at Hawthorn. Well, we arrived at the hotel on July 5, 2010 to find that the hotel was more like a motel, the stove was filthy, carpet was torn, the room was stuffy it was not a place for me and my family to stay comfortable for a week. We tried to call and text him to inform him of the situation but he did not respond. Needless to say, we left and went to Residence Inn and had to spend $ 1, 153.00 of our vacation money to stay at a more comfortable place. Money we needed for other things because we had just gave Festiva $1, 355.00 that was for vacation. When we came back I called and voiced my complaint to a rep and his supervisor and explained this whole problem and nothing was done about it. The supervisor said that he would call me back and never did.
Well, to add insult to injury, we were promised at the time of purchase a free 5 day carnival cruise and that we will receive the certificate 6 months after our payments have been made in a timely manner. I called Festiva on May 10, 2011 to inquire about the certificate and they said that it was mailed in December 2010 of which I never received. They said that they will mail it again and by June 2, 2011 I called back because I still didn't receive it. On May 10, 2011 they told me that I had to pay $1, 1311.69 for maintenance and late fees before I can schedule a vacation so I made that payment that day. I called back again on June 2nd and spoke with a young man and he asked for my email so they can email me the certificate and that I will receive it within 24 to 48 hours. June 14th I called back and spoke with another young man to inform him that I still didn't receive the email and he said the email address was wrong in the system and that he fixed it and I will receive the certificate within 24 to 48 hours. Well I called back on June 18th and spoke to a young lady because I still have not received the email and she said she was putting in another request to VTT. I asked her who was VTT and she said that she didn't know but it was the company that sends the certificate. She didn't know what VTT meant, she didn't know their phone number or how I can contact them. I asked to speak to a manager and she said that no manages was at work that day. So I called back on June 20th and spoke with a manager and he didn't know who VTT was and couldn't give me any information.
Therefore, today I am very disappointed and very dissatisfied because I feel as if I have been lied to since the very beginning and if at all possible I would like to talk somebody about all of this to see what is really going on. This time share is not cheap and so far I have paid over $ 6, 000.00 and just received a bill for a $200.00 fee for God knows what and I have not gotten anything in return but lies and frustration.
We still have not even used the timehsare. i have been trying to call Festiva in New Orleans and have left messages and no one have called back. I even tried emailing a couple of the managers and the email is a fake because it keep coming back and fatal.
I am in the process of seeking legal actions because it is obvious based on my experience and seeing these comments that Festiva is a hoax.
Robert4040,
We are sorry to see you are having issues with your cruise. We take customer service very seriously and would like the opportunity to resolve your issue. Please send your contact information to comments@festiva.travel and I will have a manager contact you. Thank you.
Festiva and their associate, "Vacation Tour and Travel, Inc." are unscrupulous at best. We were promised a "free 4 day cruise" for attending a sales presentation in New Orleans. We attended said presentation and politely declined to purchase a "time share." We were given our "certificate" for said cruise. We can only use their "associate" to book the cruise. Several months went by and we have recently called to book our trip. Surprise! The free cruise will cost us over $300.00 each. Of course I looked around on the internet and I can book the cruise in a better stateroom for less money (including taxes, port charges, etc.) at numerous legitimate businesses. So I then decided to check on "Festiva" and "Vacation Tour and Travel, Inc." and their reputation/complaints. Talk about shady trade practices. I am considering contacting "Carnival Cruise Line" directly to let them know of the reputation these companies have and the effect it could be having on the "Carnival" name. I can't imagine Carnival wants their brand sullied.
I TELL YOU WHAT REBEL, THIS REBEL WILL MEET YOU FACE TO FACE! I CAN SAY I HAVE BEEN AN OWNER FOR OVER 5 YEARS AND HAVE ABSOLUTELY ENJOYED IT. YOU HAVE TO USE A LITTLE COMMON SENSE BUT BASED ON YOUR COMMENTS I FEEL YOU ARE LACKING THAT. FESTIVA HAS HONORED EVERYTHING THEY SAID THEY WOULD, IN FACT, I WOULD CHALLENGE YOU TO FILE YOUR CLAIMS AND PLEASE KEEP ME INFORMED OF THE OUT COME. YOU ARE A TYPICAL MOOCHER AND WILL ALWAYS TRY TO GET SOMETHING FOR NOTHING. HEY, WHY DON'T YOU FILE A CLAIM WITH BP FOR SOMETHING, OR HAVE YOU ALREADY DONE THAT? GOOD LUCK YOU LOW LIFE!
i worked for them and you would not believe the ways we worked the script to get people to bite and as far as un honored prizes thats a shame ... i signed a contract saying i wouldnt tell so yeah i remain anonymous
Thank you for sharing. I spoke with Raven from Festiva claiming I had won a 2009 Ford Explorer or $25, 000 on my on my voicemail. When she called she changed it to one of 3 prizes. She also said I had entered a contest and won. I will not be going to this because I had set up an appointment to go to the presentation-even if I walked away with a 27 inch flatscreen-it would have been worth it. I am not wasting my time!
Katbob1627;
I am sorry you've had trouble getting a reservation set up for the package you purchased. I sent you a direct e-mail as well, but in case you do not receive it, please send an e-mail to comments@festivaresorts.com with your full name and the best way to contact you and I will have a manager from the appropriate department contact you to assist you with your vacation needs.
Thanks.
Very unhappy with Festiva Resorts. Can't get reservation when we wanted. We only have 12 months to use the membership and can't book before 30 days and the 3 day excursion. The reservationist on the phone is not very pleasant and not very helpful. We signed up in March 2009 at the Charlston resort and were told we couldn't use it till after August after so many payments were made. Here it is in September, and we tried making reservations in the beginning of Sept for the end of the month and told there is nothing available. My email is kscomax@yahoo.com
Festiva Resorts will be happy to address your concerns and seek a resolution, particularly if you were not given what you were promised.
Please send an e-mail to comments@festivaresorts.com with your full name, the date of your tour, and the best way to contact you, and our marketing department will get in touch with you.
many issues
Jeri Craine, General Manager, [protected]@festivaresorts.com
Festiva Resorts, Peppertree Atlantic Beach Villas
PO Box 1068
715 W. Fort Macon Road
Atlantic Beach, NC 28512
Jeri Craine:
My wife and I are deeded week owners of 24f and we were visiting the week of May 8th – 15th… Several issues during our stay made us decide to not convert to Festiva Points system:
1: We arrived after a three day travel from New Hampshire to be told that we could not enter our condo until 4pm. We ‘checked in’ and then went to our condo and proceeded to bring everything from our car up to the door of our condo figuring that by the time we moved everything up there we would be at 4pm to go and get our key. The cleaning crew was totally done with our building as they were standing on the deck below us smoking and laughing. I went back to the desk to get the key and still had to wait another 5 minutes even though I told them at the counter they were standing below doing NOTHING. Others were also waiting at the same time we were waiting for our key. This is the first time in the four years that my wife has owned the deed that we were not able to get in until 4pm or later.
2: We arranged two extra days via Expedia.com at $148.00 per night and were told we would be given a phone call to let us know when our ‘new’ room would be ready to move into… (We were moved to 31k) The desk people clearly said it would be well beyond the normal 10am check-out time as they had to clean 31k first and we should just stay in our condo, 24f, until we received a call to let us know when we could move. At 9:40am someone from housekeeping knocked on our door to say our new room was ready and wanted to know when we were going to be out. I told her that we were under the expectation we were going to get a phone call and it would be well after 11am. I told her we would be out and do the normal check-out (call for an inspection) by 11:30am as we had planned. Around 10:30am we received a phone call from the office to tell us 31k was ready and I informed her that someone had already knocked on our door. Apparently housekeeping was not supposed to have come to us but the office was to handle it. So we were finishing packing up and cleaning up, we closed the shades as another guy from housekeeping was looking in our window to see if ‘someone’ was still in there. After my wife waved at him, he said to another worker, yup, there are people in there. A few minutes later my wife had just finished her shower and was walking in to the back bedroom when she turned around to see the same man looking through a small opening in the living room shade. This is BS! Once we made it to the office to get our new keys for 31k, and told them of the incident, there didn’t appear there was too much concern.
3: We moved into 31k and my wife and I were sitting on the couch in the living room when the front door was opened. Come to find out, someone from housekeeping was checking rooms after they were cleaned and was unaware that someone was already in the room. We could get into 31k before 4pm but not our owned deeded condo 24f.
4: We put a load of laundry in the washer (in our room) before we went to dinner and came back and switched it to the dryer and started another load. The next day we left early for the air show at Cherry Point and returned late in the day to find our laundry had not dried. I called the office several times as no one answered and finally someone from security answered. I explained how I had two loads of wet laundry and were told that maintenance would look at it tomorrow. I informed them we were leaving 1st thing in the morning and I was not going to be hauling two loads of wet laundry up the eastern seaboard. Figure it out and call me back. I received a call back from security who told us to take our laundry down to the laundry room at the indoor pool and we would be reimbursed in the morning for the having to us the laundry room at checkout the next day. At check out, the girl at the counter to us she could not give us our $3.00 because she did not have access to petty-cash. But the person who could would be in at 9am. We were not going to wait as we had 988 miles to drive that day. I ask her to have the manager, that’s you, call me on my cell phone which I left the number with her. I never received a call from anyone.
You can send a check for the $3.00… You have our address on file.
Several things come to mind… We paid $148.00 for our room and still had to do a checkout procedure. When we were staying the two extra days, we were not there as timeshare owners, we were renting a room just like a hotel. Yet we were more scrutinized at our checkout inspection of the 31k room than our owned deeded room 24f… At 24f she look around for a minute and said all set to go… 31k was like getting the fifth degree the way she treated us.
Our deed condo, 24f, has 52 owners that pay roughly $580.00 per year. That’s about $30, 000 a year for the maintenance fees on that one unit yet nothing has been improved or changed in the past year... That is also close to $120, 000 in the past four years… Again, nothing has been upgraded or changed… We sat for three hours in the sales center trying to be sold points for either $6, 100 minimum or $10, 800 to get into the ‘club’ by Chris Subevt (spelling?)… Why, we already own a deeded week with one of the best views in the whole resort...In a RED week… We asked to see a condo like ours, 24f, that had been upgraded and there were none to be seen. All I have seen about Festiva is complaints, complaints, and more complaints about how they want to switch everyone to points and all the benefits of it. We have friends that also owned two deeded weeks in Peppertree and switched to points and have not found that it was as it was presented to them before they invested in Festiva. If Festiva is truly a great company, why does it not show at Peppertree. My wife saw the same demo room in Peppertree III the previous year while dealing with the high pressure sales like the ocean view from our condo was going to be gone because they were putting up a restaurant on the top of the dune. And our maintenance fees were going to double because there were not going to be as many deed owners to spread the cost out compared to the points owners.
Based on what we have seen and heard, we will continue to own our deeded week and not be switching to points unless there is some improvement to the resort. We don’t care about all the other options available to us by joining via Festiva points as we already OWN our deeded week for as long as we want.
Your comments would be appreciated,
K.Smith
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
K. Smith;
I believe you were contacted by property management for the Atlantic Beach Resort after we received your letter posted above. If you still have questions or concerns that were not addressed, please send them to comments@festivaresorts.com.
allsmiles277;
I'm sorry that you have had a negative experience with Festiva Resorts. Please feel free to send an e-mail to comments@festivaresorts.com with your contact information and your concerns, and we will be happy to address your situation.
I agree...Festiva has shown me nothing but hype and mistruths. I will never join Festivas point system. You don't want to know what I think of Festiva.
scam and cheating
It is a scam and will cost you so much more than you would spend on a vacation you book on your own. They cannot be trusted and will promise you anything to get your money. Never sign a contract without an attorney. Festiva will tell you you must sign the contract that day or you will lose the wonderfully fantastic deal they are offering you. That is when you walk away. Do not give them any credit card info. The maintenance fees are how they really make their money.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
WE HAVE BEEN TRYING TO CONTACT THIS COMPANY, NO ONE WILL ANSWER YOUR CALLS OR HELP YOU WITH ALL THE MISLEADING INFORMATION.. PEOPLE ARE ALREADY LOSING THEIR JOBS, HOMES AND THIS IS ANOTHER CREDIT LEECH.. WE WERE NOT TOLD ABOUT ALL THE ADD FEES AND MAINTAINCE FEE THAT DUE JAN.1 OF EACH YEAR...
I agree with the complaints that has been made against Festiva resorts. They will not be up front, and now that sent a bill here for maintaiance fees that were misleading...
We would be more than willing to address your specific complaints or concerns. Please contact the Festiva Resorts Owner Services department at ownerservices@festivaresorts.com or post your question at http://festivaresorts.wordpress.com/question-answer.
festiva resorts: charleston, south carolina
We were in Charleston, South Carolina site seeing in mid-March of 2009 when we walked into the Visitors Center where we were approached by what we later were told was a "body snatcher" (for Festiva Resorts). This young lady went on to talk to us about Festiva Resorts and its 90 minute presentation. She was able to offer us 4 free gifts at the small cost of...
Read full review of Festiva Development Group and 26 commentsfailure to return funds within contract
We agreed to purchase a time share from Festiva resorts. On our return to our hotel, we checked out Festiva resorts on the internet and found a huge list of complaints from other people. As a result, we exercised our rights to cancel the contract immediately and within the 5 day cooling off period. In fact, we sent the cancellation by certified mail within...
Read full review of Festiva Development Group and 4 commentsscam
BAD EXPERIENCE...granted, I knew I would not purchase a time-share, but was curious and was told by friends who has sat through other presentations that it was high pressure sales but worth getting the gift. Only problem is that they require a $100/deposit for Ritz stay, and $75/deposit for car rental. I'll send in the money just to get into a lawsuit for...
Read full review of Festiva Development Group and 5 commentsawful experience
Like Lisa, we purchased a Festiva property based on the actions of a sales rep who made calls and assured us another property could readily be sold if we bought Stormy Point in Branson, MO. You could substitute names and places in Lisa's report and it would be identical--ours goes back several years; hers is recent.
We have had other problems with Festiva. The latest beginning in the fall of 2008 related to an offer to visit Church Street Inn in Charleston and to purchase the Adventure Club.
In both cases, I sent numerous emails, a letter, and had conversations with customer service and supervisors, followed by a confirmation email requesting to get out of the contract. Have heard nothing in response.
Festiva is a company to AVOID or at least be sure you do thorough research and record/document everything they say and do. And do not be as gullible as we apparently have been.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Like Lisa, we purchased a Festiva property based on the actions of a sales rep who made calls and assured us another property could readily be sold if we bought Stormy Point in Branson, MO. You could substitute names and places in Lisa's report and it would be identical--ours goes back several years; hers is recent.
We have had other problems with Festiva. The latest beginning in the fall of 2008 related to an offer to visit Church Street Inn in Charleston and to purchase the Adventure Club.
In both cases, I sent numerous emails, a letter, and had conversations with customer service and supervisors, followed by a confirmation email requesting to get out of the contract. Have heard nothing in response.
Festiva is a company to AVOID or at least be sure you do thorough research and record/document everything they say and do. And do not be as gullible as we apparently have been.
M.W. Williams;
If you contact us directly at comments@festiva.travel we can certainly assist you and try to resolve any issues you may have.
m.w. williams - please file a complaint with the better business bureau. It is very easy.
I have read alot of the comments about Festiva and like them we have been scammed... by being talked into a down payment and they not only took my check but took it out of my credit card as well.. have been at it 3 weeks and no calls back and no money paid back. I wouldn't recommend Festiva to anyone. I am going to have to get an attorney and probably send a complaint to the district attorney's office as well...
Like the rest of you- just change the names. We have owned at the Cabins in Branson for about 5 years and really enjoyed it. March 4th, 2009 we signed up for a presentation for upgrade. We do not even remember 'Adventure Club' being mentioned. Told the rep about ourselves, likes and dislikes, and that we have 3 deeded weeks and use them every year. Like dummies we fell for his 'LIES'. He took 2 deeded weeks as a trade in (our papers call them trade-ins), Festiva said they do not take trade ins for discounts. He did not tell us that our Cabins was the equity trade in. One deeded week was sent back to us late Nov. 2009. I figured they could not sell it and dues was due Jan. 2010. It was sent back because they (Quality Recreational Services, LLC., adress is in Asheville N.C., and by Nov. phone # was a non working #. Festiva now has another company that will sell your timeshare-- but you do not get any money from that sell.) had not received the deed within their 30 day limit. They got that deed in June, the other deed they got in May--not their 30 day rule. When I found out on Jan. 4, 2010 when I talked to a Festiva rep and said we just wanted out deeded timeshares back and the money we spent to go to the point system, which was not mentioned until started going over papers. Rep said that would never happen. She said our Marriott had been sold. If Festiva does not take trade ins, how come she knew it was sold? We told our salesman we would not live for 40 more years and our children do not want any of our timeshares, so if we get to where we can not travel what do we do about the 40 years? His reply was do not pay dues for 2 or 3 years and by the 3rd year they will realize you do not want the program, Festiva will just sell our points. If at any time our kids or us want to use the program just pay back dues and enjoy. Festiva said in a trying to be intimidating voice 'that they would turn our account over to a collection agency and it would ruin our credit rating'. This is only a small sample of what we were told by the salesman. We bought into the scam because of the don't pay dues and that with the difference in what we would pay for dues with his program we could save enough with the difference in the amount of dues we paid for the deeded weeks to recoup what we would spend for his program in about 9 years. With what I have been reading about Festiva and an earlier class action suit and fines that Festiva paid they are still up to their old tricks of selling. Would a new class action suit be any different? We would like to see a class action suit filed so other people can't be ripped off. Have talked to some Festiva people, but all they want are their dues. They have a answer for every question you ask and if they can't answer they just say Festiva does't take tradeins. We now can sign a release form and just walk away and they keep everything.
I agree. We were also promised a lifetime membership with Interval International. Well, that turned out to be only a year. That was the total reason we purchased with this company. I felt scammed and taken advantaged of. The selling staff said and did anything to make the sale . They were crooks. I wish I had never bought into this. Now the resort at Stormy Point is split up and NOT like what was promised at all. We are VERY disappointed. Do we have any grounds to sue? Donna
The complaints listed above could have been written by me. One of our resorts (Rangeley Lake Resorts) has been aquired by Festiva - without any input from us owners. Our most recent purchase (Stormy Point) was either already owned or aquired after our purchase without our knowledge or input. We too were handed as part of our sales pitch that they would sell our other two resorts (Rangeley Lake & Williamsburg Plantation) and that they would sell within six months of our purchase at Stormy Point. My husband said that they probably 'called' someone in the next room who supposedly placed a value on our other resorts! I have inquired about renting our Stormy Point unit but Trading Places informs me that their take is 40% - if they can rent it and if they don't then we are still responsible for an administrative fee. Last year we thought it had been put up for rent but when I called to see if it had been rented they said it was not put up - we then had to 'late' deposit it with II. Our sales rep regaled us with stories of how we could exchange for all these exotic private cruises and resorts (at no extra cost), he even showed us pictures of his trips - sadly we bought not only the BS but the timeshare as well. Our extended families thought we were crazy to buy one... we haven't owned up to the fact that in trying to divest ourselves of the first one, we now own three. The money we paid in purchase, plus the ongoing maintenance fees could have bought us a nice little condo someplace warm! I have thought seriously about just walking away - I feel like we are just throwing good money after bad. Also, we may have deeded property but they fail to suggest that you put your children on the deed at purchase - if they want to use it without you present there is an extra fee. To put them on the deeds now will cost approx $400 for each resort!
About II... Plenty to rent, plenty for getaways, but not many for exchange. We tried to exchange in Europe - they don't tell you how unavailable units actually are.
About selling... These timeshare resale companies are willing to list it for a fee (up front of course) but none of them are selling.
I'm open to suggestions!
Laurie Jo;
I'm sorry that you had an unpleasant experience with one of our former salespeople. Our Owner Services department in our corporate office is more than happy to answer any questions and resolve any issues that you may have. Please send a detailed e-mail with your name and contact information to comments@festivaresorts.com and I will ensure that it gets to the appropriate department.
IMMEDIATELY after posting the previous comment, the marketing company that was scheduled to come out next week to discuss converting to point, called and cancelled the appointment! Do you think this site is monitored?
I, too, had numerous problems with Festiva. We were told when we purchased at Stormy Point in 4/2007, that maintenance fees would not increase unless over half of the owners agreed. I've not received my 2010 statement yet, but reading these comments, it appears to have increased. I know I didn't receive anything giving me a vote. We were told there was no such thing as red vs yellow time, until we tried to use our time, and found we had given them a valuable RED week in Florida, for a yellow week in Branson. That started the letter writing on my end, to the Attorney Generals in both MO and NC. The result was a Festiva Rep, Randy Parker, calling and talking me into going to the point system. He promised to explain the entire program when I came to Stormy Point. I told him when I wanted to come and he called me back after supposedly getting the time at the resort approved for me. He even gave me his cell phone number and told me until I completely understood the point program, he would be "my personal reservatation contact." Two days before leaving Ohio to drive to Branson, I called to comfirm everything, Randy informed me he was no longer with Festiva. There were no reservations made. Several months and letters later, I now have my fully-paid RED week deed and no longer the point system. However, someone is coming to the house next week to talk to us about Festiva. Unfortunately, my husband took the call and made the arrangements. There is no way I will give up my deed. My husband and I deposit our week every two years, with Interval International. We then have hundreds of resorts within the US and abroad, in which to stay. We have not, and never will, stay at a Festiva resort. Especially now, after reading all of these comments. If a class action is filed, please include me! NittanyPSU@aol.com
misinformation
i purchased a timeshare from them in sept of 2008. there were a lot of unanswered questions. i too was promised free gas and airline tickets. neither of which i have recieved. i was billed in jan of 2009 for 2 years of maint fees. i was told these were yearly and assumed they would start from the time you bought. we payed outright and every time i call to get answers i am told i will get al call back. i would really like to sell. very dissatisfied already. wish i had researched them first.anyon have any ideas.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Festiva Resorts will be happy to address your concerns and seek a resolution, particularly if you were not given what you were promised.
Please send an e-mail to comments@festivaresorts.com with your full name, the date of your tour, and the best way to contact you, and our marketing department will get in touch with you.
lack of availability - fraud
I purchased timeshare points in November 2007 at the Peppertree Ocean Club and unsuccessfully tried to reserve a week at any of the Peppertree beach facilities. there were rooms available to rent but not available to the timeshare owners.
When I called to move my unused points from 2008 to 2009 the owner's representative confirmed that they are room reserved to sell and not available to timeshare owners.
The maintenance fee went up for 2009 and for what reason? the owners can't get a room so they have to pay maintenance so Festiva can rent the rooms?
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
Cara, your post is right on the mark...they have misrepresented themselves just as you have discribed and have done it as recently as this past October, 10-2010. We are now considering our options to move forward with complaints to the appropriate authorities.
Yes, please be aware of any company that contacts you regarding resales or anything else about your timeshare. Unfortunately, there are some disreputable organizations that give the entire industry a bad name. If you are unsure about the legitimacy of a person or company that contacts you by phone or e-mail, please call us at [protected] or contact us at ownerservices@festiva.travel.
Please note that Festiva is not affiliated with any resale company.
Another good place to look for reputable companies is the American Resort Development Association's website at www.arda.org.
Dont get scammed again!
Taking On Timeshare = The Owners Advocate
The company called Taking On Timeshare is the same as The Owners Advocate who filed bankruptcy and have an F at the BBB.
BEWARE..
This company closed doors and changed name because of the numerous complaints The Owners Advocate has. The people behind Taking On Timeshare (David Humphreys ) is the same as The Owners Advocate.
Visit this link:
http://www.bbb.org/nashville/business-reviews/timeshare-contract-advocates/the-owners-advocate-in-nashville-tn-37046716
aintitashame;
Please feel free to contact me directly at comments@festivaresorts.com and provide the location of the sales office where your friend worked. We take these matters extremely seriously, and if the account you provided is accurate, then we would like to research it and take the appropriate action on those involved.
Thanks.
I have a buddy who's just started working for this company this past year and I was quite shocked to learn they were told that if something did not please the acting manager on their late shift, they would have something "thrown" at them!
It was indicated it was "only" a magic marker, but still, to be told this on your 1st day of hire is shocking! Isn't that assault? Throwing something at one of your employees?
Also, they had been told that they could earn between $750-$1000 a week, but there was one employee who not given permission to make sales calls, while everyone else in their training class has been allowed to do so for at least a day! They did not miss any time off from work, and some people missed a whole day, but those who had missed a whole day were still given the chance to make sales calls, not merely be on the "training" program, while the person who missed no time was prohibiting from making any sales calls at all, even though they had done telemarketing before.
If you make calls that are sales calls, you can get up to $20 a booking, but I listened to my buddy speak of some of the calls they overheard and they were quite shocked at the off-hand & rather rude manner the verification officer used towards many of the clients, especially the older ones. The verification officer, the one who often takes your credit card, was unbelievable rude to one gentlemen who had already had a bad experience with this time share company.
One would think you wouldn't want to create further ill will, but it seems that it's "COOL" to do so. There was a lot of sexual jokes and inappropriate comments too, during the training sessions, even by the general manager.
They were told that they needed to bring in their social security cards and picture IDs. and the gen. manager picked up everyone's cards and had them copied. Then, they brought all the social security cards back into the office, and dumped them in a pile and asked one of the brand new employees if they could "pass" them out to everyone!
Wow, my friend was horrified, because identity theft is so on the rise and they did no background checks whatsoever in order to hire these people. Keep that in mind, when you give out your credit card number to this company! They did not even ask the employees to fill out any application whatsover before they were hired!
My mind is doing backflips as to what sort of management would not insist in these times about not wanting to know at least some of the background of its employees, especially when they have people's home addresses, phone numbers, etc.
So.. in reading all these complaints, I see that it is not only a bad idea to be a client of this company but also an employee!
They also said they had read some of the review of some of the resorts and there was a ton of complaints, most of which seemed really legitimate. I feel bad for anyone who becomes an employee of this company!
Fraud, hostile business atmosphere, threats of violence...rude behavior towards clients & new hires...
No wonder timeshares have a bad reputation! This one needs to clean up its act! After reading all these complaints I would never even contemplate buying into a timeshare.
I am happy to report Festiva has refunded our money.
Arlene Merkel
Gemgirl;
Please send your name and contact information to comments@festivaresorts.com and we will have someone contact you to answer any questions you may have.
My husband and I have just purchased with Festiva and now after researching and reading these posts, I am in a panic. I am thinking that I need to call and cancel our contract in the morning since it seems that not all things are as promised. We were told that our points would be available beginning Jan1 (the same time as the maintenance fee for 2010), and we could book our vacation weeks at that time. We also got the Platinum Vacation package and the Corp. Elite Package which included the ability to book rooms for $59-69 per night at the Festiva Resorts if we needed more than our points allow - has anyone had any experience with using this system?
I would appreciate any information.
Mrs. Merkel;
It is our understanding that you have been contacted by our office with a resolution to your problem, which turned out to be due to a delay in the post office stamping your cancellation papers. If you feel this issue has not been resolved, please contact us directly.
Karen;
You can in fact book 'late break' reservations at 30 days or less prior to check-in. This information, along with all of the points charts and instructions for making reservations can be found in your members' book and in the owners' section of the website. If you need assistance with any of this, please contact the Festiva Resorts Owner Services department at ownerservices@festivaresorts.com or visit http://festivaresorts.wordpress.com and post your question on the Q&A page.
I have filed a complaint with the BBB in N.C. and also filed a complaint with the General Attorney's office in N.C. I am currently working with The Owners Advocate to cancel the contract and get a refund. The Advocate costs $999, but they guarantee to cancel the contract or your money back. I really don't care about the contract, I just want my $10, 490.00 back. I will never use this fraudulent company to book anything, nor will I ever pay a maintenance fee.
http://www.theownersadvocate.com/
We all need to work together!
festiva resorts misleads consumers
If you are considering buying a timeshare do NOT buy from Festiva Resorts. My husband and I own a timeshare that we bought from Equivest in 2000. In 2007, Festiva purchased Equivest and has since been trying to convert all the Equivest owners over to Festiva. They have been using misleading information and using scare tactics to get over $3000 from each...
Read full review of Festiva Development Group and 58 commentslies, lies and more lies
I should have known better... I was told that for $149.00 I could stay in a 4 Star golf resort in Myrtle Beach for 3day/2 nights. To sweeten the pot Festiva would through in a 2 day Charleston, SC vacation to be used anytime after Myrtle Beach for free. Since I needed to stay at both places, I agreed.
First Lie: Dump instead of 4 Star. This was the first time I actually had to spray disinfectant in a place I would lay my head. Needless to say, I only stayed the one night.
Second Lie: After complaining and getting nowhere, I asked to get out of the tour commitment. I was told I would have to pay for two nights even if I only stayed 1. Now mind you, I had already paid $149 so I said ok. I was charged an additional $280.00 for not taking the tour.
Third Lie: The vacation packet paperwork states a fee of $200.00 for not taking the tour.
Hopefully I can recover some of the money I shelled out for what was the worst and most expensive one night stay of my life!
While it can be difficult to get reservations during the high season at some of our resorts, most of our members find that planning well in advance for their vacations can be quite rewarding.
If you have any specific questions or concerns about Festiva Resorts, please visit http://festivaresorts.wordpress.com/question-answer/ and we will be happy to assist you.
Of course, our Owner Services department is always available at ownerservices@festivaresorts.com to assist you in making your vacation plans and explaining how to get the best usage out of your membership.
We too was told the same story that Equivest no longer existed and we had to change over to Festiva points. We were so dissatisfied that we set up at time with the Sales group at Blue Ridge Village We were given a great speech and the people was so convincing that we purchade more point so we would have enough to take the same amount of time and more as we did in the past. Now I'm finding we can't get any reservations anywhere they are all booked. We are in the same boat as alot of others. When I asked about this I was told I could always release it back to Festiva and get nothing in return. But at least we would not have to pay the maintains fee. That is almost $28000.00 they want free.
I am in agreeable with you. I have been w/ Equivest for over 7 years now. The maintenance fees have went up over $200 over that time. I was late paying my dues this year due to a honest mistake and they charged me $50 plus $8.36 interest. That left me owing over $600 maintenance fees for the year. We are on points which we get once a year and equals out to about a week vacation at our home resort. To me it is a rip off. Hopefully my husband will wake up and get us out of this scam.
Festiva Resorts misrepresents what they are selling. I agree with the above and all the other online complaints. We owned pts. with Equivest which we were perfectly happy with. Festiva rep. informs us that Equivest has been bought out by them and that we are now members of Festiva. For an additional 3000 we can purchase another 1000 pts. which will give us 2400 pts. and much more vacation time. We are also told that our 1400 pts. with Equivest will no longer be any good since Equivest is out of business, unless we convert. We convert, pay the 3000, and then find out that the 2400 pts. are worth no more than the 1400 that we already had and which had been pd. for in full, that Equivest is in fact still in existence and we could have continued our vacation club pts with them and not paid another dime. We never actually stayed at any of the Equivest Resorts and only used Interval International which was great and is now a complete pain with Festiva. We have filed a complaint with the BBB in North Carolina and the Attorney General's Office in NC. We would like to know if any of the other people who are unhappy with Festiva would be interested in filing a class action lawsuit against them? Please respond to the above email if so. Not only are they dishonest they have the absolute worst customer service I have ever dealt with. Please beware of this company. It is a complete scam
Festiva is really a bad company, just thank god you did not buy a timeshare. They have converted to points and the consumers who purchased with them have been defrauded of millions.
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Festiva Development Group emailsmemberservices@festiva.com100%Confidence score: 100%Supportmedia@festiva.com94%Confidence score: 94%communicationmembersolutions@festiva.com93%Confidence score: 93%communicationownerservices@festiva.com92%Confidence score: 92%support
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Festiva Development Group address4700 Millenia Blvd, Suite 405, Orlando, Florida, 32839, United States
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They have no respect for their owners. I too was stupid enough to buy their adventure club membership...The only thing I got is ripped off...Never any availabiltiy and the fees are outrageous! then they do not post your payment timely to rack up more fees. Nothing but a total rip-off!
smog141@aol.Com
Vestiva, it seem has a problem with being honest with the sales of Time Share.This seem to be the case all over. Any State Attorney's office with jurisdiction over them you look up has a of numbered complaints on file.
I would like to add they also have a problem with paying their vendors. We supplied Festiva( and or) their marking company with a number of Vacation packages back in March of 2015. We were paid our up front fee. Only to have spent the last six months being lied to over and over as to why we are not being paid the balance. We gave up on dealing with the people that kept giving us the run around and we attempted to contact the corporate office. Now a month later still no one has the professional courtesy to even return our call. What make this sad is I was informed that festiva is a Multi Million Dollar Company and has greater and more important thing to worry about than paying a small vender like us. I wonder who it that they do have respect for. Apparently not their customers.
maria0715, we have addressed your concerns via email. Please call Member Services, if you need further assistance, [protected].
First let me say that I DO NOT normally give bad reviews. In fact, my positive reviews far outweigh the negative. But, I just had the WORST experience trying to contact Festivia to even make a reservation. I wanted to buy a Groupon for 3 nights, but because their window is so small, the only time we could go is during my kids' spring break. The week "didn't seem" to be blocked out on the fine print, but I wanted to see if they even had any rooms available for that week. Voicemail, voicemail, voicemail and even MORE voicemail and messages and NO response. Even the receptionist had her voicemail on! There was a Tara and a Pam and I forgot who else I left a message fore. When I did get the receptionist, she forwards me to MORE voicemail. Do these people NOT want any business? Too bad, I would have loved to go to Tamarack and my family was looking forward to it. I just left ANOTHER message but not optimistic. Completely unprofessional and a time waster for me! Frankly, I am GLAD I am not a member of this timeshare with Festiva. If this is the kind of service I get, trying to make the ecomony better like spending money and NOBODY cares to return my calls, I cannot even fathom the kind of treatment I would get if I became a member. Are you people doing that well that you don't care about people from the outside giving you business? Even took forever to find a place where I can leave my comments! Good luck to those of you who are members.
After speaking with some people in the corporate office, I am fully satisfied that Festiva is doing what is in the best interest of the people with their units. They explained that they have fewer units in Cape Cod, for instance, in the winter because not many people want to go their in the winter. Makes perfect sense. All in all, I am happy with their answers and our conflict has beent resolved to our satisfaction.
I couldn't agree more.
My mom is 66 and was told that she had won a prize, and a vacation for free. That Is NOT what they mean. In this case. we had a vacation in Florida, but we had to get there from NC and pay the expenses. The ONLY thing free was the motel in Florida, which is just dealing with this company, along with many others that by researching it, seems to be ALL connected.
We went to the resort in Atlantic Beach, NC I kinda wanted to go with her, but they made it very CLEAR, I wasn't invited Please be aware people, these people are just out to get you. I have called and called and called to no avail. I see NO official home office number. This, plus trying to sell the share has cost Mom a LOT of mental anguish, almost to the point of suicide.. They don't care If any of you that reads this can relate with me, please write me at KenMan66@yahoo.com If i have to take this to the SUPREME COURT, I WILL!
Also, the local TV stations will soon be running YET ANOTHER STORY on this place!
If you are with Festiva, Please note that we haven't used not 1 thing, but she owes so much They prey on the elderly and this HAS to stop. I have a lot of Facebook Buddies, that have buddies and so on and so on.. Please contact me immediately if you are WITH Festiva This isn't right and by freedom of speech and the internet WILL stop very soon because too many people are being taken advantage of and are suffering from all sorts of health disorders due to the stress directly related to Festiva Resorts
Once I did finally walk in to see what had happened they were throwing papers at her so fast, I don't know how ANYONE could have understood the situation We asked that since I had questions about this, along with mom, to just hold the contract until Monday... Oh she was so nice. She said of course.
Well, My Mom called on the previous Friday, and was told it was too late. The understanding was that the contract would be torn up if we decided no. Since then, Its been nothing but HELL
If you have been a victim, I would like us all to pull together and STOP this nonsense
Sincerely, Ken Matthews
Hi Lesa;
It is my understanding that you spoke with Justin last week and all of your questions were answered and misunderstandings were clarified. If you have any other questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact us directly.
I did a little research and found that the New Orleans site has 21 units! A whole 21 units for their thousands of owners. And Hilton Head has an amazing 33! Cape Cod has - you guessed it 55. This is incredible that this company can keep selling these units to all of these people with so few units available, especially when everyone wants to go at the same time. Who wants to go to Cape Cod in the winter? I can't believe these guys are still in business.
This just gets crazier by the minute! I just talked with a customer service lady, (Nicole) and asked how many units each resorts had. She said she didn't know, there were 26 of them. Then I asked for one example, Cape Cod. She said she didn't know and had no way of knowing. I asked her to let me talk with someone who knew. It can't be that hard to figure out. She said NO ONE in the whole company knew! Isn't that crazy? Can you believe that NO ONE in this whole company would know how many units are in each resort? Festiva keeps signing new members but have very few spots to actually put them, except for off season! If anyone from your office could post how many units are in each resort or if anyone that has these points and have used them could tell us how many units are in each resort, that would be GREAT!
I was just wondering if it is against the law to stand outside of the Visitor's Center in Charleston, S.C. and talk to people before or after they sign up to go hear the speech. We have had so much trouble cancelling our membership and feel like we've been given the run around. I'd love to warn other people, especially if I have to use my timeshare - I could spend my timeshare week in Charleston and warn everyone for my full week.