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We saved our money for many years(working very hard). Dreaming with the most increible vacations. We arrived to Los Cabos, Mexico; a beatiful destination. Everything looks just perfect, my eyes saw an amazing sunset, the wind was so warm...
All looks so great until we went to Hacienda Encantada Resort & Spa and then our worst NIGHTMARE began...
We were invited to an investment presentation, the sales representative "Rick" Told us that we were in the perfect moment at the perfect time. Hacienda Encantada Resort and Spa needs money and if we invest in a Membership they would give us a monthly income. He said "We´ll take care of everthing... and that we will have an income from 7, 000 USD and sometimes the income would be higher in high season and they can give us 10, 000 USD or more.
We bought the MemberShip with all the money that we saved. We spent our vacations without money, dreaming that the next year with the money we earn would be better.
We came back to our home, we told to our friends about the great investment that we have made. Then, a friend of us research... And in that moment the nightmare started we seek on the web and found many complaints about this...
We called to Hacienda Encantada and Bridget Giem took care of us, what a waste of time, this person just told us that we should be happy for the great invesment that we made. We told her that we want that they cancel our contract and then give us a full refund. Since then we still receive the bills of monthly fees.
It´s supposed that with the money from the rental incomes we never have to pay anything and also we have some money to pay our next vacation.
Now we don´t have money for our vacations and we own money to the bank.
The complaint has been investigated and resolved to the customer’s satisfaction.
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Silly. Blaming the resort because you didn't understand what you were getting into. I bought there last year and I know that they explain the deal very clearly. I have friends (the couple who introduced my wife and I to the place) who bought there and they're extremely happy. I've also become friends two other couples we've met there who are also very happy.
For anyone who's reading this, just ask a lot of questions during the presentation and decide if it's the right decision for you.
I have been a member pre construction on phase 1 since 2007. I have upgraded 3 times & now own 4 3bedroom weeks in vista encantada. I have personally witnessed sales presentation by deception with flat out lies about guaranteed rental income thru private travel corporation back in jan. 2016! & again in 2020 with Elite Property Holdings AKA VMSERVICES.CLUB. beware its a all a big scam! they are all lying MF'S! I will be joining the class action suit. After 12 years of experience dealing with there scamming sales staff ALL I CAN SAY IS ITS A VERY NICE RESORT but don't expect rental income
What class action lawsuit?
Marlin slayer... my story is the same as yours! Please contact me with the info on class action lawsuit!
We would like to sell back our ownership. After the year of buying nothing has worked either a room issue or property equipment has not worked upon check in knowing we ask to not be in that location if there is issues and there always issues. They move you to rooms with more issues that people complained about. Who do you contact to deed back?
Hi CaboFan,
Thanks for your comment, I understand how do you feel because my membership is going to be cancel and you are going to lose your commission!
And don’t just ask questions! I did that and they told you what you want to hear. Remember read all and take your time, check at the web and when you are going to decide ask that everything they told you, you want to see it at your contract.
I'm kind of late coming into this, but we bought several years ago at Hacienda Encantada. It hasn't been totally problem free, but we are very pleased with what we got and the overall ambiance of the resort. What has been said in the responses is correct: make sure that whatever you are told is reflected in the contract that is written. If it isn't in the contract, it won't happen. Two sets of our relatives have followed our lead and purchased at Hacienda Encantada, and no one has been displeased.
Dear HE and Cabo Fan,
First, If you are so happy with you timeshare with Hacienda Encantada what the hell... Are you doing here? Why you are not in HE having a great time?
Second, did you know that the Retail Value with Taxes would be over $2, 400.00 -USD and you can buy it with 999 USD?
The link is this one here: http://cgi.ebay.com/Cabo-San-Lucas-Hacienda-Encantada-Dec-6th-13-09_W0QQitemZ370172616689QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUS_Lodging?hash=item563001dff1
So, I must say to you HE and Cabo fan, if you really bought ( You work at Hacienda Encantada), you have been scammed.
PS. Dear HE and Cabo Fan, if you did´t notice your partner "Cabo Fan" from Hacienda Encantada was here before you
Larry - I understand your feelings of anger toward the resort. However, that said, I would like to say that many people who purchase a timeshare such as you did often feel the same way once the deal is said and done. the comments I hear most is that they were caught up in the moment and the feeling of relaxation when they bought their respective timeshares. After all, isn't that what a vacation is all about - relaxing and having a good time? I feel for you in the fact that you are regretting your purchase now, but I also think you are being unfair to the posters here who disagree with you. You cannot say that anyone who says they are happy with their timeshare purchase - be it HE or anywhere else - are employees of that resort. On the contrary, I, too, am a purchaser of the HE timeshare and, to date, have been happy with care the resort have given me. I must stress most strongly that I am NOT an employee of the resort, nor do I pedal the purchase of timeshares for the resort. I am a honest, hardworking American who thought that an investment in what was purported to me to be a future world-class resort (and it appears that the quality of the resort IS world-class) would be well worth the purchase price.
Also, it was never at any time suggested that I would make money off my timeshare purchase. My husband and I were only told that we would be able to use our timeshare every other year and the year we were able to use it was the year we would be responsible for the maintenance fees. If we did not want to use the resort during our particular year, we could try to rent it out to someone else who would then have to pay our maintenance fee. I am sorry if you were sold a bad bill of goods by a disreputable seller, but overall I would say that in my experience, we were told the truth about what our investment was all about. That said, I think it should be noted that your experience with HE does not necessarily jive with other people's experience with them. I hope you are able to find your way out of your situation.
Hello JF et al,
I am coming into this blog a few months after JF's posting but thought I would respond anyway just in case there are still mixed feelings about the purchase of this timeshare. I have had my 1 bedroom Master Suite for over three years now, I went when it was first opened and did fall in love with t he place. It really is beautiful and I was also caught up in the magic of owning one...but not for the price I was quoted. When I got home I immediately began searching the web and there were several on-line for sell by folks that perhaps had the same remorse as JF. I kept looking and waited for the best deal I thought I could find and snatched it up. It is a phase I contract so I am guaranteed water front when I book. I have not been able to go every year as much as I would like to so I rent it through Redweek and do quite well actually, I'm happy. The unit I have rents through Travelocity and Expedia and others for over 4k a week so we all know this resort is not second class, it is a 5 star and a good investment in a persons "vacation" future, not financial future. It's not like a piece of real estate that you can add improvements, build equity and watch it grow. I will say that any timeshare will more than likely depreciate from the time you purchase at the resort to leaving on the plane to come home. It's a bit like buying a new car. I think many of us have had remorseful purchases, I know I have but I have also learned through the process. Whenever making a purchase requiring a large sum of money it is better to sleep on it and do the research. And of course not to spend beyond our means...that has been a tough lesson for millions in our country, myself included. I love the resort and it has excellent trading value, so if you do still have it relax and enjoy your purchase...or, rent it out. Best wishes
What happens if you go and just don't buy anything? Do they let you enjoy your trip? What if you have no intention of buying anything and you just like the looks of the all inclusive deal they are advertising?
Please read my Blog. http://haciendaencantadascam.blogspot.com/
We have more recently had a very negative experience with Hacienda Encantada and I understand this poster's anger entirely. I also understand where others have made there purchases and are happy but there were and still continue to be very unscrupulous and underhanded sales people that DO lie and say anything to get you to buy something that is not even within your affordability. I call it vacation brain, we did it, it is visually STUNNING but very high-end. More to the point, our sale person put in writing, and it saved us when we came home, followed our contract and proceeded to rescind our contract [MEXICAN LAW NO MATTER WHAT THE CONTRACT SAYS, YOU HAVE 5 BUSINESS DAYS TO CANCEL/RESCIND YOUR CONTRACT AND RECEIVE A FULL REFUND BUT BE PREPARED FOR THEM TO ENGAGE IN EVERY DIRTY TACTIC TO AVOID CANCELLING YOUR CONTRACT, THEY WILL STALL TO PAST THE 1 YEAR MARK - CANCEL/DISPUTE YOUR CREDIT CARD CHARGE IMMEDIATELY AFTER FOLLOWING CAREFULLY THE DIRECTIONS TO CANCEL YOUR CONTRACT AND DON'T TRUST A SINGLE PROMISE THEY MAKE YOU, I.E., THE MANAGER WILL CALL YOU AND TAKE CARE OF THIS, THEY WON'T, THEY LIE, WE AND FRIENDS TOGETHER WALKED THIS VERY DIFFICULT ROAD AND THEY PUT US THROUGH HELL EVEN THOUGH WE FOLLOWED THE RULES]. Our salesperson ensured us residual income, told us just like this other person we could make money renting it out but they undercut their own "owners" while still trying to sell remaining units, they lied and told us and wrote to us that we were not legally allowed to cancel (this written communication saved us as we pursued this through the Mexican tribunal and won as they violated, in writing, every law put in place by the Mexican Consumer Protection Agency in selling us this timeshare). Our salesperson continued to call and email in an abusive manner and the truth of the entire transaction, we were honest with our income and this is a high-end property and was completely out of our price range. Recognizing this we politely cancelled and followed the proper method to do so despite their every effort to thwart this cancellation, our salesperson was highly intoxicated and continues to harass us and we recently had to file another complaint with the embassy. For those of you that are happy, terrific but how on earth is this worth it with the highest maintenance fees I have ever seen in Cabo? They double every 5 years and you still have to pay your flight so why not just go through their office and continue to rent while they are (and have for at least 4-5 years) offered competitive rates via Expedia and the like to market more units. I would be furious to know that I am paying 5 times more for something I really do not own. I am glad you are happy with your experience but give this guy a break, they are notorious for hiring some of the most aggressive and unethical sales representatives and I say this having attended the Mexican Tribunal (which is comparable to U.S. court) and finding the person in charge holding them accountable for "egregious sales methods not in accordance with Mexican laws". It is a terrible feeling to go on vacation and have a property that you feel will be your home away from home take advantage of you. We continue to love Cabo and visit yearly but their are other properties that ARE ethical and beautiful and I don't need to own anything, I just hop on Expedia and book and enjoy my vacation. I put the equivalent of the maintenance fees in the bank and it funds a nice high-end vacation for us every other year (excluding airfare), we are able to book nice suites. Point being, timeshare purchase is not right for everyone, I personally don't see where it would ever make sense financially UNLESS you have endless miles to use or you are just exceptionally wealthy and the expense is a blip on your radar. Larry, you have my deepest sympathies, don't let them have anymore of your energy or emotion, I know what you went through 100% and I am so sorry. Just don't take it out on Cabo, we did that for a bit and it's really the resort, other resorts are more above board but you sound like us and you don't need a timeshare to travel in style. Good luck!
Agree with this respondent 100% . My husband and I got involved with Marina Fiesta and Hacienda Encantada through "Genesis" Collection. We paid them $8000 for no annual fees but only paying when we used the timeshare. Unfortunately, after we purchased and were home making a reservation, we discovered that to use the timeshare, you need to go through their "Mother" Company, RCI, and pay a fee for its use. Since we already are members of RCI, we are paying twice for the exact same thing - and lost $8000 in the process. Amazing what happens to thinking power when you are in a beautiful country, totally relaxed, with visions of returning annually. Chalk this up to a very expensive mistake.
I have been a member at Marina Fiesta for years, although we haven't been able to use for the last 9. Reserved our rooms for January back in October. Now the membership number just plays music, the 10 0ther numbers I have been giving are incorrect numbers or get a busy signal.
No email response.
I am unable to confirm my reservation. What do I do
Just testing...
I purchased a 2-bedroom suite a couple of weeks ago while in Cabo. I am going through some challenging times right now that may force me to cancel the contract although I know about the 5 business day period to cancel. What they offered was very appealing to me since I am someone that could be called a time share addict, I own 7. By doing this deal I would get rid (sell) 4 of the timeshares, a service they provide for a fee $927, and at the end of the process, no more than 180 days after you sign, you will get the money they offered for your property which in my case, after selling all 4 properties, I would end up with $10, 000 dollars in my pocket, after paying off Hacienda Encantada's 2-bedroom purchase. I trusted the rep that I worked with, I rather not display his name here in case he does call me back as I asked him to do earlier today telling him it was important, he has been very responsive and even allowed me to stay 3 nights at a studio unit for free. Very well appointed room, I was very impressed! I don't know what to think of what some of you have said on this post, I would hate to find out that this was yet another scam and that some or most of the things they promised me are not true. I will give this guy a chance to call me back and see how things develop, I will update everyone who is interested when a resolution is reached. Thanks!
I was told the same story about them selling/buying back my other timeshare when I purchased in 2014. It's been over a year, I have yet to receive a check. I also have yet to receive a response from my sales rep (Eddie) or the company that "helps" you sell the old time share. The resort is nice but their business practices are unethical. They have also told me about "selling back weeks"...TBD if that is a possibility. If anyone has a good contact I'd appreciate it.
I feel everyone's pain. I bought in phase 1, ocean front 1 bedroom studio, 2008. Paid $12, 000 cash. Many claims of being able to select resort before depositing HE and having better trading power was false! 5% increase evey year in maintenance fee. Now I call HE looking to sell since I don't use it, they said no services for members to sell like other timeshare resorts do. How do I get out? I have never rented mine out...could someone describe how you go about doing that? What site to list with? How much to ask? Thanks Sad Sue
Hacienda Encantada has developed a new unethical business practice of billing your down payment to their loan servicing partner Concord Servicing and then if you cancel within the first 5 business days and demand your money back as the purchase agreement says you are entitled to, HE and Concord claim that the down payment billed to Concord is not covered by the purchase agreement cancellation policy. Instead of simply complaining, we are victims who are fighting back and looking to sue HE in a US court. HE thinks they are safe in Mexico and not subject to US laws, but that may not be true. If you have been scammed by HE within the last four4 years, you may also be able to sue HE in a US court and recover not only your purchase price, but under US federal law, a mandatory three times your damages, and it will also be mandatory that HE pays all your legal costs and attorney fees. At this time we are looking for other people who have fallen victim to this scam, whether or not you attempted to cancel within the first five business days. The people at MESCAM (dot)COM are helping to coordinate this effort. Please contact MESCAM and provide them with your contact and purchase information. If we are successful in suing HE in a US court, then you can duplicate our efforts and use our case as a precedence for your own successful lawsuit and with three times the damages being awarded, and mandatory attorney fees being paid, it should be easy you other victims to get a local US attorney to take their case for free. Do something other than jsut complain; take a stand and fight back.
Hi! I originally bought into HE in 2011, just a 1- bedroom unit in phase 1. When I returned the following year, of course, they offered an upgrade that sounded incredible--and sadly I spent a little more for an upgrade. The 3rd year that we went, once again, the upgrade offer included the new and still under construction "private residence" and even more intoxicating, the offer of selling back 2 of the 3 weeks we owned via the "private travel corporation" with the idea being that we would realistically only use 1 of our 3 weeks anyways and why not make money ($2500/year) was the promise, off of the other 2 weeks we sold back---eventually paying off the timeshare altogether. Now, as January is around the corner, I tried to log into the PTC website to see about donating the 2 weeks again, for another $2500 profit, and see if there was any notification in there regarding my upcoming $2500 deposit that I should be expecting---only to learn that the domain for the PTC website was available for purchase...now reading all of these complaints about HE AND PTC...I'm growing anxious about this entire arrangement, and the idea that we have made a massive, expensive mistake, and while our first child is on his way and due in 3 months. Any update on the progress of your lawsuit? Very upset.
We also purchased back in 2014. So sorry we did. We're told the same thing about being able to give our 2 weeks to non-existent PTC and if we did not use our weeks and that would cover our maintenance fees and get some money back for the first 7 years. All attempts to contact PTC WERE FUTILE. Finally after 3 weeks received an email that said read the contract. No answers to any of my questions. Now finding out that our sales rep told us many lies.
1)Contract is only good for 30 years. We were told we could give it to our kids
2)called this year to book our 2 weeks only to be told that our contract is only an EVERY OTHER YEAR contract.
You really need a lawyer at the quick closing to read the fine print.
I really do feel for all here that are scammed.
Just check timeshare resale sites and you will see many HE timeshares for sale at discounted prices.
Chimod
We were also scammed at HE with [removed], [removed], his wife [removed] and [removed] with ITX who would resell our other TS on [removed].We were denied the ability to cancel within 5-day period with threats of keeping our down payment.Luckily, our c.c. company new the charges were fraudulent and refunded our down payments with H.E. and PTC.However, we would love to recover our attorney fees we incurred with the cancellation of our vacation contract with Hacienda Encantada Resort and Spa in Cabo San Lucas which was done [removed].TThese people need to be brought to justice.
We are in process of opening a case against HE. Please let us know of your developments. Were you able to get MESCOM to take case on contingency?
Darrenross3@aol.com
Same boat here! originally bought in 2013---got suckered into another upgrade when last went in 2015...enticed by the PTC offer to buy back 2 of our 3 weeks that would otherwise go unused...and we would make $2500 for giving back those 2 weeks...and essentially paying for the remainder of the contract and then some after 7 years of giving PTC those 2 weeks...
Highly disappointing. Especially since we brought friends on our last trip, and they were convinced to buy and are now highly upset...and we feel we are to blame.
Interested to know your progress with MESCOM or PTC or HE...
I purchased at Hacienda Encantada over a year ago with the expectations that they would get rid of two of my other timeshares in Cabo as there was no need for all three and I liked the idea of getting money back when I didn't use my week through a program called Private Travel Corporatoin. Needless to say neither happened. As far as the selling of my property goes the company I was contacting which they highly recommended and I paid money to stopped returning my calls. As for PTC, this year I was to get money in Feb and that did not happen either. I did attend my owners update while in Cabo and they had a new scam, they will buy me out of my membership in a 10 year period, so I can vacation over the next 10 years then get all my money back, I declined their offer because of my previous experience with them. But I did want to find out what was going on and started asking around while in Cabo. PTC is owned by Ryan Wolkov and Wes Johnson(who is currently running the scam out of Los Cabos Golf Resort). I was also told that they didn't believe the developers are aware of the buy back options being offered which is probably owned by them as well as the company who I paid to resale my timeshares.
My wife and I did the same. We bought with a contract stating they would sell our week at the Hilton. I sent an email in September asking about the status. I was told I would be contacted by a closing agent within 30 days. After the 30 days no one sent me anything. I emailed and got a reply that they had moved offices and they were having trouble with the Internet. I waited and still no one contacted me. I sent another email stating that the maintenance fee on the Hilton was coming up and needed to know if it had sold. No reply. I have called the resort and explained what was going on. I was transferred to sales. No one picks up the phone. My wife called yesterday and was told she needed to talk to a woman and was transferred to her. She didn't pick up. My wife called back and was told the woman was at lunch. My wife waited an hour and called back and was told the woman went home; her day was over. We are 24 days away from the year which we signed a contract stating our Hilton would sale or HE would buy it.
My husband and I were founding members to HE. That means we invested while there was still dirt and no resort. Everything was great, we love Hacienda Encantada but their sales processes have been a total issue. We upgraded to a 2 bedroom from a 1 bedroom (which we did not need) with the PTC scam for around $1400. Sept 2016 we were eligible to turn in our 2017 week for 2x reimbursement just like Ryan Wolkov said. I did everything on time and have still not been even paid for my one week let alone 2. I have seen where others have been told they will not reimburse for more than what your week costs due to the economy and worth of the peso.
In February of 2017 we wanted out and Lisa Allen of the HE sales team sold us the walk away contract. We paid $2900 to be able to use for 10 more years and then walk away. I am very concerned that this is yet another scam. I really trusted what HE was offering their customers. I never had any reason to doubt them since we were founding members and loved the resort.
This all just makes me sick to my stomach. Now I envision not only will we not be able to walk away, we just lost $2900 more money.
I was involved with the same scam with an upgrade to phase 3 with the rental back income from ptc. now I just got scammed by elite property holdings & VMSERVICES.CLUB wtf! time to contact mescom for a class action suit for using deception during there sales presentations. No shortage of lawyers out there
I RECENTLY BOUGHT A TIME SHARE THRU THESE FOLKS AND AFTER READING ALL YOUR RESPONSES I CAN TELL I GOT TOOK FOR MY 898.00 USD DEPOSIT. DIDNT REALIZE HOW BAD THINGS WERE TILL I GOT BACK HOME AND I CANT GET AHOLD OF ANYBODY THAT WORKS FOR THEM. I KNOW FOR A FACT I WONT BE GETTING MY DEPOSIT BACK I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY DONT GET ME FOR ANYMORE MONEY ON MY DEBIT CARD.
I’m an founding member with he since they started I made the same mistake of upgrading my membership from 1 bdr to a 2 bdr back in 2015 and the sales team offer me an incredible rental return by paying of enrollment of $2500 usd and guess what never got it. when I called that company ptc I never received a good customer service by the lady on the phone named angie. and of course never received my money. later attend the presentation with another sales rep and his manager eddie (the doctor) convinced me and my wife to get the walkaway. so we could get our money back in 5yrs we spent another $2900 usd and of course when I got back home I dices to contact the company and the same person from ptc. angie answer the phone and the same with the previous we got a terrible service and not even one answer to all of our questions.
I just went to the sales presentation a couple of weeks ago and found out that he fired the sales director ryan and they were testing to convinced me that everything is different they are offering to sell my membership usen a company elite property holdings. that sounds like the new scam from he. because they still have the same employees that stole money from me and several members. like eddie (the doctor) and for my good luck my sales representative was the lady from ptc and walkaway. angie. stay away from he and their tactics of scam. the program is not real at all and they are actually offering the same with weeks that you can never use because they are oversold. hacienda encantada is the worst investement in my life.
We were told we were Founding Members as well, and because of that they were offering 'ONLY' founding members this great deal... which I am still not sure what that meant since there is no language in any of our HE contracts regarding Founding Members. Also we were told that the Walk Away Assurance Program that we bought in to in 2015 doesn't exist anymore, another reason why we had to buy a new contract so we could get into the Equity Program. Yes, both the Sales Manager and the Salesrep were fired, and I have reached out to Eddie to figure out how to deal with the open items I was still working on. He must have sent my email to Customer Service, who is suppose to call this afternoon. We will see.
PennyB here...I just Wrote a whole long post and it disappeared through some technical glitch. Too frustrated to start all over with so many details. Suffice it to say we have invested over $25, 000 in a two bedroom villa at the residencies at HaciendaEncantada still owe 15, 000K. Every promise that was made was a lie. We turned in three Westin time shares including one in Hawaii, paid additional $10, 000 (roughly) to get them sold. They have been sold. We have yet to see a penny and our promised 2018 maintenance fees which were paid by us to allowed the transactions to take place. Scam, scam, scam ! It’s time for a group of us who have all been taken to bring a lawsuit to recover At the minimum, our losses. Anyone interested? HELP!
Oldbride63@yahoo.com
We were also scammed. We were promised rental income which was a MAJOR and substantial selling point for which we agreed, but now are told the rental income was embezzled. This was through an agent of Hacienda Encantada's named ITX, and the person that runs it (Paige Peters) acted fraudulently and is in bed with the resort and there sales team.
Can anyone tell us what recourse we have? Thank you!
Today I was a fool and was scammed by HE
Told me I could sell back my 2 timeshares
It is to a third co elite property holdings which ask for more $$ w no guarantees they will sell
All connected-RCI. Wyndham . Endless vacations . Genesis etc etc
Tomorrow I will try to cancel contract
Will call CC co to try to cancel down payment
Of course right now I’m getting pop ups on here from timeshare attorneys!
The whole business is a scam. Any advice?
I did not read through all of the previous comments, but my story has similarities to those I did read. My husband and I purchased in the Residences at Hacienda Encantada in 2014. We have always been very happy with our vacations there, and are always treated very well by everyone who works there. We did fall into the sales net in 2015 by buying another contract where we could put the primary and loyalty weeks into their Rental Program, which would pay for all our maintenance fees + the maintenance fees we carry on our Marriott Vacation Club - what a deal right? So, the rental program did not really exist and we have yet to make a dollar in rental income. Earlier this year, my now x-husband and I went down on separate vacations, of course, and we both got scammed. We were told that the only way to remove one or the others' name from each contract was to buy a new contract and the old contract would roll into it. They did just that, and we had to pay close to $40k EACH to make that happen. I understand that the sales manager at the time and my sales rep both have been fired since Feb of this year, not that it makes me feel any better. Today a new Customer Service rep is to call and help me understand the value of what I had to buy. Fingers-crossed there is something in the contract that adds value. So long story short, combined, we now have invested close to $160k into the resort, and we each take one week of vacation there a year. I don't know if the lesson is to not trust anything they say, or chalk it up to stupidity on our part. Anyway, sales aside, I have a wonderful experience each and every time I vacation there.
I purchased 2 weeks, 2 bedroom suites early contract number under 200. Went there every year with my 6 kids and loved it. Ya, they promised me rental income but I purchased it to enjoy with my immediate family. I have since added on two villas and my kids have all grown up and left home. The entire family rents rooms from me every year and we go down and have a blast. The resort is beautiful but the Sales Managers are barracuda of the worst class. I sit with them every year as they tell me how stupid I am for not adding more time, space, or amenities to my existing contract. So I am finally immune to their poised and my entire group enjoys the free breakfast and and drinks. I just received a proposal in the mail to rent my units to Elite Property Holding (EPH) for 14, 000 per week.
An obvious scam! they said they already have a client that wants my units and I would have the money in my account in two weeks. Sounds too good to be true so I will pass. Has anybody ever received a dime from EPH? I love my villas and my family +20 go down and have a great time every time at HE. But stay away from the sales staff unless your no is no. I have priceless memories with my kids and are making new ones with my grand kids. Fortunately, renting units to my family has already created an annual waiting list so it works for me. In Cabo with a big group every Thanksgiving.
see ya there.
My husband and I have been "owners" at Hacienda Encantada (HE) for ten years. In that time, we have upgraded three times. The first two were to work our way up to a one bedroom winter float so we could go during January for our anniversary. The last time, we were talked into upgrading to a 2 bedroom (which we didn't need) by offering to include us in a new program with a company called Private Travel Corp. (PCT). We were told that the only way we could join this company was to upgrade our membership at HE. PTC was supposed to buy any weeks from us that we didn't want to use and resell them to other vacationers. We thought that would be a great way to not have to pay maintenance fees if we didn't want to go to Cabo in a given year. PTC turned out to be a scam and HE said there was nothing they could do because it was a separate company and HE was only affiliated with them and not responsible for their business practices. Okay, shame on us for believing them.
So in January, 2020 we went back to Cabo after being away for three years. We wanted to talk to HE about possibly downgrading to a one bedroom since we didn't need all the space of a two bedroom and didn't want to have to keep paying the higher maintenance fees. We agreed to go to the "owners update", which is really a sales presentation in disguise, because we thought those were the people we needed to talk to about switching to a one bedroom. The sales rep working with us said that HE would not be willing to downgrade us back to a one bedroom but they would be willing to upgrade us to the newer building (Phase 3) that had a few more amenities and we could go back to having a one bedroom unit.
So, essentially, we would have to upgrade our membership in order to downsize the space. We didn't really care about the amenities that came with phase 3, but we did like that the maintenance fees would go back down to that of a one bedroom. What really sold us on the deal, though, was that our sales guy told us that the new owner was willing to buy back our vacation membership at 75% of whatever the current value happened to be if we ever decided that we wanted to sell our membership. He said the owner would rather buy it back himself than to have it sold for pennies on the dollar in the open market in order to maintain the integrity of the resort. He said it was guaranteed and was in the contract.
We decided it would be worth it to pay for the upgrade in order to get that option. We negotiated with the sales people and got the cost of the upgrade down to $9250 USD. While we waited for them to prepare the contract, they took our credit card. We were escorted into a tiny room in the back of the sales office with a woman who presented us with the contract. We then, much to the woman's irritation, preceded to read through the contract. We asked specifically where the part about the "guaranteed buyback" was located as we couldn't readily find it. She pointed out the section, which of course did not match what the salesperson had told us. It was merely one of three options, solely at the discretion of the owner as to which option to choose. The other two were not nearly as good for us, but much better for the company. We realized, at that point, we were being misled and told them that we would not move forward with the deal and we were not signing the contract as it did not match what we had been told.
We found out, at that point, that they had already charged our credit card for the $9250. We were not happy they had run our credit card before we even signed the contract, but they assured us we would get our card credited back for the charge in one week. That was a month ago and the money still isn't there. Before we left the resort (the one week they originally said had passed) we went to talk to the sales manager, Ryan Wolkov, about the issue. He produced a computer printout that stated the refund had been initialized on January 20th (the date of the bogus charge was January 13) and that the money would be credited back by the following Monday (it was Friday when we talked to him). We still have not received the refund a month later, and counting. We alerted our credit card company of the situation when we returned to the states as well as called the management company, Concord Servicing Corp., who is a US based company, to complain. All we get from HE and their affiliates is the run around. They keep saying the money will be returned in "a week" but it never is. We are now prepared to take legal action against HE if the credit card company can't resolve this for us.
Moral of the story: not only should you read everything before signing anything and make sure you know what you're getting into, but don't ever turn over your credit card to these people until after you've signed the contract. If they refuse to move forward under those conditions, walk away...quickly and with your credit card safely in hand!
Wow these people are such Scammers, I cannot start to imagine how I would feel if I got charged that amount, I’m very angry that they overcharged my credit card without my authorization for about $100 and I’m very upset of how thieves are these people! Something needs to be done or the public needs to know about this.. is plain year 2022 and they are still stealing from their guests! So sorry this happened to you guys and hope everything was taken care… wow
same experience... Love the resort but the sales tactics are despicable.
In 2015 I fell for "Maintenance Recovery Program" ($1, 095 to sign up) but impossible to satisfy all "requirements", non existent websites, etc.
And then 2016 fell for the "Walk Away Assurance" ($2, 900) in 10 years i would get $70k back. That website is gone and i know i will never see any of that $$$ again. I guess i should feel fortunate to be only out $4k.
How was it resolved?
We purchased a one bedroom at H.E. in 2016. We also purchased Walk Away Insurance that would buy back our timeshare in 10 years if we were not happy. We were also promised rental income if we chose to not use our year. Well we have never been able to rent our week. The company that we have to use was never responsive and went out of business. Our only option now is to try to rent it using a third party like Redweek.com. The maximum it can be rented for is about one half of our maintenance fees. As far as the Walk Away Insurance, there is fine print that they will only buy back one out of 10 timeshares! Good luck being that one out of ten. There sales department is very unethical and deceptive. This experience has been an albatross around my neck for years and one of the worst experiences of my life. So much so, that I have never stayed at the resort since I purchased the timeshare back in 2016. How can we be a part of any class action lawsuit?