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Well, I sent my refund letter in three weeks ago and I got it back in the mail yesterday, unopened and bearing a big yellow sticker on the front that reads, "Return to Sender, Not Deliverable as Addressed, Unable to Forward." I tried calling Interval this morning and their main customer service line is "Temporarily Disabled." How convenient for them!
I have my credit card company working on this now. I've also sent in a complaint to the BBB of Atlanta. I suspect that Interval will claim that they never received my letter, hence they've done nothing wrong here. I've made every possible effort to contact them. Not being able to be reached by phone, internet or mail says volumes about the type of business you run!
I have a feeling that any further posts here will be from customers that feel duped, disenfranchised or just need a place to vent about Interval Consulting Group. If you just got involved with them, get out now! They are ever so surely going to disappear with your money.
After having minimal success selling my timeshare through another company, I got a call from these guys. This was on the 4th of April. I dealt with Tony and he assured me that he could sell my timeshare within 6 months or my $1200 would be returned. He sounded very knowledgeable and I put my faith in the fact that he could get the job done. It's been almost three months now and had I not called him several weeks ago, I wouldn't have heard a peep.
I'm beginning to get worried that I've been taken, because I haven't gotten one offer. He told me that it's the summer season and people would be more apt to buy now. Well, that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, the same day I signed the contract with him, I received another call from TimesharesOnly and I told them I went with Interval. The guy there told me to back out now, that interval was a scam and that there are all kinds of companies out there that prey upon people. Without even telling him what the terms of my deal with Interval were, he pretty much nailed it, down to the dollar and the timeframes. He also told me that these companies often fold up shop before you can collect your refund after the 6 months. I ended up calling Tony back and speaking to him about this and he assured me that the guy was probably just trying to get me to switch to his company. I believed him, but am really skeptical now, especially since I haven't heard anything back from them.
Although I can't say anything negative so far, I want to know what they are doing for the $1200 I paid them. That's a lot of money.
I'm curious Mr Logan, Where is your timeshare that you are getting several offers? Mine is in Las Vegas, the highest demand of any place on earth, besides Hawaii, and I haven't gotten one offer since April 4th! You tell me whether you think that is slander or not (BTW, it would be libel, as it is written, not spoken).
I called my rep two days ago and his personal line was, you guessed it, NO LONGER IN SERVICE! I called the main customer service line and got through, only to find that my rep was "in a presentation all day" and that they had been having troubles with the phone company for three weeks. I don't know about you, but any reputable company that deals primarily by phone and who doesn't have their phone issues fixed within a few days, let alone hours, is very suspect to me.
I requested that my rep, Tony, call me back at his earliest convenience to discuss my case with me. I'm still waiting for that call...
In the meantime, I think I'll give the Atlanta BBB a call.
Paul, I feel your pain. If it weren't for me making repeated calls to the customer service line, I would never have heard from ICG. I've got less than two months left on my 180 days that I agreed to. I hope that they can prove me wrong. Actually, I am begging them to prove me wrong! So far they really have done nothing to ensure me that my money was well spent. If they do decide to screw me, they can't hide. I'll make it my
mission to let everyone know how big of a sham their company is and how they prey upon people. Trust is a big deal with me. You blow that, you write your own death sentence! Try me ICG...you will not win by cheating!
My 180 days is up next Tuesday. I have my letter signed, sealed, and waiting to deliver. In that time frame, I got ONE offer and it was for $36, 000 less than what I was asking for. I laughed and said kindly, "No."
We'll see what happens. Any takers on what will happen? The pessimist in me is thinking the absolute worst, like they will fold up tent and I'll never be able to track them down. Or perhaps they take months to refund the money. Or even better yet, they find some loophole in the contract that stipulates they don't owe me a refund. When I called a few weeks ago and spoke to the customer service desk, the girl tried telling me that I was not entitled to a refund because they did bring me an offer and I refused it. I read the contract back to her that stipulates a refund if I am not brought an offer that I accepted within that timeframe (which I didn't) and she changed her tune and apologized, saying she thought I was on some other kind of contract.
Everything with this company makes me really skeptical. If they do hold up to their end of the bargain and refund my money immediately after they receive my refund request, I'll take back every bad word I've ever said about them. This will also restore my faith in humankind.
We'll see. I'm a fair person. Just don't like being taken as a sucker.
I just decided to take a look at the BBB Web site for this company and they have slipped from an A to a B rating. They are NOT an accredited BBB Business either. I have this suspicion that their rating will get worse before it improves. My gut feeling is not good. I guess I'll find out in the weeks to come.
Hey Deb,
I did receive my offer via telephone. I also received an e-mail prior to that stating that I would be getting a phone call regarding the selling of my timeshare. Now, I'm an educated man, so you can understand why the "money back guarantee" was what basically closed the deal for me. I figured that I controlled my own destiny in this situation. If I didn't like an offer, I could refuse it and after 6 months, if I still hadn't gotten one I liked, I could walk away like nothing had happened. Well, I had my timeshare originally listed for 52k, so you can imagine my disgust when they came to me 4 months later with an offer of 15k! I refused this politely and told them no. This was the only contact they have made with me in 6 months.
My contract states: "In the event that ICG does not fulfill the "for sale by owner" marketing agreement and bring a legitimate offer to the client that the client accepts for the named property by 180 days of contract, then the seller can request a full refund from ICG."
That slip from an A to a B rating so quickly after I signed this contract with them has me really skeptical though.
Rudy,
Please elaborate on the "freezing of assets" comment you made above. Please educate us so we have more ammo to take to these guys should they default on their end of the deal. You guys ever hear the term "power in numbers?" We need to stick together in case legal action is needed. One voice can be easily ignored...many cannot!
-Rich
Greetings folks, Just thought I'd throw out there that I did some investigating and Interval Consulting Group is no longer a member of the ARDA. Their membership lapsed 3-31-09, which, unfortunately, was about two weeks after I signed my contract.
I highly suggest that anyone who is reading this should file a complaint with the Atlanta BBB when your contract expires and you cannot get a hold of ICG for a refund. That time WILL come. You can do it online. Here is the link: https://odr.bbb.org/odrweb/public/getstarted.aspx
Also, here is the number and address for the Office of Consumer Affairs in Georgia. We're only going to get these crooks if we speak up and let the state know we're not going to be taken!
Georgia Office of Consumer Affairs
2 MLK Drive SE, Suite 356
Atlanta, GA 30334
Phone: [protected]
Do the right thing! Power to the people!
-Rich
Yes folks, the only way to stop these crooks is to band together. I talked to a lawyer friend of mine about this and he said that we're all pretty much screwed and said that these type of people operate illegitimate business that don't sell a thing. They make their money by ripping people off and by the time you go to collect, they are long gone...on to the next state and the next scam.
While it pains me to spend all this time and energy on these people, I'll do it to keep others from being scammed. They will be caught eventually.
You may not be able to get your money back folks, but you have even more power...the power to put these guys in jail or at least make sure that they never get a business license again.
Do the right thing!
Okay folks..more arsenal.
Power is in numbers, trust me. Everyone hang in there. The cavalry is on the way!
Lady X calibur, You couldn't be farther from the truth. I am not a former employee or competitor by any means. I am/was a customer of ICG. I'm not sure exactly which greasy spoon diner you are eating your "food for thought, " but I suppose you are entitled to your own hypotheses. Every word of each post I have made on this site is 100% accurate. My posts were not for venting vitriolic diatribe, but rather to educate and let others know what happened so that they don't get involved with an unscrupulous company.
I too had a conversation today with company representative, right after he got off the phone with Deb. He spent about 35 minutes explaining the history of the ICG/IMG companies, apologized for the actions that ICG took (or in this case, didn't take), and offered me a full refund, which I had already successfully negotiated with the fraud department of my credit card company. As reparations for the exhausting hours I had spent trying to get a response from ICG, he offered to market my property through his new company for free. I figured it was the least he could do, so I took him up on the offer.
From what he told me, he started ICG with a bad business partner who went rogue and drove ICG into the ground. It was dissolved after two months of operation and the doors of 3525 Piedmont were closed. The customer service team was supposed to send out a mass e-mail letting all 100 of us clients know that this was the case, but like every other manner of business, this was not taken care of. He also said that he basically lent his name to ICG, and was not aware of what was happening in the day to day operation of the business. I really want to believe him, as we've all made mistakes in life. He did proactively seek me out, as he was worried about the fallout ICG had created, as well as his reputation.
I can say that it does take some attrition and good faith to reach out to someone you know you have wronged, either directly or indirectly. He said that he would be contacting everyone on this site that has been affected by these fraudulent business practices. I would love to hear other people's stories.
-Rich
I also got my letters back.
The new address is: 42 New Orleans Rd, Ste 105, Hilton Head, SC 29928 (although my web saearch cited "Suite E" as their address.) Same customer service number (if that's what you call it!)
Per an attorney friend of ours, if you did not receive a written offer to puchase from them during the term of your contract, then there was no "legitimate offer" to qualify their refund policy.
Hope this helps,
Deb
Deb, on the contract it has in black and white that if they do not sell your stuff for you they will refund your monies. That hold up in any court.
my lawyer has already looked into it for me, once a LLC dissolves you cant go after the owner or other assets of the owner, everything falls back on the business only. thats why im just chalking this one up as another lesson learned. god says forgive and forget, and even though this is a tough one to do that on its just more stress than its worth to make pointless pursuit.
I have sent a request to Mike LaPoint with his new contact information requesting my refund. Same story as everyone else - got 1 offer extremely low (only a phone call), sent letter which did not get returned, spoke to a customer service person once who was as professional as a toad and now only get the mailbox for any of the extensions. I'll let you know if Mike addresses my email - rather doubt it.
Scam! Scam! Scam! I have been duped! Do not do business with interval group. . They move around fl to ga to now sc. . . Thank god! I used my credit card and well my credit card company will refund me the $600 i put down with $600 to follow after the sale that will never happen. There customer service # does not return calls after a month or so. . . I truly believe the people saying good things about the company are really employees of interval themselves. . Please do not waste your money with them or for any other company asking up front fees. . . I got burned so save yourself. . I know how sometimes desperation can get u into bone headed decisions. .
I signed up with Interval Consulting Group (ICG) on 26 May 2009 for my Grandview at Las Vegas timeshare. My salesperson was Joan Lumopo. Like many of you I dropped $1200 upfront for this. Well today is day 180 and the refund letter is out the door to both ICG and their new name Interval Marketing Group (IMG). I'm hoping for the best but not holding my breath that I'll see the money. By the way, Mike Lapointe and Gina Owens work/worked for both companies. As noted by others their 1-866 number is the same for both companies. I'm talking to Visa's fraud department on this, don't know what will happen on that front.
I've spoken to ARDA who are oblivious to what consumers do when we see ARDA's "Accreditation" on a seller's website. ARDA said that ICG was in good standing until Oct 09 as the dues while not paid were being delayed for member companies due to the economic downturn...so more of us get suckered in by companies I have no doubt.
IMG has ARDA's icon on their page and according to Mr. Brown at ARDA IMG is not a member in any way shape or form of ARDA.
I love how no one can tell you at ARDA what reseller is reputable, and then they and many states say don't pay up front fees to sell a timeshare. Anyone know who operates reputably like I had hoped ICG would that doesn't charge upfront fees? Anyone know if ARDA can share responsibility for lending validity to unscrupulous websites? ARDA's head office did say to contact their Florida office in case legal action is pending against ICG there. The ARDA number to call in Florida is [protected]. If there's a way to find out if legal action is possible then I'm all for it.
Ms. Owens, Customer Service at ICG/IMG told me that ICG had an inventory of 700 timeshare listings. If you accept that number then approx 700 listings X $1200 in fees adds up to more than $840000 U.S. Dollars. So there should be money to get from them. Unless they've invested in personal protective service agents which may not be a bad idea for ICG/IMG to consider at this point.
I've filed complaints with the BBB of Atlanta and the Hilton Head area BBB. I wonder if we can go after the BBB for allowing both businesses to have A- ratings within months of starting up when BBB guidelines suggest they shouldn't qualify for this rating so soon.
There are ways to make Google/YAHOO etc searches come up with Caveat Emptor (Buyer Beware) postings for IMG and ICG the apparent owner of ICG/IMG before the actual websites. If anyone here has those kind of talents you may want to warn others.
I feel for all of you who may have been taken on this and be careful going forward on selling too!
I filed a dispute with my CC, Amex, the 19th of Nov, my 180th day with these crooks. My account has been credited by Amex for my $800. deposit while they investigate ICG
We really need to heed Richguy's urging to file complaints with the Georgia Officie of Consumer Affairs - Here's a link to their form, which can actually be faxed! PLEASE DO THIS! They may be able to help us.
http://consumer.georgia.gov/vgn/images/portal/cit_1210/35/26/117138786Complaintform.pdf
I finally reached this site after wasting my time and money to ICG...I just talked 2 minutes ago with Amex to dispute the refund of $998 "marketing fee" that was charged in April 2009 but Amex said they cannot help it after 60 days(To Tiredofthisshi-t...how you could dispute your case?). I put my complaints to BBB Atlanta, following thatrichguy's suggestion. Appreciate for everyone's efforts! I'll wait for my refund and wish all of us will be saved from this nightmare.
Everyone,
After posting my concerned comments on this site, I'm pleased to inform all of you that I have been contacted directly by the owner, and we have reached agreement regarding my refund request. My conversation with him was pleasant and enlightening - much more than I expected. If anyone here has not taken the proper steps to communicate, I compel you to do so within the timeframe indicated in your contract, as it is your responsibility within the contract parameters.
Good luck to all --
Deb
Deb,
I also tried to contact this place to get my refund. Am having no luck. How did you get a hold of anyone you say you were contacted by the representative. If you could put down a number to call or write to and address. I would need to know. thanks for any information to help get anyones money back.
Stan
Stan,
He contacted me directly - on his own, proactively - not at my request. I had provided a very detailed communication log and copies of all my emails when I mailed them my request for refund. Have you actually come to the end of your contract? Have you sent in your letter requesting refund within the time required to meet the terms of your contract? If not, and you're still within the timeframe, I suggest you use the Hilton Head address posted previously on this forum. Note that Gina Owens is no longer with the company.
Good luck,
Deb
Food for thought...check out RichGuy thoroughly as I have a feeling he is a competitor of Interval Marketing Group among other companies and it seems to be his MO is to slander any other company. I have noticed this behavior overtime with this user ID, and I suspect he is a former employee who feels scorned, or maybe he just doesn't like competition?
As for me, I did not use Interval Marketing Group to sell, but I did buy from them! I purchased a resale in NC. The showroom was comfy and the coffee was GREAT! They did also give me a free one year membership to RCI with a free week. Nothing I saw or experienced seemed like a scam.
Hope this helps someone!
Rich and Deb,
I have filed complaints with the BBB in Atlanta and for Hilton Head's BBB (through Savannah Georgia). I have also sent registered letters to ICG's old Atlanta address and the new address in Hilton Head requesting my refund as 21 Nov 09 was day 180. I have not heard from ICG or IMG.
My bank's Visa branch is investigating this further at this time to get me a refund, they have a copy of my contract with ICG and its guaranteed money back clause after 180 days if the property was not sold.
Thanks.
Rod
Guess you can add me to the long list of 'suckers'. I really thought this company was legit. Had continuing correspondence with Gina Owens and was even considering extending my contract another 180 days. I too was presented with an offer to buy. It was actually a very good one, but gee...the buyers financing fell thru. How convenient. My certified refund request letter is on its' way but am not holding my breath. The BBB of Atlanta will be contacet and am also going to attempt to recover something from my bank. Guess they are right when they say 'a sucker is born every day'!
Update to my last post. When I returned from my Thanksgiving vacation I learned that my bank's VISA customer disputes office had credited my account with the entire amount that I had paid to ICG. Needless to say my wife and I are very happy about this outcome.
Additional good news here is that the office in Hilton Head did receive my request for a refund. However, since my bank credited my VISA on Nov 25, about the same time the Hilton Head office received my registered letter with the refund request there was no need for ICG, IMG to take any financial action.
Mr. Lapointe from the sales office branch which is different from the customer service office branch of, stay with me here, ICG - then IMG - now Direct Resorts has spoken to me this week. He will speak to the representative to see how the current company, Direct Resorts, can make things right for me and my wife in regards to selling our timeshare. If there is a further positive news and an acceptable way ahead we'll let everyone who reads this board know.
Good luck to one and all in having positive outcomes for your situations.
Rod
Rod,
Please be aware that the credit your bank's VISA department issued back to your account MAY be conditional upon ICG/IMG's response to their request for information. You may want to verify with your bank that their "refund" is permanent and not revocable. I say this only because our bank did the same thing, but then reversed it when there was no response from ICG upon their inquiries.
As for the company representative, he contacted me directly, so I have no direct contact information for him. You could try asking for him when you call the general Direct Resorts phone number. Good luck!
Deb
Deb,
Thanks for the advice about the credit. I included the contract with ICG and its terms in my mailing to the bank along with my BBB complaint reports to both BBBs. So, I'm hoping that the 180 day guaranteed refund clause in the contract is what made the bank go ahead and credit the account. I will check into this though with my bank.
I can not say thank you enough to everyone who has posted their situation here, the good and the bad. Had I not tripped across this website my story may have turned out differently. The education I have gained through the "School of hard knocks"; about timeshare resales; what BBB's are and the level of protection/information/credibility they provide; what the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) is and can do for people; what the Attorney General's office in several states are doing on this topic; all of this would not have been possible without this webpage as a starting point.
Again to those whose story may not be a positive one yet, I encourage you to pursue this through contact with the company (both IMG and Direct Resorts of Hilton Head phone numbers on their websites), your financial institution and through the legal system when warranted.
I'm no legal expert...and I didn't sleep in a Holiday Inn Express last night!... but the personal situations I've read here all strike me as being on the level, so do take action through the right formal way. Hopefully your situations will all end successfully for you too.
Again many thanks to all, and if I have further news I will most definitely post it here.
Rod
We had to get an attorney to get our refund but we did get it. Our attorney sent the letter to the address on our contract. We got our $1998.00 back two weeks ago and the check was good.
They did not sell our timeshare and you cannot dispute credit card transactions after 60 days- trust me on this one. Our bank said "No Way". If it's been charged within the past 60 days you're good. If not, all I can say is get an attorney because that's what it took to get our deposit back and ONLY because we requested it in writing within 5 days of the end of our contract. We got lucky.
Good Luck! We'll never sell our timeshare through anyone but a broker or agent again.
IF YOU WERE CONTACTED BY INTERVAL CONSULTING GROUP OR ANY OTHER TIMESHARE RESALE COMPANY AND YOU PAID THEM MONEY UP FRONT AFTER BEING PROMISED A BUYER PLEASE CONTACT ME AND TELL ME YOUR STORY. LEAVE ME YOUR CONTACT INFO. YOUR MONEY ISN'T GONE YOU JUST HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT. I CAN HELP. fight_back2009@live.com
I too was scammed and now have seen a claim from email address fight_back2009@live.com
that they can get our money back.
Anyone have any experience with this group?
weeroo,
First off anyone or any group that is not a U.S. State Attorney General's office that is offering to help should be treated cautiously. I went through my credit card company's dispute successfully (sent them all my documents, contract etc). Others here have had lawyers take action on their part. I know that for me my credit card company's action worked. There are several stories here that say this didn't work for other people. Contact IMG with your request as well if you're at the 180 day mark. Just don't delay the credit card company call.
My condo is the Grandview at Las Vegas one on the IMG front page of the website (cycles between it and one for Tahiti Village). IMG is trying to correct the wrong that occurred with ICG, at no additional cost to me. If/when my unit sells I'll post the good news here. I'm neither positive or negative on the outcome, all I can do is wait and see. I've also had it listed for a year now with a Remax office in Branson, MO with no success there either yet (and another $500 spent with no results).
You should understand from reading postings above the following:
Interval Consulting Group (ICG) of Atlanta is out of business. This can be confirmed when looking them up on the Atlanta BBB website.
ICG became Interval Marketing Group LLC (IMG) after they moved to Hilton Head, SC.
Their website is: http://intervalmarketinggroup.com/t/index.php/home.html
You can research IMG on the Southeast Atlantic BBB website. I put in complaints through both BBB's mentioned here for ICG and IMG, neither one was responded to by ICG or IMG. The Southeast Atlantic BBB hasn't updated their site on this statistic yet (Christmas holidays issue I suspect).
Good luck in getting your situational resolved successfully, just be cautious of offers to help.
Rod
I'm another sucker that got taken by them. I had multiple emails from Gina Ownes stating that they were working on an offer. Offers never materialized. I’m at the point of requesting for my refund but two requests have been returned without the refund. Can anyone assist me? Dflores@santa-ana.org
PLEASE SEND ME YOUR CONTACT INFO TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT. YOU CAN EMAIL ME AT fight_back2009@live.com or leave a message [protected] Art Feldman
They're an absolute scam - have been watching their BBB rating go from A- to F