WorldMark by Wyndham review: Coerced into signing contracts by salespeople that used deceptive and abusive sales tactics against elders and a Vietnam Veteran.

The information is best summarized in this set of emails below. The corporation already has copies of various emails and documents showing fraud.

From: Diana Lindsay

Sent: Sunday, November 26, 2023 4:04 AM

To: Culp, Elmer

Cc: Angeles, Kristine Joy ; Hughes, Nicole ; Aguayo, Valeria ; Gennoe, Faythe

Subject: RE: Wyndham Case Number [protected]

Importance: High

The worst thing that happened at that first contract meeting on July 5 was the great disrespect shown to a Vietnam/American Veteran under the guise of honoring him. Hassan Vojdani presented items included in the Platinum membership at a cost of $114,300 that he said was discounted to $60,000 if purchased that day. But for Veterans, the special good discount was $31,049. Hassan asked Lowell if he was a Vet, and when Lowell responded that he had been a Vietnam combat helicopter rescue pilot, Hassan said, “Thank you for your service.” Then he proceeded to honor Lowell by selling us the lowest membership under the guise of selling us the top membership at discount. What does that say? Wyndham honors Veterans by giving them the bottom of the barrel! So much for honoring our serviceman who risk their lives to defend our country.

If this resolution does not end in our favor, I will look forward to doing presentations about Wyndham to military and veteran organizations – as many as I can book to relay how Wyndham really honors those who serve. – Diana Lindsay

From: Diana Lindsay

Sent: Friday, November 24, 2023 10:52 AM

To: Culp, Elmer

Cc: Angeles, Kristine Joy ; Hughes, Nicole ; Aguayo, Valeria ; Gennoe, Faythe

Subject: RE: Wyndham Case Number [protected]

Importance: High

Hi Elmer – let me summarize why I want both contracts cancelled and my funds returned to me with as little collateral damage as possible. Your sales team follows deceptive practices for financial exploitation. In our case, this is also elder abuse as my husband is 82 and I will be 80 next year. They prey on any information they can get from a prospective client to close a sale. In our case, they used this information that they were given: (1) Lowell has mild dementia and I wanted to provide him with some special trips while he could still enjoy them; (2) I want Lowell to be comfortable flying to Italy each year to visit with our daughter. He rests better on flights in business class; (3) I was looking for economical hotel stays in a desert community where I do research and presentation to organizations, as we lost the rental that we had been using for the 14 years this past spring. They used this information to sell a product that does not exist, with verbal promises that we were receiving everything that was promised to us.

1. At the July 5 sales meeting my husband and I were presented a product that cost $114,300 that was discounted first to $60,000, and then to $31,049 when they asked if Lowell is a veteran. We told them that he had been a Vietnam combat Helicopter rescue pilot. We were led to believe that the contract we were signing was the discounted $114,300 product that included personal choice at the highest level and that we would receive that discounted price if we signed that day. What we in fact signed, and did not really realize it at that time, was membership at the lowest level. We were sold on a product and then presented with a contract for something else – a bait and switch.

2. I told the salespeople that we had lost our desert rental after 14 years in Borrego Springs, and as guidebook authors, we still needed to have a presence in Borrego Springs. Because of my continuing research for new and updated books and because I do regular presentations for California State Parks, I was searching for economical places to stay. Kostastina, Hassan, and Alejandro deceptively presented $59 as the full cost of a night’s stay at hotels anywhere, including Borrego Springs and along the coast where we like to bicycle, a favorite bike loop being Coronado Island. They said we could stay at the very expensive Hotel del Coronado for $59 per night or longer for a slightly higher fee. I did not learn the truth of what that meant until several months later from Faythe Gennoe—that this is the cost of the RCI exchange on top of the cost of a hotel room. That misinformation and deceptive lie was continued by Saqvan Ali also, assuring me that I would never pay more than $59 for a stay in Borrego Springs or anywhere else in the world. The sales pitch of the $59 room was one of the main reasons I agreed to the original contract, which was based on deception and misinformation to get me to sign a contract that did not even have what was promised in the original presentation.

3. The third reason I signed the original contract was that I was told that membership included discounts of 45-65% on special excursions and on business-class flights through Wyndham’s own travel agency. I told the salespeople that I wanted to provide Lowell a couple of trips that he could enjoy while he could still remember things. We were planning to reserve the Rocky Mountaineer train excursion for our 60th wedding anniversary in 2024, which costs over $11,000 a person, not including transportation to and from Vancouver, Canada. Your salespeople assured me that we could get a discount on the trip or use credits that came with membership to pay for the trip. Those same credits could also be used for business-class flights to Italy where our daughter lives and where we travel every year. On a sheet of paper, Hassan indicated how credits could be used for business-class flights and resort stays, and how other trips would be discounted 45-65% off their retail price.

4. Both contract signing sessions were very difficult as they followed hours of high-pressure sales that continued until those offices were closing and everyone really wanted to leave. That made it extremely difficult to completely understand what I was signing. The contract was on a monitor on the wall and difficult to read, especially any fine print. The employee in charge of administering the contract did not read all of it – just summarized what was on a page asking if I agreed to what she said. I was never clear what I signed, and unfortunately, I believed what the salespeople said as in each case they affirmed I was receiving what I was promised. Later, when I asked to cancel the first contract because I became suspicious of the sales tactics that were used to get me to sign, I was told it was too late, and I could not cancel. I was never told about the Resolution Department until after I had signed the second contract. After finding out that I could not cancel the contract, I was still hopeful at that time that the key things I was interested in would be coming: the $59 hotel stay, the discounted special trips, and the business-class flights for credits.

5. I was told on August 25th by Alejandro that I purchased the lowest level of membership and could not get out of my contract. He said that the only way to get what I was promised was to upgrade to Diamond level by paying an additional $58,189. I was told that if I did not pay that price that day, I could not do anything with my membership as I wanted or needed, and if I waited, that the price would be even more. Saqvan said I would not have to upgrade again as the Diamond level would give me the personal choice that I could use to start booking trips. I again asked if I would still get the $59 hotel stays and the discounts for special trips, and both assured me I would. I felt trapped and wanted to leave to see what other options I had. My mind was on getting home to pick up my husband to go to the airport to pick up our son who was flying in. I was high-pressured into signing when Alejandro called an Uber to pick up my husband and he said we could quickly sign so that I could get to the airport in time. The signing session went so fast, and I was so distracted as my husband kept calling me, that I had no idea what I was signing. But, I still thought it could pencil out after time if I was getting what I thought I was to receive.

6. Then what followed were excuses and delays when I wanted to reserve my first $59 hotel room at the Hotel del Coronado. I was told by Saqvan that my account was not set up. Got the same response a week later when I wanted to reserve a hotel in Old Town, but this time Saqvan said he would reserve a place for me “gratis” that I could use until my account became active. Saqvan used my Barclays card to make the reservation. He said he upgraded the hotel room so that we could enjoy it more. That full-cost of the hotel room has never been reimbursed and is still on the Barclays card to be paid. The same happened with a two-night “gratis” stay for my son in Carlsbad. But this time 27,000 points were taken off the Barclays card to pay for the “gratis” room. The same thing happened again when I was given another “gratis” stay in Borrego Springs when I was doing a presentation, except this time Saqvan used by USAA card to make the reservation. The cost of that hotel room is now on my USAA card. Then there were a series of meetings in which Saquan never showed up or cancelled, and I was told my account was not set up yet.

7. Then this: I made an appointment on October 10 with Saqvan to finally book the Rocky Mountaineer trip for 2024. First, I was told that I could not do this or reserve anything because my account was still not set up. Then Saqvan said I would not be able to take these trips every year because I was only at Diamond level and that I needed to upgrade again for over $30,000 in order to take yearly “personal choice” trips, after he had said on August 25 that I would never have to upgrade again. Unbelievable! Salespeople were really asking me to pay that original price of over $114,000 for the Platinum level that they originally said they were discounting to me on that first day. And still, the membership remains inactive.

8. Whatever faith and belief I had in Wyndham has long disappeared. I have been lied to, given misinformation, disrespected, and have had salespeople take advantage of my general trusting nature. I am dealing with people who go out of their way to not respond to my concerns and are only interested in seeing how much more they can squeeze out of me financially. My husband and I live on a fixed income of social security and his YMCA annuity. We save diligently for retirement income to use for travel excursions in our final years. You have exploited us to the point that we will not be able to take our 60th anniversary train trip that we had long been looking forward to. I do not want to be associated with a corporation that exploits people for personal gain. I could never trust anything that would be promised to me by your company. Since I have never used anything provided by the company, as the “gratis” trips have been on my tab, and since the membership has been on hold for almost five months, I would like the contracts cancelled, as I was dupped and conned into signing each one with fraudulent promises and things that really don’t exist.

9. If you will release me from the contracts, returning my funds, then we can part company peacefully, and I will quit filing fraud claims against you everywhere that is possible. I will also not write up my experiences for publication online and in print wherever I can. I am an award-winning writer and I do know how to write articles that will be published. I am also a former journalist and hot-line columnist. I am very good at doing presentations and would happily make myself available to clubs and organizations to make them aware of what could happen if they purchase a membership in a vacation club or timeshare. If you read my bio, you will find out that I have incredible energy and determination to get and do what I want. Right now, I want out of this membership, and will do whatever it takes.

Looking forward to a positive response from you that doesn’t take months to generate.

Respectfully – Diana Lindsay

Contract #1: [protected]

Contract #2: [protected]

Member # [protected]