timeshare fraud with mayan palace

[marie60]

We have just returned from our vacation in Mexico and we are canceling our contract with Mayan Palace Regency immediately. We were deceived and lied to in order to illegally and unlawfully obtain $25,000.00 U.S. dollars from us during our vacation. We attempted to cancel our contract at the resort within the 5 day cancellation period but our request to cancel was not accepted. we are triying. canceling our contract with the Mayan Palace and we are demanding a full refund of $25,000 to our accounts immediately.

We were told that the Mayan Palace would purchase our two timeshare weeks from us. They promised to pay us a total of $27,800 for the two weeks. They had a contract with the prices they would pay for our weeks but we were not given a copy. We were also not given copies of our credit application and we were not told that we were applying for Bank of America credit cards.

Upon review of our paperwork, we realized that copies of important papers had mysteriously been left out of the notebook that we were given. We also researched the Mayan Palace, their rental rates and sales practices on the internet at the resort. We spoke with our sales representative and asked him for the missing paperwork. He told us that he did not have the papers as they were already sent to Texas but in the same statement he said that we would be dealing with a company in Florida who would be buying our timeshares from us. This same company, Luxury Resort Management insisted on charging our credit card account for $399 in order to process the listing of our two timeshares.

We told them that we wanted to cancel our contract since we could not afford to pay for the Mayan timeshare without the money from the sale of our timeshares

The Mayan Palace refused to allow us to rescind our agreement. We were told that we could not cancel and we would lose all of our money that we paid to the Mayan Palace and that the cancellation period had passed, which was not true.

[PJTSytms97]

Hi,

We were defrauded out of $6175 by Boutique Resort La Jolla, Mazatlan, Mexico. From what I have read from other fellow victims, the only way to get a refund is to hire your own lawyer. The US Embassy to Mexico website, has a list of Mexican attorneys to choose from. Some of the other travel sites, also have listed Mexican attorneys that have been able to obtain refunds, with a cost of 20%-30% of the recovery. Since my cost was relatively small, by example, it would not be worth it to pursue Boutique Resort La Jolla with my own private attorney. I currently have a fraud case against the resort with PROFECO in Mexico City. Over the past year, I have heard many differing opinions about this consumer protection agency, but I remain hopeful of a just outcome. I am fortunate, that I was defrauded out of my downpayment only, and not the entire purchase price listed in the sales agreement.
I found out shortly after I signed the contract with the resort, that they had no intention of every trying to sell my previously owned timeshare. I too, applied for a Bank of America credit card, which was conveniently supplied by our salesman, Fernando Lobato. I submitted written proof of fraud to Bank of America, following the purchase, and I was still made to pay the credit card, or risk having my credit destroyed for years to come. This entire experience has led me to decide to make alternative travel plans in the future. We do not plan to return to Mexico in the near future. Our elected officials should look at the numbers of Americans who fall prey to unscrupulous Mexican timeshare
sales fraud. I wish you luck in obtaining a refund.
Regards,
PJT

[said]

We purchased the timeshare with La Jolla under the understanding that la jolla would find buyers for our two current timeshares at the agreed upon price of $5.00 within six months. At the end of that period when no buyer was found, I demanded reimbursement of the amount I had paid, $15.300 USD. They came back to me requesting another 6 months with the provision that I would be paid the $5.500 USD in equal monthly installments over a 6 month period. At the end of that time if no buyers were found, the Resort would take over ownership, and i would have no further obligation to those timeshares after September 10, 2008. They made the regular six-month payments and paid the $5, 500 in full. I gave them an additional week after September 10 to accept the transfer of ownership of the two timeshares since the sales manager I was dealing with, Ed Chester, was ill.

I sent them the paper work for the timeshare transfers to be signed and returned to me by September 17. The paper work was returned to me unsigned. I sent an email stating that, since I got the papers back unsigned and they obviously had no intention of going forward with the deal, to send me the balance of the money owed me $9, 800 USD. They ignored this and cut off further communication.

Earlier this year, the Resort sent me a bill for the maintenance fees for 2008 and 2009 by email. I responded that since he had voided our contract no monies were due. They responded that I was right and they were sorry for bothering me.

To think that I was going to utilize the service of Fernando Lobato, the sales manager who started this charade, to help me purchase a residence since my wife and I were planning to retire in Mexico, is laughable. It is good that I found out the type person he is and by reflection, the resort itself is, before I invested any additional monies. I have tried since the beginning of this deal to make it work because I was so totally convinced by Mr. Lobato that this was a good deal. Boy, was I wrong. The time and money I have spent money for legal forms, postage, phone calls, and shipping costs to Mexico dealing with the transfer of my current timeshares.

This situation has been the source of considerable aggravation and anxiety for almost two years now. Whereas previously my wife and I had seriously considered relocating to Mexico, we have no desire to visit there again at the moment. It's a shame that a Lobato and Resort La Jolla could make us feel this way. Since this incident happened in trying to find a resolution to getting my money back, I have found other individuals who have also been scammed by them. People like this should have any sales licenses they possess cancelled since they unfortunately represent to an extent the Mexican people.
I am going to dedicate myself to aware future travelers to Mazatlan and Mexico to be careful about going to timeshare presentations since we are not protected by the laws of Mexico or the US.

[Zimscammed]

I am yet another victim of the timeshare scam perpetrated by Mayan Group/Grupo Mayan and The Grand Mayan Vacation Club at their Grand Mayan and Mayan Palace resorts. From my perspective, the timeshare sales program at these resorts is nothing more than a criminal enterprise designed to separate foreign tourists from their money. There is nothing these people won’t do in order to make the sale. Then, they are trained to give you the run-around and offer you crumbs when you approach them about their unethical sales practices. And, unfortunately, there is little recourse against these unscrupulous people, since U.S. law is of no help, the credit card companies side with the fee-generating business, and the Mexican consumer protection agency has no teeth to impose a resolution.

My story is a familiar one. In December, 2008, I was traveling with my extended family in Mexico and agreed to attend the sales presentation at the Grand Mayan resort in Cabo San Lucas. At the conclusion of the presentation, I stated to the Grupo Mayan sales representative, Alex Lehan that I was not interested in purchasing a Grupo Mayan timeshare because they were for properties located only in Mexico and because they were expressly unavailable during school vacation periods. I mentioned that the only interest I had was to travel together with my extended family, during school vacations, to high-end properties around the world, not just in Mexico.

At that point, Brent Underdahl, another representative of Mayan Resorts/Grupo Mayan, joined us. I again repeated the reasons why I had no interest in purchasing a Mayan Group timeshare. Mr. Underdahl explained that even though the Mayan timeshares being offered were not available during school vacation periods, they could be “exchanged” for very high-end properties located throughout the world that would be available during school vacation periods. He bragged that the Mayan Group was associated with the best exchange companies who were connected to the finest properties in the world. He asked me if I was familiar with and would be satisfied exchanging Mayan Group timeshares for properties known as the “Residences” that are affiliated with the Four Seasons, the Ritz Carlton and the St. Regis Hotel chains. I am familiar with and am satisfied with the quality of the Residences affiliated with the Four Seasons and Ritz Hotel chains, having been solicited to purchase them in the past.

Mr. Underdahl repeatedly assured me that the Mayan timeshares that were unavailable during school vacation periods could be readily exchanged for Four Seasons, Ritz or St. Regis Residences, on a one-to-one basis (a two bedroom Mayan suite for a two bedroom suite at Four Season, Ritz or St. Regis Residences), at any time throughout the year, including during school vacation periods. He also told me that each Mayan Group timeshare could also be sold each year for a “guaranteed” $2500.

Unfortunately, it was not possible for me to check the truthfulness of Mr. Underdahl’s statements while I was in Mexico because information about the exchange programs, I was told, would not be available until after I registered as a Mayan timeshare owner. Mr. Underdahl stated that we would have to wait to exchange our Grupo Mayan timeshares for a Four Seasons or Ritz Residence timeshare for the Christmas 2009 school vacation period until we were enrolled in the HSI and Registry Collection exchange programs, which could take up to 45 days.

When I returned to the United States and received some of the exchange program materials, I attempted to exchange the Grupo Mayan timeshares for timeshares known as Four Seasons or Ritz Residences. It was then that we discovered that no such exchange opportunity existed and that Mr. Underdahl had lied to us.

These statements of Mr. Underdahl, which led to my decision to purchase, were not true. There is, in fact, neither an ability to exchange the Mayan Group timeshares for accommodations at the Four Seasons, Ritz or St. Regis Residences, on a one-to-one basis throughout the year, including during school vacation periods, nor is there any guarantee that the Mayan Group timeshares can be sold each year for a “guaranteed” $2500. Mr. Underdahl deliberately lied to me to induce me to purchase Mayan timeshares, knowing that I had no interest in making the purchase unless I could rely on the truth of his representations.

I have tried to engage the Grupo Mayan company in a dialogue about my experience and unhappiness. They have made a few half-hearted offers that only compound my unhappiness with their business practices. Grupo Mayan obviously believes that making the “sale” is more important than resolving bona fide disputes with customers. They have no interest in amicable resolution of disputes. It is sad that I am forced to engage in an information campaign to share my horrible experience with others in an effort to discourage others from falling victim to this scam. DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH THESE PEOPLE. They cannot be trusted.