Josh & Elise’s Cabo Blogo

62 Responses to “Getting Out of a Mexican Timeshare”

1. Wicked Smile Says:
   October 2nd, 2005 at 6:58 am

   nice work!

2. Mike Lorang Says:
   December 13th, 2005 at 2:08 pm

   Josh,

   Any advice for someone who has waited 12 years to decide to “get out of the Mexican timeshare” routine?

   They say that they will send a collections agency after me.

   Mike

3. Linda & Vic Says:
   January 3rd, 2006 at 10:32 pm

   Josh,

   Very inspiring…I would love to talk with you if at all possible; I’m in a similar situation and I’d like to think I can recover from this. I noticed you mentioned John at MESCAM - I’ll contact him, too, in case you’re unable to reach me.

   Thanks.

4. Linda & Vic Says:
   January 3rd, 2006 at 10:54 pm

   Josh,

   Very inspiring…I’m in a similar situation and hope to recover from this. I’d like to discuss with you if you would contact me. I’ll also contact John at MESCAM as you mentioned.

   Thanks for your blog - it’s inspired me to pursue a refund.

5. Randy Cornell Says:
   January 8th, 2006 at 7:57 pm

   Nice Job. It would be great to hear how Mike Lorang fairs. Eventually most folks want to change or move on, so this would be a great help.

6. Josh Says:
   January 8th, 2006 at 8:36 pm

   Randy,

   I’m working on it…

7. Linda Says:
   January 9th, 2006 at 4:51 pm

   Hi - just returned today from cabo - bought a timeshare at playa grande - was told there was no recission period - i even signed a statement indicating such….think I can get out of it?

   Thanks,
   Linda

8. Tara Houck Says:
   January 17th, 2006 at 9:12 pm

   Hi Josh, On Monday 1/9/06 my husband and I also got “suckered” in to the Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort and Spa timeshare. I emailed a cancellation request Monday 1/16/06. The credit card receipt time in 2:04 pm on 1/9/06 with my email 5 busniess days later timed 8:59am. I am going to use the same argument you used. We put over $9,000 down! We are also both 30 years in age and have professional careers (my husband being a medical resident) and we also got scamed. THANK YOU SO MUCH for this information. I will keep you posted on the out-come.

9. Tara Houck Says:
   January 18th, 2006 at 8:24 pm

   Never had to use the law! After asking for my cancellation via email, a few phone calls to Mexico, and stating that “I will recommend your resort to friends and family with the understanding that your business practice is fair and upstanding” I received an email today from Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Resort and Spa indicating that the contract will be cancelled with full refund. I am very happy that they likely are getting the message that they can’t take advantage and are possibly turning a new leaf with requests to cancel. THANKS AGAIN for the info.

10. Keiko Ota Says:
    February 3rd, 2006 at 11:03 pm

    Hi Josh,
    I was in Cabo San Lucas on 1/15/06 and was talked into purchasing a timeshare at Hacienda Encantada Resort which in under constraction. I was convinced to sigh “Liquidated Damages Clause” meaning the deposit of $700 is not refundable. I was varified the cancellation today after 3 weeks battle, but not refunded.
    Thanks for your information. I will keep working until I get refunded.
    Any suggestions are welcome.

11. kevin kelly Says:
    February 8th, 2006 at 2:34 pm

    Just finished emailing Pueblo Bonito Sunset. Bought a timeshare on Friday the 3rd and today is the 8th. So hopefully we will get a refund no problem. So glad I came across this blog. Thanks….

12. kevin kelly Says:
    February 8th, 2006 at 3:01 pm

    Within 30 minutes Pueblo Bonito Sunset reponded I will have a refund in 10 days. Thank Goodness. Hope others have the same luck and success!

13. Cindy Says:
    April 27th, 2006 at 12:38 pm

    Hi Josh,

    I just returned from Cabo San Lucas and I also fell into the trap of buying a timeshare at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset. I felt so pressured to buy right then and there because my salesperson told me that the offer would not be available at any other time. The worst part was that the salesperson kept hitting on me. It was such unprofessional behaviour. I am so glad that you posted your experience on line; it has been very helpful. Since I was still within the 5 day cancellation period, I sent an email to Pueblo Bonito asking for a refund. I sent it last night around 11:45pm est, so far I have not heard back from them. Again, thank you so much for all this information.

14. madelynn Says:
    April 27th, 2006 at 8:36 pm

    I have also bought a timeshare at Pueblo Bonito Resort in Cabo last week. Unfortunately, today is the sixth business day and I am not sure if I am stuck with it, as I have emailed them today asking for cancellation.

    Any suggestions from anyone in case I get resistance??
    Help! and thanks.

15. Cindy Says:
    May 4th, 2006 at 8:51 am

    Madelynn,

    The friend that I vacationed with in Cabo had bought a timeshare at the Pueblo Bonito Sunset the day before I did. When she emailed the resort asking to cancel her contract they denied her request since she sent her email on the 6th business day.
    After doing some research on the internet, I read that there is some law or rule that allows you to cancel a timeshare contract if you are within 10 days of signing the contract. I cant remember where I read that though. My friend is currently using that law or rule to try to cancel her contract.

    In Josh’s blog above, he mentions that you may still be able to get out of a contract even if your past the 5 days. I would suggest contacting John at MESCAM and maybe he can help you out. Good Luck!

16. Kelly Says:
    May 23rd, 2006 at 11:45 am

    It amazes me how people can act so proud that they reniged on their contract. Are you not responsibile enough to say no the first time? Who hands over that much money to a bunch of mexicans? Obviously someone who’s not that smart.

17. Josh Says:
    May 23rd, 2006 at 3:25 pm

    It amazes me how someone who is so smart can’t spell renege correctly or doesn’t know that Mexican is a formal noun.

18. Tanya Says:
    August 16th, 2006 at 6:58 am

    Josh,

    My husband and I were just married on July 8th of this year. We are both teachers and are off for the summer so we went down to Los Cabos for our honeymoon two weeks after our wedding and stayed at the Pueblo Bonita Rose from July 24th – 31st. Although the trip was wonderful . . . we TOO were suckered into purchasing a timeshare. On July 25th, we visited Hacienda Encantada and purchased a 40 year biannual membership. Although we feel as though we are relatively “smart” with our money, we now are certainly feeling some buyer’s remorse. We have hoped to get out of the whole ordeal yet I fear we have waited too late. You have inspired me to pursue my cancellation and a full refund. Do you think we have waited too late? If not, do you have any advice you for us? I would GREATLY appreciate any advice you have. Thank you very much.

    Tanya

19. Laura Says:
    August 22nd, 2006 at 10:52 pm

    Josh are you still out there? Your story is our story. Two 30-somethings suckered into a timeshare here at Villa del Palmar. I’m actually emailing from my patio here in Cabo. Approaching day 3 of my 5 day cancellation period. We actually went back the following morning less than 24 hours later in person to cancel and Janell the sales manager would not budge. When I went down to talk to her she turned my husband’s words of,”this just doesn’t work for us finacially, we might do some refinancing for home repairs and desperately need a newer car (old 84 honda is about shot) and not a timeshare…we’re on one salary until my wife heads back to school someday…” into “You can afford this. Your husband said you’re going to refinance anyway for a new car and you’re going to go to nursing school to earn more money…” I looked at her dumbfounded. This is my life lady which is none of your business. I want my cancellation and refund which she refused. I’m glad we’re not alone as the only ones to get pressured into such a blatant mess. THank goodness our laptop picked up the neighboring resort’s wifi and I had internet access to start researching. PROFECO has been great with prompt email response on handling the matter. We visited the Consular Agency of the United States and were told we should be just fine for a refund, that the timeshare manager should know better. Tomorrow we head into town to get our letters stamped by PROFECO and I’ll relish the moment when we get to hand it to Janell and ask her to sign as proof of receiving. If she refuses we already have PROFECO’s stamp and our Consular record/complaint. On top of that I have also sent cancellations by email to keep record. This should all be enough to give to my credit card company to dispute the charge in case the refund does not come. THank you for you for posting your experience and letters. MESCAM helped too. THere should be signs in the sales offices stating you get 5 days to cancel. Regarding other elements of the sale I can’t believe how things were misrepresented. I have one more day of vacation left. Thankfully I can relax and my stomach won’t be in knots like the last four.
    -Laura

20. robert Says:
    August 24th, 2006 at 12:50 pm

    Hi, i bought a 30 year vacation package in cancun for the royal solaris. I tried cancelling it within the 5 days but they said I would lose the down payment since it was a special promotional offer. I did not calcel it because I did not want to lose that money so I still have it. Its almost a month later and I want to continue to fight it. I was planning on disputing the chRGE BUT AM NOT SURE IF THAT WILL WORK. I will email them again and state I know the law. Thank You

21. robert Says:
    August 24th, 2006 at 2:55 pm

    I cut and pasted your wonderful email that you sent them. I edited it a bit but for the most part it is the same. I even used green letters. If they do not comply I will be calling profecos 800 number. Thanks a lot.

22. Rebecca Says:
    August 31st, 2006 at 9:41 pm

    Luckily we found your website in time. From here we found MEXSCAM. We sent out a cancellation letter in the 4th day and was able to get our deposite back. We were prepared to dispute the charge with the credit card company in case they play game. Well we did not have to do that. Thank you. Please keep the site up. A lot of people are going to need it.

23. Wendy Says:
    September 6th, 2006 at 9:49 pm

    Thank you for posting this on the website.

    My husband and me are going there this weekend. You story ensures us to have a stronger will to say NO when they are selling timeshare to us.

    Once again, thank you very much.

    Wish us good luck then.

24. PL Says:
    September 22nd, 2006 at 7:24 pm

    Thank you for your post. My fiancé and I have found ourselves in a similar situation and are writing our letter now based off of your very helpful Cabo Blog .

    Also, Kelly’s May 23rd, 2006 post is incredibly ridiculous. I never once read how you were so proud of reneging on your contract. In fact you were not doing that at all. You were actually acting out on your rights as a buyer which were stated in your contract and afforded to you by legal right anyway.

    Also, maybe I read into it wrong, but it did kind of read as if handing “that much money to a bunch of mexicans?” was in fact negatively, racially charged. Which is worse than “how people can act so proud that they reniged on their contract.” Which, you didn’t do anyway.

    And please tell me, who doesn’t have access to spell check when making public postings of ridicule and criticize?

    If you are ever going to be taken seriously, Kelly, I would suggest that you proof your material before making a fool of yourself, or have someone else proof it for you. Further more, whether you intended it to be negative or not, referring to the people Josh and Elise were dealing with as “a bunch of mexicans,” is negative and if I were Mexican I would kick your ass everyday of the week and twice on Sunday, I might do it anyway just to teach you a lesson.

    Josh and Elise, I commend you for taking advantage of your legal rights as buyers and helping others to realize their rights as well. Thank you.

    Sincerely,

    P.L.
    Alexandria, VA

25. Steve Says:
    October 1st, 2006 at 4:19 am

    Heres some advice which may help you enjoy time shares and be able to enjoy Mexico without having to deal with “out of country” companies. My wife and I have two time shares, both tri annuals, and both with bonus weeks. We did not enteer in to the contract with the intention ofmaking money, either in renting our weeks or in resale, they were just for our enjoyment and to share with others. RCI has a very large network of condos around the world as well as in the US and have a rating system to help you better understand what type of unit you are vieing for. The sales people, who worked with us on the first sale, were “eager” but did not lie to us in any way and made it clear these were not money making ventures. I appreciated their honesty. What my wife and I purchased was a single RED week unit @ Vacation Village in the Berkshires. It is a tri annual ownership of a A-B double lockout unit. Having a A-B unit means the condo you purchase is actually split into two seperate units. You have a common hall enterance with two seperate unit enterances. This allows you to “bank” your unit and receive two weeks credit because RCI can now rent them out as two seperate units rather tnah one. We also received as part our purchase, a bonus week each year for the rest of our lives. Because this is a tri annual, we only pay 1 maintenance fee every 3 years $285. So what we have is actually 5 weeks vacation every 3 years. Purchase price—$4,200. We purchased our second tri annual @ Massanutten located in Va. Same tri annual, same double lockout (A-B unit) same 1-in-3 maintenance fee. Purchase price–$4,500. My wife and I have 10 weeks vacation every 3 years for the rest of our lives with only maintenance fees and a $100. conformation fee per week used. Keep in mind we can use our weeks at any of several thousand resorts around the world. There are also many other travel benefits that are offered through RCI too numerous to mention. So please, if you are interested in a time share, go to RCI.com and see what they have to offer before you decide. P.S. These are deeded weeks which means you can leave them to your family in your will, they do not get reaquired by RCI when you die. You can also give weeks of vacation with a gift certificate from RCI to your friends and family.

26. Steve Says:
    October 1st, 2006 at 4:27 am

    I need to make a small correction–we have a White week–not a Red week. The weeks rating system is Red, White & Blue. Red is peak week or prime, White is highly desirable but not peak, Blue is off season or least busy. Sorry for thid mix up.

27. Mark Says:
    October 2nd, 2006 at 9:56 am

    My wife and I just returned from a week in Cabo, and I have to say that we had a lot of fun with the timeshare presentations. No, we didn’t buy into any of them, and I honestly don’t feel like we were especially pressured into doing so. Maybe because we presented an air of disinterest right from the start, the salespeople realized that they were fighting a losing battle, and just wanted to get on to the next prospects. Actually, the most pressure came from the people trying to sign us up to go to the presentations! This is the main reason we went to these - it’s kind of hard to turn down offers of $250 cash. We went to presentations for Hacienda Encantada, Hacienda del Mar and Los Cabo Golf Club (where we were staying). Our net take for these three were $450 cash (US), 2 sunset cruise tickets on the Tropicat ($98 value), 3 breakfasts, various discount cards (which we didn’t really use), and the use of the pool/beach for the day at Hacienda del Mar, which was nice since our resort was not on the beach. Not bad for about 5 hours of presentations. We had other offers too, including a $300 cash offer for a place in San Jose del Cabo (the Mayan, I think), but decided enough was enough at that point. I think if one wanted to, you could easily make over $1000 cash by going to these presentations - try to hold out for at least $250 to $300 cash. I read somewhere else that the sales people get $350 for each tour they produce, and get to keep whatever part of that they don’t offer as an incentive. I snuck a peak at one of the lists at the sales offices, and some people were talked into going to the presentation for as little as a free dinner.

    PS - if you rent a car, watch the gas station attendants VERY carfully! Every time I filled up (3 times in Cabo), they pulled a quick switch and tried to convince me that I gave them a 20 Peso note instead of the 200 Peso note I actually did give them!

28. Robert Says:
    October 23rd, 2006 at 2:46 am

    Im happy to say that my wifes credit card was refunded in full for the deposit we put down on a club solaris vacation package. Thank you Josh and Elise!

29. Lynn Campbell Says:
    January 13th, 2007 at 5:50 pm

    I am glad you got out of it. I did want to give an insight though. I was probably the one who was trying to rent out some units on ebay. I am an owner. I was able to score some super deal early in 2005 through RCI for 199.00 per unit for a few weeks that had historically low usage (i.e. , empty units), off season. I had rented some but had one or two still not rented and I had not been aggressive enough and with the short time left to rent it out decided to offer it at a much lower price. I got way more money back than I invested.
    I too was very unhappy that I had purchased in a moment of exuberance and the money was hard to pay back but 4 years later I have found ways to make it work for me and it has opened up a great world of travel.
    But, bottom line, it is foolish to buy a timeshare at presentation. If you want to buy one, buy one at resale.

30. gsk Says:
    January 17th, 2007 at 7:32 am

    We also are within our 5 days and I am writing from one of th pb resorts. We are not so sure we are not happy with our arrangement…does anyone reading this have anything positive to report? We are in our 50s, able to travel, booked one fixed week at Sunset with four floating RCI weeks added along with some other incentives. We figure that if we use that one week seven times in thirty years, it’s paid for…totally ignoring the four extra weeks with RCI (I have not heard positive things about booking at other locations through RCI, but since we are not limited in our travel calendar, we thought it might work for us. So…what do you think?

31. Sylvia Says:
    January 23rd, 2007 at 6:36 pm

    Hi, I’m in the process of trying to cancel my agreement with the Paradise Vacation Club in Cancun, Mexico and in my search came across Josh and Elise’s Cabo Blogo. I’m trying to get in touch with MESCAM. I’ve been on the website and tried to email, but I received a reply with my email being undelivered due to the email address mescam@verizon.net having fatal errors. Does anyone know if the email address for MESCAM has changed? If so, can someone help and send me the new email address. I’d would like to email Josh and Elise, but I’m sure they’d be bombarded with email from others like us who need the help. I’m really glad they were able to rectify their situation in Cabo! I hope I get the same success! Thanks for any help anyone can give me.

32. Mary Says:
    February 7th, 2007 at 12:52 pm

    I came across this site as I was trying to cancel our timeshare over a month after we purchased. I just wrote about our story on my website, but wanted to say thanks for giving us some hope. Luckily, after emailing the director of member services, I got a prompt email back saying that we could cancel our timeshare if we would forfeit our $500 downpayment. Good luck to everyone!

33. Eli Says:
    February 20th, 2007 at 9:21 pm

    After my dad and sister died of cancer late last year, I took my mother down two weeks ago to the Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Retreat and Spa adjacent to the PB Sunset timeshare resort. We were pushed into the timeshare presentation…the reception folks at Pacifica won’t let you go to your rooms until you “hear” the ladies talk about the “free” breakfast presentation at the sister Sunset hotel..
    We went (for the discounts and freebies) and ALMOST fell for it. The large two bedroom apartment was quite well done and my mother actually thought it might be nice to use twice a year (she is over 65 and they offered the semi annual deal plus four extra RCI? weeks…)
    But alas we were so anxious to get back to our hotel to sit on the beach ..the presentation ran three hours..that we said no.
    After reading all of the above stories, I am glad we didn’t make the purchase and honestly the price for the two bedroom unit seemed very high $29,000.

34. Amanda Says:
    April 11th, 2007 at 4:11 pm

    Hey Josh

    It’s probably too late now, but my husband and I purchased a timeshare at the Hacienda Encantada in 2004. We’ve never been to the resort because its been under construction. The more and more I think about it the more I don’t want anything to do with it. They took my husband and I to the place of construction for breakfast and gave us both several drinks and the more we talked with the salesperson the better the idea sounded. We were both only 19 at the time and I feel we were taken advantage of. Is there anything we can do about it now?!?

35. Gareth Says:
    April 16th, 2007 at 3:04 pm

    who has everyone emailed? i need an email address, please help

36. Kimberley Says:
    April 16th, 2007 at 7:53 pm

    I only wish I had read this blog before I went on vacation. I’m stuck in a timeshare at Aruba’s Divi Resort. I just purchased the timeshare in November 2006. By the end of Decenber I realized I made a huge mistake. I’ve already lost $1500 in deposit and I do not know what to do. Can anyone help me?

37. Amanda Flynn Says:
    May 19th, 2007 at 8:03 am

    It is unfortunate that Pueblo Bonito has made such a bad impression, and treated you so poorly. However, I have owned several timeshares in Cabo (Villa del Palmar, Playa Grande, Melia, and Hacienda Encantada) for many years and I love them. If you are not in a postion finacially to afford them, don’t sign up. They are luxury purchases and can only be bought if your other finacial obligations are looked after first. If they are affordable for you, and you plan to vacation each year they are wonderful. I am able to take amazing vacations for far less than it would cost me otherwise.

38. Ron VanMeter Says:
    May 19th, 2007 at 8:12 am

    In Response to Mark from October 2nd,

    It just baffels me that anyone could wait an entire year to take a vacation and spend hours and hours wasting time on presentations when you have already looked at them and know your not interested. I would assume that the hour to get there, check in, plus the so called 90 minutes (really 3 hours) is worth $250. Basically you’re making $62/hr, which tells me that you’ll sell out your family’s vacation time for mere chump change.

    If you’re really that broke, maybe you shouldn’t be on vacation!? Give your family a break! Go on vacation, have fun, and if you aren’t in the market stay by the pool.

    You guys are the ones that make the market for fresh prospects so crazy. If you all stopped trying to pay for your vacations with sales presentation money, maybe they’d stop being so sharkish with everyone else.

    Ron VanMeter
    Aspen, Colorado

39. Tony Says:
    May 31st, 2007 at 6:56 pm

    Josh, I am glad to read that you got your money back.
    My situation is a little different. Can you or anybody else offer me some advice.
    In Feb. 2006 like an idiot my wife and I took a free trip to Branson, Mo. and listened to the Timeshare hype. Like a fool i went for it. Now here we are 15 going on 16 months later and $3400.00 in the hole. Is there any way that I can get us out of this and maybe get some of our money back. Needless to say we have not been back to Branson as it is about 400 miles from us. They are currently taking $185.38 out of my checking account every month, which I am going to stop my bank from honoring. And they have now sent the maintenance fee that started out at $399.00 and is now $612.00 to a collection agency. one my biggest concerns is the effect that this could have on my credit rating.

40. Loretta Stone Says:
    June 25th, 2007 at 1:26 pm

    Dear Josh,
    Can you please e-mail me so we can ask you a few more questions?
    We used parts of your letter ( the one with profecto in it ) to address the Hacienda Encantada regarding our cancellation within the 5 day period
    just recently but have not heard a word back (that was about 5 days
    ago). We also told our credit card company and cancelled our card.
    The credit card company will be putting the charges from the Hacienda
    in their dispute file so we feel confident that we will not have to pay
    the $5900.00 we put down but how do we know for sure our cancellation
    is complete???
    Loretta and Don Stone

41. Loretta Stone Says:
    July 7th, 2007 at 9:38 pm

    Yeah!! Thank You Josh & Keiko,
    Your words of wisdom helped us write the right e-mails and
    make the right phone calls to get our $5900.00 refund totally
    back and confirmed cancellation with the Hacienda Encantada.
    And all within a two week period!!
    Thank you!!
    God Bless you ALL!!
    Loretta and Don Stone

42. Kp Says:
    August 28th, 2007 at 12:03 pm

    It is nice to know that there are some that can get out of a timeshare. I recently was convinced to purchase one, feeling that I may finally be able to live in the lap of luxury. As with the others, I was on vacation and really didn’t take the time to “mindfully” think about the transaction. Needless to say, I was sucked in and paid a hold fee of $250.00. My initial deposit is not for another week, but we have already signed the deed to the timeshare. After mulling over everything, and getting a reality check, I no longer want the timeshare option. I am a single mother, and just really can’t fit the total “future” bills in my budget. I know I am past the five days to cancel and wish I knew a way out of this:( I just feel it is becoming useless. If anyone knows a way out, please help. It would much obliged.

43. Norma Says:
    September 10th, 2007 at 8:42 am

    My husband and I bought our week in 1986 at what is now part of the Mayan Palace resorts. We purchased a red week, 1 bedroom, for $3,000. We spent most of that first vacation feeling sick and unsure about what we had done, but we stayed with it. For many years we vacationed every other year depositing our unused week with RCI. We enjoyed the exchanges we acquired for the first few years but eventually it became more difficult to find an equal exchange. We found that we had to settle for smaller, less desirable units. We now vacation every year and use only our registered week which can be used at any of the Mayan Palaces. This coming year we were given the opportunity to book directly into the new Grand Mayan in San Jose del Cabo and are looking forward to it. Cabo is one of our favorite Mexican destinations.
    We have been to a few presentations over the years but have always managed to say no, mainly because of how expensive these weeks have become. I think that if a person really wants to get into timesharing they should look into purchasing a resale. Just please do some research on what you are buying. Is it Red time (prime)? Is it floating or do you have to vacation the same week every year? Is it annual or biannual? How many years are left on the contract? This last point can be important if the price looks to good to be true.

44. HJZ WHEELS Says:
    September 27th, 2007 at 11:28 pm

    My brother and I recently purchased a timeshare at Hacienda Encentada (8/2007). ( In which 3 of 5 phases of construction are complete. ) And unlike most of the blog, we are very happy with our purchase. Maybe because we are 40 and 42, travel 4 weeks a year, and held out for about 3 hrs and got a super deal for the next 40 years!
    And we received all of the free gifts - including scuba diving.
    The timeshare business all depends on if you are going to use it or not…….. we travel every year, so we are thrilled to be travelling the world at a discounted rate, where ever and whenever we want.
    Cabo is great, don’t knock it. Next time JUST say NO to all vendors trying to sell you anything. Good luck.

45. MJ Says:
    October 2nd, 2007 at 6:08 pm

    Does any one know if Hacienda Encantada even exists? I was so snowed by the sale from that nice Austallian man, Dudley (the name suits him I now realize). I bought in as I was with my 18 year old daughter and I thought won’t this be nice to share with family and friends. I have contacted them so many times, and have not yet heard if I really own anything. I have really resigned myself to learning a very big lesson, at a cost of almost 10 K I’m afraid. It makes me so sad because I really liked Cabo.

46. Adriana and David H Says:
    October 5th, 2007 at 8:52 am

    Hi there…. this site literally saved us from getting stucked in a timeshare with the Flamenco Grand Xcaret in La Riviera Maya. It is a very nice hotel and everything was perfect until we went into that “90 minutes chat” which ended up being almost 4 hours. At the end we signed but once we came back, we realized it was not a good idea and that we had been lied to when they said we could not undo the contract because of the waiver they made us sign. Finally, we found this and the MESCAM website and did exactly as they said within the 5 days and everything went fine. We got our U$2500 down payment back and are now out of the contract. We are soooo thankful with the people that took the time to build these two sites because without them we would have probably been lost. We actually had already called a lawyer but at the end, we didn’t need it. Thanks a lot and good luck to all the ones in the same situation. Regards!! Adriana and David.

47. John Says:
    November 12th, 2007 at 9:07 pm

    This was a great posting. I am 3 days in and have decided to bail out of the Tahiti Village after I got home and realized that to refinance the very high rate is going to be difficult and compete with us selling our home in the next 8 months. I’ve “borrowed” much of Josh’s language, but am trying a different and more positive route. I’ll let you all know how it goes.

48. ashley Says:
    November 23rd, 2007 at 7:54 am

    what about cancelling & getting $400 for initial timeshare presentation package deal in cabo? can i put in dispute w/ credit card? we have not gone yet to the timeshare yet, it’s in for june 2008

49. Terry Hurrle Says:
    December 31st, 2007 at 9:56 am

    We bought a time share in PV recently and were told that we could rent out our award weeks and grand weeks. Now we fine that we can not. We were also told that due to some exchange clause that we could not rescind in the five day period. Well we fine that that was not true either. We are now trying to dispute our credit card charges and cancel the contract. Can this be done and if so how. Please any advise is welcome that may help.

50. Suzanne Roth Says:
    January 7th, 2008 at 12:49 am

    I also thought I was smart but sure learned a lesson and feel utterly stupid. Wasted my vacation in Cabo going to presentations for the freebies.
    I signed a contract to purchase at Pueblo Bonito on Sunday 11/25/07. I am trying to get refund. I cancelled at 2 a.m. Saturday 12/1/07. Mr. Ramirez in Customer Service says I didn’t cancel within 5 days, so he can’t give me refund, and says I signed document forfeiting deposit. I figure though that I am within the 5 day cancellation period. Clause 12c says that the 5 days is FROM the first business day FOLLOWING the signing. I hope I am right. He has offered to cancel the contract but not refund the money.
    Bank of America credit card has not been helpful.

51. Dave Says:
    January 22nd, 2008 at 8:43 am

    Really interesting. Have recently looked into a couple of timeshare opportunities and this story now has me spooked. Anyone have any experience with Sol Melia vacation club? I got psyched about them after visiting ME Cabo…had a great time

52. Kathy Says:
    January 28th, 2008 at 4:48 pm

    Trying to find the email address for PROFECO bought a place in Playa Car at Sandos Resort and Spa
    any help with the correct email for PROFECO would be great!

53. D Allen Says:
    February 6th, 2008 at 11:34 pm

    We were talked in to purchase of a Mayan Regency contract on Sat.12/15/07during our vacation, and while we were still at the resort went back to try to get out of it Fri, 12/21/07, but were told we would forfeit the $9240 BOA credit card deposit and were not allowed to cancel, even though the contract stated we could. Upon reading the provisions, cancellation had to be signed by us and the absent account manager, and registered mailed with return receipt to some address in Mexico within 5 days. The resort is isolated some 20 miles from a city or Post office. Upon arriving home we discussed with our bank manager and emailed the above info in detail to the resort accounting and customer service offices and have received no responses to any of them as of 2/06/08. I faxed copies of all 3 letters (used your format regarding Mescam and Profeco and adjusted) 2/06/08 and I have contacted our attorney general and filed a complaint. They suggested not paying any payments and to dispute the charges. We have excellent credit and don’t want this to adversely affect our rating. Any suggestions?
    D Allen

54. Angela Says:
    April 2nd, 2008 at 9:21 am

    Suzanne - wondering how your situation turned out? I am within the 5 days. We also signed a cardholder’s acknowledgement that says I understand my earnest money is non-refundable! How did things turn out with B of A?

55. Gina Says:
    April 26th, 2008 at 3:03 am

    I wanted to report a negative experience with Pueblo Bonito. I represent an elderly American couple with a problem they are having. They went to Cabo and had a great time. They got the pitch and bought a 30 year biannual timeshare with a written entitlement that it could be accelerated (used in 15 years). They would not have bought it otherwise. Now, Pueblo Bonito is refusing to honor the accceleration.

    My clients were more than willing to buy and loved the resort. It is surprising to them that the actual paperwork contractual promise is not being honored. Mr. Ramirez, of Pueblo Bonito’s member services informed me that Pueblo made a mistake. He later wrote my clients did not have the right to use the acceleration on a biannual contract - that it had to be annual. However, the acceleration says bi annual on it and references my client’s contract number. Pueblo Bonito has even refused to give me the names of their attorneys. We have tried to enforce the contract and then tried to cancel it when Pueblo Bonito refused to honor it. Pueblo Bonito and has refused cancellation or refund.

    We have all the paperwork and have filed a complaint with Profeco, the consumer organization.

    Will keep you posted on whether anything happens.

56. Terry R. Says:
    April 30th, 2008 at 2:53 pm

    We have two timeshares. A Penthouse at Sunset Beach and a three bedroom at Fiesta Americana. We have five children, and vacationed at a resort in Scottsdale. AZ for 18 years in a row. The resort finally closed. My wife and I vacationed in Cabo with another couple for many years, and always wondered how we could bring the family, given the expense of the rooms (and the small size). We loved Twin Dolphin and stayed there many years, but we would have needed five rooms for all of us, and at $400 per night it didn’t make sense. We looked at many resorts and finally found a unit large enough for our family (and boyfriends/girlfriends/etc). We purchased a Presidential at Sunset Beach in 2001, before the property was built (the Penthouse wasn’t thought of yet).

    My wife and I went in 2002 with some friends, since the resort was still under heavy construction. We upgraded to a Penthouse seeing it would fit our needs better. We took the family in 2003. It has been a wonderful experience and we all talk about our excitement of going all year long.

    Many have read a complaint I had with Pueblo Bonito on a web page of ours. But it wasn’t about getting out of a contract. It was about selling units advertising travertine flooring and showers, when units being built in 2003 were using porcelain tile. THAT’S an issue. It’s selling a unit with high price finishes and is being replaced with a cheap imitation. I’m a contractor so I know the cost savings. But the unit prices were never lowered.

    After reading many complaints here and elsewhere, I have to ask, WHAT WERE YOU GUYS THINKING? Did you have too much to drink? Were you trying to impress friends? Were you too proud to say no? What? I’m sure there are some of you with legitimate complaints. But for the majority, it sounds like too many jumped in without thinking, OR counting the costs before hand.

    THAT isn’t Pueblo Bonitos fault, or any other resort. It’s YOUR fault. It was good many found a way out from their mistake. Maybe next time someone won’t make a financial decision when they’ve been drinking free beer and margaritas offered by the sales people, and then scramble for a way to get out of it when they finally come to their senses!

57. Gina Says:
    May 1st, 2008 at 12:11 am

    My clients made a rational decision and read all of their paperwork. Pueblo Bonito is simply not giving them what they paid for. The documentation is clear on its face. Pueblo Bonito is not honoring a written contract.

    If you can’t get what you have paid for and have in writing, there is a problem with the seller.

    In the US, I could easily take legal action to enforce this contract - there are basic consumer rights that are being ignored here. This is a little more trouble, but will have to be done.

58. Terry R. Says:
    May 8th, 2008 at 4:02 pm

    Gina,

    How did your “clients” pay for the timeshare? If they used a credit card (most likely), and PB isn’t honoring the contract, simply dispute it. If you send the contract to the credit card company and explain that PB is not honoring the contract they signed, the CC company will fight for you and remove it. You can also go over Alfredo’s (Ramirez) head. He isn’t very far up the pole. On the issue I talked about above, Alfredo made a promise to me he couldn’t keep, but it wasn’t in writing like their contract is.

59. Matt and Amy Says:
    May 28th, 2008 at 10:06 am

    Thank you so much for taking the time to post this information. My husband and I were signed yesterday and canceled today thanks to you!

60. Maryellen West Says:
    June 9th, 2008 at 7:02 am

    I too have been suckered by Pueblo Bonito Sunset in several different ways. Primarily is that when given the sales pitch they out right lie to you, or knowingly withhold information, even when asked a specific question. For instance, when asked if we could use any of the Pueblo Bonito’s for our purchased week we were advised we could . They neglected to tell us that we would first have to deposit our week into RCI and then pay the exchange fee, just like we would with any other exchange.
    Today, I found out that even if I use one of my weeks to go to Cabo using my US owned time share at Vacation Village in Massachusetts; because I am a Pueblo Bonito owner, the only resort that we will ever be able to stay in must be a one of the Pueblo Bonito resorts. So by becoming a Pueblo Bonito owner I have restricted my use of my other time share ownerships. This is very unfair and I will do everything possible to get out of my ownership at the Pueblo Bonito becuase of it. I fell RCI is also a part of this unethical practice since they allow the Pueblo Bonito to put this restrictin on my account. I now feel it is also necessary to cance my RCI memebership and use Red-Week or some other exchange company for the vacation exchanges. I bought last year and only stayed at the Sunset for the first time in May. Although it is a beautiful resort, it is not where we want to be. We wanted to be in town, and bought there, only becuase we were led to believe that we would be able to use our week at the Blanco (which we loved). Anyway, if I cannot get out of my contract, I will take my losses and cancel my ownership and search every blog on the internet to warn people of the Pueblo Bonito’s deceit and unethical practices. BUYERS BEWARE. STAY AWAY FROM MEXICAN TIMESHARES.

61. cherry Says:
    June 17th, 2008 at 9:39 am

    hello, i joined westgate resort in las vegas nevada for one bedroom every odd years for 10000 US fund on june 11, made a downpayment in cash for $1, 084, After getting poor customer service and surfing the internet for travellers review, we decided that this is too expensive and would like to cancel, we mailed and emailed a cancellation letter to the cancellation officer on june 16, 2008. I called yesterday was transferred to different people and finally was put on voice mail, i left a msg but no response so far. I’m just wondering if i’m still within 5 days so i can get my full downpayment back, any feedback will be greatly appreciated..

    thanks a lot

62. Terry R. Says:
    June 19th, 2008 at 3:16 pm

    Maryellen,

    I’ve listened to enough time share talks to know they don’t “out right lie to you, or knowingly withhold information, even when asked a specific question.” You asked if you could stay at any PB resort and the answer was yes. Whether or not it’s as easy as you had hoped didn’t make what they said a lie. Did you ask the simple follow up question, “how would we go about doing that?” If you didn’t, it wasn’t anyone’s fault but yours.

    Why would you only be able to stay at a PB resort? If you used RCI to exchange from Vacation Village, you should be able to go to any resort in the RCI network. That’s false information you were given.

    As I heard from others and learned from, you buy where you want to go, not just buy any location to exchange it. We bought at Sunset Beach and Fiesta Americana. We love them and don’t have any reason to exchange them. We have access to all the PB resorts, Fiesta Americana resorts, and Hilton International (affiliated with FA), without using RCI.

    Don’t blame the Mexican Timeshares. People need to do a little more homework before they invest. Most of the complaints here are related to that.

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