- Report: #1438446
Complaint Review: Diamond Resorts - Williamsburg Virginia
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Diamond Resorts
Williamsburg, Virginia, United States
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Diamond Resorts DRI Diamond Resort Greensprings VA lies Williamsburg Virginia
While on vacation, we stayed at Greensprings resort by Williamsburg, VA. My wife and i attended Diamond Resort International sales presentation. We had the large group meeting, followed by the meeting with the salesman in their office. After reviewing where Diamond Resorts are located, we were not interested. We live in Minnesota and the nearest Diamond resort is 10 hours from our home. We take very few vacations away from MN since our daughters and our grandchildren all live here. Our salesperson was Tony Falcone. When we told him that was our conclusion, he said that DRI had bought up all the Great Wolf Lodges. We knew of a Great Wolf Lodge in Bloomington, MN. We asked Mr. Falcone if this facility was now a Diamond Resort. He looked at his computer and said 'yes it was'. We stated that it was not on the world map that shows all of the DRI resorts. He said that map was old and a new one showing all the new DRI aquisitions would soon be coming out and the new one would have the Bloomington Great Wolf Lodge on it. In fact, he took the DRI map and marked an x in Minnesota. He saw that we now had some interest.
The yearly maintainence fee was then discussed. Tony said we could stop by the Great Wolf Lodge in Bloomington. In the facility there would be a computer set-up on which we could complete DRI customer satisifaction surveys. Each survey would reduce our yearly maintainence fee by $150. We could take these surveys four times a year.
Next, Mr. Falcone said that 1100 points could get us two weeks at a Diamond resort once we 'learned how to play the game'. We were contemplating a purchase of the 2500 point package. We had never heard of the Diamond company and never stayed at a Diamond resort. We were at Greensprings through an RCI point exchange program. So our biggest mistake was actually believing what Mr. Falcone was telling us through this whole discussion.
To us this seemed great. A resort that is close to our home, the ability to reduce our maintaince fees, and use the points we purchased for a few days stay each year for our family vacation get togehter.
Problem is - None of what our DRI salesperson told us was true. The Great Wolf Lodge in MN was not purchased by Diamond. The survey thing is totally bogus. And the 1100 points will buy you very, very little.
When we got home from vacation two weeks later. We then realized we had been scammed. We felt totally betrayed by Tony and the rest of the Powhaten/Greensprings DRI team. I immediately began writing emails and letters to any one I could run across in the DRI corporatioon. No response. Tony had given us his phone number. However, either his voice mail box was full or if we left a message, he did not call back.
We wrote the BBB in VA and in Las Vegas. Finally, aftyer many weeks, we got a response. We evetually setup a conference call with Las Vegas, Powhaten/Greensprings, and us. "Didn't you sign the papers?", they said. Yes, but our salesperson lied to us. "We talked to Tony, he says he didn't tell you those things." Well, can we actually talk to Tony ourselves. "No that is impossible." Are we stuck with Diamond? "Yes, there is no way out once you sign".
My suggestion to anyone reading this story - Don't Sign Anything!! Head for the door!! You will survive without the $50 gift card. We are unsure how the other DRI resorts operate, but the Greensprings/Powhaten office seems particularly unscruplulous.
My wife and I feel totally betrayed, especially by Tony. Between the two days we met with him, we spent probably 8 hours in his office and felt that we had established a realationship of trust. Obviously, that was not the case.
