Complaints

This profile includes complaints for Vistana Signature Experiences's headquarters and its corporate-owned locations. To view all corporate locations, see Find Local Branches.

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• 

  Vistana Signature Experiences

  9002 San Marco Ct Orlando, FL 32819-8600

• 

  Vistana Signature Experiences

  PO Box 204491 Dallas, TX 75320-4491

• 

  Vistana Signature Experiences

  17700 N. Hayden Road Scottsdale, AZ 85255-5822

• 

  Vistana Signature Experiences

  6902 E. Greenway Parkway Scottsdale, AZ 85254

• 

  Vistana Signature Experiences

  9002 San Marco Court Orlando, FL 32819

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/12/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I own a 2 bedroom at Harborside which is owned by Vistana Signature. I have been promised that it would be merged with Marriott. Its over a year now and nothing has happened . I would like to have my fees be suspended for 2023 and not have to pay until I have access to Marriott. My account with Vistana is ******
  thank You

  Business Response

  Date: 07/12/2023

  We are sorry to receive this complaint from Mr. *******.  Mr. ******* has been an owner at Harborside Resort at Atlantis since September 19, 2004.  At that time, Mr. ******* was given usage access rights to make a 7-night reservation at his home resort (subject to availability within his season), or he may deposit his annual allocation of vacation time with a timeshare exchange company called Interval International.  Mr. ******* also has a third usage option to trade his vacation week and in return receive 180,000 Marriott Bonvoy points. 

  Last year, we launched the ABOUND program, which allows Marriott, Westin and Sheraton Vacation Club owners the ability to elect their annual allocation of vacation time from deeded weeks to a predetermined number of club points.  Those club points can be redeemed at another resort, or for a variety of alternate vacation experiences, via the ABOUND internal exchange program.  Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, Harborside Resort at Atlantis owners are unable to participate in the ABOUND program currently.  Mr. ******* will be notified if we are able to overcome the regulatory requirements associated with allowing Harborside owners the opportunity to participate in ABOUND.  In the meantime, Mr. ******* still has access to his legacy usage options, and he will still be responsible for paying his annual maintenance fees.  

   

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/05/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I pay my fees for my weeks way ahead of time. There is an optional ARDA fee (a lobby organization for timeshares that is specifically helping timeshare developers and not owners), which I do not want to pay. Each and every year, when I pay fees ahead a year, the fee is charged to me
  
  This is a copy/ paste from Vistana's payment page portal:
  
  Current Year Charges
  
  Maintenance Fee(s) $ 1,161.24
  Tax - If Applicable $ 0.00
  Membership Fee - If Applicable $ 0.00
  Other* $ 0.00
  Interest $ 0.00
  Late Fees $ 0.00
  ARDA ROC PAC Contrib.** $ 5.00
  Sub-Total
  Current Year Charges $ 1,166.24
  Less Payments*** $ 0.00
  Total Due $ -1,156.24
  
  Projected Fees for Next Year $ 1,161.24
  
  I don't know how to explain this to Vistana to make them realize that a voluntary fee should not be taken out of my 2024 maintenance fees and applied to 2023 fees. I have talked to numerous people and most won't even acknowledge the problem.
  
  Most timeshares have a total amount due and then you ADD an ARDA fee, if you want to support the resort developers. Vistana adds the fee and we have to subtract it.
  
  I am trying to be as succinct as I can. It's an accounting item that general employees of Vistana don't seem to think is a problem. They say, "You don't have to pay the fee, you can subtract the fee." When I pay my estimated 2024 fees, I call to book my 2024 weeks, which I can book at exactly a year out, and I am told I owe $5.00. I tell them that it's the ARDA fee, so I don't owe it. They say that I shorted the fees for 2024 by $5.00. I explain every single time I call. It's getting old, and I am getting old. I am 68 years old and don't need this stress in my life.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/02/2023

  When owners prepay online, the money they pay is set aside due to the fees for the next year not being set. Therefore, the owner is paying what the projected amount will be. If the owner were to pay after the invoice was sent, they wouldn’t have this same issue. However, using the example the owner shared, if the projected amount is $1,161.24, then it would be best to pay $1,156.24, which is $5 less. Also, we are in the process of reversing the $5 fee on each piece of inventory.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/20/2023

  The only other option at the moment is to make the last payment by phone. This will allow the associate to ensure the owner isn't charged the $5 fee. We have also submitted this feedback to our IT team to look into. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/22/2023

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* 

  Vistana is not going to do anything to fix the statements, which clearly show the amount due with the ARDA fee, and the owners have to subtract the fee.  Owning many units at Sheraton Broadway Resort, this is $300 of my money that Vistana is donating to a cause I do not support.  
  
  It's such a simple fix.  I don't get the problem.  Just don't include the $5.00 in the total due, and when I pay ahead, the $5.00 I subtracted before won't be applied to the ARDA fee.  Accounting needs to look into this situation.  Simple math, I said it before.  I would print one of my statements to show the problem, but Vistana's website is once again down.  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******* ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/05/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have attempted to convert my vacation points with Vistana to Marriott points within the deadline but with many attempts was not able to reach anyone and the website was not functioning properly. I emailed and called but got no reponse. I spoke to someone via chat on the day after and was told that he found my email and that I should call back today (Monday, July 3rd). I waited on hold for 60 min. and then spoke to someone **************) who had me on hold for an additional hour while she contacted the resolution department. Once back on the line, I was told that my email was about modifying a reservation (untrue!) and nothing could be done. I told her that this was false, that I had the chat information, which confirms my statement to her. I then asked to speak to a supervisor and was put on hold for an additional hour. Unacceptable series of contacts with no resolution!
  I ask to be allowed to convert my star option points to Marriott points. Very unhappy with the company and find very little ability to contact anyone to help me.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/07/2023

  We have no indication that Ms. **** attempted to trade her week at Westin Mission Hills to Marriott Bonvoy points on, or before the June 30th deadline.  Ms. **** did contact Owner Services after the deadline requesting an exception and her request was declined.  In order to provide Ms. **** with an alternative option, Owner Services did offer to bank Ms. ****** StarOptions to 2024 thereby giving her an entire additional year to use them.  Ms. **** declined this option.  

  Business Response

  Date: 07/31/2023

  
  Sent: Monday, July 31, 2023 3:24 PM
  To: *******************
  Subject: MVW Customer Advocacy
  
  Good afternoon Mrs. *****
  
  I recently received your correspondence that was shared with
  the Better Business Bureau of Central Florida. 
  
  Upon reading your comments I reviewed the chat transcript
  that was provided and agree that Owner Services certainly could have done a
  better job while addressing your complaint.  In order to resolve this
  matter quickly for you I have instructed Owner Services to convert your 2023
  week to Marriott Bonvoy points.  Owner Services confirmed processing the
  transaction on Friday, July 28th and you should see those Bonvoy
  points in your account soon.  Please let me know if I can be of further
  service.
  
  Best regards,

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/01/2023

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********* and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.

  Thanks so much for acknowledging my complaint and providing a solution!
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  **** ****

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/27/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have been with Vistana Portfolio Services since 2019 and up to this point we have had not complaints. Apparently the honeymoon season is over. Dec of 2022 we upgraded our package which we have been continually paying on time before this point. The sales told us to forego the 2 months payment (Jan-Feb 2023), March 2023 began our first payment on the new contract. Vistana was authorized to take the requested amount from our account next beginning March 2023. We received notification as well as saw the monies removed from our account Mar-Apr-May). Apr 2023 we received notification from Vistana stating we were delinquent on our account. We contacted Owner services and informed them that this was in error. We were told to provide proof payment from our bank account. We submitted copies of account statement showing monies withdraw made payable to VSE Services. Vistana informed us that they will investigate and re-contact us accordingly. This was April. We have not yet received a contact from Vistana stating what happened to the money they withdrew from our account. My bank offered to be on a three way conference call with myself and Vistana but I was told by Vistana rep, this would not resolve anything. Vistana continues to withdraw monies from my account for Mar, Apr, May. Then decided to send me a letter stating that the bank declined the account. I was told again to submit proof of payment in which I provided the information via three separate emails. Frankly, this is onset. I have still not been contacted though I have made several phones and offered information that was requested. Vistana has also charged late fees for delinquent account in which was a result of their practices. I would like my account to be credited for what was withdrawn and all late charges removed from account.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/30/2023

  From: F********, Ray (MVCI)
  Sent: Friday, June 30, 2023 5:40 PM
  To: ******************
  Subject: MVW Corporate Customer Advocacy
  
  Good afternoon Mr. **********
  
  I am in receipt of your Better Business Bureau complaint
  regarding a new loan that coincides with your Vistana vacation ownership
  purchase.  I appreciate this opportunity to respond on behalf of the
  corporate office for Marriott Vacations Worldwide.
  
  Upon reading your complaint, I contacted the senior leadership team within our
  financial services office and asked for an independent review of your loan
  payment history.  This afternoon I was notified that the matter has been
  resolved and your loan payments were received and processed for the months of
  March, April and May.  Your June payment is currently due and once that
  has been paid you will be fully current. 
  
  Thank you for contacting the corporate Customer Advocacy
  office for Marriott Vacations Worldwide and allowing me this opportunity to
  assist you.
  
  Best regards,
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 07/05/2023

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ******** as well recieved direct correspondence concerning the matter. I find the response to be satisfactory. Thank You.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******** *********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/12/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have one week timeshare for Westin Nanea. I have been trying to book 1 week for the past 2 weeks. I went on the Vistana Website every night at 12am sharp, but it has been always 0 availability. Why? Does Vistana oversell its timeshares and the owners scramble in to book yet can't get anything even at the midnight eastern time? How can you have the customer who have the right at 12 months ahead to get any booking. I tried to be flexible, but still don't get any. Please explain. This is a scam!!!

  Business Response

  Date: 06/13/2023

  We apologize that **** ****** has been unable to confirm a requested reservation using StarOptions.  Reservations at our Hawaiian resorts during the summer months are the most highly desired by Westin Vacation Club owners.  The inventory is released at the appropriate 12 month inventory release date and reservations are confirmed on a first come, first serve basis.  We encourage Thuy to call into our Owner Services office to ensure they are attempting to make reservations on the correct inventory release date.  Owner Services may also be able to proactively offer alternative dates and locates where availability. exists.  The telephone number to Owner Services is 888-986-9637 and their hours of operations are Monday through Friday from 9am to 8pm eastern.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/24/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  ***** ************
  10:48?AM (0 minutes ago)
  to Kirsten
  
  We were told this purchase was our only chance to join the Abround/Marriott program at the cost we were seeing. We told them we could only afford 700/month. The rep told us we would lose our status switching over to Marriott because Marriott did not value Sheraton points as highly as their own.The offer we got was almost 1400/month. The buyback program promise was the single most important reason we felt comfortable purchasing that day. The rep told us Sheraton did not have a buyback program so we would always be stuck with the ownership even if we did not want it. HOWEVER Marriott did have a buyback program and we could use it with no conditions required. We felt comfortable we could use it at ANY time. We would not have purchased otherwise. We understood we would lose our VIP status but it made sense since we were gaining the buyback program with Marriott. We were never told it did not guarantee a dead back or resale opportunity or that the program could be turned on or off at any time. Or that there could not be any outstanding loans on the account.
  
  We were told we would have enough points to completely offset our maintenance fees every year. The rep told us we would have enough points to convert our fees and also take a couple of vacations. We loved the idea of not having to pay fees every year going forward.On top of that the rep told us he would waive our fees in 2023 but we still could vacation in 2023.We were also told we could use rental income to offset fees and ownership costs.
  
  The rescission period was never discussed . Neither the rep, sales manager or closing officer mentioned a period of time in which we could cancel. The closing was very quick. We got a brief summary for 10 minutes. We were not given time to read the contract or any rescission language. We were never shown the closing disclosure and portions of contract pages.
  
  Y

  Business Response

  Date: 05/26/2023

  Kirsten
  A*****, Customer Advocacy Manager, has diligently reviewed the owner’s concerns
  and found that the sale was properly facilitated with the owner agreeing to the
  terms of the purchase.  As cancellation
  of the contract was not submitted during the 10-day cancellation period, the
  sale continued and cannot be cancelled at this time.  We have attached a copy of Ms. A*****’s response.
  
  In
  review of Mr. ************’s purchase history, we find that the owner has
  previous upgrade purchases in December 2014 and December 2015 (Sheraton Flex vacation
  package), prior to the most recent upgrade purchase on December 24, 2022.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/06/2023

  For the reasons previously provided (as conveyed in the terms of the purchase), we respectfully decline the owner's request for cancellation.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/07/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

   

  
  ***** ************ 9:31?AM (0 minutes ago)
  
  
  to Kirsten
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  We never got to read the contract before signing. The closing process was very rushed. We never saw any rescission page or closing disclosure. We never saw the numbers either the mortgage payments or maintenance fee payments. We were never told we had financed a loan for 58,000! We had a balance on our existing contract and we expected the overall balance to go up a few thousand dollars. We were very upset when we found out that we had increased our ownership with 29,000 additional points but now had a balance of 22,000 MORE than what was on our existing contract. We were paying about 3000/year with our existing contract. The rep told us there would only be a slight increase. The new maintenance fees were never shown to us. We did not realize too much later the new fee was 3700/year.
  
  
  We were not comfortable with the interest rate being so high. We were told not to worry because most owners were refinancing these loans as soon as they got home. We were told we could refinance and it was an easy process with any bank. We looked into the refinancing and were denied.
  
  
  We were told that Mariott had a partnership with Disney that would allow us to use our points to stay at the resorts. That we could take a Disney vacation in 2024 as soon as Abound starts!!. We could use our points to stay at Disny properties. The rep told us specifically we had enough points to book 1 week at their resorts. 
  
  
  The promise of a buyback program is the single most important reason we felt comfortable with the purchase. According to the rep Sheraton did not have a buyback program so we would be stuck with the ownership  even if we did not want it. HOWEVER Marriott had a buyback program and we could use it at ANY time.
  
  
  A rescission period was never discussed . Neither the sales rep, sales manager or closing officer mentioned a period of time in which we should cancel.
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** ************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/24/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  The increase to our maintenance fees was not discussed. We would not have made this new purchase if the exact amount had been disclosed. The rep told us the fees were waived until 2025. We were told they would refund our fees in 2022. We were told we could rent our points/weeks. We were told to expect to get at least 4 weeks of vacation every year. At a minimum we could charge enough to cover our yearly fees of over 6000/year. This was never true.
  The length of our loan was not discussed. Instead of access to about 20 Sheraton properties we would be able now to access an additional 80 properties with Marriott. Not true. We were told we were now doing business with Marriott and that Marriott did in fact have a buyback program that we would have access to. They did not tell us about limitations.
  Told again the current pricing for these points had increased Drastically since our purchase in August. By having the ability to purchase at the old rates we were getting a deal the rep had never seen before. If we did not get to 300,000 points we would be stuck with only Sheraton properties which we found out were not true.
  The rescission period was never discussed at the presentation. The closing was rushed! We were not given time to read the contract we signed. When we returned from the trip, my wife began doing research on the Redweek site, as well as checking into other sites to see if we could sell a week and figure out how to work the system as we had been shown. In mid-February we took our first try at selling a week in Orlando on Redweek. Around this time, I also started doing some more research on the Marriott program. From what I was able to see, I would have been able to convert star options into club points at any varying amount, not just at 10,000 plus club points. We also went through our records and never had any emails or messages regarding the August 2022 purchase.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/30/2023

  Although we sincerely regret the
  owner’s expressed dissatisfaction, we appreciate the opportunity to respond to
  his complaint.

  Customer Advocacy Manager,
  Jose D*** has connected with Mr. ****** in response to his concerns surrounding
  his January 2023 Sheraton Flex upgrade purchase. 
  In review of purchase
  documents, the terms of the purchase and 10-day cancellation period were provided
  to the owner.  It is notable that Mr. ******
  has upgraded on previous occasions and in all instances, signed his agreement
  to the contracts.

  Jose also highlighted benefits
  for Mr. ****** who with his newest purchase is a Chairman’s Club member and reiterated
  the flexibility of the Sheraton Flex vacation package.
  As all the purchase terms
  were properly disclosed and exhibit the owner’s signed agreement, we respectful
  decline his request to cancel his contract. 
  

  Business Response

  Date: 06/09/2023

  Review of the signed Purchase Agreement and
  Receipt for Documents confirms that a 10-day cancellation period was provided
  at the time of purchase.  We maintain our position and decline the cancellation request.  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 06/12/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  There was never a dicussion of the rescission period in the presentation. 
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ********* ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/17/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I will try to be brief in sharing my concern as a President level Vistana member.
  I have owned a timeshare at ****** Nanea for years. The start of this is my error, in December when paying all of my maintenance fees I received a statement that apparently only was for one week from both Nanea and my ******** weeks as well. When I realized the error I immediately sent the rest of my amount due. The ******** fees were appropriately applied and that was done. The Nanea fees were not and this is where things started to go south.
  First I got into a loop where Nanea only accepts copies of checks via e-mail or snail mail and my bank only faxes.
  I finally sent both of these checks and received an e-mail saying both checks had been credited to the same account and they would need to move the credit from one account to the other. Meanwhile I continue to receive letters saying I must pay my fees or my October reservation would be canceled. I have made numerous phone calls regarding this, I have talked to supervisors as well as front line owner services staff to NO avail.
  Now I have received a letter stating that a Claim of Lien has been filed with the court and the next step is foreclosure. If this is truly the case it will be damaging to my credit report and at 72 none of this is stress I should be going through.
  I need two things as this has been ongoing for months.
  1. I need this to be corrected and the account show both payments have been made.
  2. If a lien has been filed I need this corrected so as not to reflect in my credit report.
  Further issue is contacting anyone in Vistana executive offices. Web site shows Dale C***** as SVP of Finance but in contacting him in Linked In he retired 5 yrs ago.
  As an owner the company needs to be more transparent.
  Thank you fir any assistance in getting this resolved.
  
  Respectfully
  ******** ******

  Business Response

  Date: 05/18/2023

  
  Good afternoon Ms. *******
  
  I am in receipt of your complaint that was filed with the
  Better Business Bureau.
  
  I apologize for the frustration you have endured over these
  past several weeks while working with our Member Services department to sort
  out your 2023 maintenance fee payments.  I reviewed your account yesterday
  afternoon and noticed that funds were transferred to your ****** account by our
  finance office on March 31st and April 4th respectively;
  however, you own two separate ****** Nanea points packages and both sets of
  funds were only applied to one, leaving an overage on one package and a
  deficiency on the other.  I worked with financial services to make the
  necessary adjustment between your ****** points packages and now they are both
  at a zero balance.  Financial Services has also adjusted off the legal fee
  that were assessed separately. 
  
  Again, I am sorry that you had to escalate this matter to my
  level in order to get the issue resolved.  Your account is now reflecting
  paid in full.
  
  Thank you,
  
  
  Ray
  F********
  Director, Customer Advocacy
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/22/2023

  
  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ******** ******

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/11/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I have placed numerous requests with Vistana Owner Services to obtain a current 2023 HOA statement that shows I all fees for this period have been paid. The representatives direct me to the website but the only statement available is old from March and is not current. They tell me they cannot provide me any document that shows I am current and this contract is currently onsale with a reseller. I should be legally entitled to receive some notification, on Vistana letterhead, if not a statement, that all dues for the current period have been satisfied. I feel this has been intentional and if I do not receive any response back, I will provide all these requests documented to my attorney to address with Vistana. I do not understand why this simple request cannot be addressed professionally and efficiently.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/19/2023

  We are sorry for the unfavorable
  service and inconvenience experienced by Ms. ******.  The owner may access maintenance fee details on
  the owner’s dashboard on *************** under
  “Your Owners Association section. 
  Attached are screen shots of the online maintenance fee details which
  reflects a zero balance due.
  In review of the owner’s
  account, we reflect the following maintenance fee payment history for the
  vacation ownership interests, showing both accounts current for 2023 annual
  assessments:
  Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort – Contract #*******
  8/6/22 – Payment of $500.00
  2/8/23 – Payment of $500.00
  3/32/2 – Payment of $817.02
  
  Sheraton Flex – Contract *******
  8/6/22 – Payment of $500.00
  9/5/22 – Payment of $500.00
  10/6/22 – Payment of $548.54

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/09/2023

  Type:Sales and Advertising Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We again stated that we were not interested. We notified our salesman that because of our ages (66 and 67) we were not looking to purchase more. My wife, *****, has multiple sclerosis, and is confined to a wheelchair. We felt satisfied with the current amount of options we owned. After letting her know our wishes, she started to push the Abound program even more. She said a letter was mailed to owners to explain this program. We made it clear that we never received prior information about this program. We were then told that if we did not join the Abound program our current ownership
  would not allow us to have priority, even at our “home” resort. The salesman told us that our current 110,000 options would not be enough to travel to our desired vacation spots, and we would again be at the bottom of being able to choose reservation locations and dates.. She pressured us continuously and made us feel like if we didn’t purchase more from her, we were failing, and would not be able to travel to any of our desired locations. She then told us that the package we needed to buy was $30,000. She then said that “today only” she would sell it for $22,000. She told us that this is too great of a deal, and again made us feel pressured.
  We were never notified that our new maintenance fees would be over $2800 per year. They never gave us any information on what the maintenance costs would be. To pressure us even more, she told us that our loan would have 13.99% interest. She told us we could refinance and lower our payments. We could not. She said that we could “rent out” our ownership to pay all the expenses (which we now know is not an option.) I also never knew that this loan could never be refinanced. She never at any time told us the length of the loan, the time to pay off the loan, or any other important facts.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/12/2023

  We are sorry to learn about Mr. ********s discontent with his recent upgrade in the ******** Flex vacation ownership program.  In review of Mr. ********s purchase history we see that he originally became an owner in 2003.  Mr. ******* has upgraded his ownership several times during his lengthy tenure as a Vistana owner.  In 2018, he upgraded from our legacy weeks-based program to the ******** Flex points-based program, acquiring 110,000 StarOptions.  In March of this year Mr. ******* made another upgrade, trading in his old package of 110,000 StarOptions and purchasing a new package of 148,100. 

  The new ABOUND program launched in 2022 and owners received plenty of information, which included an explanation that the ******** Flex Program would not change.  Mr. ********s StarOptions could still be used just as he had in years past.  Mr. ******* has made several reservations using his StarOptions, demonstrating his understanding of the program's reservation rules and usage procedures.  His primary motivation for entering into the new purchase was to accrue more vacation time.  

  All of the financial components of the purchase such as loan information and maintenance fees were fully disclosed to Mr. ******* in writing at the point of sale.  He received all of the information that was necessary to make an informed purchase decision.  

  At this juncture the purchase is closed and cannot be undone.  If something has changed in Mr. ********s personal financial situation, making it difficult to meet his loan and/or maintenance fee obligations, then he is welcome to connect with our exit services team for guidance and advice on how to relinquish ownership of his interests.  The telephone number ot our exit services department is 866-682-4547.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/16/2023

  It is 100% true that in November of 2022 our organization officially launch ABOUND by ******** Vacations Worldwide.  ABOUND is an internal exchange program that allows ******** and Westin owners to elect their StarOptions to ABOUND Club Points, and then redeem those Club Points at ******** Vacation Club resorts, or through our Explorer Collection.  By owning more StarOptions, Mr. ********'s election value in ABOUND Club points also increased, giving him more vacation currently to plan his dream Hawaii vacation. 

  We respectfully disagree with Mr. ********'s statement that he did not receive his sales contract until after the 10-day rescission period expired.  To the contrary, Mr. ******** did receive a complete set of his purchase documents on the day of purchase, and we have signed disclosure statements where he agreed to receiving all of the information that was necessary to make an informed purchase decision.  

  Full disclosure was also provided about resale offerings, loan information, maintenance fees and all other costs that are affiliated with the vacation ownership program.  As a convenience and in the spirit of great customer service we provide each and every new owner with a detailed Quality Assurance Checklist that covers the reservation procedures, this same document also discloses the fact that owners should only be purchasing for their own personal vacation enjoyment and that we do not guarantee any type of resale or investment programs.  Maintenance fee costs are also disclosed on the Quality Assurance Checklist that Mr. ******** signed and initialed expressing his understanding of all program details.  

  At this juncture we may only reiterate that their is no lucid evidence that anyone in our organization misrepresented Mr. ********.  We will not agree to repurchase his ownership interests and we consider this matter closed.

   

  
  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 05/17/2023

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  There was no discussion of the rescission period. We were the last presentation of the day and felt pressured because the reps wanted to leave. Just a quick summary and no time to read the contract documents. The closing oficer did not want to take the time to answer questions.We did not receive a set of our purchase documents on the day of sale. What prrod is there. the video will not show that. When we got the contract later it was past the rescission period. We did not get full disclosure regarding the resale, loan  information, fees and costs.We did not get at the time a Quality Assurance Checklist

  
  Of course it appears we agreed to all the terms of the contract if you go just by our signatures. This is fraud and deceit on the part of ******** We asked as any video will bear out to read the terms of the contract but were not allowed. We were not given copies at the time nullifying our rescission rights. This is a violation of real estate law. Total nondisclosure on the part of the seller. I disagree just because of my signature I agreed to all the terms and am bound. This contract is based on both fraud and deceit surrounding it. It will be seen I asked but was not allowed to go away and read the contract on the video of the transaction. I was not given copies of the contract again on the video at the time. All purchasers are not given copies of the contract before leaving the sales center. Never given an opportunity to review and ask for clarification. It is simple let us review the audio and video of the transaction. This will not happen because ******** knows we are telling the truth. This so I could not raise my concerns and cancel the contract in a timely manner. This is a violation of real estate law. Total nondisclosure on the part of the seller *********
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ***** ********