Complaints

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:12/05/2024

  Type:Order 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.

  To Whom It May Concern:It appears that Alpenland is not prioritizing the best interests of its members. When my wife and I purchased our timeshare on July 28, 1987, we were promised the ability to trade our week for stays at other resorts. However, the program changed to points and our weeks became untradeable. We haven't been able to use our timeshare in years and now. Over the past couple of years, I have undergone several surgeries. My wife and I are 80 and 78 years old, respectively. Even if we had enough points, we wouldn't be able to use them.When we bought this timeshare, we were told that the sales presentation would only last 20 minutes. However, it actually took over three hours. We were charged $6,480 initially, but we didn't fully understand the ownership terms when we signed the agreement. They made many promises that turned out to be false, such as the ability to easily exchange and sell back our timeshare.While we owned our timeshare at the resort, we encountered problems with exchanging our place and were offered a conversion to points. Despite sending a letter to the resort, we received no response and had to make 3 different phone calls before reaching someone who informed us that we could either keep the timeshare or transfer ownership. We feel that Alpenland is keeping us as members against our will and we believe that they have the authority to terminate our membership. We will persist in seeking termination through any available means. Thank you.Regards,******* & ***** ********

  Business Response

  Date: 12/16/2024

  Dear Customer Relations Advocate:                                     
  
  This letter is in response to concerns brought to your attention by Mr. ******* ******** regarding a purchase agreement initiated with St Johann Alpenland Resort Corporation.
  
  First and foremost, we deeply regret that Mr. ******** has formed such a negative opinion of St Johann Alpenland Resort Corporation. However, it does not change the fact that we are not currently positioned to handle re-sales and cannot simply accept relinquishments from our members at their convenience. However, in the interest of maintaining good relations, we are very sensitive to our members who may be physically unable to travel, or financially unable to maintain their interest in the program.  If Mr. ******** could forward any support regarding the problems he is incurring concerning his family's ability to travel or ability to pay, we would be happy to review this information to discuss how to transfer his usage rights or determine whether or not he is qualified for a specific release program we have created. If Mr. ******** is interested in having this discussion, he may contact us at our corporate office at ***********************, and we will be happy to provide him with the details.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ****** *********
  Director of Member Relations
  
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:06/09/2023

  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.

  Been trying to contact *** (THE SONNENSCHEIN GROUPE) without success. Can't sell or deposit timeshare week. Have tries web and telephone. The only time you hear form these people is when they want something.

  Business Response

  Date: 06/20/2023

  Dear Customer Relations Advocate:                                     
  
  This letter is in response to concerns brought to your attention by *********************************** regarding a purchase agreement initiated with American Resorts International.  
  
  First and foremost, we deeply regret that Mr. ********** has formed such a negative opinion of American Resorts International. However, it does not change the fact that we are not currently positioned to handle re-sales and cannot simply accept relinquishments from our members at their convenience. Furthermore, we do not agree with the claims Mr. ********** has made in his communication to your office.  I can assure you that the concept of timeshare and ownership was highly promoted during our sales presentation, as most of our members would not have purchased otherwise.
  
  However,in the interest of maintaining good relations, we are very sensitive to our members who may be physically unable to travel, or financially unable to maintain their interest in the program.  If Mr. **************** could forward any support regarding the problems he is incurring concerning his family's ability to travel or ability to pay, we would be happy to review this information to discuss how to transfer his usage rights or determine whether or not he is qualified for a specific release program we have created. If Mr. ********** is interested in having this discussion, he may contact us at our corporate office at ***********************, and we will be happy to provide him with the details.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  **********************
  Director of Member Relations
  
  AC/kt

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/18/2022

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore 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 reaching out to the St. Johann Alpenland Corp. since 2020 for the termination of this contract 15506-500425. The last response I have received from them was 7/14/22, they have denied me termination with no explanation even after breaking down the fact they have misrepresented me and violated my consumer rights. This timeshare was purchased in ****, that was 29 years ago and 12 days as of todays date. The timeshare is paid off, they are only wanting the maintenance fees from me but again, they should have given me the facts for this, the timeshare is NOT worth anything. For them to continue to hold me hostage even after 29 years of paying them, is absurd. My husband was the one making the maintenance fee payments from **** up until his death in 2015, I was not involved with this. Once I had received and had total responsibility for the timeshare maintenance fees, not by choice but because of his death, the fees have gone up 3 times, 5% from 2016 to 2020. I did not want this in the first place, my husband did. I am not a traveler. This has never been used and will never be used especially after the lies they have carried out for 29 years. I want this timeshare out of my name. Is this right for them to do this to me?