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:10/22/2024

  Type:Product 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 am trying to cancel my subscription and this is allowed per my contract. No one will return my calls, their online portal for communicating with them is broken, and I keep getting billed for an annual fee. HELP.

  Business Response

  Date: 11/22/2024

  Thank you for the opportunity to address Ms. ********** concerns. We have spoken with her on numerous occasions of which she has been informed that we would need her request for cancellation in writing. We have not received a written request directly,but would be happy to consider this as that request. 

   

  Should you like additional information, please feel free to reach out directly.

   

  Regards,

   

  ****** **********
  Member Services
  **************************
  **************************
  Phone: **************
  *****************************************************************************************************************
  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:03/21/2024

  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.

  The original agreement was in 2013. However, the agreed upon prices in our agreement have increased with no option to cancel nor was this disclosed or present on our contract. Additionally we have only been able to use one of our vacation weeks since we purchased the agreement as each time theres been no availability at the location. That with the price increased thats nearly tripled to use a vacation week, it is not what was originally agreed upon. Additionally I cannot even login now on the website (says couldnt establish a secure connection) and when I call, it rings and then goes to a voicemail that says its not set up.

  Business Response

  Date: 04/04/2024

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to ************** request. I would like to address ************** statements in the order in which he presented.

  "The original agreement was in 2013. However, the agreed upon prices in our agreement have increased with no option to cancel nor was this disclosed or present on our contract.":

  In the original contract, it states that the membership fees may increase up to 5% annually. In addition, cancellations may be granted on a case-by-case basis according to medical or financial need. We have not received a request for cancellation verbally or in writing before this date.

  "Additionally we have only been able to use one of our vacation weeks since we purchased the agreement as each time theres been no availability at the location. That with the price increased thats nearly tripled to use a vacation week, it is not what was originally agreed upon. Additionally I cannot even login now on the website (says couldnt establish a secure connection) and when I call, it rings and then goes to a voicemail that says its not set up."

  The website is active. Over ***** bookings have occurred via the website January 2024 to date. The website may be accessed at www.digitalvacationquest.com. Mr. *** will need his membership ID and password to login and may call our office at ************** to receive assistance. An alternate point of contact is our GCI office: **************. In addition, we would be happy to take any request verbally. At this time there are over ****** vacation options available. As per contract, major metropolitan cities are excluded as well as the ******* Keys. 

  There will be no refunds issued on an account over a decade old that has been utilized. I would be happy to assist Mr. and Mrs. *** in utilizing the membership going forward.

  Please let me know should you required additional information.

  Regards,

   

  *********************************

  Member Service Director

• Initial Complaint

  Date:01/11/2024

  Type:Product 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 signed up with Southern Journeys/Digital Vacation Quest in 2009 after "winning" a free 3 day 2 night vacation. The only catch was we had to attend a presentation. The presenter was a real shark and made everyone feel they could not leave the room without talking to the salesteam. Everything was fast paced and very vague. We ended up signing trusting what we were told in the presentation. After paying the $8,000 in fees, we have had annual fees that have increased in price to now over $400. We have only actually gone on 1 vacation (booked 2 but because of COVID could only go on 1) and the accommodations were a mystery to us until arrival. According to the member handbook, you will not know which room you will have until you arrive and they can even change your resort if needed. The accommodations were very subpar especially for the weekly price ($695) we had to pay on top of everything we else we had already paid to date. Since that trip in 2021, we have not been able to book anything due to limitations or locations. This has been a total waste of money. We would like to cancel and would like a refund if possible.

  Business Response

  Date: 01/27/2024

  *************************
  Resolutions Specialist
  *****************************************************
  
  Re: Complaint ID ********
  
  ****************,
  
  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to Ms. ******************** concerns. **************** utilized the vacation membership twice in 2021. I have not had any vacation request, written or verbal from **************** since June 21, 2021. I would like to first offer to waive Ms. ******* vacation membership fees past due in the amount of $379.00 and personally assist with scheduling her next vacation. Should that prove unsatisfactory,we can agree to cancel the membership upon direct request sent to *****************************************************************.
  
  Please let me know if I may be of further assistance.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************************
  Southern Journeys
  Member Services
  **************

  Customer Answer

  Date: 01/29/2024

  Complaint: 21128480
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  We do NOT have any past due fees. All of our fees have been paid in full. We will have upcoming fees in **** but nothing is PAST DUE. 

  There are several states and countries that no longer are offered. We were only able to utilize one booking in 2021. We had to forfeit one in 2021 due to restrictions on international travel. 
  
  *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 01/30/2024

  *************************
  Resolutions Specialist
  *****************************************************
  
  Re: Complaint ID ********
  
  ****************,
  
  I would like to encourage **************** to contact me directly to review the account.  My offer to personally assist with scheduling her next vacation stands. Should that prove unsatisfactory, we can agree to cancel the membership upon direct request sent to *****************************************************************.
  
  Please let me know if I may be of further assistance.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************************
  Southern Journeys
  Member Services
  **************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/19/2023

  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.

  www.digitalvacationquest.com - Acct *********** RAH We paid for the package in full at signing. We do not remember anyone telling us about a yearly maintenance fee that just continues to re-occur. We have not used the service one time, everywhere we look to vacation is either non-available or higher then just booking ourselves. We actually tried a few times . I have tried over the years to complain but the people are so rude and will not help. I just need this yearly maintenance cancelled, they can keep all the money I paid up front just stop billing me and credit these maintenance fees. This is just a scam aimed at ************* is pretty sad that they use the high pressure sales to scam us seniors. Acct *********** RAH

  Business Response

  Date: 08/01/2023

  Thank you for the opportunity to respond to ************* in regards to complaint #********. First and foremost, upon signing the contract with Southern Journeys, our team attempted to contact Mr. and ************* seven times using the contact information provided. These attempts were made to see if Mr. and ************* had any questions or concerns regarding their purchase. There was no response to our attempts, nor at any time have we had incoming communication from Mr. or *************. We are still available to assist with the understanding and use of any of the ****** current booking options. 

  The contract in which Mr. and ************* signed outlines specifically, in which they initialed that they understood, that there would be an annual fee charged for the membership. A copy of this contract may be provided upon request. 

  At this time we will honor the request for cancelation. Should Mr. and ************* like to reinstate or speak with me about using the membership, they may reach me at ************** or *****************************************************************.

   

  Please let me know if I may be of further assistance.

   

  Respectfully,

  *********************************

  Member Service Director

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/22/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  UnpursuableMore 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 tried contacting Southern Journeys about cancelling my contract. I have left voice messages that have not been returned or attempted to be returned. My contract states I will be charged $129. for an annual membership, (dues) and quarterly maintenance fees. My recent credit card statement shows $159 annual fee. I have noted fewer and fewer destinations available to me and the cost has gone up from what I originally paid $150 for a week to now $410 a week. No increase in weeks were stated in the sales pitch when I joined, this is deliberately misleading business practices. I did not use the timeshare in 2020 for obvious reasons, the pandemic cancelled one week that I had previously reserved. That week was refunded to me but no attempt was made to refund the maintenance fees that I paid that year. Again, I cannot get the company to return my calls to discuss cancelling my contract. I have paid in full the initial amount due but am locked into dues and fees. I do not feel these people are operating in a legitimate manner and no longer want to be a part of their scam. I don't intend to use anymore weeks at any of their "destinations" as I don't feel the quality of the ones I've been to are of the standards they advertised them to be. They are certainly not worth the $410.00 a week they are charging now. Furthermore I am trying to cancel the automatic billing I had previously established but they refuse to return my calls to modify that verbal agreement. I have the right to have them stop billing my credit card upon my request but they refuse to discuss this, therefore they continue to bill it against my will.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/13/2023

  Type:Product 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 a member of Southern Journey Travel (formerly TAN) since ****. I paid for my membership in full and have only used the membership twice (2006 and 2008). I have always paid my yearly activity fee and never missed a payment. I just got a phone call from a customer service representative and she cussed me out and stated I have gone years of not paying my annual activity fee. I informed her the only time I did not pay was when I was stationed overseas with the military and my fees were waived. She said that does not make sense and that I needed to pay my $68 past due balance. I stated I wanted to talk to her manager and she said he was gone until Monday. I asked her to have him call me on Monday and she cussed again and hung up the phone. I am about ready to cancel my membership and get my refund for unused weeks. I have never been treated like this. And it is over a $68 bill....

  Business Response

  Date: 05/22/2023

   

  ****************,

       Thank you for the opportunity to respond to ***************************** concerns. I was able to pull the information from our third party facilitator from April 14, 2023 and the notes read as follows: "Called App Home & Comment ****** thinks he is current tried to explain wts call from supervisor used bad language when hanging up".  After a thorough review, I see that his membership was waived on June 10, 2019 until June 10, 2021. When he spoke with the agent on April 14th, he had missed both his March and April monthly payment that he had previously agreed to auto pay. This was the purpose of the call. The payment was cancelled from the website by the customer on March 10, 2023 according to site stamps.

      I would be able to assist ************ with waiving the current fees due in the amount of $117.08 (this includes the June payment as well) and assist him in directly with his account.  I do apologize for the negative interaction he had with the representative and it has been brought to the collection company's attention. There would be no refunds possible for this membership as the account was purchased in **** and has been utilized. Please provide ************ with my contact information for future correspondence. 

  Kind ********************************************************************* Director

  ************

   

  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.
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/29/2022

  Type:Product 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.

  Today, November 28, 2022, I tried to log in to member services using my client ID and it appears the website is fraudulent. I sent an email to *************************************************************** and the email was returned. I purchased 25 weeks of vacation, and it is a lifetime membership. I have only used 2 weeks of the vacation package. I would like a full refund or access to the vacations I was promised. Client ID *********. My husband and I paid in full, and signed a contract that hasn't been upheld by Southern Journeys.$5,500.00 $1,800.00 $ ****** $ ****** Total Refund Request: $7,650

  Business Response

  Date: 12/12/2022

  ****************,

   

  Thank you for the opportunity to address ***************** request. As Mr. and ************* have utilized their vacation membership eight times since signing their contract in January of 2014, there will be no refunds on the membership.

  Should Mr. and ************* like to cancel their vacation membership, they may reach our office at ************** where I will be happy to walk them through that process.

   

  Please do let me know if I may be of additional assistance.

   

  Respectfully,

   

  *********************************

  Member Service Director

  **************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/22/2022

  Type:Product 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 purchased this package many years ago and it is paid off. We continually get billed every year almost $400 for what we were told were maintenance fees. We have not used it once. Every time I try to login to Southern Journeys or try to find the login on ****** it doesn't work. Because of the pandemic and health related issues we have not been able to use this. There is no contact from them ever except for billing for maintenance fees. We do not receive monthly or even yearly info from them. We would like our money back for all payments made and to cancel any further billing for maintenance fees of something we do not use. This was a total rip off. After all we've paid there is still a fee to even use a vacation week. The last person I talked to was so rude and I got nowhere.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/02/2022

  Thank you **************** for the opportunity to address **************** concerns. Our contact info has not altered in the eighteen years tha5 I have been employed with Southern Journeys. ************ may contact our office at ************** Monday - Friday 8:30 am - 6:00pm CST. 

   

  The website is www.digitalvacationquest.com. ************ will need his membership ID and password to log in.

   

  I would be very happy to assist ************ personally assist him in account alterations or in utilizing his membership.

   

  Kind Regards,

   

  *********************************************;