mightycute
Bluegreen are Predators & Liars
My experience is unique in that I did three timeshares last year. My first experience happened after coming off a 6-week manufacturing shutdown project where, for the first 2 weeks, I worked non-stop. This was the break I needed to recoup, and I could book travel before the voucher expired. I arrived and checked in with Bluegreen and received my hotel details. I wouldn't be staying at the Tradewinds property but at the Treasure Island Hotel and Marina, about 10 to 15 minutes away. My room was right off the elevator, and I felt unsafe. Plus, the hotel looked dated. When I went to my appointment in the morning, I was asked about the accommodations, and I explained the issue with my room location and safety concerns. I inquired why I wasn't staying at a Bluegreen property, and they stated they contracted other properties when they didn't have availability at Tradewinds due to damage. This was my initial red flag. My saleswoman did the whole gamut. While going through the questionnaires, they followed with the benefits I would get as a BG owner. I would be leaving a legacy for my kids. I can save on future travel, and I would be able to maximize travel using bonus time vs. points. They sold me on the ability to pass this down to my kids and invest in my future through travel. She pushed the credit card to put the deposit on because it was 6 months interest-free. I passed and put it on my card. While the papers were being generated, I learned they "found a room" at Tradewinds so I could see all the benefits. I tried to navigate the system, but it was recommended to schedule my ownership training/orientation. I had a trip to Las Vegas, so I could use my orientation trip to cover part of my accommodations. Fast-forward about 30 days later to Vegas. I get to my orientation and am told how deficient my points are instead of learning about maximizing what I have. I felt annoyed and duped. There was a solution to fix my issue. Buy more points. I was told buying more points would get me closer to the dream sold to me. I was assured that I would have access to the properties and be able to easily book properties. I signed up for a second property with the same reassurances, more points, and more flexibility. But, this came with the recommendation of pulling a cash loan from my 401K to pay for the 1st and 2nd loans or refinancing through SoFi. Worried about the interest, I pulled $30K from my 401K with an 8% interest rate on May-16-2023. I paid off my loans with Bluegreen and reduced my monthly income by $607.43 to unofficially pay off the purchases. Afterward, I received bills and notices that didn't make sense. I called Bluegreen, pissed. I didn't understand why nothing seemed to match what I was promised. Why didn't the site operate for me like it had been displayed on the big screen? I complained, and I was "flagged". My last experience took place in Williamsburg, VA. I took my youngest 2 kids there for amusement parks and historical sightseeing. There was a saleswoman with a husband with cancer sharing her life story with me. Using my kids as leverage to push the idea of passing a legacy to them. It was here I learned that I still wasn't in a tier that afforded the perks promised. I still didn't have enough points. I was on a biennial plan and needed points annually to get to bronze. However, there was a mysterious deal that was saved from the initial purchase that grandfathered me into the old lower point system. If I upgraded, I would get proper access to full perks. They took me on more tours to see presidential suites for my family. She shared details on capitalizing on the timeshare and ensuring I would be happy with this purchase. They had a Diamond couple there telling me all the great things I would experience. I folded again. I had to pay this purchase out of pocket, $248 monthly. Since that purchase, I used the points twice. Every attempt to use points, bonus points, RCI certificates, etc., has all been met with roadblocks or ridiculously high fees. The ease of booking travel or converting points hasn't worked. I spent hours trying to make it work without success but plenty of frustration. Truly a trash company.



