Timeshare Troubles in Mexico?
Kurtis Ming, CBS Sacramento, April 23, 2015: Imagine having someone come up to you while you are on vacation and offer you $450.00 and all you had to do was to sit through a 90-minute presentation. Would you do it? Auburn, California, couple Sue and Pete High did – but not within the United States. No, this happened to them while they were on vacation in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. And that was just the start of their 2-year nightmare.
They dealt with one sales agent after another, cajoled and pressured into buying the offered timeshare. After 6 grueling hours, drinks appeared before them – a glass of wine for her and an open beer for him. That’s when things became rather fuzzy for them and they found themselves signing document after document. The next day, with clearer heads, they realized that they had purchased the timeshare to the tune of $21,900.00, with the down payment covered by two credit cards issued in their names. Much of what was promised to them was not in the contract and they knew immediately that they had to cancel this deceptive agreement.
Profeco, the Mexican consumer protection agency, wrote a letter for the High’s in Spanish to cancel the timeshare transaction within timeframe of 5 days required by Mexican law. However, this was ignored by the developer and they ended up besieged by collection agents.
We should take this as a cautionary tale. All of the problematic timeshare sales tactics that we’ve heard being used in the United States are just as prevalent, and perhaps worse, in Mexico. Something to consider prior to attending a timeshare presentation in the US or in Mexico. And, beware of sampling the refreshments!
Perhaps you have already purchased a timeshare and have had enough of the fees, inability to schedule your vacations, continuing lies and deceptions, and the continued high-pressure to upgrade your timeshare to receive problem resolutions. When timeshare cancellation becomes desired result, the attorneys of the Aaronson Law Firm stand ready to help you cancel your timeshare – it’s all that we do…