Complaint Review: Puravida Lifestyle

we were on vacation at Sunset Royal Beach Resort in Cancun, MX - this was a discounted trip we had purchased with the caveat of attending a 90 minute presentation.  This was a tiered sales approach and we were forwarded around to at least 6-7 different people each time we said no.  We were told we needed to be 'signed out' or our vacation discount would be null and sat down with Mely Perez.  She told us she was in charge of quality and was giving us a survey to make sure we didn't feel we were being pressured at the resort.  After answering the survey we were presented with another 'opportunty and were visited by 3 more people.  We were offered a huge discount and offered 10 free weeksin Cancun and 80 weeks to be used internatioanlly for $399or less per week - unimited.

My husband and I didn't feel comfortableand when researching the day we got home, we decided we didn't feel we wanted to business with this company as nothing we were told was true.  We were offered $1000 to be used for airfare (qualifying travel purchases on the contract) only to find, when we contaced the 800#, that airfare was not a qualifying travel purchase.  We contacted them that day to cancel and were told we weren't allowed to speak to the cancellation dept b/c we weren't members yet. 

We called back to the sales and were told the airfare was an option but we had to confirm our membership with the call on the 5th day in order to use it.  I told them we were not comfortable with this now and we didn't want to continue.  We were then offered additional discounts off of the price of the pkg to offset the 'misunderstanding' in the airfare offering as they wanted to 'help us' so we didn't lose our deposit and assured me that they were not going to refund my original deposit.  They would refund $525 (25% of our deposit) to help me but that I would need to commit to the remaining 14 months of payment.  I was then told they needed to leave for the day and they would call me back in the am.  I had such reservations about this I sent an email requesting to cancel and move forward on this - I sent this to the verification departement email I was given and to quality control at SunsetGroup.

I called back to speak to the sales person to let them know and was told by customer service that they got my letter and that I couldn't talk to sales until 7 days.  I was insistent and spoke to sales who still tried to offer me additional discounts.  Once I said I was not going to be a member and wanted a full refund they said it was out of their hands and reffered me to a Legal Officer - Ian Weinberger.

Ian told me he could not help me but that my request would go to a committee to be evaluated.  he told me I would not be able to get my deposit back b/c I had signed that I recinded any amount already paid to him.  there is a fraud clause for refund, but I was told that anything verbally committed was not to be considered and it is out of his hands until the committee contacts me in 1 week as is their only legal obligation.

I am writing this in the hopes that no one else will be taken advantage of and have their hard-earned money stolen from them.  what was supposed to be a brief get away to relax has turned into a nightmare.  I will not do business with another company in Mexico ever again.