- Report: #1352038
Complaint Review: Beacons Ultimate Destinations - Internet
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Beacons Ultimate Destinations
Internet, USA
Phone:
801-326-4106
Web:
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Beacons Ultimate Destinations Timeshare weeks purchase Salt Lake City, Utah Internet
An aledged company called Beacons Ultimate Destinations contacted me about purchasing 10 years of use of my timeshare at the Grand Mayan resort in Nuevo Vallarta. They were very sophisticated and knew a lot about the resort and my agreement with the resort. Because of the storm that devestated Los Cabos in 2014, they contacted me with a ten year offer to take over the rental of my unit. The initial contract had no strings. After signing the contract for $25000 in 2014. they then hit me with additional fees to process the transaction from legal fees to profit taxes to admin fees to contract extension fees. Several people would contact me and I was even given the number of the client who was suposedly on contract with Johnson and Johnson, based in New Jersey. I was eben shown a copy of the agreement with Michael Reeves who was the agent in New Jersey trying to secure accomodations in Mexico to entertain clients on behalf of J&J. Point is that it was well setup and very elaborate and consequently very belivable. They drew me in for a small admin fee of $1500 at first with promises that it would all be reimbursed. By the second claim for legal fees at $5000, I was really just trying to not lose the $1500. One fee after another came and each time I was promised that it would all be re-imbursed. I said, how is it that so many people are in on this, it just can't be a scam.
I had one person go over my contract with the Grand Mayan noting the contract renewwal fees; again all very logical. Each time I fell for it and wired money, not to them, but to a bank account in Mexico where the supposed "Exclusive Agent" for the Grand Mayan administration lived. The end is predictable. It was a total scam. Before I could finally convince myself that it was a scam. I had sent over $150K USD in wire transfers. You don't have to tell me " how could I be so gullible?" I can't explain.
Part of this plot was the lack of support I recieved from the Salt Lake City Better Business Bureau. Before I sent any money the BBB listed this company as a B+. Around the time I recieved my second invoice for legal services, the BBB downgraded Beacons to a D rating. When I relayed this situation to Mr John Beacon, he called the BBB to complain and got his rating re-instated to the B+ within a couple of days. I thought that if the BBB believed him, then Beacons must be real and legitimate. Well, if you read the fine print in the BBB website, they don't honour their assessments and have a disclaimer to that effect. I contacted the Canadain Police and the Mexican consulate and hired a lawyer in Salt Lake City to sue. All to no avail. Beacons was a ghost website and was untraceable. They even had the nerve to call me after a year to know if I wanted to get my money back as long as I wired $30K for legal fees. No I did not but I can tell you I was even mad at the Grand Mayan (Vidanta) for leaking my personal info and not using their financial clout to freeze the accounts where I wired the money. No way. So I fell for it and I hope anyone reading this recognizes the story or the pattern and does not. If you too have fallen prey to Beacons or the Salt Lake City BBB let you down too on Beacons or even a similar story, try to get back to me. Maybe there is strength in numbers and at least we can commiserate together.
Jim
Ottawa
Canada
