- Report: #175869
Complaint Review: El Cid Vacation Club - Mazatl
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Author Confirmed
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El Cid Vacation Club
Av. Camar Mazatl, Mexico
Phone:
52-669 913 5466
Web:
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El Cid Vacation Club Fraudulent Sales Practices ripoff Mazatln Mxico
In January of 2005 we were pressured into purchasing timeshare with verbal promises that were not incorporated into the written contract.
We were told that the purchase of 90 000 vacation club points could be combined with weeks from another timeshare we own to qualify us for 300 000 points, the magic number for VIP membership. We would get all means of upgrades by doing so. In addition whatever time we didn't want to use ourselves would be rented out for us for $1960 per week thus paying for itself within a few years.
We told the salesman that this was too rich for our meager pension income but they persisted for several hours sweetening the pot with all manner of inducements. They stressed that this was an investment so after hours of duress (the day after a long flight with several changes of aircraft and one of us just on the mend after a bout of Norwalk virus) we knuckled under. The next day we pointed out that there was a problem because all the verbal promises were not in the contract that we had signed. We we "assured" that they would mail us an updated contract once we got back to Canada.
The bottom line was that we made an initial payment of $7 175 with the agreement to pay the remaining $10 801 after 3 months (during which our propoerty would have been rented out at the aforementioned rate thus helping us to cough-up the balance. Things just didn't seem to be unfolding as Mauel Altamirano, the salesman, had promised. In a blonde moment we sent off the balance in the form of credit card payments. BIG MISTAKE!
After that we found that it was impossible to combine what they had sold us with what timeshare we already owned due to deadlines for depositing weeks/points differing between the two companies. When we telephoned to get things sorted out we found out we did not have this VIP membership and what we'd bought was totally unusable.
After many phone-calls and promises of getting back to us, Johnny Montalbo called us and said that the only way we could make our purchase usable, would be to buy even more points (210 000) for which we could pay by the sale of our other time share (Mayan Palace) which he GUARANTEED to sell on our behalf for a minimum of $39 900. This would be done within 180 days. We agreed because it seemed to be the only way we could recoup the loss. We made certain that the contract was conditional upon the sale of Mayan. We submitted all the documents necessary for the sale. Under this new contract, we had to agree to make loan payments to them using the existing money as a downpayment.
After the 180 days when nothing had happened, we telephoned again and found out from a Don Dinsdale that these fellows. Ru Veloso and Johnny Montalbo, were not working on El Cid's behalf because El Cid is not in the business of selling properties and that we could NEITHER cancel our contract NOR quit making maintenance fee payments. Our contention is that as long as they were calling us from the El Cid telephone and telling us that they were representatives of the company, El Cid is responsible for every penny they have scammed from us.
We quit making payments on both. While we were in Mxico this past January they left a lot of dunning messages on our answering machine. The total they owe us is $20 232.65 in US funds. This is not including our expenses of long distance telephone calls, making copies of documents to submit to PROFECO, and the stress involved in the ruin of our vacations in Mxico.
Rosa
Calgary,, Alberta
Canada
We were told that the purchase of 90 000 vacation club points could be combined with weeks from another timeshare we own to qualify us for 300 000 points, the magic number for VIP membership. We would get all means of upgrades by doing so. In addition whatever time we didn't want to use ourselves would be rented out for us for $1960 per week thus paying for itself within a few years.
We told the salesman that this was too rich for our meager pension income but they persisted for several hours sweetening the pot with all manner of inducements. They stressed that this was an investment so after hours of duress (the day after a long flight with several changes of aircraft and one of us just on the mend after a bout of Norwalk virus) we knuckled under. The next day we pointed out that there was a problem because all the verbal promises were not in the contract that we had signed. We we "assured" that they would mail us an updated contract once we got back to Canada.
The bottom line was that we made an initial payment of $7 175 with the agreement to pay the remaining $10 801 after 3 months (during which our propoerty would have been rented out at the aforementioned rate thus helping us to cough-up the balance. Things just didn't seem to be unfolding as Mauel Altamirano, the salesman, had promised. In a blonde moment we sent off the balance in the form of credit card payments. BIG MISTAKE!
After that we found that it was impossible to combine what they had sold us with what timeshare we already owned due to deadlines for depositing weeks/points differing between the two companies. When we telephoned to get things sorted out we found out we did not have this VIP membership and what we'd bought was totally unusable.
After many phone-calls and promises of getting back to us, Johnny Montalbo called us and said that the only way we could make our purchase usable, would be to buy even more points (210 000) for which we could pay by the sale of our other time share (Mayan Palace) which he GUARANTEED to sell on our behalf for a minimum of $39 900. This would be done within 180 days. We agreed because it seemed to be the only way we could recoup the loss. We made certain that the contract was conditional upon the sale of Mayan. We submitted all the documents necessary for the sale. Under this new contract, we had to agree to make loan payments to them using the existing money as a downpayment.
After the 180 days when nothing had happened, we telephoned again and found out from a Don Dinsdale that these fellows. Ru Veloso and Johnny Montalbo, were not working on El Cid's behalf because El Cid is not in the business of selling properties and that we could NEITHER cancel our contract NOR quit making maintenance fee payments. Our contention is that as long as they were calling us from the El Cid telephone and telling us that they were representatives of the company, El Cid is responsible for every penny they have scammed from us.
We quit making payments on both. While we were in Mxico this past January they left a lot of dunning messages on our answering machine. The total they owe us is $20 232.65 in US funds. This is not including our expenses of long distance telephone calls, making copies of documents to submit to PROFECO, and the stress involved in the ruin of our vacations in Mxico.
Rosa
Calgary,, Alberta
Canada
3 Updates & Rebuttals
Kriz Carcamo
Scammed by El Cid
#2Consumer Comment
Wed, April 17, 2013
I stayed there last year. First impressions were amazing but this soon changed after being hassled for what they said would be 90 mins of our time but was really 3 hours later 4 sales reps trying to talk us in to a timeshare. Rooms were nice but cleanliness wasn't at all. Our bed got changed once and that was the night before we left...very pointless!!! The maid seem to do what was the basic cleaning like changing towels etc and I think our room got swept twice in our stay. Another thing that makes your vacation terrible: timeshare presentations! They are a really hedeache. I would never stay there again, this is another forum with more people who were scammed by El Cid: El CiD Timeshare Complaints
Kriz Carcamo
I was scammed by El CiD
#3REBUTTAL Individual responds
Wed, April 10, 2013
I stayed there last year. First impressions were amazing but this soon changed after being hassled for what they said would be 90 mins of our time but was really 3 hours later 4 sales reps trying to talk us in to a timeshare.
Rooms were nice but cleanliness wasn't at all. Our bed got changed once and that was the night before we left...very pointless!!! The maid seem to do what was the basic cleaning like changing towels etc and I think our room got swept twice in our stay. I would never stay there again, this is another forum with more people who were scammed by El Cid.
El Cid is willing to tell you anything you want to hear just to be able to get a sale done, here is another blacklist of more complaints made against El Cid, this needs to stop:
http://www.timesharescam.com/timeshare-scam-mexico/el-cid-resorts-timeshare-2
Mike
Lake Oswego,Oregon,
U.S.A.
Been there, done that. beware in doing biz in Mexico, especially as a tourist..
#4Consumer Suggestion
Sun, February 12, 2006
Rosa, What do you expect from doing biz in Mexico? I too have been at the El Cid in Mazatlan and been thru their sales pitch. My wife and I agreed to join them for a presentation for the free breakfast and free excursion coupons (we were staying at another hotel). So we spent the hour or so listening to their pitch, we all went to a room where there was other sales people and other marks. It was all high energy, like buy now before the opportunity misses you. But when we told the guy that such a financial commitement was not prudent for newlyweds such as ourselves, the sales guy became very abusive and said "fine, stay home and don't get to travel anywhere". After sharing his disgust for us (for making such a poor decison not to buy on the spot) HE left first. We really did laugh about it. I don't know what you can do now execpt fight w/ your credit card company to reverse payments. My advice to anyone, beware in doing biz in Mexico, especially as a tourist.
