Keep away! (The Grand Vacation Club (GVC))

Member Name: birtie

Product:	The Grand Vacation Club (GVC)
Date:	14/01/06 (2948 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: Very expensive rip off!

*SEE MY WEB SITE AT http://www.sunterra.info

We have been ripped off by Sunterra (Grand Vacation Club, or GVC as they were), and intend to advertise that fact. As we find the time our story will unfold, in the meantime our advice is DO NOT sign up for Sunterra Explorer or become a Sunterra member.

It all started with us being stopped in Wakefield City Centre, and asked to complete a holiday questionnaire. We were told that all forms were entered into a draw; the star prize being a weeks luxury holiday. Guess what, a few weeks later we received a phone call to say that we had won the star prize! This is the first part of the scam, because all the people that completed a questionnaire won the same star prize! We were told that we would have to go to Rotherham (South Yorkshire) to collect our prize, and we would be expected to view a small presentation lasting about 45 minutes.

We attended on the given date, and were bombarded with high pressure sales talk for over 2 hours but managed to resist signing on the line. The prize holiday claimed was in fact one weeks accommodation to one of three places, Spain (mainland), Canary Islands, or Portugal. Please note that flights were not included. We were also given a midweek break to a GVC/Sunterra resort in the U/K.

The information arrived confirming our holiday prize to the Santa Barbara Complex, Golf De Sur, Tenerife. We were informed that we would have to attend tour around the accommodation, and the resort lasting about 2 hours. If we failed to attend this presentation we would be liable for the whole weeks accommodation charge! SOME 'FREE' LUXURY HOLIDAY!!

On the third day of our holiday we were collected at the agreed time of 10:00 am. Despite pleading that Sunterra could not provide our type of holiday, small family run accommodation in quiet unsophisticated locations, we were subjected to what I can only describe as an onslaught of high pressure sales talk, promises, and a lot of hype whilst viewing all of the Sunterra/GVC accommodations on Tenerife. This went on for just under 8 hours! We were both left completely exhausted by this experience, and it took us a couple of days to recover. Despite the salespersons obvious displeasure we did not join the club. I must admit that there were times when we both thought lets go for it just to get out of the flak!

We took the 2 night U/K break in March 2005. Once again we were expected to attend a presentation taking up around two and a half hours, and again we were hammered with high pressure sales talk. We again explained to the salesman that Sunterra could not offer us our type of holiday, and resisted parting with our money. At the end of the presentation as we had not bought into the club the salesman suggested that we should have a look at the 'Sunterra Explorer' package. He told us that this was a package put together so that people who were not interested in becoming a full member could have a trial period of 3 years to 'try out the system'. We were told that we would be able to explore places that we said we would like to try like Northern Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt. For our £2000 we would be allocated 12,000 points. The first years maintenance was included in that price. He explained that the system would allow us to use 4000 points per year, transfer points forward or borrow points from the next year if required. Any remaining points at any time during the three years could be converted to full membership. As a last attempt to sell us a product he offered us a weeks free accommodation with flights if we signed that day.

After a lot of discussion we decided to give the system a go, and signed up for the Sunterra Explorer three year trial. We decided to start our membership on the 1st of January 2006, and were told that we would be able to use the web based system as soon as our membership had been confirmed, and our account number had been allocated. We were told that this would take about 2 weeks.

A Sunterra salesperson has since informed us that the Explorer package that we were sold has been changed; The reason being that 4000 points per year were not enough to explore the system. He also offered us a way out; A full credit, as long as we used it towards becoming a FULL member, which would cost us another £6000! We explained that having been conned once by Sunterra, we had no intention of parting with any more cash.

We have managed to find a Sunterra holiday for July 2006 using only our first 4000 points. Not has we had hoped to somewhere like Egypt or Northern Cyprus, but to the Royal Oasis Club at Benal Beach on the Costa del Sol. This is a massive 1012 room complex, not the 'small family run' accommodation that we would prefer. We opted out of their flight offer, finding flights with Jet2.com at half the price. No doubt the Sunterra sales team will try yet again to sell us something we don't want. THIS TIME WE WILL BE READY FOR THEM, laptop and all.

Thank you for reading our story. If you have been offered membership with Sunterra, I hope this site makes you think twice before parting with your hard earned cash.

Summary: Don't get involved! You pay the money - but don't get the holiday's