It is likely they called them anything you wanted to hear in order for them to get your money.
But I do know that fractional ownership is available in Cabarete--some of it is being offered after the sale by owners of individual condos who don't need to be there the whole year, and some of it is packaged that way at the outset. You can Google "fractional versus timeshare" and go to school on all the differences.
In a fly-to destination like the DR, fractionals need to be set up with multiple consecutive weeks available to buyers--otherwise it makes no sense. There are many other things to consider too, but that's for another thread.
According to Fabio Guzman over on the Legal Forum, there is no legally defined fractional ownership in the Dominican Republic. In other words, no laws currently on the books in the DR will protect anyone with a fractional ownership in a piece of property.
I was mostly asking because I am interested in developing the concept of fractional ownership but, apparently, it must be done offshore from the DR. Then, of course, you cannot rely upon the DR real estate laws to protect you as a 'co-owner' under traditional fractional terms.
Check out the thread over there...http://www.dr1.com/forums/legal/79109-fractionals-dominican-republic.html