Tropicana Caribe Timeshare Scam

We just returned from Puerto Plata about 3 weeks ago. While we were there we sat thru a timeshare presentation at Fun Tropicale. The sales people were pleasant and not too pushy. We didn't want to make a decision right then, so they took down our credit card info but didn't have us sign it. They gave us a fax back authorization form that if we decided to do it we'd fax back our signature with the credit info again. Well we decided to go and ahead and do it and when I called my credit card company to find out my limit, low and behold TROPICANA CARIBE VACATION CLUB had already charge it!

There was no confusion about whether or not this was an actual sale. The sales people, who were from the US and spoke perfect english, made it quite clear that they wouldn't charge until they received my authorization. In fact they told me if they didn't hear from me within 30 days the contract would be ripped up.

As far as I'm concerned this is Fraud.

Now we have to go through the hassel of getting our credit card company to remove this balance.

They did give us a guarentee that if we weren't %100 satisfied they'd give us our money back. My guess is that the guarentee is worth less than the paper its printed on.

Moral of story; never give your credit info to anyone unless you are going to buy.

Wade

I think you will make out fine with the chargeback from your credit card (Especially if it was an AMEX), but I have to ask: How, in this day and age could you possibly let someone imprint your card for any reason?

Tom

Stupidity is all I can say. Well and the girl giving the presentation had a low cut top.

Tropicana Caribe Timeshare-Resolved

Maybe I should have contacted the resort first before posting my first message about this subject, but I was really pissed off and was sure I was scammed. Well I called them Monday and by Wednesday I had my money back. They (Tropicana Caribe Vacation Club) we're very cooperative and sincerely wanted to correct this problem. It seems it was a clerical error after all and not something malicious as I feared. They could have very easily kept my money and held me to the contract, but instead worked quickly to satisfy me.

Re: Tropicana Caribe Timeshare-Unresolved

Apparently I still have the balance but was placed in a different account as I had closed my card. So I was premature in complementing Tropicana Vacation Club.

Also I've received emails from other people having simular problems with them.

I would not recommend shopping for a timeshare at Tropicana Vacation Club.

It's never a clerical error...

When someone makes the effort to charge your card prior to your confirmation ect..as you described it is an obvious attempt to scam..They hope a certain percentage will not dispute and/or give up the effort and take the loss..The contract you describe could not be enforced in the USA in my opinion, it is all an attempt to get the deposit..the rest does not matter to most deals like this..I suggest you write the Credit Card company, telling them the sale is a fraud, keep a copy of the letter, and include in the note a request that the item not be reported as "late" on your credit history/report..Simply making phone calls to them leaves things confused...put it in writing, certified with return reciept..it is worth the $2-$3 in postage..