https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IRNjqoVa58

 

YouTube video produced by “ADD is multitasking” 

 

This wry gentleman took time out from making videos about engine repairs to share his Bluegreen Vacations timeshare presentation experience. He was promised luxury gifts that never materialized. (15,000 followers, 22,212 views)

 

Are hundreds of Bluegreen suspensions simply an Inventory Grab? 

 

We have heard from several Bluegreen members angered by a witch hunt to suspend accounts simply because there were reservations in the name of someone other than the account holder. Some Bluegreen members did use a third party website to rent, but all report that Buegreen sales agents encouraged them to purchase additional points to rent, and even provided the name of sites that could be used to rent. Some, like Ashley in Texas, in no way should have been charged with commercial activity. Bluegreen allows owners to book reservations for friends or family, but several say that their account was suspended despite only renting to friends or family. 

 

One member told us that when they questioned the contract clause that prohibits commercial activity, their sales agent explained, “That only applies to mega-renters.”

 

A recent Facebook post about Bluegreen’s rental policy: 

 

“I spoke with Bluegreen yesterday as this is the very first year I had to rent my spaces as I am having surgeries. They told me it was fine. The ones getting kicked out are ones who have multiple reservations for the same days several times with all different names which to them proves they are doing it commercially. Whew!”      

 

A mixed-message quote about renting from an ARDA lobbyist

 

“Steamboat (Colorado) is going to lengths to make sure people are not buying properties and simply renting them out,” Gamel said. “But timeshare owners can rent out their properties like anyone else does, and prohibitions don’t make a lot of sense if the renter is one of 25 or 50 other owners in a unit. We want to make sure owners are caught up in regulations that say, for example, that they need to register with the city before they can rent their property, which cannot be a primary residence.” 

 

Ashley's Bluegreen Account Suspension

 

I am a single mom with a medically compromised five-year-old son. I agreed to take over my grandmother’s Bluegreen Vacations points only after my grandmother inquired and was told that Bluegreen had a “Relief Program” that allowed members to deed-back points at no cost. My son has twelve doctors. His symptoms include lung disease and heart failure. I have to rely on friends and family to help with maintenance fees. Maintenance fees increased by $600 to $5,500 in 2023.

 

Despite only renting to friends and relatives, which I could prove, Bluegreen suspended my account. When I got fed up and called about the relief program, I was told that the free program had changed. I would now have to pay $8,165 to relinquish the points, which is 1 1/2 years of maintenance fees. Bluegreen said if I waited until August, I would be charged an additional $5,543 for 2024 maintenance fees. No one should buy a timeshare from a company that treats loyal owners for 20 years like this. 

 

My grandparents paid over $100,000 for points they had accumulated since their original purchase in 2003. I have been told our Big Cedar weeks in Branson, MO are high-demand weeks and, after foreclosure, will be quickly resold.  

 

My account was suspended without warning. The names Bluegreen provided as the reason for the suspension were friends and family. I was shocked. Family members had to cancel prepaid vacation expenses. I never rented for commercial purposes. 

 

My grandparents bought “cabin weeks” in 2003. They became highest-loyalty Platinum members, having made multiple purchases over the years. After my grandfather died in 2022, I agreed to take their points. I paid $1,500 to transfer the points. Because of my son’s medical condition, before accepting the points, my grandmother asked Bluegreen if points could be given back. The representative said, yes, and at no cost.

 

My extended family loved our Bluegreen vacations. One year my family had 21 people stay at Big Cedar to celebrate my grandmother’s birthday. My grandfather loved Big Cedar so much that when he was recovering from his first heart surgery in 2003, he asked in the recovery room, “Can we go to Big Cedar now?

 

My grandmother rented out reservations from time to time for friends and family. She gave me a list of friends and family that had rented from her. She also used a Bluegreen Big Cedar rental program called “Gold Charter” with a 65/35 split. My grandfather was not able to travel after his second heart attack. His Lou Gehrig’s disease progressed to the point he could no longer walk. They inquired about selling points through Pinnacle, a Bluegreen approved sales site, but learned there were hundreds of listings. A Pinnacle representative provided little hope to sell, so I agreed to take the points.

 

My conspiracy theory

 

Once I posted a listing for the Wilderness Club at Big Cedar on the Bluegreen Condo Marketplace Facebook Group because relative had to cancel a reservation due to a family emergency. Based on a bizarre response, I suspect the person who responded to the rental listing may have been part of a Bluegreen’s plan to take back timeshare points and weeks.  

 

After I posted the ad, I received a Private Message saying the potential renter was going to send me $5 on PayPal to make sure the posting was not a scam. I never received the $5. She then asked to perform the transaction on Venmo. I sent the request, but she denied it, and told me this was a scam and was going to report me to Bluegreen. 

 

About six weeks after this incident, I had a reservation I needed to cancel as my family wanted a different location to enjoy our summer vacation. After the reservation was canceled, I tried to book at a different location and could not. The alert message stated that I needed to call Customer Service. When I contacted Bluegreen, a supervisor explained that my account was locked under a suspension notice and that I should have received a certified letter. I did not receive a notification until two weeks later. The phone number provided was no longer in service. 

 

When I finally reached someone at Bluegreen, the representative would not give me the phone number of Paul McLaughlin, who sent the notification. They only provided his email address. After a few back-and-forth emails, I did not hear back from Mr McLaughlin until Irene at After Inside Timeshare sent my report to a contact she had and copied Mr McLaughlin. He responded with the email address of a person in their “responsible exit” department. Angry and frustrated, I decided to relinquish my points. After over a week, I was informed the free exit is no longer free. It would cost $8,165.

 

Before we stopped communicating, Mr McLaughlin sent me the names of people who used our reservations. They included my grandmother and two friends.

 

How can this be happening?