orange lake resorts class action lawsuit

[slnyc11 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close slnyc11]

Hi guys
I am posting this thread to let any unhappy orange lake resorts owner know, that a group of us are looking into filing a class action lawsuit against orange lake resorts. If you are interested in joining us please send me a message

[Beth Ann Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beth Ann]

We are not hear to argue, we are only here to state our case and to find others that are experiencing some commonality with the fraudulent practices of OL Resort. We welcome those of you that are interested in our cause......
We are hardworking people whose integrety has been compromised by OL's high pressure sales tactics and fraudulent sales' practices. We feel that we were held hostage, raped, and left to sort through this by ourselves. We were strongly lied to and mislead and contract or not, when you are verbally hoaxed into buying something, THAT IS A VERBAL CONTRACT THAT WE PUT OUR GOOD FAITH IN...... AND IT IS FRAUD!


Took a trip to see our family, decided to do Universal and stayed close in a Days Inn. While we was staying at our hotel at Days Inn, somebody informed us that, we could get some free tickets to Universal, all we have to do is take a free 90minute tour of Orange Lake. Ok, 90min we said sure no problem, Huge Mistake!!!!! We have never been more upset in our entire lives.

After all of the slick talking that went on that day, we were verbally convinced that we were buying into a points system in a particular part of the resort, where we would be offered 100.000 points. We were completely taken advantage of and strongly lied to......

The selling point for us was: We could enjoy all of the amenities of the resort. Did not have to commit to our week, but that other specials and weekend getaways would be offered and we could split up the points as we choose.

I actually told Malika our sales rep that we would like in August to go to Turks and Caicos, and she flat out layed down the points as: we could stay there for 15.000 points. I was shocked. Who wouldn't sign. She pulled out a big book, and took us to T&C and showed us the resorts they work with, she went as far to give us her cell phone number and said she would make it happen if we didn't get the results we wanted with the RCI point exchange system. Which, by the way, after talking with them on June 9/09, their inventory is very limited and lousy for trips. Something else we were not told, that you would be lucky to have enough points to stay at the deeded week you purchased as the RCI guy laughed in our face! In the end, we don't even have enough points to stay OUR given week in OUR unit!!!!!!!

Just a few things more things we were told at the presentation:

This is the big one: Malika looked into my father's eyes and said, sir you want to retire 3 months out of the year, your unit will be available for 3 months during the winter for 5,000 points a week. There was our selling point. They lied, mislead, and used high pressure sales tacticts to eight unsuspecting innocent family members- to buy. We were 5 at first, but brought my father, brother, and sister n law in to listen after the 5,000 points a week were presented.

By the way, Malika has been let go along with the Sales Manager who signed off with us, seems to be another practice that is surfacing at the resort. People are let go, and you're lucky if you ever get a physical human being on the phone to speak to.....

We were told that we would be able to get so much more out of our points than we were actually able to get, weekend getaways, specials, etc......

The getaways are called last call vacations and do require additional fees to stay, and are limited and the inventory of things offered is lousy as well. We were never told that we couldn’t book these in advance of a 45 day period-another huge detail left out. My schedule would not allow for me to take an “on the fly trip,” I would never agree to that.

There are about 20 of us with the same commonalities presented here.... if you would like to know more about our class action, email us at barandazzo@optonline.net.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

decided to PM it

[slnyc11 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close slnyc11]

It's just not right

It's not ok for big companies to take advantage of people. If Orange Lake Resorts cared about their owners as muh as they say they do this wouldn't happen. Too many of us have been scammed by them and IT'S NOT OK!

I am so sorry I ever walked into that reosrt.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

You are new here, and I suspect you have also posted Over Yonder (TUG).

OL has been a bone of contention OY for years, like more than 6. Many have complained, but a, or some, owner(s) has/have always overridden those complaints. So much so, that the OL complainers have pretty much been run off.

I have 21 years experience with OL, so felt I was qualified to speak about it, but that was not the case.

I have contacted you and the other, but have not heard back from you yet.

There is a general, popular disregard for Orange Lake, so unless you screw things up yourselves, you should have plenty of support.

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

It's not ok for big companies to take advantage of people. If Orange Lake Resorts cared about their owners as muh as they say they do this wouldn't happen. Too many of us have been scammed by them and IT'S NOT OK!

I am so sorry I ever walked into that reosrt.

EDIT: Last post on my part.

Keep in mind that it's not that anyone supports OLCC. It's that your chances are almost nill when you signed a contract with a rescind clause and then did not take advantage of your time to research your purchase before the end of that timeframe.

If you look through this site and TUG, you'll find that the universal advice when someone has purchased a timeshare is to rescind the contract if you're still within that timeframe. Otherwise we can help you with you options, which pretty much include learning how to make the most of your timeshare or how to get rid of your timeshare.

Have you actually spoken with a lawyer yet? If so what did the lawyer say your chances were? You might get more traction if you did your homework first, then posted the contact information for the law office you retain to go after OLCC. Otherwise posters on the two big timeshare owners sites aren't going to take you seriously.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Everyone involved in timesharing knows that the realization that it is not what you were told it was comes long after the first ten days.

My hat's off to those willing to do something about something.

[slnyc11 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close slnyc11]

we have spoken with a firm and they say we have a case. Now we have to gather together. As soon as I get the ok from the firm to post information I will.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

In case you (the suers) missed my post elsewhere, every bad behavior brought to light and made public lessens the likelihood of future bad behavior.

The possibility of litigation then enters into the decision-making process.

The more litigation, the more liklihood for success because a pattern of behavior is made public. Even when initial litigation appears to fail.

Until someone litgates, the assumption is that there is no bad behavior.

Two instances establishes a pattern. For those empowered to protect the consumer, one complaint will be ignored; two complaints paid attention to; numerous complaints really paid attention to.

Letting bad behavior go emboldens bad behavior and it gets worse.

The consumer has a right to speak up against consumer abuse.

It takes nads to do it, but in some cases it has to be done.

I would be disinclined to pursue a classaction in civil court and more inclined to pursue it under state consumer fraud statutes. Private attornies are way too human, swayed by settlement fees. State's attornies are empowered by political ambitions enhanced by winning cases for consumers.

JMHO

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

I would be disinclined to pursue a classaction in civil court and more inclined to pursue it under state consumer fraud statutes. Private attornies are way too human, swayed by settlement fees. State's attornies are empowered by political ambitions enhanced by winning cases for consumers.
JMHO

Probably the best advice if you really want to try to make changes. With enough complaints, government agencies can investigate complaints and find whether or not they are legitimate. Once confirmd then it's no longer the consumers word against the corporation. There would be better evidence for a civil case once wrong doing is on record.

Of course the problem is, it takes time and, you have to have someone willing to go after the bad guys. In politics pay-offs aren't uncommon. They're known more as political contributions rather than bribes but it's all the same if it gets the results the corporation wants. There are a few state AG's willing to make waves. FL has been in the news about going after scammers taking money from people trying to get rid of timeshares but, I don't recall to many articles about them going after the developers.

Like I said before, it's not like anyone is breaking new ground here. There's a reason why there were laws written to protect the consumer. Specifically the right to rescind laws that are in every state in some form or another. If they can build a case I say go for it. But I'd make certain I wasn't building the same case that's been tried and failed before, just because someone with a law degree says this time will be different., le'ts make sure you check clears before we file papers.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Probably the best advice if you really want to try to make changes. With enough complaints, government agencies can investigate complaints and find whether or not they are legitimate. Once confirmd then it's no longer the consumers word against the corporation. There would be better evidence for a civil case once wrong doing is on record.

Of course the problem is, it takes time and, you have to have someone willing to go after the bad guys. In politics pay-offs aren't uncommon. They're known more as political contributions rather than bribes but it's all the same if it gets the results the corporation wants. There are a few state AG's willing to make waves. FL has been in the news about going after scammers taking money from people trying to get rid of timeshares but, I don't recall to many articles about them going after the developers.

First, you violated your last post on my part rule.

Time? I've been treading water over it for 20 years. Long enough?

True, the vacation industry is big bucks in FL. But, then, it is in Missouri, too. Bigger bucks then in, say, Kansas.

Some public servants are; some aren't.

But, less likely for a fraud case to be corrupted by prosecutor greed in the public sector. & fraud is a crime, not just a contractual disagreement.

JMHO

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Florida Attorney General - How to Protect Yourself: Timeshare Sales & Resales


"You may contact the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, Division of Florida Land Sales, Condominiums, and Mobile Homes, Bureau of Timeshares at (850) 488-1122 for additional information."

http://www.thetimeshareauthority.com...meshare-scams/

http://www.thetimeshareauthority.com...meshare-fraud/

http://ago.mo.gov/newsreleases/2008/...a_Resorts_LLC/

[Beth Ann Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beth Ann]

We are not complainers

We are not compainers JLB, we will not be run off. AND we did do our homework, hence why we are All now here. Ten days was hardly enough time to begin to plan how to use the points and arrange for the getaways. Only when we called to set up our first excursion did the reality set in that we had been taken. AND, it ISNT that easy to find things on OL, they find a way to mask things, and to get remedial attention from anyone uncomputerized is very unlikely. We have been doing this since November and really it has been hard getting the information we need. Please try to refrain from putting a negative twist on what we are trying to do here. Thank you,
barandazzo@optonline.net

You are new here, and I suspect you have also posted Over Yonder (TUG).

OL has been a bone of contention OY for years, like more than 6. Many have complained, but a, or some, owner(s) has/have always overridden those complaints. So much so, that the OL complainers have pretty much been run off.

I have 21 years experience with OL, so felt I was qualified to speak about it, but that was not the case.

I have contacted you and the other, but have not heard back from you yet.

There is a general, popular disregard for Orange Lake, so unless you screw things up yourselves, you should have plenty of support.

[Beth Ann Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beth Ann]

Doug,
What government agencies do you suggest we contact. I have already filed a complaint, as most of us have with the Fl BBB, my father has written and called the AG's office- nothing! Before paying off lawyers who specialize in contractual disputes and CRIME-FRAUD, is there another step here that could help, you sound very knowledgable.
Thanks,
barandazo@optonline.net

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

First, you violated your last post on my part rule.

Time? I've been treading water over it for 20 years. Long enough?

True, the vacation industry is big bucks in FL. But, then, it is in Missouri, too. Bigger bucks then in, say, Kansas.

Some public servants are; some aren't.

But, less likely for a fraud case to be corrupted by prosecutor greed in the public sector. & fraud is a crime, not just a contractual disagreement.

JMHO

Yea, I do that on occasion. But the thread turned into a more civil discussion and less agrumentative. I don't begrudge different views. When it looks as if it's going to turn into a heated arguement with on one budging, then it becomes a waste of time.

Vacation industry in KS? There's a fraud trial going on over a failed amuesment park that pretty much opened and closed in the same month.