New Not Happy BG Owner

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

Hi, Angela,
I am currently in the process of buying a 16K package from Jim to take me to Silver. He has been great and I highly recommend his services. Both my husband and myself see BG as a good accompaniment to our DVC points and hope to purchase more points later this year to get to the Gold level. Since you just recently purchased, however, I would just play with the points you have, before purchasing more (especially if it is a credit purchase). Good luck!

Sharon

[eyechik87 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close eyechik87]

New New Bg Owner

That Top line should read : NEW HAPPIER BG OWNER!
Thanks to all!
My husband and I have decided to go ahead and attend the update meeting
(APR 08) for the following reasons
1. I want to ask about the possiblilty of now perfered Packages(but I
want buy from them)
2. I want to see what is coming NEW for the Smokies area.
3. I also want to ask why we were not told about the restriction on the EOY
Packages
4. I really want to see what there bargain price will be and what they
actually tell me. You guys have made me a lot smarter now.
Thank you all.
5. I want to be able to bring back my info and share with you all so if you
have any general questions let me know and I will try to get you
answers.
6. This my sound selfish but I want the perks...Tickets to Black Bear
Jamboree(which my 3 yr old will love) & $25 gift Card. I will concider
that my bonus for not getting to schedule at my home resort on my
18th anniversary (4-7) We were told that we could not reserve
accommedations 30 days prior and 30 days after this update meeting.
But I could not get in anyway, So at least we will be there th 5th and
6th.

Thanks again to everyone, and Jim, if your reading, if you have any pointers
send them my way and I will be getting with you soon.
Angela

[Maggie Member Find all posts View Profile Close Maggie]

By all means go to the owner update just remember that just because an official Bluegreen employee (salesperson) says something does not mean it is true. The sales staff frequently know far less than people who have been members for years. I have often been given BAD information from sales people. This was espeically true at Laurel Crest.

But it's always interesting to see what they say and the enticement gifts are fun.

As for EOY points. You can use them for higher than RED season. During the first year of the points you can use all 12000 for HIGH RED or Leaf. During the second year you can only use 6000 points that way. It is possible to use points and bonus time together. However it may be difficult to do if it's a prime time. Let's say you make a reservation for Sunday to Friday using about 7000 of your points and you book it 11 months in advance. Then at the 48 day window you want to add Friday and Saturday using Bonus time. If it's prime time the Bonus time may not be available. If you went to someplace like Myrtle Beach and you couldn't get the following Friday and Saturday at the same resort where you spent the first 5 nights you might be able to get something at a nearby resort since there are 5 resorts in the area. This is especially true in September and October which to my way of thinking are the very best times to go to Myrtle Beach. With a new resort in the smokies this may also be true up there.

12000 EOY points with Bonus time privileges should work well for you for awhile until you can aford to pay for a timeshare without finanacing it. Also remember to look on Jim's timeshares for rent on his website. Many Bluegreen owners from the Yahoo forum post their weeks for rent there and sometimes there are some real bargains.

Glad you are happier.
Happy Vacationing

Maggie

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

New Not Happy BG Owner

I really can't add too much to what you have already gotten from others. But, I will say this:

Boca (Jim) is a great resource. He knows the system and can be fully trusted from my own experience. If you want to upgrade, he is the man to go to.

Upgrading to silver will be very helpful in getting reservations.

Paying a high interest mortgage on any timeshare is in my opinion a bad idea, so make that your first order of business.

$4.00 per point is absolutely ridiculous. Boca can probably get you what need for $.50-.60 per point. Maybe less if you are lucky.

I have found that the wholly owned and managed Bluegreen properties are usually well maintained and easier to get reservations at than the associate properties.

Good luck. I love Bluegreen and have had great experiences.

BigTom

[iceeu2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close iceeu2]

I'm glad to see you have gotten such great responses from those in the know.

And, yes, by all means, go to the owner update.........but, expect them to take control and steer you away from your operational questions that you want answered. The main purpose of an owner update is to SELL you more points. DON'T act as if you KNOW you need more points or you will be there all day. Just continue to read here/ask questions here and on the Yahoo Bluegreen Users Group and continue to educate yourself.

Be thankful you found this board. I don't post often, but I do read a lot here and have learned so much.

It has been a very long time since I have spoken with Boca, but he is very knowledgeable and very nice. As a matter of fact, I have a Shorecrest week and a Harbour Lights week listed with him right now that I so hope he rents.

Enjoy you Bluegreen ownership.

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

I'm glad you're getting happier, Angela! Knowledge is power and you are gaining it quickly!

1. The only existing preferred are silver and gold. Two other levels are coming but the sales folks don't seem to know much yet.
2. Someone said a resort in Sevierville. Other than that, nothing that I know of.
3. Careful here. You might antagonize them. If this is not the same sales team, I don't see that they could tell you why. The problem is that the sales people are rarely owners of points so do not know how the system really works.
4. Oh boy, well, keep saying "No, that's too much" and you will eventually get to their bottom dollar offer.

That 30 days prior and 30 days after stuff? Sounds like hogwash to me.

Get your gifts, enjoy the meeting, and happy anniversary!

That Top line should read : NEW HAPPIER BG OWNER!
Thanks to all!
My husband and I have decided to go ahead and attend the update meeting
(APR 08) for the following reasons
1. I want to ask about the possiblilty of now perfered Packages(but I
want buy from them)
2. I want to see what is coming NEW for the Smokies area.
3. I also want to ask why we were not told about the restriction on the EOY
Packages
4. I really want to see what there bargain price will be and what they
actually tell me. You guys have made me a lot smarter now.
Thank you all.
5. I want to be able to bring back my info and share with you all so if you
have any general questions let me know and I will try to get you
answers.
6. This my sound selfish but I want the perks...Tickets to Black Bear
Jamboree(which my 3 yr old will love) & $25 gift Card. I will concider
that my bonus for not getting to schedule at my home resort on my
18th anniversary (4-7) We were told that we could not reserve
accommedations 30 days prior and 30 days after this update meeting.
But I could not get in anyway, So at least we will be there th 5th and
6th.

Thanks again to everyone, and Jim, if your reading, if you have any pointers
send them my way and I will be getting with you soon.
Angela

[vintner Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close vintner]

I also am a BG owner. Bought my first 9000 points in 2002. I am at 43,000 now, so a lot of points have been purchased in short time.

The more you read here, the more you learn. I am almost always disappointed with the sales guys, everyone you talk to tells a different story. It may be the way they get told, hand me down information in some cases. I know they try, but they just can't seem to deliver the information that I need. Boca Jim and Boardgirl have owned longer than I have, are very involved in Bluegreen and good at passing along information.

The more you learn here, the more you will learn how to use your point. The better (more wisely) you use your points, the better you will use and like Bluegreen.

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

Another unhappy new owner

Although I'm confident I will eventually be happy. So far, I'm not. We purchased 10,000 points on February 17 during a presentation at the Lodge Alley Inn. We had seen the presentation several years ago and thought it sounded pretty good but we weren't ready then. This time, we still weren't ready, but the representatives made some "promises" that made us realize that we would be able to realize some quick savings returns on a couple of trips we were planning for this year. Knowing that availability could be a problem, we asked him to make sure we would be able to use our points. He assured us that there was plenty of availability and offered to make the reservations for us once we were in the system within the next couple of weeks.

Well, it seems like a lot of time has passed. Our points are paid in full. We still haven't received our membership. He doesn't return our calls. The Bluegreen Reservation people have told me that there is no availability for either of the two trips we had planned. I shelled out over $18,000 and got nothing, plus I'm going to have to shell out more to find a place for the two trips I've planned.

Should I be happy about this?

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

Although I'm confident I will eventually be happy. So far, I'm not. We purchased 10,000 points on February 17 during a presentation at the Lodge Alley Inn. We had seen the presentation several years ago and thought it sounded pretty good but we weren't ready then. This time, we still weren't ready, but the representatives made some "promises" that made us realize that we would be able to realize some quick savings returns on a couple of trips we were planning for this year. Knowing that availability could be a problem, we asked him to make sure we would be able to use our points. He assured us that there was plenty of availability and offered to make the reservations for us once we were in the system within the next couple of weeks.

Well, it seems like a lot of time has passed. Our points are paid in full. We still haven't received our membership. He doesn't return our calls. The Bluegreen Reservation people have told me that there is no availability for either of the two trips we had planned. I shelled out over $18,000 and got nothing, plus I'm going to have to shell out more to find a place for the two trips I've planned.

Should I be happy about this?

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Unfortunately, verbal "promises" are soon forgotten. Everything should be in writing. I think that if you had asked for the reservation offer to be put in writing, you would most likely not have gotten it.

Bluegreen is a great system if you can plan in advance and be flexible with when and where you want to go. The key is to book something.

I think it would be better to go ahead and book something even if you had to cancel later. The cancellation fee is small and you can keep your points as long as you cancel prior to 10 days of check in. You also have the option of banking with RCI (if you book a full week).

So far, we have been able to get pretty much what we have wanted. We do book way in advance and I usually try to have a couple of back up plans when calling to make reservations.

I would suggest taking a step back, a deep breath, and try to plan a strategy that will work for you. If you can figure out a plan of attack (not on the sales dude), I think you will enjoy Bluegreen vacations.

Hang around here and keep reading and posting. I'm sure some of the veteran's will help you to maximize your purchase so you can make the best of it.

Btw, be leery of those sales gurus in the future. They love your money.

Good Luck!!!

[Maggie Member Find all posts View Profile Close Maggie]

It is a shame that you not discover this forum before you bought. No you should not be happy that you paid $18,000 and cannot get the reservations you wanted but your mistake was believing everything a sales person told you.

But take heart. Things will improve. Now that you are learning about planning you will be able to plan ahead for future reservations. It's true that if you found this forum before putting out the cash, Boca could have gotten you everything the salesman promissed you for a lot less money. However most of us who are happy Bluegreen owners also paid the big bucks on our initial purchases. Call it an initiation fee. You could have done worse. Keep reading and learning. After you have taken a couple of Bluegreen vacations you'll be wanting to buy more points too. Now you'll know where to go when you want those points.

Keep an open mind and just be grateful that you can afford to shell out that kind of money for vacation points. I always feel sorry for all the people who can never afford to take the kind of vacations we enjoy.

Maggie

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

Sales dude played you. I don't expect he ever called to see if there was availability at your chosen resort/chosen week. I'm not even sure he could, unless he owns in Bluegreen. Sales folks do not, to my knowledge, have a spyglass on points vacancy, only on contracts for sale.

No, not to be happy about it, but learn your lesson and move on. Aren't there more vacations in your future? Plan those.

Alternatively, are your selected resorts available via bonus time?

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

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Unfortunately, verbal "promises" are soon forgotten. Everything should be in writing. I think that if you had asked for the reservation offer to be put in writing, you would most likely not have gotten it.

Bluegreen is a great system if you can plan in advance and be flexible with when and where you want to go. The key is to book something.

I think it would be better to go ahead and book something even if you had to cancel later. The cancellation fee is small and you can keep your points as long as you cancel prior to 10 days of check in. You also have the option of banking with RCI (if you book a full week).

So far, we have been able to get pretty much what we have wanted. We do book way in advance and I usually try to have a couple of back up plans when calling to make reservations.

I would suggest taking a step back, a deep breath, and try to plan a strategy that will work for you. If you can figure out a plan of attack (not on the sales dude), I think you will enjoy Bluegreen vacations.

Hang around here and keep reading and posting. I'm sure some of the veteran's will help you to maximize your purchase so you can make the best of it.

Btw, be leery of those sales gurus in the future. They love your money.

Good Luck!!!

There is no way I'm going to shell out $18,000 and then chalk it up to a lesson learned. My plans and concerns were discussed in detail with the sales person. Promises and assurances were made - even though they were not made in writing. In fact nothing is put in writing until after you decide to buy and they take you to another office for signing all the papers. The sales person (not the original one, but the big gun who came in later) assured me that (among other things) I could stay at the Roosevelt Hotel in NY for 1,000 points per night. He showed us something that, in hindsite, looked very much like the RCI directory but it definitely listed the Roosevelt Hotel in New York for 1,000 point per night. Wow! We were planning a trip to NY anyway. However, nothing that I went home with showed that 1,000 points a night rate. In fact, the average rate is over 4,000 points per night. We also very strongly and specifically expressed our concerns about availability. He assured us that there was plenty of inventory. That was not enough for us, so he brought us the computer terminal that was set up in the lobby and showed us on the World Hotels website that there was lots of available inventory. He offers to make the reservations for us once we were in the system. He led us to believe that we would be in the system within a couple of weeks. Not only were we not in the system within a couple of week, its been almost 40 days and we have not yet received our membership packet. In fact, we have yet to realize any of the promises that were made to us in that sales presentation.
The bottom line is that the organization that we all have ownership in is engaging in deceptive and possibly criminal practices. We can not separate the sales staff from the rest of the organization. I agree that the program seems to be a pretty good program, otherwise I would not have bought into it. But I can not stand by and let prospective buyers be lied to about what they are buying. Our five night in NY that we were expecting to get for 5,000 points is actually over 20,000 points. We only purchased 10,000 points. I'm not sure what we're going to do about our NY vacation or about being lied to by the Bluegreen sales people. But I assure you it's not going to be to just move on and chalk it up to lessons learned. I'm only a couple of hours from Charleston. If I have to spend every other weekend warning potential suckers I will. I may stay at the Lodge Alley Inn on bonus time doing it. We should all be concerned about the practices of the company we have invested in.

Having said all that - I apologize for this rant. I did not intend to attack or offend anyone in this forum. I am still holding onto some hope that Bluegreen will make me happy. But so far, after dozens of phone calls, I am madder than ever. Sorry!

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

No apologies are necessary.

You're preaching to the choir my friend. I'm sure there are many of us who have at one time wanted to grab everyone we can and warn them about the sales pitch. I recently had the opportunity to talk to someone who purchased a sampler membership and went to a so-called "update". They were told that unless they purchased at least 12,000 points (only from the developer) they would not get VIP benefits. They were obviously suspicious and I hope I reinforced that.

You can actually do a lot with 10,000 points if you plan correctly. Did you pay too much? Most of us would say yes. It depends on how you look at things, but I almost did the same thing and many others are also in the same boat as you.

I myself am not in support of the timeshare sales practices. I have been to some besides Bluegreen and they all seem to share the same "whatever it takes to make a sale" philosophy. I now go only to see what tactic they will try next (the $100 bucks really isn't worth my time). I rarely find out anything that I don't already know thanks to this forum. Most of the time I walk away flustered but I still have my money in my pocket.

Encourage as many potential buyers to come here first and get educated about timeshares in general. TS can be great for some and not so good for others.

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

One of the problems is that Bluegreen does not have any control over World Hotels inventory. While he should not have assured you of availability, he got the sale by getting you to rely on his verbal assurances.

Call the guy up and tell him you need him to make a reservation for you as he said he would. No sense stewing over it on your own when you can make him feel guilty.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

There is no way I'm going to shell out $18,000 and then chalk it up to a lesson learned. My plans and concerns were discussed in detail with the sales person. Promises and assurances were made - even though they were not made in writing. In fact nothing is put in writing until after you decide to buy and they take you to another office for signing all the papers. The sales person (not the original one, but the big gun who came in later) assured me that (among other things) I could stay at the Roosevelt Hotel in NY for 1,000 points per night. He showed us something that, in hindsite, looked very much like the RCI directory but it definitely listed the Roosevelt Hotel in New York for 1,000 point per night. Wow! We were planning a trip to NY anyway. However, nothing that I went home with showed that 1,000 points a night rate. In fact, the average rate is over 4,000 points per night. We also very strongly and specifically expressed our concerns about availability. He assured us that there was plenty of inventory. That was not enough for us, so he brought us the computer terminal that was set up in the lobby and showed us on the World Hotels website that there was lots of available inventory. He offers to make the reservations for us once we were in the system. He led us to believe that we would be in the system within a couple of weeks. Not only were we not in the system within a couple of week, its been almost 40 days and we have not yet received our membership packet. In fact, we have yet to realize any of the promises that were made to us in that sales presentation.
The bottom line is that the organization that we all have ownership in is engaging in deceptive and possibly criminal practices. We can not separate the sales staff from the rest of the organization. I agree that the program seems to be a pretty good program, otherwise I would not have bought into it. But I can not stand by and let prospective buyers be lied to about what they are buying. Our five night in NY that we were expecting to get for 5,000 points is actually over 20,000 points. We only purchased 10,000 points. I'm not sure what we're going to do about our NY vacation or about being lied to by the Bluegreen sales people. But I assure you it's not going to be to just move on and chalk it up to lessons learned. I'm only a couple of hours from Charleston. If I have to spend every other weekend warning potential suckers I will. I may stay at the Lodge Alley Inn on bonus time doing it. We should all be concerned about the practices of the company we have invested in.

Having said all that - I apologize for this rant. I did not intend to attack or offend anyone in this forum. I am still holding onto some hope that Bluegreen will make me happy. But so far, after dozens of phone calls, I am madder than ever. Sorry!

Sorry to hear about your bad sales experience. You'll have to let us know how it gets resolved.

One thing you can count on from this message board is that we will do our best to tell you the facts about how the club REALLY works. Many of us have found that the key to making Bluegreen work is get good information about how it works and what it is likely to yield. Owners who know that going in are usually the happiest.

People post what they want to do with the Club in these forums and we give them the probability (high, medium, low) that what they want to do is actually possible based on our experience with the Club.