Description

While making a hotel reservation on the phone, I was offered a complimentary two-night stay for six people at the Bluegreen Odyssey at 1701 Wisconsin Dells Pkwy, Wisconsin Dells, WI 53965. All I had to do was attend a one-hour presentation with my husband on February 1, 2025. I was under the impression that the presentation would be in a conference hall where we'd be seated with a large group, and there would be a presentation on the stage. When we arrived at the presentation, we were directed to a cubicle where we met and sat with a young man named Ramey. The first thing I did was confirm with Ramey that the presentation would last only one hour because my ten-year-old daughter and her three friends were waiting for us in the room. The presentation consisted of Ramey selling us what I can best describe as a membership. We did not understand most of what Ramey said because English is not our primary language. Ramey said the membership came with points that could be used to go on vacations. We explained to Ramey many times that we were not interested in purchasing the membership because we are unable to travel due to our immigration process. Ramey continued to use high-pressure sales tactics to push us to purchase. Ramey offered us bonus points, transfer points, rollover points, a cruise, discounts, benefits, exclusive access, etc. My husband declined Ramey’s offers several times. By this time, we were in the fourth hour of the presentation, and we were exhausted. That’s when Ramey said that it would be an investment to purchase because we could rent and or sell the membership for a profit. My daughter had called my husband because they were hungry. We felt trapped because we desperately needed to get back to the girls. That's when Ramey suggested that my husband go ahead and attend to the girls. After my husband left, Ramey urged and rushed me to sign documents. I did not fully understand what I was signing. After the contract had been established, Ramey mentioned that the membership has maintenance fees and club dues. It wasn't until March 2025 when I received a credit card bill in the mail that I became aware that the total amount of the membership was charged on a credit card that was taken out for me in my name without my knowledge or authorization. I called Bluegreen and Barclays and requested a refund in exchange for returning the membership. I was denied a refund by both Bluegreen and Barclays because the timeframe to cancel or return the membership had apparently passed. Not once did Ramey mention a timeframe in which the membership could be canceled, returned, or refunded. Bluegreen said I could sell the membership with Pinnacle Vacations. When I called Pinnacle Vacations to sell the membership, I was told that they would sell it for a maximum of $5,000. We can't afford the high amount of credit card debt and high interest rate associated with this Bluegreen membership, especially now that I have been let go from my nonprofit job due to government cuts in spending. The services we were promised during the sale do not match the services provided whatsoever. We have not used any of the services of the membership because it is so confusing and virtually impossible to actually make use of, and to date, we are still unable to travel due to our immigration status.