Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/16/2025

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We are filing a formal complaint against Imperial Hawaii Resorts due to their lack of communication and unresolved issues with our timeshare. Despite multiple emails and phone calls requesting to cancel our timeshare, the company has failed to respond. Initially, using the timeshare was easy, but it became increasingly difficult to trade for locations outside of our home site in Hawaii. We were told trading Hawaii would be easy, but we were constantly placed on waiting lists that never materialized into trades. The promise of flexibility was misleading, and we now find it easier and more affordable to use options like VRBO. Additionally, we face challenges in banking our weeks and navigating the complications of managing the timeshare due to time zone differences. Meanwhile, we are paying fees for something we cant utilize due to the rising cost of plane fares to Hawaii. We seek a resolution by being released from this timeshare contract and refunded the fees already paid.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/23/2025

  Owner has been contacted, and issue has been resolved.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/08/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I've been trying to reach Imperial Hawaii resorts to cancel my timeshare contract but all I've gotten from these communications is radio silence. I even sent a detailed letter explaining my desperate situation-skyrocketing maintenance fees and personal financial struggles-but shockingly and disappointingly, they've chosen to ignore me completely. This is incredibly frustrating since I most urgently need this contract cancelled to relieve myself of this financial burden. Given how serious this issue is and its impact on me, I found it really inexcusable that no one bothered to reach out with the slightest response/acknowledgement. I'm reaching out to the BBB in the hope that they can help escalate this matter and get the attention it desperately needs since this company doesn't seem keen on communicating with it's customers if it means they might have to stop taking my money. I just want to move on and finally put this stress behind me. Please do better, Imperial Hawaii resort!

• Initial Complaint

  Date:05/20/2024

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  In October of 2023 I thought I was out of the timeshare when they sent me a release of lien. But they lied when they sold it and they lied again in October of 2023. The salespeople said that when we bought it we could sell it back as long as it was paid for. We don't want to burden our children. We realized we were paying for something we couldn't use. We have no interest in keeping the timeshare. It's simpler and cheaper to book online when we decide to go. Planning a year ahead isn't always feasible

  Business Response

  Date: 06/18/2024

  We have contacted the customer and will handle the complaint internally.

  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/24/2024

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  My name is *********************************** and have a *** for my mother ***********************. Imperial Waikiki also has the *** when I became my mother's caregiver and had to take over the responsibilities of my mother's paperwork.I first contacted Imperial about a year ago looking for the options of either a quit claim deed or deed back to the resort. This was suggested by both consumer reports and AARP in my research. I had no response, but I continued to make the effort to finally reach someone to answer my questions. My answer was, "No buy back or deed back to the resort.". The customer service rep suggested I could sell, give away or rent the timeshare. I told her I had already made that effort and I couldn't even give it away. I then sent the resort developer a certified grievance letter, but again, no response. Now we have been threatened with collections for non-payment of the yearly assessment fee. I would like to resolve this issue.as soon as possible. I have also attached the grievance letter I wrote to the resort developer.Thank you so much *************************

  Business Response

  Date: 05/07/2024

  We have reached out to the Consumer.  The Resort will work directly with the Consumer to resolve this complaint.  Thank you.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/11/2024

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We have been in contact with the resort since last summer of 2023. First, I had no return calls on my options to cancell the contract since my mothers deteriorating health . Second, when I did contact them they were very unhelpful with any information on options . Third, I sent the resort a greivance letter, which I have attached, but recieved no resoponse. Now we are getting late fees and threats to send us to collections.. We would just like to be free from the burden of this contract that we can no longer use.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 04/16/2024

  Good Morning, My Name is ***********************************, I am my mothers caregiver and POA, We have been trying for over a year to get this resolved. I reached out to the resort and they informed me that they can't help me out of the contract. We could sell it or give it away. But there is no secondary market for timeshares. I have explained the issues we are having regarding using the timeshare, but the resort has no reason to help us. I have attached the grievance letter that I sent to the resort. We really need to cancel this contract. Please help us. Thank you in advance], *************************

  Desired Resolution: Cancelling of the contract

• Initial Complaint

  Date:11/16/2023

  Type:Customer Service Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Dear BBB,I am writing to file a complaint against Imperial Hawaii Resort regarding their lack of communication and failure to address our concerns.Imperial Hawaii Resort placed us on a quit claim waitlist after expressing our desire to be released due to the numerous issues we have faced with their services over the years. Initially, when we raised our complaints, they offered us the release option. However, since then, they have stopped responding to our attempts to contact them.We are incredibly frustrated and disappointed with the lack of communication from Imperial Hawaii. We have no information regarding how long we will remain on this waitlist or when a decision will be made to proceed with our release, as they had promised.We kindly request your assistance in contacting Imperial Hawaii Resort on our behalf. Their lack of response and failure to address our concerns is highly unprofessional and unfair. We hope that with your intervention, we can finally get some resolution to our situation.Thank you for your attention to this matter.Sincerely,*******, ******, and *******************

  Business Response

  Date: 11/17/2023

  Quitclaiming timeshare weeks is not a common practice with many timeshare resorts...the Imperial is no different. However, under certain circumstances, such as hardship or illness, we do make that exception as we understand the challenges that many face especially when their financial/health status has changed. The **** party contacted us via letter in January of this year (January 20, 2023) expressing their extreme "dissatisfaction" with the Imperial's services, claiming we "lied and "cheated" them out of money and livelihood. The **** party had the privilege of owning their Imperial week for 20 years and have exchanged/deposited their week with RCI every year since acquiring ownership. If the **** party took advantage of the exchange opportunity, (as many timeshare owners do) then they've benefited from the extended opportunity that owning a timeshare opportunity provides. If they had a problem with their exchanges with RCI, then that is between them and RCI. We have many owners who have not had any issues with their exchange companies, as RCI is not the only one that provides the exchange opportunity. We are a legitimate and successful business and have been operating the same way with a very large and satisfied Owner base for years dating back to the late 1990's. Obviously not everyone will accept terms from a specific business, hotels included. The Imperial has won numerous awards for service excellence so we're not sure where her dissatisfaction is directed at. Nonetheless, her slanderous reasons for relinquishing her timeshare week were received, and acknowledged, despite the fact that the criteria is not what we would normally accept (i.e. hardships, ***********) and a letter was sent on February 1, 2023 acknowledging receipt of her letter. However, we made the exception for her and was placed on a waiting list as we do with all quitclaim requests as there are other owners who meet the criteria who have submitted quitclaim requests before she did. Like many things in life, certain processes are done in an orderly fashion, and her claim unfortunately has not been processed yet as simply put, because we have not arrived at their claim on relative to the order in which it was received. It is not fair to expedite her claim simply because she is dissatisfied with it (after owning it for 20 years) when there are other long-term owners who have submitted a request before her who have legitimate reasons for letting their week (s) go.  We have received complaints such as the ***** here through your BBB portal, and we have resolved all claims the same way...in fact a claim that was submitted a couple of months ago had been rescinded by the author because we were able to find resolve internally...as it should be and not through a social medium platform. I thought it best to send you a response here as I don't see it appropriate to provide banter over a medium such as this, especially when responses are often made public and resolutions are done internally. To publicize such slanderous comments from the author about a business I feel is harmful, especially for those who work hard at the business, and is counterproductive. The Imperial is guilty of no wrongdoing as she is claiming, regardless of her claim however, we are happy to proceed with her quitclaim request when we arrive at her request on the list. Until that happens, we have agreed that we will not assess her with any maintenance fees until her quitclaim request has been settled. Thanks for reading. 

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/17/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  ResolvedMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I am an owner of a unit at the Imperial, which has been in the family for over 30 years. Between my aunt and myself, we have always paid our dues, on time. I made a visit to the resort this past April for my elderly mothers birthday, and had by far the worst travel experience of my entire life. The resort staff make jokes about committing suicide from the top floor balcony. As someone with close family who struggle with depression and mental health, this is completely out of line and unethical. I cannot support any business who would treat their members in this fashion. Our room had a leaky AC unit and mold, that gave both my mother and I excruciating headaches and allergy type symptoms. I had so much anxiety staying there, that we left early. I will not be returning to the Hawaiian islands, nor will I be returning to the Imperial. I have requested to terminate any relationship with this business, but have yet to get a response to my attempts at communication.

  Business Response

  Date: 08/11/2023

  We have been in direct communication with this Owner and have managed to find a positive resolve. This is my 3rd attempt at answering and hopefully the response is received. 

  Customer Answer

  Date: 08/11/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********.  The business has been in contact with me, and has done a great job resolving my issue.  Please close this complaint. 
  
  Sincerely,
  ***************************

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/07/2023

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  UnansweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Imperial Hawaii has been blatantly ignoring us. Weve been emailing them for weeks asking for a cancellation of our timeshare contract, and no one has even acknowledged us! We have enough reason to want out since we cannot exchange our timeshare points for accommodations on the mainland. The unit didn't have air conditioning the one time we were able to. The suite was located on the second floor, which posed a significant challenge due to my disability. Despite our specific requests, we struggled to find accommodations that either had an elevator or were situated on the first floor.With the onset of the ******19 pandemic, our situation has worsened. As my immunity is compromised, travel has become impossible for us. This has rendered our timeshare useless, yet its financial obligations still burden us.We have recently retired, and with mounting medical concerns, maintaining this timeshare has become a significant financial hardship. We have sent multiple emails to Imperial Hawaii Resorts requesting the cancellation of our timeshare contract but to no avail. Their disregard for our predicament and failure to respond to our cancellation requests is unacceptable and unprofessional.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/22/2022

  Type:Product Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I would like to file a complaint against Imperial Hawaii Resorts in that I canceled my timeshare purchase within the rescission period and some man called me after I sent back all my paperwork and convinced me to keep it. I live in ******** and it is nearly impossible for me to visit the Islands anymore. I am on a fixed income. I live alone, and I have several health ailments that prevent me from even being able to walk without supported assistance. I wish to cancel this and get my money back, and this time, not get scammed into keeping something they know I cant use. Please help me.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/22/2022

  Was this a recent purchase that you changed your mind about or are you an existing Owner trying to QC your week back to us? How is this our fault? Did this man have a name? We don't have any "male" staff at the resort in the department that handles membership services. Have you called and spoken to anyone at the resort there about this instead of posting here? We have staff here that can assist in these situations. You have not provided any more information for us to go on, so I suggest you contact us at the resort. Information you share regarding your membership is confidential, and we'd rather not discuss it on a forum such as this. Call us at the resort, ask for membership services, and let's see if we can assist you. I understand your situation, however if you are citing a "scam", then it would be your prerogative to speak with us directly. Mahalo.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:10/07/2022

  Type:Order Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  We feel that your staff left out a lot of details when they tried to sell us the timeshare. These details could have been the difference between signing the contract and walking away. The promises they did make have been seen to be nothing more than untruthful promises. Your company has not been honest with us from day one. We were sold a product that was not what we were wanting nor promised and your company has an obligation to fix this issue we have. We have yet to use the timeshare because the staff sold us on false hopes of amazing vacations. With the thought of traveling around the world at a discounted price from doing the booking on our own we felt that this was a smart decision to invest into, we were wrong. The timeshare that we purchased is nothing close to the timeshare we were promised and led to believe that it would be. We were under the impression that it would be easy to resell as well but that has been seen to be a harder transaction than we were told by the sales team. We feel that this timeshare is not something we want to keep and pass on to our heirs when we pass on from this Earth and look to your company to rectify this situation and reverse the contract we have with your company. We feel that we were sold on false promises and hopes.We expect a full refund with the rescind and for this matter to be completed in a timely manner from this date.

  Business Response

  Date: 10/07/2022

  ******************,

  Have you tried to contact the resort regarding your complaint? Your testimony about "untruthful promises" is vague and I would like more clarification on this. You've owned your week, at least on record, since ****. You've exchanged your week with IIX almost every year you've owned it, and have been to the resort  only once...at least in our records. You've had this timeshare for over 20 yrs, used it as an exchange during such time, and now you're asking for a "refund" citing false promises. We are not in any position to "refund" your purchase, especially since you've had use of it all these years. Subsequently, there is no promise of a deed back in your contract.  I'm not clear as to what your travel habits were using this week based on your message, but it does appear that you've had usage of it. I'm also not clear when you say that your "timeshare purchased is nothing close to the timeshare we were promised and led to believe that it would be.". What timeshare were you promised that differs from the one you currently own? You purchased your week from a developer, not through the resort, thus as mentioned, we are under no obligation to refund your purchase. With that said however, have an exit program that we can assist you with for a fee if this is something that interests you. It's not the normal process for all timeshare resorts, however it is an option that we present to qualified owners. Is this something you'd like to pursue with us? I'm sorry you felt you were misled and are unhappy with your ownership. We are a legitimate business and do not sell our weeks under any false pretenses. I can't speak for what the sales person said to you 20 years ago, however we can do what we can here to assist you as best as we can.