LB We Bought and had Huge Problems
Westgate Timeshare Resort Issues



Date of Incident: 3/1/2004

I'm glad I found your website. I think it's a great outlet for others who have suffered Westgate's questionable business practices.

My husband and I are currently involved in an ongoing dispute with Westgate Lakes. We have been long-time owners and were basically happy with the timeshare purchase. Of course, we also encountered problems with equipment not working properly or ants, but someone from Maintenance was quick to respond when a call. However, our recent experience has opened our eyes to the bigger question of this company's integrity. We had updated to the new Owners Building, and had purchased two units during the New Year's Week. According to our contract and Westgate's public offering, we own Assigned Units and Assigned Weeks. We did call six weeks in advance to confirm our stay. However, upon check in, we were told our assigned units were occupied. When my husband tried to explain that we had purchased fixed units and week, the Front Desk associate informed him that the entire building was floating, and there was no control as to what unit he would be assigned. We specifically chose units on the top floor as my husband suffers from claustrophobia due to the Vietnam War. We have since learned there are six other owners with fixed time.

To make a long story short, when we returned home and reviewed exactly what was in our contract, it was confirmed to us that some Westgate managers were either mistaken or lied outright. After two months of discussions with CFI staff and getting nowhere, we wrote a letter to David Siegel outlining why we felt there was a breach of contract and requested return of our money. We requested a response within 30 days. Judging from CFI employee comments, Westgate will resist returning our money at all cost - something about setting a precedent. I am curious to see Westgate's spin on this incident. If there is no response or if we are not in agreement with whatever offer Westgate might make, we plan to take our case to:

Florida Real Estate Commission
Better Business Bureau, Central Florida
Florida Bureau of Timeshares
Florida Attorney General
Federal Trade Commission

All Westgate problem reports are submitted via email by the actual person who participated in the timeshare incident. Submissions are not edited in any fashion. Names are not shown for privacy reasons.

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