Silverleaf Resorts isnt all that bad?
=======Silverleaf Resorts isnt all that bad?
>>>>>>> .r7754Well, according to one of its employees, it isnt. Since we have an obligation to be fair and balanced (we dont), I thought I would post the comment received from an irate silverleaf employee on another post on this site about the numerous “idiots” whom they solicit for timeshares. Please note, this comment has been transcribed verbatim. I apologize for the author yelling in caps:
JUST TO LET YOU KIDS KNOW WE ARE REGISTERED WITH THE “BBB�….NO IT DOES NOT SAY ON THE LETTER OR POSTCARD YOU RECEIVE IN THE MAIL THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN QUALIFICATIONS YOU HAVE TO MEET THATS WHY BEFORE YOU DRIVE OUT THERE THESE PEOPLE CALLED “VACATION COORDINATORS� AS YOU PEOPLE CALL THEM (THE EMPLOYEES AT SILVERLEAF CALL THEM VERIFIERS) GET ON THE PHONE AND QUALIFY YOU BROKE ASS PEOPLE BEFORE YOU WASTE YOUR TIME DRIVING SOMEWHERE YOU WOULDNT EVEN BELONG IN THE FIRST PLACE. THE ONLY GOD FORSAKEN REASON WHY PEOPLE CALL THIS A “SCAM� IS SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY ARE LIARS THEMSELVES. THE ONE AND THE ONLY REASON ANYONE WOULD BE TURNED DOWN AT THE RESORT IS BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY DO NOT QUALIFY FOR THE PROMOTION. DO YOU IDIOTS EVEN KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE SAY “NOW PLEASE BE AWARE YOU WILL BE ASKED TO PRESENT 2 FORMS OF I.D. , ONE BEING A DRIVERS LICENSE AND 2 BEING A MAJOR CREDIT CARD, MARRIED COUPLES MUST TOUR TOGETHER (EVEN IF YOU ARE LEGALLY SEPERATED THAT DOES NOT MEAN YOU ARE LEGALLY DIVORCED AND STILL MARRIED COUPLES TOUR TOGETHER GENIOUS) AND DEPENDING ON WHAT STATE YOU LIVE IN AND WHETHER YOU ARE SINGLE OR MARRIED THE INCOME REQUIREMENTS RANGE FROM TX- MARRIED 40K …SINGLE 45K
GEORGIA-MARRIED-45K SINGLE 50K…IL & NY/MA-MARRIED-50K SINGLE 55K….YOU GO THROUGHT 3-4 PEOPLE WHO SAY THAT SAME SHIT BEFORE YOU EVEN GO OUT TO THE RESORT SO MAYBE SOME OF YOU SHOULD OPEN YOUR EARS DOUCHE BAGS…SO ANYONE THAT WRITES A COMMENT BASHING THE “AWARDS VERIFICATION CENTER� WHICH YOU PEOPLE REALLY DONT EVEN KNOW WHERE THE 2ND CALL CENTER IS REALLY LOCATED CAN GO SCREW YOURSELF…I HAVE WORKED HERE FOR OVER A YEAR NOW THE COMPANY HAS BEEN IN BUSINESS FOR ALMOST 30 AT THAT. NOW ANSWER ME THIS…IF WE ARE REGISTERED WITH THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU AND HAVE BEEN IN BUSINESS THIS LONG AND ARE ALSO STILL OWNING OPERATING AND ALSO OPENING RESORTS ALL AROUND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA DO YOU REALLY THINK WE ARE LOSING OUT ON THE 100 PEOPLE ON THIS PAGE WHO SAY “OH I DONT GIVE A SHIT� BUT YET GAVE SHIT ENOUGH TO WRITE COMMENTS ABOUT HOW ANGRY THEY WERE? UHH NO! YOU PEOPLE ARE IGNORANT FOR EVEN THINKING YOU COULD PUT SUSAN MURRAY BEHIND BARS…DO YOU PEOPLE EVEN KNOW WHO SHE IS? NO. WHEN YOU CALL THE AWARDS VERIFICATION CENTER AND ASK FOR SANDRA OR KIM OR TRAVIS THOMAS DO YOU EVEN KNOW WHO THEY ARE? NO. BECAUSE YOU PEOPLE ARE ALL MORONS FOR NOT SPENDING AN HOUR OF YOUR WORTHLESS LIFE GETTING AT THE LEAST A VACATION FOR 2 PEOPLE PAID FOR. WHAT KIND OF MORON DOES THAT? YOU PEOPLE ARE RIGHT WHEN YOU SAY OH NOTHING IS FREE IN LIFE. WELL NO SH*T NEITHER IS YOUR TIME THATS WHY TO THANK YOU FOR COMING AND SPENDING 90 MINUTES OF YOUR USELESS NON-PRODUCTIVE POOR LIVES OUT HERE WE GIVE YOU 2 PRIZES FOR NOTHING…YOU PEOPLE ARE IDIOTIC USELESS AND DUH EVERY D*MN BUSINESS IN THE WHOLE F***ING COUNTRY HAS BAD THINGS WRITTEN ABOUT THEM SOMEWHERE BUT HOW LONG DO SCAMS REALLY LAST? 30 YEARS…UHHH COMMON SENSE PEOPLE NO…ESPECIALLY SINCE EVERY COUPLE MONTHS OUR LAWYERS AND JUDGES GO OVER THE SCRIPTS WE READ AND SAY “OH YES THATS PERFECTLY LEGAL� ARE YOU SERIOUSLY THINKING YOU PEOPLE WHO DONT HAVE A MIND OF YOU OWN BELIEVING THESE CLOSED MINDED�OH I DONT HAVE TIME FOR ANYTHING EXCEPT MY GAY MARRAIGE� PEOPLE AND WHAT THEY SAY TO KEEP YOU FROM SEEING A GORGEOUS RESORT AND RECEIVING 2 PRIZES FOR NOTHING????? I WENT OUT TO THE PINEY SHORES RESORT WHICH IS LOCATED OFF 45 ABOUT 45 MINUTES TO AN HOUR NORTH OF HOUSTON…GOT BOTH MY PRIZES AND LEFT HAPPY…I HAVE ALREADY RECEIVED MY VACATION PACKAGE AND WENT ON THE TRIP TO VEGAS…OH WAIT YOU KNOW WHY I ACTUALLY RECEIVED MINE? FIRST OF ALL I SET THE APPOINTMENT AND ACTUALLY SHOWED AND DIDNT LIE LIKE A FILTHY RAT SECONDLY I DIDNT F***ING LIE TO 3-4 DIFFERENT PEOPLE SAYING OH YES I MEET ALL OF THOSE QUALIFICATIONS AND THEN GO TO THE RESORT LIKE A MORON AND CHANGE MY MIND ALL OF A SUDDEN AND SAY “OH WELL I GUESS I DONT MAKE 40K A YEAR LIKE I SAID 4 DAYS AGO� MORONS YOU PEOPLE ARE WORTH ABSOLUTELY NOTHING AND YOU MEAN NOTHING TO THE IMPORTANT PEOPLE IN THIS WORLD. GOD HATES YOU AND YOU SHOULD PROBABLY GO PLAY IN TRAFFIC
THANKS FOR YOUR TIME
*A LOYAL CITIZEN AND SILVERLEAF RESORT INC. EMPLOYEE*
So there you have it folks, Silverleaf is not the problem - YOU ARE! The car would be yours if only you werent a liar and an idiot 
December 6th, 2006 at 2:53 pm
Obviously this was written by the chairman of the board. HA HA . LIARS. Karma is a bitc* and she’s comming for you! You know your pathetic when you have to say somthing like ” isnt all that bad” Just mostly bad. Stop taking advantage of stupid people. You suck.
December 6th, 2006 at 2:58 pm
Also the person who wrote this is clearly insane and in need of some zyprexa. Nice language.. now I really wanna come out there to stay after hearing you call your own clients idiots. The F-word, shit man you guys are a real class act, my mistake.
December 31st, 2006 at 8:47 am
Hey unhappy employee. Can you help me unload my Silver Leaf deed? I am not picky, I will sell it to anyone, regardless of thier IQ. Remember within every lie, there is a element of truth. We just have to look for it.
January 31st, 2007 at 9:40 am
Sounds like they have a very angry employee! Sure would not want to get on the phone with him. Was thinking of calling until I read this very angry unprofessional remark by a employee. I suggest you train your employee’s and send them through a angier management course.
February 16th, 2007 at 2:11 pm
To be very honest here I worked for silverleaf for 13 years in just about every department from tour registration to sales and was even a director, not only does this company “scam” their clients but the biggest “scam” is what they do to their employees. I feel sorry for these unknowing people who show up for a “90 min presentation” they are lied to from the very begining about the gifts and most importantly about the program. I am very guilty of lying to clients about the program that Silverleaf sells and so is every single sales person in that company you can count on 90% of everything you are told is a complete lie. Silverleaf is the lowest paid timeshare company in the country for their hourly employees there is no such thing as overtime your timesheets are made out for you whether you work 40 hours or 60 hours you get paid the same, I have seen good loyal people fired over the years for not complying with the lies Silverleaf has to offer people fired for refusing a transfer and the thing that tops the cake is the held on to an employee who was convicted of raping his own children Rick Fahlbush was sentenced to 15 years in a Texas prison for this and David O’Conner Executive VP in charge of sales stood by this person side even made up a false reason why he was arrested to explain his arrest at The Villages Resort, this is the same David O’Conner that used to reward his sales managers with “hookers” for a job well done! You can count on most of the resort level sales people, managers, and even some directors being under the influence of drugs while you are talking to them I can remember countless times going into the restroom after someone and finding cocain on the backs of toilet seats, these are the people wanting you to give them $10,000 for 90 minutes of your time…….
As far as the gifts go HAHAHAHA good luck using them they tell you on the phone they have a value of $1400 if thats true why when I would get a gift inventory sheet did they only value the gift at $45.00 . All I am saying is BUYER BEWARE
March 7th, 2007 at 11:22 am
My father and mother purchased a timeshare from Silver Leaf, which they’ve never used. My father has since died, and my mother will be living in an assisted living facility. I called the company and they said they would send the paperwork out, so we could transfer the deed right back to them. What they sent me was an affividavid to heirship instead. It mentioned nothing about turning the timeshare back in, but instead wanted to know all of my parents’ personal acct info, debts, property, mine and my siblings birthdates and names, etc. When I called asking them about this, I was told this was required by the court because we were talking about a deed. Does this seem fishy to anyone else? How can we get this timeshare off of my mother’s hands?
March 11th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
I had to respond to the employees letter. Wake up man!! You have been brain washed!! A whole year you have worked for Silverleaf. Wow is this a personal record for you? What was your last job? Hmm, I wonder?
I got suckered into this crap and went to the tour and all the BS that goes along with it yesterday. I suffered through not 90 minutes of the tour but 4 hours of my time. I was told to keep an open mind. So I kept an open mind. It’s true I went for the possibiltity of $40,000.00 in cash.I had no intention of buying into a time share through SIlver leaf or any other company like it
I’ll admit I’m an a$**ole. I take great pleasure in knowing that I wasted the dumb asses time that gave the presentation. I just wish it had been you!! It simply means that he and I are even!!
Now that that is off my chest. I think it has been said enough - BUYER BEWARE. As far as the major prize winnings They are crap! If an “honest” vacation / resort business was offering a prize of a vacation package Don’t you think they would offer your accomodations in one of THEIR fine resorts that they claim is the best thing going since the invention of toilet paper? (Guess what I used this morning). Good luck to you I really hope you have a wonderful career AFTER you wake up and move on to a legitimate business. Your professionalisim is astounding. Perhaps a career in shoveling Sh*!. Oh I forgot - you already do that. Good luck!
October 16th, 2007 at 10:08 pm
DO NOT GIVE OUT ALL THAT info. I deeded back my week on a signature, that is all. They want to steal your ID.
November 4th, 2007 at 7:37 am
Our firm is currently investigating possible overtime violations by Silverleaf Resorts. If you are a current or former employee of Silverleaf Resorts, you may be entitled to recover overtime pay. Please contact the lawfirm Brownstein Nguyen & Little (www.bnllawfirm.com) at mail@bnllawfirm.com or call Jay Brownstein at (678) 921-0143.
December 4th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Just got back from my four hour presentation and two night stay at the Hill Country ghetto resort at Canyon lake. Love that view of a waste treatment plant. They lied to us on just about everything. The place is a total dump. I can see who there target market is. The demographic is just above the poverty line. Their apparent mantra: “Take advantage of the disadvantaged”. I can use my 40 dollar gas voucher in just 17 easy steps. That’s right, 17. This place will end up on a news investigation sooner or later. What a bunch of crooks. They use every psychological trick in the book to try to sell you. BEWARE! What a concept. Hey you wanna stay in our network of motels for the rest of you life with all of its limitations? Just prepay and sign up for 800 dollars a year! Major douchebagerie.
January 13th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
Ok, so there are some folks here that have been employed by Silverleaf and realize all of the scams - tell me, what can ya do to GIVE the property back to the resort? I got into this thing and had a major devastation to our family occur that requires us to let this go. I just wanna get out. Supposedly the deed we got was a “repossession” of property and we just picked up a “great” deal. Someone’s bound to have some answers for me after this open talk of scams…
January 16th, 2008 at 1:59 pm
To reply to Wanna get out. I decided to stop any further payments after a $900.00 initial “iinvestment”, and a 45 minute-Not!!!!!!! 5 hour Orientation-NOT!!!!!!!Upgrage session where our original package was trashed, and told that we should get in to the “Diamond Club” That completely pissed me off, since during the 5 hour ordeal we had to sit in a stale, damp waiting room with several other pissed off patrons who were way behind their appointment times and getting cursed at by an overworked inept customer service rep who proclaimed “Youre just gonna have to reschedule”. We were duped into paying the 900, but have not paid a penny more. I am curious how far they plan to take this since, by all rights they never should have approved us for it in the first place. I am wondering what else they have told you .
January 25th, 2008 at 11:07 am
We should all get together and file a class action lawsuit.
January 26th, 2008 at 6:24 pm
I am not a employee nor have I ever been. But after reading all this crap I just had to put my two cents in. Some of what they are saying are true,but most aren’t. I am a happy Silverleaf owner and have been for over 5 years. The only problem we have had is every time we go on vacation they try to get us to buy more or upgrade.This is very annoying as we are there to relax not be pressured into buying more. It is true about the prize packages they give as the ones we get are worthless. Having having said that I want to compliment Silverleaf. We have had a crisis or two while on vacation and Silverleaf went out of their way to accommodate us in every way possible. We have the added feature of having Bonus weeks which means we can go any time other than our owned week. Silverleaf has never failed to get us in.The customer support is great. However one of the resorts we will never stay at again and that is FOX RIVER. I wont bore you with all the details. We have stayed there at least 8 times over the past 5 years and there is always a problem in the resorts room we had to stay in.How ever our home resort is Holiday Hills in Branson. It is a beautiful resort, great customer service and lots of activities going on. We love it there and have taken several quests with us who ending up buying there also.Well I just wanted to say something nice about Silverleaf after reading all this crap.They do a lot of hugh pressure selling tho and I hate that. We are already owners. Thats the first thing I tell them upon check in. We are not interested in buying more. We will not attend any meetings. Cause thats the first thing they throw at you.Other than this we have had no complaints(except fox river).
February 6th, 2008 at 5:50 pm
I can tell you from experience siler leaf is a wonerful company! they do their best. people that complain about a company that wants to give them stuff are oviousely really selfish people. all day long i hear “thats not good enought do more for me “, “i dont want to have to sit through a time share presentation my time is to valuble”. bla bla bla. did you ever stop to think maybe this is our way of bein nice? you know i have been an employee of silver leaf for a while now and i would say it one of the most caring comanys i’ve ever worked for. We are like on huge family at work and it beats the hell out of workin fast food
February 15th, 2008 at 7:52 pm
can anyone give me more information on the Fahlbush charge???
February 20th, 2008 at 5:34 pm
Hey it is timeshare and noone is hiding it. Who doesn’t like it ……leave it!. There are millions out there that can do with a free vacation. TIMESHARE IS NOT A BAD THING! (atleast it is better than sitting around getting all grumpy over another man’s happiness!!!!)
March 5th, 2008 at 2:22 pm
i have worked for this place for ever and they are nothing but liers and they treat their employees like shitt and we are nothing but shitt to them i hope this company gos to hell
March 5th, 2008 at 2:24 pm
even the gm and all of our important people that run this damb place as they are called are nothing but assholes karma is a bitch
March 6th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
As a former employee at The Villages resort, I can tell you they want you to lie all the time. If someone wants to cancel the program, you are supposed to tell them that you will have a manager call them back, but the manager waits until your are past the day of cancellation and then they tell you it’s too late to cancel. They forge documents or a regular basis and have these documents notarized. They will beat you down until you say yes and they don’t care how long it takes. They treat their employees like dogs, they do not give them a lunch hour to eat, because time is money. An it’s true, you probably have been in a car with one of the sales reps who is high on some drug or drunk. The drug problem is well known but they don’t care as long as you sell. Quite a few of the employees have been in jail, and/or arrested for one charge or another. And since the sales reps are driving you around in their car, some of them don’t even have insurance. If you buy, you are their best friend, but if you call the next day to cancel, they will do everything in their power to try to talk you out of it and avoid your calls. The entire presentation is carefully worded and drilled into every sales rep head. They want to make you feel like you don’t spend enough time with you family, and how can be you so thoughtless to not want to spend a week with you family on vacation. Of course, the employees are blamed if you don’t buy, and if sales have been low for that week, the employees are told to come in on their day off for additional training. This is mandatory or you wil be fired. Whatever you do, don’t buy into this program. You will regret it soon thereafter.
April 28th, 2008 at 8:01 am
I work in that company Canyon LAke, Thelma is the bigest bitch ever, she laugh of everyone, she hate her assist. Cindy . Thelma is a C….. sucker ask to the vice president HAHAHAHA.
I have seen a lot of good people get fired by her just because she don’t like them or no reason.
May 28th, 2008 at 8:46 am
wow,people really are stupid. most of you cant even spell corectly.Listen up im a former employee as well,sure they work you like a dog. long hours,no lunch breaks,etc…,if you do not like it leave. as they say you were lookin for a job before u found this one.go somewhere else and work u dumbfuck its an oporitunity not a summons.and by the way the program works you just need to know how to operate it. and as far as (HIGH PRESSURE SALES OR TACTICS GO). IF YOU DONT LIKE IT, DONT BUY IT.PEOPLE WHO SAY THIS SHIT ARE STUPID AND WEAK.i personally made anywhere from$ 1500 to$ 5000 A WEEK consistantly they pay well for the hours. in closing i just want everybody to know that S.L. is agood co. you work hard and long but u get paid well.(very well)to provide a service to the consumers. if these consumers do not see the value or benefits ofthe program THEN DONT BUY IT YOU FUCKING MORON.nobody put a gun to your head. your just PATHETIC and WEAK and cant make up your own mind. its not the “ritz” you can tell by the condos its just a nice quiet place to go for family or for a nice romantic getaway.with several places to go.and their prices are a whole lot lower than any of the competitors.SO WHAT THE FUCK ARE U COMPLAINING ABOUT WORK THERE OR DONT, BUY THERE OR DONT THE choice IS YOURS ,NO ONE ELSE U WEAKSUCK SON-OF -A-BITCH-PEACE OUT BITCHES.dp -
June 25th, 2008 at 12:44 am
As of Sunday I have quit my job at Hill Country. I was treated like shit; I was nothing but the dirt on their shoe. I would say hello to one of the managers (one in particular) he would snub his nose at me and not say a word. Hospitality would bring in food for the weekend to serve the guests and all the managers and sales reps would eat the food. Everyone was able to take the food, all but the support staff (total of 4 people) including me. Their reason was to conserve the food for the guests. I would sit at my desk hungry and had to watch others eat the food in front of me, even the Boss and the very same person who told me I would get fired on the spot for touching the food.
I witnessed first hand as a new sale was taking place, the new owners would skip a signature or an initial of their legal signature, the VO director would then forge the documents filling in the missing signatures or initials so they could make sure the contract could go out that week and wouldn’t lose money.
I seen elderly people many times having to walk through the building with oxygen tanks, when in the next room was filled with cigarette smoke while Mr. O’ Conner came in to visit…as well as some of the managers smoking in their offices, not only in that building but also the new sales department in the contracts office.
Think they really care about their guests or employees? I don’t think so.
I would work many overtime hours without overtime pay…but if I take an hour to handle some personal business then I OWED them that hour more on the job….I would always have to owe them time and it was tough shit if they owned me any time which they did. Silverleaf is a shithole place to work and I finally have had it…life is too short to take this abuse anymore.
The bosses there have this big power trip thing going…they think it’s ok to yell at you like a child and break you down til you cry losing your dignity. They don’t care what life you have outside of Silverleaf, they believe they own your ass as long as you work for them and they can treat you anyway they want. Even if it means lying to make sure you are at fault.
$8 an hour just isn’t worth that shit.
July 6th, 2008 at 8:47 pm
just about every thing we do is illegal. at every resort from texas to massachusetts. it it wrong we are all going to hell. but lets keep making money and my mommy happy. bring the cup home baby. i love you allen.
July 9th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
WOW! DIRTLE… There is an old saying: Don’t piss down my back and tell me it’s rainin’! You know, I hate to stoop to insults, but it is after all, the only language you types understands. That said… what an incredibly ridiculous burden to humanity you are. I truly pity pseudo-sub-humans like you. The ones who would commit blanket genocide for a buck if they could get away with it (their own mothers included). These sad creatures are born without the part of the brain that makes the rest of us decent, and … they are the prime reason for all that is and ever was wrong with the world. Two things… ASS! 1. Any idiot can practice and become adept at making shit up to tell people what they want to hear for a buck. Thankfully most of us choose to get real jobs with dignity. Unfortunately, human nature makes lying the easiest gig devised. So don’t pat yourself on the back just yet for living high on the hog with social blood-money. This don’t make you right, it simply makes you a crook without a legacy. You’re not strong, you’re simply a champion BS artist NM, NL!! And as a professional (con artist), within any business, it is always easy to lie to and convince the layman not privy to the tricks of the trade. This doesn’t make them weak for being everyday, normal and wholly decent people trying to enjoy life in peace, it simply makes you a narcissistic, egocentric, and insane oxygen thief to all viable existence. 2. As a con-artist , I’m sure you are familiar with what is known as a tell. Well, I hope you realize that your very comments shows your tell in glaring detail. They reveal in loud true colors of how not only you… but (and I guarantee), many other like-minded septic-tank dwellers of Silver leaf Resorts think. Speaking of genocide, If I could commit it just once, I like to take all beasts like you along with terrorists and other sadists, stick em’ on a giant space shuttle and slowly shoot them into the SUN. Accept in you alls case, it wouldn’t really be genocide, but rather… paracide LOL. Then, and only then, can the rest of us finally work together, in peace to fix the damage you’ve done and then really party like hell!! WHEW! OK, I will step off my soap box now.
P.S. Since we can’t put em’ all on a shuttle bound for the sun, then we really need to get together and sue these people. SERIOUSLY
August 16th, 2008 at 6:29 pm
Guys this is really dumb. I have worked many placed over the years and I have to say that Hill country is just fine. we are not mistreated or abused. It is a typical sale company that requires people to show up and do there job. they pay well and feed you free food every week. they treat everyone fine. I would not still be there if they did not. Just so you know the ones that leasve just could not make it happen and that is nt the companies fault. Most employees leave owing the company many advanced bucks. I have to say the drugs that I heard are used is a joke! I work with older men and two of them are pasters at a chruch. Silverleaf also works on Sunday so the paster come in to the resort and we pray and sing together every sunday.get a life people out of all the years that I have been in sale I have never seen a company that puts no pressure on you to buy this. I promise you mostr leave with a hug from the rep and a phone number to keep in touch. This is the real truth.
Deanna
August 16th, 2008 at 6:31 pm
You folks are mean people who write this crap. and you are the real problem.
August 26th, 2008 at 10:40 pm
Holy cow! I really hope those posts from ex-employees are really unhappy customers trying to make the company look bad. I, too, am an ex employee and I can tell you, I feel really bad for all the unhappy people. I worked for SLR for 5 years and yes, I dealt with a large amount of unhappy members but I dealt with many more happy. LAnd I worked hard to make the unhappy members more comfortable with what they purchased. (I did notice that most unhappy people were those that struggled financially and always wondered why would you buy this if you can’t afford it?.) I was not involved in sales or customer service. My job was to assist members in reserving their deeded week and bonus time reservations. I did a lot of educating people on how to get the most use out of what they own. If you buy into the off-season, you are only entitled to go during the off-season (blue color time), if you purchase prime season (red) then you’re eligible for year round use. SLR is the only company that even offers the option of bonus stays-free during the week, small cost for weekend (had to start charging because demand became so great). Trust me, lots and lots and LOTS of people use this free time. There are people who can take advantage of this program more than others, ie retired and self employed individuals because they can easily vacation during the off season. If you are a teacher or work in a tourist industry and have only a short window of time that you are able to take vacation then your chances of using this program are more limited. Just think about it, each unit has a different owner for each week of the year. If those owners use the week that they purchase then of course there will not be a spot you can use for free. If someone chooses not to use the week they own and do not arrange an exchange, allowing someone else to stay there, then instead of leaving the unit empty for the week, the company hands it over for a bonus time stay. Most families will use the vacation weeks in the summer and holiday seasons. It’s the off-season that gives you the best chances of getting a stay. Just calm down and ask someone how it really works. Most people in the company want you to be happy and wouldn’t mind walking you through the process. Of course, I’m writing this assuming you have gotten past the “predatory sales person”.
September 20th, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Does anybody realize that one of the posts on this is the President of the company’s son? It is pretty bad if your own son says you are all theives.
September 25th, 2008 at 7:56 am
My problem doesn’t seem to be addressed in any of these posts. I am a divorced mother of two, coming out of bankruptcy due to the divorce. I have WORKED HARD to get my credit back up to good standings, it has been a struggle. I received my postcard at the beginning of my bankruptcy and thought this might be a good thing to have for my children. Also, it would help me build my credit. I signed and have been an Oak n’ Spruce owner for about 6 years. As time went on, I ran into many things which told me that I made a huge mistake by buying this. I’ve tried getting bonus time, sat and waited until 7PM Friday for an opening…..DENIED. I keep getting called out to the resort for my Owner’s Meeting “ask any questions you may have, bring two forms of ID and we’ll give you $75″…. this meeting is not for my benefit. It’s a sales pressure meeting to buy more “product”. Once I even had a guy roll his eyes at me when I said I can’t buy anything else. Every time I go in, I explain that I’m struggling and need to see if there’s anyway Silverleaf can take this back…. JUST TAKE IT BACK, and sell it to someone else. Every time they tell me they can lower my monthly payments by… get this….. BUYING A SECOND WEEK!!!!!!!! They want me to commit to giving them thousands more dollars, just after I tell them I’m going without to take care of my children. I don’t own a home, paycheck to paycheck. I’m not buying a second week and they know this…. so needless to say I’m on the bottom of the s**t bucket. I’ve never missed a payment, yet I’m eating ramen noodles daily. Since I signed, I’ve had a few catastrophies which require more of my stretched income, including a major car accident and my youngest son diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. I can’t believe that this company doesn’t have a way to release people like me of this obligation…. they’d sooner let a HARD-WORKING MOTHER OF TWO GO DOWN WITH THE SHIP. They won’t work with me on even making the payments easier, the DO NOT REFINANCE… “we just don’t do that”. Bottom line, when I first signed on to this, things were much better. I have been presented with hardships and cannot afford the $320 a month this company is getting from me… still after all these years…. OH, AND ANOTHER THING… when I did first sign, I WAS TOLD THAT THIS WOULD INCREASE IN VALUE!!!!!!!! THEY NEVER TOLD ME THAT I’D HAVE TO KEEP BUYING/UPGRADING FOR THAT TO HAPPEN. I HAVEN’T BEEN ABLE TO BUY MORE, AND NOW I’M TOLD BY TIMESHARE RESELL COMPANIES THAT FOR WHAT I STILL OWE COMPARED TO WHAT IT’S WORTH, I’M SCREWED. I think there should be a Class Action Suit about the scam tactics to get someone to sign. The fact that this week that I own is almost worthless when they told me it would increase in value is GROUNDS ENOUGH FOR A SUIT. I am speaking with my lawyer on this now. Wish me luck. Thanks for listening.
November 6th, 2008 at 8:07 pm
So am I already screwed if I just scheduled myself for one of the “90 minute tours” ?
It irritated me when some Stefan Pickrell insisted that I repeat the confirmation phone number back to him 2-3 times. I became even more suspicious than I was in the first place.
This was for Fox something Resorts but my postcard came from Silverleaf Resorts and I asked the original girl on the phone about Silverleaf she stumbled. Red flag?
I mean in the back of my mind what made me call them back after their 3rd or 8th post card was “hey people win publisher’s clearing house and the lottery right? maybe…” But this blog/commentary has really scared me.
Nothing is sacred anymore! Trust no one, nothing is free, cynicism is safest. Gah.
So anyone have answers am I screwed already for agreeing to go visit the property? How did they even get my info. I should change my name, move, and never go online ever again. Checks are the way to pay bills I guess and never purchase clothes online! jesus