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Anyone who has experience with Sapphire Holiday Collection weeks ?
I just bought some weeks at Sapphire Holiday Collection(SHC) for a discounted price per week. The agent selling the weeks said they are worth $799/week to purchase hotels and other lodging. My contract only says I purchased the week and now have the privilege to make reservations from $99 to $799. It is ambiguous whether I have to pay this reservation fee or whether my week, supposedly worth $799, will cover this.
Also, the agent promoted that for an additional $200 that I could also buy the "VIP BENEFITS" upgrade that they told me would allow me to buy airline tickets, cruises, rental cars and attractions with each of my "weeks" worth $799. The agent showed me the SHC website and showed me how easy it was to purchase these other options and assured me I would be purchasing all these options on the SHC website and would not have to use other websites. My contract, however, says "these benefits will be administered through an INDEPENDENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY." Has this been the case with you? I noted you replied on this topic that you recently bought airline tickets. Did you buy they thru SHC? Or did you have to go thru another website and company?
Can you comment whether you got what you thought you were buying?
Thank you for your time and response.
Bob P.
Dear debbieg383: You started this post in October 2016. From your posts since then you have stated that you bought a cruise and airfare thru SHC and you sounded like you were pleased. I take it your purchase was the same as mine: I bought weeks that were given a value(mine were valued at $799/week) and I will be able to use that value to purchase hotels, condos, resorts, airfares, cruises, rental cars and attractions. I paid a vastly lower price for these weeks than $799 so it seemed like an incredibly great deal...if not a scam!!!
Can you say that so far you are TOTALLY PLEASED with what you purchased?
ANY PROBLEMS AT ALL?
My "VIP Benefits"will be administered thru MARKETING TRAVEL SOLUTIONS. Is this the same "Independent Management Company" that your "VIP Benefits" are administered thru? ANY PROBLEMS THERE?
Were you able to buy hotels thru SHC(Sapphire Holiday Collection) 30 days after you bought the program?
THANKS! SO MUCH for your responses! They will be greatly appreciated to relieve ALL of our anxiety!
Bob P.
Debbieg383: Thank you for your feedback!
Can you just answer "YES" or "NO" whether: KNOWING WHAT YOU KNOW NOW ABOUT SAPPHIRE HOLIDAY COLLECTION(SHC) AND THE "INDEPENDENT MANAGEMENT COMPANY", WOULD YOU BUY INTO THE PROGRAM AGAIN???
Thank you again for taking the time to respond.
Bob P.
My "VIP BENEFITS" are "managed" by a company in Panama called MARKETING TRAVEL SERVICES(MTS). From previous postings here and talking with both the sales people that sold me the SHC weeks, and SHC, there are apparently MANY "INDEPENDENT MANAGEMENT COMPANIES" that are used by SHC. My Sapphire Holiday Collection(SHC) membership was activated EXACTLY 30 days after I signed their contract which is EXACTLY what my contract said. I was relieved by that. But SHC said I couldn't buy anything from them with my weeks until MARKETING TRAVEL SERVICES(MTS) activated my account with them. SHC gave me MTS's phone number and I called them, and they sent me their agreement, which was pretty simple, to sign. I wasn't happy to sign YET AGAIN! ANOTHER contract/agreement, but as I said it was quite simple, certainly simpler than the SHC contract. I am not a lawyer so ANY contract/agreement gives me the willies! The MTS agreement said that my account would be activated NOT LATER THAN 125 days(~4 months) after the signed agreement was received by them. So, I am now waiting....until ~September. In NO other business transaction that I know of in this WORLD do you pay a substantial amount of your money up front, and have to wait up to a HALF YEAR LATER to actually get what you paid for!(I signed my contract with SHC 5 weeks ago. Five weeks PLUS the 125 days = 6 months!!!). I queried MTS WHY it took so long. Their only vague, completely unsatisfying answer was something like: "These things take time". We are the management company that has to keep track of your weeks and setting up that tracking system takes time." To me, 30 days should be an adequate amount of time to accomplish this. I could hire a programmer today to set up a computer system to keep account of the usage of weeks, and I suspect that it could be done in probably in the same day! I really don't understand why SHC even NEEDS "INDEPENDENT MANAGEMENT COMPANIES" to "manage" the weeks. I still don't know if SHC and MTS are a scam, but I guess I will find out in 125 days!?!
ANYONE that can shed light on these obscure companies and their workings, please chime in! It will be MOST appreciated!!!!
Bob P.
Unfortunately, most obscure and virtually unknown "vacation clubs" like this one are (at best) of little or no actual value and (at worst) just a thinly veiled scam. They suddenly appear (and just as suddenly disappear) with disturbing regularity in the timeshare world.
KC
Last edited by ken1193 on Jun 01, 2017 05:25 AM
We demanded a refund. Had the same experience as you and we were so dissapointed, as it sounded excellent. Our conversation with Sapphire rep prior to demanding refund was him telling us there was problem with contract! When we pressed for refund, we were sent a generic looking form that seemed to want our banking info. I found it interesting that Sapphire tries to promote this 180 day policy that service will be active. That's because credit card companies only have 181 days to dispute charge. We got our money back. In our opinion this is a scam.
Carmen H.
Carmenh72 you were VERY fortunate to have somehow received ANY refund. Obscure, unknown vacation clubs like this are quite effective at TAKING people's money, but it is a very rare occurrence that anyone ever actually manages to get ANY of their money BACK.
The best advice for others is to just stay far, far away from ANY AND ALL of these useless, obscure so called "vacation clubs". Paying such outfits is a waste of time and money and is highly unlikely to EVER provide anything of any actual use or value. Period, amen.
KC
Last edited by ken1193 on Jun 03, 2017 08:35 AM