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Re: Class Action Against Diamond Resorts?

I am one the few who was lucky enough to get 'out of the trap' and must say that DRI is an almost perfect scam! It is a well tuned combination of great 'optics', high pressure sales tactics, predatory (and often unscrupulous) sales staff, an airtight contract (with no time to study the contents before signing) and heartless management! The average mortal who falls prey to a DRI sales pitch doesn't stand a chance. While on a stay in Hawaii two years after purchasing the timeshare, we returned to take advantage of our investment. The originally promised 7 day stay had been conveniently reduced to 3 days because of a newly introduced 'point thing'. The two year old promise of the rest of the rooms being upgraded like the show suite had not materialized, the place was run down and the management did their best to try and 'encourage' us to drop an additional $20k for an upgrade to Platinum membership. When they explained that our original investment had increased substantially in value - we gladly offer to let them take it off our hands for free, but were unfortunately turned down. I was amazed by the promises, deals and incentives offered to encourage us to wade deeper into their quagmire. We refused and walked away. From that point on we were treated like a dog turd on the lawn of life! It's as if we had been marked! The staff were rude to us, the front desk folks made no effort to treat us like members and we left in disgust! A few months later, we watched "Undercover Boss". Surprise, surprise, it was the (then) owner Stephen Cloobeck - with a bad wig and a fake moustache in a less than convincing role as a new staff member at Diamond Resorts International - extolling the "Meaning of Yes", the company's mantra de jour. He was later touted in Forbes Magazine after DRI claimed a $150 million dollar profit in 2015. Following the passing of my wife (and presentation of her death certificate), I was allowed to pay an additional departure fee and was let go. Have you ever seen "Midnight Express"? The last scene was me running down the road to freedom. Being a Canadian, I later found out that the contract is non-binding in Canada as DRI has no legal jurisdiction to prosecute. I am sure that the TV series 60 Minutes would love to put DRI under a microscope and expose them for what they are. Rod M