Four Florida timeshare companies were hit with consumer protection lawsuits last week by Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett.
The firms offered free airline tickets and other bogus prizes to lure consumers to timeshare presentations, the AG’s office alleged.
Named as defendants were Bluegreen corp., Bluegreen Resorts, Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited Inc. And Great Vacations Destinations Inc., all based in Boca Raton.
According to Corbett, the companies phoned contest entrants and told them that they had won prizes, but not the grand prize. But these consumers were not randomly selected prize winners—everyone who entered was contacted and told they were a winner, the AG continued.
“Virtually any consumer with a checkbook and a pulse allegedly qualified as ‘winner’ in these promotions, Corbett said in a statement. “Unsuspecting consumers who believed they were contest winners were actually drawn into a high-pressure bait-and-switch campaign designer to push timeshare vacation packages costing thousands of dollars.”
The 90-minute presentations turned into “relentless marketing pitches that lasted five hours or more,” Corbett’s office added.
More than 5,700 consumers purchased timeshares, paying up to 40,000 for packages that violated the state’s consumer Protection Law, Real Estate Licensing and Registration Act and the Telemarketer Registration Act, the AG’s office stated.
The 90-minute presentations turned into “relentless marketing pitches that lasted five hours or more,” Corbett’s office continued.
The firms also operated through kiosks at shopping malls and in live events at fairgrounds.
