Dream’ Vacation Is A Timeshare Nightmare

AT YOUR SERVICE: I paid $5,500 to Worldwide Dream Vacations of Branson as part of a timeshare contract. I was to get discounts on hotels, vacations, cruises, resorts and a $5,500 rebate. The $5,500 rebate would be returned by Rebates International.

I received notification that I was overdrawn on my credit card because Rebates International had submitted a claim for $11,000. Eventually I was credited for the $5,500 overcharge. I didn’t get a reply after mailing the materials for the rebate and a second mailing was returned undeliverable.

I then received a letter from a law firm that stated it was the court-appointed receiver in an action filed by the state of Oklahoma Department of Securities v. Sunset Financial Group, which included Rebates International Inc. and other entities.

The law offices reported that there are more than 600 rebate claims totaling about $2 million. The lawyer said that no funds would be disbursed until the court authorized a distribution. Am I the victim of a timeshare scam? — R.J., Overland Park

DEAR R.J.: According to Worldwide, it paid Rebates International for your rebate. The company reported that the Oklahoma Securities and Exchange Commission sued Rebates International in 2003 for allegedly selling unlicensed securities. The lawsuit was settled in 2004.

The company said it understands that there was no wrongdoing found on the part of Rebates International; however when the lawsuit was filed the company went out of business.

The court in Oklahoma will decide what happens regarding the timeshare rebates, we were told. Worldwide Dream Vacations said it had no idea how long this would take.

We would caution consumers about getting involved in these types of offers. Often by the time you are ready to use the vacation, the company has gone out of business. Also, if you do research, you would probably come out better paying for the vacation trips outright than trying to use these coupons or other incentives that you’ve purchased.


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Take care with a timeshare

Be careful when buying a timeshare. Thoroughly check out the company and compare prices. Be cautious about a company offering incentives to buy a timeshare. Check out any offers through a third party with your state attorney general’s office and the Better Business Bureau.