Sundance Vacations

Hi All! Just wanted to share my experience with Sundance Vacation in ILLINOIS.

I put a little ditty on my actual experience with Sundance below but want to share the following as well for those who don't want to read my story.

Some Facts on Sundance that can not be read, heard or written about enough:

1. If you like being told when, where and how to vacation, then please sign up with Sundance Vacations. Their job is take your vacation destination, vacation timine, and lodging dreams and squash them.

2. They say you can go to Orlando and stay in condo like settings for cheap.

What they don't tell you is that when you do go to set up a reservation you must supply them a region you would like to visit. Their regions cover many States so your trip to Orlando may actually end up some place in Georgia.

3. They will tell you that there is an additional charge for Peak Season.

What they don't tell you is that pretty much the entire calendar year is PEAK SEASON. Add $210 per week of vacation right from the get go.

4. The contract clearly states that your package includes 1 bedroom units and they will charge extra for 2 or more bedroom units.

What it doesn't state is that there are many destinations that ONLY have 2 or more bedroom units (ex. Orlando, FL only has 3 bedroom units) which means you will immediately be paying the extra $210 per week just to visit that area.

5. If you signed your contract in illinois the 3 day contract cancellation law does NOT apply to Sundance Contracts and they know this!!

If you call to cancel it they will tell you time and time again that it can not be cancelled. It is stated in the contract and sales slip there are no cancels and no refunds. They will just keep dropping the price of the package and adding "bonus" weeks. The bonus weeks are ONLY a bonus to them!!!

All is not lost to cancel your contract in Illinois though. I was able to get out of my contract due to misrepresentation as stated in #4 above. They never tell you that there are destination spots that only have 2 or more bedrooms. Time is on your side if caught soon enough. I cancelled within 3 business days. I was told by BOB (alias of person I honestly trusted at Sundance Reservations who helped me find my out of the contract) that I had 30 days and that all their contracts could be cancelled.

My STory:

I experienced the typical sales pitch and sitting in the big room with all the tables etc.

The negotiations began and the $30,000 package continued to come down. They try their best to get to know you on a personal level and try to connect the best they can with you. I am in the trades and they started asking advice on their possessions just to keep me there longer and build a level of trust. After about 2 hours I was really just wanting to have access to the $98 listing as I didn't see much value in the rest. My sales person pulled in reinforcements. After 3 hours The package come down to a price that I thought would be OK and I signed the contract. I still had my reservations but thought I did alright.

I got home and instantly went on the computer and did a search on Sundance (a little too late!). I couldn't sleep at all that night. I got up in the morning and went online to see all the places for the $98 listing. The accomodations were NOT at all like I was shown. The units in the area I like to travel the most were very run down and even in the pictures they just looked filthy. Also, almost the entire year is PEAK season which means I would have to pay extra on each vacation. I would have to give Regions I would like to visit as opposed to just saying I want to go to Phoenix. Who knows where I would end up.

In Illinois we have a 3 day right to cancel a contract law, but it DOES NOT APPLY in this situation. My credit card slip I signed the night before clearly states NO CANCELS NO REFUNDS. I thought for sure I was stuck in this contract. My only hope was to find some sort of misrepresentation within the contract. Reading it 15 times it is a pretty solid contract.

I called the 800 number for new clients. All calls are recorded for "Training purposes" and I asked about how to schedule a vacation. It was then that I talked with a someone I will call BOB.

The Sundance Vacations contract states that included in your package are accomodations for 1 bedroom units and that upgrades to 2 or 3 bedrooms are available with extra cost. During my conversation with BOB it was stated that many Destinations ONLY HAVE 2 BEDROOM ACCOMODATIONS. GOTCHA!! Finally something I could challenge in the contract.

I hung up and called the new client number again. My contract was only 16 hours old at this point and I said I wanted to cancel my contract due to the fact that the main destinations I was looking at didn't even have 1 bedroom units. I was informed that my contract could NOT be cancelled or rescinded and they would issue an addendum stating they would "refund" me all the upgrade charges after I pre-pay for them. What? You already burned me once, Twice is on me. How could I trust they would give me my money back? They are all very pushy there and are very good at talking down to you. Then the price of my package was dropped again basically giving me even more weeks to use up and pay more money for in the long run. This went on for about 10 phone calls in 8 hour period. I just wanted plain out of the contract and I wasn't going to be happy any other way. I didn't like the feeling of being "financially raped" by these wankers.

I called back the following day with my little digital recorder and said this call was being recorded for MY PURPOSES. HA! Immediately I got the Yes Sir attitude. I said due to misrepresentation I want my contract cancelled. The reply was immediate. There were no more questions, no more sales pitches, no more down talking. It was just an immediate...Yes your contract has been cancelled. Your account will be refunded in full for your downpayment and cancellation letter will be sent today via mail from PA.

I just wanted to share my experience in hopes that it prevents someone else from falling into the web of deciet and allowing Sundance to steal your hard earned cash!