WARNING for anyone thinking about purchasing with Silverleaf or Orange Lake Country Club (Orange Lake Resorts) and the Holiday Inn Club Vacations program. Do not take my word for it. After you read this, look at their BBB ratings, google their reviews and search for customer testimonials on youtube.
We bought the first timeshare with Silverleaf in 2015 and again when Orange Lake Country Club bought out Silverleaf shortly after. These are 2 different companies with identical sales practices. Please be aware of the following:
1. The presentation may end after 90 minutes but the harassment from the sales staff to get you to sign starts thereafter. They will wear you down physically and mentally with high-pressure tactics until you just want to get out of there. We were held hostage for 9 hours with 3 children in tow and no lunch or dinner provided. Every time we tried to leave we were not “allowed” lest we lose this “great deal that is only for you, only if you sign now”.
2. What the salespeople tell you is in the contract and what is really in the contract are 2 different things. You will not be given time to look over the contract which is 90 odd pages long and impossible to understand anyway. You will be made to sign a Quality Assurance checklist, which states that your purchase is not an investment, can’t be used for a tax break, is not real estate, they do not have a buyback program, will not help you rent it out, etc. This is the exact opposite of what you will have just been told by the salespeople. They know exactly the lies their salespeople tell which is why they cover their backs with this document.
3. The salespeople will tell you that you can go anywhere, anytime cheaply. The reality is availability is always limited and the program is hard to understand and use. This will provide them with opportunity to sell you more points or some other upgrade, which will be equally useless. This is what happened to us when we were cajoled into an update.
When we actually went to use the timeshare for the first time we were invited to a ‘voluntary update’ so we could see what had changed under the new management. Let me tell you, there is nothing voluntary about this process. They schedule you in and do not tell you it is optional. It was not an update either, it was another lengthy sales pitch. I was told I had to buy with Holiday Inn Club or my Silverleaf would be useless. I folded under the pressure again and now I’m fighting to get out from under loan payments on a product that I have never received and can’t use.
I responded to phone adds to win something if I come check out this family enjoyable place. So I went and it was a timeshare, just about the time when they were happening. I purchased one and enjoyed it and a year later they talked me into an other stating that they are adding horses and other admenities which would attract people and therefore I should purchase now as the price is low 16K, as I was hessitant, I ask if I have any problems would they help me sell the timeshare, and they said of couse they would.
Well, the horses did not pan out like they said and I wanted to sell and ask for help and they were so confused. I was scared as I was not able to get any help at all. They acted as I was a stranger.
I was hitting hard times and needed money, nobody helped me and 16K went to they waste and I sold my other 12K for 600.00 just to get something.
This place is awful and the government must look into this, I'm 55 yrs old and have no mon
Silverleaf resorts got me to come in for a free gift and presentation. Because of high pressure sales and deceptive tactics, even after saying no, I bought. Now I own a timeshare that has zero value, is hard to use, and has very poor quality units. From waterfalls raining from the ceiling above to mold to urine in the couches to no hot water to not being able to book to the timeshare to having zero value when it was promised to be a good investment, this is a disaster. Not only that but I am financially burdened by the obligations of the contract, having to rent rooms in my own house just to pay the monthly mortgage and maintenance fees!
My wife and I have two children and were interested in having some fun family vacations. We were taken on a 'tour' that was said to be only 90min long, but which proved to be over four hours. There was loud music and many different sales techniques which were used to entice us to purchase an expensive investment. After getting my wife to break down and cry with the constant high pressure selling tactics, they pushed a 'deal' our way and we signed it with the promise of finally leaving the premise. My dear wife had a migraine for the next three days. That was the beginning of our sad relationship with Silverleaf.
We were quite busy with life and raising the children, so it took about a year for us to actually use the product. We became familiar with Silverleaf's phone numbers during this time because they called us in the same fashion as creditors do-constantly.
In the first several months, we thought it was interesting how they would keep saying that, "Things have changed at Silverleaf and now was the time to upgrade our product." The phone conversations didn't change. I started telling them that I'd call them when I was interested in upgrading, but they persisted. Eventually, I stored their numbers in my phone and just quit answering, after all, why would I upgrade something when I hadn't used it yet?
When we were finally able to visit a location, we found Hill Country Resort and picked a weekend to use our 'bonus time'. Traveling there was interesting in that we felt we were really far from civilization, but decided that wasn't too bad. The resort was advertised as having an indoor swimming pool, and we intended on using it since the weather was somewhat cool. What we found was similar to a greenhouse placed on top of an outdoor pool. The whole area was in disrepair and the sliding door kept falling off the track and getting stuck open! The water was at least heated, but as soon as you felt the 'indoor' air, you froze! We weren't able to enjoy any of the amenities that were offered. Our room felt quite the same. Everything was very dated and random utilities were not functioning right; A couple burners weren't working on the stove, there was a drippy faucet, etc... We did have some family fun together, so we don't count the experience as a total loss.
The bad-story:
It was Feb 2013 and we went in for one of the 90min visits. After 4hrs we walked out with one of their 'upgrades'. At about this time we were given our maintenance dues in the mail. There was an offer to pay all yearly dues up front for a reduced price ($38.22/mo), so we took it. They tried to charge us an extra month, but a phone call to their billing corrected it. Another year of busy family living took place and we weren't able to fit another vacation in. That didn't stop them from calling us constantly. The kept offering to, "have us come in and learn of all the new great changes that were taking place at Silverleaf." They promised to only take 90min of our time and give us a gift card and a free stay somewhere. We weren't interested. The maintenance dues came in the mail again, but they held the promise of going up this time. We got the same letter in the mail offering to pay the year in full and receive 10% off and once more paid it. This is where billing started getting out of control. We decided to pay off our entire balance and only have the yearly dues to pay. After paying the whole year of dues, we noticed another $38.22 charge on our account the next month. It took several hours of calling Silverleaf's billing department to have them credit us back an amount close to what they mischarged us, but we did get them to admit fault and credit most of it back. We hoped it wouldn't happen again, but sure enough, it did. At the end of the year, they began charging 38.22 again for what we'd already paid for! We disputed two months of charges with our credit card company and fought Silverleaf to try and help them understand what pre-paying for a whole year meant. They sent us the same discount letter with a bill for $509.64 Our bill now showed our monthly dues were raised to $43.65/mo and that we had a past balance of $38.22. Where did that come from??
My wife and I were fed up. We sought legal counsel. They advised us to try to peacefully resolve our concerns and so I gave them one last phone call. They explained away the billing errors and I told them I was very dissatisfied. I spoke with Barbara, her superior Josh Waters, and Yvonne. Barbara listened to me explain my billing issues and came back telling me where their numbers were derived. She conceded that I should not have been charged for one of the months, but insisted that the calculations were correct for the other. I asked her if they would do anything to help me to be satisfied and she brought Josh onto the phone. I told him of my frustrations and he said they could do nothing further. Silverleaf constantly lures people in with promise of $40-$100 gift cards to have their time wasted during high pressure sales visits, but spends nothing to maintain the satsifaction of their owners. I expressed to Josh that I wanted both parties to be satisfied and for my account to be in perfect standing. I asked him if Silverleaf could do anything nice for us to make up for the hours of wasted phone calls, and he summarily refused. After that he transferred me to Yvonne to take my payment. I made it very clear that I wished to only be contacted via email or postal services, and that the payment information I used over the phone is never used again. Time will tell if I've fallen for any more lies from Silverleaf.
The summary:
I cannot recommend Silverleaf to anyone. As an owner and experienced user of their timeshare locations, the value of their product is minimal at best. Their customer service is truly horrific and without empathy. Their initial lies to entice me to purchase the timeshare I have were found out months after the transaction. The hours of phone calls spent (and those likely to be spent in the future) in trying to correct their mistakes are very taxing. When I asked Josh Waters to help me to feel like a satisfied customer by doing some gesture of kindness toward my wife and I, he flatly rejected me as though my opinion of Silverleaf made no difference. This is what I have come to expect from Silverleaf now. You are just a possible source of cash-flow from which they can extort a supply of revenue through increasing maintenance dues and constant badgering phone calls.
We bought our week in 1994 paid it off in 2001, have only been paying dues, got behind on dues, recieved a statement every month paid 400.00 on sept 13th, paid on-line. I called to check the balance and make a reservation I was told to call owner services. My husband called owner services was told everything was fine. I called back to make the reservation onlt to be told that they had forclosed on our account. We got a copy of our orginal paperwork and deed and in there is a section on forcloser it stated that the owner would have the oppurtunity to pay the balance in full or relinquese the deed property it also stated that the owner would recieve in writting prior to the forecloser. We never recieved any type of paperwork. But we did keep getting statements.
We we called back on 10/28 they transferred me to Lee in financial services I explained what owner services had told us and what the orginal paperwork said. He begain to speak stating that the account forclosed on sept. 13 and our payment was recieved on 08/04. I keep asking why we never recieved paperwork or even a legal document, The attorney we had spoke with stated that to foreclose the party must recieve legal paper work. He got smart and asked me "oh so you got the statements but not the foreclosr letter", I replied yes. I also explained that the attorney we had spoke with stated that an account that is actively being worked would not be considered a forclosed account, If so why would they still be collecting dues on that account. He stated he was going to refund our money, I told him no we did not want the money returned and were advised not to except the money back. He became very belligerent and condescending. I ask to speak to his supervisor and he stated he was the supervision, I said no I want to speak to your supervisior.
We own antoher week with Silverleaf and ever since they have over sold their properties they have been tring to buy this week back, do to the grand father clause it falls under. I have heard rumors and complaints about silverleaf for years but remained loyal to them only for this to happen to us. I would not advise anyone under any conditions buy into this faudulent company. But I hope to see them in court.
I bought 2 timeshares with Silverleaf in Sheridan, Il at the FoxRiver Resort. I am a single mother of 2 and thought it to be a good idea to invest with them for my children in their future to buy one for each of my children. Wrong! I am now stuck with them and they will not let you out of the contract. They never tell you all you should know about what you are actually paying for. Before I bought I was told many things, to good to be true. Including "when you stay they even come and do your dishes for you". I guess "anything goes" to get you to sign a contract. I certainlly was not told about the monthly maintenance fees Lodge-$60 and Presidential $80 a month. I was shown a well kept beautiful room, what you actually get is not that at all! Just about every time I have went there I have had to clean. The balcony's are dirty and I have to literally take a washcloth and scrub down the walls so I feel comfortable sitting out there. They never explained that there are Destination and Getaway properties. So you will not be able to stay at all the properties depending on your contract. Also when you buy a Presidential you don't always get to stay in a Presidential, usually it's a lodge you stay in. This is a total rip off. One time there were huge bees sworming the entrance to a Presidential building when I told the front desk, they told me they were some wierd bee that migrated here from somewhere else and not to worry they don't sting. It was not taken care of. There is always something broken or not working. ALWAYS. The last time I went was Sept 2015 for my birthday ( a 4 night lodge stay) these were the problems I had then, (1) The fan in the master bedroom was broken and could not be turned off so, I got sick from the air blowing on us the entire time, (2) The lockout room has a mini kitchen and the sink knobs were not even connected they came off in your hand, unusable (3) In the main kitchen 2 of 4 stove top burners did not work at all. (4) We found roaches in the lockout bedroom's bathroom and in the main kitchen. When I called the front desk they wanted me to move but, it was our last night and did not want to pack everything up and move to a new unit just to be in another unit with ROACHES! This is just one visit! What is it exactly that the maintenance fees cover! Not only do they not keep the units up they have raised the maintanence fees! This is not what I call a vactaion at all! When I was checking out I told the woman at the front desk that there was Roaches and she replied "ok". She didn't act surprised at all! Not only are the buyers unhappy, I have noticed over the years that the employees have gone from happy to unhappy. They are the ones that have to listen to al the complaints. I feel I was taken for a ride! The pressure they put on you to buy is beyond selling, it is a con game they have been taught. I am looking to start a class action lawsuit against Silverleaf. I am positive there are others that signed a contract with them that were lied to also. I am looking for a great lawyer and all that have signed a contract with Silverleaf. Please contact me, I am fed up with companies like this!
Silverleaf Resorts, Inc. Reviews
WARNING for anyone thinking about purchasing with Silverleaf or Orange Lake Country Club (Orange Lake Resorts) and the Holiday Inn Club Vacations program. Do not take my word for it. After you read this, look at their BBB ratings, google their reviews and search for customer testimonials on youtube.
We bought the first timeshare with Silverleaf in 2015 and again when Orange Lake Country Club bought out Silverleaf shortly after. These are 2 different companies with identical sales practices. Please be aware of the following:
1. The presentation may end after 90 minutes but the harassment from the sales staff to get you to sign starts thereafter. They will wear you down physically and mentally with high-pressure tactics until you just want to get out of there. We were held hostage for 9 hours with 3 children in tow and no lunch or dinner provided. Every time we tried to leave we were not “allowed” lest we lose this “great deal that is only for you, only if you sign now”.
2. What the salespeople tell you is in the contract and what is really in the contract are 2 different things. You will not be given time to look over the contract which is 90 odd pages long and impossible to understand anyway. You will be made to sign a Quality Assurance checklist, which states that your purchase is not an investment, can’t be used for a tax break, is not real estate, they do not have a buyback program, will not help you rent it out, etc. This is the exact opposite of what you will have just been told by the salespeople. They know exactly the lies their salespeople tell which is why they cover their backs with this document.
3. The salespeople will tell you that you can go anywhere, anytime cheaply. The reality is availability is always limited and the program is hard to understand and use. This will provide them with opportunity to sell you more points or some other upgrade, which will be equally useless. This is what happened to us when we were cajoled into an update.
When we actually went to use the timeshare for the first time we were invited to a ‘voluntary update’ so we could see what had changed under the new management. Let me tell you, there is nothing voluntary about this process. They schedule you in and do not tell you it is optional. It was not an update either, it was another lengthy sales pitch. I was told I had to buy with Holiday Inn Club or my Silverleaf would be useless. I folded under the pressure again and now I’m fighting to get out from under loan payments on a product that I have never received and can’t use.
Please do not make the same mistake.
I responded to phone adds to win something if I come check out this family enjoyable place. So I went and it was a timeshare, just about the time when they were happening. I purchased one and enjoyed it and a year later they talked me into an other stating that they are adding horses and other admenities which would attract people and therefore I should purchase now as the price is low 16K, as I was hessitant, I ask if I have any problems would they help me sell the timeshare, and they said of couse they would.
Well, the horses did not pan out like they said and I wanted to sell and ask for help and they were so confused. I was scared as I was not able to get any help at all. They acted as I was a stranger.
I was hitting hard times and needed money, nobody helped me and 16K went to they waste and I sold my other 12K for 600.00 just to get something.
This place is awful and the government must look into this, I'm 55 yrs old and have no mon
can anyone help
kathleen woonsocket, rhode island
Silverleaf resorts got me to come in for a free gift and presentation. Because of high pressure sales and deceptive tactics, even after saying no, I bought. Now I own a timeshare that has zero value, is hard to use, and has very poor quality units. From waterfalls raining from the ceiling above to mold to urine in the couches to no hot water to not being able to book to the timeshare to having zero value when it was promised to be a good investment, this is a disaster. Not only that but I am financially burdened by the obligations of the contract, having to rent rooms in my own house just to pay the monthly mortgage and maintenance fees!
The back-story:
My wife and I have two children and were interested in having some fun family vacations. We were taken on a 'tour' that was said to be only 90min long, but which proved to be over four hours. There was loud music and many different sales techniques which were used to entice us to purchase an expensive investment. After getting my wife to break down and cry with the constant high pressure selling tactics, they pushed a 'deal' our way and we signed it with the promise of finally leaving the premise. My dear wife had a migraine for the next three days. That was the beginning of our sad relationship with Silverleaf.
We were quite busy with life and raising the children, so it took about a year for us to actually use the product. We became familiar with Silverleaf's phone numbers during this time because they called us in the same fashion as creditors do-constantly.
In the first several months, we thought it was interesting how they would keep saying that, "Things have changed at Silverleaf and now was the time to upgrade our product." The phone conversations didn't change. I started telling them that I'd call them when I was interested in upgrading, but they persisted. Eventually, I stored their numbers in my phone and just quit answering, after all, why would I upgrade something when I hadn't used it yet?
When we were finally able to visit a location, we found Hill Country Resort and picked a weekend to use our 'bonus time'. Traveling there was interesting in that we felt we were really far from civilization, but decided that wasn't too bad. The resort was advertised as having an indoor swimming pool, and we intended on using it since the weather was somewhat cool. What we found was similar to a greenhouse placed on top of an outdoor pool. The whole area was in disrepair and the sliding door kept falling off the track and getting stuck open! The water was at least heated, but as soon as you felt the 'indoor' air, you froze! We weren't able to enjoy any of the amenities that were offered. Our room felt quite the same. Everything was very dated and random utilities were not functioning right; A couple burners weren't working on the stove, there was a drippy faucet, etc... We did have some family fun together, so we don't count the experience as a total loss.
The bad-story:
It was Feb 2013 and we went in for one of the 90min visits. After 4hrs we walked out with one of their 'upgrades'. At about this time we were given our maintenance dues in the mail. There was an offer to pay all yearly dues up front for a reduced price ($38.22/mo), so we took it. They tried to charge us an extra month, but a phone call to their billing corrected it. Another year of busy family living took place and we weren't able to fit another vacation in. That didn't stop them from calling us constantly. The kept offering to, "have us come in and learn of all the new great changes that were taking place at Silverleaf." They promised to only take 90min of our time and give us a gift card and a free stay somewhere. We weren't interested. The maintenance dues came in the mail again, but they held the promise of going up this time. We got the same letter in the mail offering to pay the year in full and receive 10% off and once more paid it. This is where billing started getting out of control. We decided to pay off our entire balance and only have the yearly dues to pay. After paying the whole year of dues, we noticed another $38.22 charge on our account the next month. It took several hours of calling Silverleaf's billing department to have them credit us back an amount close to what they mischarged us, but we did get them to admit fault and credit most of it back. We hoped it wouldn't happen again, but sure enough, it did. At the end of the year, they began charging 38.22 again for what we'd already paid for! We disputed two months of charges with our credit card company and fought Silverleaf to try and help them understand what pre-paying for a whole year meant. They sent us the same discount letter with a bill for $509.64 Our bill now showed our monthly dues were raised to $43.65/mo and that we had a past balance of $38.22. Where did that come from??
My wife and I were fed up. We sought legal counsel. They advised us to try to peacefully resolve our concerns and so I gave them one last phone call. They explained away the billing errors and I told them I was very dissatisfied. I spoke with Barbara, her superior Josh Waters, and Yvonne. Barbara listened to me explain my billing issues and came back telling me where their numbers were derived. She conceded that I should not have been charged for one of the months, but insisted that the calculations were correct for the other. I asked her if they would do anything to help me to be satisfied and she brought Josh onto the phone. I told him of my frustrations and he said they could do nothing further. Silverleaf constantly lures people in with promise of $40-$100 gift cards to have their time wasted during high pressure sales visits, but spends nothing to maintain the satsifaction of their owners. I expressed to Josh that I wanted both parties to be satisfied and for my account to be in perfect standing. I asked him if Silverleaf could do anything nice for us to make up for the hours of wasted phone calls, and he summarily refused. After that he transferred me to Yvonne to take my payment. I made it very clear that I wished to only be contacted via email or postal services, and that the payment information I used over the phone is never used again. Time will tell if I've fallen for any more lies from Silverleaf.
The summary:
I cannot recommend Silverleaf to anyone. As an owner and experienced user of their timeshare locations, the value of their product is minimal at best. Their customer service is truly horrific and without empathy. Their initial lies to entice me to purchase the timeshare I have were found out months after the transaction. The hours of phone calls spent (and those likely to be spent in the future) in trying to correct their mistakes are very taxing. When I asked Josh Waters to help me to feel like a satisfied customer by doing some gesture of kindness toward my wife and I, he flatly rejected me as though my opinion of Silverleaf made no difference. This is what I have come to expect from Silverleaf now. You are just a possible source of cash-flow from which they can extort a supply of revenue through increasing maintenance dues and constant badgering phone calls.
We bought our week in 1994 paid it off in 2001, have only been paying dues, got behind on dues, recieved a statement every month paid 400.00 on sept 13th, paid on-line. I called to check the balance and make a reservation I was told to call owner services. My husband called owner services was told everything was fine. I called back to make the reservation onlt to be told that they had forclosed on our account. We got a copy of our orginal paperwork and deed and in there is a section on forcloser it stated that the owner would have the oppurtunity to pay the balance in full or relinquese the deed property it also stated that the owner would recieve in writting prior to the forecloser. We never recieved any type of paperwork. But we did keep getting statements.
We we called back on 10/28 they transferred me to Lee in financial services I explained what owner services had told us and what the orginal paperwork said. He begain to speak stating that the account forclosed on sept. 13 and our payment was recieved on 08/04. I keep asking why we never recieved paperwork or even a legal document, The attorney we had spoke with stated that to foreclose the party must recieve legal paper work. He got smart and asked me "oh so you got the statements but not the foreclosr letter", I replied yes. I also explained that the attorney we had spoke with stated that an account that is actively being worked would not be considered a forclosed account, If so why would they still be collecting dues on that account. He stated he was going to refund our money, I told him no we did not want the money returned and were advised not to except the money back. He became very belligerent and condescending. I ask to speak to his supervisor and he stated he was the supervision, I said no I want to speak to your supervisior.
We own antoher week with Silverleaf and ever since they have over sold their properties they have been tring to buy this week back, do to the grand father clause it falls under. I have heard rumors and complaints about silverleaf for years but remained loyal to them only for this to happen to us. I would not advise anyone under any conditions buy into this faudulent company. But I hope to see them in court.
I bought 2 timeshares with Silverleaf in Sheridan, Il at the FoxRiver Resort. I am a single mother of 2 and thought it to be a good idea to invest with them for my children in their future to buy one for each of my children. Wrong! I am now stuck with them and they will not let you out of the contract. They never tell you all you should know about what you are actually paying for. Before I bought I was told many things, to good to be true. Including "when you stay they even come and do your dishes for you". I guess "anything goes" to get you to sign a contract. I certainlly was not told about the monthly maintenance fees Lodge-$60 and Presidential $80 a month. I was shown a well kept beautiful room, what you actually get is not that at all! Just about every time I have went there I have had to clean. The balcony's are dirty and I have to literally take a washcloth and scrub down the walls so I feel comfortable sitting out there. They never explained that there are Destination and Getaway properties. So you will not be able to stay at all the properties depending on your contract. Also when you buy a Presidential you don't always get to stay in a Presidential, usually it's a lodge you stay in. This is a total rip off. One time there were huge bees sworming the entrance to a Presidential building when I told the front desk, they told me they were some wierd bee that migrated here from somewhere else and not to worry they don't sting. It was not taken care of. There is always something broken or not working. ALWAYS. The last time I went was Sept 2015 for my birthday ( a 4 night lodge stay) these were the problems I had then, (1) The fan in the master bedroom was broken and could not be turned off so, I got sick from the air blowing on us the entire time, (2) The lockout room has a mini kitchen and the sink knobs were not even connected they came off in your hand, unusable (3) In the main kitchen 2 of 4 stove top burners did not work at all. (4) We found roaches in the lockout bedroom's bathroom and in the main kitchen. When I called the front desk they wanted me to move but, it was our last night and did not want to pack everything up and move to a new unit just to be in another unit with ROACHES! This is just one visit! What is it exactly that the maintenance fees cover! Not only do they not keep the units up they have raised the maintanence fees! This is not what I call a vactaion at all! When I was checking out I told the woman at the front desk that there was Roaches and she replied "ok". She didn't act surprised at all! Not only are the buyers unhappy, I have noticed over the years that the employees have gone from happy to unhappy. They are the ones that have to listen to al the complaints. I feel I was taken for a ride! The pressure they put on you to buy is beyond selling, it is a con game they have been taught. I am looking to start a class action lawsuit against Silverleaf. I am positive there are others that signed a contract with them that were lied to also. I am looking for a great lawyer and all that have signed a contract with Silverleaf. Please contact me, I am fed up with companies like this!