North Star Timeshare Scam

This company appears to go by different names: North Star Vacation Club, North Star Properties, North Star Lodge and Resort, North Star Timeshares. And sometimes the name is combined as NorthStar. The sales office we visited is located on the Killington Rd, Killington, VT. However, the company sells timeshares in resorts all across the United States.

The company uses different tactics to entice people to attend sales presentations for resort timeshares. You may be told you’ve won a contest or simply receive an offer in the mail promising you a gift such as an iPad, airline tickets or a free hotel package.

In our case we we received several different offers and finally decided to take them up on the offer for two airline tickets (up to $1,300 in total value) plus two free nights in a hotel. The offer said nothing about any additional fees.

We attended a sales presentation on the Killington Road in Killington, VT. A salesman spoke to me and my wife for about an hour. He was polite; we were polite, but in the end we declined to purchase the timeshare.

At that point he gave us a voucher for our supposedly free gift. However, as we drove home we read the fine print. In order to receive our plane tickets we needed to comply with all the stipulations within 21 days and send $100 to a processing company in Florida. At that point we would receive a “travel request form.”

The fine print went on to explain that in order to process the “travel request form,” we would be charged an additional $75 per person to purchase our airline tickets. We would also be charged “approximately $25 – $75 per person” for the hotel stay. In addition, if we traveled during “peak” times, other “surcharges may apply.”

So before I tell the rest of the story, let’s do the math. According to the original letter we received in the mail, the airline tickets and hotel stay would be free. But if you add up all the processing fees, the fine print says you will be charged up to $400 plus possible “surcharges.” In addition, the processing company reserved the right to reject your reservation during certain high peak travel times, but didn’t state what those times might be.

We decided that the hotel stay probably wasn’t worth the possible $150 processing fee, but since we were already planning a trip to California, we decided the total processing fee of $250 would be worth it for the airline tickets. ($100 to get the “travel request form,” plus $75 each when we actually made the plane reservation.)

A certified check was required and I sent it immediately so that it would arrive in Florida within the required 21 days. But instead of receiving the promised “travel request form,” everything (including the the cashiers check) was returned to us stamped “Void.”

Even though our voucher had arrived in time (it was date stamped), I had failed to follow one of the requirements. I was supposed to send it by certified mail. I tried calling the 800 number in Florida to find out why this mattered, but only got an answering machine and no one returned my call. I also called North Star, but they refused to help.

The word SCAM may seem strong, but keep in mind that we were promised “two free airline tickets and two free nights in a hotel.” North Star doesn’t tell you that you will pay around $400 in processing fees plus other possible surcharges. They also don’t tell you about all the hurdles you’ll have to jump over and the blackout dates.

Just remember, “If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is.