Diamond Resorts Sends In Debt Collectors

“Daniels Silverman” may well be the two words that Diamond Resorts holiday club members detest more than “Diamond Resorts” these days.
Daniels Silverman, a debt collection company, was brought in by Diamond Resorts to attempt to force members of the club into paying the escalating annual management fees. However, it appears that the company is still encountering difficulties in this goal, as the number of Diamond Resorts members that are refusing to pay the fees still persist, with the potential to increase.
“They have had enough from us over the years,” said Anne Lawreson, who has seen her annual fees spike from $375.81 annually to $1,157.10. “We were told when we bought the points that we would get two weeks anywhere. We have only ever managed to get one week and never where we wanted.”
Barry and Anne Payne are also being hounded by Daniels Silverman for their outstanding Diamond Resorts fees, amounting to $6,336. “They claim that they have the right to demand any amount, as often as they want, and no one may resign.”
John and Wilma Sutherland, from Edinburgh, attempted to opt out of the club after John suffered a stroke, heart problems and had knee and hip replacement surgery. Rather than allow them to, Diamond merely reduced the demand for unpaid fees from $4,875 to $3,899.
“We tried many times over the past years to book UK holidays and have never been successful as they are constantly booked up,” Wilma said.
“It’s not can’t pay, it’s won’t pay – not when the rules were changed so blatantly,” Chris Skelton says.
Diamond Resorts, a US-owned firm, claims that annual fees are affected by a number of factors that fall outside of their control, including tax rates and exchange rates. They have also announced they have no intent on backing down on payment demands.
In response to claims that the club refuses to allow members to surrender their points, they claimed that membership “is a long-term commitment.”
As for difficulties with booking holidays, their response was: “We always try to accommodate a guest’s request for a specific location and a specific time frame, but reservations are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis.”
Finally, when Daniels Silverman was asked whether or not the possibility of legal action was merely a bluff or was a legitimate option on the table, they merely said that “we don’t comment on individual cases.”

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