American retailer of hunting, fishing, camping and outdoor recreation merchandise, Bass Pro Shops is suing Timeshare company Bluegreen Vacations.

Bass Pro Shops has an agreement with Bluegreen Vacations for the timeshare resort to operate kiosks inside it’s stores. However, the retailer is unhappy with the way Bluegreen Vacations has been engaging in high pressure sales tactics at the kiosks located within the stores and this has created a negative experience for customers. Bass Pro Shops, which operates over 170 stores throughout the United States, also claims Bluegreen Vacations has not passed on enough commission to the retailer. They are asking for no less than $10 million from Bluegreen in compensation.

According to the lawsuit, which has been filed in federal court, Bass Pro Shops entered into an agreement with Bluegreen Vacations in December 2007. That agreement allowed Florida-based timeshare giant to set up kiosks in some Bass Pro stores in exchange for Bluegreen Vacations paying a commission on the resulting sales.

The suit alleges that Bluegreen failed to pay commission on timeshare sales and took back commission money from Bass Pro when a customer defaulted or cancelled years after the original sale. Bass Pro Sales also claims that Bluegreen Vacations violated a term of its contract that strictly prohibited high pressure sales tactics from being carried out within its stores. The retailer says the high pressured sales tactics negatively impacted the customer experience at its stores and are suing the timeshare company for breaching the terms of its contract.

Bluegreen Vacation club is a points-based, deeded vacation ownership program, which connects over 212,000 owners with 69 Club and Club Associate Resorts and has access to more than 11,000 other hotels and resorts through partnerships and exchange networks.

People who enter into Timeshare agreements often find it difficult to keep up with the mounting maintenance fees and simply cannot afford it any longer. They may also find that the Timeshare no longer suits their needs and simply want to end the contract. There are too many individuals who are willing to take advantage of Timeshare owners and offer fake products, along with Timeshare exit schemes. Before agreeing to any Timeshare termination or exit procedure with an individual or company, seek independent advice and fully research any company you are thinking of working with.

It is also important to remember that purchasing a Timeshare should NEVER be viewed as a financial investment. Timeshare is an investment in lifestyle, in future holidays and family time together. There is almost no resale value to a Timeshare.

The mis-selling of holiday products is, unfortunately, common practice within the holiday industry and these type of crimes often go unreported by the most vulnerable in our society and criminal convictions are few and far between.

If you have purchased a Lifestyle / Concierge Service, a Timeshare or a ‘Holiday Points’ based product from a resort or company and feel unhappy with the service, or feel you have been mis-sold this product, please get in touch with us to discuss how we may be able to help you with a possible Money Back Claim.