SOUTH CAROLINA – A new timeshare company is on the rise and drawing a lot of initial success from a captivating (and totally not fraudulent) offer for a free toaster. Coastal Confessions Timeshares LLC is rising through the industry ranks by this profound promotion.
“Free toasters all around!” exclaims company founder and CEO Easton Gates. “With just a short eight-hour informational only session, participants get the state-of-the-art Toastall 5000 toaster. How could something like that ever be misconstrued as a scam? People are free to leave at any point and there is no pressure to buy our honorable product by any one of the five salespeople we assign to each participant. We even let them keep the pen they use to sign the 10-page document if they choose not to purchase a timeshare but still want the toaster. And what’s more, if they do choose one of our wonderful packages, our one signature contract makes it easy to complete.”
Not everyone is convinced that Coastal is on the level. Retired schoolteachers and married couple Ron and Kim Thompson have a much different impression after being one of the first customers of Coastal Confessions.
“I was telling Ronnie that we need a vacation spot”, explains Kim Thompson. “We’d recently both retired and needed some time away. Plus, our toaster had just broken. Ronnie likes his toast in the morning. The information session seemed like a good idea to get the toaster and learn more about vacationing.”
After the eight hours were up Kim relayed that her and her husband were guilt tripped by one of the five ‘minders’ they had next to them. In they end they signed up for the timeshare, which provided them a one-week long stay per year at the company’s South Carolina location. The contract stipulated a $3,000 per year fee for as long as they owned the timeshare, with additional fees for booking, cleaning, taxes, pool upkeep, and other administrative costs.
“For $3,000 a year I figured it would be nice,” complains Ron Thompson. “It was a dump; nothing like the picture. The pool I’m paying upkeep on was a blow-up kiddie pool. The massive charcoal grill they listed turned out to be a propane camping grill with only one burner that worked. I made a formal complaint to the company; took my experience to social media and reported it everywhere I could. I’m no expert but this is straight up fraud. Tried to get out of the contract; they say I’m obligated as long as I ‘own it.’ ‘Own what?!’ I asked. Now they won’t even return my calls. And the toaster came busted.”
When asked about the Thompson’s experience and complaints, CEO Easton Gates said he was unfamiliar with the couple and has never fielded such accusations.
“No, their name does not ring a bell. They must be mistaken as our timeshares are premium and we are in no way scamming or defrauding anyone. These are quite sound financial investments. Some people even will them to their children and grandchildren. How could anything like that be a crime? And did I mention the free toaster?”