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Bluegreen Vacation Club Class Action Lawsuit Overview:
- Who: Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited, Inc. has been hit with a class action lawsuit in Florida by current and former members of the military.
- What: The plaintiffs claim the vacation home financing company overcharges current and former service members in violation of federal law protecting them.
- Where: The plaintiffs want to represent military members nationwide.
Timeshare company, Bluegreen Vacation Club, overcharges members of the military and veterans in violation of federal law, a new class action lawsuit alleges.
The lawsuit was filed in Florida on Tuesday by lead plaintiffs Emmanuel G. Louis, Jr. and his wife Tamarah C. Louis. They allege that Bluegreen Vacation Club failed to disclose the true interest rate they and other members of the military were charged when they took out financing with the company — a violation of the Military Lending Act (MLA).
Bluegreen Vacations is a company who finances loans for consumers to purchase interest in its vacation timeshare memberships nationwide.
According to the claim, Bluegreen failed to determine whether Louis was a covered borrower, and failed to disclose a Military Annual Percentage Rate (MAPR), disclosing to the couple and other Class Members an annual percentage rate (APR) that was significantly lower than the true MAPR.
The MLA and MAPR that is part of it were enacted to protect members of the United States Military from an epidemic of predatory lending that endangered military readiness and impacts service member retention, the claim reads.
Service Members Pay More Than They Should for Bluegreen Vacation Club
In December 2020, Louis, Jr. — an active-duty member of the United States Army — and his wife Tamarah Louis obtained financing to purchase a “Bluegreen Vacation Club” membership, which is a timeshare interest, from Bluegreen in Florida.
To obtain the financing, they entered into the Bluegreen Owner Beneficiary Agreement with Bluegreen, that was subject to MLA requirements. However, they allege, Bluegreen failed to provide any of the mandatory MLA disclosures to the couple of their rights pursuant to the MLA.
In the “Purchase Terms” in Bluegreen’s standard form Owner Beneficiary Agreement with the couple, the total amount Bluegreen financed was $10,350.00 and the annual percentage rate was stated as 16.990%, the claim shows. No MAPR was stated on any document provided to the couple.
“Bluegreen’s failure to provide the MAPR resulted in Plaintiffs’ MAPR being higher than the APR that they thought he was paying,” the claim reads.
“As a result, Plaintiffs thought they were paying an interest rate of 16.990%, but in reality, their concealed MAPR was much higher.”
As a result of Bluegreen’s MLA violations, the couple has suffered actual damages because they paid money to the defendant based on an illegal contract without the benefit of the MLA disclosures and are entitled to rescission of contract, the allege.
“Upon information and belief, Bluegreen’s business practices that fail to comply with the MLA are not limited to its Florida locations, instead, it is a nationwide scheme in that it fails to make any inquiry to determine a borrower’s status that would prescribe MLA protections,” the lawsuit alleges.
The plaintiffs want to represent anyone covered by the MLA that entered into an agreement with Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited. They are suing for violations of the MLA and seek certification of the Class, damages, enjoinment, interest, legal fees and costs, and a jury trial.
The timeshare company is no stranger to legal action. In 2016, a class action lawsuit accused Bluegreen Vacation Club of using “hard sell” tactics and misinformation to convince consumers to enter into timeshare contracts.
Have you signed up for Bluegreen Vacation Club? Tell us about your experience in the comments section below!
The plaintiffs are represented by Janet R. Varnell and Matthew T. Peterson of Varnell & Warwick, P.A.
The Bluegreen Vacation Club Class Action Lawsuit is Louis, et al. v Bluegreen Vacations Unlimited, Inc. Case No. 0:21-cv-61938-XXXX in the U.S. District Court Southern District of Florida Fort Lauderdale Division.
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61 thoughts onBluegreen Vacation Club Overcharges Military, Vets, Class Action Alleges
We purchased in early 2000’s wonder if they were doing that then? How do you add yourself to the class action lawsuit?
I am active military and am relieved to see this is being pursued. I fall under this same category . Can I get more info please?
Is there anything that can be done about the merger of bluegreen and Hilton. We owners never signed up for this and it doesn’t look like it will end well. It looks to me to be ripe for a class action
My husband is a 100% disabled veteran, and we were duped as well. There was not a disclosure regarding the MLA in our paperwork either. We are definitely interested in this lawsuit.
We too went Diamond less than a year ago with the promises that were lies. Everything Bluegreen told us about point exchanges were lies. Now we find out Bluegreen is in the process of being bought out. When less than a year ago they boldly lied to our faces. It’s hard to believe that they did not know about this buyout at the time.
I’m a 100% disabled Veteran. I’m very interested in this. Could I get some more details? Thank you!!
I have similar if not the same experiences as many as I’ve read on here. I too am a disabled veteran who was lied to, disrespected, and pressured into purchasing. I don’t recall a military rate that some have spoken of. I have had many times that I could not book when and where I wanted to go which is very unfortunate. I will no longer participate in the “owner’s updates” due to the high-pressure sales tactics! Some of those people are rude, nasty, inconsiderate, and poor listeners! They do not seem to know or understand the meaning of the word “NO”. They make everything sound like peaches and cream, but it’s not. And I won’t go there concerning the changes in maintenance fees and club dues. It is ridiculous that they get away with lying and cheating innocent people out of our own money by selling fantasies. I genuinely hope that something can be done because the lack of honesty and deceit is disturbing I mean no morals whatsoever.
When we purchased our timeshare we were told if we wanted to sell it, they would buy it back. That is not ture. Have others been promised the same thing & if so is there something that can be done about that?
I have repeatedly been told that! If their lips are moving they are lying.
I am a former Navy Veteran and was unaware of this lawsuit. I purchased my BlueGreen Timeshare back in 2018. I want to know if I have a case? Thank you.
Please add me to the list. I’m and have been trying to get someone from corporate to explain to me. Why didn’t explain about military and why when I moved up to Diamond and Diamond Elite the highest you could go that I didn’t get all the things they promised me, and have been ignored by the 2 separate sales people. On in Utah and the last one in Vegas. They neglected to mention that the new classes diamond and diamond elite aren’t even available to use til maybe first quarter of 2024. I’ve paid maintenance fees for them and used most of my savings to get to the top and now I’m having to pay my yearly maintenance fees in payments and I can’t use my points for this year til I do. By the time I get them paid my points will be not be able to be saved. Catch 22. If there is someone I could talk to about this please email me thank you for listening.