El Cid Vacations Club and El Cid Resorts are timeshare companies located in Mexico and owned by RCI, the biggest timeshare company in the world. They own several properties in Mazatlán, Cancún-Riviera Maya, and Cozumel.
Owning a timeshare in any one of these storied locations can be satisfying for a little while, but you still may be wondering if it’s possible to get rid of El Cid timeshare. There are several reasons you could be in this position. Many people who want to sell or cancel their timeshares do so because of high fees, unexpected property maintenance needs, or consistent bookings that keep them from ever really getting to take a vacation.
This is often the case when it comes to El Cid Vacations Club and El Cid Resorts. In fact, when we looked into this timeshare company, we actually found more serious complaints and concerns.
A quick Google search will show you that people seek to cancel El Cid timeshare because it is very much a bait-and-switch operation. Most of these unsatisfied customers have called El Cid Vacations Club and El Cid Resorts a scam. There aren’t Google reviews to speak of, nor do they have a BBB page, but their 3 stars on ComplaintsBoard with 41% of all claims remaining unresolved is just a snapshot of what these issues are like. In addition, their parent company RCI has 1.5 stars out of 5 on ConsumerAffairs, which speaks to their management overall.
El Cid Reviews and Complaints
One standout review from ComplaintsBoard said:
- “Many, many times over the last weeks and months we have spoken with, written to, and sent tracked letters to, various people who have not been able or willing to be truthful and take responsibility for the lies, misrepresentations, omissions of the salesmen who induced us to make this purchase. Stories have changed the further away we got from the date of purchase. … You are dishonest and lie about the benefits available to owners. We don’t imagine that we are the only ones to have been scammed by you in the past. The sale was done fraudulently and as such is invalid.”
Here are a few others from a website called Pissed Consumer, where El Cid has a 2-star rating:
- “They take away your points you obviously can’t use during the pandemic but still harass you for your maintenance fee.”
- “This is the 3rd email to this company who refuses to even response [sic] about it and continue to try to collect: We are going to Profeco in Mexico with this scam. … I have sent your company multiple emails and a Letter, and you guys refuse to respond and continue to ignore me and my problem. YOUR COMPANY ILLEGALLY LIED TO US to GET US TO PURCHASE THIS. Not only is this illegal in the United States, but it is also unlawful in Mexico. You guys did not buy our other timeshare as promised in order for us to be able to afford this. You lied. This is an invalid contract, and we demand you to return our funds you illegally retained. You guys have practically stolen $30,000 US dollars from us for NO VACATIONS.”
Reviews from a website called Defaulters and comments on the forum for Elliott.org speak to similar relationships between customers and the company. Essentially, El Cid sales representatives use high-pressure sales tactics to push people into putting down deposits or making large payments that they promise will get them points, perks, and time at supposedly gorgeous properties. They then find that they cannot access these benefits without paying even more, or that the properties are not nearly what they were told they’d be.
So if you’re trying to get rid of El Cid timeshare you’re definitely not alone. There are a few things you can do to try and exit this property you’ve been unfairly saddled with.
El Cid Official Exit Program
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, El Cid Resorts (but not Vacations Club) developed a new cancellation policy, which is available on their website. They claim that these are more flexible than they were previously. They are fairly limited, though, in that these guidelines don’t necessarily speak to timeshare cancellation or deedback programs.
As far as an official exit program, we found a few comments on the Elliot.org board that spoke to the terms of their contracts: “We understand we can exchange our El Cid Vacations Club Points with RCI Affiliated Resorts Worldwide.” Of course, if you check that RCI ConsumerAffairs page that we noted above, you’ll find that this is not typically the case.
Selling El Cid Timeshare on the Resale Market
Since El Cid Resorts and El Cid Vacations Club do not appear to hold true to their contractual claims in most cases, looking into different avenues to exit your timeshare is probably the best idea in your situation. You may be able to try selling your El Cid timeshare on the resale market. Typically this is more feasible if you do not owe a mortgage. Our recommendations are the following low-cost resale platforms for anyone looking to get out of El Cid timeshare:
- Craigslist (free)
- Ebay ($50)
- Myresortnetwork.com ($34.95)
- tug2.com ($15/year membership)
- Redweek.com ($59.99 – $125)
Finding a buyer on one of these platforms on your own can save you the cost of hiring a timeshare resale broker. That said, you will have to figure out how to transfer the timeshare to the buyer on your own, which can be challenging.
Using a licensed timeshare broker instead can be an easier and less stressful option. A broker will do the work of finding a buyer for you. However, they will likely take about 50% of the final sales price as commission.
Avoiding Timeshare Resalae Scams
Before going down the road of selling your timeshare, be sure to look out for companies that say they will charge you an upfront fee of any kind. Generally, companies like this will say they will post your timeshare on their website and “advertise” it until they find a buyer. This is little more than a scam, because once your timeshare gets posted on their website, it’ll just be lumped in with hundreds or thousands of other properties that get little to no views or clicks, and certainly have no interested buyers.
Either a licensed timeshare broker, one of the websites we linked to above, or a reputable timeshare exit company will be a far better option when you want to cancel El Cid timeshare. Always be sure to check a timeshare broker’s licensing before you start working them, though.
Summary
While it may seem impossible to break free from a timeshare company with fraudulent practices like El Cid, it isn’t — there are reputable exit companies out there that can help you sort out your situation. We created this website with this in mind, and prioritize reviewing timeshare exit companies that treat people fairly and do not charge them until they’ve actually helped them recover their investments. This is one of the main reasons we only recommend exit companies that don’t require upfront payments and use escrow. You can learn more about why escrow is important on this page.
Still have questions or want to learn more about one of our recommended companies? Feel free to get in touch. You can give us a call at 833-416-8796, submit the contact form on the right side of the page, or initiate the live chat to do so.