Timeshare Prison
This week In Blunders – Aug. 17-23
“Timeshares are one of the biggest scams on the market today. Once you are stuck in one, you are stuck in a black hole.” – Dave Ramsey
Buying a timeshare means chaining yourself to a company that can sack you with escalating expenses for the rest of your life. It’s not an investment. You won’t make money. You can’t easily sell it. And it may eventually drive you stir crazy.
If you think the prison analogy is a bit harsh, consider the case of Paul and Christy Akeo.
The Lansing, Mich., couple got into a contract dispute with Palace Elite Resorts over their Cancun timeshare and the company had them arrested and tossed into a maximum security prison for 32 days.
The Akeos were finally released in April with the help of their congressman and the Trump administration. And on Friday they filed a lawsuit against the company and its CEO, José Gibrán Chapur Dájer, alleging defamation, malicious prosecution and intentional infliction of emotional distress.
“The Akeos languished in a maximum security prison in Cancun, Mexico, separate and apart from each other, unable to speak with each other or console one another,” according to the lawsuit. “The prison conditions were horrific. The prison was overcrowded with violent criminals, the toilets didn’t flush, and the food was untouchable. Worse, they were scared, terrified, and frightened that they may never go home again.”
The resort company claimed the Akeos scammed them. The Akeos claimed the resort company scammed them. But this is a contract dispute over $116,000 in charges. It did not require mediation with incarceration.
Palace Elite Resorts has a terrible reputation with scads of bad reviews and a score of 1.4 out of 5 on Trustpilot. And if you have a problem with that, they can apparently use their local influence to lock you up with violent criminals.
It’s called doing timeshare.
Do you have a timeshare horror story to tell?
That’s the way the Cracker crumbles
Investors took Cracker Barrel Old Country Store to the woodshed after the company launched a boring new logo that eliminated its iconic good ol’ boy as well as the words “Old Country Store.”
The stock dove a much as 7% on Thursday as everyone from Donald Trump Jr. to anti-DEI activist Robby Starbuck called it a brazen act of wokeness.
Oh, the hysteria that ensues when woke people take over Cracker Barrel.
The new logo was part of a $700 million rebranding for the folksy restaurant chain.
It didn’t just irk its conservative customers.
Democrats don’t like it either.
You’d think that for $700 million Cracker Barrel could have put together a focus group to tell them the same thing.
A Man of Modest Needs
Keith Taylor founded the Modest Needs Foundation in 2002 to help low-wage workers deal with unexpected crises and expenses.
Taylor, 58, of New York City raised millions with his 501(c)(3) charitable organization and an effective crowdsourcing model.
Then he fought poverty like nobody’s business.
He moved into a luxury apartment on the 30th floor of a Midtown Manhattan skyscraper. He spent $320,000 in some of New York’s finest steakhouses and restaurants. He spent another $100,000 on food delivery services. He bought pricey electronics … You get the picture.
Prosecutors allege he embezzled $2.5 million from Modest Needs donors and then evaded taxes. They also said he creating a fake board of directors to sign off on his rampant personal spending.
On Monday, Taylor pleaded guilty to charity fraud and tax evasion charges.
“Keith Taylor preyed on the trust of New Yorkers who gave generously to help struggling families,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.
Taylor faces up to 30 years when he is slated for sentencing on Oct. 15. He can then shop the prison commissary for his Modest Needs.
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They took the"Cracker" off the Cracker Barrel logo! 😉
The scamminess of timeshares has been widely known for at least 20 years. Anyone who falls for it now doesn't deserve sympathy.