Here's my original letter, BTW:

To whom it may concern:

On June 16th, 2003 we went to a sales presentation for Shell Vacation Clubs. Nicholas Wright was our sales person. We did not see any reason for purchasing a timeshare in our home state when our dream destinations were in exotic locations like Hawaii, Australia, and Japan. He was very adamant about the fact that our timeshare is so simple to trade. He couldn’t express to us enough about how wonderful San Francisco is and how much more valuable it is then any other timeshare. He showed us articles on how it was the most traveled location in the world. Our other concern was the availability of the timeshare. He told us that there was never a waiting period. He expressed that the timeshares are never booked because Shell has such a large network; in fact he (and everyone else) always books at the last minute so that they can get more value from their points. He also stated that there were multiple resources, that we are affiliated with other timeshares, properties, motels and hotels, etc... He showed us pictures of himself in exotic locations, introduced us to his fiancé and told us stories about how they travel around the world, always on a whim. We were told that there was just one number to call, one number to deal with (877SHELL10) and they could help with us with all of our needs. I specifically asked time and time again questions such as “So, I can call this number two days before, and ask to go to Hawaii and they’ll have me booked for that weekend?...even during peak season?” Every time, he answered “Yes.” He would basically repeat the things that I stated above.

We also spoke in great length about how my husband races motorcycles and we have many weekend hotel stays. He convinced us that purchasing this timeshare would be perfect for that situation. We specifically named off the oddball cities that we stay in and he said that we would have no problem trading our points for hotels in those cities. It sounded perfect.

After several hours, Nick convinced us. We trusted him. We gave a deposit of $1,473.90 and financed $13,265.10. Our total cost was $14,739.00. Also, we were told to go out to dinner, spend up to $100, send the receipt to Nick, and he personally would reimburse us. We were never reimbursed. The $100 is the least of my concerns, it is much less painful then the $14,739.00 that I flushed down the toilet that day. That is just an example of his dishonesty.

At the end of July 2003, I promised my family that we would go to Hawaii for Christmas. I called Shell and requested reservations from December 19th to December 26th anywhere in Oahu. I was told that there was nothing available. –Disappointing but understandable; after all, it was Christmas. I asked for the Kona Coast Resort, the Holua Resort, or the Kauai Coast Resort all that week. The answer was no. I then asked if there was anything else on any of the islands that week. By then, I didn’t care if it was a hotel, motel, RCI, etc… Still nothing. I had promised my family, so I was determined. Eventually after an hour on the phone, I had requested every possible location during the month of December or January and still, nothing.

In the mean time, I was continuously trying to book my three day two night stay in Tahoe. It was an opportunity given to me on the initial call from Shell Vacations. I believe that I actually paid a small amount for it. I made many phone calls and never successfully booked that trip.

October, 16th, 2003 I got a phone call that my grandfather was dying. I needed to be in the Southern California area. I called Shell once again. I could not find a hotel or timeshare within a 200 mile radius of San Diego, California anytime during the month of October or the first week of November. I even asked for weeknights only, thinking it was the weekends that were booked. Still nothing. I was offered a Yacht for Thursday night October 23rd, and a yacht was available again for Monday night, October 27th.

I then realized that this timeshare may not be so wonderful after all. I decided to start documenting my calls to Shell Vacation Club. I have called Shell Vacation Club twenty six times in 2004. Each time, I wrote down the location(s) and the date(s) that I had requested on my calendar. Nearly every time, after being rejected, I requested a hotel instead and was given a negative answer. I asked the representative almost every time for additional options and suggestions. The answer was always no.

I then decided to sell the timeshare. I spent $400 on an advertisement on a website that specializes in selling timeshares. Three different representatives of that company stated that Shell Vacation Clubs is horrible; that they hear many complaints about them often.

After a few months on that website, I spent another $175 to post the timeshare on EBAY. Through that auction, I received an email from a person, claiming to be a SHELL EMPLOYEE. It says “HA! SUCKER I WORK FOR SHELL AND BY NO MEANS CAN YOU GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD NICE TRY!!!” The address she had through EBAY was [email protected] which is not a legitimate email address. But through some research, I did find that [email protected] IS a legitimate address. In fact, the account for the person that sent me this email via EBAY is registered under the name Jenny Swanson. I am attaching copies of that email. Only you can determine if Jenny Swanson is indeed an employee of yours.

The email was adding insult to injury, but it is not the true issue. Regardless of rather or not that email came from a Shell Vacations Club employee, I am still a dissatisfied customer.

I am requesting that Shell Vacations Club buys the timeshare back from me. I think that will be a good resolution all around. I have never used the timeshare, so Shell will not be losing money. We can both walk away from this ordeal peacefully.

I will wait for a response until Friday December 17th. After that, I will begin pursuing other avenues to resolve this situation. I have already filed a complaint with the Attorney General. My next step is a complaint with the California Real Estate Commission and the Better Business Bureau. After that, I will post on every vacation and timeshare forum that I can find on the internet. I will then write to every major newspaper and assemblyman that I can get a hold of. If I have to, I will obtain a lawyer. I will not stop until I get a satisfactory resolution.