After tying the knot in October 2011, Michael McDuffee and his wife Alexis flew to Aruba to spend their honeymoon at the Occidental Grand Resort.
They say they were enchanted by the beautiful clear water, and warm sand.
When they were asked to come and listen to a timeshare presentation, the newlyweds couldn’t resist.
Michael and Alexis listened to the sales pitch, liked what they heard and signed up for the timeshare.
Michael says, “We gave them over $600 that day.”
The resort then deducted $470 from the couple's bank account in November and was supposed to take out the same amount in December.
That’s when the problems began.
Once they noticed that payments hadn’t been taken from their account, they called the Occidental Vacation Club.
“They had no idea what we were talking about, no record of us calling. In some cases couldn’t find our account information,” Alexis says.
Unable to get answers Alexis says she kept calling again and again and again for more than three years.
“After all this time enough is enough. We just want our money back – the down payment we gave them,” says Michael.
Michael and Alexis were out more than a thousand dollars. No money, no timeshare and no answers.
The McDuffees needed help.
Michael says, “I figured if anyone could help us maybe Solve It 7 can.”
We reached out to the Occidental’s corporate office in the Dominican Republic and eventually spoke to the vacation club’s president Luis Namnum.
He told us he was embarrassed that the situation had been going on for so long and promised he’d contact the McDuffee’s directly to take care of the problem.
“He sent us an email apologizing for all of the miscommunication and amount of time that went by and we hope to see you back here and we would love to go back some day,” says Michael.
Namnum also wrote that Michael and Alexis would be getting their refund.
A few days later – after nearly four years of waiting – the $1059 was deposited into their bank account.
“Solve It 7 saved us,” says Michael. “If we didn’t call Solve It 7 there’s no way we would have the money right now. We’re just appreciative of everything that 7News has done.”
Is there a problem you need solved? We would love to hear about it. Give us a call at (617)367-7777 or send us an email at solveit7@whdh.com.
(Copyright (c) 2015 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)