Consumer complaint received 2023-03-28
Company: BARCLAYS BANK DELAWARE
State: IA
Product: Credit card or prepaid card
Sub-product: General-purpose credit card or charge card
Issue: Advertising and marketing, including promotional offers
Sub-issue: Confusing or misleading advertising about the credit card

Complaint:
I attended a XXXX timeshare presentation at XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX in XXXX XXXX on XX/XX/2022. The sales agent was XXXX XXXX. 
I am a single mom with XXXX children. My XXXX youngest kids, then ages XXXX, XXXX and XXXX, went to the presentation with me. The manager gave me amounts for loan payments to buy XXXX points, which he said would allow us a one-week vacation every year. I told him that the payments were too high. He asked me what the amount was that I could afford. He got the payments down to {$70.00} a month. 
I bought XXXX XXXX XXXX points for {$20000.00}. The down payment was {$14000.00}. This was paid with a XXXX XXXX credit card issued when I was there. A XXXX credit card I was not aware of was also opened. I learned about the XXXX credit card when I checked my credit report. The amount financed through XXXX was {$6100.00}. The monthly loan payment to XXXX is {$100.00} per month. Due to the deception, especially about the buyback program, which is nonexistent, I did not make any loan payments and only made a few XXXX credit card payments. 
The manager told me that maintenance fees would be {$90.00} a month. However, to help me out, he said he would gift me XXXX bonus points that he said would cover maintenance fees for up to XXXX XXXX XXXX years as XXXX would redeem the bonus points to offset maintenance fees. 
I was worried about being able to afford the timeshare, considering I am a single mom with XXXX kids. I asked XXXX what would happen if I couldnt afford this. He said there is an option to sell the timeshare back to XXXX at the price that I would be paying for it. 
I didnt really understand timeshare, so I called my sister who travels extensively using her timeshare. I had her talk to XXXX. He told her the same thing he told me, that if at any time I realized it was too much of a purchase, I could call XXXX and they would purchase the timeshare back through their buyback program. 
The reason I did not review the contract right away, to catch the lies told to me about the payment amount and offsetting maintenance fees for XXXX or XXXX years, was because the night that I bought the points, I tested positive for XXXX and drove home the next day. All three of my children came down with XXXX. 
When I got the first bills in the mail in XXXX, it was {$100.00} for the loan payment, not the {$70.00} per month we discussed. There also was a bill for maintenance fees for about the same amount. I called XXXX to ask about using the bonus points to pay the maintenance fees. They told me that bonus points can not be used for maintenance fees. 
I told them I couldnt afford this since I was lied to, and that I needed to proceed with the buyback program. They kept transferring me to other people. Most of the representatives I spoke with told me that XXXX doesnt have a buyback program. I talked to one rep who told me that people get home from vacation and change their minds all the time so canceling would be an easy process. I then got to a department and asked for a manager. The manager stated that she could help me and filed a case for a misrepresentation and my request to cancel. Before I could get a reference number, our call got disconnected. I called back and the rep talked to the manager who told her that she told me that there was nothing that she could do and that I didnt qualify for any of their programs. Ive also been told by reps to either get a lawyer or to go through real estate companies to sell my timeshare. I have learned you cant sell a timeshare with a loan outstanding.

The manager promised my sister a week but they did not provide it. My credit score has dropped to XXXX. I dont understand how XXXX can allow sales agents and manager to deliberately harm any family, but to do this to a single mother is even worse.

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation