Bluegreen Corporation Sucks. Really.
Last night I was the victim of a Bluegreen Corporation hard sell.
Just before 8 p.m. I took a call from a phone number I didn’t recognize–that was my first mistake. My second mistake was not doing what I usually do when I find out that I’ve received a sales call: tell the party calling that I’m not interested and hang up.
Instead, I listened briefly to the pitch and responded by saying that I wasn’t interested in a Myrtle Beach vacation. When he offered up Pigeon Forge, TN as a second choice I similarly declined. And that is when things began to get ugly.
Immediately, I could tell that the Bluegreen Corporation representative was taking my responses personally. Clearly, I wasn’t interested in either location and when he pressed me for where I would like to go, I told him that I wasn’t going to tell him.
For the next five minutes, the back and forth exchange grew increasingly heated with Mr. Bluegreen attempting to tell me why I had to listen to his pitch. I reminded him that he is the sales guy and that I, as an uninterested non-customer, didn’t have to listen to anything. When I told him to put our number on the national “do not call” registry list, he grew more defensive and said that he wouldn’t. Big mistake on his part.
Some info for you: the Federal Trade Commission has specific rules concerning “do not call” that all companies must follow. A word for companies: when someone shows no interest in your product then move on to the next person. Because this guy from Bluegreen was insistent on pushing his product against my will he generated two things against his company: an FTC complaint and my clearly unfavorable response on this blog.
Will complaining here do much to dissuade Bluegreen Corporation and their pushy sales staff? Maybe not. The company is based in Boca Raton, Florida and has been around since 1966. They’re big on timeshares and I’m sure they got a hold of us when someone in my family filled out an entry form for this or that prize on display at the Cary Towne Center mall near our home. Big mistake on our part.
Sure, Bluegreen Corporation may be big on “Colorful Places to Live and Play,” but that doesn’t mean that I want to participate nor am I interested in doing my part by advancing their position on the New York Stock Exchange (BXG) through helping their stock sell for more than the $2.63 per share it closed at on July 22.
But, I am willing to share time and again how Bluegreen Corporation treats its callers as well as share links to quality websites where people complain about their Bluegreen timeshares.
Enough said.
Tags: Bluegreen Corporation, BXG, do not call, Federal Trade Commission, FTC complaint, hard sell
General | Matthew C. Keegan, 23 Jul 10
By LD Jackson, July 23, 2010 @ 6:51 am
You were much kinder than I would have been. I would have either hung up the phone or if I am work, I will just place them on hold and let them talk to themselves for a few minutes.
LD Jackson´s last [type] ..How real is the Tea Party
By Matthew C. Keegan, July 23, 2010 @ 7:54 am
I’ve done that, Larry. This time I decided to listen and tell him a thing or two. It was worth it to me…they’re just a stupidly run business.
By Bob, July 23, 2010 @ 10:45 am
What an unpleasant character. There are few things that feel worse than a cold caller who can’t get the message and is persistent despite everything.
By George, July 23, 2010 @ 8:42 pm
I don’t understand why a great company like Bluegreen resorts to making stupid phone calls like that. It really goes against every other part of the company. I wonder if they outsource those sales calls?
By Matthew C. Keegan, July 24, 2010 @ 5:50 am
George, their sales staff is absolutely unprofessional. They’ve pushed the hard sell on me before; quite honestly I have NO interest in a timeshare and could care less about a “free night” at some resort. Their business model sucks.
By Jason Lancaster, July 24, 2010 @ 11:17 am
Matt – I think it’s incredibly important to blog about these things when they happen. This is the only way for these companies to be exposed for what they are, and I commend you for relating your experience in a fair way.
The title of your post is good too – when someone searches for “BlueGreen Corporation”, there’s a chance this post will come up in the top 10 too.
By Dean Saliba, July 24, 2010 @ 12:47 pm
Oh I hate these companies. I don’t actually answer my house phone now because it is always recorded advertising messages.
My dad makes me laugh though because he will listen to the entire message and then hang up. I don’t know why he does this.
Dean Saliba´s last [type] ..The Doubts Are Creeping In
By Dominique, July 26, 2010 @ 9:13 pm
I had someone do something similar to me. No matter how many times I said I wasn’t interested, he continued with pushing. So…I decided that I would let him see how it felt and started witnessing to him. The conversation ended quite quickly!
Dominique´s last [type] ..Book Review- Flight to Heaven
By Singlish, July 27, 2010 @ 1:58 am
I would let him finish his pitch, I’ll just leave the phone someone quiet and come back in an hour
By Matthew C. Keegan, July 27, 2010 @ 5:27 am
Singlish, good idea! He’d get his chance for a sales pitch while I wouldn’t have to listen to his nonsense in the first place.
Dominique, that is an excellent way to even the conversation. He’d either get going or get God!
Bob, I feel bad for this guy. Okay, not a whole lot. I can’t imagine the pressure Bluegreen Corporation puts on their sales people to twist the arms of customers to respond. Likely, his pay is determined a lot by his performance.
Jason, that is exactly why I chose the title. I not only wanted to warn people now, but for posterity’s sake. This guy crossed the line and Bluegreen Corporation owes me an apology.
By Clement Kelly, July 28, 2010 @ 8:02 am
Wow sounds like this guy needs to look into a new career, becuase he really sucks at this one (the sales guy that is).
Hopefully your compliant will reach those that will do somehing with it.
By Matthew C. Keegan, July 28, 2010 @ 11:13 am
Clement, that would be ideal: Bluegreen Corporation responding diplomatically and with a sincere apology. I don’t want to hear from them about a timeshare again. How may ways can you say no?
By Wihelmina Meek, July 28, 2010 @ 10:00 pm
“Bluegreen Corporation responding diplomatically and with a sincere apology.”
Youd’ have better odds of wining the lottery considering most telemarkting type companies.
By Matthew C. Keegan, July 29, 2010 @ 4:40 am
Wihelmina, I can dream can’t I?
Yes, I really don’t expect a response from them. A stand up company would protect their interests, but Bluegreen Corporation is neither a stand up outfit nor do they have a reputation to protect.
By Ex BG Employee, October 11, 2010 @ 12:25 pm
That’s not a surprise at all. Bluegreen Corporation had its BBB Accreditation revoked January 2010 because of an “F” rating. Here’s the link to see for yourself.
http://www.bbb.org/south-east-florida/business-reviews/time-shares/bluegreen-corporation-in-boca-raton-fl-8195
By Matthew C. Keegan, October 11, 2010 @ 12:29 pm
Ha ha! That’s funny. They must have done something seriously wrong because the Better Business Bureau isn’t the toughest monitor of businesses. I love the big, fat F!