Mexico Timeshare Fraud: Your Right to Cancel a Timeshare Purchased in Mexico

While the timeshare industry doesn’t have the best reputation for being completely forthcoming about how timeshares really work, generally much of what the seller says can be considered exaggeration rather than outright fraud. Unfortunately, this is not the case in Mexico, where fraud is quite common in timeshare sales.

If you purchase a timeshare during a tour in Mexico, you should be aware that Mexican law requires a 5 business day cooling off period for timeshare purchases. This is also known as the rescission period. But getting the timeshare sales force to honor this rescission period is another matter.

Most of the fraud that occurs in the Mexican timeshare industry has to do with the rescission period. It is not uncommon for this law to be completely ignored and some timeshare resorts require you to sign your rights even though Mexican law does not allow this either.

let me repeat. The “cooling off” period is a right guaranteed to you by Mexican law and you cannot waive it immediately, even though many timeshare sellers insist you do. It doesn’t matter if you are being sold a “used” timeshare or if you are giving up a timeshare you own to cover part of the purchase price. You still have the right to cancel the sale within five business days.

Of course, enforcing the rights you have is another matter entirely. If you find yourself in a situation where you are trying to cancel a timeshare purchase that you purchased in Mexico, be sure to contact your credit card company and dispute the charges if you paid by credit card.

In addition to your credit card company, you should also immediately contact Mexico’s consumer protection department, called prophecy. Your phone number is (+52) 55 5211-1723. You will need to send them a complaint letter and fill out some paperwork, but they will be very helpful in making sure you get your money back, although it may take a while.

This is just another reason why I would recommend buying your Mexican timeshare on eBay or another reseller located in the US instead of buying it in Mexico. You will save money and a lot of hassle.