The Investigators

DALLAS (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ― Since 2003, John Frost has taken his family to the beaches of Corpus Christi for summer vacation. "We all love to come here," Frost said.

He and his family all stay at the Mustang Island Beach Club – a timeshare property. But lately Frost and others in the 'club' say they feel cheated.

Several years ago, Frost and others who bought the Corpus Christi timeshares agreed to pay a special fee of up to $3,000 for each week they own. They were told the money would be used to refurbish one of the three condo buildings.

But Frost and others say they were stunned to find out they no longer had access to the units they paid to renovate. "We have no rights to those properties now," claimed Frost. "We have been put into older units that are not of the same value."

Sue Dansby of Denton shares Frost's frustration. "Yes, I'm angry," she said. Dansby says she's owned a timeshare in Corpus Christi for more than 20 years. "I wanted a place for my son and I to come on a vacation that wasn't too far from home," she said.

Dansby said her deed was for the refurbished building and now she's worried. When asked where her deed was, she said "I have no earthly idea."

The deeds belonging to both Frost and Dansby are for units in building "A". They're all new inside with new kitchens, appliances, floors, bathrooms, and living rooms. But both say they're assigned to buildings "B" and "C". Inside those units, some of the kitchen appliances are broken, bathrooms are old, and the hot tubs have fallen apart.

"It's disgusting is what it is," Frost said.

So the timeshare owners, including Frost and Dansby, recently went head-to-head with the developer and association president Randy Turner of Dallas.

During a specially-called meeting, timeshare owner Jim DeForest told Turner, "I have no documentation from you or any of your organizations saying that this was moved."

Another time-share owner, Bill Knowles, shouted at Turner, "You didn't have the right to put us in that dump right there."

John Frost asked Turner, "How do we not own them if we have a deed that says we own them for a week in building A?" Turner replied, "Then I filed a correction deed." Frost answered, "To equal value, but it was not of equal value." Turner responded, "Well, I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder."

Turner pointed out that nearly all of the units in the three buildings, renovated or not, are appraised at about the same value, nearly $130,000.

CBS 11 News asked Turner if he thought buildings "B" and "C" are just as nice as building "A". He replied, "No, I'm not saying that."

Turner says the refurbishment fees timeshare owners agreed to pay weren't enough to finance renovations. "There are a lot of these people who are still paying and haven't completed paying," he said. "We have got over $200,000 that has not come in yet."

For Sue Dansby and John Frost, they're fighting for more than just a vacation. "This has been home away from home in the summertime," Dansby said of the property. And for his family Frost said, "We have a lot of history here."

Nine complaints against the association have been filed with the Attorney General's office.

Consumer lawyers advised that the timeshare owners can try to take over the association from Turner, and if they can't resolve their dispute can sue him.

Experts say do your homework, and know your rights before you sign on the dotted line.

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