She spun the wheel and won a prize. Next thing she knew, she’d spent thousands on a timeshare. A purchase she regretted immediately. And when she couldn’t get back her money, she called Help Me Howard with Brandon Beyer.
After 10 years in the military, 34-year-old Jamilah Newman was ready to start her own life.
She returned to South Florida, and bought her first house in Hollywood.
Jamilah Newman: “I’m a very spiritual person, so I felt like god was pointing me to this house.”
She fell in love with the modern kitchen and the cozy patio.
Jamilah Newman: “The backyard, I love the backyard.
She’s also a college student. Using the GI Bill, she’s studying clinical mental health.
Jamilah Newman: “I appreciate it so much because like the debt that can roll into school is crazy.”
Jamilah says the adjustment to civilian life can be tough.
She’s struggled with it herself, and wants to be able to help others someday.
Jamilah Newman: “I would like to help them transition, because I know I had a hard time with therapy, and I’m still in therapy.”
And it was her therapist who suggested she should take herself to a recent Cardi B concert.
Jamilah Newman: “Because I’m very scared of public outings, so I was like ‘This is going to be it. I love Cardi, this is going to be it.'”
She had a ball.
While at the concert she spun a wheel to win a prize.
All she had to do was sit through an upcoming time share presentation.
Jamilah Newman: “I went to the presentation and I sat there for two hours.”
Then she made a big financial decision.
Jamilah Newman: “He was like, ‘Just put down $2,800 and essentially, if you don’t want it, we’ll give it back to you.’ And I was like, ‘Okay, that doesn’t sound too bad.'”
She regretted it almost immediately and told the company she’d made a mistake.
Jamilah Newman: “I let him know in text message like, ‘Hey, I’m putting down a lot of money on my house, there’s a lot of things that I want to do right now, I’m not going to go through with it.'”
They canceled her membership.
But kept her deposit.
Jamilah Newman: “That’s a lot, that’s like over my mortgage payment. I can’t afford to just give away money.”
Howard, she’s a college student who just bought a house, then made an expensive impulse buy.
Is it too late to get her deposit back?
Howard Finkelstein: “No it is not. Florida law allows the buyer a 10-day cooling-off period to cancel a timeshare contract. It must be done in writing. In this case, Jamilah canceled by text message, and the timeshare company acknowledged receipt by canceling her membership. So legally, they are obligated to return her deposit.”
We eventually reached the time share company by phone and merged Jamilah in, and reminded them she’d canceled inside of the 10 days.
Jamilah Newman: “He connected us on a group call, and they said they were gonna give me my money back, and I got it.”
Now she can focus on her new home and her education, so someday, she can help other veterans just like herself.
Jamilah Newman: “I’m nervous to be on TV or whatever, but I know I needed help, and this is where God sent me, so I’m happy about it.”
Howard says it is fortunate they acknowledged the text — it’s proof she canceled within window.
He says a certified written letter, though? A better approach.
Hey, got a problem? Need a hand? Here’s how to find us. It’s Help Me Howard. I’m Brandon Beyer 7 News.
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