Club Mad

Destination clubs are hot. But glitches leave some members hot under the collar

Bob Hariri plunked down half a million dollars two years ago to join Distinctive Retreats, one of a growing number of destination clubs that offer members plush vacation homes for up to 60 days a year in exotic locations around the world. But his thrill quickly turned to chill. Hariri, 46, who heads a biotechnology firm based in northern New Jersey, ran into problems booking the properties he wanted and says he was disappointed with the quality of the homes. "I felt I was being overpromised and undersold," says Hariri, who quit the club just months later.

Not all was lost....

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