Misrepresentations in the timeshare world .... beware

eric572 wrote:

Yet again jayjay let me correct you. WE ARE NOT REAL ESTATE AGENTS!

They make their business look legitimate, but any company that charges upfront is not a company that will ever get my business, and I will do my best to keep this company and all the others like it, from getting anyone's business. If I could get the word out, it would be grand, but I can only work on my own resorts. I am on the board at one resort and have already made sure they know what a scam an UPFRONT FEE company is.

fightb wrote:

IF YOU WERE CONTACTED BY TIMESHARE TRAVELS, TIMESHARE MARKET PRO, VACATION DEPOT, TIMESHARE DEPOT, PREMIER, CREATIVE VACATION SOLUTIONS, EXECUTIVE TIMESHARE MARKETING, TIMESHARE RESALE, RESALE TIMESHARE, I.M.G. FINANCE, 5 STAR RESORT, RESORTS CONDOS PLUS, GMAC, ICARE TIMESHARE, OR ANY OTHER TIMESHARE RESALE COMPANY AND YOU PAID THEM MONEY UP FRONT AFTER BEING PROMISED A BUYER OR ANYTHING ELSE THEY PROMISED THAT NEVER HAPPENED? PLEASE CONTACT ME AND TELL ME YOUR STORY. LEAVE ME YOUR CONTACT INFO. YOUR MONEY ISN’T GONE YOU JUST HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.YOU CAN’T AFFORD NOT TO. JUST KNOW YOU ARE PROTECTED AS A CONSUMER AND NOT ALONE.

And how do you go about getting refunds for people that have been defrauded or lied to ???? Do you charge an upfront fee????

Right now I have quite a bit of $ out to companies that have promised me results. After being with two different companies, Seabreeze & then CNC Marketing, I was contacted by Worldwide Marketing who said they had an ACTUAL buyer. They were very convincing. I went with them and shortly after that a Nicole Myers called me and said she had left the company because they were lying to their clients. She told me to cancel them with the credit card company and had me go with her to Creative Vacation Solutions. We talked often and she seemed like a friend. Then she called and said there was a company with a higher offer, Premier Marketing Management, and she was obligated by law to give that to me. I asked if it was safe and she said it was. Everything was moved to them. Right after that, I never could get a hold of Nicole and she was let go from Creative Vac. Solutions. I moved forward with Premier and even had a three-way with the buyers. The man that I was originally talking to, Joel Peterson, suddenly would not return my phone calls and their alleged attorney, Jack Carter, was calling me. Everything seemed fine until I found out that my timeshare had never been contacted. I questioned that and asked for something in writing for the proof of the sale. Jack sent me a contract that said if the unit wasn't sold in 30 days they would refund me my money. That's not what I asked for, but I thought it at least protected me. I called several times to see how things were going and he finally referred me to a John Baxter with East Coast Financial (561-847-0749) who congratulated me on the sale of our timeshare and said that they had the money in holding and we were in escrow as of Dec. 11th for 30 days. Which, by the way, took it past that 30 days that Jack Carter said we would get it. I was still okay with that. I called John two days ago, Dec. 16, and wondered why our resort had not been contacted. He said he would do that but he'd been really busy. Talked to him yesterday and he said he received a call from Jack Carter telling him that the sale was broke and they were refunding my money and to not proceed with anything! I was shocked! I called Premier and talked to Erin the receptionist and she thought there must be a misunderstanding and promised me either Jack or Joel would get back to me yesterday. Again, no return phone call. This morning I called and someone I have never talked to answered the phone, told me Jack was in a meeting and Joel was doing payroll. I asked to talk to Erin. I could hear him say "what should I tell her?" Then this man came back and told me they wanted nothing to do with me and they were tired of me calling so much! Said they were going to refund my money. At first, I was trying to get him to change his mind and asked why they would do this to me since the money was in escrow??? He said it was going to go to someone else! He said he was the CEO of the company and the only thing they would do for me is to start ALL OVER AGAIN, and there would be a 60 day escrow and I wasn't to call them at all during that 60 days! These people are CRAZY!!!!!! He said for me to sit by the phone and someone would call me in 1 hour. Well, after an hour and a half, no phone call. I faxed them a letter telling them that at this point I wanted to go with the refund. Do you know who Premier Marketing Management is???? Is there ANYTHING I can do about all these companies and the money I have put out????

I really need help and somewhere to turn!

Susie

I haven't been online for awhile, as I get very frustrated reading about these resale proposals. However, I am like JayJay, in that I also get frustrated by the owners who get sucked into these scams, even after reading these forums day after day. I am truly sorry for folks who pay up front fees on the promise that their TS will get sold. 99.99% will never see a sale, just the ongoing promise of it being sold and requests for more upfront fees. Cut your losses folks, it's not going to sell.

I listed my TS via RedWeek and have had only one call, for info. Resort is very good, unit is beach front and price is very reasonable. Okay, it hasn't yet sold, but I am only out a couple of dollars, not hundreds of dollars. RedWeek does not make any promises, but at least it is a site that persons interested in TS are looking at.

I have had two legit offers to buy, via my resort, and it is not even listed with them. I should have accepted one of the offers, but their 35% comission bugged me.

But I will never list with a Resale Company and I will never do a "transaction" over the phone. Get real, folks. Hopefully you should have some smarts by this time in your lives, but the evidence is missing!

The post from susieh25 is a classic, seen time after time here on RedWeek. It has a hundred red flags in it. Yet susie appears to have believed every line. Pay attention folks, these companies exist ONLY to take your money. They don't sell Timeshares!

susieh25 wrote:

Do you know who Premier Marketing Management is???? Is there ANYTHING I can do about all these companies and the money I have put out???? Susie

About the only thing you can do is file a complaint with the attorney general in the state where the scammers are located or hire an attorney.

susie, your story is how the upfront fee scammers operate .... it's their modus operandi ... there never was a buyer.

Back to susieh25: susie, you are one of thousands of people who have been taken for a ride by Resale Companies, so you are not alone. Let's just take a look at your letter:

1. All scams have to be convincing in order for them to work. They make you feel like a friend, so you WANT to give them your money. 2. Nicole never left the company, she just convinced you that she was on your side and got you to sign with another scam. This is a typical ploy, again seen over and over in these forums. (and Nicole is not her real name.) 3. You NEVER had a three way conversation with the "buyers". You had a conversation with two people, one of whom was "posing" as the buyer. In fact, both of them worked for the resale company. 4. Attorney Jack Carter is not an attorney, he is another employee of the company. At least you acknowledged him as an "alledged attorney". 5. So far I count at least five different companies that you dealt with in some fashion or form. 6. After all of that and then you say that you "actually tried to talk him out of a refund'!!! 7, 8,9 & 10: You will never get your money back and if you do, consider yourself very, very, very lucky. Lesson learned?

As jayjay said, you should report these issues to the State Attorney General of both states. I really don't think it does any good, but maybe someday.

I think that (another?) law should be passed that requires resorts to inform owners of these scams, in some manner, although I am not so sure that some resorts might be friends with the resale scammers. I have also taped several conversations with these companies, who violate our state "no call" law. I have also been able to talk them into sending me a copy of their "contract". I waste a lot of their time, but they continue to call at the rate of two or three a week. I finally just tell them that I have a better offer from this guy in Nigeria!

jons29 wrote:

I think that (another?) law should be passed that requires resorts to inform owners of these scams, in some manner, although I am not so sure that some resorts might be friends with the resale scammers.

This is an absurd and completely ridiculous statement.

I have owned multiple timeshare weeks at numerous resorts for over 27 years now. I can state with certainty that most resorts have NO knowledge whatsoever about even the EXISTENCE of the various upfront fee resale parasite companies, let alone be "friends" with any of them. That's just crazy talk...

Some resorts (a statistical minority) do have a resale agent on site, but these reps are state licensed real estate people who have an established, long standing presence and credibilty at that particular resort.

The very suggestion of any "connection" between a resort and the various independent upfront fee parasite companies out there is, briefly and simply summarized, absolutely false, completely unfounded and just utterly ridiculous.

Ken; What you are saying is "that New Car Dealers have absolutely whatsoever no idea about the existance of Used Car Dealers"??? I once asked a dealer if he knew where I could find a used model and he responded that "he had no idea". So you might be right. I had another post in response but I must have deleted it in error, but the above will surfice.

ken1193 wrote:

jons29 wrote:

I think that (another?) law should be passed that requires resorts to inform owners of these scams, in some manner, although I am not so sure that some resorts might be friends with the resale scammers.

This is an absurd and completely ridiculous statement.

I have owned multiple timeshare weeks at numerous resorts for over 27 years now. I can state with certainty that most resorts have NO knowledge whatsoever about even the EXISTENCE of the various upfront fee resale parasite companies, let alone be "friends" with any of them. That's just crazy talk...

Some resorts (a statistical minority) do have a resale agent on site, but these reps are state licensed real estate people who have an established, long standing presence and credibilty at that particular resort.

The very suggestion of any "connection" between a resort and the various independent upfront fee parasite companies out there is, briefly and simply summarized, absolutely false, completely unfounded and just utterly ridiculous.

jons29 wrote:

As jayjay said, you should report these issues to the State Attorney General of both states. I really don't think it does any good, but maybe someday.

Well, as of now there doesn't seem to be any other option ... how the upfront fee scammers keep going is beyond my imagination .... please read my sticky where the Florida AG has shut some upfront fee companies down because of complaints they've received from people that have been scammed and lied to ... as I stated in the sticky, "there's power in numbers" and hopefully one day ALL upfront fee companies that charge enormous fees will be shut down but people have to get involved.

jons29 stated: ================================================== Ken; What you are saying is "that New Car Dealers have absolutely whatsoever no idea about the existance of Used Car Dealers"??? ===================================================

Huh... ??? My input specifically and clearly addressed the topic of timeshare resorts, on sites sales reps, and upfront fee entities, referencing my own 27 years of timeshare ownership, experience, and industry observations as the basis for my input. I never once mentioned "car dealers", as I don't have much knowledge on THAT topic. Despite limited knowledge about "used car dealers" however, I don't think they collect "upfront fees". Whatever you are attempting to express in your irrelevant and unconnected misrepresentations escapes me completely.

Frankly, I have to conclude that you just plain don't know what you're talking about. However, on the Internet (and certainly in these RedWeek forums) that particular limitation never seems to impede the steady flow of factually deficient statements...

I believe that jons29 was making an analogy between timeshare sellers/resellers and auto sellers/resellers. It is indeed hard to credit that the original sellers have no clue about the secondary market. This does not mean that they are in collusion, but the original sellers may well NOT want you to think much about the problems you may encounter when you want to resell. MD

adahiscout wrote:

I believe that jons29 was making an analogy between timeshare sellers/resellers and auto sellers/resellers. It is indeed hard to credit that the original sellers have no clue about the secondary market. This does not mean that they are in collusion, but the original sellers may well NOT want you to think much about the problems you may encounter when you want to resell. MD

Your last sentence is certainly true and it is a point well taken, at least in specific regard to "developer--direct" sales.

That said, the nature of the "secondary market" warrants much more specific clarification. I maintain and firmly believe that most resorts, including in particular ALL "sold out" resorts, know (and/or care) little or nothing at all about the existence, identities, practices or locations of the independent "upfront fee" advertising entities, which for years have routinely come and gone with periodic name changes (but without alteration of their deceptive practices). On the other hand, the HONEST resellers, in my opinion, observation and experience, are generally either private individual owners or state licensed real estate agents, NOT obscure upfront fee "advertising" entities.

Licensed agents are still found on site at various facilities for resort resales. In all instances with which I am personally familiar, such real estate agents are NOT "employees" of the resort and have no affiliation with (nor any compensation from) the resort beyond being a part-time physical presence on site during limited hours. I've certainly seen NO evidence to the contrary in nearly three decades of ownership and/or during my times as a HOA/BOD member. The presence of these commission only, licensed folks on site is beneficial to a resort financially, since NO ONE is paying maintenance fees on HOA owned (usually via foreclosure) weeks until those weeks get resold again.

Amen to that, Brother. MD