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Please report upfront fee scammers to Attorney General .... there's power in numbers ... Florida has begun
There's power in numbers and if you have been fleeced by an upfront fee company then please, please, please report it to the attorney general of the state in which the company is located.
Looks like Florida is starting to shut down some upfront fee companies, but until they are ALL shut down, this scam will continue.
NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
ATTORNEY GENERAL: INJUNCTION SOUGHT AGAINST TWO TIMESHARE RESALE COMPANIES
TALLAHASSEE, FL – Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced that his office has filed a lawsuit
and has requested an emergency injunction against two related South Florida timeshare resale marketing
companies. Universal Marketing Solutions, Creative Vacation Solutions, and owner/manager Jennifer Kirk
allegedly collected over $4 million in marketing fees on a monthly basis, but rarely if ever marketed, advertised,
or facilitated sales for the timeshare owners who had contracts with the companies. The injunction requests the
companies’ cease doing any timeshare business while the lawsuit is pending.
An investigation conducted by the Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division indicated that Kirk and her
companies were charging marketing fees as high as $2,500 for timeshare resale advertising services.
The companies were soliciting hundreds of consumers nationwide via the internet and though aggressive
telemarketing calls, allegedly making empty promises and false misrepresentations that they would actively
match timeshare sellers with prospective buyers. According to the lawsuit, when prospective buyers contact the
companies to purchase a timeshare, no attempt would be made by the companies to match those prospective
buyers with sellers who had contracted with the companies, thus making the advertising and marketing claims a
complete sham.
To solicit more customers, the companies allegedly boasted of their “superior marketing tools,” including
marketing events, presentations and seminars. Kirk and her companies allegedly claimed they could
“definitely” sell timeshares within a certain period of time and that they had buyers waiting with approved
financing to buy the consumers’ timeshare. Consumers were also verbally assured contract terms during
telemarketing calls, but were furnished contracts with entirely different terms regarding the resale services.
Additionally, the companies would allegedly charge consumers’ credit cards or cash consumers’ checks without
and/or before obtaining a signed written contract from the consumer delineating all the terms and conditions of
the services to be provided.
Consumers who complained to the Attorney General’s Office reported that the companies have not performed
the promised services and that they were unable to contact the companies or get refunds. The Attorney
General's Office believes that there could a total of more than 400 victims affected by the two companies'
deceptive practices, and has been receiving approximately 10 complaints per day against these companies. The
lawsuit seeks an injunction prohibiting the defendants from engaging in any timeshare resale business while the
litigation is pending. The lawsuit also requests full restitution on behalf of all victimized consumers, civil
penalties, and reimbursement for fees and costs related to the investigation.
Consumers may file a complaint about Universal Marketing Solutions or Creative Vacation Solutions by
visiting the Attorney General’s website at http://www.myfloridalegal.com or by calling the fraud hotline at 1-
866-966-7226.
A copy of a consumer affidavit form and instructions is available online at:
http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/KGRG-7XBT2F/$file/TimeshareAffidavit.p df
A copy of the lawsuit is available online at:
http://myfloridalegal.com/webfiles.nsf/WF/MRAY-7XENWJ/$file/ComplaintForInjuncti veRelief.pdf
R P.
This is a postacard company:
APEX LLC - for you that say they are honest..please read on!
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 2009 4:14:00 PM Time share repurchaser settles with Vt. BY NICK REES
Sorrell MONTPELIER, Vt. (Legal Newsline) - A Nevada-based time share repurchaser has agreed to pay more than $120,000 in restitution and penalties to settle claims it violated Vermont law.
Apex Professionals, LLC, will pay more than $64,000 to 15 Vermont consumers and $65,000 in penalties and costs to the state over the alleged violations.
"If out-of-state companies offering an economic benefit to consumers in Vermont violate the state's consumer laws, they can expect strong enforcement and serious consequences," state Attorney General William Sorrell said.
Apex representatives began soliciting Vermont consumers in the spring of 2009 to transfer ownership of their unused timeshares to allow the original owners to be relieved of timeshare maintenance fees, taxes and other costs.
The Apex representatives met with consumers in March at the Courtyard Burlington Harbor in Burlington and in March and May at the Capitol Plaza Hotel in Montpelier. The meetings were advertised in postcards mailed by Apex that stated, "Don't play the waiting game in this economy! If you accept our offer we will put your timeshare into closing immediately."
Consumers who went to the meetings with Apex went with the understanding that Apex would offer them money in exchange for their timeshares. Apex instead charged them a fee of several thousand dollars to transfer ownership of their timeshares, Sorrell said.
Apex representatives then told consumers that the several thousand dollar payment could be offset by filing for a federal income tax deduction for investment losses on their timeshare, the value of which was claimed to be equal to or greater than their payment to Apex. Sorrell says this claim was not true as consumers had purchased the timeshares for personal, not investment, purposes, which made them ineligible for a tax deduction.
Filed Under: State AGs
R P.
Unfortunately, I am one of the victims who have paid money upfront for the sale of Timeshare. In December 2008, I was approached by a company called GLOBAL HOLIDAY SERVICES based in Spain. I was told that they had a buyer waiting to purchase my timeshare and they needed 950 pounds to process the whole transaction. They debited my credit card with the full amount before I even signed any papers. On 26 January 2009, I received a confirmation letter from them stating that should they fail to sell my Timeshare in 8 weeks they will refund my full amount. I have been having a real battle for year with this company who are adamant to refund my money. HELP!!!!!
E
Evelyn D.
evelynd27 wrote:Unfortunately, I am one of the victims who have paid money upfront for the sale of Timeshare. In December 2008, I was approached by a company called GLOBAL HOLIDAY SERVICES based in Spain. I was told that they had a buyer waiting to purchase my timeshare and they needed 950 pounds to process the whole transaction. They debited my credit card with the full amount before I even signed any papers. On 26 January 2009, I received a confirmation letter from them stating that should they fail to sell my Timeshare in 8 weeks they will refund my full amount. I have been having a real battle for year with this company who are adamant to refund my money. HELP!!!!! E
I would imagine that there's some sort of consumer advocate agency or governemnt agency in Spain ..... google to find out and file a complaint ..... do you have the paperwork where they said if they didn't sell it within 8 weeks they would return your money or was that just a verbal promise?
R P.
To add to this by going even further than just contacting attorneys general:
The reason scammers get away with their scams is due to people that do ABSOLUTELY nothing against the scammers. I was scammed by a product (long story) not long ago that was supposed to be free, however a month later they charged my debit card ....I canceled my debit card, called the company several times and actually had screaming matches with some of the reps to get my money refunded to my bank account.
I then went on the internet to find Class Action Attorneys on a contingency basis that charge only if they win the class action lawsuit (this product was nationally advertised and had hundreds of complaints on the internet) .... I found the contact info for the attorney general in the state the scam was located, the attorney general of the USA and many other consumer related sites that out scams and emailed them with my complaint.
I then forwarded all the emails to the scam company ... well, lo and behold I got a nervous phone call from one of the scam company reps saying that they were crediting my bank account .... and 3 days later it WAS credited .... however I'm the type of person that will go to the ends of the earth to get my money back via a scam .... I NEVER LET UP and neither should YOU.
R P.
jaya32 wrote:This is a good resource for whatever the scam!Thanks! I see that you must be "another Jay"!
Keep up the good work! Jay in Tucson, AZ
Actually jayjay is the name of a cat we once owned :o) .... most all of my screen names are pets we own or once owned.
R P.
Thanks to FL AG Bill McCollum and those Redweek forum members that filed complaints ....
Attorney General Focuses Consumer Protection Initiative on Timeshare Resale Industry
~ McCollum announces 2009 was record-breaking year for consumer recoveries ~
TALLAHASSEE, FL – In continuing recognition of National Consumer Protection Week, Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced he is tackling growing abuses in the timeshare resale industry, beginning with the announcement of a significant settlement that could yield as much as $1.3 million in consumer refunds and the filing of a lawsuit against a major player in the timeshare resale industry in Florida. The Attorney General also unveiled ongoing investigations into at least 17 timeshare companies and their affiliates throughout the state for deceptive trade practices.
“Florida’s consumers are trying to make prudent financial decisions, but many timeshare resale companies are blatantly scamming people by promising sales or refunds and failing to provide services even after taking hefty up-front fees,” said Attorney General McCollum.
The statewide initiative was launched by the Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division in 2009 in response to the growing number of timeshare resale complaints received by the Attorney General’s Office last year. Timeshare resale complaints have recently surpassed mortgage-related complaints as the most commonly reported consumer complaint received by the Office’s Consumer Hotline.
The lawsuit filed today against Resales Buy Owner.com, Inc. states the company engaged in a systematic pattern of deception that improperly induced consumers to pay up-front fees for timeshare resale services that were never provided. According to consumer complaints, the company would indicate it either had a buyer or renter interested in the timeshare and that there would be no problem renting or selling the timeshare within 90 to 120 days. According to the lawsuit, the company merely advertised the property listings, if taking any action at all, and allegedly charged consumers’ credit cards even after consumers opted not to do business with the company. The lawsuit seeks an order prohibiting the company from engaging in further deceptive conduct and seeks full restitution on behalf of victimized consumers, civil penalties and reimbursement for fees and costs. Two additional lawsuits are also pending against other companies.
The Attorney General’s Office also announced a significant settlement with Virtual Group, Inc., an Orange County company, resolving allegations the company failed to provide promised refunds to consumers. Virtual Group, which does business under the name Realty Trade, offered timeshare resale and rental advertising services to consumers looking to sell or lease their timeshare properties. As a result of the Attorney General's investigation, Realty Trade has already paid over $800,000 in refunds to 799 consumers. The company will also make another $500,000 available to consumers who make new refund requests.
Over the past year, the Attorney General’s Office has also reached settlements with six other timeshare resale companies obtaining total restitution to consumers of more than $298,000, with approximately $50,000 more in escrow to resolve future complaints in some cases. Several of these settlements contributed to a record-breaking $216 million in restitution for Florida consumers obtained by the Attorney General’s Office in 2009. Since 2007, the Attorney General’s Office has returned over $363 million in restitution for Florida consumers, several times more than the recoveries obtained over the previous four years.
In addition to the litigation and the settlement announced today, in recent months, the Attorney General’s Office has subpoenaed 17 timeshare resale companies and their affiliates over allegations of potentially deceptive business practices. Common complaints about timeshare resale companies involve the use of false and deceptive claims to entice consumers to pay up-front fees, including assertions that buyers are allegedly ready and willing to buy or rent the consumers’ timeshare. Companies also often allegedly fail to honor cancellation policies, misrepresent the actual services that will be provided to consumers, and fail to comply with elements of state and federal telemarketing acts.
Floridians who are considering listing their timeshare for sale or rent are encouraged to contact the Attorney General’s Office to inquire whether or not specific companies have complaints reported against them. Consumers can contact the Attorney General’s Citizen Services Division by calling the Attorney General’s fraud hotline at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226) or by visiting the Attorney General’s website at http://www.myfloridalegal.com.
Pending litigation: - American Marketing Group, LLC., located in West Palm Beach – lawsuit filed in January 2010 - Hicks, Inc., doing business as Universal Marketing Solutions and Creative Vacation Solutions, located in West Palm Beach – the Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against these companies in October 2009. An Agreed Orders for Temporary Injunctive Relief was obtained against this company and its principals in January 2010, and further litigation is pending.
Companies subpoenaed: - Executive Timeshare Marketing, Inc., located in Tamarac, Florida - Coastal Timeshare Solutions, Inc., located in Boca Raton, Florida - Worldwide Resorts Direct, Inc. and Worldwide Marketing Solutions of Palm Beach, Inc., doing business as Worldwide Timeshare, located in West Palm Beach, Florida - TS Luxury Group, Inc., located in Lake Worth - C& G Marketing Associates, LLC., doing business as Premier Timeshare Solutions, located in Palm Beach Gardens - Nationwide Marketing Solutions, Inc., doing business as Magnum Advertising Services, Inc., located in Lake Worth - International Resort Solutions, LLC., located in Lake Worth - E.A.T. Sales LLC, located in Boca Raton - Euroamerican Timeshare LLC., located in Boynton Beach - Transatlantic Timeshare LLC., located in Boynton Beach - Seabreeze Advertising Corp., also known as SBA, Corp., located in Daytona Beach - Timeshare Market Pro, located in Davie - International Marketing and Finance, located in Wellington - Gold Crown Property Management, Inc., located in Dunedin - Vacation Property Resales, Inc., doing business as BUYATIMESHARE.COM, located in Tampa - Timeshare Only, located in Orlando - PFS Concepts, Inc., doing business as US Vacation, located in Largo
Recent settlements: - World Timeshares, Inc., located in Deerfield Beach – The Attorney General’s Office settled with this company in April 2009 and obtained $100,161 in consumer restitution. - Timeshare Travels, located in Boca Raton – The Attorney General’s Office settled with this company in April 2009 and obtained $90,323 in consumer restitution. - Vacation Property Trader, located in Deerfield Beach – The Attorney General’s Office settled with this company in May 2009 and obtained $8,447 in consumer restitution. - Preferred Vacation Resorts, Inc., doing business as Preferred Property Services, Inc., Preferred Property Services.com, Inc., located in Clearwater – As a result of the Attorney General’s investigation into these companies, they ceased operations in April 2009, and the Attorney General’s Office obtained $36,000 in consumer restitution. - D&D Vacations, Incorporated, doing business as United States Property Services,, located in largo – The Attorney General’s Office reached an agreement with this company last week and obtained $26,000 in consumer restitution. - S.F.C. Group, Inc. doing business as TWA Resale, located in Orlando – The Attorney General’s Office settled with this company in March 2010 and obtained $37,226 in consumer restitution.
R P.
Keep up the goal Redweek members ..... as I stated at the top of this thread, "there's power in numbers" and we aim to shut down every upfront fee scam company out there, so keep filing your complaints with the Attorney General in the state where the scammers are located.
R P.
Has anyone heard of Resort Resale Advocate Group (resortresaleadvocate.com)? It claims it will try to get you a refund from resale scammers for a 40% commission. It also claims that you won't pay a penny until you collect (or are credited with) a refund.
Anybody heard of this?
Lance C.
jayjay wrote:If this company asks for NO upfront money, then go for it ... you have nothing to lose.
I know, on the surface, it sounds like a can't-lose situation. However, in another forum, someone asked about a resale company that claimed that it would only charge a 5% commission on the sale. Then, when the company called back, it gave the usual along the lines of, "We have a buyer. We just need X amount of dollars for a lien search/title/closing/tax, etc. fee." This obviously was a scam and merely gave this company someone's info (name, e-mail address, phone number, the fact that he is desperately looking to sell, etc.).
My question is: Has anybody else had a dealing with Resort Advocate? Are they legit? A scam? Or am I just wasting my time --- merely giving another PCC my personal info so that they can sell that info to other PCCs?
Lance C.
