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Government Warns about Timeshare Resale Scams

Governments from local to federal to international are warning consumers against timeshare resale scams.

You would think that with all of the warnings out there then there would be no more scams happening. Well, apparently not.

In Florida alone last year there was something like 19,000 complaints to the attorney general’s office about timeshare resale scams. And that is just the complaints. What about all of the people that got scammed and did not complain.

OK, so here are a bunch of government sites that talk about this whole timeshare resale scam business.

What Government Blogs are Saying about Timeshare Resale Scams

FTC Halts Timeshare Property Resale Scam; Telemarketers Falsely …

www.ftc.gov7/19/11

At the Federal Trade Commission’s request, a federal court has temporarily halted a telemarketing operation that targeted consumers trying to sell their timeshare properties. The defendants allegedly charged consumers thousands of dollars, falsely claiming they had buyers lined up for sales that supposedly would be reviewed and approved by the FTC. As part of its continuing crackdown on con artists who prey upon financially distressed consumers, the FTC seeks to permanently end the defendants’ deceptive practices and make them refund consumers’ money.…

Attorney General Darrell McGraw Warns Timeshare Owners of

www.wvago.gov5/27/11

Responding to an uptick in consumer complaints against several companies, West Virginia Attorney General Darrell McGraw is warning the state’s consumers to beware of bogus timeshare sale scams.

Timeshare-owning consumers have filed complaints with Attorney General McGraw’s office indicating that these companies have called them promising to sell their timeshare and charging $1,200 up to $2,500 in advance fees for this service.

Typically, the scammers send a legitimate-looking contract to be signed and faxed or e-mailed back. Many times the contract and transaction are executed through an online website. The companies fraudulently claim the fees are for advertising, closing, inspection, and transaction costs and require an immediate payment through a credit card or debit card transaction.…

Timely warning on timeshare sales scams

atg.wa.gov7/10/10

Consumers should be aware that some licensed brokers can be part of the upfront fee company, so the best advice is simply to never agree to an upfront fee! Before you decide to sell, take the time to find out approximately what the resale market will bear. Either ask a respected timeshare resale broker such [AGO BLOG MODERATOR'S NOTE: Link to commercial Web site removed per comment policy.] or visit a social network site of timeshare owners such as www.timeshareforums.com to share information and strategies. [AGO BLOG MODERATOR'S RESPONSE: I'm not not familiar with this Web site. Please visit at your own risk.] The most important advice is for a consumer to simply use common sense.. If it sounds too good to be true- it is! Timeshares do not appreciate in value!…

OK, so you have gotten the idea that even the slow pokes at the government have noticed that consumers are being ripped off. It took them long enough.

Now since they have finally seen the light it is your turn. STOP trying to dump your timeshare through these scam operations. You will only lose money.

What Other Blogs are Saying About Timeshare Resale Scams

The Most Common Scams | Direct Transfers Blog

blog.directtransfers.com11/4/11

At Direct Transfers we’re on a mission to raise awareness about timeshare scams. From the timeshare organizations themselves to the scam artists who try to pretend they’ll do something about your timeshare, there’s a lot of …

Conviction in Florida timeshare scam « TimeShare Blog & Reviews

mytimeshareblogs.com9/15/11

Conviction in Florida timeshare scam. Stephen R. Wigginton, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Illinois, announced Friday that on Thursday, Ralph Johnson, 34, of Delray Beach, Fla., pleaded guilty to a one-count criminal …

Well that about wraps it up for this post. Just remember that there are a whole lot of people out there ready to steal your money. So be careful.

Florida AG Bondi Pushes Law to Stop Timeshare Resale Scams

If you own a timeshare you know that crummy feeling you get every year when your maintenance fee comes due.

Not only did you have to pay many thousands of dollars to buy your unit but you have to pay the ever increasing yearly fee just to be able to go on an exchange.

And with economic times being so tough more and more timeshare owners are looking to sell their timeshares.

But that is harder then you were told at the presentation. There are no lines of people pushing and shoving to buy your timeshare.

This is where the timeshare resale scam artists come in and make a killing off of your misfortune.

The Florida Attorney General have received close to 20,000 complaints in the past two years from people who have be defrauded by timeshare resale scam artists.

The following is an excerpt from the Attorney General’s statement.

The proposed legislation including the following provisions:

· A timeshare resale advertiser may not misrepresent a pre-existing interest in the owner’s timeshare.

· A timeshare resale advertiser may not mislead a customer as to the success rate of the advertiser’s sales.

· A timeshare resale advertiser may not provide brokerage or direct sale services.

· A timeshare resale advertiser must honor a cancellation request made within 7 days following a signed agreement.

· A timeshare resale advertiser must provide a full refund by a timeshare owner within 20 days of a valid cancellation request.

· A timeshare resale advertiser must not collect any payment or engage in any resale advertising activities until the timeshare owner delivers a signed written agreement for the services.

· A timeshare resale advertiser must also provide a full disclosure statement printed in bold type, with no smaller than a 12-point font, and printed immediately preceding the space provided for the timeshare owner’s signature.

· A timeshare advertising agreement must be put in writing.

· A company who violates these provisions has committed a violation of the Unfair and Deceptive Trade Practices Act with a penalty not to exceed $15,000 per violation.

To read the full article about timeshare resale scams just click here.

What are other blogs saying:

The following are some blogs that have reviewed the AG Bondi’s remarks and have their own opinions.

Pam Bondi Gets Aggressive With Timeshare Resale Advertisers

Attorney General Pam Bondi joins with State Sen. Andy Gardiner and State Rep. Eric Eisnaugle to tackle timeshare resale advertising fraud.

Publish Date: 10/05/2011 11:02

http://www.sunshineslate.com/2011/10/05/attorney-general-legislators-tackle-timeshare-fraud/

Bondi Pushes For Timeshare Fraud Legislation « CBS Miami

Besieged with thousands of timeshare fraud complaints, Attorney General Pam Bondi and two Florida lawmakers are pushing for a new law to crack down on fraud.

Publish Date: 10/05/2011 11:36

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2011/10/05/bondi-pushes-for-timeshare-fraud-legislation/

Delray man arrested for swindling thousands from elderly timeshare …

His arrest comes two days after Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced efforts to pass a law that would toughen restrictions on timeshare resale companies. Complaints about timeshare resale companies in Florida …

Publish Date: 10/07/2011 18:46

http://www.delray-beach.info/delray-man-arrested-for-swindling-thousands-from-elderly-timeshare-owners-sun/

Attorney General Bondi Unveils Legislative Initiative to Protect …

–Attorney General Pam Bondi today joined Senate Majority Leader Andy Gardiner (R-Orlando) and Representative Eric Eisnaugle (R-Orlando) to unveil a legislative initiative that will protect consumers from timeshare resale …

Publish Date: 10/04/2011 17:11

http://4closurefraud.org/2011/10/04/attorney-general-bondi-unveils-legislative-initiative-to-protect-consumers-from-the-number-one-complaint-of-the-past-two-years/

What do You Think?

If you have an opinion on this legislation feel free to comment below.

Remember that Attorney General Pam Bondi is proposing legislation that will protect the rights of private citizens from timeshare resale scam artists.

Secrets To Getting a Timeshare Exchange

Hi! Jeff Pierce, The Timeshare Expert.

Would like to learn how to exchange into the best timeshares in the world like Disney, Hyatt, Marriott, West Inn and Lawrence Welk without having to own any of them? How would like to spend only fifteen minutes a year on the phone with RCI or I.I and get the exchange you want? Does it sound too good to be true?

Well, it isn’t. For over 21 years I’ve consulted with clients just like you on a daily basis teaching them how to maximize, not only their exchanges but also their request for upgrades. If you’re like most of my clients, you’re not only having a difficult time with RCI and I.I, but you’re actually hurting your chances of getting what you want and you’re spending a lot of valuable time doing it wrong. I know your sales person made it seem like all you had to do is deposit your week with RCI or II and then you call them with your request and you’d be confirmed. Reality is there’s a lot of moving parts to doing an exchange correctly, you aren’t just aware of it. While working with owners at some of the finest timeshare companies in the world like Four Seasons, West Inn and Lawrence Welk resorts, I found that many owners in these high exchange properties were still struggling with exchanging simply because they didn’t know how. Also there was no one authoritative resource that they could turn to for help. Now I want to give you the access to the secrets that previously have been exclusive to my personal clients.

I put together ten short videos free of charge that I guarantee will get you on the road to getting better exchanges so you can fully enjoy your ownership. Whether you’re a new owner or an experienced exchanger, I guarantee you’ll pick up some great tips you didn’t know that will put your exchanges on the fast track. The videos are from one and half to three minutes long and one will be emailed to you daily for the next ten days when you fill in your first name and primary email in the box below. Do it now to start getting all ten free videos. All of the best timeshare weeks have been confirmed to other families while you’re watching this video so, don’t wait. But I hate spam too so, I guarantee your email address won’t be sold or given to any other company. I’m Jeff Peirce, The Timeshare Expert, and I’ll see you in the first video

Downtown Disney

Good morning! This is Allison from Destination in Florida with your Mickey Mornings with Mouseketips.

This morning our tip is: Visit Downtown Disney. Downtown Disney is an incredible complex that has shopping, there’s activities and entertainment, and lots of great restaurants. Downtown Disney is a great little evening spot to enjoy and kind of break up your Disney World vacation.

A lot of times we suggest taking your first night of your vacation and going to Downtown Disney just because a lot of guests don’t know what to do on that first night, don’t still want to go to the theme park or not sure what to do, Downtown Disney is a perfect way to kickoff your Disney World vacation. You have several sections at Downtown Disney. You have the market place that has Rainforest Café. There’s lots of great shops there. You have Pleasure Island, it has Raglan Road. Lots of great restaurants, lots of great entertainment. And the other fun thing is, besides having dinner, you don’t have to spend a lot of money from entertainment. You do have the special things Cirque du Soliel and Disney Quest but, overall there’s lots of activities to do at Downtown Disney that don’t cost any money. You can go over to T-Rex and take the kids to the dig site you have to dig the person dinosaur bones and artifacts, and go into Lego Land. Lego Land alone will keep your kids entertained probably for three or four hours. We would get bored but they would love it. You can even go down, you’ll get a car there and get you a little snack,and then take the kids down and ride the carousel train. There’s lots of things to do at Downtown Disney and it’s a great way to spend an evening at Walt Disney World. That is our Mickey Mornings with Mouseketips of the day. We’ll see you tomorrow.

Disney Dining Secrets

Hi! This is Allison with Destinations in Florida with your Mickey Mornings with Mouseketips. Today our tip is a character dining tip.

All the Disney theme parks have a character dining experience that offers breakfast. You have Magic Kingdom with Crystal Palace. Disney’s Hollywood Studios has Play ‘n Dine with the Playhouse Disney characters. Epcot has a Princess Storybook dining and over at Animal Kingdom you have Tusker House.

All four of these Disney timeshares character dining experiences do offer reservations before the parks even open. It’s a great way to kind of experience a little bit of the inside of the Disney theme parks without the crowds. Let me say our favorite is Tusker House over at Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park. It’s amazing because you actually have to walk in Animal Kingdom, kind of wind around a little bit before you get to Tusker House so, you get to see a lot of Disney’s Animal Kingdom theme park with no one else there. It’s quite a peaceful, and it’s kind of a really neat little experience.

The other great thing about staying at the character breakfast early in the morning is that you’re already in the parks when the gates open. Tusker House is the perfect example of that because Tusker House is located way in the back and it’s really close to the Kilimanjaro Safari ride. So, you’re there having breakfast at 8 o’clock. By the time you’re done with breakfast it’s about 9 o’clock and the gates open, you’re already steps away from Kilimanjaro Safari while everybody else is at the front entrance and has to run to get to Kilimanjaro Safari. So, you kind of get a head start on everybody else which is again a great way to save time waiting in lines.

So, our Mickey’s Morning Mouseketip of the day is to book a character dining experience early in the morning before the parks open. It’s a neat experience and it’ll save you a little bit of time in the lines. Thanks for joining us. We’ll see you tomorrow.

What to do With a High Pressure Timeshare Salesperson

What to do with a high pressure timeshare salesperson, next on Travel Wish TV.com.

Hi! I’m Liesel Hlista and you’re watching Travel Wish TV.com, where your travel wish is my command.

Sometimes you will go to a timeshare sales pitch and the sales people and sales manager will try their best to pressure you and to make in a purchase you are not sure about. Do not get backed into a corner by high pressure sales people.

If they’re applying heavy pressure, it’s often because they’re trying to get you to purchase a bad product or because they’re not good at their job. Either way these people only have a say on their mind and they are not worried about you and your future vacations. If you feel overly pressured by a salesperson, walk away and say no. You have no obligation to purchase from them especially if they’re being aggressive to the point of obnoxiousness. You need a clear head when you’re making a major purchase like a timeshare and high pressure sales people will not help you achieve that. And don’t worry. There are plenty of nice sales people who won’t try to pressure you onto a decision you don’t want to make.

But here’s a decision you do want to make. How would you like to save up to 20% on your next vacation? Simply click on the banner and this amazing special offer will let you save up to 20% at many popular national hotels, fine dining restaurants and much more. Plus, you’ll be able to receive a completely free $25 gift card to get you ready for your next trip. This has been another edition of Travel Wish TV.com. I’m Liesel Hlista. Keep checking back for more timeshare tips and tricks.

Tour of Grand-Californian Timeshare

Here we are in our one bedroom at the Grand Californian at the new timeshares. This is the kitchen. It has a very nice microwave, and so, as well as a nice dishwasher and sink. That is the television with the Murphy bed that folds up underneath it, probably child size, I can’t see an adult being in there. This is the doorway to the balcony and this is our fabulous view of the California Adventures Theme Park. Cannot wait to see this lit up at night.

Here is our living room which is a fold out couch for two, probably two kids and one adult. And this is a very nice dining area. And then heading over to the one bedroom side… thermostat; it controls both rooms unfortunately which is kind of a bummer since I like to have my room much cooler than the kids.

This is a guest bathroom which I think is wonderful so that the children can have their own bathroom. Also has a full shower. And going down towards the master bathroom, this is the master bathroom tub with jets and those wooden shutters actually close up for privacy. Let’s have some lights here. The master bathroom is beautiful. It has this nice pattern on the tile, a very nice granite countertop and a really huge shower with one shower head. Really they could have put a second one on there, that would’ve been pretty incredible. This is the toilet, and then this is looking out into the master bedroom. You can probably see our view maybe through here, maybe not. It’s a paradise pier. This is a nice large closet in here with two robes and some extra pillows. And there is a washer and dryer. This is the master bedroom. It has a large chair to put our luggage on which is really nice, it’s own flat-screen television with some input. A internet desk and the master bedroom bed and a really fabulous balcony that you can exit from here. You can also exit it from the other side. If I pull it open. Wala! California Adventure! Really this is a fantastic view all the way around everywhere you look! It’s a really nice balcony. The only thing I don’t like is this closed dock area here because my children are a little bit too small to be able to see out there. They would have to climb up the chairs, which is really not that safe. And this is looking back into the master part. Really-really nice.

Disneyworld Secrets

Hey everybody! This is Matt Gregory and thank you for taking a look at my video on Disney World Secrets, advice about getting most out of your trip. Please make sure to check out my channel – Disney Secrets – and to subscribe to it. I love Disney World, I hope you do too, and I hope this video will help you get a little bit more out of your trip should you be heading to Florida.

Okay. I’m going to be giving you seven tips here. There’s plenty more but, the first one’s Buzz Lightyear, and on that ride actually if you hit the left hand of the giant robot you’re going to get an additional one hundred thousand points for your effort. So, if you’re hittin’ up that ride make sure to do that.

Secret number two is path ways all throughout Disney World. There are pathways that are going to save you a lot of time, just shortcuts, if you will, helps you avoid a lot of the crowds and helps you to enjoy your time there a lot more so, keep your eyes open for pathways. These little secret pathways that help you get to places faster and, just avoid the crowds, you know, and it just helps you enjoy the trip a whole lot more.

Secret number three is the Polynesian Hotel. You can lie in your hammock there and you can actually watch the Water Parade and the Magic Kingdom Fireworks, so, not a bad way to watch those two spectacular events. So, if you’re going to be heading there, to Disney World, make sure to consider that.

Secret number four is Walt’s Dogs. Now, there’s a rumor circulating around that the dog that holds the keys in the Pirates of the Caribbean as well as the dog in the Carousel of Progress, they are actually both old Walt’s dogs. Whether or not that rumor is true, that will be something you will have to decide for yourself. So, make sure you check out those two great events and keep an eye out for the dogs.

The fifth secret that I have is Splash Mountain. Now, just before the big drop off, there’s actually an animal that will drop out of the sealing and yells, “Go, FSU!” Now, the secret behind that is that the engineer who installed him was an FSU graduate. Interesting.

So, secret number six is Tinker Bell, and if you go inside Tink’s treasures and if you go in there and the music’s playing, that means she’s already out and about. However, if you go straight there to the stores, as soon as the gates open, you might just get an opportunity to actually wake up Tinker Bell yourself, they’ll give you a wand, and then you can tap on the treasure chest and say, “Wake up, Tink,” three times, and then the music will start and they’ll actually award you a certificate saying that you’ve experienced a magical moment in Disney World. So, again, if you can get up early enough, that’s well worth the effort.

Another early bird that gets the worm is secret number seven, the final secret, is Mickey’s Toon Town Adventure. Again, if you’re able to get to Mickey’s Toon Town entrance just next to the Tea Cups there, if you get there just before 10am, they’ll actually escort you into Toon Town by several Disney characters personally. So, not a bad way to start the day but, anyway, those are seven quick secrets. Plenty more on in my channel on Youtube so, make sure to check out that channel. Get involved, subscribe, become a friend if you love Disney timeshares as much as I do. It’s well worth it, lots of tips and tricks that I love sharing with people out here via video. So, I hope you enjoyed this video and until next time…

Buying a Timeshare

For most people, owning a vacation home like this, well, it’s as likely as winning the lottery. But, that doesn’t mean they can’t own a piece of one. It’s called a timeshare. Some people love ‘em.

Tom Hage (Timeshare owner): Here they treat us very well. They have good, you know, people contact, you know. We’ve never been turned away from any reservation. I think it’s worth it but, you have to get into the system to believe in the system.

So, how does the system work?

Lesson one is that while a timeshare involves real estate, it’s not really an investment like real estate. A timeshare is really more like prepaying for a hotel room or an apartment. A typical deal might be one week a year for twenty years. And the cost? All over the place but, fifteen to thirty grand is common. You’ve also got annual maintenance fees; couple of hundred bucks, maybe more.

You can buy a timeshare new from big names, no names, or buy ‘em used from specialty sites, even eBay. Either way be careful. There are lots of questions you should ask: How long does the deal last? Some are ten years. Some are deeded and can be passes down to your kids. Ask about annual fees. Are pets okay? Is your time a fixed week each year, or can you change it? Can you exchange for time at other resorts?

And don’t forget to shop around. Visit the resorts you’re interested in. You might even get a free or heavily discounted stay. Another way to protect yourself is deal with the majors; Disney timeshares, Hyatt, Marriot, Wyndham.

Bottom line, a timeshare can be a bargain if you know you can use it, and if you buy a timeshare right. But don’t let a quick decision get you in hot water. These things are easy to buy not so easy to sell. From money talks, I’m Stacy Johnson.

Sell Timeshare – What Are My Options?

Steve:  What options do I have if I do want to sell my Timeshare?

There’s essentially two basic options a person has to make when they want to sell their Timeshare in the resale market. One is they can choose to go with the licensed real estate broker. And it is a legitimate option. Typically, a broker is going to charge a commissions ranging anywhere from 15% upwards of 30%.

And then, the other option is to go with the “For Sale By Owner” advertising company. And that’s where Sell My Timeshare Now fits into the marketplace.

Our job is not so much to handle the transaction per se. Transfer My Timeshare, the closing company, can help you with all that. Our job is to drive. If you’re the seller, Sell My Timeshare Now’s job is to drive as many possible prospective buyers to our website, and ultimately your ad, as we possibly can.

And today, that’s anywhere from 40,000 to 50,000 to 60,000 visits a day. People coming to Sell My Timeshare Now are looking to buy, sell or rent a Timeshare property.

So really, what that means, Steve, is we’re really no different than a newspaper, radio advertising, TV advertising. The only difference is we’re on the internet.

So rather than placing an ad in the Sunday paper, hoping that someone’s going to read that little ad and buy your Timeshare; instead, you’re going to be exposed to an analyst’s flow of traffic; of people visiting the website, looking to buy and rent a Timeshare property. And it’s going to be exposed to those prospective buyers until your property is sold and closed. It’s actually one of our guarantees.