One of the problems (and there are many) with "used" timeshare listings is that in many cases, the information bears no resemblance to the truth.
Consider this listing which I recently found on a very well-known timeshare reseller's site:
RCI GOLD CROWN RATED OFFERING LUXURIOUS 3BR/2BATH VACATION SUITE SPACIOUS UNIT SLEEPS UP TO 10 PEOPLE COMFORTABLY ANNUAL USAGE BASED ON THE POINTS SYSTEMS SALE PRICE $6,500 NEG INCLUDES 20,900 ANNUAL VACATION POINTS ANNUAL FEES $300
So what is wrong with this listing? Where do I start? How about:
* the resort is NOT rated Gold Crown, it is rated Hospitality
* there are no 3-bedroom/2-bath suites at this resort
* there is no ownership available at the resort valued at 20,900 RCI Points
* 20,900 RCI Points would get you LESS than 1-week in a junior 1-bedroom in the
off-season...NOWHERE near a 3-bedroom
Imagine you're looking to purchase a 3-bedroom resort in Kissimmee...you've already toured one or more of the wonderful resorts there with a price tag of $26,000+ and now you see this ad. WOW...only $6,500...what a deal!
So what can be done about these thousands and thousands of incorrect listings? Well, for one, I think that all timeshare resorts should have at least 2-3 full-time people on staff to comb the listings out there and take some action. At the very least, correct the listing or buy back the property in question. And that of course assumes that the listing is real and not just designed to draw unsuspecting consumers in.
As for the timeshare reseller...shouldn't they at least have some sort of basic knowledge of the timeshare properties they are listing, again, assuming they are real listings? I talk a lot about how the timeshare developers and their salespeople need to clean up their act and stop "pitching heat." Something needs to be done on the resale end as well. Sigh...so much work to be done.
1 comment:
I think we need to rename the resale sites "Listing Sites" As you know they sell very, very little properties. Until "Listing Sites" can be upfront with there customers about the REAL value of their timeshare, they will continue to take peoples money.
The inflated sales prices that owners list their properties for, comes from the Lies the they believed when they were sold. And thats why very little sell on the listing sites.
THE LISTING SITES ARE JUST AS BAD AS THE RESORT SALESPEOPLE.
Post a Comment