Do Timeshare Advocates Advocate For You Or For Themselves?

It seems as if there is a new self-appointed consumer advocate focused on timeshare issues on a weekly basis. This week I found one that has no names associated with it and not even a street address, just “Las Vegas Blvd.”...I mean, come on. 

I’m not at all convinced that these people/organizations/coalitions have the experience/qualifications/motivations necessary for you to throw your belief or money at them. 

I got my start in the timeshare business 20 years ago and even with all that experience, I don’t claim to have all the answers. I also don’t make empty promises or profess that I have thousands of consumers throwing their support, monetary or otherwise, at me. It’s this practice of making empty promises and making it seem as if they’re the “voice” of the timeshare owner that grates on me. 

The fact of the matter is that timeshare owners do not have a unified voice. Many are very happy with their timeshare. Many aren’t. The happy ones aren’t unified. The unhappy ones aren’t unified, in large part because timeshare companies are radically different in the products they offer, how consumers use the products and the fact that there’s no one source of unbiased information. Believe me, I tried back in 2004 when I wrote Timeshare Vacations For Dummieswhich, despite the fact was written as a way to get unbiased information about purchasing, using and selling all matter of timeshare to consumers, failed in its attempt to be a runaway bestseller. 

So while it’s true that I feel the timeshare industry could use some retooling and that the Federal government should set standards and implement legislation, I want you, the consumer to exercise extreme caution when throwing your support behind a self-proclaimed timeshare consumer advocate-including me. Ask questions. Look for real credentials. Delve into their experience. Most importantly, question their motives. 

And whatever you do, don’t blindly follow the advice that so many unhappy timeshare owners are happy to throw out on Facebook pages. Timeshare, financial and legal advice should come from unbiased sources. That means not from the timeshare salesperson and not from an unhappy owner with an axe to grind.