It’s The End Of The Year…Onward!

 For my last post this year I present you with the latest communication piece that I co-wrote with ARDA, the trade association representing this timeshare industry  

My detractors on one side will yell and scream and wring their hands saying that I’m a sell out and that I’m no longer a consumer advocate but a mouthpiece for the timeshare industry. 

My detractors on the other side will yell and scream and wring their hands saying that they’re pure as the driven snow and claim that the consumer is to blame for all misunderstandings. 

They’re both wrong. I have maintained from the start that I don’t feel one side is right and one side is wrong. There’s enough bad behavior on both sides. I also don’t feel that timeshare is a win/lose proposition. I think at its essence, it’s a great product for the right people. 

And while I feel strongly that the industry could do a much better job of taking care of owners who, for one reason or another are done with their timeshare, I think we can all agree that the cottage industry of scammers taking advantage of those owners needs to be shut down. 

Step one is letting consumers know the truth about contracts, those scam companies and what they can do to avoid getting scammed. 

So, here’s the piece that I’m proud to have cowritten with ARDA:

https://www.arda.org/4-things-understand-about-exiting-your-timeshare-contract

Here’s to a better new year for everyone. 

Peace. 

Trust

 

Today a few words about trust when it comes to timeshare issues. And I’m not talking about legal trusts here. 

I recently saw a social media post that said in part that consumers trust timeshare salespeople because they, the salespeople, establish themselves as the experts. True. That’s one of the signs of a competent salesperson. 

The post went on about other so-called authorities or experts such as doctors or auto mechanics and stated that consumers don’t question them as they’re the experts. 

Whoa. You don’t question doctors or mechanics?  Really?  How about the salesperson at a boutique who tells you that you look positively adorable in that $500 dress?  Do you take them at their word because they’re an expert at fashion?

Way back in the Dark Ages when I was selling timeshare, I was stunned whenever the customer handed over a credit card for a $15,000 or $20,000 timeshare based on what I said during a 3 hour pitch. Granted, this is one of the major reasons behind my leaving that profession. I was trained to show the customer that the timeshare would be less costly than staying in a hotel for 10 years on vacation by using an inflation factor that we simply pulled out of a hat. You’d think that all or at least most people would at the very least, check my math. Very few ever did. Believe me, I’m not an expert at hotel costs or math, yet people didn’t question it. I wasn’t lying, but I certainly wasn’t an expert. 

Maybe it’s me. Maybe I’m leery about all salespeople. Maybe whenever something is going to cost me more than $50 I take a breath and look at all the information I can get my hands on and look for alternatives. 

I feel compelled again to say that I don’t condone lying or hiding of pertinent facts in timeshare sales. That’s not what this is about. However far too many timeshare owners are bantering terms like scam, extortion and coercion while accepting zero responsibility for plopping down $20,000 for a very complex purchase in perpetuity. 

Trust needs to be earned. Some random dude with a name tag that identifies them as a ‘Vacation Counselor’ doesn’t immediately earn my trust. Why would they have yours?