Update From Vancouver-Timeshare Will Be Changing!

Kudos, congratulations and a great big "yeah" to Ross Perlmutter, everyone at CRDA and all who participated in this year's conference which just concludd in Vancouver, British Columbia.

From the Keynote Speech by Jim Madrid, to the final "Changing Gears" interactive session, the entire ocnference, or "summit" as it was officially called, focused on change, honest and the need for more and better consumer education.

As The Timeshare Crusader, I've been sounding the "a better educated consumer is this industry's best friend" call for so long without any positive reinforcement from either the timeshare industry or in most cases, consumers that I honestly planned on giving this whole thing up later this year.

And while that undoubtedly would have made many people (including my long-suffering family and non-timeshare savvy friends as well as some people in the industry) VERY happy, that plan has been tabled.

People at the summit didn't think I was a nut job!

There were serious discussions about the need to stay in touch with timeshare owners throughout their lives to insure that the legacy of future vacations stays just that and doesn't become the "I don't want the annual fee" whine that is all too common nowadays.

I heard people question the sanctity of the 90-minute timeshare presentation, gifting, fake TO price drops and forcing people to make a purchasing decision now having received no information prior to walking in the door.

With GNEX2011 less than 2 weeks away, with the promise of even more possibilities of significant change to the "we've always done it this way" timeshare system, The Timeshare Crusader is positively giddy with the prospects.

And that hasn't been the case in a very, very, very long time.

Updates

Lots of updates to report:

1)  The July 31st meeting of the Florida Timeshare Owners group promises to be wonderful with featured speakers Woody Cary, Rich Muller and Andrew Sparks.  Andrew is from the Attorney General's office here in Orlando.
2)  CRDA, the Canadian Resort Development Association's annual meeting begins on April 27th in Vancouver.  I'm honored to have been chosen to moderate the exciting "Meet The Owner's" panel and will be reporting.
3)  Perspective International's GNEX2011 is less than a month away.  This is shaping up to be an extraordinary meeting of worldwide timeshare leaders and professionals.
4)  On May 16th, I'll be talking about the issues facing timeshare owners and timeshare resorts alike when I speak with The Villages Timeshare Owners Group.
5)  I'm delighted to start a professional working relationship with Sharetime and TATOC in the United Kingdom as well as provide material for the RCI blog.  Look for my first contribution to those organizations later on this year.

Happy travels to all, and stay tuned for updates from CRDA and GNEX.

The Real Truths About Timeshare-Part 5

EXCHANGES

No one ever said that using a timeshare was going to be free, did they? While I happen to disagree with the rising exchange rates that both RCI and II charge for a transaction that most owners do themselves, i.e. online; in the long run, those fees don't add up to that much. Any any savvy owner better be checking out the many other timeshare exchange companies that are available. Just because the resort is affiliated with one of the 2 major exchange companies, doesn't mean that you are limited to using them.

SUMMING UP

The author makes a point of saying that developers are not interested in updating and/or remodling resorts. That is just not true. Of course, there will always be some unscrupulous developer out there, but it really is up to the consumer to ask questions beyond, "how much does it cost?" And with all the resources out there for consumers, it is a very simple thing to get other owners' views on a particular resort.

As for the ridiculous statement, "let's just hope you don't buy a timeshare in hurricane country", again, comsumers need to ask good questions about what type of insurance the resort has and the fees associated with that insurance.

In closing, let me reiterate a few points:

* No timeshare, even real estate based timeshare, should ever be purchased or sold as a real estate investment. As I said in my first book "Surviving A Timeshare Presentation...Confessions From The Sales Table" "timeshare is not Donald Trump type real estate."
* It is imperative for consumers to ask a lot of questions before making any purchasing choice. For a list of these questions, see my second book, "Timeshare Vacations For Dummies" and stay tuned for my next book, "Timeshare By The Numbers"
* Understand the exchange or trading system, whichever trading system you are going to be using. An off-season week in Alabama is simply NOT going to trade for a high-season week in Hilton Head. No matter what the salesperson said or no matter how much you want to believe it.

The Real Truths About Timeshare-Part 4

LOW RENTAL RATES

Yes, you can stay in some timeshares for les than the cost of owning them same timeshare, particularly if you purchase from the developer. When you purchase from a legitimate reseller, I can almost guarantee you that you will save money over renting.

If you like to rent, then by all means, continue to rent. Basic Timeshare 101 people. If you like to own your vacation, vacation in nicer places than before, have something to hand down to future generations, have more control over your vacations, timeshare is the way to go.

Sorry, But I Don't Believe It

Here's a piece that I saw in Consumer Affairs:

Why would anyone buy a timeshare, you ask? Left to their own devices, they probably wouldn't.


"My husband was told that he won a vacation, but that he had to go listen to the pitch and he was not going to be pressured to buy anything," Alehandra, of Los Angeles, told ConsumerAffairs.com. "Well they accompany you to the restroom, they even accompany you to the bank. I did not get a chance to discuss it with my husband because we were being watched over by the sales guy from Pacific Monarch Grand Vacations."


Alejandra said she and her husband were told one thing, but the contract said something else. They thought they were being offered a week's stay at a Las Vegas resort, but it turned out to only we one or two days.


"I think $2,300 a year is a major rip off for 1- 2 nights every two years, Alejandra said.

Sorry, but I don't believe this story at all.  Especially the piece about the people accompanying the clients to the bathroom and to the bank.  I think it is bogus.  And in the rare event that this is true, WHY WOULD ANYONE NOT JUST WALK OUT?

Stories like this that get national coverage burn me up.

The Nominees Are...

As you may know, Perspective International is hosting GNEX 2011 in the Bahamas next month.  Members of the industry have nominated their peers in several area; best timeshare development, best place to work, best management company, best industry leader, etc.

Today I wanted to let you know who is in the running for Best Resort Development-Timeshare.  Do you own at any of these resorts or have you exchanged into any of these resorts?  If you do, I'd love to hear your input.

Hard Rock Hotel and Casino-Punta Cana
Grand Velas Riveria Maya-Mexico
The Royal Club at Bonnington Tower-Dubai
Royal Savoy Resort-Madeira
Sunset Royal Resort-Mexico
Marriott's Playa Andaluza-Spain
Marriott's Mai Khao Beach-Thailand
Grand Melia Palacio de Isora-Tenerife
Mondi Holiday GmbH & Co. KG-Germany
Grand Solmar at Land's End Resort and Spa-Baja Peninsula
The Palmrya Jamaica-Jamaica
Marriott's Club Son Antem-Mallorca
The Pestana Promenade Ocean Resort Hotel-Madeira
Emirates Vacation Club-Dubai
The DeVere Carrick Resort-Scotland
Ron Jon Cape Caribe-Florida
Sunswop at Beacon Island-South Africa
Porto Marina Resort-Egypt

The Real Truths About Timeshare-Part 3

A DEPRECIATING ASSET

Yes, if you purchase from a developer and pay the average of slightly over $20,000, you can turn around in two years and expect to get considerably less than that. But look at anything else other than your house (and these days you might be able to include your house)...you buy a car for $30,000 and finance it. The second you drive it out of the dealer's lot, you take a $5,000 hit. Drive it for a year or two and you're down $10,000. Drive it until you can't anymore, say 15 years, sell it for $2,000 an dthen you have to start all over again.

It's the same thing with furniture, computers, clothing, CDs, electronics and everything else.

Timeshares should NEVER be purchased with an eye for selling them at a profit or even at break-even. Timeshares should be purchased with an eye for using them. And unlke the car, the furniture, the computer, the clothing, the CDs, the electronics and everything else, they don't have a shelf life, they don't expire, they don't have to be replaced...you just have to pay an annual fee to keep your home rsort up to date.

Of course, if you buy a timeshare on the legitimate resale marekting you are going to pay considerably less than $20,000 so the "depreciating asset" myth is just that, a myth.