Can It Get More Deceptive?

It’s almost impossible to believe that this level of deception took place during one sales pitch. However, I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of this saga. 

I’ve redacted the name of the developer in question for purely selfish reasons. I have no interest in receiving a subpoena and this developer has a history of attempting to make things miserable for those individuals who threaten to uncover some of the less consumer friendly practices they routinely employ. They’re a real “gem.”

I purchased "points" with REDACTED the end of August when celebrating a friend's birthday weekend. I was provided misleading and false information by the sales representative into the inducement of purchasing. 

She advised 30,000 points was equivalent to 60,000 points as the value doubles in the first 4 months of the year and that 30,000 points could be transferred to $9,000 to cover the yearly maintenance fees and still have leftover for vacation. My friend was with me at the time and asked over and over specifically about this because it seemed as if we'd then be making money on the points. Melinda, the sales rep, assured us this was true. She also advised I could sell weeks to friends or family to add to the value. 

Lo and behold I've found out almost everything she stated was a lie. It's been 3 months and I've been trying to get out. I paid nearly in full, my entire savings, of $60,000. I'm a single mother to three small children and was not expecting to have to pay maintenance fees as the points were to cover this as I was promised. 

I've now taken out credit against myself to pay an attorney to get me out. I tried to resolve with REDACTED stating I just wanted to give it back and I'll take a hit on the $60k I paid out of pocket just to be free. They were unwilling, despite that it's only been three months and nothing has been used. I'm desperately hoping my attorney will prevail as I don't have the funds to cover the $6,000 in maintenance fees they would be drafting January. It is not what I was promised or told. 

Also, my friend whom was with me was somehow added to my account even though he never signed any paperwork or has relation to me. And REDACTED is attempting to have the responsibility fall on BOTH of us when he never touched a paper or had any dealing with their shady tablet closings. His name is nowhere on the "title". If this doesn't go through I'm hoping not to be forced into foreclosure. As a single mother I regret entirely ever stepping foot into the REDACTED sales presentation. Lesson learned.

While this experience is disgraceful, I’m particularly angered by the fact that the developer refuses to take back the timeshare, despite the fact they have $60,000 in cash. The CEO of this developer is fond of touting the “fact” that they are part of ARDA’s Responsible Exit coalition. Several misinformed media sources parrot what this CEO says, without so much as a follow up question. One reporter was “surprised” when I informed her that this developer charged $1,000 per contract to get out. It seems the CEO neglected to mention that in his attempt to get out his narrative. 

Instances like this clearly illustrate the need for more comprehensive timeshare reform. A 24-hour cooling off period, as some are calling for, would do nothing to prevent these sales tactics. 

Guest Post-DelRay South Shore Club Needs Help

Delray South Shore Club, a timeshare condominium chartered in 1981, is one of the only beachfront properties left available for the average person as an economical vacation on the east coast of Florida. 2019 has seen a concentrated effort by speculators to sell this property to a developer despite the owners wishes to remain a timeshare resort.

In 2017 the BOD solicited, then received, an owners vote to continue as a timeshare. The scheme to sell the property began after this vote according to investigations by concerned owners.

A long time owner used many methods, including outright fraud to manipulate the BOD and Owners into consenting to terminate the timeshare and sell the beachfront property to developers. 

There is proof and the search of public records, real estate transactions, BOD meeting minutes and media reports reveal a paper trail. There is documentation of the intent to use the legal system, State Agencies and relationships with public officials and developers to obtain this property for their own enrichment. 

The Florida Condo/Timeshare Compliance Division was used by an owner over 20 times to initiate State compliance investigations and paperwork for the Association. In addition, this Owner sued the BOD for information not available to other owners for information on foreclosures and delinquents. This same Owner and an associate were elected to the BOD with questionably fraudulent resumes.

Unsolicited offers for purchase of the property were tendered with the BOD and Owners were not notified for three (3) months.  

Four out of seven BOD purchased auctioned weeks without timely notification to Owners. BOD members also purchased foreclosed intervals, weeks the Owners paid to have legally foreclosed on, from DSSC on information not shared with Owners for $10 to $500 each week.

The resort was sabotaged twice costing the Association over $20,00 in repairs.

This was reported to the Delray Police with the resort manager stating that he believed this occurred because a developer wanted to buy the property. 

Another survey was sent out by the DSSC attorney asking if the Owners wanted to sell with the count still in favor of keeping the resort.

The BOD has a full list of Owners and sends out missives while owners cannot communicate. The BOD consistently failed to make needed renovations and repairs to the property despite Owners payment of required assessments and maintenance fees.

Despite the Owners expressed wishes to remain a timeshare resort the BOD sent out a proxy vote to all owners regarding the termination of the timeshare and sale of the property. The ‘ballot’ cited renovation/repairs in excess of 1.5 mil not based on any contractor quotes. The ballot was confusing with owners having many questions not answered by the BOD. The DSSC attorney, citing a 92% compliance rate stated, an overwhelming consent vote to terminate and sell. The proxy was not sent as required by Florida Law and there is over 5%, actually 12%, of the Owners that do not want to sell

The BOD is now in a ‘trustee’ position. Nothing is being repaired and the Annual Owners Meeting and Elections required by Association bylaws has been cancelled. 

This property will be sold at below market value to developers that will bulldoze the resort and build multi-level beachfront condos for the wealthy, $5-10 million each.

The BOD was not honest and did not fulfill their fuduciary responsibility to Owners, a legally binding responsibility. The BOD misinformed, failed to inform and used outright disinformation to obtain the result they wanted, the termination of the timeshare and sale of the property to their own benefit. The BOD engaged in self dealing to enhance their financial windfall at their own direction.

Four of the Owners have initiated a lawsuit to stop the sale of the property. The suit asks the court to have the BOD return the fraudulently purchased intervals, toss the flawed proxy vote, order continued operations as a condo association for regular people to vacation until settlement of the suit. The court is asked to require the property to be placed on the open market for a fair bid with detailed information for the Owners to decide to sell or stay. 

These developers have money and connections while we ‘regular people’ from all over the country cannot even communicate the real facts nor request support.

Want to know more? See the website at https://bit.ly/delrayssc

To help us fight big real estate money contribute to the legal fund at https://www.gofundme.com/save-south-shore

e-mail with comments:

transparencyssc@gmail.com

Here’s Another Consumer Crying Foul

This is an actual post/complaint which clearly illustrates the fact that some, perhaps too many, consumers are abdicating their responsibility when it comes to timeshare matters. I have redacted the developer’s name because it’s not about them; it’s about the consumer. 

The sales person kept me for about 4 hours and lied to me about the value of the shares and he also said I can cancel it any time and there is nothing to lose (all Lies) to make me buy the package.

The value of the shares were almost 1/10 of what he told me and I have not been able to cancel it either. It is impossible until after the whole price is paid.

He told me I don't need to read the manual because it's boring and he has told me what I need to know, but he hadn't and cost me $US15000 plus months of stress and sleepless nights.

I can't ever forgive them. Don't bother buying these shares, they are only working for their own benefits not yours.

I am having a hard time finding any empathy for consumers who allow themselves to be put in these situations. There are serious problems that need to be addressed in the industry. Addressing this just wastes time and energy. 

4 Ways To Avoid Timeshare Buyer’s Remorse

Do you understand the differences, both legally and usage wise between fixed week, floating week, points, deeded, right to use and deeded in trust?

Is it still affordable if your finances change?

Do you understand how the internal and external exchange program(s) work should you decide to visit somewhere other than where you purchase/own?

Did you purchase for any other reason other than securing vacation accommodations?

In addition to these pointers, I’ve identified 19 must ask questions if you’re considering purchasing a timeshare. It’s a total mystery to me why people spend hours and even weeks researching and comparison shopping a couch, a mattress or even a Bluetooth speaker system but then rely on what the timeshare salesperson says during a high pressure sales presentation that they don’t even want to be on while on vacation. 

There are 9 additional questions to ask if you’re interested in purchasing a timeshare on the secondary market. Cheap timeshares are everywhere.  It’s just as easy to make unwise decisions when the timeshare is $500.  The key is to ask the right questions.

I’ve made these questions available for only $19.99. Your choice...$19.99 or a $20,000 perpetual contract. 

The Most Common Things That Are Misrepresented At A Timeshare Sales Pitch

If you’ve ever sat through a timeshare sales pitch, you know that they can be high pressure. The sales staff has been trained to do one thing and one thing only—-influence you to purchase on the spot. Because of that high pressure, these sales pitches can be laced with, ahem, some misrepresentations. Here are the most common things that are misrepresented at timeshare sales pitches: 

>Price Today vs Price Any Other Time

This is the one that is used the most, often in conjunction with ‘quoting’ some State Statute. If there is such a statute, such as in Florida, it has to do with whatever gifts you’re being bribed with to sit with the salesperson, not the price. Trust me, they’ll take your money tomorrow, next week or next month. 

>Resale Value And Your Ability To Resell

The truth of the matter is that the resale market is awash in timeshares that owners are willing to sell for $1,000 or less. Sales agents simply refuse to disclose that. In some cases, licensed brokers will refuse certain listings because the timeshare literally has NO resale value because of the draconian restrictions placed by the developer in secondary market purchases. 

>Maintenance Fee Relief Programs That Do Not Exist

There are many permutations of this misrepresentation. Suffice it to say you should not purchase additional timeshare under some bizarre plan that you’ll be able to pay off your fees with the points. Read that again, makes no sense, does it?

>The Value of Travel Awards

Again, there are a myriad of promised schemes using timeshare points and the ability to purchase certain travel rewards. Bottom line, buy timeshare only to use as timeshare, not for the promise of being able to use it for airline tickets, etc.

>Stating A Lower Interest Rate Can Be Obtained From A Bank Or Credit Union

In the event you’re smart enough to balk at the ‘convenient’ 15%, 16% or 17% financing the resort will offer you (and you’d be stunned to find out how many people agree to those insane rates), some salespeople will tell you that you can get a personal loan. Wrong. I have yet to find a bank that will finance a timeshare. What are they going to do if you’re foreclosed on?  There is however a reputable source for people with good credit history. Check out LightStream.com. 

>Ease Of Ability To Return To Your Home Resort

Unless you purchased a fixed week/fixed unit timeshare, highly doubtful, you’re going to have to make reservations to come back to your home resort. You’ll be battling other owners and owners who are exchanging into your resort for prime season. You had better fully understand exactly when you need to make a reservation and what the process is before you purchase. Don’t rely on the salesperson, talk to other owners. 

>Ease Of Ability To Trade/Exchange

If you think coming back to your home resort takes some doing, it’s nothing compared to attempting to trade or exchange into another resort. In addition to the fee averaging over $200 (!) most owners find out too late that they need to make plans either 12-13 months out or less than 60 days out in order to get what they want. An week in Branson, Missouri is not going to get you Christmas Week in Hawaii. 

Bottom line here is do not do anything in haste. If you’re looking for assistance in determining what’s true and what’s false, figuring out if a timeshare is for you, or like millions of people who already own and no longer want or use what they have, contact me at lisaschreier617@gmail.com. 

Optics Count

This is the unedited copy off of the Club Wyndham section of ResponsibleExit.com, the website for ARDA’s Coalition for Responsible Exit. The coalition is, in their words, “...dedicated to providing useful information for owners who are looking to safely sell, change, cancel or exit their timeshare.”

If you feel that your Club Wyndham timeshare no longer meets your travel needs, Ovation by Wyndham representatives are ready to hear from you — for free. 

*The team can identify a solution based on your unique needs. 

*Ovation by Wyndham will handle the process for you from beginning to end. 

*There’s no pressure to accept an Ovation by Wyndham option. 

*There are NO additional costs or hidden fees. 

Contact a Wyndham Cares representative at 866-948-4690 to learn more about the available options. 

Now, I don’t know about you, but if I was a Wyndham owner who wanted to exit, this clearly gives me a way out. There’s no fine print. No disclaimers. No exceptions noted. Good news, right?

Wrong. At least for more than 100 long time owners of Carriage Hills and Carriage Ridge resorts in Canada who, despite having paid off their times and being current on all maintenance fees are being met with a terse “Sorry, not for you” when they call. 

I’ve received an excellent education on the entire nature from someone with extensive knowledge of this and it is indeed, complicated and a textbook example of a nightmare situation for all involved. I hope to one day bring all the details out in this blog if for nothing else than to illustrate the necessity for consumers to ask in-depth questions before purchasing any timeshare as well as staying involved in the operations and management of the resort. Timeshare is not just about paying for and going on vacation; despite how easy the salesperson makes it sound. 

But let’s return to Club Wyndham’s copy that makes it sound like all you need to do is call. They owe their owners more. Transparency is important. Optics are important. Club Wyndham-FIX THIS. 

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.