Original Message:
Re: I worked at a timeshare SCAM....I want to tell you about it. (by Jay K.):
mirandah13 wrote:If you contact a Realtor and they tell you that you should pay anything upfront you should report them to the Real Estate Board for the County they work in. If it is a State that allows upfront fees like Missouri you should contact the division that handles timeshare and complain until somebody listens. If you contact Century 21, RE/MAX, GMAC or any other Company that is a franchise they are usually required to belong to the real estate board. Then you have someplace to complain to that will usually take action. If it is a smaller real estate company they do not have to belong to the Board of Realtors so you have to complain to the Department of Business and Professional Regulatory Board that handles real estate licenses. It will be different in each state. If it is in Florida email me and I will give you the proper association that handles the problem or at least listens to the problem. If they get enough complaints they will do something. I was just told by an attorney that there is nothing wrong with charging an upfront fee. After all if the person went to the local newspaper they would have to pay ahead for their advertising. Real estate companies are not advertising companies. He is correct that an advertising company should be allowed to charge an upfront fee. What they should not be able to do is lie to collect the fee. Since I shop these companies all the time I am very familiar with the lies. The bottom line is you NEVER have to pay an upfront fee to sell timeshare. If RE/MAX, GMAC or Century 21 or any other company sends you to an advertising company you should run the other way and you should report them to the Board of Realtors for their county.amyv41 wrote:What about GMAC timshare resales, I spoke with one of their reps today and she wanted $1200 registration fee that is when I politely told her no Thank you and hung up. I've been scammed before lost $600, not doing it again. But I thought by contacting GMAC, it would be legit, I mean I was under the impression they were a real estate company. So who should I contact? I am an owner at Bluegreen.ghulamalig wrote:amyv41 wrote:2 years ago I worked at a timeshare scam. I am a single mother (it doesn't condone my actions but please understand). I easily made over 3k a WEEK at my resell job. The company has a really BAD rep online you will find them on ripoffreport.com.The owner a very young guy and his pal run the place his pals father is an attorney and they are the lowest of the low.
I found the job being unemployed and afraid I answered an ad in the Orlando Sentinel for sales people. I have quite a bit of sales and marketing experience and they gladly took me aboard.
I soon realized that I was dealing with a timeshare scam by that time I had already been well on my way to making $156K for the year getting a 30% commission on every deal I sold.
As you may be able to imagine I was having a worldly & spirally binding war within my self. I can still remember how excited that the whole office was when the first hour I made my first sell. It was an intoxicating experience I still bare the shame for. the man & wife even called immediately back after I got their credit card just to check if the number was real, and of course it was. As you already know my faith, my spirit and my fear of god brought me to my senses. I started to question the owner in front of the "other" employees and I did my own Internet investigations including a back ground check on the owners & the DUI attorney daddy. I found what I was looking for and I was not quiet about it so they FIRED me. I expected as much. I needed to be fired to clear my conscious.
The place is still scamming to this day and they are still raking in the cash from unsuspecting timeshare young and old alike. I am sorry for my part in this SCAM. I just want you all to be aware of the fact that you should NOT pay an UPFRONT FEE. TO anyone ever. I find that this site is the best source of renting the timeshares out (by word of mouth).
Good luck to all and I am sorry if I hurt you who ever you are.
Thankyou very very much for this vital info. about not giving upfront fee. I am trying to sell my time share westgate town center at orlando but all companies want upfront fee, which I refuse to pay. Could you please advise me how I sell this time share. thankyou
Yes. You should go to your resorts in house resell office. If your resort is not able to resell please avoid UP FRONT FEES OF ANY KIND even through a so called lic real estate broker/agent, However, a licensed professional is regulated by the FREC in Florida and the laws about upfront fees are very clear they can not take up front fees EVER, for more info contact the DBR dept of business regulations. GOOD LUCK. I feel for you.