Original Message:
Re: I worked at a timeshare SCAM....I want to tell you about it. (by R P.):
peterp151 wrote:What then is your definition of a scam? Any company who says or implies in any way you can rent or sell your timeshare for an unrealistic price?
Not only that, many upfront fee resale/rental companies tell prospective clients that they have people waiting in line to buy or rent their timeshare at extravagant unrealistic prices. In other words many lie to the prospective client telling them what they want to hear. The testimonials are here if you care to search for them. Also, many resale companies tell prospective clients that they offer a money back guarantee, but when the client calls to get their money back all they get is an answering machine or the company has closed shop.
Quote:Any company who charges too much for the listing/service? Any company who has no intention of providing the service owners pay for? Or any company who implies they can get your unit sold/rented that you pay money to and then your unit doesn't sell/rent?
All of the above ......
Quote:I consider a scam as follows: Any company who does not intend to market your unit with the intention to work towards getting your unit sold/rented.
The vast majority of resale companies put a client's timeshare in an obscure database that no one will ever see ...... they don't actively market the timeshare and if they did the price of the rental or sale, that they've claimed/quoted the clients can get is so high that nobody in their right mind would bite. If buyers and renters wanted to pay developer/resort prices then they would do so directly from the resort, not a third party.
Quote:Redweek and SMTN both work to improve their internet presence in order to bring more people to their sites to view, inquire and hopefully complete deals with owners. That's their responsibility regardless of what the sales staff says to you about what your unit is worth.
I don't know anything about SMTN, but if they charge an upfront fee in the hundreds/thousands of dollars then they are in no way like Redweek's classified ads that charge a minimal fee for sales and rental ads. Therein lies the difference and Redweek has over a million members and their site gets millions of hits a day from people looking to buy, sale or rent a timeshare. They also advertise in many different media publications as well as billboards (we saw two in the Kissimmee area last year).
Quote:It is then the owners' responsibility to price their unit .....
Most owners don't have a clue as to what to price their timeshares ..... many owners merely think they can sell for what they paid the developer and any timeshare educated person knows that you will get nowhere on resale what you paid a developer, but many upfront fee companies tell prospective clients exactly what they want to hear (that it's worth is what was paid the developer) knowing full well it won't happen.
Quote:It's the owners' responsibility to learn and know what to do.
Exactly, and that's why we regular posters are here everyday on Redweek ..... to try and educate the unknowing timeshare owner about all phases of timesharing and all the scams involving such out there.
Quote:I agree SMTN sales staff have embellished a number of points to me. They at times represented offers made on their site to owners are somewhat like negotiated prices. Apparently people believe these misrepresentations and then call SMTN a scam. I agree these actions are dishonest. But this type of misreprresentation is perpetuated upon us all the time.
Anytime untruths or embellishments are told to clients by a company then it is a scam, period. I don't know who you do business with in your personal life, but I don't do business with anyone that outright lies or embellishes anything concerning their business practices.
Quote:I wish you not insinuat I am a shill merely because I disagreed with you initially.
I never called you a shill. I said that there are many shills that come onto these forums praising their upfront fee companies. Unless you own or are employed by SMTN, then you are not a shill.
Quote:....... (you now agree low up front fee companies are not necessarily scams which was a part of my initial statement) yet you chose to accentuate "large up front fees" which we have not discussed in order to continue disagreeing where you can. How much then is a large up front fee?
In case you haven't been paying attention, I have reiterated many times that any company that charges an upfront fee in the hundred/thousands of dollars is a scam.
Quote:You have not specifically contested my statements I sold on SMTN which is known to charge $200 to $900 up front. Are these large fees or not? Are you saling their sales process is a scam, the fees are a scam, or that the entire function of SMTN is a scam?
Why would any person in their right mind pay any company $200 - $900 to supposedly resale their timeshare ..... it's because of all the lies told the prospective client by the resale agent, that's why.
Quote:Heck, I haven't paid (on average to a specific company) more than $300/unit for advertising/selling and I hate paying that unless I have a very high assurance the payment results in the sale of a unit.
How can any company assure that your timeshare will sell? This is ludicrous as there are millions upon millions of timeshare weeks for sell. How can they guarantee your's will sell. In the timeshare world, it's all about supply and demand of the resort and time owned and in this economy only the strong will sell at all then at a ridiculously low price at that.
It's a buyers market, not a seller's market ..... as a matter of fact, I don't think the timeshare industry will ever recover in the future. People have adjusted their spending habits due to this flailing economy and they won't be buying a luxury items such as timeshares ..... renting perhaps at reasonable prices, but they won't be buying. This ecomomy has taught people valuable lessons and the Dave Ramseys and Suze Ormans of this country. Everyone I know is cutting back drastically.
Quote:Here I am then, completely willing to prove I have paid up front fees which resulted in the sale of timeshares. I'm shocked you are so confident no one has ever paid a large up front fee and been able to sell a timeshare. It's done on SMTN which is an up front fee site. They would not likely be so large if they were not enabling bookings and sales to occur.
I don't have documented proof that SMTN sold your timeshare and many upfront fee resale sites are very large because they have scammed so many unknowing people by telling them untruths and outright lies ..... they put on a show with their fancy websites, but that doesn't mean a thing.
Quote:I have sold multiple timeshares thru the ads I paid for on SellMyTimeshareNow, primarily The Historic Powhatan Resort, Scottsdale Villa Mirage, and I believe Sedona Summit or The Ridge on Sedona Golf Resort. While I have listed units for sale on Redweek I have not yet sold any thru this website but I have rented some units to people. I've had great success renting from other owners on this site!
I sold nine timeshare weeks myself via internet timeshare ad sites such as Redweek, etc. and I didn't pay out hundreds of dollars in doing so, however I priced my weeks competitively because I bought all but one on the resale market and the one I bought from the developer I lost money on bigtime, however I don't blame the developer I blame myself for not doing my homework before signing on that dotted line. Edcuation and research is the key .... after I bought the developer week (too late to rescind) I started researching timesharing backwards and forwards and in and out thus educating myself.
Quote:I paid Universal Marketing Solutions $3,400 to buy or otherwise enable another buyer to buy 11 of my timeshares, pretty much all at once.
Why would anyone buy 11 timeshare weeks when they would be responsible for 11 yearly maintenance fees and possible special assessments? The owner who supposedly bought your 11 timeshare weeks will be responsible for all fees related to those weeks until hid death and even after that his estate is responsible for the fees until the weeks are sold or changes hands. This sounds unrealistic when one can pick up a nice timeshare on Ebay for 1 cent to $1.
Quote:I'm not a shill, please don't call me one because I disagree with you.
I haven't called you a shill, yet, but the more you post the more you're beginning to sound like one .... sorry, I call it like I see it.