Original Message:
Re: IBD-MARKETING . HAS ANYONE HEARD OF OR DEALT WITH THEM ? (by KC):
timesharejudi states, quoted only in pertinent part:
>> The resorts should be making their Owners aware of these rip off companies. <<
Hi Judi:
I believe that you are a good and decent person of sound ethics and I completely agree with your comments and assessment regarding the bottom dwelling, upfront fee "advertising" parasites.
That said however, after 20+ years of my own timeshare ownership and experience at several different resorts, I must respectfully disagree with just the portion of your statement which I've quoted above. In MY experience, resort personnel (at least the several resorts at which I've owned for many years now) don't really know a thing about these after-market parasite companies. Few resort staff personnel even know they exist at all (I doubt that many care, either). Accordingly, I respectfully submit that it's both unfair and completely unrealistic to expect the resorts to be "informing" owners about something that the resorts are generally completely unaware of in the first place. This is, quite simply, NOT in the area of resort responsibility or involvement.
I have occasionally prepared detailed articles for POA newsletter inclusion, in which I've included descriptions and warnings about the deceptive practices of these parasites. That has been an OWNER action. Resort staff (i.e., staff who are not actual owners) generally don't even know that these parasites exist in the first place.
An informed and educated consumer is certainly the best mechanism to drive these opportunistic, upfront fee parasites out of business and out of existence. However, I don't believe that it's appropriate or realistic to expect ANY resorts' staff to know about these after market parasites, or to be warning owners about them. On the contrary, I've found myself in the role of being an owner informing the resort! ======================================
Re: >> The rule is if you have to pay ahead of time to sell your timeshare for ANY reason you should hang up on the person, you should throw away their mailer or if you are in person you should tell them exactly what they are.<<
AMEN!!