Original Message:
Re: Timeshare Companies Report Record Sales Again (by stanleyf5):
HI. It is not illegal, immoral or unethical to sell a product for more than someone else is selling the product. It is illegal to describe a timeshare as an investment, because no prospectus is normally provided by the timeshare salesman and the SEC rules on investment sales must be followed. If a timeshare salesman says it is a great financial investment, he then is violating the rules for selling investments established by the SEC, whose authority is determined by congress. I am not an attorney, but fraud laws are quite complicated and what one person considers lying may not be considered so by another person. No one forces a person to buy a timeshare, and every state has a recission rule which is based on the the possibility of mistatement of facts by the selling party. I do not condone some of the tactics used by salesman not only in the timeshare business, but other business areas. However, the buyer must bear some responsibility for actions in purchasing the property. Usually the buyer is enticed to attend the sales presentation by the offering of something of value, i.e. a dinner or show or some other inducement. There is no free lunch, if you accept the inducement to participate in the sales presentation, then you have willingly made yourself available to the salesman. I have bought a timeshare from the developer, I paid much more than I would have paid on the Internet Sales Sites, had I known about such sites. I however do not feel I was cheated because I could get a better price elsewhere. In fact, I have bought additional weeks on the Internet since I bought the developer week. I think in general, I have gotten value for my expenditure. Did I get the absolute lowest price, absolutely not. We are adults, we have to accept responsibilty for our actions. Stan.