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Re: TransferSmartNow.com/easy (by Lance C.):

emilya51 wrote:

Found this on another website, that might be of some help to you.

"Originally Posted by DeniseM @ tugbbs.com: If they are asking you for an upfront fee - RUN, don't walk away from this deal!

Here are some warnings signs with these kinds of companies:

1) Do they say that they already have a renter/buyer for your timeshare (or an established market like people attending conventions)? 2) Are they offering to rent/sell it for far more than the market value? 3) Do they want you to pay a large up front fee? 4) Are they refusing to send you a contract until you pay their fee?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, then this is the usual scenario: Once you pay the fee and receive the contract, you discover that the company has only promised to advertise your resort, not to rent/sell it, and they don't mention the renter/buyer in the contract.

Then you won't hear anything from them for a long time and when you contact them, they will tell you that the renter/buyer backed out and they no longer have a renter/buyer, but they will advertise your timeshare on their over-priced website.

Finally, when you try to get your money back, they will point out that you signed a contract, and it's only for advertising. When you challenge it with your credit card company, they will tell you the same thing."

Good luck!

You are definitely correct about how to identify scam operations like these and thus avoid them like the plague. However, you have described upfront fee scam operations. The company in question in this thread (Transfer Smart) falls into the category commonly called "Post Card Companies" (PCCs).

While people are wise to avoid both types of companies, here's the major difference between such companies.

The upfront fee scam artists and operations follow points 1 and 2 that you mentioned. They will phone you up unexpectedly telling you that they have a buyer for your timeshare who has put down a hefty deposit. They will tell you that they somehow have this magical power to sell your timeshare for thousands more than what you paid for it. Then, they say that they just need some sort of "modest" fee to cover aspects of the sale and closing. In reality, there is no buyer.

The PCCs are the opposite. They're more truthful regarding the resale value of your timeshare but they will exaggerate how burdensome it is and how hard it is to get rid of it. They will tell all sorts of stories how you will be leaving your heirs a huge headache after you die. "But," they say, "for $2500, we will 'cancel' your timeshare agreement." In reality, all they do is get you to sign over a Power of Attorney authorizing them to try to find a buyer or taker. Sometimes, they can't find one within a reasonable amount of time and, all the while, you are still the legal owner on record.

Either way, timeshare owners are better served staying away from either type of operation.