Please report upfront fee scammers to Attorney General ..... there's power in numbers

I've been trying to get my money back from being scammed by Worldwide Marketing Solutions. My credit card company, Capital One, has sided over and over again with WMS. I have given proof that they are scamming people and still they said there is nothing they can do for me. When I first started this process, I was able to still call WMS. Now, there number only goes to a machine and no will ever answer or call me back. Is there anything else that can be done with Capital One?

First thing you must do is report to the BBB of where ever the seller of timeshares are from .Then get in touch with the Attonery General in that area.It really works I receive my money back. This is a big scam with the wyhdam I am in process to foreclose on my timeshare every year they raise the maintance they are out of their minds. I will go to every to every wyndam location and tell people not to buy their timeshare they are all in it together these company'sthat try to sell your timeshare . Stay away from time shares

Take it a step further and get in touch with a class action attorney that only charges if they win .... you can find many on the internet .... if several complaintants step up to the plate, it can work .... one person should start the action by getting all others that's been scammed by the same company to email their complaints to the attorney that that person hires or to the person that starts the complaint process so that he/she can forward those complaints .... I'm beginning to think that this is the ONLY way these scammers will be shut down since nothing else has seemed to work.

The BBB is of no help in this situation .... it's obvious you're wasting your time to deal with them since there are hundreds of scammers still in operation .... you will need to start the action yourselves with a class action attorney.

Below is one such firm but you can google to find many more:

http://www.aconsumerfraudlawyer.com/html/class_action.html

I am posting this to better educate timeshare owners about the dangers of dealing with resale companies.

I'm ashamed to admit that I worked for one of these outfits in Florida (I am a realtor by trade, and when the market crashed, a friend offered me a job working for a popular timeshare resale company). I would mention the name, but I am fighting them in court, and would prefer to not give details.

ANY company that asks you for money up front is worthless. They do not use this money to do a title search; they do not use this money to defer expensive ad costs... they pocket this money, and the sales rep gets a small percentage (25% - 30%), the Company Owners (who both encourage and reward employees for these fraudulent practices) take about 70% and look the other way. The most the company will actually do is place your t.s. on their website, which costs them $0.00. You have an equally good chance of selling by listing your property with E-bay or Craigslist, or even the corporate that originally sold you your t.s..

As for me, I am facing a possible law suit, because I warned customers and gave them an opportunity to be refunded their listing fee. I, and other former employees, are awaiting subpoenas; a few have already been served and will appear in court in late April.

Bottom Line: If you own a timeshare, chances are that you're on a mailing list somewhere, and will be getting multiple solicitations from "resale corps" who guarantee that they can sell / rent your property in less than 90 days. Some will even tell you they have an interested buyer on hand, and need to you pay a handling fee to get the ball rolling. The entire sales pitch (including their names) is pretty much a lie, and I encourage you to write the State Atty General in the state where the timeshare company is located.

Be warned: they're still doing this, and the only way to stop them is if timeshare owners band together.

reneem150 wrote:

As for me, I am facing a possible law suit, because I warned customers and gave them an opportunity to be refunded their listing fee. I, and other former employees, are awaiting subpoenas; a few have already been served and will appear in court in late April.

Are you saying your're facing a possible lawsuit from the upfront fee scam resale company that you formerly worked for ... or are you saying your're being subpeoned for your, and other former employees, lawsuit against the scammers.

Does anyone know anything about Vacation Property Trader? They took me through their website which even warns people about scamming timeshare companies. They don't promise a buyer but they aggressively market your timeshare. Would love some feedback!

I am one of several employees who left my job b/c of their unscrupulous practices. As customer service reps, we regularly dealt with furious people who had been grossly misled, and worked to help them cancel or obtain a refund. We thought it was our job to keep the customers properly informed, and happy.

The company is now threatening to file suits against any former service reps who helped customers to obtain refunds. The company claims that our "meddling" had a negative impact on revenue.

It's worth mentioning that after we realized how bad things were getting, we informed the county sheriff's department about the situation and signed statements. We were told by investigators to continue working there for a while longer to prevent suspicion, since an investigation was already underway.

We have secured legal counsel, and signed an affidavit that outlines the unscrupulous sales techniques implemented by the owners. We hope to 'turn the tables' on this company (and others like it), and have them placed under investigation for fraud.

I will be glad to post on here again after we've had our day in court and let you know the outcome.

Have you filed a complaint with the attorney general in the state the scammers are located .... also, I would recommend you start a class action lawsuit against the scammers ... back them in a corner as they have you ... see my thread on how to file a class action lawsuit .... there are attorneys on the internet that will not charge unless they are successful in winning the lawsuit.

I don't know how in the world that any court of law would side with the scammers ... what they're doing is against the law .... they are stupid to even consider a lawsuit against you and other former employees for doing the right thing.

In my opinion, they don't have a legal leg to stand on and I'd be looking forward, if I were you and the others, to testify against them.

susieh25 wrote:

Does anyone know anything about Vacation Property Trader? They took me through their website which even warns people about scamming timeshare companies. They don't promise a buyer but they aggressively market your timeshare. Would love some feedback!

If they charge an upfront fee in the hundreds/thousands of dollars then they're a scam, period.

I contacted the AG and the county agency about Timeshare Market Pro Inc,but both of them contacted them and then closed the case without any help. I then tried to contact TMPI for three days only to talk to nobody. Too bad they can't go undercover to check out some of these companies.

Hi JayJay,

Frankly, I'm not 100% sure how to handle it. I've never been to court before, and except for a few routine traffic tickets, this will be my first experience being subpoenaed (sp?).

The great irony is this: I received a voice mail message from them on Monday offering me my job back (which is not even a consideration). They said, verbatim, "We enjoyed having you work here, and we don't want to subpoena you, so we'll give you until the end of the week to return to work. If you go to work on the sales floor, you'll be able to make enough money to cover those charge-backs. We don't really want to sue you, but we have written letters from two clients that state you helped them to obtain a refund." This is proof that no good deed goes unpunished.

On one hand, they've (the owners) accused myself (and several others) of deliberately causing them to lose revenue because we told customers how to get their money back (some of these customers paid as much as $5000 and were furious their property had not moved). On the other hand, they're willing to ALLOW us to work there again.

Essentially, it's blackmail. We either return to the job and work there (w/out pay) for as long as necessary to cover charge backs from customers, or we'll be forced to fight them in court. The owner and founder of the company is an attorney, so their legal representation costs them nothing. The rest of us are unemployed former employees struggling to survive.

I've been advised to do nothing, and wait to see if the subpoena arrives. I've prepared an affadavit which will be signed and notarized by 8 former employees, attesting to the unethical practices of this company. I also kept the voice-mail recording of them offering me my job back.

Clearly, their concern is not for the customer, the employee or anyone other than themselves. Why else would they be willing to re-hire such awful employees? They feel they can frighten us into working there without pay until we've filled the void. It's nonsense.

Any advice is greatly appreciated. As of today (Wed, 3/23) I have not received my subpoena. Either way, an employee who did will appear in court on April 9th (i believe). I will stay in touch, and let you know how this goes.

Thanks for taking the time to read this

I used to work for a company like this. Providing you have not been contacted with offers for the sale or rental of your timeshare (and I'm sure you haven't), write them a letter explaining that you are demanding a full refund, or you will contact 1) the state atty general's office and 2) the sheriff dept in their county to report fraud.

The squeaky wheel gets the oil, believe me. They are hoping you will forget about everything, and by the time you take action, you'll be too late. It's usually a good idea to request a refund between 3-6 months (you've given them ample time to find a buyer, yet you've had no offers).

The last thing they want is more negative press,or a possible lawsuit. I hate to say it, but you will need to make threats in writing (send a certified, return receipt letter so you have evidence). Also, record any phone conversations if possibile.

Converse with other people who have been damaged by the same company and get petition signed. Showing them the petition, and threatening to go public with it may get you results. One lasit option is calling a consumer advocate person for a news channel. With enough complaints, they could find themselves on the 6:00 news.

I hope this helps.

A class action lawsuit by all those that's been scammed by a upfront fee resale company is also a good idea .... see my thread on class action lawsuits.

All I had to do to get my money back from a nationally advertised product scam operation was mention the words class action lawsuit.

We're making progress ..... please read below .... thank you Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum and those that filed complaints with his office .... our aim is to shut all upfront fee scam companies down:

Attorney General Focuses Consumer Protection Initiative on Timeshare Resale Industry

~ McCollum announces 2009 was record-breaking year for consumer recoveries ~

TALLAHASSEE, FL – In continuing recognition of National Consumer Protection Week, Attorney General Bill McCollum today announced he is tackling growing abuses in the timeshare resale industry, beginning with the announcement of a significant settlement that could yield as much as $1.3 million in consumer refunds and the filing of a lawsuit against a major player in the timeshare resale industry in Florida. The Attorney General also unveiled ongoing investigations into at least 17 timeshare companies and their affiliates throughout the state for deceptive trade practices.

“Florida’s consumers are trying to make prudent financial decisions, but many timeshare resale companies are blatantly scamming people by promising sales or refunds and failing to provide services even after taking hefty up-front fees,” said Attorney General McCollum.

The statewide initiative was launched by the Attorney General’s Economic Crimes Division in 2009 in response to the growing number of timeshare resale complaints received by the Attorney General’s Office last year. Timeshare resale complaints have recently surpassed mortgage-related complaints as the most commonly reported consumer complaint received by the Office’s Consumer Hotline.

The lawsuit filed today against Resales Buy Owner.com, Inc. states the company engaged in a systematic pattern of deception that improperly induced consumers to pay up-front fees for timeshare resale services that were never provided. According to consumer complaints, the company would indicate it either had a buyer or renter interested in the timeshare and that there would be no problem renting or selling the timeshare within 90 to 120 days. According to the lawsuit, the company merely advertised the property listings, if taking any action at all, and allegedly charged consumers’ credit cards even after consumers opted not to do business with the company. The lawsuit seeks an order prohibiting the company from engaging in further deceptive conduct and seeks full restitution on behalf of victimized consumers, civil penalties and reimbursement for fees and costs. Two additional lawsuits are also pending against other companies.

The Attorney General’s Office also announced a significant settlement with Virtual Group, Inc., an Orange County company, resolving allegations the company failed to provide promised refunds to consumers. Virtual Group, which does business under the name Realty Trade, offered timeshare resale and rental advertising services to consumers looking to sell or lease their timeshare properties. As a result of the Attorney General's investigation, Realty Trade has already paid over $800,000 in refunds to 799 consumers. The company will also make another $500,000 available to consumers who make new refund requests.

Over the past year, the Attorney General’s Office has also reached settlements with six other timeshare resale companies obtaining total restitution to consumers of more than $298,000, with approximately $50,000 more in escrow to resolve future complaints in some cases. Several of these settlements contributed to a record-breaking $216 million in restitution for Florida consumers obtained by the Attorney General’s Office in 2009. Since 2007, the Attorney General’s Office has returned over $363 million in restitution for Florida consumers, several times more than the recoveries obtained over the previous four years.

In addition to the litigation and the settlement announced today, in recent months, the Attorney General’s Office has subpoenaed 17 timeshare resale companies and their affiliates over allegations of potentially deceptive business practices. Common complaints about timeshare resale companies involve the use of false and deceptive claims to entice consumers to pay up-front fees, including assertions that buyers are allegedly ready and willing to buy or rent the consumers’ timeshare. Companies also often allegedly fail to honor cancellation policies, misrepresent the actual services that will be provided to consumers, and fail to comply with elements of state and federal telemarketing acts.

Floridians who are considering listing their timeshare for sale or rent are encouraged to contact the Attorney General’s Office to inquire whether or not specific companies have complaints reported against them. Consumers can contact the Attorney General’s Citizen Services Division by calling the Attorney General’s fraud hotline at 1-866-9-NO-SCAM (1-866-966-7226) or by visiting the Attorney General’s website at http://www.myfloridalegal.com.

Pending litigation: - American Marketing Group, LLC., located in West Palm Beach – lawsuit filed in January 2010 - Hicks, Inc., doing business as Universal Marketing Solutions and Creative Vacation Solutions, located in West Palm Beach – the Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit against these companies in October 2009. An Agreed Orders for Temporary Injunctive Relief was obtained against this company and its principals in January 2010, and further litigation is pending.

Companies subpoenaed: - Executive Timeshare Marketing, Inc., located in Tamarac, Florida - Coastal Timeshare Solutions, Inc., located in Boca Raton, Florida - Worldwide Resorts Direct, Inc. and Worldwide Marketing Solutions of Palm Beach, Inc., doing business as Worldwide Timeshare, located in West Palm Beach, Florida - TS Luxury Group, Inc., located in Lake Worth - C& G Marketing Associates, LLC., doing business as Premier Timeshare Solutions, located in Palm Beach Gardens - Nationwide Marketing Solutions, Inc., doing business as Magnum Advertising Services, Inc., located in Lake Worth - International Resort Solutions, LLC., located in Lake Worth - E.A.T. Sales LLC, located in Boca Raton - Euroamerican Timeshare LLC., located in Boynton Beach - Transatlantic Timeshare LLC., located in Boynton Beach - Seabreeze Advertising Corp., also known as SBA, Corp., located in Daytona Beach - Timeshare Market Pro, located in Davie - International Marketing and Finance, located in Wellington - Gold Crown Property Management, Inc., located in Dunedin - Vacation Property Resales, Inc., doing business as BUYATIMESHARE.COM, located in Tampa - Timeshare Only, located in Orlando - PFS Concepts, Inc., doing business as US Vacation, located in Largo

Recent settlements: - World Timeshares, Inc., located in Deerfield Beach – The Attorney General’s Office settled with this company in April 2009 and obtained $100,161 in consumer restitution. - Timeshare Travels, located in Boca Raton – The Attorney General’s Office settled with this company in April 2009 and obtained $90,323 in consumer restitution. - Vacation Property Trader, located in Deerfield Beach – The Attorney General’s Office settled with this company in May 2009 and obtained $8,447 in consumer restitution. - Preferred Vacation Resorts, Inc., doing business as Preferred Property Services, Inc., Preferred Property Services.com, Inc., located in Clearwater – As a result of the Attorney General’s investigation into these companies, they ceased operations in April 2009, and the Attorney General’s Office obtained $36,000 in consumer restitution. - D&D Vacations, Incorporated, doing business as United States Property Services,, located in largo – The Attorney General’s Office reached an agreement with this company last week and obtained $26,000 in consumer restitution. - S.F.C. Group, Inc. doing business as TWA Resale, located in Orlando – The Attorney General’s Office settled with this company in March 2010 and obtained $37,226 in consumer restitution.

Keep up the goal Redweek members ..... as I stated at the top of this thread, "there's power in numbers" and we aim to shut down every upfront fee scam company out there, so keep filing your complaints with the Attorney General in the state where the scammers are located.

From the Florida Sun Sentinal .....

In 2009, attorney generals in Arkansas, Massachusetts, North Carolina and Oklahoma issued their own warnings about the timeshare resale industry.

I am about 45 others have filed a complaint with the florida attorney generals office. I have contacted a class action lawsuit lawyer and the reply was you signed a contract so what is the problem, I was surprised. In my state of NJ the consumer affairs office has taken on the case. I will not rest until this company is shut down, and it seems like when they find a senior they take full advantage of them, one senior 19,500 and another 8000. They live on a small SS check and now have to pay the credit card, after all the company made promises that the timeshare was sold and they could make lots of money off their getaways. What a lie, you cannot sell your getaways.

deborahw191 wrote:

I am about 45 others have filed a complaint with the florida attorney generals office. I have contacted a class action lawsuit lawyer and the reply was you signed a contract so what is the problem, I was surprised. In my state of NJ the consumer affairs office has taken on the case. I will not rest until this company is shut down, and it seems like when they find a senior they take full advantage of them, one senior 19,500 and another 8000. They live on a small SS check and now have to pay the credit card, after all the company made promises that the timeshare was sold and they could make lots of money off their getaways. What a lie, you cannot sell your getaways.

You signed a contract under false pretense and lies .... don't quit looking for a class action law firm .... there are many on the internet that will charge out of the proceeds only if they are successful .... perhaps you should forward the post here showing them all the upfront fee companies that the Florida Attorney General is investigating and litigating and why they are doing so ... it's the lies the scammers tell prospective clients, going so far as to tell them they have a buyer or a renter waiting to sign the paperwork .... if that's not cause for a class action lawsuit then I don't know what is.