General Discussion

refund listing fees from fraud sellmytimesharenow.com

Oct 30, 2019

Cal is 100% right . It's a trap to get you to upgrade to a more expensive plan . They lure you in with the idea that you can get rid of your timeshare when in fact they have no intentions of taking it off your hands . If you decide to go then be prepared and don't let them have the upper hand . Once your ninety minute obligation is up state loudly that you want whatever they promised to give you to attend the presentation . They can't hold you hostage and they don't want you to give the other attendees an idea that it's a total scam . They will want to hurry you out . Make sure you get whatever gift they promised you for your time . You can even mention that you heard about their scam on Redweek so others can google them .


Don P.
Jan 23, 2020

Just wondering I see all the negative comments and not sure if anyone has actually had any buyers or it really is a scam to pay the fee and it just sits out there for who knows how long.


Travis B.
Jan 23, 2020

NEVER pay anyone money upfront .


Don P.
Jan 23, 2020

travisb115 wrote:
Just wondering I see all the negative comments and not sure if anyone has actually had any buyers or it really is a scam to pay the fee and it just sits out there for who knows how long.

It's not really a scam. It's just a very expensive listing service. The reason why "it just sits out there for who knows how long" is because sellers list their units for unreasonably high prices. For instance, if I listed an ad for a 15-year old computer for $1200 because that's what I paid for it back then, do you think it's going to sell?


Lance C.
Jan 24, 2020

Travis B., it is a FACT, that every cent you pay to SMTN is a complete 100% donation to them. Once you find your listing on their site, you will be overwhelmed with the sheer volume of other timeshares floating out there in their virtual sea of timeshares for sale. SMTN makes all of their money on the "Hope" of every buyer seller that they will get some portion of their investment back. The actual reality is that not only have you sunk and lost your money purchasing the original timeshare, but any money you pay to SMTN in hopes of recovering any of your sunk costs, will also end up in their pockets. They will give your timeshare a reference number and toss it into their sea of lost hopes as they pop yet another cork in your honor.

As Don P. always says, Never, ever pay money to anybody, even your new timeshare company, that says you can recover money from your old timeshare. "It's all a SCAM!


Cal B.
Jan 24, 2020

Lance C. I have to disagree with you wholeheartedly. SMTN is a complete and utter SCAM. Their sea of listings have timeshares with values of $100.00 and even less. As a test, or challenge, I would like to see any seller list their qualified high dollar timeshare, at a ridiculously low dollar value, to see if you ever even get a nibble. You obviously aren't obligated to accept a low offer. My contention is that offers, real legitimate offers, never manifest themselves anywhere in this SCAM factory.

Here's how I know this for a fact, I have listed one of my timeshares with them, after paying $2,000.00 for the privilege. After floating in the sea for over a year, I priced it ridiculously low, and I got scam offers from their office sales people. The reason I know they were scam offers and not real offers is in how they classify and discuss their inquiries. It's all designed and meant to give you "Hope" that a real sale is just around the corner. It's all a ploy, smoke an mirrors and you're left with yet more years of maintenance fee payments. Obviously, all of this stalling leads to everyone in the sea being left with actual "worthless' contracts to anyone but you.

Cheers.


Cal B.
Jan 25, 2020

calb15 wrote:
Lance C. I have to disagree with you wholeheartedly. SMTN is a complete and utter SCAM.

Well, you're free to call SMTN a scam if you want. Believe me, I hate its methods and MO, but it is a legally registered company. I don't want to start facing legal implications for calling a company a scam when it is properly registered. I just feel that their "services" are way over-priced.


Lance C.
Jan 25, 2020

I agree with Lance that SMTN is not a "scam", although I too have nothing but unmitigated contempt for their unscrupulous operation.

SMTN is an overpriced listing service --- nothing more. They have been around for a long time and they will be around for a long time to come. As long as people keep voluntarily sending them "upfront" money to do nothing more than "list" a timeshare at a price that few would for even one second ever consider paying, SMTN will continue to thrive.

To starve this hungry SMTN beast, people have to stop feeding it!


KC

Last edited by ken1193 on Jan 28, 2020 02:54 PM

Mar 23, 2020

Be happy I paid 1800$ for a premium subscription, i was treated like a king ...for one hour and then I became just a forgotten file number. I had to send almost 10 emails to my customer care and after threatening her to escalate to the management i got a reply.

I just decreased my price to the lowest possible and I got zero contacts. ‘ Instead, I am being contacted frequently by a partner company to them offering me a trip to Mexico, why ? I do not know but I know that I did nothing to deserve this trip so I guess this is just a vicious circle. Sofiane.K Royal coral marina.

anthonyjj wrote:
jasont53 wrote:
jayjay wrote:
anthonyjj wrote:
I have the information from my credit card company for the dispute,but what exact info do I have to put on for me to get my money back from these crooks. I am really upset by this, and how they can get away with this with a smile on there damn faces.

Until there's some sort of regulation regarding upfront fee resale companies, there's not much you can do until these thieves are caught by the media and exposed for their thievery.

They get away with their schemes because they advertise themselves as ad agencies, not real estate agencies, and they lie to the eenth degree telling prospective clients they can get mega bucks for their timeshare if only they will sign up with them and pay that upfront fee (in the hundreds of dollars) .... that's all they really want, the upfront fee.

I have said this many times before in these forums, I'd rather dig ditches to make a living than to outright lie to people like upfront fee parasites do. I don't see how they sleep at night, but some people would sell their children to make a quick buck .... absolutely no integrity or conscience involved. I imagine the turnover employee rate with upfront fee resale compaies must be astounding.

My name is Jason Tremblay. I am the CEO of SellMyTimeshareNOW.com. We are the fastest growing resale company in the industry because our service works. We generate an average of $7million per week in offers to rent and purchase timeshares through our website. This can be substantiated. As a result there are countless brokers and charities that happily pay to advertise on our website. Furthermore, we are an accredited business with the BBB. We do NOT have unresolved complaints. Visit http://concord.bbb.org/WWWRoot/Report.aspx?site=104&bbb=0051&firm=92008632 for proof. Our business is no different than any other advertising website. Why do businesses pay $800 to advertise on a site like www.monster.com? Because they know that monster.com has the traffic. Our business is similar. We drive more traffic to our website than any online competitor through search engine rankings. This may be why ARDA has asked me to speak at their internet marketing forum at their national convention in Las Vegas.

Understand, we recognize that there are resale companies that have made it a practice to charge money and not offer a service in return. We think that is unfortunate and are confident that time will expose these businesses. We take a different approach. We realize that our future success is built on the success of our customers. Last year I spent over $1million on targeted "buyer" marketing campaigns. The result is tens of thousands of buyers shopping our site daily and 2-3,000 buyers making offers on properties weekly. These are all facts I can substantiate.

Regarding the customer that started this thread, I suggest that he/she contact our customer service department if they have a complaint. If the complaint is legitimate we will do the right thing. Always have, always will. Customer care can be reached by calling (877) 815-4227 or email customercare@sellmytimesharenow.com

Our company is a full service resale solution. We also own www.timesharehotdeal.com which is a licensed real estate brokerage. For clients not wanting to advertise by owner, we will happily charge a commission on "the back end". visit timesharehotdeal.com or timesharebrokerservices.com for details.

Lastly, if replies to this post consist of more name-calling I will withdraw from the thread. I'm extremely busy. However, I'd be happy to engage in a healthy debate over business models. Also, just wondering, Jay Jay, are you compensated in any way by Redweek to post in this forum?

First of all, I was given a market analysis on my timeshare that it was worth much more then it really was, and that I would get offers. I was told by the salesperson that I would def get offers and because I am so aggressive in my pricing that I would be fine. I am currently the lowest on the site for the resort my timeshare is in by thousands of dollars. I have gotton one offer that I accepted but the buyer never came through. I was lied to by your salesperson and your company. Please tell how your system works? I meet all the requirements that my timeshare would at least get offers, correct? I am the lowest on the site by thousands, flexible in pricing, check my emails daily. The offers that people give to buy timeshares, why not keep track of how many sell and for how much? I hope to get a refund because I was LIED TO AND TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF. If you are the CEO then refund my money. It was 399.00.


Sofiane K.
Mar 28, 2020

SMTN may not be a scam but they are in violation of real estate law when they recommend a price or provide any advice that requires a real estate license. When I submitted a couple articles to them for comment and had the members file a complaint with the Florida timeshare division DBPR for giving real estate advice without being a licensed realtor, both members got their listing fee refunded because they are not licensed realtors. In the case of one of the members they had been told, "$12,000 is a good price." They are not allowed to say that.

They are unscrupulous. I used to write for Inside Timeshare. They stole our keywords so that when you searched for Inside Timeshare you got a link to Inside Timeshare Sales and Rental which was the link to SMTN. Pure sleaze.


Irene P.
Jun 04, 2020

How do I go about doing this for myself? I’d just like a refund for the listing.


Ericka K.
Jun 04, 2020

erickak7 wrote:
How do I go about doing this for myself? I’d just like a refund for the listing.

When did you sign up with them and how much did you pay?

Also, in your contact with them, did they somehow suggest a selling price and, if so, how much?


Lance C.
Jun 04, 2020

I tried that and they denied my claim


Ericka K.
Jun 04, 2020

It was a year ago in feb. it was about $1800 and and they asked how much I owed and Suggested 2000 over that… And just last month I called again to drop it and she told me to drop it in half


Ericka K.
Jun 05, 2020

Frustrating for me too. No single call or offer since i started with them months ago. Price dropped from 15kusd to...9k and still no offer, no message. I have one of the best TS according to SMTN and i am offering it at the best price but still nothing. I asked them: WHO IS BUYING WHAT IN THIS CASE ??? They published then my ad on their facebook and twitter pages but there was almost no view and zero comments, seems their pages is not followed by millions of people. This TS is the worst experience in my life. I lost 18k usd just like a beginner.

erickak7 wrote:
It was a year ago in feb. it was about $1800 and and they asked how much I owed and Suggested 2000 over that… And just last month I called again to drop it and she told me to drop it in half


Sofiane K.
Jun 05, 2020

sofianek wrote:
Price dropped from 15kusd to...9k and still no offer, no message. I have one of the best TS according to SMTN and i am offering it at the best price but still nothing. I asked them: WHO IS BUYING WHAT IN THIS CASE ??? They published then my ad on their facebook and twitter pages but there was almost no view and zero comments, seems their pages is not followed by millions of people.

Who suggested the original $15,000 sale price, you or they? If you haven't read the reviews about SMTN, SMTN is notorious for suggesting owners list with it for unreasonably high selling prices. Very few sane, informed buyers are going to pay $15,000(or even $9000) for a resale. Most units resale are worth about zero dollars.

Here's an experiment. If you have an E-Bay account, log into it. Look for units similar to yours and see what they sold for. Make sure you check completed listings as opposed to active listings as these will tell you what they actually sold for. You might be in for a shock to see that many sold for just a few bucks and some were completed without garnering any bids. That's the sad reality of timeshare resales.

If you see that many were completed with sale prices around zero, then if you are serious about getting rid of your unit, you might just have to do the same. Try other reputable timeshare websites such as here on RedWeek, My Resort Network, E-Bay, or Timeshare Users Group (aka "TUG") and list it for a low price or even give away.


Lance C.
Jun 05, 2020

erickak7 wrote:
It was a year ago in feb. it was about $1800 and and they asked how much I owed and Suggested 2000 over that… And just last month I called again to drop it and she told me to drop it in half

If she suggested a selling price when she is not a licensed real estate broker, then she is breaking the law. It's probably too late for you to get your money back since you paid them over a year ago. However, if you are serious about getting rid of your unit, you might want to change the listing price to zero dollars.

You can also try to contact the resort and ask if it will take your unit back.


Lance C.
May 20, 2021

I signed up with them on March 16, 2021. Paid upfront fees of $1,698.00, this is for them to handle all the transfer of ownership when they sell it. They gave me a price range to set it at. Also they would not let put everything about my ownership on the add. I want to put the additional points I have banked for RCI usage, they would not put that on the add. I have not had one response from them since this started and they said it would sale before 90 days. When I went on the website and looked there are more than 50 other one out there that are still for sell. Now I don't know what to do. Can you offer any help. Thanks Faye S


Faye B.
May 20, 2021

This company is a scam and crooks...I lost $2000 .

Pure scum!

I complained to Florida attorney General.


Michael J M.
May 24, 2021

fayeb56 wrote:
I signed up with them on March 16, 2021. Paid upfront fees of $1,698.00, this is for them to handle all the transfer of ownership when they sell it. They gave me a price range to set it at. Also they would not let put everything about my ownership on the add. I want to put the additional points I have banked for RCI usage, they would not put that on the add. I have not had one response from them since this started and they said it would sale before 90 days. When I went on the website and looked there are more than 50 other one out there that are still for sell. Now I don't know what to do. Can you offer any help. Thanks Faye S

With all due respect, you may not fully understand the SMTN operation. The money you paid upfront to SMTN is only for a "listing" --- nothing more . In the (unlikely) event that a buyer should ever materialize, closing and transfer costs are entirely separate, and are paid to SMTN by the buyer. SMTN closing costs are also unusually high.

SMTN's primary objective is to collect upfront fees, which they have already successfully accomplished in your case (and many others). SMTN does not care one bit if your timeshare ever sells; they already have your money. If by good fortune a willing buyer should happen to come along, closing and transfer costs collected from the buyer is just more unexpected and welcome gravy for SMTN.

What SMTN does (i.e., collect hefty upfront fees from people willing to voluntarily overpay for a web site "listing") is certainly not illegal, but this so-called "service" is both grossly overpriced and usually completely ineffective.

I don't know the statistics on sales via SMTN, but I am strongly inclined to believe that SMTN sales are likely somewhat rare, particularly since the listing prices are usually very unrealistic and far above actual resale market value.

I suggest pursuing other avenues in your attempt to part company with your timeshare, as it is highly unlikely that you will ever see any results with SMTN. The money you paid to SMTN is just plain gone. Unfortunately, some timeshares have no market demand or resale value. If yours is among them, you might ultimately have to try to just give the timeshare away for free if it turns out there is no value or demand in the resale market for whatever it is that you own. RedWeek and Timeshare Users Group (TUG) are both popular, reputable (and relatively inexpensive) advertising venues. Good luck, but don't bank on ever achieving any actual results from a SMTN "listing".


KC

Last edited by ken1193 on May 25, 2021 05:21 AM


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