Buying, Renting, and Selling Timeshares

Royal Marketing Group

Does anyone have any experience with this company? Their web site they told me is RoyalVacationsClub.com. Their website looks rather simplistic to me. I checked the BBB which indicated the had 7 compliants against them.

Les

Les C.

lesc11 wrote:
Does anyone have any experience with this company? Their web site they told me is RoyalVacationsClub.com. Their website looks rather simplistic to me. I checked the BBB which indicated the had 7 compliants against them.
Les

I have never even once heard of this particular "marketing group". Nonetheless, I can honestly and openly say that in nearly 25 years of timeshare ownership and experience I have NEVER ONCE known of ANY entity with the words "marketing group" in its name to actually be a credible timeshare source. In all likelihood, they are just another "upfront fee parasite advertiser", with lots of grossly overpriced listings which no well informed buyer will ever take seriously. I hope that you have not paid any money to these people. If you did, consider it a "donation" and an expensive life lesson....

Last edited by ken1193 on May 18, 2008 05:21 PM

Ken, This company was on a list that Mayan resorts gives to buyers so they can market(rent) it out to receive monies back to help with the purchase of their properties. They recommended this paticular company although they say they don't "recommend" purchasing vacation ownership for rental. Having already experienced the upfront fee and the "we got your money, see ya, marketing ploy," have not invested any money with them.

My main objective here is for anyone that has had an experience with them good or bad to reveal their experience. If they provide great performance as a company and marketed or rented your property as agreed, let us know. If not, let us know that also.

I want to make it clear though, that my family and I have enjoyed many wonderful vacations at the Mayan resorts and will continue to do so in the future. They are awsome properties!!

Les

Les C.

lesc11 wrote:
Does anyone have any experience with this company? Their web site they told me is RoyalVacationsClub.com. Their website looks rather simplistic to me. I checked the BBB which indicated the had 7 compliants against them.Les

How much of a cut do they take? They don't say on their website. You can rent out your own Royals condo here on Redweek or at www.mexicondo.com for a very minimal fee. The latter website asks for a mere $10 dollar donation to list your ad.

R P.

Of course they want 299.00 upfront and that's it. I asked that they send me the contract and have called 3 times after that with no reply. Not likely I would give them any money.

On the first phone call the gal asked for the fee and I said, hold on and I'll do my due deligence first before any money exchanges hands and that was the last time she talked to me.

If there is something here that others can learn from, so be it. If these companies exist just to take our money, we will expose their game. There are 3 other comapnies on that list (the list I received from the mayan folk). I will list them in the Subject title above and anyone with information or experience with them, please post your story.

The information we all share here is important.

Les

Les C.

Many people do not want to exert the effort or spend the time to rent or sell a timeshare on their own. That's not a judgement or a criticism, just a statement of fact.

In truth, it has been (historically, anyhow) virtually ALWAYS possible for an owner to either sell or rent on his/her own. In terms of return on time and/or money invested, it has generally been time and money well spent. Sites like RedWeek, MyResortNetwork, Vacation Timeshare Rentals (free), Craigslist (free), Bidshares (also free) have made selling and renting a relatively painless process. Owners even report (on various timeshare site discussions) success on eBay with late or "last minute" rentals, although rarely at top dollar.

The problem developing more and more for timeshare owners, renters (and travellers of ALL kinds, for that matter) is that the cost of travel and airfare is already very high and is clearly still heading upward into the stratosphere --- and will continue to do so. The airlines have to pay for fuel just like everyone else and they use enormous quantitities of it on each and every flight. Accordingly, the cost of airfare is likely to soon meet or exceed the consideration of initial cost of purchase or rental of a timeshare. Air travel (even driving) cost is going to have a significant and increasing impact on ALL long distance travel, whether for business or pleasure.

My suggestion to U.S. owners who own timeshares located outside of the U.S. (and who want to rent it out) would be (in addition to using the various advertising sites already specified above) to:

1. Look for and find an entity which markets OUTSIDE of the U.S. People from Europe and Japan are currently more than happy to take full advantage of a weak U.S. dollar. Even with costs high, their favorable exchange rate mitigates this factor.

2. Look for and find an entity which takes their rental commission only upon actual rental, with no "upfront" fees of any kind required. No rental, no fee. Period.

3. Finally, many resorts have their own (very profitable) "in house" rental programs. They typically take a 25-30% commission, which is certainly a big bite, but the owner need do nothing more. Additionally, when the resort conducts the rental, the resort assumes full responsibility for any renter damages. In a private rental, with or without a rental contract, the owner is ultimately fully responsible for any incurred damages. Owner may be able to "chase" the tenant on the basis of the rental contract contents regarding responsibility for damages, but the resort doesn't care one bit about that. The resort is ONLY going to "chase" the actual OWNER, if damages occur in excess of the renter credit card authorization amount which was provided at renter check-in.

Just my personal thoughts and opinions on the subject....

Last edited by ken1193 on May 20, 2008 07:22 AM

I learned a lot of informations in this topic. It is very useful to me. thanx u

===================

detta

Detta D.

Last edited by marty8084 on May 23, 2008 03:13 PM

lesc11 wrote:
Ken, This company was on a list that Mayan resorts gives to buyers so they can market(rent) it out to receive monies back to help with the purchase of their properties. They recommended this paticular company although they say they don't "recommend" purchasing vacation ownership for rental. Having already experienced the upfront fee and the "we got your money, see ya, marketing ploy," have not invested any money with them.
My main objective here is for anyone that has had an experience with them good or bad to reveal their experience. If they provide great performance as a company and marketed or rented your property as agreed, let us know. If not, let us know that also.
I want to make it clear though, that my family and I have enjoyed many wonderful vacations at the Mayan resorts and will continue to do so in the future. They are awsome properties!!
Les

Thanks for the information you provided. I just bought timeshare from Mayan Group. It seems that company encourages timeshare buyers to rent out their weeks through the rental companies provided by the Mayan Group. I haven't made calls to Royal Marketing Group or other two rental companies yet.

Ling J.

lingj wrote:
lesc11 wrote:
Ken, This company was on a list that Mayan resorts gives to buyers so they can market(rent) it out to receive monies back to help with the purchase of their properties. They recommended this paticular company although they say they don't "recommend" purchasing vacation ownership for rental. Having already experienced the upfront fee and the "we got your money, see ya, marketing ploy," have not invested any money with them.
My main objective here is for anyone that has had an experience with them good or bad to reveal their experience. If they provide great performance as a company and marketed or rented your property as agreed, let us know. If not, let us know that also.
I want to make it clear though, that my family and I have enjoyed many wonderful vacations at the Mayan resorts and will continue to do so in the future. They are awsome properties!!
Les
Thanks for the information you provided. I just bought timeshare from Mayan Group. It seems that company encourages timeshare buyers to rent out their weeks through the rental companies provided by the Mayan Group. I haven't made calls to Royal Marketing Group or other two rental companies yet.

============

I kind of hit the ceiling when we were negotiation a trade from Mayan Palace to Grand Mayan and then learned that the list of rental organizations charged up front fees. They finally SUBTRACTED THE AMOUNT OF AN UP FRONT FEE from our already determined new contract cost. Since we have not actually used the companies on that list, I guess we are ahead of the game. MD

Mary D.

ken1193 Many people do not want to exert the effort or spend the time to rent or sell a timeshare on their own. That's not a judgement or a criticism, just a statement of fact.

My suggestion to U.S. owners who own timeshares located outside of the U.S. (and who want to rent it out) would be (in addition to using the various advertising sites already specified above) to:

2. Look for and find an entity which takes their rental commission only upon actual rental, with no "upfront" fees of any kind required. No rental, no fee. Period.

Just my personal thoughts and opinions on the subject....[/Q

Our family just returned from a stay at the Grand Mayan in Puerto Vallarta, MX. We went to a presentation and bought at the Mayan. We now need to sell our timeshare at Paradise Village (just a few resorts away from the Mayan resorts.) They gave us a list of rental/resale companies, but I don't like the idea of giving them money up front - they have no real incentive to sell your property at that point. Thanks for the info in your message. I will try the websites you mentioned.

Have you had success in selling/renting timeshares? If so, which website did you use?

Please let me know if there are any other tips I should know before trying to sell my Paradise timeshare.

Thanks, Guest

Dave G.

daveg110 wrote:
Our family just returned from a stay at the Grand Mayan in Puerto Vallarta, MX. We went to a presentation and bought at the Mayan. We now need to sell our timeshare at Paradise Village (just a few resorts away from the Mayan resorts.) They gave us a list of rental/resale companies, but I don't like the idea of giving them money up front - they have no real incentive to sell your property at that point. Thanks for the info in your message. I will try the websites you mentioned.
Have you had success in selling/renting timeshares? If so, which website did you use?
Please let me know if there are any other tips I should know before trying to sell my Paradise timeshare.
Thanks, Guest

I have sold 9 timeshares on the internet all of which I received what I wanted (what I paid initially resale) except for the developer bought timeshare which I lost money bigtime reselling it.

You have to remember that you will not get on the resale market what you paid the developer (no where near it). If you bought developer then you will take a substantial loss.

I sold my 9 timeshares here on Redweek, www.myresortnetwork, www.bidshares.com and I may have sold one on Ebay ... it's been awhile, HOWEVER that was before the postcard companies and their 1 cent to 1 dollar timeshares on Ebay. The key is to price it right and below other ads.

Never ever pay an upfront fee (in the hundreds of dollars) to list your timeshare. Upfront fee companies are outright scams.

R P.

Last edited by jayjay on Jul 02, 2008 08:37 AM

I have had calls from Global Financial regarding selling or renting out our timeshare properties. They claim that as a finance company they primarily make their income from finance charges to the buyer. I''m not quite so clear how this works with a rental--maybe because I've been dodging their call-backs! They do indicate a charge to confirm ownerships (THEIR due diligence) Not huge compared to most up front companies of familiar infamy! Has anyone actually used them for either sales or rentals? No wild speculation, please. MD

Mary D.

Last edited by adahiscout on Jul 02, 2008 10:00 AM

lesc11 wrote:
Does anyone have any experience with this company? Their web site they told me is RoyalVacationsClub.com. Their website looks rather simplistic to me. I checked the BBB which indicated the had 7 compliants against them.
Les

I paid them the $299.00 fee after having a difficult time even getting in touch with Shauna at Royal. They never rented it out and I have never been able to contact them since. Now their phone doesn't work.

Ed R.

I've been speaking to a representative from BML Marketing in Orman, Fl, regarding selling a timeshare. They charge a one-time advertising fee of $899 to sell, and/or $499 to rent a timeshare property. They use this money to offer 3 days/2 night stays to entice their customers to attend a presentation for after-market sales/rentals, just like the developers. So they have face-to-face sells, as well as 6 websites, which I've found to be very professional and easy to navigate. The rep said she makes money when the customer buys and finances their purchase, so she does have an incentive to sell the property. This sounds and looks legitimate. I still wonder about giving money up front. What do you think - have you heard anything about this organization?

ken1193 wrote:
Many people do not want to exert the effort or spend the time to rent or sell a timeshare on their own. That's not a judgement or a criticism, just a statement of fact.
In truth, it has been (historically, anyhow) virtually ALWAYS possible for an owner to either sell or rent on his/her own. In terms of return on time and/or money invested, it has generally been time and money well spent. Sites like RedWeek, MyResortNetwork, Vacation Timeshare Rentals (free), Craigslist (free), Bidshares (also free) have made selling and renting a relatively painless process. Owners even report (on various timeshare site discussions) success on eBay with late or "last minute" rentals, although rarely at top dollar.
The problem developing more and more for timeshare owners, renters (and travellers of ALL kinds, for that matter) is that the cost of travel and airfare is already very high and is clearly still heading upward into the stratosphere --- and will continue to do so. The airlines have to pay for fuel just like everyone else and they use enormous quantitities of it on each and every flight. Accordingly, the cost of airfare is likely to soon meet or exceed the consideration of initial cost of purchase or rental of a timeshare. Air travel (even driving) cost is going to have a significant and increasing impact on ALL long distance travel, whether for business or pleasure.
My suggestion to U.S. owners who own timeshares located outside of the U.S. (and who want to rent it out) would be (in addition to using the various advertising sites already specified above) to:
1. Look for and find an entity which markets OUTSIDE of the U.S. People from Europe and Japan are currently more than happy to take full advantage of a weak U.S. dollar. Even with costs high, their favorable exchange rate mitigates this factor.
2. Look for and find an entity which takes their rental commission only upon actual rental, with no "upfront" fees of any kind required. No rental, no fee. Period.
3. Finally, many resorts have their own (very profitable) "in house" rental programs. They typically take a 25-30% commission, which is certainly a big bite, but the owner need do nothing more. Additionally, when the resort conducts the rental, the resort assumes full responsibility for any renter damages. In a private rental, with or without a rental contract, the owner is ultimately fully responsible for any incurred damages. Owner may be able to "chase" the tenant on the basis of the rental contract contents regarding responsibility for damages, but the resort doesn't care one bit about that. The resort is ONLY going to "chase" the actual OWNER, if damages occur in excess of the renter credit card authorization amount which was provided at renter check-in.
Just my personal thoughts and opinions on the subject....

Dave G.

I am so upset with Royal Marketing Group. We got sucked into buying a timeshare on our honeymoon, and we thought that we would be able to market it and make some money. At least then it would be worth it, until we could afford to take yearly vacations. So we registered with Royal Marketing Group and have heard nothing. We do have a contract, and they do have our money - but we have nothing. I have not been able to get ahold of them even one time in a whole year. Any advice?

Kelly L.

kellyl139 wrote:
I am so upset with Royal Marketing Group. We got sucked into buying a timeshare on our honeymoon, and we thought that we would be able to market it and make some money. At least then it would be worth it, until we could afford to take yearly vacations. So we registered with Royal Marketing Group and have heard nothing. We do have a contract, and they do have our money - but we have nothing. I have not been able to get ahold of them even one time in a whole year. Any advice?

Yes, KEEP AFTER THEM ..... surely there's a telephone number (or several) that you can repeatedly call.

R P.

same here . I just bought timeshare of vacation ownership from Mayab group one month ago. Called a few times to royal marketing group in the past two weeks, I feet quite disappointed. My calls were cut down a few times. Finally I got to talk with some salesperson, he/she got my phone # but never I have received any call back to talk on the details of my rental.

If anyone has same experience, bad or good, please share with me before i pay the $299 for nothing. Thks TFL

Chang W.

I also bought at Mayan resorts and they gave us the Royal Marketing group and $299.00 later nothing. I am going to write to the BBB and grupo mayan about this type of practice. Will keep you all informed.

Patricia S.

I finally got through to an operator today. She was rude and told me they were all on their way to lunch. I insisted on talking to someone as I had not spoken to a human in a year, and she refused rudely. So I called back after lunch, got put on hold for 10 minutes. Called again. She was so rude because she knew it was me. On hold again for 10 minutes. She finally came back and took my name and number, but of course I have heard nothing. Useless. I will keep trying - but I will be very interested to hear if the BBB can do anything!

Kelly L.

kellyl139 patricias379

Hi Guys, I have same experience with the operator. She picked up phone and hung aside telling you you waiting... you wait , wait, wait ...etc for nothing. Anything can stop this cheating business, go ahead. Please share what is "BBB" referes ?

Chang W.