Westgate Timeshare Is Paying the Price
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Westgate Timeshares is one of two companies that have agreed to settle in a Federal Trade Commission (FTC investigation into some of the timeshare companies’ marketing practices.
The FTC had brought charges against Westgate Resorts timeshare, and against Accumen Management Services, Inc, and its subsidiary All-in-One vacation Club, LLC for violating the National Do Not Call list. Westgate timeshares will pay $900,000 in the settlement while Accumen will pay $275,000.
Both companies were charged with making telemarketing calls to consumers who had completed entry forms for a sweepstakes. Consumers entering the sweepstakes believed they would be eligible to win a vacation package. Westgate, according to the Orlando Sentinel argued that people who give out their personal information, including their phone number, expect to be contacted. They also blamed a third-party lead provider for the violations, and pointed out that they no longer do business with that company.
Westgate Timeshare Asked for Leniency
Asking for financial leniency due to the nationwide recession and credit crisis, Michael Marder, attorney for Westgate timeshares, says they receive a “disappointing response”.
An Associated Press article, states that more than 167 million phone numbers have been placed on the Do Not Call registry and that the FTC has received thousands of complaints against Westgate timeshare over this matter.
This is a tough time for Westgate timeshares, (who has already laid off thousands of employees) to have to pay this kind of money. But there is always good news in a situation like this; any time the government sends a message like this, it helps keep unethical business practices in check, across the board. On top of that, the $1.2 million collected will go in the US Treasury – and in the end, that benefits all of us.
Other recent The Timeshare Authority blog posts about Westgate timeshare:
