Dennis Drummond was arrested last summer on a fugitive warrant in North Carolina and extradited to Massachusetts to face multiple counts of larceny. This was not Drummond’s first brush with the Massachusetts judicial system. Charges were brought against him in 1990, 2003, and 2005, all related to timeshare fraud.

In one lawsuit brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Tom Reilly, a Massachusetts state court ordered Drummond to pay $1.3 million in restitution and fees for defrauding timeshare buyers of nearly $400,000 in money and property. The Commonwealth’s case was a civil suit and named Dennis Drummond, Linda Drummond, and Lindsey Drummond, as well as their companies, Global Marketing and Resort Marketing.

Drummond has yet to repay his debt in the civil suit, and now faces criminal charges as well. On October 18, he made bail and was released from the Bristol County House of Correction in Dartmouth, MA. Let’s hope there is a way to finally hold him accountable for the charges of which he has already been convicted.

Just to keep things clear, I searched for “Global Marketing” and found no website for a company by this name. I also searched for “Resort Marketing” and found a company based in Alpharetta, Georgia, that assured me they were not the company listed in the 2005 lawsuit.

If you ever believe you have been the victim of timeshare fraud, whether you were trying to sell timeshare, rent timeshare or buy timeshare, you should contact the Office of the Attorney General for the State in which the timeshare company is located.

You also can file a complaint with the FTC if your grievance involves deceptive advertising. You can call them at 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357).

The Federal Trade Commission maintains an excellent webpage that advises on safe business practices when you buy timeshare, rent timeshare, or sell timeshare. The article is called, “Facts for Consumers Time and Time Again: Buying and Selling Timeshares and Vacation Plans.”

The Texas based timeshare company, Silverleaf Resorts, has announced expansion plans in Colorado with the purchase of over 15 acres of land in Grand County, Colorado.

According to information released by Silverleaf Timeshare Resorts, the company plans to build 136 vacation interval units, which will be within two miles of Silverleaf’s 64-room Pinnacle Lodge hotel in Fraser, Colorado. The area is also within a short drive of the ski resort areas in Mary Jane and Winter Park.

Yahoo Finance quoted Sharon K. Brayfield, president of Silverleaf timeshare resorts as saying, “With world-class skiing in the winter and plenty of outdoor activities such as golf, hiking and fishing in the summer, we are confident that our members will be able to take full advantage of the Winter Park properties throughout the entire year.”

The purchase price of the property is reportedly $4.6 million.

To learn more about Silverleaf timeshare resorts and Silverleaf timeshare resales check these links:

• Silverleaf’s Oak N’ Spruce Resort Timeshare in South Lee, Massachusetts
• Silverleaf’s Orlando Breeze Resort Timeshare in Davenport, Florida
• Silverleaf’s Fox River Timeshare in Sheridan, Illinois
• Silverleaf’s Apple Mountain Timeshare in Clarkesville, Georgia
• Silverleaf’s Holiday Hills Resort Timeshare in Branson, Missouri
• Silverleaf’s Ozark Mountain Resort Timeshare in Kimberling City, Missouri
• Silverleaf Timber Creek Resort Timeshare in Desoto, Missouri
• Silverleaf Piney Shores Resort Timeshare in Conroe, Texas
• Silverleaf Lake O’ The Woods Timeshare in Flint, Texas
• Silverleaf’s Holly Lake Ranch Timeshare in Holly Lake Ranch, Texas
• Silverleaf’s Hill Country Resort Timeshare in Canyon Lake, Texas
• Silverleaf’s Seaside Resort Timeshare in Galveston, Texas
• Silverleaf’s Villages Timeshare in Flint, Texas

The newest issue of TimeSharing Today Magazine, includes a letter from Lori Card-King, who is the vice president of Quality Assurance for Interval International timeshare exchange. Ms. Card-King is responding to a letter TimeSharing Today received from a reader who had questions about Interval International’s exchange policy.

My summary of both letters may give you more insight into the thinking behind policies at timeshare exchange companies and the viewpoint of timeshare owners who question the policies.

The timeshare owner’s position was that when she needed to cancel her timeshare vacation within seven days of the travel date, it was unfair for Interval International timeshare exchange to refuse to let her select another timeshare interval at a future date against her banked timeshare week. The timeshare owner acknowledged that Interval International not only kept her banked week and refused to let her make a future exchange but also charged her a fee for the cancellation. While the timeshare owner had no objection to paying the fee, she did object to having to forfeit all possible exchange against her banked week.

Interval International timeshare exchange’s explanation was that last minute cancellations often result in unused timeshare weeks because no one else is able to make travel arrangements fast enough to use the timeshare interval. II pointed out that they try to protect their members by refusing to accept banked or deposited timeshare for dates that are less than two weeks in the future, and not permitting exchanges with less than 7 days notice.

When you hear both sides, you can see that the timeshare owner and the timeshare exchange company each raise good points and TimeSharing Today did a good job of showing both sides of the issue when they printed the two letters side by side.

One option that was recommended was for the timeshare owner to purchase insurance from Interval International for just this reason. The timeshare owner also pointed out that two other timeshare exchange companies with which she had dealt, do allow you to still exchange for another week, even if you make a last minute cancellation. These two companies are: RCI and Donita’s Dial An Exchange.

In the past, I have listed the names of several timeshare exchange companies here on the Timeshare Owners Blog, but maybe it is time to do it again. The Timeshare Owners Blog does not endorse or recommend any particular timeshare exchange company, because different ones are best suited for different vacation patterns and individual needs.

According to KING 5 NEWS in Seattle, Royal Holiday Club timeshare has some unhappy timeshare owners.

KING 5 NEWS says their investigations found complaints against Royal Holiday Club timeshares from all across the country, ranging from alleged bait-and-switch sales practices to outright fraud. The news investigators say they found complaints filed with the Better Business Bureau, consumer websites, and the Offices of the Attorney General.

During the investigation, University of Washington law professor Kate O’Neill looked at a contract one timeshare owner holds with the company and noted that it says the purchase and sale agreement of the timeshare is governed by the laws of the state of Mexico City. The contract also has what O’Neill described as a merger clause, which basically means that verbal agreements can’t be added to the contract. In other words, if the timeshare sales person promises you something verbally that is not in the contract, then you should not expect to be able to insist that the timeshare company honor it.

According to an article posted on the KING 5 NEWS website, the Royal Holiday Club timeshare company says it, “Only gets complaints on 1 percent of all of its sales and that they are working to address the concerns of each member.”

The article also said that, “Royal Holiday Club does admit that some sales people did break company policy… (and) those employees have been fired.”

Here are important facts to remember when you buy timeshare:

Know what you are buying. If that means having an attorney review your contract, then spend the extra dollars and do it. If the contract is governed by the laws of another country, hire an attorney who knows those laws. Real estate laws vary greatly from country to country.

Know the rescission period for the state or country in which your timeshare contract is executed. If you do change your mind, notify the timeshare company by registered mail of your decision to exercise this option. You must be able to prove that your notice to the company reached them within the window legally allowed for rescission by the timeshare buyer.

If you have personal experience with Royal Holiday Club timeshare, please let us know about it. At the bottom of this blog post, you’ll see the word “Comments”. Click there to add your feedback. Your comment will not appear immediately on the blog, but will post within the next few days.

Who knows? With the spotlight on this timeshare company, they may use the challenge as an opportunity to upgrade their products and services, meaning that, Royal Holiday Club timeshare could be excellent to own. Or, if you own Royal Holiday Club timeshare you wish to resell, visit Sell My Timeshare NOW and learn more about the easiest way to sell timeshare.