Don’t get caught! Indonesians are only one group of tourists in Singapore who have been falling victim to unscrupulous timeshare companies. Chinese and Bruneian tourists are also frequent targets.

As one timeshare vacation agent was quoted by The Electric New Paper News of Singapore as saying, “As I speak Bahasa Indonesia, it’s easier for me to pitch my sales to fellow Indonesians. I also gained their trust easily as I’m Indonesian…But after one or two months on the job, I started receiving complaints from my customers…I felt guilty to have sold them something that they can’t really use.”

A frequent tactic of an unethical Singapore timeshare deal involves charging consumers between $30,000 and $50,000 for lifetime timeshare vacation memberships. For this expenditure, the timeshare buyer gets one week of timeshare vacation annually. Not only is this timeshare deal a bit pricey, but it includes the caveat that vacationers schedule their holidays one and sometimes even two years in advance.

In 2005, CASE received over 2500 complaints against timeshare companies in Singapore. This past October, the association announced that it is cutting the grace period for a timeshare company to clean up its bad practices from three months to one.

These get-the-sale-at-all-cost practices certainly damage the “name” of timesharing, but you can buy timeshare or sell timeshare successfully and easily online. Just check out SellMyTimeshareNOW.com. You’ll be amazed at the number of timeshare connections made around the world through that site.

What are some of your experiences? What tips can you give for buying, selling and renting timeshares? How does timesharing impact your vacationing? Many people say it gives them a chance to spend more quality time with their families, while others say it provides the perfect get-away. Post a comment and let us know!

Typically many people who buy timeshares deal with a big timeshare company that sells new property owned by a developer. But by-owner timeshare promotion companies, like SellMyTimeshareNOW, are using the internet to redefine the ways people buy, sell or rent timeshare vacation homes and condos.

David Koenig, a business writer with Associated Press/Dallas, recently interviewed Elizabeth and Robin Wood, owners of a second home in Florida. The Woods were in the market to rent out their Vero Beach property during the months they were not using it themselves. Their first step was to hire a local real estate agent to look for renters. They also paid $300 to list their home on various specialized websites. The arrangement with the real estate agent included a 25 percent commission to the agent on any rentals, even the ones the Woods found online.

According to Elizabeth Wood, who recently parted ways with her realtor, “every tenant came through my listings on the web.” Of course, this meant that the property owners were still paying the realtor the commission even though he or she had actually played no part at all in the transaction.

The Woods’ story is not unusual; instead, it is a perfect example of how the internet is changing the way people make a vacation home or timeshare deal. More and more satisfied timeshare vacation property owners are bypassing the heavy handed timeshare promotion done by development companies. They are buying or renting their timeshare vacation property directly from the owner through a company that specializes in timeshare promotion and advertising of by-owner timeshare resales and rentals.

When you are interested in renting or buying timeshare, deal directly with the person who owns the property. There is no reason for a vacation home owner or timeshare vacation property owner to pay commission to a third party real estate or timeshare company.

On the world wide web, companies like eHarmony, Monster Job and eBay have already changed so many of the ways we interact and conduct business. It really is no surprise that well-informed vacationers recognize the benefits of an online vacation home or timeshare deal that eliminates the need for commissions paid to a middleman.

Criticism of The ZamZam, a timeshare vacation property that towers over the Islamic holy city of Mecca, has not slowed sales at the $390 million luxury resort. The ZamZam is named after one of Islam’s most holy places, a water well which, according to Wikipedia, “Many Muslims believe…is divinely blessed ([its water] is believed to satisfy both hunger and thirst, and cure illness) and make every effort to drink of this water during their pilgrimage.”

The ZamZam is part of the Abraj al-Bait development center, and is one of the largest complexes of its type in the world. In addition to the ZamZam, the project features five other skyscrapers, two helipads and a multi-story shopping mall. Since sales began two years ago in the pre-construction phase, property in the complex now sells at higher prices than those commanded by even the most desirable square footage in Manhattan or the Mayfair district of London.

Interval timeshare at The ZamZam starts at about $6,800 USD for one week in a studio during the slow season. During the month of Hajj, when an estimted 1.5 million Muslim pilgrims from around the world travel to Mecca, the price for the same unit reaches about $175,000 USD.

Alpha1Estates reports they are selling timeshare intervals to Muslims in Great Britain and throughout Europe. According to an article that appeared in The Guardian (http://www.guardian.co.uk) a brochure offered by Alpha1Estates tells buyers, “expect an average rental return of between 10% and 15% a year.” Talal Mahmood Malik, a spokesman for the real estate company says, “You could see it as a financial investment and there will be cowboys interested in making a quick buck. But most people see it as a spiritual investment. There is a massive modernization and regeneration program in Mecca but non-Muslims won’t be interested in investing. There’s nothing to do there except pray and if you’re non-Muslim you can’t get into Mecca anyway.”

To further complicate sentiments regarding The ZamZam, it was constructed by the Binladin Group, the construction firm founded by the father of Osama Bin Laden.

Research compiled during a timeshare symposium conducted by RCI Middle East will greatly benefit timeshare developers in that region. As a current timeshare owner, or someone who is interested in buying a timeshare, you can also use this research to help you identify hot markets and desirable locations for timeshare exchange.

The Pan Arab Research Centre interviewed one thousand high-income citizens of Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras Al Kaimah, Oman, Jordan, MacKay Qatar, Egypt, Madinah and Lebanon in order to understand the travel preferences and timeshare vacation interests of the Middle Eastern family on holiday.

The results of the study, released last spring by RCI Global Vacation Network and industry consultant Ragatz Associates, reveals the following trends:

• All of the one thousand participants said they travel regularly.
• When traveling, shopping ranked as the number one activity. Food and dining options are also important, as many Middle Eastern travelers look for Halal certified food sources (food permissible according to Islamic law).
• Travel is a group experience, including the fact that 46 percent of vacationers from the United Arab Emirates take their parents with them when they travel and 40 percent of Saudi Arabians take their household staff.
• Currently Dubai and the United Arab Emirates are the most popular destinations for a timeshare vacation.
• Interval timeshare ownership can be structured to be compatible with the Muslim concept of “Sukok” through a timeshare bond that conforms to Islamic laws and Muslim principles. As the managing director for RCI Middle East, Vivienne Noyes-Thomas explains, “Sukok gives Muslims complete confidence… that what they’re buying into is safe and acceptable. The new Le Meridien Towers, an RCI affiliate, and the ZamZam Towers projects are positioning their marketing around this concept.”

Most of the interviewees expressed an interest in vacationing close to home or within “the kingdom” although Orlando, Marbella and London are also popular destinations among this group of travelers.

Over 30,000 residents in the Middle East currently own interval timeshare or fractionals. Non-owners within the surveyed group expressed interest in fractional ownership or purchasing a timeshare vacation property. Many are particularly interested in owning interval timeshare in the Islamic centers of Makkah and Madinah, both popular destinations for Muslim pilgrims.