New legislation helps safeguard consumers, but there’s still cause for consumers to be vigilant.

An article published this past Saturday in the online version of The Australian (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18145220%255E25658,00.html) has many good things to say about the state of timeshares in Australia. While I personally am very pleased to see such optimism reflected in the pages of a major online periodical, I do have some constructive criticism to voice.

New legislation forbids Australia’s timeshare salespeople from advertising timeshare as a financial investment. This is great news! More and more countries around the world are implementing similar policies, which have been gratefully received by the timesharing public. If you’ve been reading this blog, you know that a timeshare’s monetary value almost always depreciates, and timeshares should not be considered a sound financial investment because of the likelihood of such depreciation.

This legislation has improved consumer confidence in the product of timeshare, and the Australia timeshare business is booming as a direct result. Again, this is good news. Australia is a wonderful place to visit (here’s a tip: September to December is a great time to go scuba diving around the Great Barrier Reef), whether for a week or an extended stay. The people are wonderful, the scenery is spectacular, and I’ve noticed that children in particular are especially intrigued by Australia’s wildlife (especially koalas).

However, reading between the lines of this article, I find that a certain amount of foreshadowing becomes evident. As with any healthy industry, it is only a matter of time before the lure of easy money convinces some timeshare salespeople to abandon their scruples.

The article mentions that direct marketing is increasingly becoming the most popular method of attracting new timeshare buyers in Australia. This concerns me because many of the complaints we’ve heard about timeshares have to do with how a timeshare property is marketed.

I feel that a timeshare property should rely on its own qualities to sell itself, rather than sales hype. Hopefully most would agree that our company’s business model reflects this attitude. A lot of timeshare buyers have been led to sign less-than-agreeable contracts after being wined and dined, subjected to free gifts, treated to elaborate and lengthy sales presentations, or subjected to other inducements.

In areas with a longer history of timeshare development, hype and high pressure are falling rapidly from favor. In areas like the United States, consumers are becoming more aware about the product of timeshare and how it is marketed, and fewer of these folks are likely to buy a timeshare because of marketing hype. However, in other parts of the world, timeshare sales practices exist which may differ startlingly from an American’s idea of “business as usual”.

Maybe I am overly skeptical of direct marketing as it applies to timeshare, but I have good reason: I am involved with the resale sector. If you’re a timeshare owner, and you receive an unsolicited phone call from someone claiming to be a timeshare reseller, use extreme caution. If you smell a rat, hang up the phone if you need to. The person on the other end has probably obtained your personal information from someone selling lists of known timeshare owners. If you want to buy, sell or rent timeshare, don’t wait for a stranger to cold-call you! Contact a reputable timeshare-by-owner company or a licensed timeshare broker.

It has always been my belief that people should buy a timeshare because it fits well with their lifestyles and vacation goals – NOT because of free toasters.

It is my sincerest wish and hope that owners of Australia timeshare properties will enjoy a lifetime of amazing vacations. By saying no to timeshare hype, you have the power to make it happen.

We seriously hope you would never make such a mistake, but one Singapore businessman has.

The February 13, 2006 edition of The Singapore Electric Newspaper reports that a Singapore man paid $84,000 in fees to a timeshare resale company promising to help him end his timeshare membership—a timeshare he initially purchased for $9,000. While we aren’t certain, I would assume that this news story uses Singapore dollars as the rate of currency discussed. So, if it makes US readers feel any better, Mr. K. B. Ong, was really out about $51,600 dollars, depending on the prevailing exchange rate on each of the days he wrote checks to the timeshare reseller.

Sounds like a crime, doesn’t it?

The authorities in Singapore don’t seem to think so. Police are treating this case as a civil dispute, while the Consumer Association of Singapore looks into the matter. Worst of all, it does not appear that Mr. Ong’s timeshare membership has even been terminated. Which in the end, may be his only good news. If the company failed to provide the services promised, Ong’s attorney doesn’t have to argue the ethics or legality of how much Ong paid, only that the services for which Ong paid were never provided.

If you think that timeshare scammers aren’t good at what they do, consider this: Mr. Ong has an engineering degree and an MBA and presently works in sales management. 

Of course he should have known better, but he said he was pressured into signing checks on the spot, with him thinking each check was the last one. In all, Ong wrote checks for $6,000; $3,000; $5,000; $15,000; $15,000 (again), and two final payments of $20,000 each.

Mr. Ong’s timeshare membership is in the Asian Travel Club (ATC). Because of the ongoing lawsuit, the name of the timeshare reseller has not been released. I however, can assure you one thing: it is NOT SellMyTimeshareNow.

What’s the #1 reason why Mr. Ong wanted to sell his timeshare? According to the article, due to “hectic work commitment” he has not been able to use his timeshare once since purchasing it.

See if you know the correct answer to today’s brainteaser; also know as, “our-research-department-has-too-much-spare-time.”

Question: What (or who) is Cherokee Park?

1. A legendary power forward for Duke basketball (’91-95) who was a first round NBA draft pick by Dallas in 1995.
2. A 400-acre city park in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as the name of parks in cities and towns across America.
3. A residential area in Madison, Wisconsin, primed for timeshare development.

Answer: All of the above, if you allow Cherokee Parks (the person) to add the “s” to his name.

College basketball fans, will no doubt remember Duke’s somewhat bohemian, power forward, Cherokee Parks. Or perhaps you caught this shaggy-haired, tattooed California boy during his playing days with the Mavericks, the Timberwolves, or one of the half-dozen other NBA teams for whom he played between 1995 and the 2004 playing season.

And if you grew up in central Kentucky or southern Indiana, you most likely have spent a few pleasurable days picnicking, chasing Frisbees, or enjoying an outdoor concert in Louisville’s beautiful Cherokee Park. Even if you haven’t, it is such a common name, you have probably visited a Cherokee Park in some city in the United States.

But if you are familiar with the lovely wooded neighborhood on Madison, Wisconsin’s north side, known as the Cherokee Park Development, you already know that the area includes a golf course, country club, condominiums, townhouses, and single-family dwellings. Moreover, golf pro and developer Dennis Tiziani and other partners are working on plans to add retail shops, timeshares, and additional recreational facilities. 

Tiziani has been named by Golf Digest to the list of Best Golf Instructors in Wisconsin in numerous years and was formerly the golf coach at the University of Wisconsin. He has long been involved in the growth and development of the Cherokee Park area.

The January 17, 2006 edition of the Wisconsin State Journal reported, “…City officials are pleased that a master plan with an emphasis on preserving open space is being prepared for the area, (Cherokee Lake and Cherokee Marsh Conservation Park) which has been under development for about four decades.”

The State Journal quoted City Planning Unit Director Brad Murphy as endorsing the project with this comment, “We view this as a very positive step,” and added that the towns of Burke and Westport’s involvement will be needed to complete the effort.

New website helps to coordinate search and rescue efforts

Here’s an update on last week’s post about the disappearance of Jennifer Kesse, a 24-year-old Orlando woman employed by Westgate Resorts.

Police released two photos taken by a surveillance camera on the day of Jennifer’s disappearance. Police are asking for help identifying the person in these photos. Visit http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_local_orlandocrime/2006/02/police_want_to_.html for more information.

Family and friends of the missing woman have created a website to help with search and rescue efforts. Please visit this site at http://www.jenniferkesse.com.

See Also

• Orlando Sentinel News Blog – Jennifer Kesse
  Police want to speak with the person in these surveillance photos
• Jennifer Kesse
  Website created by Jennifer’s friends and family to help find her.