Timeshare Scam

Vacation services provider, Travel To Go released a media announcement this week to its members and others who may own timeshare, warning them to be wary of timeshare scam solicitations. In the  press release, the Travel To Go Scam Department described some of the approaches and ruses used by timeshare scam companies and disreputable individuals to receive payments for services that will likely never be received by the timeshare owner.

The full content of the Travel To Go timeshare scam announcement to the media appears below. You can learn more about Travel To Go by contacting (800) 477-6331. You’ll also find a video below from Sell My Timeshare NOW that addresses both timeshare scam and the need to be an informed consumer, no matter what you are buying, selling, or services for which you may be contracting.

Travel To Go Scam Department Warns Members of Fraudulent Timeshare Purchase Calls

The Travel To Go Scam Department was established so that members of this travel club could fully enjoy their luxury vacations without worrying about falling victim to scams of the moment, thereby improving the whole travel experience by education members one scam at a time.

Travel To Go Scam Department is one of the most acclaimed in the industry, and members of this travel club are ecstatic to know about all of the present scams in the travel industry like that of fake timeshare purchase calls. Every year there are scams that are far more successful and much more common throughout the industry, and in 2013 the main scam is that of the fake “Timeshare Buyer” interested in purchasing a person’s timeshare.

Travel To Go Scam Department warns their members to watch out for any calls talking about selling their timeshare memberships, because this is the newest scam on the scene. Unsuspecting timeshare members will receive calls, from supposedly legit timeshare dealers companies offering them deals of a lifetime to purchase their timeshare memberships. There are even some buyers that offer a trade, and only ask members for a small deposit to switch over their memberships. Travel To Go recommends that members proceed with caution when these buyers promising amazing deals show up out of nowhere.

Travel To Go Scam Department suggests that members first get the person’s contact information and immediately call their individual timeshare contact at the company where they purchased their timeshare ownership. These members should look up the legitimate number for their timeshare dealer online to make sure that the person who contacted them is actually affiliated with their company. To do this, call the exact number listed on the site, and ask about the person that made the call. More often than not, the person offering to buy the timeshare is actually a con artist looking to have money wired to them. So, members will end up wiring a few thousand dollars to a person that only wants their money, and they are still in possession of their timeshare, and out the money that they sent.

Travel To Go Scam Department watches out for all of their members so that travelers can enjoy going on vacation, versus falling victim to travel scams. It is nice that a person can rely on a company to watch out for all of their needs, which is why so many members are satisfied with all of the travel deals and individual attention that they receive as a member of Travel To Go.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) of Singapore has announced it will be tightening safeguards and eliminating loopholes regarding timeshare deals and the current Singapore timeshare law. The goal is to provide better protections for consumers in timeshare deals, especially timeshare offered as part of holiday club memberships.

With over 350 complaints related to Singapore timeshare deals in each of 2010 and 2011, the issue remains the number one topic of consumer complaints accord to the Consumers Association of Singapore. The proposed changes to the Consumer Protection (Fair Trading) (Cancellation of Contracts) Regulations include:

• Holiday clubs will be bound, under the new law, to the same five-day cooling off period as timeshare contracts must currently met.
• During the cooling off period, no money for a timeshare deal or holiday club transaction will be permitted to change hands.
• The terms and application of the “regulated contract” will be redefined. The new definition will be expanded to include “long-term holiday product contracts,” which is intended to close the current loophole that has enabled some Singapore timeshare companies to modify their business model and dodge the requisites of existing laws.

Officials believe that the changes in the timeshare laws will not only reduce the risk of consumers losing their money but will reduce the inconvenience of recovering money that was paid should a consumer have a change of heart during the rescission period.

Singapore Timeshare Deals: the Source of the Problem

In attempting to circumvent current Singapore timeshare laws, some timeshare companies have moved from selling conventional timeshare as a right to use timeshare accommodation to selling holiday club memberships. The holiday club memberships require members to advance pay for the right to receive future discounts on accommodations, airfare, and other vacation services. Because holiday clubs fall outside of current Singapore timeshare law, they have been able to avoid the cooling off or rescission period.

The Executive Director of Consumers Association of Singapore, Seah Seng Choon explains, “When they  (consumers) want to get out of the contract during the cooling-off period, they have great difficulty getting their money back and there’s always a delay in recovering the payment made. During the course of the time, some of these timeshare (companies) may just disappear or close and consumers may not be able to get their money back.”

The proposed terms of the new Singapore timeshare law will be open for public comment through March 1, 2013.

The Timeshare Authority blog has brought you updates on the changes in Singapore timeshare law since 2006 as government officials have worked to resolve matters of timeshare scam and fraud.

• Update on Singapore Timeshare Problems: 3 Red Flags
• Singapore Timeshare Will Benefit from Tougher Laws
• Singapore Timeshare Alert

(Enjoy this fun video on air boating in the Florida Everglades.)

Florida timeshares and tourism were the main topics this week when Florida Governor Rick Scott visited the University of Central Florida Rosen College of Hospitality Management in Orlando.

New State Guidelines for Florida Timeshares and Florida Timeshare Resales

Governor Scott was in Orlando to sign House Bill 1001, which defines new guidelines for buying and selling Florida timeshares. The Governor stated, “As visitors enjoy their vacation and business travel to Florida, it is only natural for them to want to figure out ways to keep coming back, and timeshares can be a way for vacationers to keep returning to our state. Unfortunately, several scams involving timeshare marketers eroded investors’ confidence in the timeshare system.”

With timeshare fraud and timeshare scams drawing the news media’s attention, Governor Scott and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi took a strong, proactive step to put new regulations in place to better protect timeshare buyers.

In her weekly newsletter, released this past Friday, Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi, wrote, “By strengthening Florida’s timeshare resale laws and focusing on marketing and advertising practices, we can protect timeshare owners from unscrupulous companies that may try to scam them during the resale process.”

In commenting on Florida House Bill 1001, Governor Scott said, “This legislation will cut down on timeshare fraud and protect owners from unscrupulous resale companies. As we fight this fraud, integrity will come back into the system, and people can feel more confident investing in Florida, and in the timeshare market.”

Florida Timeshares are an Important Part of the State’s Tourism Industry

Florida tourism is critical to the state’s economy and well-being. Florida tourism in the state’s number one industry and generates 23 percent of the state’s sales tax revenue while also providing jobs for more than one million Florida residents. In 2011, Florida tourism welcomed 86.5 million visitors to the state and generated $67.2 billion in direct economic impact.

Governor Scott praised Florida State Legislature for increasing the state funding of VISIT FLORIDA, the state’s official resource for the worldwide marketing of Florida tourism. Beginning with the new fiscal year on July 1, (the same date the new Florida timeshare resale laws go into effect), VISIT FLORIDA will be funded at $54 million, up from $34.9 million this past year.

Governor Scott explains, “To keep Florida in the front of travelers’ minds, VISIT FLORIDA is constantly fine-tuning our tourism marketing to attract business travelers and vacationers from around the world. This investment is good for Florida taxpayers because for every dollar spent on tourism marketing, VISIT FLORIDA generates $177 in tourism spending and $11 in new sales tax collections.”

Related news on the The Timeshare Authority Blog:

Timeshare Resale Accountability Act

For Timeshare Legislation, March Roars in Like a Lion

ARDA Supports the Proposed Florida Timeshare Resale Accountability Act

Important Timeshare Resale Industry Legislative Changes in Florida

The business world is a funny place these days when any company defines itself by what it does not do. But with all the misinformation that is out there regarding timeshare sales, timeshare resales, and timeshares on the secondary market, sometimes reminding people who you are “not” is important to do.

1. Sell My Timeshare NOW does not make cold calls—ever. If you want to buy, sell, or rent timeshare or just find out more about the opportunities in vacation ownership, we will be delighted to talk to you—but you have to initiate the contact. We are not cold calling off a list and risking waking you up, interrupting your dinner, or intruding on your privacy.
2. Sell My Timeshare NOW never makes empty promises. We do not guarantee you that we will sell your timeshare—why not? Because that would be a promise no reputable timeshare sales or timeshare broker company can make. We will promise to work diligently and responsibly to sell your timeshare or in helping you sell your timeshare if you choose to work with us.
3. Sell My Timeshare NOW does not ‘bad mouth’ our competition, although we do warn consumers about disreputable sales and business practices within the industry. We deliver facts and trust consumers to make their own judgments. With an average of over 2 million page views of our websites each month, that’s a lot of interested consumers and a responsibility we take seriously.

Timeshare Sales are Changing: Metamorphosis in Process

Timeshare sales and timeshare resales are clearly an industry in the midst of change and redefinition. And although the change is transformational, perhaps resulting in the emergence of one incredibly beautiful butterfly, change always brings with it a certain level of stress. As timeshares go through these necessary growing pains, look for a more stable industry to evolve. Expect (and demand) more flexibility in the timeshare and vacation ownership product allowing it to be better suited to the needs of timeshare owners.

And perhaps best of all, look for a newfound unity and professionalism within the industry, creating an environment in which no timeshare broker or timeshare sales company ever has to define itself by separating its practices from those of disreputable companies. When we, as an industry, work the ‘bugs’ out of how to serve the consumer regarding new timeshare sales and sales of timeshare on the secondary market, we will effectively be closing a door that in the past has allowed timeshare scams to slip through.