Timeshare Scam

Just because callers claim to be affiliated with RCI, doesn’t mean they are.

This is the costly lesson some timeshare owners are learning. To combat the recent problem, RCI is notifying it’s subscribing members to be on the lookout for a timeshare scam in the form of misleading timeshare resale or timeshare rental offers. Some “entities” have been contacting timeshare owners and either claiming or implying to be connected with RCI.

These businesses may then ask for fees or even power of attorney in order to conduct business (supposedly a timeshare sale or timeshare rental) on behalf of the timeshare owner. RCI suggests that timeshare owners with any questions about the authenticity of a call they receive, simply contact RCI directly at 800-338-7777 for confirmation.

If you are an RCI subscribing member and did not receive RCI’s letter, signed by RCI North America President, Gordon Gurnik, or you are a non-member, but you wish to learn more, go to the website for InnSeason Resorts and click on the words– Alert: RCI Resale Advisory. InnSeason Vacation Club has helpfully posted the letter there.

When the phone rings during your dinner, it won’t be Sell My Timeshare NOW. After reading the News Channel 7 (Spartanburg; Greenville; Anderson, SC; Asheville, NC) news report, it seems like a good time to remind people: Sell My Timeshare NOW won’t be calling you unless you have asked us to call.

We do not make cold calls. We don’t interrupt your dinner, your evening at home with your family, or that extra hour of sleep you were getting on a Saturday morning with a ringing telephone and an unrequested call. Unsolicited phone calls are not respectful, not good business, and in many cases, not legal.

When you want to sell timeshare you no longer use, by-owner advertising may be a great choice for you. But Sell My Timeshare NOW reminds you to base your decision on a clear cut understanding of hat the timeshare company will be doing—and won’t be doing to help you sell your property.

Some less-than-reputable companies take money to advertise your timeshare resale or timeshare rental, imply they will be out knocking on doors trying to help you sell your timeshare, and then do absolutely nothing from that point forward. That seems to have been the type of service (or lack of service) that News Channel 7 was reporting.

Sell My Timeshare NOW offers different types of services to help you buy, rent, or sell timeshare. You can work with a timeshare broker through our Timeshare Broker Services or advertise your timeshare resale as a by-owner property while Sell My Timeshare NOW works to keep your timeshare ad in front of the largest audience of prospective timeshare buyers possible. Our websites average over 25 million visitors each year from more than 176 countries around the world. With our menu of services, you can even choose the level of timeshare resale support that is right for you, customizing how much of the resale process you want to handle yourself and how much you want to turn over to a timeshare resale professional.

But through it all, here’s our promise … unless you ask us to, Sell My Timeshare NOW won’t be cold calling your number. And we won’t be trying to bait you with unrealistic promises or timelines we can’t guarantee. But when you are ready for honest, effective, and reliable help to buy, rent, or sell timeshare, we’re there when you need us.

It is good to see fair, accurate, and positive press lately regarding timeshares, timeshare sales, and timeshare exchange. The naysayers who present vacation ownership and timeshare vacation rentals as only being about timeshare scam do a real injustice to the industry, to the hardworking people whose daily objective is improving the vacation experience for others, and to consumers who could be enjoying affordable vacationing through timeshare resales and timeshare rentals.

Last week, the Miami Herald took an objective look at timeshare exchange, focusing on Interval International, which happens to be a Miami-based company.

Interviewing Jon Fredricks of Welk Resorts, a California timeshare company, the article quoted Fredricks as saying, “In this economy, you’re seeing more people wanting to drive to their exchange, with less use of airlines. Vegas is not in favor as it once was. I think Interval has had to adjust to those changes alone.”

Fredricks’ point is critical: timeshare owners and timeshare renters may be vacationing differently because of the economy, but they are still making use of timeshare ownership and the opportunities of timeshares.

A Changing Profile for Timeshare Owners

Timeshare owners have always leaned on timeshare companies to offer more flexibility. Because of this, over the years, the options of timesharing have changed considerably. But with all the stresses and economic pressures many people are feeling these days, they’ve upped their demands even more.

Here’s what timeshare owners have always wanted in timeshare exchange:

• Flexibility in exchanging one date or property for another.
• The opportunity to exchange timeshare or timeshare points for cruises and other travel amenities in addition to timeshare.

And here’s their new list of add-ons:

• Shorter lead-time for making timeshare exchange.
• More drive-to timeshare vacation destinations.
• Shorter vacation intervals, something most timeshare companies are already striving to offer.

Currently, Interval International timeshare exchange has a network of over 2500 timeshare resorts, representing some 75 countries worldwide. Last year, in response to their member requests, Interval international timeshare exchange launched their ShortStay Exchange Program. Through this option, gold members can deposit their timeshare interval or points and exchange it for one or more vacations of two to six days in length. These ShortStay timeshare exchanges are made online at IntervalWorld.com

According to Interval CEO Craig Nash, “We’re always looking at product development.” He adds, so far the program is, “tracking nicely.”

Other Options for Timeshare Exchange

As the Herald article points out, Interval International timeshare exchange is second in size as a timeshare exchange company to RCI Exchange. Also there are many other timeshare exchange companies that may have smaller inventories of timeshare exchange properties but are targeted to a specific region, resort group, or type of resort. Additionally, Timeshare Users Group, which most timeshare owners know as TUG, offers timeshare exchange along with ads for timeshare resales to its member participants.

While fees may be cheaper in smaller groups, timeshare owners are not likely to have as much flexibility as with a larger timeshare exchange company. Lisa Ann Shreier, author of Timeshare Vacations for Dummies and co-author of Timeshare Management, makes a valid point in saying this about timeshare exchange companies, “They do facilitate the trading process. It makes it easier if 2,000 people are depositing their weeks into a pool.”

And any timeshare discussion always comes down to one important point: timeshare exchange is -and always has been- one of the significant reasons people buy timeshare.

Are you, like much of the US, snowed in or about to be? One of the best ways to deal with cabin fever is planning what you are going to do when you can finally get out of the ‘cabin’ again. A snow day is an excellent time to start building the structure that is missing in your life and that causes you to skip vacations and fail to take the time off you genuinely need and deserve.

Schedule your vacation time. Commit to it with the same discipline you use for other things in life, and then consider doing the one thing that truly makes it easier to stick to your plans — buy a timeshare resale.

Why do timeshares make vacationing easier?

• For starters, you are more likely to take a vacation when you have already made a financial commitment to your vacation accommodations. In other words, when the room is already paid for, why wouldn’t you go?
• Prepaid vacation accommodations also mean that you can take a vacation at times in the future when money might be too tight for you to do so.
• Timeshare vacations give you a starting point. Either you know which resort you will be staying in, or you know in which network of resorts you will be using your vacation property as a timeshare exchange.
• Second only to lack of time to take a vacation, people cite lack of time to plan a vacation as the reason they don’t work in much-needed relaxation days. Buying timeshare means you do the decision-making once and then enjoy a lifetime of easy-to-plan vacations.
• Buying timeshare lets you lock in the price of your vacation accommodations; buying timeshare resale means you do so at a substantial savings.

How to avoid timeshare scam:

• Buy timeshare resale through a timeshare company with an established history of timeshare sales and timeshare rentals. If a company promise’s sound too good to be true, be on guard for timeshare scams.
• Choose a timeshare resale company that can show you testimonials from satisfied customers. (See: Testimonials from SellMyTimeshareNOW)
• Select a timeshare company that has established professional relationships within the industry, such as membership in ARDA, CRDA, and the National Timeshare Owners Association.
• Look for a timeshare company with a noteworthy website that clearly demonstrates its website prominence and industry dominance.
• Don’t let anyone rush you. There are plenty of great deals on timeshare resales, either through a timeshare broker or a by-owner sale. You can find the vacation ownership proposition that is right for you, your vacation style, and your budget.

Wherever you are, it may be blowing snow and generally miserable. Today is a great day to be dreaming about a little beach time in your near future and timeshare resales are an affordable way to turn that daydream into a sand-between-your-toes reality.