Timeshare.org Timeshare fsbo.com Timeshare resale Scam

Advance Fee Timeshare Resale Scam

They sell timeshares, don't they? Unfortunately NO they do not! Who am I talking about? The numerous companies that operate in the murky world of Timeshare Resales. You would think that by the very name of their industry "Timeshare Resales" that they would at least have some success selling timeshares. However, as many a timeshare owner has found these companies only excel at selling a worthless advertising package that costs between $500 to $1000 to timeshare owners who are desperate to sell their unit before the next yearly maintenance fee is due.

These "Resale" companies are staffed with well trained and well payed sales reps who know exactly which hot buttons to hit to motivate the timeshare owner to purchase their resale package. While many timeshare owners are quite happy with timeshares and enjoy them a great deal there are many owners, for various reasons, who are looking to sell. Usually these owners aren't not able to use their time anymore or are just tired of paying the yearly maintenance fees which can run from $500 or more a year. The "Resale" sales reps know this and prey on this desperation of the timeshare owner to sell. The Scam starts when the timeshare owner's phone rings.

How do these "Resale" sales reps make their sales? There are a few tried and true tactics that seem to work much too often. One way is the rep will tell the timeshare owner "we are having a showcase this weekend and we really need your resort in our inventory. We've sold out of (fill in any resort name here) so if we can get your listed now we should be able to sell it this weekend". After trying to close the owner at $999 for their resale package they will go to a drop close if they aren't having success. At this point they will either put you on hold to supposedly go talk to their "Inventory Manager" or they will get the sales rep next to them to come on the line as the "Inventory Manager". Either way the purpose is to give the drop close credibility. They will tell the timeshare owner "I've spoken to my Inventory Manager and we normally don't do this but since we are sure we can get your unit (points) sold this weekend we are willing to drop the price to $799 just for tonight so we can get your unit in the system". Their buddy next to them will say the same thing basically but thier job is to come across as the authority figure, the "Inventory Manager" in this case. Just keep in mind that their buddy is just as motivated to make the sell because if they do they will split the commission with the original sales rep.
Another tactic is to over inflate the value of the timeshare and guarantee the sale of the unit. They ask how much the owner paid for the unit, sing the praises of the unit and then tell the owner that they have sold several of these units and that they more than likely will recieve more than what they paid for it. A point to remember, unlike what the resort sales person said when the timeshare owner purchased their unit, timeshares are not good investments. The truth is that since timeshares are so loaded with built in commissions for the sales reps, sales managers and sales office that a timeshare will never be sold for any price near what they were purchased for to begin with. If a timeshare owner is one of the few lucky enough to sell their unit (about 5%-10% of timeshares are actually resold) they normally will sell it for about 10% of what they paid for it. Many timeshare owners will even sell them for $1 just so they can be rid of the yearly maintenance fees.

These "Resale" companies will also guarantee the unit will be sold in 90 days. When asked what happens if it doesn't sell in that time the sales rep will play up "if for some reason it doesn't sell in 90 days we will continue to advertise it at our expense, however, normally they do sell before the 90 days are up". So what does "at our expense" mean? Absolutely nothing! Once the "Resale" package has been sold to a timeshare owner the "Resale" company will place a small, fairly generic ad on their website, a website that generates very little traffic and are usually hard to navigate if anyone does happen across them. The "Resale" company has already taken the timehare owner for $500-$1000 but it doesn't cost them a thing to keep the timeshare owner's ad on their website indefinately. This is how they skirt the law. They may promise the timeshare owner the moon when making the sell but when it comes to their contract is limits their responsiblity and indicates that if the unit doesn't sell in 90 days their only responsibility is to continue to advertise it. So in essence, for $1000 a timeshare owner gets a small, tiny classified ad on a website that generates little traffic and is filled with over priced timeshare units due to the "Resale" sales reps telling a timeahre owner they can sell their unit for more than it's worth. A formula for success, I think not.

The examples above are just a few of the misleading tactics they will use. They do have a lot more tricks in their arsenal and they certainly are not above high pressure sales methods especially when dealing with elderly timeshare owners. They love to speak fast, loud and over load elderly timeshare owners with a lot of information. When it's time for the close they will badger the owner to try and get their credit card information. How do they do this? By asking htey elderly owner "Mr./Mrs. timeshare owner, you want to sell your unit, right? we can't sell it for you unless we get you listed! You wan't your (fill in the blank with an over inflated timeshare price) don't you?" Basically this will go on and on with the ultimate goal of getting the sale and the money.

What can a timeshare owner do who needs to sell? The first thing to remember the best person to sell their unit is themsleves. If they feel a little uneasy about handling the sale themselves there are lincensed real estate agents who specialize in timeshare resales and they do not charge advance fees. They make a commission after the sale so they are motivated to actually sell the ubit unlike the "Resale" companies. There are also websites designed as a meeting place for timeshare owners to sell or trade their units as well as providing tools and education relating to timeshares. Good starting places are www.redweek.com and www.tug2.net. Anyone looking to sell a timeshare can place an ad on these sites for around $10 to $15 in most cases, a far cry from the "Resale" companies. Also, these also generate a huge volume of people looking for timeshares due to their repuations in the industry.

How do I know so much about Advance Fee Timeshare Companies? For a very brief time last year I opened a marketing room for a fairly successful "Resale" company. Not the best business decesion I've ever made. The money is definately there to be made (the average "resale" sales rep makes $50,000 yr. and the very best make over $75,000 yr.) however, after operating the office for less than a week and hearing customer after customer complain about how they were burned by a Timeshare Resale Company (not once did I hear any owner tell us what a great experience they had with one of those companies) I was completely disgusted with the misleading sales tactics needed to be successful. I was pretty upset allowing myself to ever get involved with this industry. I closed my office and the only positive thing I can say about the whole experience is we never sent a sale.

Since then I have done my best to expose the Advance Fee Timeshare Resale Scam through every possible way I can find. This includes posting to every timeshare forum, blog and consumer website I can find. On these blogs and websites I mention the company by name that I was associated and as a result you can't search the web using their name without a ton of negative reports coming up on the search results. I think this method of speading the word on them and the industry is working. Now when this company contacts a timeshare owner and that owner wants to check the company out first and does a web search using their name they will see many posts and reports exposing this company for what they are---a SCAM!! This must be costing the company at least a little bit of money because they are starting to attack me personaly and threaten me with legal actions. I'm not too concerned about that later because I'm certain they don't want their business methods to see the light of day in a courtroom.
Just as importantly, I have been in contact with the proper authorities in Florida where they (and most timeshare resale companies) are located. I have shared my experiences and the evidence I have on their misleading and fraudulent sales tactics. Anyone that has been ripped off by one of these companies should definately contact the Attorney General's office of the state the business is located among other agencies and inform them of what has happend. With each complaint they get the closer these timeshare resale scams come to getting shut down.
The company I was associated with was timesharemls.org which is owned by CHL Marketing, Inc. that also operates timesharefsbo.com.

So remember, never, ever, pay any company money in advance to sell your timeshare. Any company, no matter what name they go by, that wants you do pay before it is sold is a SCAM!!