Welcome to another Letter from America, this week Meryl Reyman gives her insights on the timeshare industry, or as we prefer to call it “Nightmare on Timeshare Street”.

Inside Timeshare and Timeshare Advocacy Group has received 285 timeshare complaints since January 1, in response to our articles, from timeshare members angry about purchasing a product, most allege they were deceived into buying, signing a perpetual contract with no secondary market. We received 257 complaints for all of 2017.

Given the dramatic increase in the volume of complaints, Irene will only be posting our Friday’s Letter from America to allow more time to respond to our readers. In addition, Irene is working on a research project with a team of advocates.

We hope other contributors who have previously submitted articles, will continue to submit articles and we encourage new submissions from others who would like to contribute to our cause – educate the public to prevent or at least slow the volume of complaints from angry timeshare buyers, tired of the deception.

WHY IS NEVADA THE “WE SEE NOTHING” STATE

AND MISSOURI THE “SHOW ME” STATE

By Meryl Reyman, a Nevada resident

August 24, 2018

Our most vulnerable and valued citizens—elderly, disabled and military—are often defrauded by the timeshare industry.  Since there is no federal protection in the U.S., victims must rely on the states they live in to protect their interests. However, timeshare buyers typically buy a timeshare in a state other than their state of residence, so must file a timeshare complaint in the state where they purchased the timeshare. Some state Attorneys General are listening. Nevada is not one of them.

Nevada seems to be under the thumb of the timeshare industry and is profiting from the millions of dollars that are taken out of the pockets of the victims of timeshare fraud.  Despite repeated complaints of a very serious nature, and high ticket sales, the Nevada Attorney General, via the Nevada Real Estate Division and the Nevada BBB, deny consumers cavalierly by stating “you have no proof” even when a pattern of deceit and bait and switch tactics are its own proof. The volume of similar complaints is compelling and compounding. In timeshare Mecca Florida, proof is even harder to come by because it is a two party state, meaning both parties must be aware of an in-person meeting being recorded.  

Recently the Better Business Bureau of Missouri published a report detailing a pattern of predatory practices by timeshare sales agents and “Get you out of your timeshare scams” in Branson.  

Consumer Tips from the St. Louis BBB:

Don’t Fall for Deception, Pressure and Traps Disguised as Vacations: A Better Business Bureau Study of the Missouri Timeshare / Vacation Club Industry

https://www.bbb.org/en/us/article/news-releases/18149-dont-fall-for-deception-pressure-and-traps-disguised-as-vacations-a-better-business-bureau-study-of-the-missouri-timeshare-vacation-club-industry

Look on the secondary market first. If you are interested in buying a timeshare, you may save thousands buying on the resale market. Be fully aware of what you are purchasing and from whom you are buying to ensure a smooth transaction. Make sure you have in writing the terms of the sale and what each side is responsible for paying at closing. Read the contract carefully and ask questions of the seller.

• Don’t bow to pressure. Take time to think about your decision. Ask the salesperson to send you written information about your possible purchase, including a contract that you can review. There is nothing that says you have to sign the first thing that is shown to you. Let the deal breathe before you figure out if it is right for you.
• Do your research. Compare travel savings with online travel services or local travel agents. Also, check out the company with bbb.org.
• Act fast if you are not satisfied. If you sign a contract for a timeshare or travel club, you have a short window to cancel the contract if you don’t like what you purchased. Don’t wait until after you get back from your trip to take a second look at the contract and research the company you are dealing with or it may be too late. Also, always pay with a credit card so you can challenge the charge should something go wrong with the purchase.
• Do it yourself. If you want to get out of a timeshare commitment, do the work yourself. First, turn to the property from which you purchased the deed to see if there is a deed-back program in place. If that does not work, you may have to turn to the resale market. You likely will have to make a deal with a buyer to sell the timeshare. That option often is still cheaper than dealing with a resale or liquidation company that may charge you thousands of dollars to do the same work for you.

The Message as we interpret it:

Given the perpetual nature of the timeshare contract, the lack of a viable secondary market, and rising maintenance fees, consumers can find themselves stuck – with points eventually foreclosed or taken back, only to be sold again to the next unsuspecting vacationer.

DON’T FINANCE A VACATION or any Luxury Item AT 12% TO 19% and don’t believe a word a timeshare sales agent says. As the St. Louis BBB recommends, check with a licensed secondary market resale broker. We recommend contacting a member of the Licensed Timeshare Resale Broker Association before buying any timeshare.   http://www.licensedtimeshareresalebrokers.org/

Timeshare is a multi-billion dollar industry propelled by powerful lobby dollars. The media needs to help their public by shining a light on the deceptive practices so that the consumer can make an educated decision as to whether the timeshare product makes sense for them.

Inside Timeshare, and Timeshare Advocacy Group, whose mission is to shine a spotlight on the timeshare industry, has received about the same high number of complaints directed against Florida, Nevada, Missouri, Hawaii, California, and Virginia sales centers. Of these states, only Nevada and Florida have routinely dismissed the customer by falling back on the oral representation clause.

For more information, please contact me at: Merrey@cox.net or Timeshare Advocacy Group: https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

Meryl Reyman is a retired attorney and former senior executive of a large marketing/advertising agency located in New York City. Meryl is now a resident of Henderson, NV. She successfully rescinded a timeshare contract after learning little of what the sales agent said was true.

Thank you to Meryl for your advocacy efforts. If you or someone you know needs help with a timeshare concern, contact one of these self-help groups that Inside Timeshare feels is not industry influenced.

https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

https://tug2.com/Home.aspx

https://www.facebook.com/groups/180578055325962/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/465692163568779/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639958046252175/

This week Inside Timeshare has received many more complaints from disgruntled US members, these have been passed on to our Advocacy teams who are now working with them to sort out their problems. We have also been receiving many requests for information from our European readers, the bulk have been from the UK and all revolve around the growing claims and cancellation business. Most of the requests are about the many companies that we have already highlighted, but it will not be long before a few new names start to emerge.

The unfortunate thing is that there are some genuine law firms working very hard to help owners who are stuck in the timeshare rut, but how do you sort out which is which?

If you have been contacted by any company or have found one on the internet and want to know the truth about them, use our contact page and we will point you in the right direction. Remember doing your homework will always save you a whole lot of stress, plus it will also keep your money where it should be, in your bank!

Join us next week for more on the murky world that is timeshare, have a great weekend and if you are going to a timeshare resort, beware the “update” meeting!

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

This week’s Tuesday Slot is an update by Teresa Laird first published on 23 March 2018 in Friday’s Letter from America, it tells the story of Double Purple Heart recipient Raymond Mori and his wife’s “Nightmare on Timeshare Street”. This article has also been published by OEN, opednews.com with an introduction by Irene Parker.

https://www.opednews.com/articles/Raymond-Mori-83-Two-Purp-by-Irene-Parker-Fraud-180828-295.html

At the moment Europe and especially Spain is very quiet on the timeshare front, mainly because we are in the middle of the summer holidays, with the courts in Spain on close down. But one reader did pass on a piece from one of the Anfi members forums, it poses a very interesting question on liability when it comes to private renting of timeshare apartments and weeks.

The writer starts by mentioning that members can’t help noticing that apartments are being privately rented at Anfi and the question arises of who would be liable if that renter had an accident in the apartment?

Would the resort be liable or would the person renting it out be liable if any legal action were to be brought, a very interesting point as the resort could claim that as they are not members but have rented from a private individual they are not covered by their public liability insurance. That would mean the owner of that week and apartment would theoretically be liable, but as an owner renting it out for whatever reason, be it no longer using themselves but covering the maintenance fees, they are unlikely to have any insurance cover for this eventuality.

The writer also goes on to say that this wholesale renting was not what was originally intended, it was for the sole use of members and their families, he believes this is just another nail in the timeshare coffin and would not be surprised if Anfi became a hotel in the future leaving members with little redress.

On that last point, we do know that IFA Lopesan has set aside millions of euros with the intention of buying the Cazorla shares giving them full control. It is also a known fact that IFA Lopesan have no interest in the timeshare model, they favour hotels which are mainly all inclusive and of a very high standard.

If you are an Anfi member what are your feelings on these points, Inside Timeshare would like to hear from you, now for this Tuesdays article.

Retired Marine Raymond Mori, Two Times Purple Heart Recipient, Alleges Timeshare Fraud at Age 83

An update since my original article March 23, 2018

http://insidetimeshare.com/fridays-letter-america-42/

Tuesday Talk Member’s Forum August 28, 2018

By Teresa Laird,  

Purple Heart 9/29/68

“I am writing this at my parent’s last Diamond Resorts update March 13, 2018, I am convinced my parents, at age 83 and 79, would have purchased 30,000 additional Diamond vacation points for $234,295 had I not been with them. This offer required a down payment of $69,993. I kept the paper of these terms under the table because members are not allowed to walk out with hand written notes. My dad was not feeling well. He falls asleep in his wheelchair and had spent six months in the hospital after a heart attack. The stress over this expense has caused my parent’s health to deteriorate further.”

Raymond Mori before being shot down twice, a gunner,  earning two Purple Hearts.

I changed their phone number to avoid Diamond’s collection calls. My mom still shakes when she hears the phone ring. She has never been late on paying a bill in her life, so this has caused her to lose weight and lose sleep. I learned my mom’s entire Social Security check goes to pay the Diamond mortgage. We have learned Diamond points have no secondary market value, so unlike your home, you can’t sell the points if you have a loan.

My parents today, Lillian and Raymond Mori, married 61 years

I have reached out to Angela Sandstede as her parents are going through exactly what we are going through. Roy Simmons is a Navy veteran. His Diamond mortgage payment is $2,700. He is a Navy veteran and a retired letter carrier.

Roy Simmons and Angela Sandstede Simmons

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_nca6lMA4U&feature=youtu.be

Like many, my parents used their Monarch Grand Vacation timeshare for years without complaint. They said they were told they had to give up their deed and buy points. I’ve learned they did not have to do that. Since Diamond acquired Monarch, their annual maintenance fees have increased from $2,600 to $4,600.        

I first learned of their purchase when my mom told me they had purchased an investment. She said they had invested in property. I called Diamond Resorts when my dad said they wanted to sell some points. When I asked how to go about selling points, the DRI hospitality agent laughed at me.

What they bought

4,000 Diamond points 3/12/2013 for $20,416  

2500 Diamond points 6/25/2013 for $8,325  

2500 Diamond points 7/29/2013 for $8,616

5000 Sampler points 5/4/2014 for $2,995

At ages 79 and 75 they were sold a Sampler trial program?

I called Diamond and told them that they needed to take back this last Sampler purchase at the very least. They said they would work with us but had to talk to my parents directly. What did they do – they sold my parents 17,000 more points over the phone at then ages 79 and 73 for $49,492. My parents said they were told they cannot cancel the Sampler, but the points could be added to something else. This is why they are in foreclosure. The caller said they would attach the Sampler points to another program. I could not believe it. Their new maintenance fees are $4,780.

My mom worked as an interpreter for the Ontario California liaison. She speaks Spanish. My dad is diagnosed with early Alzheimer’s. To think their lives have been financially ruined by this company is unforgivable. I am an advocate now. I am a veteran. I am working on a graduate degree and am active in the Veteran’s Resource Center. There is a Veteran’s Resource Center in every university. As soon as I finish my degree, I plan to make it my life’s work to warn veterans about predatory timeshare sales that can financially ruin the lives of those who served to protect us, including those who intend to do us harm. I am one of 72 veterans and active duty military and law enforcement who have reported alleged timeshare fraud.  https://www.csun.edu/vrc

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

Thank you Teresa for the update, it is despicable that the timeshare industry allows its sales agents to behave in this manner, we have said it before and will continue to say it, you as an industry

ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR WHAT YOUR SALES AGENT SAY AND DO!

It is your products they are selling, you employ them to represent your companies, the buck stops with you. If the industry can’t change its practices, then maybe it is time for major legislation forcing them to change. We have seen this in Spain, consumers there are now given the full protection of the law, the strongest in Europe, with other countries starting to follow their lead.

If you have any comments or would like to share your own “Nightmare on Timeshare Street”, then contact Inside Timeshare, remember you are not alone.

Have you been contacted by a company offering resale, claims or relinquishment and are not sure if the company or what they are offering is genuine, then use our contact page and we will point you in the right direction. Doing your homework before engaging with any company dealing with timeshare will save you money and a whole lot of stress.

The post The Tuesday Slot appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to the last Friday’s letter from America for August, this week Irene Parker reviews the similarities between victims of the Catholic Church and Timeshare victims, it looks at how speaking up can make a difference. But first a couple of items from Europe.

Another company offering discounted travel has come to our attention, Advantage Group British Travel SL, according to Spanish company records the registered address is:

C/ LA GAVIOTA 14 – APARTAMENTO 1-19, LOS ABRIGOS (GRANADILLA DE ABONA)

This address is actually an apartment block, no sign of any office in the street.

Telephone number (34) 922 456 773

The company was registered on 24 October 2016 with the administrator being one Victoria Hughes and the secretary one Caroline Elizabeth Docker.

It appears that they use OPC’s on the street with the ubiquitous scratch cards to lure holiday makers into a presentation. This will involve several hours of high pressure sales to get you to part with a significant amount of money for a membership to another dubious “discount holiday club”.

You will then get access to the following website

www.toptraveleurope.net

This can only be accessed once you have joined and received your code and membership, there is also a £75 a year administration fee.

Now the name of this company reminded us of another several years ago called British Travel based at the Centro Comercial Fañabe Plaza, which is also the base for Monster Travel, Sell My Timeshare and other Mark Rowe enterprises.

The director of British Travel was Paul Hughes, which was also a “discount holiday club”, but was pitched as a travel agency, where you could get discount from 25% to 80%. Obviously Victoria Hughes is more than likely his wife and is now the  front for this company, we also know that Caroline is linked to paul as they are facebook friends.

So beware the ticket touts and the offers of great discounts!

We have also been informed by one of our regular readers who had dealings with the fake law firm in tenerife, Legalidad Abogados, part of the Litigious Abogados family, of another email being received about his court case against Diamond.

This has caused us a great deal of hilarity, the case was supposedly heard on 24 July 2018 and the director of Diamond Resorts International pleaded guilty, just like all the timeshare directors in these cases from this fake outfit. You will never believe who they named as the director, MARK ROWE!

Well we all know that Mark Rowe is not a director at Diamond, he runs his own little empire featuring Monster Credits, Rewards and Travel, Hollywood Marketing and off course ABC Lawyers to name but a few.

So if you are reading this Mark, congratulations on your employment at Diamond and what a shame you ended up in court!

Now for today’s article.

Timeshare Predators compared to Catholic Predators

By Irene Parker

August 31, 2018

There are many good Catholic priests, sisters and nuns, especially Benedictine Sister Joan Chittister of Erie, Pennsylvania, speaking out on what has been the pervasive Catholic culture of institutional cover-up.

Sister explains,   

Pedophilia, the abuse of children, has finally unmasked for all to see the operational principles of an organization that has been able for years to ignore, reject– even disdain–the cries of multiple other groups of the ignored and abused.

It is clear now, in ways it was never clear before, how much damage is done to the church itself, ironically, by the kind of silence that makes it impossible for the church to admit its weaknesses, to deal with its questions. . http://www.joanchittister.org/

Something clicks inside a victim when they have had enough. Some timeshare companies employ the same tactics as the church. As timeshare members alleging fraud read through this, they will have no trouble seeing similarities. I advocate on behalf of timeshare members alleging fraud, alongside 44 Timeshare Advocacy Group advocates.

The Catholic scandal ultimately led me to timeshare advocacy. Turning anger over child abuse outward led me to CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates for children in foster care, where I learned how to write court reports for Family Court. When timeshare members contact me, their complaints are often confusing and lengthy. I listen to their allegations, transcribe, and return to them their complaint in court report format. Other advocates answer questions that come up when members need to file regulatory complaints

A life’s journey can take many twists and turns. My life changed dramatically after a trip to Peshawbestown, Michigan to meet with tribal spiritual director and peacemaker Paul Raphael of the Grand Traverse Band of Ottawa and Chippewa Indians. Peacemaker Paul was one of nine male children who attended the Holy Childhood School of Jesus in Michigan where Indian boys were sexually abused by three School Sisters of Notre Dame nuns in the 1960s and ‘70s. I contacted him after reading a four part article about the abuse. By part four I was livid.

Unholy Childhood, June 29, 2008

https://www.northernexpress.com/news/feature/article-3760-unholy-childhood/

Grand Rapids Michigan investigative reporters met with Sister Laura Jean Spaeth of the School Sisters of Notre Dame in Milwaukee. Sister Spaeth was skeptical about the credibility so the reporters interviewed a total of 80 former students to verify the abuse.

“My answer was if it was just one person, that would be a legitimate argument — but we interviewed 80 people and we heard a consistently recurring story,” Golder said. “And it was troubling to me that the leaders of the order, sought to dismiss what we were saying based on the other problems in their lives,…but it was clear to me, as people told the same stories over and over, that it established a pattern that was factual.”

In 2008 I was practicing for a pipe organ exam at the cathedral for an American Guild of Organists exam. Patrick Cooney was Bishop then. Stunned after speaking with Peacemaker Paul, I wrote Bishop Cooney a letter asking if I could arrange a meeting. Peacemaker Paul resisted saying, “How will that help us?” I said it wouldn’t but it would help the Bishop because he cares and hearing directly from Peacemaker Paul could possibly help Bishop Cooney stop a potential abuser.  

Wounded Souls July 8, 2008

https://www.northernexpress.com/news/feature/article-3251-wounded-souls/

“There have been up to 400 reports nationally of sex abuse by nuns,” said David Clohessy, former national director and spokesman for SNAP, Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests. “The laws are written in Michigan to protect perpetrators and those who are doing the cover-ups. There have been efforts in the Michigan legislature over the past five years to get those laws changed, to be more victim-friendly, but in each case the bishops and the bishop’s conference spent a lot of resources to get those laws defeated,” Clohessy said. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Clohessy

After experiencing a timeshare bait and switch, I wrote to ARDA, The American Resort Development Association, explaining my concerns. I thought they would be grateful someone brought criminal actions to their attention. I did not hear from ARDA except for an auto-reply. Approximately 200 allegations of fraud have been sent to ARDA over two years – and no response. ARDA does not mediate disputes, but they have a code of ethics that is being violated, based on member reports.

According to Dr. Amy Grant, University of Central Florida, who presented at an ARDA World conference in 2017.

“A whopping 85 percent of all buyers regret their (timeshare) purchase (for money, fear, confusion, intimidation, distrust and other reasons). Forty-one percent of buyers never thought they would regret their purchase, but they did; another 30 percent were neutral prior to buying, but then regretted it.”

https://www.redweek.com/resources/ask-redweek/arda-world-timeshare-owners

Victims need to file regulatory complaints, lobby lawmakers and reach out to the media. I attended a Catholic conference where victims and clergy met to address the problems. It is only through the courage and fortitude of the Sister Chittisters of the world, change happens. It is unclear if the Pope or ARDA have really accepted the reality of Social Media because victims no longer need be silenced and isolated.

This article does go to show that only by speaking up and working together can any real change happen, these cases of abuse, although very different in nature, in the church and timeshare have one thing in common, both want you to remain quiet and say nothing.

That’s all for the month of August, the courts in Spain are about to start hearing cases again so there will no doubt be some interesting news on the legal front. Also during September Inside Timeshare will not be publishing regular articles as I am on leave and spending some quiet time with a large family reunion.

Have a great weekend and remember, any company that contacts you regarding your timeshare, do your homework before you do any business with them.

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

We start this week with a report from La Provincia, a Spanish newspaper published on the 25 August 2018. It reports on Operation Bankog by the Judicial Police of the Guardia Civil based out of Puerto Rico in the municipality of Mogan, Gran Canaria, they have broken an international ring which was dedicated to defraud foreign nationals.

The organisation was based in the Balearic Islands and Malaga, with five people being arrested, two spanish citizens, one Austrian one British and one German, with the seizure of twenty bank accounts which recovered more than 15,000 euros.

The members of the organisation represented themselves as Spanish Justice Administration officials, receiving payments into Spanish bank accounts for payments and public taxes in respect of a bankrupt timeshare located in Austria. These took place between 2014 and 2015, and involved around twenty members of the organisation from seven different countries.

During the initial stages, a complaint was verified which proved that victims had transferred around 20,000 euros into Spanish bank accounts. These accounts were located in Palma de mallorca and Malaga, with the Guardia Civil reporting that many of the account holders were foreign nationals with criminal records some having outstanding warrants from their home countries.

The Guardia Civil is also investigating the forging of official documents which were used to perpetrate the fraud. The case has been submitted to the relevant courts with the investigation continuing and further arrests have not been ruled out.

According to the Guardia Civil the investigation has take three years due to the complexity of the organisations infrastructure, the number of nationalities involved and the many bank accounts. They believe that the amount could be well in excess of half a million euros. It also involved the collaboration of various Interpol offices around Europe.

Inside Timeshare received information from a reliable source that the investigation was initiated by denuncias issued to the Guardia Civil in Mogan,  by Canarian Legal Alliance on behalf of many of their clients.

As more information comes to light Inside Timeshare will bring you the news.

Click on the link below to see the original article, if using google the page can then be translated by right clicking on the article and selecting Translate from the menu.

https://www.laprovincia.es/sucesos/2018/08/25/guardia-civil-mogan-neutraliza-organizacion/1091317.html

The summer holidays are now at an end, so we issue our usual warning on doing your homework before dealing with any company that contacts you out of the blue, or even one you have found yourself on the internet. With maintenance fee bills about to be issued, the many scam companies will be in full swing to get your hard earned money. These will come in many guises, from resale scams, claims and cancellations, before doing any business, check, check and check again.

If you are unsure about any company and require help in find out about them, use our contact page and we will point you in the right direction. Inside Timeshare would also ask you to send any information about these companies to us, that way we can inform others of what is happening.

The post Start the Week: Major International Fraud Smashed appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to The Tuesday Slot, this week another new contributor Reba Brannon, in her article she explains the hardships created by perpetual timeshare contracts which are affecting many elderly owners.

This is not just a problem in the US, it is also a problem in Europe, what we call perpetuity contracts and the difficulties in getting out is a common theme from those who contact Inside Timeshare. It is also the main reason there are so many companies who promise the earth but never deliver.

Again it is a fraud which has been created by the resorts and developers with their unwillingness to allow people to end their timeshare contracts, all for the sake of continuing to receive maintenance fees. Scam companies, many set up by ex sales agents have been a thorn in the side of timeshare owners for years, they started with resale but have now moved on to cancellations and claims.

Spain, which has been the main center of timeshare scams has finally clamped down on timeshare companies and is also very active in the fight against fraudulent resale, cancellation and claims companies. Many of the latter have now started to register in the UK where they are using the UK registered company pitch to lure in the unsuspecting.

On the point of perpetuity contracts, Spain enacted Law 42/98 in January 1999, in this law it is illegal to sell any timeshare for a period of more than 50 years. All contracts must be a minimum of 3 years and a maximum of 50 years, which means that timeshare contracts can have a duration anywhere in between. So theoretically the length can be dependent on the age of the purchaser, so if a consumer purchases when they are 50 the contract can be tailored to say 25 years, giving them ownership until they are 75. It is now a matter of time before all timeshares in Europe will abolish perpetuity.

Now on with Reda’s article.

Americano Beach Resort

The hardship created by Perpetual Timeshare Contracts

By Reba Brannon, an Americano Owner

September 4, 2018

Senior citizens, who purchased timeshares decades ago, often dealing with health obstacles, must now face aggressive timeshare sales agents demanding more money to get rid of what was originally sold to us as an asset. In our 60s, the last thing we need is to spend more money on a vacation plan when we no longer want the one we owned for over 20 years.

My husband Donald and I are both 63. We purchased our Americano timeshare in 1993. The travel package the management company offered us, to allow us out of the timeshare, sounded confusing and convoluted. After so many of us paid maintenance fees faithfully for so long, we now brace for foreclosure. Our timeshare we used and loved for so many years has become a nightmare for many. One member reported there have been about 150 timeshare weeks deeded back to Americano since June 1.   

The Americano remains closed after hurricanes Matthew and Irma. It is the only Daytona resort still closed. Americano’s management company, ARC, held a Homeowner’s meeting August 20, 2018. Something is very wrong when a timeshare company won’t post the location of their meeting in fear of owners attending. Though ARC noted the date of the meeting months ago, it wasn’t until about five or six days prior that owners were told WHERE it was.  When asked the location, their response was that they would “comply with Florida Statute and notify the owners of the location no less than 48 hours before the meeting.” This may seem minor, but it makes an owner feel that this was done deliberately to discourage attendance. Few attended.

We feel we were deceived into paying 2018 maintenance fees as we were told we would be guaranteed a week at one of their other properties, but after we paid the 2018 fee, they said we could not use our week. Our special assessment was $1,800. Due to the uncertainty, we have not paid it. I think ARC just announced at the August meeting that once maintenance fees for this year are sent out, if you pay them, the payment will go instead toward the special assessment instead of maintenance fees.

Our deeded week was on the ninth and top floor. We loved being on the 9th floor as the view is AWESOME. According to ARC, timeshare owners will not be located above the 6th floor. The top floors are to be reserved for “owned” condos.

If loyal Americano owners, who have faithfully paid their maintenance fees for decades, are short changed at every opportunity, why not just let us go. When we bought the Americano we could get discounted rates for rooms–we had BONUS TIME in addition to our deeded week. The Bonus Time appears to have been taken away.

When we attended update meetings, we found ourselves being pressured into buying (converting) to points, a vacation club package or a second unit. They told us if we didn’t do one of these options then we wouldn’t be able to use our unit. ARC wanted the same price to upgrade as we paid for the unit when we originally bought it in 1993.

After ARC took over in 2016, every year we would deposit our week for the next year before we left the Americano, because when you call to make a reservation no one answered the phone or we were told there was nothing available. However, Americano had rooms available online thru Expedia, and other online booking sites. I always found availability when I went online. Sometimes we just showed up after being told nothing was available only to find when we arrived there were plenty of rooms. Imagine that!! We could book the Americano only because we could find availability online.  

We attended the Board meeting March 2018. There were 300-400 owners in attendance. The meeting was angry and chaotic. There was an armed deputy. Owners against the special assessment attempted to voice their opinions without success. In our opinion, the two board members in attendance didn’t seem to address the questions that were asked.

I can’t speak for all members, but if we knew exactly what is going on—we would consider paying the assessment, but we refuse to pay ARC anything else after losing our 2018 week we paid for. In addition, there is the uncertainty of future assessments, the constant demand to pay more money for confusing and unproven vacation plans, and the prevalent anti-owner sentiment.  

We stopped by the Americano early August and spoke with Brad, the acting General Manager. We asked Brad questions –he couldn’t or wouldn’t answer. Brad acted as if he didn’t know any more than we did. Brad is very much a part of ARC management. He was the backup security guard at the March meeting.

Our questions,

• When will the Americano open?
• Who can we talk to about paying the 2018 maintenance fees told we could book a vacation?
• How bad is the mold?

Many of us are seniors. Why does ARC not just take back these units if they seem to be trying to get rid of us anyway? Just sell points to new buyers. We all bought so long ago, we would be happy to just give it back, rather than finding ourselves ransomed by high pressure sales.

ARC’s latest threat is FORECLOSURE.  After being loyal owners for so long, offer a deed-back over a demoralizing foreclosure. Move on with your new plan.

It’s a sad situation–we were planning on using our unit more often in retirement. We have a lot of money and memories in the Americano. Timeshare today seems one sided. The developer can change any benefit at any time for any reason. With the ease of booking online and Airbnb, I wonder if timeshare could even exist without aggressive sales.

Related article: http://www.americanobeach.com/

Thank you Reba, let us all hope that the timeshare companies in the US take note and reform, if not then the only other option is to legislate on a Federal level and give all consumers the protection they deserve.

Over the next few weeks Inside Timeshare will be on vacation, we will be publishing the Tuesday Slot and Friday’s Letter from America and hope to publish any important information during the week. This will depend on the internet connections available.

The post The Tuesday Slot appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to this weeks Letter from America by Irene Parker, who has submitted her name for election to the Diamond Resorts US Collection HOA board. As you all know Irene is a very tenacious campaigner for timeshare members and consumers rights, so for those who have vote, Inside Timeshare urges you to cast them for her.

Back in March 2016 Inside Timeshare published the following article on how resorts and resort owners manipulate the votes to suit themselves.

http://insidetimeshare.com/manipulation-votes-resorts-resort-owners/

Before we go to Irene’s article a quick update on news from the Spanish courts who returned to full swing this week and Canarian Legal Alliance sent us this review of sentences issued this week.

In the High Courts in Tenerife there have been FIVE issued against Silverpoint, a company that still denies that their contracts are illegal

There was ONE in the High Court against the Gran Canarian Resort ANFI DEL MAR, with SIX issued in the Courts of First Instance , again another company that insists it is not losing in the courts.

A total of 11 victories with a combined value of 371,882.14 € going back to their clients.

They have also had the courts enforce a cash embargo on Silverpoint in order to secure the funds for their clients. This in itself ensures that the funds cannot be diverted.

CLA have also informed us that they have already lodged 54 new cases with various courts all over Spain just as the courts reopened, so we can expect more news on that front in the future. Now for this weeks article.

My Diamond Resorts Campaign for the U.S Collection HOA Board

By Irene Parker

September 7 2018

Chantal Desjardines’ Diamond Embarc/Intrawest June 2018 election results:

Five times more members voting for Chantal than closest rival places her in third place due to weighed voting.

James Orr (incumbent)    421

Robert Reyes                       361

Chantal Desjardines           2293

http://insidetimeshare.com/the-tuesday-slot-with-irene-10/

A timeshare member thinking they can actually win an HOA election is preposterous, but if throwing my name in the ring can shed some light on the plight of over 500 angry Diamond members, many saying they are financially devastated by their decision to buy Diamond points, I will suffer the humiliation of loss. When attorney friends suggested I submit my name to the list of candidates for Diamond Resorts U.S. Collection HOA board, I laughed. They didn’t.

Our member sponsored Diamond Resorts Owners Advocacy Group Facebook has over 1800 members, less industry observers, trying to understand what happened to them and why.  

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

As of September 2nd, 509 Diamond members have contacted Charles Thomas or me, all but a handful alleging unfair and deceptive trade practices. Retired Air Force Lieutenant Barry Gingrich did not contact us, but his YouTube below accurately summarizes the mantra of complaints reported by members who feel they were subjected to unfair and deceptive trade practices.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rjcgw0dAIKk&feature=youtu.be

Lt. Gingrich’s grievances:

• Hours long tag-team, high pressure, aggressive sales presentations,
• Told the last sales agent sold you the wrong package,  
• Told the timeshare is a good investment, will appreciate in value,
• Failure to address the lack of a secondary market,
• Poor availability,
• Sales agent will be your personal representative, but they never call back,
• Use of a credit card will offset maintenance fees (many members complain of being able to pay maintenance fees at $.20 or $.30 per point, but when a complaint is filed, the response back is the actual 20/20 or 30/30 program that has nothing to do with paying maintenance fees at $.20 or $.30 per point).

Sales agents defend themselves by saying members lie. The typical response from some timeshare companies to customer complaints is, “You signed a contract,” echoed by the Nevada Real Estate Division and Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation. When one member asked a Florida DBPR supervisor, why other states take timeshare complaints seriously based on member complaints, the response was that what other states do has no bearing on how Florida reviews timeshare complaints.

We actually liked our Diamond points until we experienced a bait and switch, easily proved. In our case, we purchased additional points in Williamsburg, VA, told Diamond was adding New York properties. We purchased for just that reason because our daughter lives in NYC. If you check Diamond’s booking site, it would take about $8,500 worth of maintenance fee equivalent dollars to stay one week at the same hotel that could be booked online for $950, checking year round. When I asked a Diamond representative about the poor value, the response was, “That’s for members who have so many points they don’t know what to do with them all.”

I filed a complaint filed with the New York Attorney General’s office that resulted in an offer to refund the purchase, but I refused after reading the non-disclosure agreement. It seemed harsh and unwarranted. Had I not been required to sign an NDA, I would have written it off as maybe the sales agent didn’t know about the poor value. I’m not saying Diamond does not have a product or that there are not Diamond sales agents selling the product honestly. The complaints directed against Diamond are not unique to Diamond. There are many lawsuits and Attorneys General investigations and settlements, not to mention thriving timeshare exit scams.

Rather than address member complaints, the goal is to behead the messenger.  

As a result of what I consider to be retaliation, for listening and responding to readers, my husband and I attended the Whistleblower’s Summit in Washington D.C. held in July of this year. The summit slogan was:

Speak Truth to Power       

 For full disclosure, my legal name is Peggy Irene Steckert.

Twice my husband and I exchanged a timeshare and ended up buying a house at our exchange location. One of our kids now asks us if we are coming back when we let her know we are going on vacation. We exchanged a week in 2001 and bought a house in Petoskey, Michigan. While on vacation, I ended up getting hired as a Director of Music for a church in Petoskey. Given the conservative nature of the church, I thought it best to use my husband’s last name of Parker. As a result, I became Peggy Parker of Petoskey, who played the pipe organ for weddings, 25 a summer. I got tired of reading it in the paper, the reporter apologizing.

Next, we exchanged a timeshare for Diamond Caverns (no relation to Diamond Resorts) and bought a house in Bowling Green, Kentucky. I ditched Peggy and switched to Irene. Given my bio describes how I opened the first Edward Jones office on the Big Island of Hawaii, I wanted to explain my name changes in case anyone, like Edward Jones, actually looks into who opened the first Edward Jones office on the Big Island of Hawaii.     

Ironically, I built my brokerage business cold calling real estate agents and timeshare sales agents. At one of my timeshare sales agent presentations at Hanalei Bay, Kauai, when I asked if there were any questions, one sales agent raised his hand and asked, “So we’re the units?” They made a ton of money, especially if they spoke Japanese.

The American Funds mutual fund company informed me in 2001 that I was the top American Funds producer for the entire west coast and Hawaii, among all brokerage firms. I also taught classes for the Small Business Administration’s Small Business Development Centers, University of Hawaii, Kona, Hilo and Maui campuses, teaching small business owners how to understand financial statements and make use of financial ratios. I team taught with a CPA classes on business structures. I gave endless seminars at Tutu’s House, which means grandmother in Hawaiian.

Fast forward to 2018 – after developing all those client relationships and great friendships with timeshare sales agents in Hawaii, it pains me to continually hear complaints directed against sales agents. Diamond Resorts considers me an enemy, not the sales agents with multiple, similar complaints.

I guess that’s not much of a campaign speech, but it doesn’t matter anyway. You can’t win.    

RECOGNITION

http://archives.starbulletin.com/2001/06/10/business/bizbriefs.html

>> Edward Jones investment representative Peggy Steckert has been named to the President’s Club of The American Funds Group. Steckert, who works out of the company’s Kaimuki office, was honored for superior service to customers and dedication to principles of sound investing. A 15-year veteran in the financial services field, she has been with Edward Jones since 1995.

Irene Parker has experience and knowledge in the fields of finance, sales and marketing. She holds an MBA from St. Louis University, and holds a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) certificate. Irene retired from Edward Jones Hawaii. She served as a founding member of the Salvation Army Board of Directors, Waimea, a member of the Condo Board at One Archer Lane, Honolulu, a member of The Ombudsman Advisory Board in Kentucky, and was a Kentucky CASA supervisor.

Thank you Irene and we all wish you the very best in your election campaign. Well that’s all from me as I’m now on vacation, so there will not be many articles published until October, although The Tuesday slot and Friday’s Letter will go ahead as usual. If any important information arises then I try to get it published.

Have a good weekend.

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to the start of another week in the world of timeshare, tomorrow is 9/11 and we shall be publishing another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” from Veteran George Yamada. He will be sharing his experiences at the hands of his timeshare company and also with a timeshare exit company, so join us tomorrow on The Tuesday Slot.

Last week was the first full week the courts were open after the August break and what a week it was for the lawyers at Canarian Legal Alliance. The courts issued 12 sentences from previous trials, the first 7 involved Silverpoint, with the Tenerife Courts declaring all contracts null and void along with ordering Silverpoint to repay a massive £536,118.00 a very costly week for Silverpoint.

In Gran Canaria, the Courts of First Instance issued sentences against Anfi Del Mar, 5 in total, once again the contracts have been declared null and void. The amount that Anfi have been ordered to repay clients totals £175,442.00 so in total CLA have secured over £771,086.00 could we be seeing the million pound mark in one week being reached soon?

As well as the sentences, CLA reported many pre-trials had also taken place in various courts around Spain, so it does look as though this is going to be a very busy few months.

On the subject of Silverpoint, we have been receiving many emails over the past few days from owners of Silverpoint and Azure in Malta, who have been cold called and offered accommodation at Hollywood Mirage, The company being Centaurus Mediations, a company that we know is linked to Silverpoint, (see link below for previous article).

https://insidetimeshare.com/centaurus-mediations-silverpoint-connection/

All readers have the same story, for a substantial payment of around £9,000 (average taken from all readers) with at least £1,500+ taken as a deposit on the day, Centaurus will cancel your contract with Silverpoint. There has been no mention of any compensation, well we know even if there was, none would be forthcoming.

What a joke this is, first you have been sold illegal contract by Silverpoint, this is borne out by the hundreds of court cases that have been filed against them, 7 reported above, now a company set up by Silverpoint is attempting to take even more money from you to cancel their own contracts!

Well we do know the reasoning behind this don’t we, once the contract has been terminated, then they are safe from being taken to court by you!

If you have a Silverpoint timeshare purchased in Spain and want to know how to get it declared null and void (not cancelled) along with all the money you have paid, then contact Inside Timeshare and we will point you in the right direction.

Another of our US colleagues Lisa Ann Schreier, also known as The Timeshare Crusader, has asked that we publish the following link to a webinar she is co-hosting later this month.

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/timeshare-crusader-ficlub-present-wont-get-fooled-again-repair-dont-repeat-your-mistakes-tickets-49253974965

This is entitled “Don’t get fooled again – repair don’t repeat your mistakes”.

The webinar is being arranged jointly by Lisa and Fi Club, it should prove valuable to our many US readers, obviously any European readers are also invited to attend.

Inside Timeshare will bring you an update from Lisa once this has taken place.

Well that’s it for today, I am on Vacation in sunny Malta enjoying the wonderful history that Mediterranean Island has to offer, do join us tomorrow for our Tuesday Slot.

The post Start the Week appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

My Experience with a Timeshare and a Timeshare Exit Company

Another Veteran Foreclosed

September 11, 2018

Inside Timeshare has heard from 73 US veterans and active duty service members and law enforcement alleging unfair and deceptive timeshare business practices. Today is September 11, a day we remember the Twin Towers, a day that shook the world. Like George Yamada, our newest veteran contributor, first responders have suffered health effects as a result of their service for freedom.

Mr. Yamada explains today how he had invested over $100,000 in a timeshare, losing about $50,000, forced to default on the balance. As he illustrates, the amount of money lost to timeshare exit companies often pales in comparison to the amount lost buying a timeshare for the wrong reasons.

Inside Timeshare has received many complaints from members in the U.S. and the E. U. who feel they were scammed by an exit company promising their money back if they are not released from their timeshare, only to learn the promise fell short.  Not all exit companies are a scam, but we consider any company not living up to their money back guarantee, to be in violation of Section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission code, “Unfair and Deceptive Trade practices.”

Read the guarantee you sign off on carefully, three words like “or in process” can made a big difference. The guarantee from the timeshare exit company’s website:

All Paid in Full Timeshare Cancellations are Guaranteed to be Transferred or In Process within ONE YEAR or Your Money Back!*

* All Paid in Full timeshares are guaranteed to be transferred or in process within the one year after you, the client, give us your file documents, or you will receive your money back.

Although George’s timeshare was not paid in full, he is adamant the company provided him this guarantee, even with his outstanding loan. Furthermore, the timeshare company issued George a notice of default. A default is not a transfer.  

By George Yamada

September 11, 2018

My wife Dawn and I are engaged in a battle we never expected. I am 71 years old, a Vietnam Army veteran, 70% disabled from Agent Orange. Veterans exposed to Agent Orange experience diabetes, kidney disease and other health risks. https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp

I administer pension plans. I can’t imagine any company in our portfolio treating their clients the way my wife and I have been treated.  

We purchased 41,500 Diamond US Collection points for over $100,000 as an investment. After learning the points are virtually worthless, I contacted a timeshare exit company December 2017 and paid them $6,000 to get out of the contract. The estimated turnaround time was expected to be four to six months. In April of 2018 I was told Diamond is overloaded with members wanting to get out of contracts, so it could take a year.

Summary of my purchases

In 2015 at Ka’anapali we bought a trial package for $1.93 per point.

In 2016 in Florida we purchased 6,500 points for $19,055 or $2.93 per points.

The third purchase was August 2017 by phone from Washington State. A lady called and said they could offer me a great deal. She said Diamond points are an investment for the future. They sold us on the discounted value compared to the current price. She said they could not offer the price we paid before because the price per point had gone up. Having bought at $1.93, this sounded like an excellent investment. We purchased 8,500 points for $28,560 or $3.36 per point.   

The fourth purchase was October 10, 2017. We met Juaquin B in Florida. Juaquin wrote $3.49 on a sheet of paper and then showed us the current price at $9 per point.  He would not give us the paper. He said that the points we had purchased had gone up so we could not purchase at the previous price. Juaquin told us this is the best investment we could buy because of Apollo. Apollo Global Management had acquired Diamond Resorts. As a pension administrator, I knew Apollo was a venture capital company. Juaquin said the more points we bought, the better our value. The sales presentation lasted six hours, and I am diabetic.

We purchased 20,000 points totaling 41,500 points for $58,000 or $2.90 per point.

Juaquin said our two prior loans would be consolidated so the new monthly payment would be $774. This didn’t happen. We ended up with payments of $500 a month plus $700 a month so over $1200 a month which is impossible for us.  

The maintenance fees for the points purchased Juaquin wrote down as $3,300, but since the loan was not consolidated, the maintenance fees were about $8,700. This was a sizeable percentage of our net income. After our expenses we were left with only $1400 per month for food and all other living expenses.

When I tried to contact Juaquin, he said he was extremely busy but would contact us. I called and texted him about 12 to 15 times with no response. When he finally contacted me, he told me to send my hotel and rental car bills to him and he would reimburse us. I have the email from when I sent him the bills. Juaquin had previously explained that I could use points just like money. He said my points are worth $3 per point. Juaquin said, “You could buy a gallon of milk with your points.” I never heard from him after forwarding him our bills.

Joaquin told us repeatedly we could sell Diamond points back to Diamond. When I called Joaquin to ask how to redeem points, he said he would walk me through the process, but would have to get back to me. I did not hear back, so I called Diamond financial services November 2017. I said I would sell points back to them for what I had paid. They said Diamond does not buy back points.  At my age, I would have never purchased $58,000 worth of additional vacation points if I knew there were so few buyers. We had only used the timeshare a couple of times. I disputed this transaction with my credit card companies. I had not qualified for their Barclaycard. Both cards gave us our money back.  

The company said in a press release that they promise transparency and accountability. They boast of a PROMISE that memorializes a series of operational procedures and enhancements in a single document. From their press release:

Transparency

• We will provide clear, concise and consistent information at our presentations so that you can easily decide whether committing to vacation is the right decision for you and your family.
• We seek to articulate the benefits of membership so you understand:
• How to use your points for other travel arrangements, such as airfare, or (for our Platinum members only) how to apply them to maintenance fees.

It has now been well over a year since I signed with the timeshare exit company. I reached out to Inside Timeshare May of 2018. After explaining that I bought the points as an investment, I was advised to file a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission, because timeshare points are not a security and should not be sold as an investment.  Considering my background as a pension administrator, I should know if what had been described to me sounded like an investment.

I filed a complaint with the SEC June 3, 2018. Shortly after, I received a response from a SEC attorney. I contacted the timeshare exit company on July 18, 2018. The attorney I spoke with told me that they had received a Notice of Default-Revocation of Note dated June 13, 2018. It had been addressed to me but sent to the timeshare exit company. I asked the attorney why I had not been notified or sent a copy of the letter! He had no explanation. I asked for a refund or partial refund and of course the answer was no. I asked him why. He told me it was because Diamond could come back to them for any reason. Their guarantee was for a transfer, not a default!  

You don’t have to pay anyone to get defaulted!

EVENTUALLY, SOME LAWMAKER OR REGULATOR HAS TO WAKE UP TO THE HARM TIMESHARE IS DOING TO FAMLIES, SENIORS, and VETERANS.

Thank you to George Yamada for his service to America, for freedom and for sharing his experience. Contact Inside Timeshare if you have a timeshare experience to share. We publish all experiences, good or bad. The views expressed in member submitted articles are their description of their timeshare experience. The one true fact we know, is that the families contacting us often say that they are financially devastated by their decision to purchase a timeshare. Sold and bought for the right reasons, a timeshare can be of great benefit to a family.

Follow the link below for the article published in OpEdNews:

https://www.opednews.com/articles/Let-s-Honor-our-Veterans–by-Irene-Parker-Fraud-180908-59.html

The post The Tuesday Slot appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to this week’s Letter from America, today Irene Parker reviews a new book EVERYTHING ABOUT TIMESHARES by Wayne C. Robinson, incidentally Irene has written the forward, but first a very brief look at Europe.

It has been reported from one court in Tenerife that one Judge in Court No 5 has decided during a pretrial hearing that a case against Silverpoint does not need to go to a full trial. His reason is that he clearly sees the breaches of the timeshare laws in accordance with the 129 Supreme Court rulings which all lower courts must follow. He will be delivering his sentence in due course, this follows some Judges in Gran Canaria who were the first to do this. This will obviously speed up the process to the benefit of the clients.

Inside Timeshare has also been receiving many emails from timeshare owners on vacation in Tenerife, most of these are Silverpoint members, they have been approach at their resorts by Centaurus Mediations and Keys Concierge, who we have written about on many occasions.

In the meetings that they have been coerced into attending it is the same old story, Centaurus tell them they can get them out of their Silverpoint contracts and get them compensation, for fee that is. Keys Concierge offer the same but with a membership to their “Lifestyle” product, which offers “massive” discounts on holidays etc.

Both these companies are closely linked to Silverpoint, so we know what this is all about, Silverpoint are losing heavily in the courts, costing them hundreds of thousands of pounds for their illegal product and contracts. By getting the members to “cancel” these contracts it then stops them taking Silverpoint to court to have the contracts declared null and void plus get all their money back.

Do not fall for this, if you have a Silverpoint membership and would like to know if you do have a valid case, then contact Inside Timeshare, we will check this for you free of charge and then point you to the best solution.

Timeshare Crusader, Lisa Ann Schreier has asked Inside Timeshare to publish the following:

Lisa Ann Schreier has a media opportunity and is looking for timeshare owners who can assist. The first is for an owner who has not been able to get into their home resort despite trying to book months in advance, yet found rental opportunities available on non-owner websites. The second is for anyone who has purchased a DRI or other ‘sampler’ or trial package.

Now for this week’s Letter from America.

EVERYTHING ABOUT TIMESHARES

A Book by Wayne C. Robinson

Wayne was raised an army dependent on military bases in the United States and Europe. He graduated from the Munich American High School in Germany, and then continued his higher education at the Berklee College of Music and the University of North Texas.

Finally, in 1994, Wayne decided to follow his dreams of travel and people. He attended the International Tour Management Institute (ITMI) in San Francisco, California.

Wayne was also a United States Navy journalist. He is the author of The African American Travel Guide; How To Work in Vacation Hot Spots, Change Your Thoughts Change Your Destiny and Job Hunting Secrets They Don’t Tell Us About

His books are sold on more than 100 online bookstores.

https://everythingabouttimeshares.com/wayne-c-robinson-author/

By Irene Parker

September 14, 2018

In America, Democrats and Republicans may be a member of the same political party, but that does not mean all Democrats or all Republicans agree within their own party. Similarly, I may not agree with all points Wayne presents in his book, but we agree on the following points:

1. Timeshares are sold by some agents deceptively,
2. The oral representation clause has been overused and over abused,
3. The buyer often makes a timeshare decision without adequate information,
4. The consequences of making the wrong timeshare decision can be financially devastating,
5. The buyer is almost always unaware of the limited to sometimes non-existent secondary market. Most timeshare contracts are perpetual.

There is little enforcement of timeshare regulations in some states without undeniable proof. Consequently, complaints that begin with, “The sales agent said,” are dismissed. In those states there is little to stop deceit and misrepresentations, short of public awareness. In other states volumes of complaints, illustrating a pattern of unfair and deceptive trade practices will warrant an investigation. As of September 10, Inside Timeshare has heard from 578 U.S. timeshare members.   

Charles Thomas and I are honored to be a part of Wayne’s book and we hope collectively to unveil the deception we believe has been allowed to flourish at some, but not all, timeshare companies. The press release for Everything About Timeshare, followed by Wayne’s timeshare tips.

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT INFO:

Wayne C. Robinson                                               

info@waynerobinsonproductions.com

+016 17 411 9684 (Malaysia)

Book Promises Relief For Dissatisfied Timeshare Owners

Former Timeshare Exec Discloses “inside secrets” of the Timeshare Industry

Las Vegas, NV—Date — EVERYTHING ABOUT TIMESHARES: Before, During and After the Sale, authored by a former timeshare executive, might be the relief that thousands of timeshare owners have been seeking. The book shares “industry secrets” that consumers might want to know about and includes much needed exit strategies.   

Author Wayne C. Robinson believes that the book provides a level playing field for consumers before they attend a sales presentation. He claims that he doesn’t discourage consumers from buying a timeshare, but suggests that they research the company and the product before signing a long term contract that may have little to no secondary market.

“Timeshare companies have always been very savvy when it comes to marketing – baiting consumers with free vacations, discounts on excursions and even cash to get them to attend a sales presentation. Unless consumers know exactly what they’re doing, the sales teams are professionally trained to execute powerful strategies to make the sale the same day, regardless.”  

Robinson has worked for some of the most popular resorts in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean, including The Holiday Inn Club Vacations, Wyndham, The Manhattan Club, Royal Resorts, and more. He states that there are industry secrets consumers are not supposed to know about, but will be included in his book.  

“If consumers knew what really goes on behind the closed doors of the timeshare industry, most would definitely not buy. I am concerned about the plethora of timeshare owners who are frustrated and not sure where to turn. Either the company did not deliver what was promised, or the member can no longer afford the debt.”

Robinson has recently partnered with timeshare advocate, Irene Parker and EU based Charles Thomas, who authors a blog, Inside Timeshare, to educate consumers and timeshare owners to make informed decisions before they buy, sell or otherwise dispose of their unwanted timeshares. Robinson says that Inside Timeshare attracts timeshare members, attorneys, journalists, other timeshare advocates, and especially timeshare owners who feel that they have nowhere to turn.    

The book highlights a variety of relevant topics such as how to get rid of an unwanted timeshare, why he feels that the points system is the worst investment for consumers, and how to get the best usage out of any timeshare. Additionally, it discloses the entire sales and marketing strategies that timeshare resorts use that consumers need to be cautious of.

“As a former timeshare executive, I believe that most sales people may be unaware of the damage that they have caused many families long after the sale.  Most seem more concerned about the money they make from each sale rather than the service after the sale.”

Robinson has worked for several resorts that expected him to lie during sales presentations, and this was something that he was blackballed and fired for.

He admits that the book is not for revenge against any of the resorts, but wants to provide consumers with the facts they need to make the right decisions whether they want to buy, sell or get rid of their timeshare.

Contents of the book would be of interest to many timeshare owners who are frustrated between what they were told during sales presentations and their actual experiences.

“I recommend that consumers, particularly minorities and seniors, a major target for the U.S. industry, make sure that everything that is stated in the sales presentation is in writing, or don’t buy.”

Robinson says that he has noticed a significant change in the timeshare industry that he feels is not in the best interest of the consumer. One change that he has noticed is the increased pressure to convert deeded weeks to a point system. He believes that this is the worst-case scenario for the consumer and was only designed for the best interest of the developer. He says that the flexibility is merely a perception at a high cost and can be a financial sink hole for the consumer.

Another change he has noticed are the plethora of travel club memberships where owners purchase nothing but air.  Many of these travel clubs, according to Robinson, are using hiding behind brand name resort chains.

“Owners must understand how the business works.  Many of the companies don’t even own resorts. They simply rent out rooms from brand name resorts and list them into the exchange directories. This is misleading as the member perceives that brand name resorts are dedicated to timeshare when they are not.”

EVERYTHING ABOUT TIMESHARES: Before, During and After The Sale is available on Amazon.com, or at the author’s website: www.everythingabouttimeshares

Everything About Timeshares: Before, During and After The Sale

Here are some questions and quick tips consumers want to consider.

• What is my purpose for purchasing?
• Do I want to be responsible for yearly dues and related fees?
• Do I understand there may be little to no secondary market?
• Am I better off renting someone else’s timeshare?
• What are the closing costs involved in the sale and who pays them?
• Are there complaints about the resort by current or past owners?
• Can I get the timeshare for a lesser price than advertised?  
• Why is the owner really selling the timeshare?

COMING SOON

For now, get a FREE copy of my report, 13 Shocking Secrets The Timeshare Industry Does Not Want Yo To Know.

Read Our Posts

• Everything About Timeshares Book Forward Written by Timeshare Advocate Irene Parker September 4, 2018
• GREAT CONSUMER TIPS ON BUYING AND SELLING A TIMESHARE – by A RETIRED ATTORNEY August 29, 2018
• Timeshare Whistleblowers Attend Summit August 11, 2018
• FULL REPORT – 13 Shocking Secrets The Timeshare Industry Does Not Want You To Know August 3, 2018
• CANADIAN NEEDS HELP WITH MEXICO ROYAL SUNSET ISSUE July 18, 2018
• The Federal Trade Commission has identified many scams that targeted timeshare owners:  
• https://search.justice.gov/search?query=timeshare+scam+report&op=Search&affiliate=justice

Thank you Irene and Wayne, we also look forward to contributions in the future from Wayne.

If you have been contacted by any company or fund one on the internet and want to know if they are genuine or will actually do what they say, then use our contact page and we will point you in the right direction.

Do you have story to tell about any “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” which you would like to share with others, Inside Timeshare would love to hear from you.

So that’s it for this week, have a good weekend and if you attend any presentation or update, remember stay strong and focused, do not give in to the slick sales patter and keep your hard earned money safe.

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to The Tuesday Slot, we once again publish another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” with the Rodriguez family. As Inside Timeshare is still on vacation there is not much to report from Europe, but this news was sent to us by Canarian Legal Alliance.

They began this week with 5 more sentences being issued at the Courts of First Instance in Maspalomas, with over 235,000€ being awarded and the contracts being declared null and void.

Four of the sentences involved our old friends in Gran Canaria, Anfi and there was one against Airtours, all were also sanctioned by the courts for illegal deposit taking within the cooling off period, which means the clients will receive double what they originally paid.

In another release from CLA, it looks like the team of lawyers who are responsible for enforcing payments are having great success. In three cases filed at court to enforce Anfi to payout they have secured the following amounts for their clients, this money is now with the courts ready to be transferred to the clients accounts:

46.130,66 €

28.391,60 €

14.186,18 €

So we have some very happy ex-timeshare owners and it is only the start of the week, now for our Tuesday Slot.

The Rodriguez Family Share their Marriott Timeshare Experience

September 18, 2018

There are many who use and enjoy their timeshare. When sold honestly, the consumer knows what they bought. Timeshares sell on the secondary market for a fraction of their purchase price, so when buyers are told the timeshare would be easy to sell – a rude awakening ensues when they learn the truth.

For those who purchase a timeshare that has a limited secondary market value, knowing what that value might be in advance of a purchase is a disclosure that would be beneficial for the consumer, but a disaster for the industry.

Magical Realty in Orlando specializes in Marriott Vacations Worldwide resales. I have advised the family to call Magical Realty to find out an estimate of how long it would take, and what it would cost, to sell a timeshare that was clearly not right for this family. Magical Realty charges nothing upfront to list a timeshare. We recommend avoiding companies that charge any money upfront to list or sell a timeshare. https://magicalrealty.com/

By the Rodriguez family

We bought two Marriott Vacations Worldwide timeshares in 2014, one in the Virgin Islands, and a second in 2015 in Addison, TX. Our intention was to spend quality family time together. Our actual experience has been one of anger and frustration over limited availability and false promises.

Our first 2014 St. Thomas timeshare presentation was stressful.  It dragged on for hours. I felt the sales reps played my wife against me. I said “no” the entire time, but eventually told my wife, “Fine, I know I have horrible credit, so let them run a credit check, I will be declined, and we will walk away.” I was recovering from a bad business deal at the time so my credit score was in the low 500s. My boat had been repossessed and my house was in foreclosure.  I was sure we would be turned down. Well, they said I passed with flying colors! With my wife there, I felt I had to go through with it. Bad mistake! I told Marriott we would sign up, but told them I will have to get the loan refinanced. They assured me that I would be able refinance, but I would need to wait until a year of payments had passed. When I talked to my bank, they told me I could NEVER refinance.

I complained to our rep. He suggested I attend a question and answer session in Addison, Texas. It wasn’t a question and answer session. It was another sales presentation. I could kill myself, but we signed up for a second purchase because of representative’s Benjamin J’s promises:

“We will make it right. You can have my direct phone number and I will make sure you are taken care of. I don’t make anything off of this sale. I am just here, dedicated to you so that you are happy with this experience.”

Benjamin was no help. We feel that man lied to us. He showed us charts that illustrated how the timeshare would appreciate in value. That’s not true. This presentation was also long and stressful. Benjamin said we would get extra points but we never did. He told us he would be our personal representative, promising to make reservations if we needed help, but he never returned calls.

Marriott locations have never been available – we tried to book Hawaii, Aruba, Florida, Orlando, San Diego, and New York. The properties are always booked, even if we tried booking a year in advance. We don’t even have good vacations to show for this miserable experience. Vail, Colorado for two summers in a row was about it, when we really wanted to go skiing in winter. Branson, Missouri we booked out of desperation, ending up vacationing at the senior citizens capital of America. St Kitts was absolutely the worst vacation we have ever taken – all rocks and no beach access. Our room was downgraded four times before we checked in. They never told us we could be “bumped” out of our reservation to a lesser room. We reserved an ocean front room, were downgraded to ocean view, then to pool view and by the time we checked in we were downgraded to a garden view.

The statements made by the Marriott representatives that led to this:  

1.     They said it was a great investment,
2.     The value would increase,
3.     It had built in equity,
4.     It would be a tax write off.
5.     We could rent it out to cover annual fees.
6.      Our maintenance fees would not increase every year,
7.     We would have no trouble booking locations.

When we asked more about the rental income and the amount of appreciation, the reps said it would be easy to sell because of the income potential and appreciation, or Marriott would buy it back. So why don’t they buy it back?

They are correct we could pass the timeshare onto our children, but in no way would we want to burden our kids with this useless thing. When we contacted MVC about them buying it back, they told us we would be put on a waiting list, but that it’s unlikely it would be bought back.

I complained to the Better Business Bureau. Marriott’s response was not to address the behavior of their sales staff, but to refer me to our signatures and initials on the contract. I was told 90% of their customers are happy with their vacation choices and availability. Needless to say, my BBB complaint was administratively closed before any real dialog could take place. It’s funny that BBB assigns the company one star out of five, based on customer reviews.

https://www.bbb.org/us/fl/orlando/profile/vacation-timeshare/marriott-vacations-worldwide-0733-202116

This has literally been one of the worst experiences we have ever had in terms of deception and aggressive sales tactics that seem geared to wear you down while playing spouses against each other.

Have you had an experience like this, would you like to share with it with others, if so contact Inside Timeshare and we will help you to publish your own “Nightmare on Timeshare Street”.

Inside Timeshare will be running back to normal from Monday 1 October when we will be in full swing bringing you more information and revealing the latest bogus companies that come to our attention. In the meantime, if you have any contact with a company and you are unsure if they are genuine, please do use our contact sheet and let us know. We will research them for you and point you in the right direction. We will also publish the results to warn others, it is through your help that we can identify these people and save other from losing thousands.

The post The Tuesday Slot appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to this week’s Letter from America, it is yet another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” by Irene Parker involving yet another Veteran, this story is on that will make your blood boil! But first for some news from the Spanish Courts and more disasters for the timeshare industry.

Anfi were yet again on the receiving end on the 18 September, They had to deposit into the court the sums of 48,735.82€ and 16,222.68€ in respect of sentences issued in the favour of clients. In two days that brings the sum Anfi have had to payout to a massive 184,650.14€.

On the same day, the Courts of First Instance in Masàlomas issued another sentence against Anfi, at the same time in Tenerife, Silverpoint had two sentences issued against them. In all the total awarded is a massive 215,000€. All contracts were declared null and void and all clients received back double the deposit paid which was in breach of the law forbidding the taking of payments within the cooling off period. One of the sentences against Silverpoint was issued by the High Court in Tenerife.

In another case which was held last week, the Judge at the Court of First Instance number 5 in Arona, decided that the case would not be sent for a full trial, he decided that as the case was in flagrant breach of the timeshare laws, he would issued the sentence in due course. On 19 September that sentence was issued, the contract with Silverpoint was declared null and void, with the client being awarded more than 23,000€.

Good news also came from the Courts of First Instance in Maspalomas, The judge presiding over Court Number 3 had several pre-trials this month, he then decided that these cases need not go to a full trial and he would issue sentences in due course. That now make Courts numbers 1, 3 and 4 no longer sending cases for a full trial, this is obviously good news for the clients bringing the cases as it now speeds up the judicial process.

All these cases were brought on behalf of clients from none other than those determined lawyers at Canarian Legal Alliance, so congratulations the lawyers and their clients.

One of our readers contacted Inside Timeshare to inform us that an ex sales Rep from Silverpoint had cold called them regarding getting them out of their Silverpoint contract with a view to gaining compensation. How did our reader know he was an ex-sales rep, simple, he was one of those that sold them the Silverpoint in the first place! The Caller stated he was from Harlow Consultants SL, again there seem to be links with two companies based in Sterling and Aberfeldy, which we have already mentioned in previous articles.

The worrying thing here is we already know from other readers that these companies are cold calling Silverpoint owners, we also know that Silverpoint has made arrangements with them to cancel contracts. So it is safe to say that they are working from data supplied by Silverpoint themselves, we also know that the whole purpose is to get these contracts cancelled so those owners then have no recourse to any legal action. Any compensation that is promised will not materialise and you will also be paying for the pleasure of having the contract cancelled. (In other words paying them and Silverpoint)

Now for our Letter from America.

A Fourth Vietnam Veteran, Agent Orange Disabled, Fights a Timeshare Battle

By Irene Parker

First Draft September 16, 2018 for Friday September 21

Inside Timeshare has heard from 587 U.S. timeshare members, all but a handful alleging unfair and deceptive trade practices. Of the 587, 78 are veterans, active duty military and law enforcement. Many of the vets are disabled. Four, like Mr. Gomez, are disabled from Agent Orange. The volume of timeshare complaints submitted by readers has established the following facts and opinions:

• Fact – Many of the 584 families are financially devastated by their decision to buy a timeshare. I have listened to many tears.
• Fact – All but a few complaints have been dismissed with, “You signed a contract” or “Verbal representations are hard to prove.”
• Fact – All the complaints sent to the Nevada Real Estate Division and the Florida Timeshare Division, DBPR, have been met with the above defenses.  Other states have taken complaints seriously, based on the volume of complaints and the similar nature of the complaints.
• Fact – There are several repeat offending sales agents, with three to six identical or similar complaints.     
• Fact – Not one of the 584 families knew their timeshare had virtually no secondary market.
• Fact – A significant number have been ripped off by a timeshare exit company.
• Opinion – Lawyers with no timeshare experience have no business taking a timeshare case.
• Fact – The dollar amounts of many complaints lost to timeshare exit scams pales in comparison to the dollar amounts lost believing timeshare sales agents, according to member reports.

One resort has accused me of creating complaints. In other words, if the member had not talked to me, they would not have had a complaint. In the case of Mr. and Mrs. Gomez, this is true. I’ll explain. We will not name the timeshare company, hoping they will help the family, but the Gomez family said they would like their story told. Mr. Gomez is 71, Mrs. Gomez 63. They are Arizona residents.

Like George Yamada, from last week’s article, Mr. Gomez is a Vietnam Veteran, disabled from the effects of Agent Orange.

https://www.opednews.com/articles/Let-s-Honor-our-Veterans–by-Irene-Parker-Fraud-180908-59.html

Mr. Gomez is 100% disabled. Mr. Gomez earned two Purple Hearts. He has been informed his pancreatic cancer is terminal.   

   Vietnam soldiers

Mr. Gomez called a week ago and said he was struggling with a $28,000 timeshare mortgage. After listening to his comments, I concluded there had been no deception. A timeshare mortgage is just like a home mortgage in that you can’t go to your home mortgage lender and say, “I can’t afford this.” Mr. Gomez said he had switched some old points into a newer category of points. At the end of our conversation Mr. Gomez mentioned his Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. I advised him to request a release based on medical hardship.

That night I woke up with one of those lightning bolt 2 A.M. moments. I called Mr. Gomez first thing the next morning and asked WHY had he switched from the old points to the new? He said it was because his resort had gone bankrupt.

I know for a fact that it is not mandatory to switch from his old points to the new. Mr. Gomez went on to tell me the sales agent in Las Vegas knew he had pancreatic cancer because he had explained to the agent why the four hour presentation was so tiring. He was suffering the aftereffects of his treatment. “They said our maintenance fees were $2,200 for 2018 and would go up to $3,000 January 1, 2019 if I did not convert, but if I upgraded to the next loyalty level I could turn in 10,000 points to pay $2,000 of the $2,500 maintenance fee,” he added. This is nonsense of course.  Mr. Gomez’s maintenance fees will go up more than $2,500 because of the additional points he purchased. Maintenance fee invoices have not been sent, but I seriously doubt the increase in his prior points will increase this dramatically. I own the same points.

So yes, you could say I created this complaint. Without my informing Mr. Gomez it was not necessary to switch from one set of points to the new, he would not have been aware of the deception. Only at the highest loyalty level can maintenance fees be paid with points (at pennies on the dollar).    

Whether this complaint is resolved or not resolved, it doesn’t change the turmoil this timeshare has caused the Gomez family by believing they had to transfer from one program to another. Mr. Gomez has been accepted for Hospice.

Mrs. Gomez called me. I had already surmised Mr. Gomez is an easy going person. His reaction seemed more disappointment than anger when I told him he could have kept his prior timeshare with the $6,000 loan balance, as opposed to the $33,000 purchase with $28,000 financed and $4,500 charged to a credit card. Mrs. Gomez reaffirmed my suspicion of Mr. Gomez’s easygoing nature saying,

“Leo is a very easygoing person. But I’m a teacher!” A common complaint we hear, “I don’t like being made a fool of.”

We encourage member accounts of their timeshare experiences, good or bad. We hope consumers and the industry will listen to the voices of those who wish to be heard.

So there we have it, another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street”, this is probably one of the worst that we have yet come across, it makes you wonder if these sales agents and company directors have any moral bone in their bodies.

Stop press

Inside Timeshare received the following email from Wayne C Robinson, Author of Everything About Timeshares, Before, During and After the Sale. We asked him if we could publish and he was more than happy for us to do so, please share this on you facebook pages and other social media.

Timeshare Author Challenges Diamond Resorts CEO Flaskey to “Do The Right Thing.”

I am not sure how to react when Mike Flaskey, CEO of Diamond Resorts International, views my profile on LinkedIn.

But, whatever his reason, I would like to share a few words with him, now that I have his executive attention.

My purpose in writing the book is not to attack companies such as Diamond to gain something in my own corner. I am merely pointing out areas that I feel require your attention to improve on customer relations.

These areas have certainly been highlighted with the multi billion dollar lawsuits against Diamond Resorts, and the level of customer dissatisfaction from the people who befriended and trusted your OPCs, sales reps, and VLOs. Remember, your members are the people who provided you the privilege of representing a company that has so much potential.

Rather than spend millions of dollars hiring fancy lawyers to help improve on customer service, you hire them in an attempt to destroy a woman in her 70s who is spending the remainder of her life helping families get their lives back on track for the damage your company has allegedly caused.

Were you aware of 83 year old retired Marine Raymond Mori, a two time Purple Heart recipient who has been battling with Diamond Resorts with a serious heart condition?

Were you aware of Roy and Angele Simmons, a U.S. Navy veteran whose mortgage to your company is $2,700 monthly with Maintenance fees of $4,780, and their social security check goes to pay Diamond? Just in case you didn’t see it, here is their story. https://youtu.be/j_nca6lMA4U

Shame on you, Flaskey for focusing on how to keep afloat your ship while the likes of Marriott and Disney and other reputable resort chains are watching you.

I am asking you to “man up,” and be the leader that your company and the general public can respect and appreciate by “doing the right thing.”

Spend your money and time trying to improve your customer relations and presenting your company as something Americans can be proud of, or find somebody else who can do the job.

As far as viewing my profile, I appreciate your interest in me and my book project. I also viewed yours. Congratulations on getting the position. Now that the world is watching, what are you going to do with it?

Well that’s it for this week, remember if you have any questions or comments about any article, company or just need some sound advice, then use our contact page and we will get back to you.

Have a great weekend.

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Another New Name in the Litigious Abogados Family has now come to light, Litigaciones SL with the website:

http://litigaciones.com

This was registered on 5 July 2018, so is only a couple of months old, with the registrant not being shown, as usual it is exactly the same layout and wording as all the others that have come before. The only difference are the photographs of the “new lawyers”. Also according to the homepage the company was founded on Monday 30th August 1990 by Alberto Dilendro Nabalez, now that date in 1990 was actually a Thursday. They also claim to be legally registered in Spain and the Canary Islands with the following CIF number A19626885, which cannot be found on any company registration website.

The address that is shown is one we have seen before with about 4 other companies of this group of “fakes”:

4, Calle de S. Francisco, 4, Santa Cruz, 38001-38002, Tenerife

They use the following telephone numbers:

Freephone: 0800 862 0 314

Tenerife Tel: 0034 822 680 013

The email addresses are as usual not connected to the website but are consultant.com a free email address provider:

nabalez-abogados@consultant.com

litigaciones-european-claims@consultant.com

Below are the photos of the new lawyers the first being the founder of the company:

Alberto Dilendro Nabalez (Actually identified as López Saavedra of Villarroel Abogados Argentina)

Manuel Rintlas Quejon (This is actually a Florida lawyer called David Haenel)

Valentine Afelergo Barille (Currently unidentified)

Juan Ilominan Ovuso (This is actually Argentinian Lawyer Alberto Niseman, who was assassinated in 2015. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alberto_Nisman )

On the contact page they show pictures of two young ladies who you will be taking your calls:

Vittoria Tetazi Normez (Actual person identified as Johanna M. Herrero, Born Argentina, and runs a law firm in Boston USA, http://www.johannaherrerolaw.com/attorneys-1/ )

Maria Gosadema Raviya (At present unidentified)

The format of the “fraud” is the same as previously reported on these pages, a case has been lodged with the court in Santa Cruz, Tenerife, on this occasion it is against Petchey Leisure Group. The trial is set for Tuesday 9 October 2018, and the amount being claimed is 18,221€. If the client wishes to go ahead, (which is rather strange, because unless the client had started legal action in the first place no case could have been lodged), they must first pay a “refundable fee” of 784€ to the Court Procurators directly. In this case the procuradores is named as Ramon Gomez and his bank details have been provided, (as usual it will be to his personal account).

So there you have it, another fake website for a fake law firm, once again using photographs of genuine people with fictitious names to try and give credibility. But as usual Inside Timeshare brings you the truth about them and exposes them for what they are “criminals”.

Have you been contacted by a similar firm telling you your timeshare company is being prosecuted or has already been taken to court, have they told you that there is a substantial amount of money lodged with the court, just waiting for you?

If so, contact Inside Timeshare first, do not pay any money, especially by bank transfer, use our contact page and send us the details, we will check them out and publish our findings. It is through your information that others will be warned.

Tomorrow in the Tuesday Slot,we highlight another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street”, a family’s experience with Westgate. So join us tomorrow.

The post Start the Week: Litigaciones SL A New Name in the Litigious Abogados Family appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to the Tuesday Slot, this week we have another consumers “Nightmare on Timeshare Street”, this time involving the timeshare company Westgate.

Over the past few days Inside Timeshare has been receiving many emails from Silverpoint clients seeking advice, we have also received an email from an ex-telemarketer of Signallia Marketing, which sheds a lot of light on what they are up to. We will be publishing an article on this subject tomorrow, but now on with this weeks Tuesday Slot.

A Westgate buyer’s experience

By the Dashiell’s

Westgate owners Jackie and David Siegle’s 90,000 square foot home

The plans for the American Versailles, a 90,000-square-foot behemoth near Orlando, FL, seemed to have one overarching goal: to make the French original look shabby by comparison. Did Marie Antoinette have 10 kitchens, an ice skating rink, and a 5,000-square-foot closet?

https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/queen-of-versailles-q-and-a/

The Dashiell’s Westgate Experience

September 25, 2018

When I purchased a Westgate Lakes timeshare two years ago, the salesman told us about great financial benefits. We don’t have money to throw away, but it sounded like a good investment. The sales rep kept telling us over and over how the timeshare would “pay for itself” by generating rental income while also paying for maintenance fees and loan payments. He mentioned that we could write it off on our taxes and also said I could refinance the timeshare at my personal bank to get a lower interest rate. We thought we had security and low risk, especially since he said the timeshare could easily be resold.

After the presentation, our sales rep didn’t give us time to read the long contract. It would have taken all day if he had. He told us what was in the contract and pointed out where to sign and initial. He mailed us our document package with our contract and everything in it, AFTER the contract rescission period had passed! After receiving the contract, we learned that everything told to us during the sales presentation contradicted what was in the contract! We have tried to make the best of it, but it’s been two years now without making a dime on our “investment” and we could not refinance or get tax breaks.

We tried calling Westgate to give it back but they said I would have to find a buyer myself. There is no rental program. There is no resale program. The program is hard to use and we are done with it.

Another reason I bought was to be able to travel with my family at an affordable price. Our rep told me that I would be able to exchange property locations at any time and go anywhere if I had Interval International and all the travel extras for free or very cheap. In reality, properties were ALWAYS booked. I was told I should book 11 months out to reserve my stay. In this day and age of Airbnb and Expedia, that is just not realistic or flexible.

I’ve read other owners’ testimonies. They all seem to share our story. We feel the way the product was sold to us was unfair and deceptive. It’s bad enough that people can’t get rid of a timeshare, it’s yours for life, but promising rental income and tax breaks that do not exist seems criminal.

After we wrote Westgate a letter of complaint, Westgate spent months informing us by email that they were looking into our contract. They did not reply until we filed a complaint with the Better Business Bureau. Westgate said that they had replied to us by letter (which they hadn’t), explaining that ‘timeshare real estate sales are highly regulated,’ pointing to the AOR document with my initials.

Westgate said that it ‘absolutely holds its employees responsible for the things they do and say, however, supporting documentation is required.’ What documentation would there be – a letter from the rep with his signature confessing his misrepresentations? Needless to say the BBB closed our case swiftly and we are now hoping that the Attorney General will help us. If the Attorney General won’t help, that means the sales reps can say anything to make a sale and get away with it. I feel this is criminal.

I have no hope or faith that Westgate will respond to us. I do wonder what the point of the Better Business Bureau is, if they regularly side with Westgate when there is so much precedent on their own forum with so many Westgate buyers describing deception and misrepresentations.

Thank you to the Dashiell’s for sharing their experience. Contact Inside Timeshare if you have a timeshare experience to share. When sold honestly, a timeshare can be of great benefit to a family. Families, who feel they bought a timeshare based on inaccurate information, letting their voice be heard, may save another family from making a timeshare decision they will live to regret. 

If you have a similar story and want to share it it others, contact Inside Timeshare using our contact page and we will get back to you.

Have you had a call from a company promising you the earth, want to know if they and what they say is genuine?

Have you found a company on the internet that claims they can get you out of your timeshare and get your money back?

Not sure how to check if they are genuine and will actually deliver what they say, then contact us and we will point you in the right direction.

The post The Tuesday Slot appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Most timeshare owners have over the years received cold calls, be they for resales, claims and the cheap holidays commonly known as flybuys. In many cases the caller has been met with verbal abuse, well not surprising considering the number of calls owners have had to put up with.

But have you ever thought that the person calling is not actually aware that they may be working for a “scam” outfit. Many of these call centers are based in Spain and the workers tend to be expats especially women just out to earn a living for their family. That is not to say that all callers are unaware of what they are doing, many are well aware that they are calling to “scam” people of their hard earned cash.

Inside Timeshare has recently received several emails from workers, not only from call centers but also from the sales people based in the resorts. The following email is from one such worker, she tells of her experience, we have kept her anonymous for obvious reasons.

Worked with Signallia (Silverpoint) as telemarketer – was told we were just selling a cheap holiday to clients and they could use their Keys Credits given at the airport in Tenerife – turns out the credits aren’t worth anything – clients were never given credits – just a ploy to get them to Beverley Heights or Mirage to sell them more credits – Im told it will cost them tens of thousands of pounds and its not worth anything – beware – just another offshoot from timeshare being run by the same people who should be in jail for commiting what is clearly a fraud!  Telemarketing staff are really not aware of what is going on – staff are treated really bad. They are now employing all other languages in Europe, beware Europe the Silverpoint/Signallia/Keys-Concierge con is coming your way. They are selling a cheap week from €325 now dropping to €299 for 10 days – just go on the net and get the week just as cheap yourself and you don’t have to do a meeting with Keys – Concierge who will just try to get you to buy something for 10s of thousands of pounds which is not worth nothing! Timeshare in another disguise.

This is a very stark warning for a “product” that Inside Timeshare has published about in the past, it is marketed as a “lifestyle” credits based club, which the members are supposedly able to received massive discounts, These are not just for holiday accomodation but “discounts” from many well known high street chains. Having looked at the product, it is nothing but fresh air, it would take years to even recoup the initial outlay from the “supposed” discount promised.

As for the sales representatives that have contacted Inside Timeshare, they also tell a very similar story, taking on the job to be able to live a life in the sun. One sales rep who emailed us explained how he applied for the job from the UK, he was unemployed and thought this would be just the right new start in life he wanted.

He travelled to Tenerife with the promise of three months free accomodation, then began training. At first he believed in the product he was selling, it was pitched very much like it is to the potential purchasers, a dream.

At first he was having trouble selling, he was then taken to one side by a very experienced rep and told how to make the sales and earn his commission, that was the only source of income as there was no basic pay. You don’t sell you don’t eat.

He took on board what he was told and began to embellish his pitch with the usual lies, “you are buying property, it will go up in value”, “it’s an investment”, well you know the rest. Eventually this rep was making lots of money and certainly living the dream.

So what changed his mind?

As he explained, he had an elderly couple on tour, using all his charm and the usual lies, he eventually sold them a pack of several weeks in a one bed apartments, all with the promise that they would receive a rental income for the weeks they didn’t use and a resale with a substantial profit after two years. All this was financed with a loan from Barclays Partner Finance, totaling around £50,000.

The following year he met the couple again while they were on holiday, the story they told him made him feel guilty. This couple had great difficulty in repaying the loan, they ended up having to remortgage their home in order to pay it off. This had brought them great financial difficulty and they asked for the timeshares to be sold.

He had the unenviable task of telling them that there was no call for what they had purchased, that the only way was to upgrade, which they could not afford to do. Again the Barclays Partner Finance loan was offered. The couple were in tears, they could not afford to take on another, they were now lumbered with timeshares they did not want and were also in a considerable amount of debt.

There was absolutely nothing he could do for them, guilt took hold as they reminded him of his own grandparents. He realised he had been used by the timeshare company to make them unlimited amounts of money. Subsequently he handed in his notice, luckily he had not fallen into the usual trap of spending his money on drink and drugs so had a fairly large amount saved up. He eventually found a job managing a bar and continues to do so although not in Tenerife.

The company he worked for was none other than Silverpoint.

Inside Timeshare has heard many stories such as this, it does go to show that there are some people who have worked in the timeshare industry who do have a conscience and some morals.

Have you had an experience such as these, if so contact Inside Timeshare and let us tell your story.

The post The Whistleblowers of European Timeshare appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to this week’s Letter from America, it is not the article that was actually scheduled for today, but is a last minute replacement. The original will be published at a later date.

Tahoe Beach and Ski Resort HOA Election Results

Jake Bercu and Al Fong Declared the Winners!

By Irene Parker

September 28, 2018

Tahoe Beach and Ski Resort held their annual meeting and election for two board positions September 22, 2018. The two board members running for another three-year term were Alfred Fong and Jacob Bercu. Three other candidates were on the ballot.  

The results:

Typically, voting is private, but the math indicates that Diamond Resorts voted for Pat Hanna and Laurence McGill. One owner reported that Hanna and McGill both stated they were in contact with Jason Toste, vice president at Diamond and one of the three board members named in the Point at Poipu lawsuit. They said they wanted to work with Diamond Resorts. According to the owner reporting, this made owners suspicious, as the association has made numerous attempts to work with Diamond Resorts to resolve affiliation and operations issues, to no avail.

https://advantagevacation.com/the-point-at-poipu-angry-owners-file-lawsuit-against-diamond-resorts/

Diamond Resorts controls 23% of the inventory at Tahoe Beach and Ski Resort and, in the opinion of the member reporting, who wishes to remain anonymous, Diamond has had a difficult time following the rules of the association.

Another twist to all this is the revelation that a member of the board at Tahoe Beach and Ski is now running for the board at Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort, a Diamond property. This was not disclosed to the owners. When questioned about his motives for running for the Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort, he stated that he was interested in gaining useful information about Diamond Resorts.

The letter below is from an owner at Tahoe Beach and Ski Resort. The candidates supported by Diamond campaigned on the fact that Diamond is a new company with new management and that Diamond has changed their ways and we need to work with them. There have been many complaints about Diamond posted on various complaint sites and the Attorney General of Arizona has issued an Assurance of Discontinuance after receiving hundreds of complaints from Diamond members accusing the company of unfair and deceptive sales practices. Diamond did not admit wrongdoing. Based on the letter below and the daily posts on our member sponsored Diamond Advocacy group, we feel improvement in customer relations is warranted.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

In addition to Jason Toste, Kathy Wheeler was a board member named in the Point at Poipu lawsuit. They are the authorized owner-representatives for Diamond Resorts at Tahoe Beach and Ski. Owners said they have had reports from other TBSC owners that Diamond sales agents and employees at Lake Tahoe Vacation Resort, Kaanapali Beach Resort and Historic Powhatan have been claiming for the last six years that:

1. Diamond owns Tahoe Beach and Ski Resort,
2. Diamond manages Tahoe Beach and Ski Resort,
3. Diamond guests have full access to the private beach at Tahoe Beach and Ski Resort.

Owners also reported that Diamond Resorts also occasionally claims that when they take over Tahoe Beach and Ski Resort, owners will have to pay a large special assessment to renovate the resort, just as they are now doing at Tahoe Seasons Resort.

The owner’s letter:

Hello, Tahoe Beach and Ski Owners.

I do not believe Diamond is our friend, and I know many of you feel the same.

Gini and I were pricing a Safari Rose Sunset Cruise rather late the other evening.  A lady approached us and offered assistance. As we were setting up the cruise details, she asked if we would like a discounted price… sure! The key to the discount was to attend a Diamond Timeshare presentation. She asked if we were current timeshare owners and when we said Tahoe Beach and Ski, she looked us in the eye and said, “We want your beach. Diamond wants your beach!”

This made us even more curious about what they had up their sleeves, so we agreed to attend their presentation. The next afternoon, we met with their salesperson Alejandro. When we affirmed our Tahoe Beach and Ski ownership & our lack of interest in Diamond membership, he made statements to the effect that:

1. Diamond owns Tahoe Beach and Ski,
2. Diamond manages the daily operations at Tahoe Beach and Ski Resort,
3. It’s only a matter of time before DR takes over and totally renovates the resort.

He then asked what would I accept for my Tahoe Beach and Ski timeshare… $1,000, $5,000, or $10,000?  He then offered $10,000 credit on any Diamond program purchase in exchange for my current deeded timeshare.

Please help Al and Jake keep Diamond out of our resort.  I want my family to continue to enjoy this closely knit, small-town ownership community that we all love.

Comments from Irene Parker:

Congratulations to Jake and Al and to the efforts of many hoping to regain control of our vacations. It was suggested I throw my hat in the ring for Diamond’s US Collection election. I did this with the understanding that it is impossible to win, so agreed for the purpose of letting our voice be heard. We’re grateful to learn, at least at Tahoe Beach and Ski, a real owner really representing other owners can happen.

To me it would be simpler to have meaningful discussion as to our concerns about questionable sales and marketing practices, rather than engage in this nonsensical battle I call Timeshare Wars. Through our Diamond Advocacy Facebook, Inside Timeshare, and members who found us on the internet, we have heard from 531 Diamond members in the U.S., all but a handful reporting that they experienced unfair and deceptive sales practices. It is my belief Diamond has a product, but over promising and making false claims should not be a part of the selling equation. I feel “The customer is always wrong” because of the automatic; “You signed a contract” will be the downfall of this industry, as Diamond is not alone in the onslaught of member and owner complaints. Why can’t we just talk? I have always said that half a problem goes away when confronted.

If you have any views or comments on this or any other article published, then use our contact page and let us know, we welcome your views and insights.

That’s the end of another week, join us again next week for more insights into the world of timeshare, have a great weekend.

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to the first article for October, we begin this week with an update from one of our readers regarding Legalidades Abogados, another of the “fake” law firms which are part of the Litigious Abogados family.

Our reader has received several emails from this outfit including the very convincing “Tax Forms” to pay the Spanish Tax Authorities, all through the bank account of their “Procurador” Ramon Josema Gomerz, with the address being given as:  C/ Consoladores, Edif. Rumba, Oficina 402, S. Cruz, Tenerife, (this address does not exist). Using the website: http://ramonjosemagomerz.com/

With the email address:  procuradores-gomerz@europe.com

Which is not even linked to the website, the website was registered on 3 September 2018 so is just a month old. The registrar is once again hidden by a protection service.

The bank details which have been sent for the client to pay 768.25€ into his account is given as Bankia, with the address: Avda. Santa Cruz, 188, 38600, Granadilla de Abona, Tenerife, there is a bank at this address but it is a Caja Madrid branch and not Bankia.

This amount which has been reduced from the original tax amount demanded to release their award from the court of 21,950€ from 1,536.50€ as “goodwill” gesture from the law firm who will cover the other 50%. Very nice of them to do this, but as we know there is no tax to pay so the amount has not been reduced as a “goodwill gesture” but because the client could not afford to pay the full amount, so they are reducing the amount they are defrauding them of.

Over the past few years we have seen the same “scam” being used, along with the various incarnations and websites for these fake lawyers. The one thing that hasn’t changed is the nature of the “scam”, Your timeshare company has been taken to court, but to be part of the case you must first pay the Procurator fees. Then you hear that the  director has pleaded guilty and the court awarded you thousands. But again a fee is required to release the money.

The courts do not work in this manner, there is no tax to pay to release the money, in fact there is no money waiting for you, there has been no court case and no director has pleaded guilty. So if you receive any calls or emails telling you there is a case about to go to court, beware it could be one of these outfits. Click on the pdfs below to see the documentation you are likely to be sent.

Cuenta Escrow Procurador

Redacted Ayuda

Redacted_50%_de_tasas_pagados_como_ayuda

Redacted_Pago_Final_Hacienda

If you are contacted by this group or anything similar and want to know if they are genuine, use our contact page for further information, it is also important that you give us as much information as possible, this will go to help others.

If you have paid any of these fake law firms then use the link below and make a report to the Police Action Fraud website.

https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/

Remember, doing your homework before you pay any money will save you in the end.

In tomorrow’s Tuesday Slot we publish another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” from a new contributor Wilma Williams, once again they are an elderly couple and her husband is yet another Service Veteran. So join us again tomorrow.

The post Start the Week: Legalidades Update appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to The Tuesday Slot, this week we welcome another new contributor Wilma Miller with her “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” and her Buyer Beware article. First we have a quick round up of European news.

October is now with us and in the next few months the annual maintenance bills will be arriving, this will also bring in many calls from “companies” offering cancellation of contracts and claims against timeshare resorts. The warning is beware the fantastic offers these will come out with, from the guaranteed cancellation and the promise of no win no fee claims.

As usual it is important to do your due diligence before engaging with any company, that means check and check again. There are many questions you should be asking yourself:

1. How long has this company been operating, can they actually have done what they state in the time they have been working?
2. If they are offering “no win no fee” claims, how are they going to claim?
3. In order to do the claim do they want money upfront to cancel the contract first?
4. Are they going to sell you another product?
5. What lawyers are they going to use if taking the case to a Spanish Court?
6. Can these lawyers be verified as genuine and registered with their relevant bar associations?

If you need help in answering any of these questions, then use our contact page and Inside Timeshare will point you in the right direction.

The Courts of First Instance in Maspalomas began the month with another ruling against Anfi, in his ruling the Judge of Court No 4 declared the contract null and void, this was on the basis that the contract was longer than the stipulated maximum of 50 years as required by Law 42/98. The judge also awarded double the deposit paid within the cooling off period as this is also in breach of the law, in this case the German client has been award over 66,000€ plus legal interest.

Last month ended with a bang for Canarian Legal Alliance with a total of 18 sentences being issued in various courts ranging from First Instance to High Courts, there were also 6 provisional executions of sentences whereby Anfi has been ordered to deposit  over 184,000€ with the court. These provisional executions of sentences will speed up and ensure prompt payouts for the clients.

In all the 12 other sentences were against:

• Anfi del Mar
• Silverpoint
• Airtours Beach Club
• Diamond Resorts International

All contracts were declared null and void and the total awarded was over 286,000€

It would also appear that Abogados Lopez another fake law firm has become active again, with calls to existing CLA clients telling them that they have taken over their case from CLA. Beverley Pritchard is another new new name along with Ricardo Sanchez.

http://insidetimeshare.com/news-on-wednesday-more-warnings/

The telephone numbers being used are the same as before:

0034 951 242 867 which is a Malaga code

0034 602 654 670 which is a Spanish mobile

0044 1291 440 500 which is a Chepstow code, although when trying to call this number back a recording states the number does not exist.

If you are an existing client of Canarian Legal Alliance and receive a call from any of the names or numbers above including the original name of Hope Brugge, do not pay them or give them any information, they may sound credible, but are a complete scam.

Now for our Tuesday Slot.

A Buyer Beware Timeshare Experience

Diamond Resorts

By Wilma Miller

October 2, 2018

We first encountered Diamond Resorts while on vacation June 2017. Their people knocked us off our feet with free tickets to a show, and switched us from the Stratosphere to Diamond’s Polo Towers Suites. They even picked us up in a limousine! All we had to do was attend a 90 minute presentation. It’s easy to catch people off guard while on vacation.

Looking back, I believe the presentation room was designed to be noisy and crowded. The 90 minutes turned into hours. I am 78 and my husband James, a Vietnam Army veteran, is 75. As the hours wore on we became more tired and more confused. The presentation began about 11 a.m. and lasted all day.

James has health issues. He was not feeling well after several hours had passed, but the sales agents just kept on. It did not even register when we mentioned his health issues. Sales agents Ninmar N and Diana C were vague on how the program worked. They were vague on the cancellation procedure, and the payment procedure. We felt pressured into signing and we were not allowed enough time to read the documents. They showed us the documents as they explained what was in them, but did not give us a chance to actually hold or read them before we signed. They hurried us through the signing process by placing papers in front of us, telling us what it said, asking us to sign. We later received a copy.

They had said we were eligible for a senior package. We’ve learned there is no such thing called a senior package. We did not know the maintenance fees would be so high. We did not even know we had purchased a timeshare. Jim kept asking if this was a timeshare. They never admitted it was.

We bought 3000 points. They charged $14,000 to two Diamond’s Barclaycard. We were not aware we had opened the cards, much less that the cards had been charged. We repeatedly told the sales agents we were not interested, but they kept insisting we sign the contract.

After the signing process, they placed the Diamond Resorts U.S. Collection Public Offering Statement in our packet. We were not given an opportunity to even see what it was, much less read it. They said no one ever reads it. When we looked at it later it said right on the front – THE PROSPECTIVE PURCHASER SHOULD READ THIS REPORT BEFORE SIGNING ANY PAPERS!

In our opinion, the biggest deception of all was when they told us the payment would be $80 per month with no interest and Diamond Resorts would invoice us for the payment. This is in complete contrast to what has since transpired. Instead of one payment of $80, there are two payments, making it double the price they told us.

We received two Diamond Barclays Bank Credit Cards in the mail. As I mentioned, we were not even aware the cards had been opened. One Barclaycard was in my name and the other in James’ name. Neither agent mentioned credit cards during the presentation. They said we had to fill out an application to see if we would qualify. We never received a copy of the application.

To add insult to injury, the credit cards had no interest charges until now. Now the two payments are too much for us to afford.

After we received the high maintenance fee bill and credit cards, we went back for our orientation August 2017. We told them several times that we wanted to cancel or sell the timeshare. We said we wanted out.  When we told one person, they would get another person to talk to us. They tried to sell us an upgrade even when we said we could not afford what we bought! We talked to several sales people, but they ignored our concerns. It was obvious to us they did not care.  We never saw our original sales agents. Despite being told it was an orientation, we received no training or explanations.

We complained to Diamond Resorts directly. They dismissed our claims out of hand. They expect us to pay for something based on being told:

• This was a great financial investment that would increase in value,
• There were tax benefits as owners,
• We could easily sell it,
• Diamond had a buy-back program but recommended we never use it because we would lose all our points,
• We would have a personal representative or coordinator assigned to us. They said this several times.  We never heard from anyone, much less a personal representative or coordinator.

They did not tell us:

• How much vacation time we would get. We kept asking the sales agents but never received an answer. They bypassed every question.
• We received 3000 points, but when we asked how we could use them, they gave us a confusing run around.
• When we asked about maintenance fees and other fees, they avoided answering our questions by changing the subject.

We have sent a letter saying we cannot and will not make payments. We received a lot of collection calls. We sent a letter asking that the calls be stopped. They did stop. We had a high credit score before this. We stopped making payments around March. We received a form saying they would settle for a lower amount. They were talking about the Barclaycard.  

James has been diagnosed with cancer. It’s hard enough growing older without having to go through this. How many seniors will be harmed and harassed before lawmakers and Nevada regulators do something to stop this?  We fear it will never stop, so the best we can do is write about our experience, hoping it will help others.

When I submitted this article to Inside Timeshare, I was told about this member sponsored Diamond Resorts Members’ Facebook page. I wish I knew about this Facebook before we got ourselves into this. It’s been a disaster.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

This article was written and submitted by Wilma Miller. We invite Diamond Resorts and Barclays to respond. We publish member accounts, good and bad, in an effort to warn the general public to know what they are signing and what they are buying.

That’s it for today, remember to do your homework before engaging with any company that has contacted you or one that you have found on the internet. It must also be pointed out that just because a company advertises in a prestigious publication, the radio or the TV, this does not mean they are genuine, these are sold advertising spaces, the marketing companies that sell them do not check on the authenticity of the company advertising. They will also publish a disclaimer, that they are not responsible for the content or authenticity of the advertiser.

If in doubt, use our contact page and we will be pleased to help you with your checks.

The post The Tuesday Slot appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Silverpoint formerly Resort Properties and now also known as Signallia Marketing Distribution SL is no stranger to these pages, or to many of those readers who have in the past purchased timeshares from them.

Many of these purchasers have also been taken in with the promise of “investment packs”, these are packs of weeks and apartments which were sold with the promise of a substantial return after two years. This return was supposed to have happened with the resale of those weeks, but these never happened, leaving many with huge maintenance fees and even bigger Barclays Partner Finance loans.

The story was always the same, the weeks and apartments that the clients purchased could not be sold as they were not sought after, in order to secure the initial “investment” the clients needed to “upgrade” to better quality apartments which were being sought. This “upgrade” would also be financed with a BPF loans arranged by firstly Resort Properties and then Silverpoint.

At the helm of this enterprise was the Chief Executive Officer Mark Cushway, who is still at the helm, although they insist they no longer sell “timeshare”.

A few years ago these “investment” packs were changed to “The Company Participation Scheme”. This is where the clients are then sold “participations” (not shares), in “registered” companies. These are actually apartments that are registered as companies with names like Palm Beach 112, using the names of the resorts along with a number, (possibly the apartment).

Once again like the “investment” weeks the whole point is to dodge the strict timeshare laws, which at first Silverpoint were successful in doing so. They actually fooled the courts in the early days that the purchasers were not buying timeshare but were investing in property. Eventually the Supreme Court ruled that these clients were buying timeshare and were not investors, therefore they had the full protection of the timeshare laws.

Since that first ruling Silverpoint has been on the receiving end of many court cases, almost on a daily basis, with the court’s finding for the clients. This is costing Silverpoint hundreds of thousands of pounds, in the past few weeks alone the courts have ordered they repay around half a million pounds.

So as the title says, the story now moves on.

Silverpoint have set up numerous companies and associations with others, to once again dupe the very same clients they duped before.

Inside Timeshare has had many emails from these clients, all have attended presentations either in Tenerife or the UK, all with the same purpose, to get them to sign up with another product or have their timeshare contract cancelled with the promise of a claim.

In Tenerife it is Centaurus Mediations, with another associate of Mark Cushway being linked to it called Lee Burton. Again this name has appeared on these pages in the past, as a bit of a henchman. (see link below) The pitch is to either sell them Keys Concierge, a so-called “lifestyle” product promising massive discounts, the cost, around £10,000 or a cancellation of the contract.

Another company linked to Silverpoint is Aspirantco SL, with offices literally across the road from The Suites Beverly Hills. This company claims they are nothing to do with Silverpoint but on Mark Cushways Linkedin page under Silverpoint employees it clearly shows that they are linked. (see PDFs below)

silverpoint employees 1

silverpoint employees 2

We then have Claims Solutions Group, a company we have already highlighted on these pages, based in Aberfeldy, linked to this company is Bryan Wilson, who has recently advertised for “telemarketing” staff for a new call center apparently in West Kirby.

Another company linked with all this is Fullbrook Associates of Stirling, again using members data provided by Silverpoint, (see links below).

The purpose is to contact Silverpoint clients, using members data provided by Silverpoint and Mark Cushway, the deal is very simple, they are the only ones who can get you out of your Silverpoint contract. But to do so you first have to pay thousands to do this.

Not bad I hear you say, first they take your money to sell you the illegal timeshare, contract, then you have to pay them again to get out. Sounds like a win win for none other than Silverpoint and Mark Cushway!

So what is the aim of all this?

As we have reported on these pages, Silverpoint is losing hand over fist in the courts, at the rate this is happening they will soon have nothing left. By getting you the owners of these worthless timeshares to have your contracts cancelled, either by trading in for Keys Concierge or by having Claims Solutions Group have them cancelled, you will then have no recourse to take them to court and retrieve all the money you have paid in the past. In other words it is a damage limitation exercise at the same time getting as much of your money as possible.

Inside Timeshare has been reliably informed that Criminal Denuncias along with numerous civil actions have already been filed against many of the participants, we also know that there are many more cases waiting to be heard by the courts, not just for the timeshare “scam” but also for the “company participation scheme”.

If you are contacted by any of the mentioned companies or are enticed to a presentation while on holiday in Tenerife the warning is simple, “DON’T SIGN UP TO ANYTHING, AVOID THEM LIKE THE PROVERBIAL PLAGUE”.

If you have been taken by Resort Properties / Silverpoint with either timeshare or the company participation scheme and want to know how you can legally get your money back, also having the contracts declared null and void, then contact Inside Timeshare for further information. The courts and the law are on your side, don’t let these people get away with what has already been dubbed “one of the biggest timeshare frauds in history”. Time is running out, act now.

Links to previous articles.

http://insidetimeshare.com/start-the-week-new-information-on-centaurus-mediations/

http://insidetimeshare.com/centaurus-mediations-silverpoint-connection/

http://insidetimeshare.com/start-week-joke/

The post Silverpoint: The Story Moves On appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to this week’s Letter from America, we publish another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” article this week which focuses on Westgate, we welcome our new contributor who wishes to remain anonymous for obvious reasons. But first a quick look at the timeshare news from Europe.

Another Judge at the Courts of First Instance Number 2 in Maspalomas has joined other Judges in deciding on a case at the pre-trial stage rather than sending it for a full trial, that now makes Courts numbers 1, 2, 3 and four all following the same route.

Usually the pre-trial stage is used to allow a last minute out of court settlement and deciding if the case warrants a full trial. These courts have now decided that it is a waste of valuable court time to set dates and hold the full trial, the reasoning is that it is a matter of the contracts, they violate the timeshare laws and are cut and dried cases. This will be good news for many clients who are waiting to go to court as it will now speed up the process considerably.

We have heard from another reader who informed us of a company called Litigation Services SL with the company registration number B93268936, they give the address C/ CORONEL RIPOLLET, EDF SANTOS REIN S/N FUENGIROLA (this is a rather seedy street).

The director is listed as CALLE GUDEN DANIEL ERNESTO Appointment: 15/10/2014, but another very old familiar name is also listed although he was dismissed on the above date, SHARIFI DADVAR MAHMOUD REZA.

According to the caller, the courts have seized sizable amounts of money from Timelinx and DWVC (Designer Way Vacation Club) which we know are no longer in existence, Litigation Services SL will help you to claim the money you paid. Obviously they need a fee to process this. The thing is there are no funds waiting at court to be claimed, we also know that in the past this company has had links with the likes of Greenges, Fuengirola Servicios 2000 and our old friends Ramirez and Ramirez.

It would also seem that not only those who had dealings with DWVC are being targeted, but Club Class Concierge clients are being contacted. The story is that there is a court case against them in the Spanish Courts, The company is called Key Legal Claims and they will represent you in court and obtain the money you paid Club Class.

The caller is Emily Carter with the phone number 01212852941. Emily will require a release fee to get the money from the courts, as we have seen in the past this is not the case, there is no money being held by the courts for either of these “Clubs”.

Now on with our Letter from America

My Westgate Timeshare is Up in Smoke!

By a Westgate buyer

October 5, 2018

The peasant of Venice and the Queen of Versailles revisited,

Comments from Irene

The Siegel’s “Queen of Versailles” Florida home

Their lavish pad is nine times larger than other houses in the area (90,000 square feet) and has a $20 million mortgage, which is 100 times the size of the average mortgage in Central Florida, according to the Orlando Sentinel.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2310067/Construction-FINALLY-restarts-vast-Queen-Versailles-mansion-recession-hit-owners-raise-30m-needed-complete-it.html     

By a Westgate owner who wishes to remain anonymous. Contact Inside Timeshare if you would like to contact the author.  

Wealth Achieved at What Price?

Up in Smoke

I own a Westgate timeshare. I purchased the timeshare in Gatlinburg, Tennessee a while ago. In November 2016 the resort caught fire and my unit was burned to the ground. They are rebuilding, but the new units are totally different from the units being replaced.  I am being asked to pay for a unit that has not been built, and given less options for the same money. I don’t see how this can be fair, but given the way in which we have been treated, I don’t think ‘fair’ is anything Westgate cares about.

The manner in which I was induced to sign the original contract attests to this:

The timeshare would be a great investment because it is real estate,

• I could sell it,
• I could rent it to make my money back,
• I could get a tax break, the same as a homeowner,
• I could get a loan to pay off my loan because it was an investment.

Westgate sales agent Zak told us it was best to buy low because in years to come the value of the property would increase.  He provided an example of one of the original owners that purchased paying only $3000, and then showed me what the property is worth today. I now know timeshares are a liability, almost impossible to sell for even pennies on the dollar. The salesman misrepresented pretty much everything to make the sale.

Timeshares are not the same as real estate, and with little to no secondary market, not an investment. Many timeshares, including Westgate, can be bought online for $1. The market is flooded with timeshares and it is almost impossible to rent them out. Tax deductions are not allowed.

I relied on what the sales agent said. Now I am left with payments for something that is not what was described. Based on my experience, the poorly regulated timeshare product benefits only the sales agent, in the form of commissions, and the timeshare company, who apparently has amassed a fortune at our expense.  

Our timeshare sale began with deception. A mandatory update, which is not mandatory, stated it would last 30 minutes, but it was a sales presentation that lasted 4 hours. They didn’t care about my sightseeing tour plans ruined. There has never been a time when staying at a Westgate vacation resort that I have not been pressured by employees trying to sell or upgrade me to a pricier unit. Despite making loan payments every month plus maintenance fees, before you can even use the week, you have to undergo the pressure imposed by a Westgate employee, taking up one of your vacation days, trying to sell you something that you don’t want or need.

When I think about my Westgate experience these last five years, listening to sales agents making promises unfulfilled, having spent thousands of dollars, what I have is worth nothing. This has been a nightmare.

I have tried to contact Westgate to talk about my concerns. They strung me along for months and months saying they’d get back to me. Eventually, their paralegal wrote a generic cut and paste letter stating that I had signed a contract so that was that. This is the level of care Westgate shows its owners?

Their home is 90,000 Square feet?

Thank you to this Westgate owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, but has provided their contact information should others wish to contact them through Inside Timeshare. These are member accounts hoping to warn others to know that what they bought is probably worth nothing. The timeshare developer is always welcome to present their side of the argument.  

My question to timeshare developers is, how much is enough? Inside Timeshare has heard from 609 timeshare members and owners, many families financially devastated, alleging unfair and deceptive sales practices. Most signed off on high interest loans.

We thank timeshare members for submitting their experiences in the hope of warning those thinking about buying a timeshare, to be aware the purchase they are about to make can have devastating financial consequences.

What house, condo, boat or car would you buy that could not be resold? What would happen to the residential home market if buyers learned after their purchase, the “asset” they bought had no secondary market? It is not uncommon for Inside Timeshare to hear from timeshare buyers who paid $100,000 or more for a timeshare, easily the cost of a condo or home. Timeshares are hard enough to sell, but almost impossible with a loan attached. You can sell a house or a car with a loan, but not a timeshare.

You can rent the documentary “The Queen of Versailles” from Netflix, about the 90,000 square foot home being built in Orlando by Westgate owners David and Jackie Siegel. The documentary took Best Director at Sundance some years ago.

https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-queen-of-versailles#

As a former stockbroker, I have no objection to great wealth, but given the Dashiell’s articles submitted last week and today’s article by a Westgate owner, I ask, “Wealth at what price?”

http://insidetimeshare.com/the-tuesday-slot-7/

I have heard from Carolyn Willis, a third Westgate buyer, whose timeshare went “Up in Smoke” also, angry beyond words.

 The Siegel’s 90,000 square foot house led to my timeshare advocacy efforts. I attended a pathetically aggressive timeshare sales presentation July 2015. When I returned to our unit, I turned on the television and happened to tune into Las Vegas attorney Bob Massi’s FOX show Property Man, featuring the Siegel house.  Disgusted with what I had just experienced, I wrote to Mr. Massi. About a month later the FOX producer called me and said they had received a flood of timeshare complaints. The producer said the segment was not even about timeshare, but about the Siegel’s palatial home. She said Mr. Massi is a friend of the Siegels. I was the only respondent invited to be interviewed by Mr. Massi. She said I was selected because I was the only respondent who said I wanted to talk about the positives of timeshare and not just the negatives.

 My house in Venice 1,770 square feet

Sometimes it takes a peasant revolt.

I described my timeshare presentation experience in fairytale format. My husband and I were in between homes, moving from Bowling Green, Kentucky to Venice, Florida. The comparison was irresistible, so I christened myself the peasant of Venice, as my LinkedIn profile describes.

http://insidetimeshare.com/peasant-venice-queen-versailles/

Contact Inside Timeshare if you have a timeshare experience to share. We know there are many who use and enjoy their timeshare. They may not be aware that timeshares often have virtually no secondary market. Many reaching out to us only learned this when life circumstances prompted them to look into selling their timeshare.  Timeshare companies list the lack of a secondary market as a risk to shareholders in their annual reports. There is little empathy for the timeshare buyer who has spent thousands of dollars only to learn their timeshare is, by design, worth nothing. Greenhaven Capital Management touted the lack of a secondary market as a benefit for private equity investors. In a moment of anger, I wrote this mock interview after reading about Greenhaven, touting the timeshare stock BECAUSE of no secondary market. I find this shameful.  

My apologies to British comedians Bird and Fortune

http://insidetimeshare.com/new-across-atlantic/

Do not pay anyone money upfront to get out of a timeshare without checking with Inside Timeshare or one of these self-help groups. You will find straight answers at no cost on these sites.

https://www.facebook.com/timeshareadvocategroup/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/

https://tug2.com/Home.aspx

https://www.facebook.com/groups/180578055325962/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/465692163568779/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/1639958046252175/

That’s it for this week, remember if you have been contacted by any company with a story that your timeshare company or club has been taken to court and there is money waiting for you, it will be a scam. If you need any help in checking the validity of any company that contacts you or one that you have found on the internet or advert, then use our contact page and we will point you in the right direction.

Have a great weekend and join us again next week.

The post Friday’s Letter from America appeared first on Inside Timeshare.

Welcome to The Tuesday Slot, this week we publish another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” from a new contributor James McConnell, a Veterans Administration Chaplain. But first we look at another “Nightmare on Timeshare Street” which Inside Timeshare has been highlighting for around 3 years. Many of our older readers will remember the story of Mrs B and her sister, the last update was in January 2018, well the story has just resurfaced.

To recap, Mrs B, purchased a timeshare at the Dona Lola Club on the Costa del Sol, Spain in 2000, at the time they were 72 and 65 respectively. Their purchase at what can only be described as a high pressure lengthy presentation, was for 2 weeks in a 3 bed apartment, the cost at that time was £7000. (This has since been transferred to their points club).

At the time of the purchase, new legislation had been in force for about 1 year, this made the taking of any payments within the 14 day cooling off period illegal along with the length of the contract being over 50 years in duration, what is known as perpetuity. Mr B and her sister were not made aware of this fact at the time.

For years they paid the annual maintenance fees, even though they had not used the timeshare due to illness. In 2014 they decided to get rid of the Dona Lola timeshare along with another that they owned at Oasis Lanz Club in Lanzarote. They paid a company £5,695 to dispose of both timeshares.

In 2015 the paperwork arrived showing that both timeshare had been sold to a gentleman in the UK, this is where the problems began.

The timeshare at Oasis Lanz was successfully transfered to the gentleman, (Inside Timeshare has his name, address and passport details), the problem is with the Dona Lola Club operated by none other than probably the worst timeshare company in Europe, MacDonald Resorts.

MacDonald Resorts refuse to recognise the transfer of ownership, they say that they do not recognise the company that carried it out, but at no time warned Mrs B and her sister that they would not accept the transfer of ownership.

MacDonald Resorts then employed Network Credit Services Limited of Hamilton, Lanarkshire, a debt collecting agency who have over the past 3 years constantly threatened legal action if the debt of now over £3,500 is not paid. Network Credit Services have been told repeatedly that this debt is in dispute and therefore they should return it to MacDonald Resorts. They are still harassing her.

The latest in this sorry saga are new threats, these include copies of court orders they claim to have won against debtors of MacDonald Resorts, if that isn’t a blatant use of threats and scare tactics we don’t know what is.

Inside Timeshare has told Mrs B to fill in one of the forms stating that the debt is in dispute and send it back, Inside Timeshare will also travel to the UK and help her when the case comes to the County Court, along with legal help and all the documents that show the timeshare has been transferred.

We will keep you posted on this story as it unfolds over the next few months, now for this weeks article.

We Lost $24,695 to Allied Solutions Group plus $3,200 to Help4TSO

Trying to get rid of our Bluegreen and Silverleaf Timeshares

Research Travel Clubs before Buying

https://www.patientcare.va.gov/chaplain/index.asp

Our Story

By James McConnell, a Veterans Administration Chaplain

October 9, 2018

My wife Donna and I are 76 and 80 years old. I am a Baptist Chaplain at the VA Medical Center in Las Vegas. I spent 20 years in the Army. I was eight years an enlisted soldier and twelve years a chaplain. As an enlisted man, I was stationed in Korea for a year in 1969, stationed three years in Germany and the rest in the states. I served as Chaplain at Fort Dix, NJ from 1983 until retirement in 1994. I also served at Field Station Kunia and the 4th of the 87th Infantry Battalion as their Chaplain in Hawaii. I was stationed in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during Desert Shield/Desert Storm and assigned to the 1st of the 17th Field Artillery Battalion as their Chaplain during the war.   

We are aware that many seniors are going through what we are going through, stuck with timeshares we can’t get rid of, and then losing even more money to companies promising you that they can get you out of your timeshare but don’t.  Allied Solutions Group told us they could get rid of our timeshares if we pay them more money for a travel club.

We attended the Allied Solutions Group presentation over a year ago at a Joe’s Crab Shack for the purpose of getting out of our two timeshares. We paid Midwest Transfer $27,895 May 17, 2017 for a Travel Club package. The purchase price included a credit of $3,200 ($1,600 each for the Bluegreen and Silverleaf timeshares), but now we are stuck with a travel club we don’t need or want and the two timeshares. It’s a nightmare. They didn’t even give us information about the travel club.  

I contacted Irene Parker at Inside Timeshare. Irene contacted Help4TSO and spoke with a representative. Irene said the representative was very nice. She said he looked up our records and said they refunded us $3,200 because they did not get us out of our timeshare. We never received a check for $3,200.

Irene also contacted Allied Solutions Group for us. They would not talk to her. Irene asked if they could tell her what services Allied Solutions Group provided. The representative Irene spoke with said she would not describe their services. Irene thought this odd a company would not explain the services their company provided.    

We understood that what Allied Solution Group proposed was a travel club. It was supposed to be a replacement for what we had hoped to lose. Getting out of timeshare was the only reason we attended. We had no interest in spending money for another vacation since we were trying to get rid of what we owned. Allied Solution Group told us the program we signed up with would replace our timeshares. The Allied Solutions Group wrote three dispute letters which we were to correct and send to the timeshare people. We did that but didn’t hear anything of consequence back.  

We have a $37,000 loan. We owned two Silverleaf weeks and are still paying. If you own a house, you can sell your house if you have a loan. We did not know that timeshares are worthless. This is devastating for seniors who have always paid their bills on time. What can you do if you bought something that can’t be sold?

Allied Solution Group/Midwest Transfer described their services as a Mortgage Relief Advocacy Process. They said an advocacy firm is retained by Help4TSO,

Helping Timeshare Owners, LLC, Orlando, Florida.

According to the Help4TSO website:

Orlando Ventures, LLC dba Helping Timeshare Owners will fight to recover any and all monies paid to the developer. If not successful, Orlando Ventures, LLC will refund 100% of your monies back. Orlando Ventures will receive a 10% commission on monies recovered not to exceed $500.

We signed the agreement May 18, 2017

$1,600 charged to be released from Silverleaf

$1,600 charged to be released from Bluegreen

Also known as The Midwest Transfer, a mortgage relief and travel plan

May 25, 2017 agreements were signed by Bill Howell.

$6,300

$9,595.

$8,800.

$24,695 + $3,200 = $27,895

Why are regulators not interested? There seems to be no one to talk to and no one seems to care. It is shameful and we don’t understand why there is so little regulation. It seems the only way to protect consumers is to write about what is happening to warn others. DON’T BUY A TIMESHARE YOU CANNOT GET RID OF and don’t pay anyone you don’t know money to get out of a timeshare.

One of Allied Group Solution’s BBB complaints and the company response followed by what happened to us

Allied Solution Group

https://www.bbb.org/us/mo/springfield/profile/timeshare-transfer/allied-solution-group-0734-43288/complaints

On June 6, 2017 we signed a contract to remove our name from 3 timeshares and purchased a replacement vacation company. We paid a total of $15,142. Of this, 3 charges of $1,569 were for the timeshare transfers. They have completed one transfer, but refuse to either complete the other 2 or refund the $1,569 each for those 2. They were notified in August that one of the timeshare companies would not work with them and they should have made a refund at that time. The other timeshare was carried on their books as 3 contracts. They then asked for us to sign and pay for 3 more transfers at $1,569 each. We would not and they sent a letter the file was on “freeze”. Letters requesting the refunds of $1,569 for each of the 2 incomplete transfers were sent 11-15 & 12-27-2017 no response from either.

Allied Solution Group Response

03/16/2018

Mr. and Mrs. **** entered into a contract with Allied Solution Group (ASG) on June 6, 2017 requesting us to get them out of three ownership’s. ***** ******** ****, ****** *****, and *** ***** ****** at Tahoe. On June 13, 2017 we spoke with the client and verified the full contract and also discussed that we were doing three transfers and getting them enrolled in to ******* ********* ***** ****. At that time, there were no concerns from the client and we charged the client outside of their rescission period. On June 27, 2017 we called the client again to discuss to the need of some signed documentation in order to proceed. We followed up on July 10, 13, 25, 26, 31st and within those times we either spoke to the client or left a message stating their ******* ******** ****** **** was on hold until we received that paperwork. On August 4, 2017 we received the requested documentation, but the needed signatures were still not on the documents. We spoke with the client on August 7, 2017 and discussed the need for signatures again, and mailed an additional copy to client. On August 14, 2017 the client called with tracking information for the signed documents.  Upon the receipt of these documents we still needed the deeds and documents for the ownership with Shell, ****** *****, and *** *****. We sent a second notice to the client for needed deeds on August 29, 2017. On September 18, 2017 the client called and said the deed for ***** could take up to 60 days to get back due to flooding in Florida. On September 19, 2017 the enrollment into ******* ******** ****** **** was completed. On October 12, 2017 we sent a third and final notice for deeds on their ownership’s for transfer. On October 17, 2017 we received the deeds for ownership, and it was brought to our attention that there were six ownership instead of the three that were discussed at the point of sale. At the point of sale and on our Welcome Call we reconfirmed that there were three ownership’s. As with any service that is provided if there is more work than what was originally presented, there will be an additional cost. We sent additional documentation on October 20, 2016 if the client chose to have us do all six transfers versus the original three, but told them it was their choice. October 27, 2017 we put the ***** transfer on hold until we heard back from the client and sent them documentation to show the freeze as well, to which, we have not heard back. We have completed the the ****** ***** transfer and *** ***** ****** is processing. *** ***** ****** transfer did not begin until August of 2017 when we received the needed deed in office. Within the contract it states we have 12 to 18 months to transfer this ownership. We currently are well within that window. We have done exactly as the client requested, and cannot help that the facts presented to us at point of sale were not accurate. We are happy to finish our contracted work, but will not work on the ***** property until the client communicates their wishes with us. There are no grounds for a cancellation. We will discuss this further with the client if needed.

Thank you James for your contribution, this article along with today’s lead, really does show that timeshare is truly a nightmare.

If you have a story which you would like to share and make others aware of, then use our contact page and get in touch, we would love to hear from you. Inside Timeshare is also asking for any lawyer who has experience of UK debt legislation and County Courts to get in touch to offer advice in the case of Mrs B. In advance thank you.

The post The Tuesday Slot appeared first on Inside Timeshare.