Following on from previous articles from Irene Parker and the problems owners have, today’s article focuses on the setting up of a forum for owners with legitimate concerns. Many of these forums do not encourage those with problems who need true help and advice, they seem to be pro timeshare and actively discourage people with complaints and problems from posting.
Owners need to be able to get proper advice, not the opinion of a pro-resort owner, who only promotes that fact, labeling others as negative. Timeshare does have a positive aspect, but unfortunately the negative is much more the norm. We hope this article gives some of you hope.
Diamond Resorts Owners Advocate Facebook
Launched to Help Timeshare Owners who do not know Where to Turn
https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy/
By Irene Parker
February 14, 2017
Aristotle Onassis, husband of Jackie O, famously said, “Some of the most money I ever made came from ideas that were very simple, but no one ever thought of them before.”
Timeshare owner are not trying to make money – far from it. They only want to be treated fairly. Several Diamond Resort members Facebook pages are feverishly trying to maintain an equal number of happy/disgruntled owners. Rather than worry about Diamond owners like Mr. Ralph Marble, tilting the balance towards unhappy – why not refer owners like Mr. Marble to a Facebook page designed to help owners with legitimate concerns? Mr. Marble’s case was resolved after eight years only because a television reporter called Diamond asking that Mr. Marble be released from his contract.
Inside Timeshare has been inundated with emails from timeshare owners who are tired of the stories we write week after week describing the harm being done to hard-working families victimized by rogue timeshare sales agents. Even sales agents are coming forward reflecting on how they used to earn a decent living selling timeshare according to rules that, while not perfect, did not financially devastate the lives of people who signed off on a “Vacation Experience of a Lifetime” only to learn their experience was at the opposite end of a dream vacation. Vacation nightmare is not too strong a word.
Over time, several owners, former sales agents, attorneys and advocates have formed a timeshare think tank composed of some of the greatest minds in timeshare. Some are attorneys, but most are owners bringing a lifetime of expertise in management, finance, accounting, legislative and advocacy skills that can move a timeshare mountain.
Helpful websites and Facebook pages posting helpful comments don’t go far enough. The beleaguered timeshare owner still faces what can be the challenge of a lifetime, unaware of the army of attorneys working against them. There’s a reason why people facing legal battles require opposing counsel and one on one advice and support.
A case in point is the family we will call William and Mary. This married couple has two sons, one stationed in Germany at a US army base. A timeshare sales agent painted a dream vacation describing how the family of four could stay at exquisite resorts, including Germany, where they could vacation near their son. The couple bought 2500 points for approximately $10,000. Their real names have been withheld pending the outcome from Diamond Consumer Advocacy.
Armed with 2500 vacation points and their membership ID and location booklet received long after the contract recession period, the family later sadly learned their 2500 points fall far short of what it would take for a family of four to stay at a promised resort for a week to ten days in Germany. Not sure where to turn, they contacted Charles and Irene at Inside Timeshare.
I spent a career in finance, but still fell for the dream of being able to stay at a New York Diamond property to visit our daughter. Like William and Mary, my husband and I learned the 10,000 points we accumulated fell far short of the 40,000 to 60,000 points required to stay one week at a Diamond NYC hotel, not told affiliated properties are not Diamond owned so never discounted. In real dollars, it means it would cost from $5000 to $10000 in Diamond maintenance fee dollars to stay one week at the same hotel booked online for $2400, including tax. I checked several times throughout the year. We do find value at other parts of the country, so have made do, but the reason we bought our points remains unfulfilled.
Travel awards also fall short. A point purchased for $2 to $4 is only worth $.07 if used for airfare. Understanding basic math, I later learned it would take all our points or approximately $2500 in maintenance fees to book one domestic US airline ticket. Unless you intend to travel first class next day, this makes no economic sense. A Diamond customer service representative later explained travel awards are offered for convenience, not value, helpful for owners who have so many points they don’t know what to do with them all.
Where do we go from here?
Our timeshare think tank Facebook members may just follow along, unless they have advice to add. Send your story and we will follow up – one timeshare owner by one timeshare owner.
“Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free ….
The Statue of Liberty, written by American poet Emma Lazarus (1849–1887)
If you have any questions or concerns regarding this or any article published on Inside Timeshare, please do contact us and we will answer them for you, failing that we will pass you to the appropriate place to have them addressed.
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