Happy Holidays from the Timeshare Relief Blog!

Timeshare Relief @ Kyte

As our readers know, Timeshare Relief is devoted first and foremost to consumer rights -- which is why we try to spread our message around as much as possible. Blogs, video shares, social networks, anything to get the truth about timeshares out there. I've posted a few of our videos on this blog before.

Recently I became aware of the video-share site kyte. It's pretty much the same as places like youtube and google vids with one monumental difference: you can engage in live chat with your viewers. Video chat, even, if your comp is rigged for those kind of hi-tech shenanigans.

The Timeshare Relief kyte vids are viewable here:

http://www.kyte.tv/ch/30307-timeshare-relief#uri=channels/30307/84963

And I've also added a kyte channel pod to the right, here in this blog!

Stop in, kick off yer shoes, watch a vid, and chat with us if we're around!

Timeshares in Popular Culture

I remember the first time I ever heard the word "timeshare" uttered. It wasn't on television, but by a friend of mine. We were both in fifth grade at the time. Apparently his parents had owned a timeshare in Palm Springs for several years. He brought it up when we had been scheming a practical location for a joint vacation between our families. "So, could we use the Palm Springs timeshare?" I asked.

"Probably not," he said, scratching his head.

In the early 90s timeshares were enjoying a golden age in America, although this is also the time period where they became closely associated with the scams that persist in the industry to this day. It was an entirely foreign concept to my friends and I, despite living in a burgeoning city in suburban California and thus being somewhat better acquainted with real estate and property terms than most kids (I remember getting excited when an empty lot across town had been zoned for commercial activity -- they wound up building a mall there 5 years later). Today it's a different story. Most people have at least heard a joke about, or seen a commercial for, or received a postcard invitation from a timeshare company. The word has become more or less embedded within popular culture.

Television, in its perpetual quest for easily identifiable material, was quick to pick up on the trend -- timeshares have been spoofed in just about every long-running sitcom from the late 90s on. Several of the families from South Park once attended a ridiculous timeshare presentation in Aspen. Doug and Carrie from "The King of Queens" once had an episode-long argument regarding the potential purchase of a timeshare. Characters from "King of the Hill" nearly got suckered into a Mexican timeshare scam. And Peter and Lois, from "Family Guy," perfectly illustrated the bait-and-switch sales tactic so common in timesharing today at the start of one of their misadventures.

Peter and Lois receive a postcard mailer claiming that they've won a free boat -- all they need to do is sit through a timeshare presentation to retrieve it. They attend the presentation with several of their friends, all of whom are given the following option: take the boat, OR the contents of a mystery box.

Lois, the intelligent consumer that she is, chooses the boat immediately, but Peter isn't sure. The box could hold ANYTHING, he says. After some hilarious deliberating Peter finally chooses the mystery box, which turns out to contain tickets to a cheap comedy club -- understandably disappointing Lois (at least Peter didn't actually BUY the timeshare, though).

The illustration in this episode isn't quite accurate -- after all, other attendees of the presentation walk out with free boats, which is hard to believe. But the spirit of timeshare sales is there, and it's spot-on. Too often the choice is already made for consumers, and instead of receiving the high-priced entertainment (the "boat") they've been promised, they're treated poorly and handed a "mystery box" of a timeshare no one is even able to open. And whether or not they use that mystery box, of course they still owe the timeshare company all the relevant fees, year after year.

Timeshare has become a stock scam on TV, but it's still a billion dollar industry. For once popular culture is right -- and it would probably be better to avoid both the boat and the mystery box altogether.

Where There's A Will...

One of the most unfortunate situations we encounter here at Timeshare Relief are timeshare scam inheritances. It's more common than you might imagine. An elderly relative purchases a timeshare while on his or her last vacation, not realizing that the property is a moneypit and impossible to use. The relative returns home with thoughts of using the timeshare and happily pays the maintenance fees. Then, one day, the relative passes on. The timeshare company hears of the news (probably due to a truant fee payment) and contacts the next of kin. He or she has never heard of the company before and never been to the city where the timeshare is located -- in fact, it's never been considered as a holiday location. And yet, this family member has just become embroiled in what is perhaps the most menacing of timeshare contract stipulations, an agreement known as perpetuity.

The easiest way for me to describe perpetuity is to ask my readers to imagine a timeshare with the stamina of the Energizer bunny. Indeed, the life of the timeshare contract -- and all agreements therein, including payment of fees -- keeps going and going and going and.... You get the idea. Perpetuity ensures that timeshare contract outlives its owner -- maybe even a few generations beyond its owner, if it isn't taken care of properly, as through a sale or title transfer.

Timeshare inheritance is far too common, the reason for it is simple -- con men prey upon the elderly. Several arrests have been made recently as part of an SEC crack-down on vacation scams targeting aging American adults -- a worthy, if somewhat minor, reaction to what has become a very serious problem. Often times these con artists operate below the border or in the Caribbean, where there are delays in seeking legal reprisal. And the result is very often the same: middle-aged families, while grieving the death of a loved one, are struck with the double-whammy of a timeshare scam inheritance they didn't ask for, and cannot afford.

We've found a few resources online to underscore this unfortunate trend. Here's a good if short forum discussion outlining timeshare inheritance:

http://timeshareadventures.com/vacation/general-timesharing-information/1289.htm

And a brief advice column offering clarification on a real-life situation:

http://www.thinkglink.com/Figuring_Out_The_Inheritance_Of_A_Timeshare.htm

If you think a relative of yours may be at risk for timeshare scams and unknowingly leave a burden on your family, get the right information and try to plan ahead.

A Better Way to Travel?

If you follow my blogs, you'll notice a common theme in all of them. I have a tendency to come down pretty hard on the timeshare industry as a whole and I wholeheartedly caution people against considering a timeshare purchase. If you happen to own timeshares and make use of them, then this company and service isn’t for you. We’re here to help the people who own timeshares and for whatever reasons cannot use them, and are unable to extricate themselves from bad contracts.

Why should I come down on an industry so much? Surely it can't be all bad right?
The amount of time I spend in the industry doing research as a writer and educator leads me to believe that timesharing did have its place once, but now it’s not much more than an outdated method for taking vacations that continues mainly as an income stream. The initial concept was rather creative and certainly a lucrative deal for the resort developers. Who wouldn’t want to own a piece of their favorite resort? I believe that's largely why timesharing is still being pitched at every corner, every concert, every nook and cranny. There's money to be had by overcharging purchasers for a "right to use" holiday time which for some reason isn’t always available to use because it's often being reserved to lure in and rent out to the general public.
Sadly, timesharing doesn't always provide the dream vacation it should, but it reliably empties the coffers of regular folks who just wanted to buy a nice vacation for their family.

So, are there other choices for taking great holidays? Absolutely!

Advances in technology have provided us with instant everything from instant conversation on an instant messaging program, to instant bill payment at the bank, all from a convenient location: your home, your office, or your lap in a coffee shop. Computers and the World Wide Web have brought directly to us more options than ever for anything our heart's desire. Taking vacations at great discounts and with terrific amenities is easier than ever. Online options for booking airfare, hotels, cars, entertainment is as simple as entering your information and clicking the send button. For those who don't take regular vacations, timesharing never made sense, because they would pay for a timeshare every year even if they couldn't use it. Using the advances in technology to our benefit to find the best travel deals is a great way to go.

Keep in mind as well that if you’re a frequent traveler, you can sign up for a vacation concierge service for a fraction of the cost of timesharing, and only pay for the travel services you use, when you use them. If you have a busy lifestyle, and a taste for outstanding customer service, using a concierge service takes the footwork of hunting down the best deal, or the best location, and passes it along to an expert in the field who can then make note of your travel needs, and make sure to surpass every single request, all from a phone call or online inquiry. It’s near impossible to upstage that kind of personalized care and quality.

With the plethora of options for greatly discounted dream vacations, what are you waiting for? Go travelling!

Video Roll Call

Hey all,

Most of you are probably aware of Timeshare Relief's video presence online, but for those of you who aren't here a few samples of the excellent customer testimonies and short informational films we have. These are a great resource not only for our prospective customers but also for any timeshare-laden or timeshare-curious individual.

From Youtube:




From google:




From Revver:

Resell Hell

All too often, timeshare owners have been told they can sell their timeshare at some point in the future, and because it’s such a good investment, they’ll make a nice profit on the sale after enjoying years of happy vacationing. Sadly, there are increasing numbers of distressed timeshare owners, who find that they cannot use the timeshare they have, or trade it successfully for another. Following this disappointment, they turn around to face the prospect of selling with an eager mind to that profit they were originally promised. Worse news follows the bad when they step into the world of timeshare resales. Time and again, these owners pay exorbitant up-front fees (usually $500 and up) to timeshare resale agents. The owners are hoping to turn a profit and get out of a timeshare contract that never delivered on its promises, except for the ones where they promise to sic collection agencies for delinquent or missed payments, and the promise to pass the timeshare along to the purchaser’s heirs forever. The actuality usually turns out to be that the resale agents are the only ones turning a huge profit as they rake in the up-front fees, meanwhile investing little or no time in ever advertising or promoting the timeshares they promised the clients to actively sell.

There are companies and individuals being investigated and prosecuted for activities such as this (Stroman realty for one), and it’s a good idea to spend significant time researching any and every company that you cross paths with that promises to help you get out from under your timeshare burden for the low low bargain price of $500 or so. With journalists, investigative reporters, financial advisors, authors and bloggers and even former timeshare owners cautioning people to avoid the seductive spiel of the timeshare resale agents, there can be no doubt that it’s a troublesome industry at best that has certainly earned its share of negative criticism.

In an industry where there are thousands upon thousands more timeshares available than are in demand, naturally the likelihood of selling at all, let alone at a profit is next to impossible. Jane Bryant Quinn referred to this over-supply in her article in Newsweek as a glut of timeshares. A quick search on the sales site, EBay produces on average about 1200 timeshares being listed for resale, and while a small percentage may appear to have bids and close, those transactions don’t necessarily go through all the time, because bidders indubitably find out the ridiculous costs associated with maintenance fees, special assessments, and taxes, and let’s not forget title transfer fees and closing costs as well. So that listing for $1 turns out to be a $1000 or more transaction. Also, State Attorney General’s are issuing cautionary advice about purchasing and reselling timeshares. Apparently the glut of unhappy chained-for-life-timeshare owners have complained en masse enough to move the government into warning people to be leery of timeshares.

It seems these warnings are going largely unheeded, at least on the front end of the purchase because timeshare sales are still increasing. It’s not until people realize the enormous burden of what they’ve signed up for that they start looking for sound financial advice, legal help, and a solid way out. The scams take place on either side of the transaction, and consumers would be wise to heed the advice of those who’ve gone before them, and simply just stay away.

Choose Life! (not timesharing)

You know, timesharing is a huge industry, and with so many people buying in there's bound to be some bad apples in there looking to cash in on people's good will. So in a way it doesn't surprise me that there are so many scams out there. Avoiding them in some cases just takes a little bit of common sense, such as not buying from a suspicious-looking company in the Caribbean that has no office and no BBB profile. But there are other cases where protection is harder, where your friends and neighbors could tell you great things about a timeshare company that turns around and gives your family a raw deal.

It's happened before. The key thing to remember is this: timesharing is not for everyone. And although many people may lean on aphorisms such as "Don't knock it until you've tried it," this is one of those situations where a little experimentation could have permanent, long-lasting effects; such as with narcotics. Timesharing will affect different people in different ways depending on a number of variables, but one thing is for sure, you should know exactly what you're getting in to and whether it's something that will really benefit you or not.

We hear lots of stories in our office about timesharing; people that inherited them, people that bought and never used them, people that got conned into buying them. Sometimes there was a choice involved, sometimes not. Sometimes the people found themselves the victims of a system that had worked for several others.

When there is a choice, don't be afraid to make a stand and do the right thing, regardless of what the sales rep says. Just remember that things are never as they are in dreamy brochures, and that for every salesman trying to sell you a timeshare there are probably another 20 customers trying to sell their timeshares back.

Enter: The Webmaster

Hi everyone, I'd like to introduce myself. My name's Joe and I'm the webmaster and blog runner over here at Timeshare Relief. And I'm really excited about the work we're doing. Finally an industry leader like TSR, who has helped countless individuals shed the ball and chain of an unwanted timeshare over the years, is getting the presence it deserves online. That's reason enough for celebration, isn't it?

This blog will be the unofficial home of Timeshare Relief's thoughts and updates, so stop in often if you're able to. You never know what you might find. We could link to an article about the timeshare industry, or post a story from the field that one of our reps offers. But it'll all provide you crucial information related to this market, a market that is growing larger and more perilous by the financial quarter.

So, as I said, stop in often, and please comment! We always welcome feedback. I'll be back in later today with urls to some of our new pages online.

Absolutely Timeshare Free

I just received a message from a customer who just signed up with Timeshare Relief, Inc. She mentioned that she went through all the steps of trying to get rid of her timeshare, from listing, to donating, and so forth, and that nothing worked for her. It’s a story we hear repeated every day in some variety or another.

Now, she’s part of the Timeshare Relief family, and we’ll walk her through the process of being absolutely timeshare free. That is such a joy inspiring process to me. I know that now she has decided to work with us, she’s going to be timeshare headache free, and she’ll know why we’re called Timeshare Relief.

If you have questions about what we do, don’t hesitate to call at 800-588-1582 so I can get you in touch with one of our program representatives.

Best wishes,
Kate.

Timeshare Relief Introduction

This is Kate. I write for Timeshare Relief, Inc., which means I also do a lot of research about the timesharing industry as a whole.

I’m working on getting our second newsletter published, and so have myriad articles either ready, or being edited so we can share our insights and knowledge with you and help you avoid the pitfalls and problems of the timeshare trap.

It’s our goal to rescue as many people as possible, who’ve been trapped into a lifelong contract, and who are looking for a way to escape. That’s why we’re Timeshare Relief, Inc. We want to help you get relief from a timeshare that has either always been, or lately has become a burden.

That’s my thought for today. I’ll be back with more.

Thanks, Kate.

ps. Feel free to email me at kate@timesharerelief.com if you’d like a copy of the newsletter to be emailed to you.