We at TCA have recently been contacted by a consumer with a very interesting story with regards to their timeshare purchase. If you are thinking of buying into timeshare this is something that you should consider before agreeing or signing into any type of contract or verbal agreement.
Having purchased their timeshare several years ago they decided to sell their timeshare, which is something they had been told would be easy to do and may possibly earn a profit. The consumer conducted some research and found a company called Timeshares Only, there were plenty of comments on the site about being the number one and the best! They chose to contact them to arrange the sale of their timeshare. In doing so they were advised that they would be able to get a ‘quick sell’ and retailed it at half the value as per the advice received from Timeshares Only.
Guess what, it’s not 6 months down the line, it’s six YEARS and they’ve not had ONE offer on their timeshare. The consumer again did an online search and explored the site where he understood his timeshare was being advertised and, another shocker, it can’t be found with a simple search. It seems as though it is hidden in the site. This means that any normal internet user looking for this type of purchase will not be able to find the advertisement for their timeshare.
The consumer feels as though Timeshare Only have mislead and lied about his advertisement and have simply taken his money and not made any effort to encourage the sale of the timeshare. Six years past.
The consumer feels that the company is a scam and should be closed down. When the consumer was looking through the website there was an advertised ‘HOT-DEAL’ – it was the same resort, the same apartment type and double the price. Not a hot deal but a hot SCAM! After hearing this story, it sounds like they would rather not sell anything so it looks like they have a big portfolio due to popularity when in fact it’s due to lack of sales and lies!
After conducting some further research and reading other reviews it seems as though there are a lot of dissatisfied consumers who have been taken in by this company who have then not delivered on any one of their promises.
When you are thinking about purchasing timeshare you need to remember the pitfalls and dangers and be prepared for them. After looking around it seems that there are an inordinate number of customers who are deciding that they do not want to continue with their timeshare ownership but are unable to re-sell it.
There are many organisations trying to take advantage of customer’s looking to sell their timeshare. You may find you are told they can sell your timeshare and they could try to pressure you into buying more products.
Be wary of anyone who, tries to contact you without an invitation, for example cold calling. Look out for anyone that asks you for any kind of payment upfront, i.e. for a deposit or an admin fee, do not give anyone your card details – no matter what!!
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk