SCOOP DU JOUR: Don’t Buy From The Developer!
-by Scoop
No, that is not what I believe but I received an inquiry this week from a concerned consumer who recently purchased a timeshare interest and when they returned home and made a few Google inquiries, along with finding a piece I wrote they also located the ARDA (American Resort Development Association) website.
Frank (the new owner) e-mailed me several questions, including asking how to go about rescinding his newly acquired Las Vegas timeshare. At the end of his plea he stated:
“We were really excited because we love Las Vegas especially with the exchanging and my wife and I now being at the age where we can afford to travel. But after we read in ARDA about buying resale we’ve now become disenchanted, distrustful and bewildered. Please help!”
Frank provided a few more details so I visited the ARDA site and lo and behold I, too, became “bewildered” as there is no shortage of the ‘content’ suggesting that Mr. and Mrs. Consumer may NOT want to purchase a timeshare directly from the developer!
Other information includes: do NOT ‘will’ your timeshare on to your children who will incur a debt in perpetuity and uncontrolled special assessments imposed ‘at-will’; and do NOT buy a timeshare from any entity that does not adhere to the ARDA code of ethics…
That information (and more) can be found under the ARDA listings of ‘New Corporate Members’ and as of this writing there are about twenty-three (*23) new businesses (members) posted who have hyperlinks to their company websites, with many publishing additional warnings to prospective timeshare buyers. And most of these sites proudly and boldly display the ARDA logo hyperlinking back to ARDA…
For example: (www.travelexclusivellc.com ): “Has your timeshare ownership left you feeling stranded…”; “…You are part of a very large group of dissatisfied owners who are caught in what is referred to as the “Timeshare Trap”.
(www.apexprofessionalsllc.com ) “Are you feeling frustrated and trapped by your timeshare?” and “Paradise or Burden? How much are you spending on your timeshare”….
(http://www.globalpropertymarketing.com ) “Tired of paying maintenance fees for something you don’t use?”; “We can help you get out of: Unwanted timeshares or points, expensive ongoing maintenance fees, Inflexible exchanges and membership fees… No more special assessments…”
(www.nationaltimeshareownersassoc.com ) “Would you like to purchase timeshare properties at 60-80% off of list?”
Among those ‘New (ARDA) Corporate Members’ some also have highly controversial and questionable backgrounds dealing with consumers and TS owners, etc. and their ‘history’ (track records) are also in direct violation of ARDA’s code of ethics.
Perhaps, depending on one’s perspective, the possible coup de grâce may be that on the ARDA website in their downloadable ‘Understanding Vacation Ownership’ they state the following in the ‘Tips for purchasing a Timeshare Resale’:
“The Internet can be a valuable resource. There are many Web sites that feature plenty of information and resale inventory for sale. Examples include for sale by owner marketplaces, sites from agents and brokers, auction sites, and sites from individual resorts and developers.”
I don’t know about timeshare developers who are members of ARDA and especially those members sitting on the ‘Trustee’ and ‘Chairman’s League’ (the ‘power brokers’), but for all the marketing, sales and management people around the world who work their tails off getting the deals ‘today’ I can only ask, have you lost your frickin’ minds?
And as for ARDA and their ‘Corporate Members’ advertising such options to consumers–- especially those who’ve recently purchased a ‘shared-ownership’ interest from a developer at full ‘retail’ price–- can you spell P A R A D O X?
*ARDA New Corporate Members: (Offering Resale, rental info etc.)
“Current as of Monday, April 26, 2010″
5 Star Resort Marketing: www.5starprop.net
American Resort Planners: www.arplanners.com
Apex Professionals LLC: www.apexprofessionalsllc.com
Choice Properties: www.choiceresales.com
CNC Timeshares: www.cnctimeshares.com
Compass Resort Group: www.compassresortgroup.com
Global Property Marketing: www.globalpropertymarketing.com
Good Buy Timeshare, LLC: www.goodbuytimeshare.com
International Timeshare Network: www.intnltimesharenetwork.com
National Timeshare Owners Association: www.nationaltimeshareownersassoc.com
Premium Timeshare Depot, LLC: www.premiumtimesharedepot.com
Realavest, LLC: www.timeshareresales.org
Repeatt.com: www.repeatt.com
Resort Points International: www.resort-points.com
Resort Tours International, LLC: www.resorttoursinternational.com
Timeshare II Share: www.timeiishare.com
Timeshare Hotlist.com/dba Century 22 Marketing: www.timesharehotlist.com
Timeshare Mega Media & Marketing Group, Inc.: www.timesharemediagroup.com
Timeshareweb.com LLC: www.timeshareweb.com and www.timesharepartners.com
Travel Exclusive, LLC: www.travelexclusivellc.com
Tropical Vacation: www.tropicalvacationresort.com
VACA Direct USA, Inc: www.vacationsdirectusa.net
Vacation Max: www.vacationmax1.com
NOTE: This listing does not include long standing ARDA members who may offer the same type of programs, resale inventory etc. as the ‘New Corporate Members’ offer.
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As Don Imus say: “You can’t make this stuff up”!
It would seem after the tremendous drop in annual sales this past few years and the laying off of thousands of marketing and sales reps the developers would have figured this out and done something out them telling the pubic not to buy from them (Grrrrr).
And if any agent goes in and tells their manager they lost a sale or that a sale cancelled because of this sort of information the manager really can do nothing but shrug their shoulders—or fire the agent because their VPG is to low—which is more likely (Grrrrr)!
This stinks!
Don’t be so harsh Scoop!
All ARDA has to do is make a couple quick changes and everything will be fine!
First, they need to have their acronym mean “American Rental/Resale Discount Assoication’
And also those who proudly have the “Registered Resort Professional’ (RRP) on their cards etc. only need to change that to: Rental Resale Professional.
Voila! Now all is well in the Land Of Share and we can start selling this discounted inventory!
Just found your website; pretty nice!
I have been in sales for a number of years and in all honesty I haven’t been to the Assoication website is some time and after reading this thread I visited it and in all honesty I was amazed!
There must be some reason they are doing this but I don’t understand and agree that it will surely harm sales.
Thanks for bringing this to our attention.
Cindy