PERHAPS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IS IN ORDER ...

To you folks that's been scammed by an UPFRONT FEE RESALE COMPANY, perhaps you should consider a class action lawsuit against all upfront fee resale companies.

Are there any Redweek members out there that are attorneys? If so, such a lawsuit could possibly be very lucrative to you. Can you imagine the thousands upon thousands of complaintants that's been suckered in by these companies and their lies (re: unrealistic quoted prices they can get for your timeshare; someone is waiting for your exact timeshare week; moneyback guarantee if your week has not sold within a certain amount of time etc.) and the many other deceptions and lies that are told.

Something to think about ......

I think that is a very good suggestion jayjay. For those that have been scammed by the Upfront Fee Resale Companies I know it's a maddening and frustrating experience for them to try and contact these companies on their own to get their money back. As we know, it just isn't going to happen. You're lucky if you are able to get a live person from one of these companies and if you do get an actual person you'll get the run around or the flat out disdain from this person on the line that knows you've been scammed and doesn't care.

These companies know at this point the majority of scammed timeshare owners do get frustrated and don't pursue it any further. Those that do try to do something more find that it seems almost impossible to get any momentum going with state agencies. However, the more complaints out there the better, sooner or later complaints can make a difference and that's why it's important for victims to complain everywhere they can and to anyone they can. The state, forums, the news..action is better than non action.

This process can still be slow and frustrating and that's why I've been doing what jayjay has suggested--looking into finding an attorney that specializes in handling class action lawsuits for those that have been burned. After all, who moves faster than an attorney with a nice payday right around the corner.

This still isn't a fast process since many of these attorney's are either not aware of how big of a scam industry this is or they've just not been approached enough by victims of these scams to think it merits serious attention on their part. So it is important for victims of these advance fee companies to come together and act as an overwhelming force to make these attorneys realize the potential of a class action suit against various advance fee companies.

Or, as jayjay asked, if there are any attorney's that are members of the forum this would be a potentially very good cause to take up.

garym172 wrote:

I think that is a very good suggestion jayjay. For those that have been scammed by the Upfront Fee Resale Companies I know it's a maddening and frustrating experience for them to try and contact these companies on their own to get their money back. As we know, it just isn't going to happen. You're lucky if you are able to get a live person from one of these companies and if you do get an actual person you'll get the run around or the flat out disdain from this person on the line that knows you've been scammed and doesn't care.

These companies know at this point the majority of scammed timeshare owners do get frustrated and don't pursue it any further. Those that do try to do something more find that it seems almost impossible to get any momentum going with state agencies. However, the more complaints out there the better, sooner or later complaints can make a difference and that's why it's important for victims to complain everywhere they can and to anyone they can. The state, forums, the news..action is better than non action.

This process can still be slow and frustrating and that's why I've been doing what jayjay has suggested--looking into finding an attorney that specializes in handling class action lawsuits for those that have been burned. After all, who moves faster than an attorney with a nice payday right around the corner.

This still isn't a fast process since many of these attorney's are either not aware of how big of a scam industry this is or they've just not been approached enough by victims of these scams to think it merits serious attention on their part. So it is important for victims of these advance fee companies to come together and act as an overwhelming force to make these attorneys realize the potential of a class action suit against various advance fee companies.

Or, as jayjay asked, if there are any attorney's that are members of the forum this would be a potentially very good cause to take up.

====================================== The original post on this topic was placed identically in two different Forums (the other forum being Buying, Selling, Renting, if I recall correctly). I responded in some detail already to the other post, so I won't renivent that wheel again here........

Yes, I did post this also in the Buying, Selling and Renting forum. I don't normally double post but in this situation I thought it was necessary as some people may not access all forums. My answer to Ken's post is below:

I do agree that the first thing anyone should do is file a formal complaint with the AG of the state where the upfront fee company is located, or, as Redweek member garym is trying to do, getting the media involved.

However there has to be thousands upon thousands of timeshare complaints already filed with the AG in Florida over the years since there are so many timeshare resorts and units in that state. But I'm not sure the AG there is willing to pursue such complaints as timesharing is a major industry in that state that brings in tax revenue and major tourism dollars. If the AG had intervened I believe we would have seen some major changes in that industry. It's going to take action in another venue to bring about change.

One change I would like to see is all presentations and transactions, regarding anything to do with the timeshare industry, be tape recorded and filed. I have read thousands of complaints that the developer salesperson verbally told buyers untruths that were not included in the written contract, which is the only contract that is legally binding.

I always recommend that anyone buying a timeshare read their contract back and forth and in and out before signing on that dotted line, but people are on vacation and most are not going to waste time by reading a lengthy contract. They took the salesperson's word as truth.

I couldn't/wouldn't join in such a class action lawsuit myself as I never contemplated contacting an upfront fee company to sell my timeshares in the first place. I would have rather given them away.

Yes, the victims (complaintants) willlingly entered into an agreement with the upfront fee company, however the company more than likely lied to them by inflating the price they could get and telling them they had a buyer waiting in the wings for their timeshare. It's the lies that get to me along with the upfront fees.

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I don't like federal government intervention and regulations but in this case I would applaud federal government getting involved to regulate all phases of the timeshare industry from developer salespeople lies to upfront fee companies to postcard companies and other scams involving timeshare.