I worked at a timeshare SCAM....I want to tell you about it.

angelm22 wrote:

tonyp38 wrote:

Everyone that I know has been burned by these scam artists. I did however find a consumer advocate type company that goes after your money. I received $749.50 from three companies I had payed to rent and sell my timeshare over the last 2 years. The company, called Haufman Associates out of Deleware, kept a nice chunk of what they recovered, but to me it was found money. A. P., Ft Lauderdale

I paid Condolink fees to rent out my 6 timeshares. They cashed my cheque and I never heard from them again.

Did you call Haufman & Assoc as I suggested? call them and I bet they can help you get some money back. call at 866-568-5561.

I have to check my records exactly when it happened & my check numbers, then I'll call Haufman, thanks tonyp38!

Well, unfortunately, I think we've been hit, too. While the details are slightly different, much is the same.

We were 'given' bonus weeks to use at a timeshare (these were additional weeks that we still had to pay to use at a reduced fee, but not to use our original weeks). A company, Global Resort Services, of course told us they would gladly advertise these 10 bonus weeks for us and they would be able to get about $1400 per week (wow! 14K, we thought). So, for $599 upfront advertising fee, we bit. Now, they do have a website, and they MAYBE can call that advertising....aside from that, we have gone an entire year and never heard a single call of interest. Of course, when we call them...it's always the same....we've been getting calls about your area...it's the low season...you need to be more competitive...blah blah blah...next step, which I told them in my last phone call (today) is to contact the BBB and Florida Attorney General.

I'm afraid, however, that I'm just too late.

Ah, yes. Alas, dear Global, I knew them well. Way too well.

angelm22 wrote:

I wrote the resort to give me details, use week, unit number, etc. & requested for Declaration or their terms and conditions, etc. They did not respond to me. I went abroad to follow-up what I thought was a legitimate transaction and i encountered a 4-1-9 Nigerian scam. We lost our livelihood. This resort then billed me for $3,600 for maintenance fees. I offered to give them my timeshares that I paid cash of $15,000, just take it! They responded, they sent me to collections. This billing has grown to $59,000+ according to collections agent. they put a lien on our house.

Anyone, can you please advise me what to do. Yes, I've hired attorneys, case is still pending.

===== Are you saying that the timeshare you bought was overseas and you went abroad to see it when the resort didn't reply to your communications? Since they are charging you maintenance fees, I gather they agree that it is indeed yours.

So what was the scam, exactly? Was it actually in Nigeria or just that style scam? Were there back maintenance fees owed which the former owner dumped on you? Was the resort a total mess? Were you unaware that timeshares normally do have maintenance fees or were these totally unregulated and extravagant? And you actually paid $15,000 for a timeshare at auction, sight unseen? (A "resale"?)

I'm not sure whether you mean that you lost your livlihood because of this purchase or that both problems just happened to coincide, putting you in a bind. This whole situation is hard to fathom. MD

tonyp38 wrote:

angelm22 wrote:

tonyp38 wrote:

Everyone that I know has been burned by these scam artists. I did however find a consumer advocate type company that goes after your money. I received $749.50 from three companies I had payed to rent and sell my timeshare over the last 2 years. The company, called Haufman Associates out of Deleware, kept a nice chunk of what they recovered, but to me it was found money. A. P., Ft Lauderdale

I paid Condolink fees to rent out my 6 timeshares. They cashed my cheque and I never heard from them again.

Did you call Haufman & Assoc as I suggested? call them and I bet they can help you get some money back. call at 866-568-5561.

Yes, I did call them. I'll attend to them next week. Thank you.

k4man wrote:

Well, unfortunately, I think we've been hit, too. While the details are slightly different, much is the same.

We were 'given' bonus weeks to use at a timeshare (these were additional weeks that we still had to pay to use at a reduced fee, but not to use our original weeks). A company, Global Resort Services, of course told us they would gladly advertise these 10 bonus weeks for us and they would be able to get about $1400 per week (wow! 14K, we thought). So, for $599 upfront advertising fee, we bit. Now, they do have a website, and they MAYBE can call that advertising....aside from that, we have gone an entire year and never heard a single call of interest. Of course, when we call them...it's always the same....we've been getting calls about your area...it's the low season...you need to be more competitive...blah blah blah...next step, which I told them in my last phone call (today) is to contact the BBB and Florida Attorney General.

I'm afraid, however, that I'm just too late.

In my expensive experiences none of these companies are capable to rent your timeshares, except your own resort if they have an internal real estate that does that, but it's not worth it. The company charges you a huge commission, cleaning fee, & sometimes only rents out 3 days out of 7 days. Once, I did this with Stardust Tahoe, & I received a friggin' $36. My week was only rented for a day, they had to take commission, cleaning fee, etc., I was not a happy person.

All these companies who are aggressive in calling you promises the moon, to market & rent out your timeshares. But, first, they'll charge you advertising fee from $599 to $800 something, & guaranteed, you'll never hear from them again when they get your money.

A. Mitch

angelm22 wrote:

k4man wrote:

Well, unfortunately, I think we've been hit, too. While the details are slightly different, much is the same.

We were 'given' bonus weeks to use at a timeshare (these were additional weeks that we still had to pay to use at a reduced fee, but not to use our original weeks). A company, Global Resort Services, of course told us they would gladly advertise these 10 bonus weeks for us and they would be able to get about $1400 per week (wow! 14K, we thought). So, for $599 upfront advertising fee, we bit. Now, they do have a website, and they MAYBE can call that advertising....aside from that, we have gone an entire year and never heard a single call of interest. Of course, when we call them...it's always the same....we've been getting calls about your area...it's the low season...you need to be more competitive...blah blah blah...next step, which I told them in my last phone call (today) is to contact the BBB and Florida Attorney General.

I'm afraid, however, that I'm just too late.

In my expensive experiences none of these companies are capable to rent your timeshares, except your own resort if they have an internal real estate that does that, but it's not worth it. The company charges you a huge commission, cleaning fee, & sometimes only rents out 3 days out of 7 days. Once, I did this with Stardust Tahoe, & I received a friggin' $36. My week was only rented for a day, they had to take commission, cleaning fee, etc., I was not a happy person.

All these companies who are aggressive in calling you promises the moon, to market & rent out your timeshares. But, first, they'll charge you advertising fee from $599 to $800 something, & guaranteed, you'll never hear from them again when they get your money.

A. Mitch

Here's what I have on Global Resort Services and their UPFRONT fees:

3400 NE 34th Street Fort Lauderdale, FL 33308-98251 800-736-8250 (listed as "customer service" number, ha!)

they also claim to work in Mexico and Canada and list their VERY GENERIC website as www.globalresortservices.com

When I went online to the Better Business Bureau, I was NOT surprised what I found in the way of complaints about this company. Sounds like they are pros at trying to beat the system and walking a VERY thin line between authentic and scam!

Hi tonyp38,

I contacted Haufman &Associates like you suggested in order to try to recover some of my funds but did not realize that there was a fee to pay to enroll in their program.

How do they work exactly? Part of me wants to enrol but another part wonders if I'm just throwing more money (albeit a lesser sum) at another company that will just pocket my $100.

Angelm22, if you called and enroll I would appreciate it if you could keep us on this thread up to date whether they get your money back for you or not.

norin wrote:

Hi tonyp38,

I contacted Haufman &Associates like you suggested in order to try to recover some of my funds but did not realize that there was a fee to pay to enroll in their program.

How do they work exactly? Part of me wants to enrol but another part wonders if I'm just throwing more money (albeit a lesser sum) at another company that will just pocket my $100.

Angelm22, if you called and enroll I would appreciate it if you could keep us on this thread up to date whether they get your money back for you or not.

I did pay $150 to Hofman for then to work on the three reselers I was into for about $1900 to. I don't know exactly how they work, but they were diligent in their efforts. They called me several times to get information and after they researched the companies with the state and through their legal people, they apparently found some legalities with one of the companies and I received a refund within five days of signing up. that was $500. After that they went after $498 I had paid North American Marketing and I also received a $250 refund. both within 2 weeks of signing-up. I am $600 ahead of the game right now, and they are stil working on another $400 I paid another company. I get frequent calls with updated from the girl there. I really think they are amazing, I tried writing letters and screaming at the company that they got me $500 from, and basically got ignored. Very highly recommend them. Good Luck and let me know how you fare. AP

Thanks, you certainly put my mind at ease there. How did you find this company in the first place?

norin wrote:

Thanks, you certainly put my mind at ease there. How did you find this company in the first place?

Though this sounds like a good way to recoup money, there have been such companies abroad that were nothing but another scam.

timesharejudi wrote:

norin wrote:

Thanks, you certainly put my mind at ease there. How did you find this company in the first place?

Can you give us the information on North American Marketing please?

I do not know much about this company except that they never return my calls...never!

hennyp wrote:

Though this sounds like a good way to recoup money, there have been such companies abroad that were nothing but another scam.

Henny, I was skeptical at first also, because of my experience with the timeshare industry in general, but my experience with this Hofman company is polar opposite to your experience with the companies abroad. I couldn't immagine that they could effectively run any scam charging what they charge, that's why I paid. I was right, they go after the back-end money and that's why they work so hard and so fast. Good luck, AP

jayjay wrote:

ditto !

timesharejudi wrote:

Timeshare Scams will not work if Sellers do not send the Scam Artist any money. Beware of whom you are dealing with. How can you tell if it is a Scam Artist? If he asks you for money up front or ahead of the closing it is generally a scam. All fees can be taken out of a closing if your timeshare is truly sold. If you are advertising your unit yourself on a reputable advertising website you should not pay more than $50.00 for an ad.

Thanks for this website. Received a call tonight from Land Ahoy Properities in Orlando wanting to sell my time share. Asked them to call back. Went to Google and found your website which stopped me from believing anything they had told me. When they called me back, we told them we were not interested. They wanted an upfront fee of $949.00 with a senior discount of $100. I guess seniors are supposed to be succeptible. Keep up the good work!

judyd116 stated in part:

>> Received a call tonight from Land Ahoy Properities in Orlando wanting to sell my time share. <<

Since they would NEVER actually SELL your timeshare, it would be more accurate to say that they wanted you to pay them big money (it's usually around $650, but your quoted figure was apparently somehow even much higher) to "advertise" your timeshare on a lame and obscure website which no well informed and serious buyer ever even look at at all. "Land Ahoy", indeed...... =====================================

Re: >> I guess seniors are supposed to be susceptible. <<

It really has nothing to do with your being a "senior". It has everything to do with parasites like these trying to take advantage of the vulnerable state of mind of a desperate would-be seller --- regardless of their age. These worms crawl out of their holes in great numbers at this time of year, when maintenance fee bills are being sent out and arriving and disenchanted timeshare owners are asking themselves "how can I get out of this ownership?".

The "senior discount" was just fabricated nonsense anyhow, since the customary fee for these thieves is usually around $650 in the first place. Your quoted figure was still well above that amount --- even after the alleged "senior discount".

Congratulations on making the right decision and sending these parasites away without your money. You can sell your timeshare on your own with a little work in preparing some ads and placing some low cost advertising (and, of course by pricing your week realistically). You don't EVER need or want these ineffective, thieving, upfront fee "advertising and marketing" parasites in your life at all....

ken1193 wrote:

judyd116 stated in part:

>> Received a call tonight from Land Ahoy Properities in Orlando wanting to sell my time share. <<

Since they would NEVER actually SELL your timeshare, it would be more accurate to say that they wanted you to pay them big money (it's usually around $650, but your quoted figure was apparently somehow even much higher) to "advertise" your timeshare on a lame and obscure website which no well informed and serious buyer ever even look at at all. "Land Ahoy", indeed...... =====================================

Re: >> I guess seniors are supposed to be susceptible. <<

It really has nothing to do with your being a "senior". It has everything to do with parasites like these trying to take advantage of the vulnerable state of mind of a desperate would-be seller --- regardless of their age. These worms crawl out of their holes in great numbers at this time of year, when maintenance fee bills are being sent out and arriving and disenchanted timeshare owners are asking themselves "how can I get out of this ownership?".

The "senior discount" was just fabricated nonsense anyhow, since the customary fee for these thieves is usually around $650 in the first place. Your quoted figure was still well above that amount --- even after the alleged "senior discount".

Congratulations on making the right decision and sending these parasites away without your money. You can sell your timeshare on your own with a little work in preparing some ads and placing some low cost advertising (and, of course by pricing your week realistically). You don't EVER need or want these ineffective, thieving, upfront fee "advertising and marketing" parasites in your life at all....

I actually had a call today from Global timeshare sales indicating that they had timeshares to sell at half the developer cost. I'm sorry now that I did not keep them talking longer. It would be nice to learn that they are really out there trying to sell the properties that have been put into their hands with an up front fee! MD