RCI Innovations Inc.

I received a call this morning from the subject above, they gave me the same sale pitch as Timeshare Mega media and Marketing Group with one exception when they transferred my call to the supervisor they hung up on me and never called back. They told me they had a buyer for my timeshare and they had made a offer of $13,483.00 + the $700.00 maintenance fee. I sound to good to be, well you know. Any body else?

Gordon:

Yet another example of less than honest people out there which just mades me MAD.

If they had a buyer for your timeshare, they would not have hung up on you. PERIOD. Where these companies get your name and number from is beyond me. It really needs to be investigated.

I'm certain that if you had in fact been transferred to the "supervisor" you would have found out that you needed to hand over some cash to "facilitate" the transaction.

DO NOT pay anyone upfront to sell your timeshare. These people need to be found, fined and put out of business as too many people are falling for their tactics.

If you get a number, e-mail address and/or physical address from this company, please forward it directly to me at lisa@timeshareinsights.com so that I can look into it.

rciinnovations@gmail.com

customer care at customercare@gmail.com or by phone at (561) 201-0633

Thanks! Interestingly enough, I received an e-mail about 2 minutes ago from another consumer who had been contacted by this same company.

I am doing some investigation and will post my findings once I have something to report.

Thanks for the quick reply.

I agree this should be stopped.

"Raye Lynn McKorinc" just called me from RCI Innovations. Gave me customer service number 561-201-6420, which is on their website. She also gave me names, addresses and phone numbers to verify two actual buyers for my two timeshares. Wants credit card number for half of Security Deposit upfront $2,896. Then she said they will send me cashiers check for $58,302 plus over $3,000 paid to other companies to sell timeshares. She sounded very convincing, as usual.

Peggy:

I don't know where you own, but I'm betting that you couldn't get $58,000+ for your timeshare. I'm trying to find out more about this particular company and get the media involved. If you can, find out how they got your name and number. That would assist me.

Thanks for the update.

My wife was just contact today from the same company, states they can sell my timeshare for $17,870 to $19,946. Funny that the same unit is for sale on Redweek for $2,300. They gave her buyer name and number.

In a way I think they are miss-representing RCI. They initially told her "Customer Service RCI". Provided a reciept #...???? And other contact information. No doubt a large fee desired here as well. I'm not that stupid... anymore.

Other Info provided to my wife on phone:

Customer Service RCI - 561-201-6420 Are Jay 561-729-5724 Raye Lynn McCormick R.C.I

Buyer John & Lisa Powers 816-365-8431

ARGH!! really starting to hate the fact I own a Timeshare. How do they get our info... and how do they know what timeshares I own?

-ff

Forrest:

Thanks for even more information. Your question is truly at the heart of what I am trying to find out...how do these companies get information on owners and what they own?

I'm still working on this, but please, keep me up to date with information. These companies MUST be stopped!

We were also contacted by RCI Innovation for the third/fourth time (different people each time). Said they had a buyer (same buyers John & Lisa Powers 1-816-365-8431) for 29,000, 4180 refund for old scams, but needed my credit card number so that they could use it for title search 2896, which would also be refunded. How do they know the same CC that was used from the 1st scam, they ask if the last 4 digits are they same (I canceled that card). When I keep asking for some kind of documents to review they won't send me anything.

A few other scams- Timeshare Market Pro, Pro Player. How can Florida keep allowing these companies to start-up. They all seem to come from Fla.

I did also have a friend who lives in Fla. check out the address 777 S. Flagler Dr. Suit 800, West Palm Fla 33401 They do actually have a business, which fills the whole floor, but if you don't have an appointment, you can't get in. Just because they have an actual location doesn'tmean they have a legitiment business. I also asked how they could be getting 29,000 for my timeshar when other people can't sell them for 5,000. They get forgieners to buy they, from Canada, but they name they gave me was the Powers from KS, MO. I think these are they same company just changing names, once they get caught.

Here is another site http://www.trustlink.org/FindReview.aspx

"Your question is truly at the heart of what I am trying to find out...how do these companies get information on owners and what they own?"

These companies get information on owners and what they own from the public records. A deeded timeshare is an interest in real estate. All deeds are recorded in the public records in the county where the timeshare is located. Any person can get the owner's name and the legal description of the timeshare from the deed records.

Yes, this is very true and I am not disputing this. However, these companies have LOTS of records...my gut feeling is that someone on the inside is providing them with the information. These companies have better mailing and marketing lists than the original timeshare companies themselves!

Would agree and understand the part about public records, yet I don't think public records get in to the type of unit and when you own. Could be wrong. From my perspective, they seem to know more than what is available on public record. I think they are very clever at getting folks to reveal more information than they should and then possibly share it with others.

Also, I do believe they share credit card information with other companies, or in turn was shared with them. I've heard at one point these businesses are all related somehow, hence why so many are out of Florida. It is also puzzling to me why this is for the most part limited to Florida. Whether it is because the State cannot police or if in fact connected to the industry in that area somehow. They seem to know to much information from the same area. To date, most activity has been on our home phone or my wife's cell. Yesterday I received a call on my cell....argh!

Sadly, I've learned to ignore calls from Florida or the Bahamas (you won several million dollars scan). To never reveal anything to anyone unless it was something I personally requested. And to continually educate and remind everyone in your home of the same thing. As no doubt many experience, they will call multiple times, and though you may believe you are not sharing anything, they learned something from that call and will learn something from the next.

When I do pick up, the response "I don't have a timeshare for sale"..."Nope, not interested in selling it at this time" seems to work. Now that I found Redweek (Thank You!), when and if I want to buy, sell or rent, I can lean how and do it here.

Forrest,

I agree there is some information that is not in the public records such as cell phone numbers but once your phone number - cell or land line - is put out into the public domain for any reason including credit applications it is subject to being sold to telephone marketers. Most marketing calls are initiated by automatic dialers - an electronic device attached to a telephone to call preselected numbers automatically - and once you answer a live marketer picks up the call and starts the sales spiel. They may be fishing for information not knowing that you own a timeshare and your disclosure "nope, not interested in selling it at this time" is the worst possible response because it discloses you have a timeshare and you can expect the call frequency to increase.

The best response to get the calls stopped is to tell the sales person you must first verify that they are who they say they are before you answer any questions and then insist on gathering personal information - SSN, home address, full legal name, bank account number and routing number, full name of company including address (not box number but street number) for process service purposes, state where incorporated - for verification purposes and if they are still on the line tell them to provide the requested information by mail and signed by an officer whose name is registered with the secretary of state in the state where the corporation is incorporated. They usually will hang up quickly because they do not want to waste their time with you and they will remove your number from their dialer.

Putting your number on a "do not call" list does not prevent calls originating in foreign countries especially India, Jamaica, and other English speaking countries. The method described above if followed will usually get your number taken off of the dialer.

Carvana,

Thanks for the useful tip on collecting information from them!

I agree with the "do not call" list... worked a little at first and perhaps still does for legit companies. For financial predators who want to use fraudulent means to take your money, they don't care as their appears to be no risk beyond the crime they are already committing.

I just got off the phone with James from RCI Innovations- makes it sound like RCI is going to buy your timeshare for tax write-off? but really it sounds just like another resell company that I had to pay $1298 to sell my timeshare which would cover title & other fees that are involved. James phone #561-932-3997 and the corporate office #561-201-6420 and ask for Justice for customer service questions. Thanks for all the good comments!

Thanks for the updates here and via e-mail everyone. I can't get the media to work quickly enough, but we are working on something.

tsauthor wrote:

Thanks for the updates here and via e-mail everyone. I can't get the media to work quickly enough, but we are working on something.

That's exactly what's needed .... getting media involved to get the word out that ALL upfront fee resale companies that charge hundreds to thousands of dollars are ALL scams .... new ones seem to pop up everyday and the only thing that will shut them down for good is for people to be educated concerning their scams with widespread media coverage.

I was called by RCI Innovations, at first they said RCI and that they were an arm of RCI helping people buy and sell timeshares. That call came from (561) 201-6420 and after I repeatedly asked clarification questions he admitted he was from RCI Innovations. After the guy did the standard pre-qalification where I mentioned my two WVR units 818k Ocean Walk and 500k Nashville, James Ware from 305-896-2345 called to close. He said he has a buyer with a non refundable $5,000 deposit who will pay me $106,340 within 90 days. I am to pay a title search and closing fee up front $2,896 which is 100% refundable after 90 days if the minimum price of $106,340 is not paid to me.

So I called my credit card companies.

AMEX said I can get a refund for purchases made within 60 days and on a case by case basis they would issue refunds for disputes if the payment is over 60 days. The criterion they had was dependant on any contract between myself and the merchant, agreements AMEX have with the merchant, published merchant policies, and other criterion which could affect a decision for any payments/purchases made more than 60 days in the past. But of course they are unable to provide me with any written info on this criterion.

My Capital One fraud department said they will process disputes up to 6 months from the date of purchase, and more than 6 months if the dispute is submitted in writing. But in the past they have at times refused to refund money in some cases where they came to a conclusion which was incorrect, and I had to spend a huge amount of time at least three times int he past 10 years getting them to correct their errors and get my refund.

I'm asking them to revise a section of their contract, removing the reference to providing refunds if the unit doesn't rent in 90 days and add a reference to their e-mail offer guaranteeing payment of at least $106,340 within 90 days or full refund of the $2,896. If they agree, I'm going to do it and ride the wave of either elation ($106k) or despair (spending time disputing the payment).

Been there - done that - a different "company", but . . . The one good thing was that having the clause made it "easier" to get the money refunded through the credit card company. Of course, I had to provide the documentation to "prove" the contract language change. Also had a company charge my credit card without authorization - they say they won't charge your card until they receive the signed contract -- NOT TRUE! Again, because I could prove that I had not agreed to the charge, it was easier to get a refund through the credit card company. They all make claims and promises they don't/cannot keep. Membership in BBB, Chambers of Commerce and ARDA are NOT proof they are legitimate! RCI Innovations has even improved on the scam - they provide "testimonials" on the web site (don't trust them!).