Effect of Timeshare Relief Team, Timeshare Exit Team, etc. advertising on the for-sale-by-owner resale market

I can't help but think that the continual advertising on the radio by the likes of Timeshare Exit Team, Timeshare Relief Team, and even Dave Ramsey have a very negative effect on efforts by current owners to sell their timeshares through ads in Redweek, TUG, My Resort Network, TimeSharing Today and the like.

Furthermore, I have to believe those ads help poison the sales process for developers in what my wife and I have come to refer to as their Dreaded Sales Centers.

Why isn't the timeshare industry "fighting back" with advertising playing up the real benefits of timeshares? Many of us are, in fact, getting rid of our timeshares because of age, family changes, health, etc. Nevertheless, many -- maybe most -- of us have truly enjoyed visiting our home resorts and/or trading through RCI, II, GPX, etc., for resorts all over the United States and the world. If they -- developers like Marriott and Wyndham, and the exchange companies -- would defend themselves they might benefit and we, who are anxious to bail out, might benefit, too.

What think? What say ye?

I wouldn't necessarily say that so-called relief or rescue outfits have had a negative effect on efforts by owners to sell. The market has. There appear to be far more units available than there is demand or request for them. These relief companies just see a market for many timeshare owners who want to get rid of their units but can't because there is just not the demand and are simply taking advantage of a business opportunity.

And I don't think that "those ads help poison the sales process for developers in what my wife and I have come to refer to as their Dreaded Sales Centers." Those sales presentations do that to themselves.

From your post and rant, I am guessing that you paid thousands of dollars for your unit(s) and are now trying to sell it/them but realize that you will not get in return anywhere near what you paid. I could be wrong but that's what I'm interpreting in your rant.

lancec13 wrote:

From your post and rant, I am guessing that you paid thousands of dollars for your unit(s) and are now trying to sell it/them but realize that you will not get in return anywhere near what you paid. I could be wrong but that's what I'm interpreting in your rant.

From your reply, I'd guess you can't tell a rant from third base. If what I wrote is a rant, then your reply is piffle. Look it up.

I bought our timeshares -- plural -- on eBay and through ads in Redweek and TimeSharing Today, thank you very much. Because my estate planning attorney sold me we "shouldn't die with all those @#$% timeshares," we've been selling one after another, usually for what we paid and four times so far for more -- except for our participation in Wyndham's Ovation program. Ovation is a blessing especially for senior-age Seniors when we see that anybody can today buy half a million to a million Wundham points various places on line for the cost of a great meal at Ruth Criss Steak House.

All that said, I'd still wonder why the timeshare industry does not defend its product. Not everyone has timeshares that are, in fact, resaleable. A bunch of people bought properties in overbuilt areas like Orlando, Hilton Head and Branson, while others bought at You-Know-Who-foresaken places like Lake Lure. THEY need a more positive environment for offloading their timeshares, and a cheaper way to do so than paying several thousand dollars to the likes of Timeshare Exit Team.

markl18 wrote:

I can't help but think that the continual advertising on the radio by the likes of Timeshare Exit Team, Timeshare Relief Team, and even Dave Ramsey have a very negative effect on efforts by current owners to sell their timeshares through ads in Redweek, TUG, My Resort Network, TimeSharing Today and the like.

Furthermore, I have to believe those ads help poison the sales process for developers in what my wife and I have come to refer to as their Dreaded Sales Centers.

Why isn't the timeshare industry "fighting back" with advertising playing up the real benefits of timeshares? Many of us are, in fact, getting rid of our timeshares because of age, family changes, health, etc. Nevertheless, many -- maybe most -- of us have truly enjoyed visiting our home resorts and/or trading through RCI, II, GPX, etc., for resorts all over the United States and the world. If they -- developers like Marriott and Wyndham, and the exchange companies -- would defend themselves they might benefit and we, who are anxious to bail out, might benefit, too.

What think? What say ye?

Interesting thoughts. I am inclined to doubt that the "exit / rescue / relief/ escape" entities have any impact whatsoever on developer sales, but the resale market may well be another matter. There would seem to be no motivation for the developers to "fight back" against entities not perceptibly hurting them (or their bottom line). After all, people just keep on parading in to those sales presentations and signing on the bottom line. Business is good, even if the aggressive and deceitful sales practices are truly despicable (...but that's a different conversation). It's hard to guess how many prospective buyers in the resale market might be scared off by the advertising of the "escape artists", but I am inclined to think that informed consumers interested in and intent upon buying in the resale market might not pay much attention to that "escape artist" advertising. I could be wrong; that's speculation on my part, but it is speculation based upon having successfully sold a half dozen mediocre (but certainly not worthless) timeshare weeks over the past 7 years or so.

Deep pockets corporate chains like Wyndham (or Hyatt, Marriott, Hilton, Disney) can easily afford to "take back" their product under a program like Wyndham's "Ovation" program --- and kudos to Wyndham for doing so. It's good for Wyndham (recovering free inventory to turn around and resell all over again) and good for owners who want an easy, permanent and cost-free "exit", for whatever reasons. However, I think it's both relevant and important to note that the many INDEPENDENT timeshare properties with no "chain" affiliation and no deep corporate pockets to reach into, have no such option; they simply cannot financially afford to offer any such "free and easy exit" program; they rely EXCLUSIVELY upon maintenance fees to support the place for the use and enjoyment of ALL owners at that particular property. At independent timeshare properties, there is no corporate "Sugar Daddy" behind the scenes to help keep the place afloat, if necessary.This is precisely why most independent resort HOA's are very reluctant to accept "deedbacks"at all --- HOA-owned weeks pay NO maintenance fees until / unless the interval is in the hands of a new owner and those fees are essential and necessary to keep the place maintained and running in the absence of any "deep pockets" assistance.

It's a "Catch-22" dilemma. Owners understandably don't want to be obligated to their timeshare(s) forever, yet non-chain independent resorts simply cannot afford to invite owners to just "walk away" at will, at their whim or convenience. The timeshare industry is a very strange and unique animal. The emergence and proliferation of all the assorted bogus, ineffective (and expensive) "exit / release / escape / relief" parasites was inevitable and completely predictable, but they are clearly not a real or viable solution to a complicated problem, despite the high "upfront" fees. They are just protracted scams, in my opinion.

I must also note that I have seen precious few (zero, to be precise) credible, first hand reports of any successful results from people who unwisely pay thousands of dollars to ANY "escape artist" entity. Those parasites, unable to do ANYTHING about a legally binding contractual obligation, merely inundate resorts with empty threat calls and letters. In essence, they just throw some mud against the wall and hope that some of it will stick. Most competent HOA's will simply reply "Go pound sand!". Of course, an "exit" will inevitably occur anyhow, even without paying any such useless and expensive "escape artists" --- when foreclosure ultimately occurs.

ken1193 wrote: I personally don't believe that the nationwide bombardment of Timeshare Exit Team ads impacts developer sales, so it's hard to see why developers would "fight back" against an entity not hurting their own bottom line at all. On the other hand, it's hard to know how much impact the "escape artist" advertising has on the secondary (resale) market. I am inclined to believe that it's "not much".

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We'll never know whether or not traffic to the Dreaded Sales Center and -- often worse -- The Update -- is up or down and, if down, because of GetOutOfYourTimeShareNow advertising.

But advertising works, and that includes negative advertising. During our twenty years of timeshare ownership we've weathered more than our share of timeshare jokes and withering sneers: "You own timeshares?!" So I'm just suggesting that the GetOutOfYourTimeShareNow advertising might be reinforcing the generally bad image of timeshares, thereby taking a fresh and increased toll on demand for resales.

The Sept/Oct 2017 issue of TimeSharing Today has a story headlined, "Welk Resorts files racketeering lawsuit." The story says Welk filed a federal racketeering lawsuit against Reid Hein & Associates, operating as Timeshare Exit Team (TSET), and against two law firms. The suit was filed July 25, 2017 in the US District Court for the Southern District of California. Welk Resorts alleges that TSET purposely leads customers to break contracts with their timeshare resorts. In a news release Welk Resorts claims that TSET broke multiple California laws, including the California Vacation Ownership and Time-Share Act and teh California False Advertisng Law. The story in TimeSharing Today was written by Kristina Payne.

Markl18: You said you have sold some of your timeshares. May I ask how you did it? Was it through a specific company or Craigslist? We have some we need to get out of. I'd be grateful for any help we could get in finding how to do it. Thanks!

bethd22 wrote:

Was it through a specific company or Craigslist? We have some we need to get out of. I'd be grateful for any help we could get in finding how to do it.

I'm not Mark L 19 but here are a few suggestions. First, never ever pay any company a large, upfront fee to try to sell or rent out your timeshare. Any company asking you for such a fee upfront is a scam.

Secondly, try to ascertain how much your unit is worth resale. If it's like90% + of the units available out there, then it is probably worth next to nothing. Once you get an idea, then set you sales price accordingly and competitively. If you realize that it is worth about zero dollars, then you might just have to give it away.

As for Craigslist, it is not a company that sells timeshares. It's just a listing site where owners can list things that they want to sell such as timeshares and then hope that somebody who wants to buy it will see the ad. Other places where you can advertise are here on RedWeek, My Resort Network, E-Bay, and Timeshare Users Group (aka "TUG"; tugbbs.com).

bethd22 wrote:

Markl18: You said you have sold some of your timeshares. May I ask how you did it? Was it through a specific company or Craigslist? We have some we need to get out of. I'd be grateful for any help we could get in finding how to do it. Thanks!

I have placed ads on the T.U.G. site (tug2.net), ebay, myresortsnetwork.com, redweek.com, and tstoday.com (web site for TimeSharing Today magazine). Last year (2017) myresortsnetwork ads delivered my two buyers.

BTW, I've also given the list of these ad sites, plus contact info for resellers we're acquainted with, to our estate planning attorney, our trust officer, and our sons. Why? If one day we don't come home from our travels, SOMEone will know what to do to get rid of the six we have left. No sense paying in an attorney or a bank trust department how to sell timeshares.

Thank you!!

Sadly I made the costly mistake of going to Timeshare Exit team - they charged $4000 to get me out of my monarch grand vacations timeshare (which was bought out by Diamond resorts). They said 90-180 days to exit. It has been over 2 years now with "Oh we're almost there" "not much longer now", to "Diamond is being very difficult" . I'm happy to give my time share away or donate it, but I just don't know what the exact steps would be - I'm happy to pay closing costs too. Any pointers or help is much appreciated. I just stumbled upon this group today, so haven't had a chance to look up responses. Thank you!

wizowashv wrote:

Sadly I made the costly mistake of going to Timeshare Exit team - they charged $4000 to get me out of my monarch grand vacations timeshare (which was bought out by Diamond resorts). They said 90-180 days to exit. It has been over 2 years now with "Oh we're almost there" "not much longer now", to "Diamond is being very difficult" . I'm happy to give my time share away or donate it, but I just don't know what the exact steps would be - I'm happy to pay closing costs too. Any pointers or help is much appreciated. I just stumbled upon this group today, so haven't had a chance to look up responses. Thank you!

Ironically, if it's now already been 2 years since your $4,000 donation to TET, your ownership / membership will likely soon be terminated by Diamond anyhow --- completely unrelated to and regardless of any so-called "involvement" by TET.

In truth, you are today at the exact same juncture you would be if you had stopped paying your fees 2 years ago and had never even heard of "Timeshare Exit Team", never mind sending them $4k of your hard earned money.

You'll be "out" within a year, but not as a result of Timeshare Exit Team or the $4,000 that you paid them. Diamond will simply foreclose / terminate (and Diamond couldn't care less about hearing from the parasites at TET).

Diamond now has a "deedback" program; I believe they call it "Transitions" or "Legacy" or some other such cutesy name. For $250, you could have dealt directly with Diamond directly (if your fees were up to date) and exited cleanly. That ship has now sailed however, with your account now presumably several years in arrears and with TET just further muddying the waters. Good luck.

Thanks for your response. There might be some hope based on what you stated. I have kept my fees up-to-date (long story). So can I just connect with Diamond and ask about their "cutesey" program. TET is looking to pass me on to RTI which when I read their terms and conditions would take me another year of waiting.

Question - if I don't pay, my fees for say 2 years, diamond would foreclose and wouldn't that have repercussions eg. credit rating etc? Would they come after me through a collection agency or something?

Thanks!

wizowashv wrote:

Question - if I don't pay, my fees for say 2 years, diamond would foreclose and wouldn't that have repercussions eg. credit rating etc? Would they come after me through a collection agency or something?

Generally speaking, *if* there is no unpaid loan balance / default, there are rarely any credit report repercussions from a timeshare foreclosure initiated solely because of unpaid maintenance fees. Defaulting on a loan, however, is virtually guaranteed to result in a negative credit report.

Yes, there would very likely be some third party collection agency calls for a while, but those people usually give up quickly if / when it is very clearly communicated to them that "I'm done here and I'm simply never paying another penny --- so go right ahead and do as you wish".

Two years is not a time frame engraved in stone before foreclosure is initiated; it depends upon individual company or HOA practices. Almost never would it be any sooner than two years, it might be three years, but only very rarely would any company / developer / HOA wait four years before initiating foreclosure.

If your maintenance fees are up to date as you have indicated, I'd recommend contacting Diamond directly (and soon) to pursue a "deedback". The money that you unwisely sent to those parasites at Timeshare Exit Team was clearly wasted and is now gone forever, I am very sorry to say.

Has anyone heard of or dealt with Last Resort Fee LLC from Missouri? They are currently being investigated by the Department of Justice.

Sounds like another scam company .

Yes - I was very unwise to do what I did. I know better! Two costly mistakes - one getting into the timeshare and the second, getting in with Timeshare Exit Team. Thank you for your input. I will pursue the deedback path.

bethd22 wrote:

Has anyone heard of or dealt with Last Resort Fee LLC from Missouri? They are currently being investigated by the Department of Justice.

Check this out:

https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/last-resort-fee-llc-scam-warning.278349/

wizowashv wrote:

Yes - I was very unwise to do what I did. I know better! Two costly mistakes - one getting into the timeshare and the second, getting in with Timeshare Exit Team. Thank you for your input. I will pursue the deedback path.

Some updated info follows in regard to Diamond "deedbacks" , none of which is good news. From Diamond itself:

1. The "deedback" fee in Diamond's "Transitions" program has been raised from $250 charged during the past two years or so to $750 now (per contract), tripling the fee. Westgate charges $950 for deedbacks, Wyndham charges nothing at all.

2. It appears that Diamond will only consider accepting "deedback" of purchases which were made directly from Diamond itself, or directly from those various timeshare entities which Diamond has taken over and absorbed over the years. In other words, it appears that Diamond owners who purchased in the resale market will not be eligible or considered for deedback under "Transitions".

Please don't shoot the messenger; I'm merely trying to provide accurate and updated information on the subject.

Quite the contrary - thank you so much for this additional information. I wouldn't have minded the extra money. But this "might" explain the problems that TSET has stated they've been running into with the exit of my monarch grand vacation from Diamond. Sigh...Thank you.