The Timeshare Users Group, known as TUG, wrote an article recently regarding “timeshare shills”. A “shill” is defined as “An accomplice of a hawker, gambler, or swindler who acts as an enthusiastic customer to entice or encourage others.”
This tactic has been used in various timeshare industry “consumer reviews” on social media sites to add legitimacy to a scam with comments like, “great service”, “very knowledgeable”, etc. The article went on to remind timeshare owners that they should “never pay any upfront fees to do anything with your timeshare”.
As the Principal Broker of Advantage Vacation, this latest timeshare scam brought to mind all the past blog articles I’ve written regarding timeshare scams:
- Articles about mail scams, scams that claimed to be representing RCI and BBB press releases warning about timeshare scams along with BBB consumer warnings and alerts about timeshare scams.
- In addition, I’ve published information about timeshare scams that I received from ARDA, (the American Resort Development Association) and ARDA-ROC, (the American Resort Development Association – Resort Owners’ Coalition) – both of whom who have also been alerting timeshare owners of fraudulent schemes and scams for years.
As my ongoing commitment to educate and protect the timeshare consumer, I’ve written articles on “How to recognize a timeshare scam” and “How to avoid timeshare scams”.
Now I want to ask you, our audience of Advantage Vacation, to let me know if you have ever been involved in or been a victim of a timeshare scam or fraudulent timeshare scheme.
If you have ever been involved in what you consider a timeshare scam, I would like to invite you to leave a comment below and let me know what you experienced. Please include how you were contacted (mail or phone, etc.), who or what the contact said (or implied) they represented, the end result of the experience and any other details that you deem pertinent.
I will compile all the information I receive in order to write a future article about what timeshare owners may have experienced in an effort to keep all timeshare owners educated, informed and up to date on “what’s next” in the world of timeshare scams. I will not use any names or any other personal information.
Advantage Vacation is a licensed timeshare resale brokerage located at the Lahaina Cannery Mall in Lahaina, Maui. We are leaders in the secondary market of timeshare resales and are members of the Resort Development Association (ARDA) and Accredited Members of the BBB with an A+ Rating. Our licensed real estate professionals have over 35 years of experience and expert knowledge of resort, hotel, vacation clubs and points-based timeshare resales. We never charge an upfront fee for clients who want to sell a timeshare and only receive a commission, paid from escrow, when the transaction is closed. If you want to buy a timeshare resale, you can be assured you are working with professionals who believe that honesty and integrity are the most important aspects of the business they are in – timeshare resales.
Whether you want to buy a timeshare or sell a timeshare, they will be with you every step of the way – before, during and after the transaction is completed. Our business has been built on relationships and we pride ourselves on providing excellent service to our clients. Advantage Vacation is using Twitter and Facebook to help educate people on the changes in the timeshare industry along with current timeshare tips, up to date timeshare news and timeshare FAQ’s.
