The Timeshare Law Firm

  Group forums are a great way for you to connect with others of similar interests. Sadly, when looking at the current offerings of other group forums, we have seen several bad actors who join or start groups with the goal of making money, whether or not they get people out of their timeshare. A lot of group forums that we have seen suffer from the same issues: Lax moderation, No engagement, and/or frequented or run by scammers in hopes you will pay money for fraudulent schemes. We wanted to change that. Our forums will allow you to ask questions and receive answers from by the licensed Attorneys at The Timeshare Law Firm. You can receive competent legal advisement from licensed attorneys skilled in timeshare law, so you can know your legal rights. What makes these other groups so attractive is the fact that there are a lot of real people [owners] in these groups who are actively asking questions alongside [surreptitious salespeople] bad faith actors. This allows the appearance of ...

The FTC has released a video urging the public to report scams if they have been a victim. The video breaks down how the FTC works, How they stop scammers, And why Your input is so important. The FTC is network of different information from different law enforcement groups (such as the SEC, FBI, and even the post office). These separate government entities report information to each other in a big law enforcement hub to build cases against the scammers and eventually go after them. This is how the FTC gains the information to stop the scammer, but where do you come in? Read the rest of the this story on our Website .

The SEC published a warning from the FBI. Scammers are targeting owners of timeshares in Mexico. The scammers pretend they are working on behalf of a brokerage firm, travel agency, or even an escrow agent. Scammers claim they will buy your timeshare or claim you are entitled to stock in connection with your timeshare. The scammers will then say you must pay a fee or tax to put the money in your name. They will take your money but do nothing. When you start getting suspicious, they will switch up their act. Then another salesperson you haven’t met will pretend to be part of the government and claim to help recover your money for another fee. This is a form of a scam called an “advance-fee scam.” The scam works by telling the victim they are entitled to money or stock, but they must pay a fee or tax to get it. Fraudsters running this scam often target investors who have previously lost money in bad investments. This is probably why they have begun targeting timeshare owners. Timeshares a...

  Timeshare Resellers are Lying to You: A Timeshare is NOT a Hedge Against Inflation With inflation on the rise, we are seeing a worrying number of articles written to give the impression that timeshares are a “hedge over” or “beating” inflation. This is categorically not true. The basis of their argument is that with rising prices of hotel rooms, timeshare owners are getting savings on their timeshare when compared to booking costs today. This argument does sound appealing; however, the truth is more complicated than they lead you to believe. These articles claim that the maintenance fees will be less in a year then the actual cost getting a hotel room. These articles frequently will ignore the upfront cost as a factor and, booking restrictions mean sometimes substandard use or no use on a given year. The most important omission, is that maintenance fees usually also rise with inflation, making their whole point moot anyways.   The truth of all these articles is simple,...

       Every prospective owner should always be aware of what kind of timeshare they are being sold. Contract prices and terms can be totally different for two buyers, even though they purchased at the same resort, on the same day. But one common feature is that what is said during the sales pitch usually doesn’t reflect the reality of the contract terms being signed. Timeshares are shrouded in restrictions and costs not readily apparent to the consumer, and typically have a much higher cost than simply booking the room online. They are pushed to consumers through deceptive presentations, often taking 4 to 6 hours that create stressful situations during what should be a relaxing vacation. Timeshare Differences While each case is different, there are two main types of Timeshares: Shared ‘Deeded’ Ownership : These represent ‘true’ Timeshares, in that the room is treated legally as a property owned by the resort condominium and a 1/52 nd interest (a week) is sold to ...

     As discussed in the previous article, “Booking Companies: How Neutral Are They?” , RCI and Interval International, work as an extension of the resorts. The parent corporation, Wyndham in RCI’s case (or Marriott Vacations Worldwide, for Interval International), directs new owners towards the seemingly third-party Booking Company to manage their Timeshare. However, owners soon find themselves buried under restrictions they never knew they had. Purchasers were originally told it would be anywhere, anytime bookings , but there can be fees they never knew to pay, with huge advanced booking requirements and artificial availability, when you could just book it today online. These restrictions are all carefully manufactured by the booking companies to turn a profit at the expense of the consumer. Upgrades      When a timeshare owner uses the booking company, they may glean actual benefit from them, perhaps for several years even, with legitimate bonuses and ad...

     When one purchases a Timeshare, they are often directed by the resort to a booking company to properly make use of it. Companies like RCI and Interval International are seen as neutral parties, working through membership programs and providing access to resorts all around the world. But how neutral are they? Who owns them, and why? What is RCI?      RCI, formerly known as Resorts Condominiums International, is a vacation exchange membership program. By purchasing a subscription for their membership program, the consumer is provided the ability to find, price, and book usage for their timeshares. The services offered by RCI, or its main competitor, Interval International, are usually requested by the resorts in order to manage and book timeshares.      In theory, it sounds reasonable, so what’s the catch? What often goes unmentioned is how RCI operates. They claim to be independent from the resorts, offering their services on an unbiased ...