In the timeshare industry, truth can sometimes be scarce. The problem is, not many vacation owners notice until it’s too late. There are hundreds of websites out there that serve millions of misleading advertisements geared towards timeshare owners. Nearly every buyer is prone to make a costly decision that eventually alters their experience. Whether they purchase a third party solution or upgrade with the resort, the return is rarely fruitful.
Now that owners have been grounded by the COVID-19 pandemic for quite some time, many are getting restless. There’s a level of uncertainty because major resorts have failed to properly update them about usage and fees. What makes matters worse is the simple fact that a majority of timeshare companies have laid off their sales teams. In case you didn’t know, a majority of third party timeshare scams are organized by former timeshare employees.
Proceed With Caution in the Timeshare Relief Space.
Once we recognized that the pandemic wouldn’t be short lived, we started publishing content to help vacation owners understand what they could expect or prepare for in the coming months. After covering resort layoffs a few weeks ago, we started wondering what these former salespeople would do. Sure, they could find another sales gig, but what if they decided to join forces with fraudulent operations when timeshare owners are arguably more vulnerable than ever before?
With that being said, we started looking into newly launched agencies that claim to aid vacation owners with relief. Although some of you may assume we’re looking to slander our competition, we encourage you to read the entire article before casting judgement. Upon completion, you’ll see that our intent is to protect timeshare owners from potential pitfalls. Even if they don’t hire us for cancellation services, it’s worth it to save them from further financial loss – in a less than ideal period of time.
If you’re serious about liberating your timeshare contract and all it entails, then you have to do your due diligence before taking action. You should know by now that timeshare companies don’t even play by the rules, so how can you expect their ex-employees to? Approaching every offer as if it were a lie will bode well. If you’re going to use a third party service to exit your timeshare, then make them prove to you that they’re worth your business. If you don’t, most will tell you what you want to hear in order to convince you to pay them.
Facebook Driven Services Claim to Offer Timeshare Relief.
No matter the industry, consumers should question any business that’s managed from a social media platform. This is especially true when ex timeshare reps sell relief services on Facebook. While the sales pitch may seem promising, nothing about this should appeal to you. Some of these entities position themselves as true consulting agencies that provide “mortgage relief, trade in options and travel services” for timeshare owners across the globe. But do they really?
According to one of these Facebook page managers, her company knows how to “cancel your timeshare now” and “end maintenance fees forever!” It sounds like something worth looking into, right? Don’t be too sure until you’ve actually taken time to research the service. You’ll find that doing so actually leaves you with more questions than answers.
You see, far too many third party agencies in the exit industry make claims they can’t actually back up. Nothing about these Facebook profiles proves that they’re a credible source for timeshare cancellation. One of them even lists a P.O. box as their address for crying out loud. But it’s not the only clue that that should raise an eyebrow or two.
The simple fact that most of these pages only have a handful of reviews should tell you everything you need to know about her claims. We know how excited people are when they’re finally relieved of their timeshare obligation. The unlisted company only has two reviews and they were posted within 24 hours of each other in February.. BBB listings aren’t much better either.
More About these So-Called Expert Timeshare Agents.
If you dig deep enough, you can actually find out if a relief service on social media is an ex timeshare rep yourself. Many don’t update their LinkedIn profiles or may even still be employed as a timeshare sales representative while selling “relief services”. Sometimes, they even use their “experience” as a sales pitch to create value. They do so by publishing content on Facebook that talks about them starting the business because they couldn’t sell lies for a living anymore.
If you take the time to research these “companies” and their sales reps, it’ll be a lot easier to make a wise decision. You have to realize that these types of people know how to lure you in. They were trained by the best. They use the same types of sales tactics that timeshare sales teams do.
How and Why Timeshare Experts Are Increasing.
Offering phony travel certificates help them generate business. Sweepstakes allow them to build pools of potential targets to market later on. State statute requirements are often ignored to chase sales. Even aggression and limited time offers are used to bait desperate owners. Unfortunately, this activity will continue to increase as the impact of the Coronavirus progresses.
At the end of the day, what experience do these pop-up sites have? When ex timeshare reps sell relief services by promising miracles, why do owners buy in? Other than the slighted conscious of selling timeshares, it doesn’t seem like they have much to offer.
Just because someone used to work for a resort doesn’t mean they know how to help you get out of a timeshare contract. It actually means they’re experts at keeping you under contract. Anyone that lacks a reputation and tenure while offering cancellation, resale and new travel services shouldn’t be trusted.
Timeshare Relief Isn’t Always What it Seems.
Bountiful scams that are predicated on timeshare relief often have 2-3 operations that work in unison. The first step is convincing vacation owners to resell or rent their property. Once these efforts are exhausted, further efforts (often from sister companies) attempt to sell owners on cancellation and a new travel option. Pulling off all three is easier when scam artists work together to maximize profits.
While it’s difficult to insinuate that any new timeshare exit company is capable of something like this, it can be very telling if they promote relief in all of these areas. Aside from zero credibility, this is something that should immediately draw a red flag. Most timeshare owners see this as a perk but it most certainly is not. If you have heart problems, would you visit a Facebook doctor that does everything or call a cardiologist?
Further Insight on Facebook Timeshare Relief.
While this scenario may seem like an innocent ex-timeshare rep selling relief services on Facebook, there could be more to the picture. This is why researching your options is crucial. When website links published on business listings are redirected to another URL, it’s likely nothing more than an affiliate marketer making a profit off of your information. Any website creator can change links and redirect clicks anywhere they want to cover digital trails of deceit.
In other words, social media based timeshare agencies are more than likely paid a commission for leads. Many timeshare relief companies pay third party contractors to carry out their sales methods. So no matter who’s selling you the service, someone else usually takes over.
Each of these sales agents are given certain resources to engage and persuade potential clients. Duplicate website templates (design) and marketing lingo is very common in the exit marketplace. Not only does this provide legal protection, but it gives the ringleaders an ability to pivot the operation at any given time.
Who Is Really Helping Owners with Relief?
Changing company names and hiring different sales representatives keeps unethical agencies on the move and difficult to track down. Since all of the agencies we researched had a multitude of altered links, there’s no telling where the information of timeshare owners is really going. Although it’s hard to tell if these overnight “shell operations” are on a Facebook agency as a part of a larger scam, nothing tells us they are not.
Vague and loaded promises on altered websites isn’t a good look. There’s little transparency. The way everything is set up and managed is very suspicious. This is where common sense comes in handy. At this point, they’d need to provide an extensive amount of evidence to convince us that there isn’t a hidden ploy. If you smell smoke, there’s probably a fire somewhere.
Ex Timeshare Reps Are Selling Relief Services.
Desperate timeshare experiences usually call for desperate measures. It’s safe to say that we can all agree that our country hasn’t seen this much desperation in a long time. The timeshare industry has been thriving and many salespeople have been making a killing for decades. Now that many have lost the income that supports their lavish lifestyle, who knows what they’ll do next. But it’s got to be tempting to continue targeting timeshare owners.
Understanding this element of vacation ownership will help you avoid further despair. Many vacation owners call us to inquire about certain services but don’t always like what we have to say. It’s not that we enjoy being critical – we just hate seeing people burned because they didn’t research the service themselves. No matter what you believe, it’s always important to have a plan B if it doesn’t work out.
We’ve been experts in timeshare termination since 2014. We understand what it takes to get rid of timeshare obligations. Not only can we prove it, but our clients are more than willing to support our cause. We’d like to be seen as a good friend that tells you what you need to hear instead of what you want to hear. Doing so helps you fully understand your options. During a pandemic, a Free Consultation could be the breath of fresh air that you need.
