Timeshare

Rwanda, set in middle of Africa’s sub-Saharan desert, is one of the last places you’d expect to find Western companies and investors. The site of massive genocide in 1994 and world-wide dis-renown will soon be home to a five-star Marriott and a four-star Radisson Hotel. These famous brand-names will bring jobs, money and prestige to the region. The country’s capital, Kigali, is building the Kigali International Convention Center. All three structures will open in 2012.

“There’s no denying that the past year in the Middle East and Africa has had its challenges,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott International. “However, we are seeing pockets of resurgence throughout the region both in terms of new hotel development and in occupancies.”

Rwanda, with its central location on the African continent and a commitment to leaving its checkered past behind, could become a hub of tourism and industry in Africa, a much needed change for the country’s economy and image.

“This signing symbolizes the new optimism investors have in Rwanda, and further underlines our strong commitment to Africa – this emerging and promising continent is one of our key areas for future business development,” says Kurt Ritter, President and CEO or Rezidor Hotel Group, owners of the Radisson brand.

Own a timeshare in Rwanda? Mexico? Colorado? If you want to get out of your contract, contact Transfer Smart today.

Let’s say you live in perhaps the densest concrete jungle in the world, New York City. You have a small studio apartment located on the 100th floor of a high-rise building. There’s hardly enough space in there for your desk, but in your heart you wish you could throw a barbecue, complete with tiki torches and a slip-n’-slide, with all of your friends laughing and drinking around the grill.

Well now you can. At 145 Ludlow Street, New York, New York, you can throw the backyard grill party of your nature-loving dreams. Dubbed a Backyard Timeshare, a group called The Participation Agency will rent out an empty patch of land right in the heart of the city to you for the low price of $50/hour.

However, just like at a movie theatre, you can’t bring your own treats. The slip-n’-slide rental will cost you a flat $100, a grill built to serve 10 people is $150, a kiddie pool is $200, and having a live band play will cost a whopping five grand. You’re also capped to no more than thirty people total, and your party must stop at 8pm. Renters will also have to buy all food from the company.

A backyard timeshare sounds like fun, but it won’t carry a lifetime contract. Resort timeshares do, and if you want to get out of yours, Transfer Smart is here to help. Contact us today and inquire about our In-Writing Guarantee.

A class-action suit was filed in San Francisco last Thursday claiming Shell Vacations charged thousands of dollars for “points” sold on Ebay for $1.
Shell Vacations Club, which has resorts all over the United States and Canada, was charged with false advertising and scamming consumers.They claimed timeshares were purchased at a “fixed cost,” there were “thousands of dollars in hidden fees” and “price increases.”

Plaintiffs purchased 2,500 points they thought they could use towards vacations all over the United States at the many SVC resorts, at a price of $14,224. They then found Ebay links to 9,700 points for $1.

Upon further internet research, a complaint from a consumer not familiar with the case read: “In the next 10 years we will be paying $50,000 to go on vacation 10 times, and that only covers the condo, not airfare, etc,” one man wrote on an online complaint forum, according to the complaint. “How is that a great investment?” Another complaint cited “”one unpleasant surprise after another” and “many lies and conveniently concealed information.”

The plaintiffs seek damages for breach of contract, breach of faith, fraud, false promises deceptive business practices and negligent misrepresentation.

Transfer Smart is the only company that can get you out of a timeshare contract with a legal, 100% In-Writing Guarantee. No one else can do that, no one. Contact Transfer Smart today.

Mitch Morrissey, Denver’s District Attorney, is cracking down on timeshare resale scam artists. He put an ad on his Facebook page and he wants everyone to know that scammers are taking advantage of good people. Stamping out timeshare resale con-artists is a top priority for his office.

“Victims, particularly those eager to sell their interests in timeshare properties, are being contacted by people claiming to be timeshare buyers who are making sizable offers that may or may not require an upfront fee,” Morrissey said.

“Often, the buyer claims to have a ‘buyer waiting.’ In the interest of making the deal as simple and painless as possible, the buyer initiates all ‘necessary’ documents, and emails them to the seller to sign and send back,” Morrissey added.

“Sellers are told they will be reimbursed for these fees at the time of closing, only to find that the buyer and escrow account company have vanished before they have finalized the deal,” Morrissey said.

The DA wants citizens to know you should only use licensed real estate agents when dealing with any property ownership issues, especially timeshares. Any financial deals made should be put into writing, something the scam artists aren’t able to offer. And you should never agree to purchase anything over the phone if you’ve never dealt with the company in the past.

If you’d like to file a complaint with the FTC over a possible timeshare scam you know of, go to their website.

Transfer Smart offers a 100%, IN-WRITING GUARANTEE that we will get you out of your timeshare if you qualify, and 96% of timeshare owners will qualify. Call Transfer Smart today.

In the midst of a worldwide recession, some of Europe’s favorite playgrounds are slashing prices to compete with cheaper options in the Pacific. They’re also competing with each other, causing a bona fide price war in the Mediterranean.

Spanish resorts have cut their prices by 40% over the last five years to make the country the least expensive tourist spot in Europe, helped by a 6.4% rise in the value of the Great British Pound against the Euro over the last past three months.

Turkey, once regarded as one of Europe’s cheapest destinations, could only achieve 17th place out of 40 in the study’s Worldwide Holiday Costs Barometer at £60.20 – making it 60% more expensive than Spain.

Consumer research is discovering the cause of the price war is the start of the busy summer season. Sarah Munro of Post Office Travel Money said: “Given that sterling is worth around 20% more than a year ago against the Turkish lira, we expected to see a lower barometer cost for Turkey, especially as the country had a disappointing 2011.

“It will be interesting to see how Turkish resorts respond to the challenge presented by Spain and Portugal. With Greek tourism also facing a fight for survival, we could see a price war between the eastern and western Med in 2012.

“The message that came out clearly from our holiday budgeting research was that 2012 will be all about affordability. Holidays may still be a priority but they are not a necessity and people will not knowingly get into debt to fund them.

The PGA National Resort & Spa announces they will conduct a two-day “Flash Sale” from January 19th to the 20th. They will offer 25% nightly rates for any available date in 2012 if consumers purchase lodging on those dates.

Vice-president Joel Paige says this is a “Dream vacation opportunity,” continuing: “Guests enjoy our great weather, luxurious amenities, unparalleled customer service and exceptional golf courses and instruction programs.”

The resort boasts a 379 room hotel, five championship golf courses, a 33,000-square-foot gym, and an award-winning restaurant that offers fresh-caught Florida fish. Other distinguishing features include a 40,000 square-foot European Spa with 32 treatment areas and the exclusive “Waters of the World” outdoor mineral pools, a world-class 33,000 square-foot health-and-racquet club with 19 tennis courts, 40,000 square feet of self-contained conference space and nine on-site restaurants and lounges.

The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, resort is in the last stages of a $65 million revitalization project that spans the breadth of the hotel from the rooms to the golf courses.

PGA National Resort & Spa’s myriad accolades include:
• AAA–Four Diamond Resort (2011)
• Golfweek — Best You Can Play State by State (No. 3, 2011)
• Golfweek — Best Tour Courses You Can Play (No. 28, 2011)
• Golfing Magazine – “World’s Top 5 Multi-Course Venues” (2011)
• About.com — “No. 1 Golf Resort in Florida” (2011)
• GOLF Magazine — Top 100 Premier Resorts — Silver Award Winner (2011)
• GOLF Magazine — Premier Resorts Green Award Winner (2011)
• Golf World — Top 50 Resorts (2010)
• Successful Meetings — Pinnacle Award Winner (2011)
• The Knot — Best of Weddings (2011)

You can’t buy timeshares in space… yet. But the Russian government plans to open the first space hotel in 2016, so we’re not far away. The Commercial Space Station (CSS), as it’s officially known, will house a maximum of seven people at once, and will float 250 miles above the Earth. Russian Soyuz rockets will transport passengers and workers to their out-of-this-world vacation.

According to Orbital Technologies, a stay will be “far more comfortable” than the International Space Station. Gone are the days of tang and dehydrated food powder; instead, guests will dine on delicacies such as veal with wild mushrooms, potato soup and plum compote.

The hotel will have plenty of giant windows and special binoculars so patrons can get the most from their experience. Internet access and TV watching will also be available.

A rather thrilling aspect of the CSS is that it will serve as an escape for residents of the International Space Station, should there be an emergency on their craft.

The cost of a five day stay will be about $154870.00, and there is a transportation fee of $774350.00. All guests will be accompanied by experienced crew.

Almost 590,000 Britons own timeshares, and around 250,000 are trying to get rid of them. Many owners from the eighties and nineties are having a difficult time selling or even giving away their contracts.

The non-profit organization Timeshare Consumers Association estimates 1.5 million Europeans want to get out of their timeshare contracts but cannot. And nine out of ten companies who claim to resale their timeshares are actually scams.

Michael and Yvette Grant bought a timeshare in Tenerife, Spain 14 years ago. They enjoyed it at first, but as they got older and considered retirement they were troubled by rising maintenance fees and an ownership, Club la Costa that would not let them out of their contract. “The annual maintenance costs soared,” said Mr. Grant. “When we initially took out the timeshare, we paid around £200 a year. This rose to £400 after we’d upgraded and took a second week. But after the new company took over, it doubled the maintenance fees, and with the weakened pound we now pay nearly £1,000.”

Club la Costa owns 28 resorts across Europe. Diamond Resorts, the largest UK timeshare supplier, has 18 resorts in Spain and the multinational timeshare companies Disney and Marriott own more than 100 between them.

Glyn and Carol Humphries bought a timeshare while on vacation here in the United States in the 90s. They use it, but their deal included a clause stating they would have to pass the contract to their kids upon passing. “We only meant to pop in for an hour to see what it was about,” She said. “Before we knew it we’d spent a lot of money. We felt under pressure to sign. That night we lay awake in bed thinking, ‘What have we just done?’”

February of last year the European Union ruled that any new timeshares or long-term holiday products with contracts of more than a year must be sold with a 14-day “consideration” period giving buyers the right to cancel. The Timeshare seller cannot ask for any money within the 14 days.

Aulani Resort and Spa, the Hawaiian paradise resort Walt Disney International is building in Kapolei Hawaii, has suspended sales of timeshares as of August 2011. They have fired Jim Lewis, the president of the company’s timeshare division, and Jim Heaney, a vice president of Disney’s travel operations.
Disney’s Parks and Resorts division is the companies 2nd most important component financially after its television channels but far ahead of its movie studio business, accounting for 17% of Disney’s operating profit.

After an audit of timeshare sales to Vacation Club members, Disney International concluded they would lose money on every timeshare sold. They are currently in discussions with the Hawaiian government to restructure the contracts sold to consumers to make them more profitable. The costs of running and maintaining the 21-acre resort were apparently underestimated.

The resort itself is a risk for Disney, as it boasts Hawaii as its main attraction, and gets away from the usual Disney model of having its main attraction be a theme park. Vacationers are encouraged to attend hula dancing classes and tell traditional Hawaiian stories around a campfire. The presence of what is typically considered Disney is reduced. Barring a blockage from the Hawaiian government, timeshare sales will resume at Aulani in the near future, just at a much higher cost.

Disney’s stock price is down about 12 per cent since the start of the year.

This tragic story comes from Wisconsin, but could happen anywhere the worthless investment known as timeshares are sold. William and Dorothy Ostig, a mature West Palm Beach Florida couple, are seeking the return of $15,000 they wasted on a timeshare points that didn’t work for products that didn’t exist.
While on vacation in Wisconsin, the Ostig’s allege that Bluegreen Vacation Club offered them free ski lift tickets if they attended a “financial investment meeting.” At this meeting, high-pressure sales tactics were used to get the couple to purchase Bluegreen Points, redeemable “worldwide” for lodging in various states and cruises.

While the Ostigs repeatedly declined to sign anything or purchase the points, more salesmen entered the room, becoming “hostile and angry” with the elderly couple. After enduring “hours” of “unrelenting pressure,” the Ostigs signed a timeshare contract “for a timeshare interest in the resort known as The Timbers at Christmas Mountain Villiage” in Wisconsin Dells, Wisconsin. A year later they attended an “owner’s meeting” at the resort and tried to get questions answered about the points that they had been sold. At this meeting, allegedly, the resort staff attempted to pressure the couple into buying more points, or an “upgrade” as it was called. They did not “upgrade” or get to use any “points.”

Three years after they signed their initial contract, the couple attempted to use their “points” at a resort on their list, the Falls Village Resort in Missouri. Here they were sent to another “mandatory owners meeting” and met similar pressure to spend more money on more points and sign a new timeshare contract, which they did with the understanding that the staff would help them sell or get rid of their previous timeshare purchase. After signing the second contract, the Missouri resort did not help them get rid of their points, but instead referred the couple to another Bluegreen affiliate.

The Ostigs are now taking Bluegreen Corporation to court and seeking more than $15,000 returned, plus damages with interest for fraud, negligent misrepresentation, violations of Wisconsin’s Consumer Protection Act and Missouri’s Merchandising Practices Act, statutory penalties, costs, and rescission of all contracts. They are represented by two Orlando lawyers with timeshare fraud experience, Alan Taylor and Susan Budowski.