What are the Tell-Tale Signs of a Timeshare Scam?

This week’s blog post is for all those who want information about the tell-tale signs of a timeshare scam. Looking out for these important warning signals can help you to distinguish a genuine timeshare company from a fake one, not to mention helping to save you a lot of trouble and money. If you are in any doubt that you might be at risk of a timeshare scam, look out for these tell-tale signs and evaluate your situation carefully.

Honesty is the clearest sign of a genuine timeshare company. Even “white lies” or extreme sales verbiage can be a sign of something more sinister afoot. Double check how the timeshare company deals with you. For example, when an agent promises that the timeshare presentation is just a few hours but you spend all day at the resort, this could be a sign of a scam, or, if you are promised a particular gift, discount, or incentive but nothing was delivered or if there was, you were asked to pay for it. You might also be taken into a different resort than the one promised by the agent. Even a promise of a breakfast and all you got is juice and coffee could be a sign of a scam.

You might be heading into a timeshare scam if you can find no trace or mention of your timeshare company on the internet. These fly-by-night companies are usually scams. They do not have any information, not even complaints! Make sure you attend only the presentations of companies with solid reputations, especially those who are more than 10 years in the business.

If in doubt, ask to see the company’s licenses and registrations from local authorities when you want to check the timeshare company. When you are on a vacation, doing this checking might be hard. The best thing to do is look for agents from the timeshare company in airports or in main shopping malls. You might also check their credentials like official ID of the agent and his or her permission to work on the streets. When no available certifications can be shown, then you are in serious danger of being involved in a timeshare scam.

Reputable networks like RCI and Interval International are reliable timeshare networks which work only with well-established vacation clubs and timeshare companies. When your timeshare company is not affiliated with any of these networks, then it’s a tell-tale sign of a timeshare scam. Check that your timeshare has ties with such networks and even other reliable organizations.

When buying a timeshare, don’t rely on photos, models, or architectural presentations, you want to see the real thing. The only time when you are fine to purchase a timeshare from photos and models is when you are buying from a reputable chain or while you already staying at a resort from the same chain.

When you get a bad feeling, it’s usually right. Better to follow through with your intuition although it may not be always right. But it surely will be the first warning to encourage you to look for the other signs of a timeshare scam.