There are many timeshare forums spread all across the internet, and they have been helping owners share stories and provide insight for many years. Timeshare Consumer Bureau has our very own timeshare forum, and it is our sincere hope that you will join the discussion and become part of a growing community with a united stance against the timeshare industry.

So why are timeshare forums so helpful? Much like our timeshare complaints and reviews, they provide a podium for those who feel helpless and voiceless. Furthermore, timeshare forums allow these singular voices to come together to take a stand against timeshare fraud and other injustices. Perhaps most important of all, timeshare forums provide a sense of community which ensures timeshare owners that they are not alone in their fight, and that others have fought back and won against a massive and dominant industry. 

While timeshare forums are designed for timeshare owners to come together, perhaps the most important side-effect is providing insight to consumers who have not yet purchased a timeshare. Timeshare forums allow the public to witness firsthand how timeshare owners feel about their contract, their timeshare company, and the devastating hidden fees that come along with them.

Timeshare forums help timeshare owners by providing a platform to speak out against the injustices they are experiencing. However, timeshare forums are not simply for the good of timeshare owners, they are for the good of the entire consuming public. Please join the discussion today by browsing and posting on our very own timeshare forum, and provide the ultimate public service.

Join other owners in our timeshare forum for yourself, other owners, and the greater consuming public. You may just save someone from falling into the same deadly timeshare trap! 

Here at Timeshare Consumer Bureau, we sometimes receive questions regarding why we took the timeshare issue into our own hands, and why timeshare complaints are the driving force behind our organization. These two questions have different answers, but are very related. In short, we wanted to provide a voice for those who have been devastated by the timeshare industry’s horrible business practices. Timeshare complaints are the driving force behind everything we do because your voice needs to be heard in order for real change to happen.

The entire concept of Timeshare Consumer Bureau arose from the timeshare complaints we have fielded from our own friends and loved ones. It is well known that timeshare are a scam and should generally be avoided. Even so, there are new timeshare complaints submitted daily, and the timeshare industry is just as powerful as ever. Innocent consumers are constantly being lied to, coerced into signing contracts, and then extorted for large hidden payments that many families simply can’t afford.

Just as with any crisis or scam, timeshare complaints reveal the truths of the timeshare industry and their underhanded schemes. However, it is not until you or a loved one experiences the timeshare trap firsthand that you realize how devastating owning a timeshare can be. When we experienced this, we created Timeshare Consumer Bureau and decided to fight back.

However, we cannot fight back alone. Our consumer advocacy group is alive and fighting the timeshare industry with the help of legal counsel and timeshare experts, but the most important part of our organization is you, the consumer. Submitting your own timeshare complaints or reviews gives us greater insight into the problems of the consuming public. Learning about the experiences of owners through their timeshare complaints allows us to fight on specific issues, all the while warning others against falling into the timeshare trap.

Submit your own timeshare complaint today and join the fight against this deceitful and evil industry! 

Marriott Vacation Club International already wields a massive amount of power in the timeshare industry. Due to Marriott’s success in the hotel business, they already have boosted credibility that lends legitimacy to their own deceptive timeshare business. Marriott timeshare reviews are indicative of the entire timeshare industry, expressing fraud and misrepresentation throughout the process.

While Marriott’s timeshare facilities may be beautiful and well-kept, timeshare owners are still overwhelmingly unsatisfied and angry at Marriott timeshare management, and it looks like things are about to get much worse. The timeshare program currently in place is under the umbrella of Marriott Vacation Club International, but that will soon end. Marriott is breaking out from under this umbrella, forming a stand-alone timeshare company that will, upon its creation, be the largest timeshare resort company in the world. 

This new timeshare company will likely operate in a very similar fashion to the program already set in place. Marriott timeshares are known for high-quality facilities as well as deceptive sales strategies and large hidden fees. Furthermore, Marriott timeshares are notorious for unavailability, so much that families can rarely use their own timeshare year to year.

At first glance, this new timeshare titan looks like very ominous news. By focusing completely on timeshares, it is likely that many new timeshare owners will soon sign contracts and fall into the timeshare trap. However, this company will no longer be under the umbrella or Marriott Vacation Club International, which means a part of their legitimacy will evaporate. They still hold the name “Marriott,” so only time will tell how this major business development will affect the timeshare market.

If you own a Marriott timeshare, how do you feel about this impending business shift?

FSBO, or  “For Sale by Owner,” is a common term in the residential resale market, and is understood very well by those selling timeshares. There are many reasons that timeshare owners use this route when it finally comes time to sell their timeshare. Many timeshare owners have decided to sell because of financial burden, and thus cannot pay a large upfront fee for a timeshare listing agency. Even more prevalent is the possibility of being scammed by a timeshare listing company, so many owners decide to get into the business of selling timeshares themselves.

Perhaps a timeshare owner believes that they can sell their timeshare much better than any real estate agency or timeshare resaler. This is rarely the case, but whatever the reason, there are a few basic guidelines to follow when selling timeshares by owner. we have posted a series of articles regarding tips for selling timeshares, and this will focus on what to do when you’re on your own. 

Visibility is the most important, and also the most difficult aspect of selling timeshares on your own. You may be a gifted salesman or an excellent writer, but an advertisement for your timeshare will do nothing without visibility to potential buyers. No matter how effective you believe you can be selling timeshares on your own, the primary goal is ready access to your advertisement.

Understanding how visibility works via internet marketing is a valuable skill set and can help you in nearly every aspect of business. The wave of the future is advertisement visibility on the web, and those looking to sell a timeshare could learn these skills on their own and even use them in other aspects of their lives. However, most timeshare owners do not have the time for this, and enlist the help of an online listing company that understands how to build and maintain visibility. This may seem like giving up on selling timeshares on your own, but the cost is often much less than a listing or real estate agency, and can prove to be much more effective.

Have you tried selling timeshares on your own? How have you achieved visibility in a highly competitive marketplace? 

Does this titanic merging of two timeshare superpowers seem like a major scam in the making? Where there's smoke, there is usually fire, and it is easy to see how these large timeshare companies will use their combined interests to create a new wave of timeshare scams.

However, the timeshare scam that will actually arise is nothing new, but rather a rehashing of old parlor tricks in a new form, albeit a very large and dangerous one. Shell International is a very well-known independent timeshare resort company that boasts some of the highest-end and top-quality timeshares on the market today. While they are known for their quality facilities, they are also known for the same fraudulent tactics that run rampant throughout the industry. Interval International, much like the RCI timeshare scam, utilizes a timeshare exchange program that charges owners a large annual fee to “trade” timeshares between two current members. Each trade, of course, charges each member a large fee as well, perpetuating one of the largest timeshare scams in the industry. 

In short, it won’t. It will just add legitimacy to a timeshare scam that is already in place. Shell international already has its own timeshare exchange program for its own members. However, this timeshare exchange program is run much better than outside exchange programs, making it much less of a scam.

However, with the merger to Interval International, all current members will be transferred to the new exchange program, and that is where the Interval International timeshare scam becomes much more powerful. Owners will be forced to give up a more legitimate exchange program for a global timeshare exchange scam.

Do you own a Shell International timeshare or have been the victim of the Interval International timeshare scam? We want to hear your story! Warn others against the dangers of  timeshare scams below.

Unfortunately, many of the news we post from the timeshare industry is overwhelmingly negative. Timeshare fraud, misrepresentation, and an inability to sell timeshare property are the greatest themes in the timeshare business today. We may have a biased attitude, but these pieces of news come straight from leading news agencies, and this bias comes from years of experience dealing with the titans of the timeshare industry.

It is rare that we can actually post some good news, especially for those looking to sell their timeshare property. While this may not be a “Road to Damascus” moment, a company is trying to help people sell their timeshare property more efficiently. Direct investments, a leading company in the timeshare sale business has recently launched a social media campaign that encourages customers to better communicate with the agency. Those looking to sell their timeshare property can do this in a myriad of ways. 

If you have a facebook account, post in their business page. If you have a twitter account, go ahead and tweet them. Email, linkedin, Hootsuite, or even a simple phone call allows Direct Investments to be much more responsive to their clients. This increase in availability over all communication methods will help customers sell their timeshare property more efficiently, but more importantly, have all of their questions answered in a timely manner.

So why is this such a big deal to those looking to sell their timeshare property? The answer is simple. A hallmark of the timeshare industry is unresponsive customer service and the “run-around.” This tactic is used by both timeshare companies and timeshare sellers to scam clients out of money. Direct Investments is making a huge step towards more open business practices and reforming the timeshare industry. this is wonderful news for timeshare owners looking to sell their property. We fully support this initiative and believe this is a great sign that DI is a company that will truly help you sell your timeshare property.

Have you had an experience selling timeshare properties with Direct Investments? Please share your story! 

When timeshare owners turn to experts for advice regarding how to get out of their contract, there are several options usually laid on the table. The most common advice given often includes selling a timeshare on one’s own, with a timeshare listing company, or hiring a timeshare attorney to help break the contract. While these tend to be the best options, there are also several other routes you can take, and these options are not typically included in contemporary timeshare advice.

Although not always successful, one good piece of valuable timeshare advice is to look into simply donating your timeshare to charity. This may seem counterintuitive to those who have not fallen into the timeshare trap. However, for those who have felt the pressures and burdens of a timeshare contract with massive hidden fees and an inability to get out of said contract, this may seem like the best timeshare advice possible. 

The benefits of this timeshare advice include getting out of your unbreakable contract and a tax break due to the donation. Furthermore, you will have the feeling that at least some good came out of your timeshare ordeal by helping those less fortunate. The obvious drawback of taking this timeshare advice is that there will be little to no monetary return on a huge investment.

So why does this timeshare advice sometimes fail? If you have not guessed it already, these charities know full well how burdensome timeshare contracts can be, and often will refuse the donation of a timeshare. Unfortunately, it makes sense, as this is the precise reason that makes timeshare donation so appealing in the first place. The hidden fees and obligatory clauses within the contract are enough to scare many charities off.

What is your own timeshare advice regarding timeshare donation? Please post a comment and share your experiences below! 

We have recently posted information about learning how to sell a timeshare and the first steps to take when making the decision to sell a timeshare on your own. However, most timeshare owners go a different route. Learning how to sell a timeshare is a great undertaking, and most customers enlist the help of an outside source.

Sources that can help you sell a timeshare include legal counsel, resale agencies, and real estate agencies. There are those who will try to scam you in any field, and learning how to decipher who will really help sell a timeshare is critical before moving forward. Today, we will introduce how real estate agencies can help you sell a timeshare. 

When enlisting a real estate agency for help with selling a timeshare, make sure you conduct face to face interviews to make sure the agency has the right feel. However, luckily, you do not have to go completely with your own intuition.

A great first step is learning whether or not the real estate agency is a member of the American Resort Development Association, which ensures the agency is a member of an organization that holds its companies to very high ethical standards. You want a real estate agency that knows how to sell a timeshare without the risk of being scammed. Checking their records with the Better Business Bureau is also very informative background information.

All real estate agencies work differently regarding timeshare resales. Some help you sell a timeshare by charging an upfront fee, some work on commision, and some charge a fee only after the sale has been made. You should check with the state laws regarding these business practices, for some agencies will try to circumvent the laws through loopholes. This is likely an indicator of underhanded business practices.

Have real estate agencies helped you sell a timeshare? Please comment below, for those learning how to sell a timeshare need all the help we can provide.

The RCI timeshare scam is one of the largest industry, and works in a unique way. We have already discussed the RCI timeshare scam, and the many outraged customers who submit claims of fraud every day. RCI is a timeshare exchange program, not a resale agency, and they work by allowing members to exchange timeshares between members.

The RCI timeshare program is simple and works in a big way. RCI knows that customers don’t want to vacation in the same location every single year, and make a massive profit on this fact. The RCI timeshare scam works by getting their profit from the annual membership fee, an exchange fee for any successful trade, and hidden deadlines. Customers complain that these exchanges are rare, and the RCI timeshare program works mainly by the lack of availability while collecting the annual fee.  

While doing research on the RCI timeshare program, the hidden fees and profit system made absolute sense. It was easy to see why this part of the scam worked. However, one review made me realize a whole other side affecting customers.

A huge part of the RCI timeshare scam is that their fees stay the same or increase over time while the value of your timeshare decreases. Customers may be able to make a successful trade while the timeshare is new and beautiful, but the longer the ownership, the less value is attributed to your timeshare, and the less likely you will be able to make any reasonable exchange. You are stuck paying maintenance fees and annual fees while the value is sucked out of your piece of the exchange.

Have you been the victim of the RCI timeshare scam? Please post about your experiences, and warn others not to get swindled!