We Can Put Postcard Companies Out Of Business !

Wally · Jun 6, 2007

As I said, I went to a presentation from Timeshare Relief. And it is not right, but is ok if they did business up front and honest. But, there were a number of misleading statements, and outright lies they made including that "you can't sell your timeshare on Ebay". They sell thousands on Ebay and HURT all the individuals who have timeshares they want to sell on Ebay... and now have to sell at lower prices since they DUMP their timeshares on Ebay.

Anyway, if Tuggers just organize a little.
Go to the presentations...you get a $25 gas card...so it is worth going.
But just go and if you get there a little early... hand out some flyers with info on it and inform everyone in the room that you can meet them in the lobby afterward to give them the truth. Would at least help a lot of timeshare owners.

It just isn't right to lie to take advantage of people and Tuggers can make a big difference here.

I bet Tuggers can think of many other things to do as well.
Wally

bogey21 · Jun 6, 2007

Wally said:
Go to the presentations...you get a $25 gas card...so it is worth going.

You are right. It is worth going, if for no other reason than to know first hand what is being said. I forgot about the gas card. I think I used mine 5 minutes after I left the presentation just to make sure it was real. It was!

GEORGE

Sandy · Jun 6, 2007

I have not seen these folks. This is probablly because I live in a city - Pittsburgh- where there are no timeshares.

What are the major cities in which they operate with these presentations?

spookykennedy · Jun 6, 2007

I have received these postcards, even when all I owned was DVC! However, I see no reason to take up my time to attend their presentation to inform people who have taken NO time whatsoever to evaluate their own purchase/ownership in a timeshare to spare them the costs involved from making a poor decision...

And as far as changing sales on eBay, eBay is what it is -- the market sets the value. They may "dump" the timeshares on eBay, but if a timeshare sells for $1, then that is what the market (at least on eBay) has determined the value of that timeshare to be. Savvy buyers would drive up that price as more and more people buy timeshares on eBay as resales.

Dave M · Jun 6, 2007

Sandy -

They visit most major cities, including Pittsburgh, I'll bet. They don't care where timeshares are located. They hold meetings where concentrations of timeshare owners live. That means in any good-sized city.

You usually won't see an ad. They are called "postcard" companies because they typically send a postcard to people on their mailing lists, inviting them to call for an appointment to receive an offer to purchase their timeshares.

If you haven't received such a postcard, it means you haven't found your way on to one of their lists yet. Lucky you!

skinsfan · Jun 6, 2007

Well said.

spookykennedy said:
I have received these postcards, even when all I owned was DVC! However, I see no reason to take up my time to attend their presentation to inform people who have taken NO time whatsoever to evaluate their own purchase/ownership in a timeshare to spare them the costs involved from making a poor decision...

And as far as changing sales on eBay, eBay is what it is -- the market sets the value. They may "dump" the timeshares on eBay, but if a timeshare sells for $1, then that is what the market (at least on eBay) has determined the value of that timeshare to be. Savvy buyers would drive up that price as more and more people buy timeshares on eBay as resales.

AwayWeGo · Jun 6, 2007

If The Postcard Companies Disappear, What Then ?

Wait a minute -- if the postcard companies are driven out of business, where are we going to get all our bargain-basement el cheapo eBay timeshares for next to nothing ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

eoneguru · Jun 6, 2007

I just had a weird thought ....

What if the market works to straighten this out. It is a logical assumption that the folks buying all these eBay bargins are Internet savvy. After they buy, they search the Internet and find sites like TUG, Timeshare Forums, etc. They become educated and are less likely to fall for the postcard scam. The "postcarders" will have a decreasing market and, eventually go out of business. What say you, wishful thinking?

Ray

rickandcindy23 · Jun 6, 2007

Ray, wouldn't that be the easiest way for us to put an end to the business.

Resorts could do it quicker. If only we could educate resorts to educate owners.

My post about owners giving their timeshares back to resorts is probably going to be unworkable for some resorts. But I KNOW that resorts can help by educating owners. If resorts that are managed well and have good communication set up between the board and the owners can simply let owners know how to sell their weeks and add some websites owners can go to for information, that would be the key to taking care of the companies in question.

TUGBrian · Jun 6, 2007

sadly...most resorts dont look too kindly on such websites that advocate not buying new from them....

Dave M · Jun 6, 2007

I agree that a developer-controlled board is not likely to publicize anything that discusses the issues being addressed here. However, I don't think Cindy is referring to developers. I think she is referring to HOAs in more mature resorts.

Art4th · Jun 6, 2007

spookykennedy said:
And as far as changing sales on eBay, eBay is what it is -- the market sets the value. They may "dump" the timeshares on eBay, but if a timeshare sells for $1, then that is what the market (at least on eBay) has determined the value of that timeshare to be. Savvy buyers would drive up that price as more and more people buy timeshares on eBay as resales.

The problem is, the postcard companies create that "$1" market because they've already made their money up front. If they had to make their profit from the auction, the prices would be higher and the low market they've created wouldn't exist.

skinsfan · Jun 6, 2007

I have to disagree with that! The listings on ebay aren’t JUST the postcard companies. And the people shopping on ebay for a timeshare KNOW WHAT THEY ARE LOOKING FOR! The people (for the most part) shopping on ebay already know that people & companies are dumping the properties there. Just like the people who get a list of bank repo sales, they are looking for something for nothing. People that want to buy a timeshare and don't know where to go will most likely use Google before going to ebay.

Art4th said:
The problem is, the postcard companies create that "$1" market because they've already made their money up front. If they had to make their profit from the auction, the prices would be higher and the low market they've created wouldn't exist.

Carolinian · Jun 6, 2007

spookykennedy said:
I have received these postcards, even when all I owned was DVC! However, I see no reason to take up my time to attend their presentation to inform people who have taken NO time whatsoever to evaluate their own purchase/ownership in a timeshare to spare them the costs involved from making a poor decision...

And as far as changing sales on eBay, eBay is what it is -- the market sets the value. They may "dump" the timeshares on eBay, but if a timeshare sells for $1, then that is what the market (at least on eBay) has determined the value of that timeshare to be. Savvy buyers would drive up that price as more and more people buy timeshares on eBay as resales.

Ebay prices are based on supply and demand. Dump a lot of inventory (supply) on the market, like the postcard companies do, and it depresses the prices.

T_R_Oglodyte · Jun 6, 2007

Carolinian said:
Ebay prices are based on supply and demand. Dump a lot of inventory (supply) on the market, like the postcard companies do, and it depresses the prices.

Yep - and the postcard companies are demonstrating that there are a lot of timeshare owners who are ready to sell at almost any price but who don't know how to go about doing so.

The supply on eBay is up because the postcard companies have created a pipeline that taps into a heretofore latent supply of sellers.

Everyone seems quick to assume the prices are now depressed because of an artificially increased supply. It's equally likely that previously prices have been inflated because the supply was artificially constricted.

Art4th · Jun 6, 2007

Carolinian said:
Ebay prices are based on supply and demand. Dump a lot of inventory (supply) on the market, like the postcard companies do, and it depresses the prices.

Exactly!!!

e.bram · Jun 6, 2007

TUG could help put pressure on the postcard companies by opening the cheapy TS section to non members.

ttt · Jun 6, 2007

You won't put the postcard companies out of business any quicker then the resort developers. Their customer base is the same. Pay big bucks to buy & then pay big bucks to get out. We ask "Why would someone pay so much to give their timeshare away". We ask: "Why would someone pay developer prices when they can buy resale at 10 cents on the dollar?"

The answer is:.......These postcard companies have the same quality of salesperson as the resort developers.....and they are the best salespeople in the business, as long as you don't rate them on honesty, truthfullness, etc...
And now they are using the same tactics as the resort developers, gifts, gifts like gas cards......Seems like a great deal for the postcard companies, give away a few $25. gift cards and pick up a few dozen deeds & lots of cash and on to the next city......
By the way, it's not the postcard companies that have depressed resale prices, it's RCI & the like who killed timesharing by entering the rental market and abandoning members to search for crumbs left over from the rental market. Why would anyone want to own a blue or white week to exchange if you can't go anyplace except Orlando or Branson? There used to be a reason to own these weeks when RCI was an exchange company.....not any more. Look what happened to the South African timeshare market after RCI turned off the trading power??
Don't blame the postcard companies, just think of them as the final exit salesperson from the origonal developer purchase.......maybe even the same salesperson who sold you your timeshare a few years ago??......

brucecz · Jun 6, 2007

IMHO you have made some great points along with Steve, TR, Steve and a few others.

In this case the profit that propels these companies ensures that they will IMHO be around for a long time.

Unfortuately only a tiny percentage of present and future timeshare owners know about sites like Tug, Timehare Forums and Timesharing today.

Bruce

ttt said:
You won't put the postcard companies out of business any quicker then the resort developers. Their customer base is the same. Pay big bucks to buy & then pay big bucks to get out. We ask "Why would someone pay so much to give their timeshare away". We ask: "Why would someone pay developer prices when they can buy resale at 10 cents on the dollar?"

The answer is:.......These postcard companies have the same quality of salesperson as the resort developers.....and they are the best salespeople in the business, as long as you don't rate them on honesty, truthfullness, etc...
And now they are using the same tactics as the resort developers, gifts, gifts like gas cards......Seems like a great deal for the postcard companies, give away a few $25. gift cards and pick up a few dozen deeds & lots of cash and on to the next city......
By the way, it's not the postcard companies that have depressed resale prices, it's RCI & the like who killed timesharing by entering the rental market and abandoning members to search for crumbs left over from the rental market. Why would anyone want to own a blue or white week to exchange if you can't go anyplace except Orlando or Branson? There used to be a reason to own these weeks when RCI was an exchange company.....not any more. Look what happened to the South African timeshare market after RCI turned off the trading power??
Don't blame the postcard companies, just think of them as the final exit salesperson from the origonal developer purchase.......maybe even the same salesperson who sold you your timeshare a few years ago??......

islander222 · Jun 7, 2007

Sandy said:
I have not seen these folks. This is probablly because I live in a city - Pittsburgh- where there are no timeshares.

What are the major cities in which they operate with these presentations?

Timeshare Relief is coming to my neighborhood. (Minneapolis and Duluth, Minnesota) I did not receive a postcard. I was channel surfing and happened to come across the end of their infomercial on our local cable channel. They had the usual testimonials from people who were so very happy to be rid of their timeshares. One woman claimed that if you leave your timeshare to your family, they could be indentured for life. If you go to the http://timesharerelief.com/ , you can see some of the so-called live testimonials.

They said they will take care of the closing for you with Timeshare Closings. They also have a travel club called Carefree Journeys. They claim you can then get discount travel and vacations at luxury resorts without having to own or pay maintenance fees.

I feel sorry for the people who feel that they have to pay these people to take their timeshares. I only hope that if they do, they don't pay another $4,000 - $6,000 to join a goofy travel club.

Bill4728 · Jun 7, 2007

We all knew they were scum but we now have proof they are liars.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48626

ttt · Jun 7, 2007

The actually do not sell them. They would be subject to Fraud charges if they sold them. They do "give them away" to others who then sell them on ebay and other sites. There may be some "kickbacks" to the postcard companies, but they are not the actual sellers.

Jennie · Jun 8, 2007

There's a similar discussion on the Eastern bbs

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=48514

coppersmom1 · Jun 8, 2007

Is this fraud???

In my post about "We Collect Timeshares" etc., I found that We Collect Timeshares (the postcard Co.), the Co.'s they use to sell on e-bay (which they change often) and their Title co. are all in the same address, same suite #'s even. At least they were a few months back. They sent me emails with the different Co. names, addresses and phone #'s (they were forwarding me info that had been forwarded back and forth within their co.) that were all the same.

Is this out and out fraud? The co. is in Washington state but sells timeshares located all over. If I can file complaints and charges against them I am happy to do so. I would love to know how and with whom to file the complaints and/or charges. The real estate commission in WA says they are NOT licensed with them. Read my post- it has both sides of the coin from another perspective-mine and the previous owner. The previous owner said they were happy to provide a written statement as well.

bogey21 · Jun 8, 2007

Just a thought (and I'm serious) but if these guys are put out of business, what are the large number of uninformend timeshare owners to do with the Weeks they no longer want? Continue to pay the MFs? Default and possibly mess up their credit? Is it the outrageous fees they collect that is really the problem rather than the concept itself? What if they only charged an amount equal to 1 year's MF?

GEORGE

We Can Put Postcard Companies Out Of Business !

Wally

bogey21

Sandy

spookykennedy

Dave M

skinsfan

AwayWeGo

TUG Review Crew: Expert

eoneguru

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite

TUGBrian

Dave M

Art4th

skinsfan

Carolinian

T_R_Oglodyte

Art4th

e.bram

ttt

brucecz

islander222

Bill4728

ttt

Jennie

coppersmom1

bogey21