[2008 Thread] Vacation Property Liquidators???

I have two timeshare properties for sale and have been getting calls from a company called Vacation Property Liquidators. For a fee of $1500+ they promise to liquidate my timeshares in 30 to 60 days. Does anyone have any experience with this company?

Everything you need to know about this company is in this TUG "how to sell" article, especially in the section titled "Paying Upfront Fees".

Bottom line: Don't pay!

Color me dubious...

mms08 said:

VPL has sold over 15,000 timeshares in the 8 years they have been in business. They are also sponsored by the orange county convention center and the orlando visitors bureau. just because they have an upfront fee doesn't necessarily make them a bad company. they're a marketing company...not a listing company. there is a big difference between posting your timeshare ad on a website and walking away, and taking your timeshare out there and marketing directly to buyers.

Click to expand...

Clearly a shill "first post", not within posting guidelines and clearly nothing but an unconvincing ad --- citing unverifiable and bogus figures to boot. :annoyed:
Would you REALLY have experienced and knowledgeable timeshare owners and users here believe that an upfront fee company has sold 15,000 indiviudal timeshare weeks within the past 96 months, for people who have each paid $750 (upfront) for each such "marketed" timeshare week??? :hysterical:
Don't insult our intelligence to get free exposure for your company name.

LOL. I responded to his question...and gave an opinion. Apparently I just insulted everyone on this forum...that's amazing.

Speaking only for myself...

mms08 said:

LOL. I responded to his question...and gave an opinion. Apparently I just insulted everyone on this forum...that's amazing.

Click to expand...

More accurately, what you "gave" were bogus statistics that strain credibility well beyond the breaking point --- and THAT'S what is insulting!

All that is "amazing" is that you unwisely chose a venue of well informed people in which to spew forth such complete nonsense in the first place. Pehaps you just inadvertently confused this particular site with a different one named "Imbeciles 'R Us"?

I actually don't doubt that some of these PCC's have sold that many in the last 8 years. If you go to e-bay, VI and other PCC's (which are mostly subsidiaries of the same large company), have between 20 to 50 weeks (or more) for sale at any given time. When the auctions end after running for about 7 days, many many more weeks are listed. Of the 1200 weeks curently for sale on e-bay, I wouldn't doubt that 20% or more are for sale by PCC's. Almost all of the e-bay weeks actually do sell, but they sell for prices like $1 to $500. If they sell 160 weeks a month they would have sold as many as they say. Whether they have sold that many or not, they sell huge amounts of weeks for owners who are willing to pay to get out from under the obligations that come with owning timeshares (MF's, assessments, etc).

The main problem is this, why pay the PCC's $1500 to advertise your week on e-bay when you can do it yourself for about $50, and you get to keep whatever amount the auction brings. If it sells for $1, you are $1451 ahead of having paid them to sell it on e-bay for you. Most people who want out of their weeks simply don't know that selling it on e-bay themselves is an option. The only other advantage the PCC's have is that they have many sales with lot's of feedback making buyers feel more confident buying from them than a new e-bayer listing a week with zero feedback ratings. I personally wouldn't buy from a zero rated buyer, but I have purchased many weeks I love from the PCC's with close to 100% positive feedback.

tombo:
I don't disagree with you, but I also don't think that this particular entity is a PostCard Company. I was of the impression that they are instead merely an "upfront fee advertiser"; one of those so-called "marketing" entities which just takes the "advertising and marketing fee" of $500-800 per week and then places an overpriced listing on an obscure web site, never to be heard from again (...their having already accomplished their one and only objective --- collecting the "advertising and marketing" fee). If this entity was actually a PCC, I believe that the required cost to have them so generously "take your timeshare off your hands" would actually be even higher than just $750 per week or $1500 for two weeks.

In any case, DaveM's concise bottom line is sound advice -- DON'T PAY!

Theo, I think you are correct. This one is probably just an upfront-fee company that is giving bogus statistics to get more listings. I think all of the postcard and upfront fee companies are horrible for timeshares. It's just another reason for people to hate the concept. That is my opinion.

First, the developer sells too high and lies; second, the owner finds out what they bought isn't a bowl of cherries, more like the pits; third, resorts won't take the weeks back (many of whom are owned by owners like us that hire a management company and have to PAY THE FEES for the owners who want to walk away); Owners get frustrated and grasp at any means necessary to get rid of their weeks and pay these companies; then nothing ever happens, they get little or no relief for the cash they pay.

Timeshare buyers are basically considered suckers by everyone in the industry.

I am not sure whether they are a PCC either, but one of the PCC's I have purchased numerous weeks from told me that most of their inventory comes from a company they market under with a different name than the e-bay company that charges up front fees to sell people's weeks for them. Some they sell for developers who take trade ins the developers don't want to own. Either way that is why he said they don't put reserves on their auctions and will sell weeks for a dollar, because they have already made a profit on the week from the owner's up front fees or a fee paid to them by the developer. Whatever price the auction brings is bonus profit. He didn't tell me how much they charge the owners or what the name of the company is.

I agree 100% that even though the PCC's are a great deal for the buyer, they are a really bad deal for the seller. No one should ever pay an up front fee to sell their weeks because they will probably end up out their up-front money and still be owners of their weeks. Sell it yourself on e-bay, Red Week, TUG, Craigs list, my resort network.com, or any of many other web sites for a small listing fee.

Yep, there are several postcard companies that have related selling companies and closing companies. It's quite a racket.

When I bought my first week from VINinc 4 years ago, way before TUG, I had no idea, but now I know they were selling for Timeshare Relief. You can tell by the escrow number, which is alway TR, and they always use Timeshare Closing Services.

Title Outlet is closing the deals for Jonathan Gibbs' company, We Collect Timeshares, which Ochoa is peddling on eBay. His company has a very generic name, but I cannot recall it right now.

There are some others, but I am not sure who the postcard sister company is for all of them. I just know that Vacation Solutions was having some problems last year, but they seem to be back in full swing. Vacation Solutions used to use Timeshare Transfer, but then they decided it was just too much money to just give to someone else for the closing, so they started closing the deals themselves. I am not sure they are doing things legally, to be honest, but who am I to question them.

Then there is Timeshare Rescue, and I have no idea who closes their deals, but they are in Colorado, too, just like Vacation Solutions.

There are lots more, so many I cannot keep up.

Wow Cindy, thanks for the education. I have purchased several weeks from a couple of the e-bay sellers you mentioned, but I never knew anything about the other companies they are associated with. You mentioned several companies that i have never heard of. Next time I have a question about an e-bay seller I am not familiar with you are going to be the first person I ask to see if they are a legitimate company or not.

a bit off topic, but relevant...

rickandcindy23 said:

Title Outlet is closing the deals for Jonathan Gibbs' company, We Collect Timeshares, which Ochoa is peddling on eBay.

Click to expand...

Jonathan Gibbs recently proclaimed (in a RedWeek forum, during a feeble and unconvincing effort to defend the "service" provided by PCC's) that he is no longer associated with We Collect Timeshares. He further claimed to have moved along to a new, unspecified career path, one supposedly unrelated to timeshare.

No as of the writing of this he is still very much involved with Timeshares -- APEX Professionals is one part and Preferred Transfers are the closing -- same players new name

I know this company

May I speak to the original question?

I'm going to have "gullible" stamped on my forehead, but I can answer the OP's question.

From personal experience - DO NOT DO BUSINESS WITH VACATION PROPERTY LIQUIDATORS.

Short version - I gave them my CC# over the phone so they could zip the contract off to me. They told me they could not charge over $1000 on my credit card with only telephone authorization; they needed a signature on a slip too. I just found out this was a lie.

I received the contract and decided not to go with them, so I did not sign it or return it. The company is now holding me to it because I did not cancel within the three days specified in the contract I did not sign.

I am now losing a credit card dispute with them. They claim they have a valid contract.

In the eight months or so that they've been "actively marketing" it, I have received one offer - which was this: a company will cut me a check for $10K to $15K for my timeshare, if I buy a lot in Tennessee, starting at, oh, I don't remember, I think perhaps $39K.

Not a great deal!

those that ask about Apex - this is Jonathan & Christine Gibbs...they are back at it!

APEX PROFESSIONALS OR PREFERRED TRANSFERS --
IF YOU HAVE MY SPACE SEARCH APEX PROFESSIONALS YOU WILL SEE PROOF POSITIVE THEY ARE ALL IN BED TOGETHER - SAME EXACT SALES PEOPLE.....
Here is proof:

Go to this website: http://www.apexprofessionalsllc.com/

check closing company tab:

License Information:
Entity Name: PREFERRED TRANSFERS, LLC
Firm Name: PREFERRED TRANSFERS, LLC
License Type: Washington State Business
Entity Type: Limited Liability Company
UBI: 602872461 Business ID:001 Location ID:0001
Status To check the status of this company, go to Secretary of State..


Location Address:
1000 CHERRY ST SE STE A
OLYMPIA, WA, 98501-1433
Mailing Address:
PO BOX 13199
OLYMPIA, WA, 98508-3199






Governing People:
CHRISTINE GIBBS





Information Current as of 03/20/2009 4:27AM Pacific Time

Warning

A company does not need money upfront.

check the BBB they have an F rateing

check with Florida Attourney Generals office ,they are under investigation by them,

I myself was SCAMMED out of money from this company