We have seen many calls for greater consumer protection, not just in timeshare but in almost everything we purchase or service offered, someone out there is going to try to scam you. If you let them.
Most of our articles tend to come into the consumer awareness category, be it the sales presentation for the timeshare through to the cold calls years down the line. It is this awareness that prevents scammers, liars and fraudsters from getting your cash, and knowing the facts before making your decision is the best prevention of all.
This week we have highlighted that Barclay Partner Finance announced that they are refunding around 6000 clients of Azure, this news has sparked a frenzy of activity. It has also triggered a flurry of enquiries to AIT and other similar publications, as well as discussions on various groups and forums.
All have one thing in common, they are a result of cold calls, unsolicited emails and adverts on social media, using tactics which are designed to confuse and basically scare you into yet another financial commitment. Twisting the truth is their game, knowing the truth is your weapon.
We have all been victims of “twisting the truth”, and one of the biggest in the UK was probably the PPI scandal. It basically scammed everyone who took out some kind of finance, from store cards to loans, even mortgages were not immune. How were they sold, very simple. It was inferred that if you didn’t take out the policy you wouldn’t get the finance. As it turned out they were completely useless policies, yet we fell for them.
When the news broke about PPI it began a feeding frenzy of claims companies, exactly as we see in timeshare. There were the good and the bad, respected businesses in that field, but there were also the new setups, out to make a killing. As it turned out the process didn’t really need anyone’s services, most could have done the claim themselves for free and a bit of time.
This is another weapon in your armoury, TIME. As with the initial sale of timeshare, you are being coerced into making a snap decision, based on what you have been told. Nothing to substantiate their “pitch” is provided, in fact, they will do their utmost to convince you they are right. Time is their enemy.
In our article on Tuesday, “Twisting the Truth”, we mentioned the problems in the US regarding the Hilton takeover of Diamond, and the tactics being employed by sales agents. Tomorrow we publish another “Smoke & Mirrors” article “Fact Checking HGV Max – A Diamond Resorts Platinum Member Explains” which gives a very good insight to all our readers about how truth is twisted. So join us tomorrow and welcome our new contributor Karen in Maryland.
To finish, we suggest that you also read the article at the link below, it is a very good explanation of how fraud is treated by the authorities in the UK, it is probably the same reason no matter which country you are in.
https://timeshareconsumerassociation.org.uk/2022/05/03/evading-the-law/
Benn Dover
May this be a wake-up call for many inside the timeshare industry and outside the industry!
Sherida Nett
Time is on our side, if we use it wisely in dealing with these people. A lot of business people, politicians, CEO’s etc. are running for cover these days. As someone recently said, “The American peasants are out with their pitchforks.”