Should you upgrade your timeshare to solve the problems you are currently facing? Learn the tricks timeshare resorts use so you can upgrade without having to.
Several timeshare companies have skilled salespeople who can scam unsuspecting vacationers not just once, but twice or even three times by selling timeshare upgrades.
Disgruntled customers often return to the resort to complain about their timeshare contracts. When they get there, instead of dealing with a member services department, they are often referred to the sales department, where they will be forced to attend another sales presentation. The sellers then make various types of complaints to get the consumer to upgrade the timeshare to try to resolve their initial problem.
Timeshare upgrade – another waste of money
If you’ve been scammed by a timeshare company once, don’t invest more money with the same company to try to fix the problem. The following are some of the common timeshare scams associated with the timeshare upgrade.
In order to ensure high sales volume, many timeshare scam companies show off stunningly beautiful rooms to potential customers to lure them into buying a luxury timeshare contract. When the client visits the resort, they are placed in a room of a much lower quality. We have heard from many customers that they thought they were buying a larger unit, for example a one or two bedroom unit, but when they visited the hotel, they were given a standard room.
Other complaints were that they were shown a new suite in perfect condition, but when they arrived they were given a unit in an older building, with mold or damp problems. This is not acceptable when the customer has purchased a deal based on the unit he saw during the sales presentation.
A normal first step for victims of timeshare scams is to contact the resort to try to complain about the membership or cancel the agreement. Some customers do this in person while visiting the resort only to find that what they purchased was not what was promised. A common response is for the new seller to apologize for the previous seller’s mistake and offer a timeshare upgrade so he can book the higher quality room. This comes at another cost to the consumer and often doesn’t solve the problem, as many resorts build special suites just for sales presentations that don’t match the quality of their regular rooms.
Another timeshare scam, regarding the timeshare upgrade, comes with rental scams. Many timeshare buyers are promised that they can easily rent out their timeshare weeks through an affiliated rental agency. After a while, the vast majority of clients are unable to rent any of their weeks and also lose more money in the listing fee to the rental agency. When the customer complains to the resort, they sometimes claim that guaranteed rentals are not offered with their timeshare contract level, but if they upgrade to a higher membership, then their weeks rental is guaranteed. This is another timeshare scam that can often lead to the loss of several thousand dollars more for the client in purchasing the upgrade and another listing fee for the rental agents.
Some clients choose to upgrade to a better unit, a more desirable week, or a higher number of weeks per year. The salesperson asks them to sign an enhanced contract, which makes no mention of their previous timeshare with the same resort. In essence, the seller is selling the customer a new timeshare contract that does not replace the old timeshare contract. The client believes that he is purchasing an upgrade, but in reality he is purchasing a completely separate contract and is now responsible for two maintenance fees for the resort. They may also end up with double the time, when they don’t need as many weeks of vacation.
This timeshare scam is financially damaging as maintenance costs are hard for most buyers to maintain, and failure to pay maintenance fees will result in the resort attacking your credit score in the US or Canada.
If you’re planning to buy an upgrade to your timeshare that’s already letting you down, think again. Don’t throw any more of your hard earned money at a company that scammed you out of thousands of dollars in the first place. If your timeshare contract is not what you were promised, the best solution is to cancel your timeshare contract and get rid of any future payments to the timeshare resort.
At Mexican Timeshare Solutions we offer you a free consultation so that you know your options and can decide if canceling the contract is the best option for you. In many situations, we can even recover the money you paid for the timeshare scam. Don’t waste good money after bad trying to resolve your fraudulent timeshare situation. Contact us today and free yourself from the burden of owning a timeshare with no performance.