# TUG BBS Guests: are they Scammers?



## rosebud5 (Feb 21, 2009)

Why do we allow guests to post information. Based on what I have read so far, scammers will not take the time to pay for anything. I'm sure this has been discussed and vetted, but why not allow guests read access only to the forum and only allow posting to those who are members.


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## djs (Feb 21, 2009)

Because there are many people who post here who have valuable information.  Not everyone feels a need to pay $15 for the added benefits of being a "member".  If posting were limited to those who paid the $15 the posts here probably would be cut down by 75%.  

Most of us are capable of figuring out which posts are from scammers and which aren't.  Take yourself for an example, you've only been here as a "member" for a few weeks; now take someone like Geekette who is listed as a "guest" but has been here for nearly 4 years and has over 2,200 posts.  Are we to think that you as a "member" are more reputiable?  

Nothing against you, but that's just an example of someone who has provided the board with a whole lot, just not $$.  All of us have a first post and the rest of us can use our post count as an indicator of our credability if needed.


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 21, 2009)

*Quantity & Quality.*




djs said:


> All of us have a first post and the rest of us can use our post count as an indicator of our credability if needed.


What if somebody has a high count but most of those entries are total baloney ?  

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


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## djs (Feb 21, 2009)

AwayWeGo said:


> What if somebody has a high count but most of those entries are total baloney ?
> 
> -- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​



Thus the "if needed" portion of what I said, besides my posts are about only 75% baloney


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## TUGBrian (Feb 22, 2009)

the TUGBBS forums are how tug started, they exist as a place for all owners and anyone interested in timesharing can come to interact for the purpose of gathering and sharing timeshare information.

There will never ever be a charge to access and participate on the TUGBBS online forums, guest or not.

Many people find a value in the paid TUG membership, many dont.  That will always be left to each individual user to decide for themselves.  The money the average person saves merely by FINDING tug and reading the info here is many many times the $15 membership fee, but everyone here does this because they were helped in the past, and want to help others because it feels good and is the right thing to do...that is how this community survives!

It is however important to note that the majority of TUGBBS registered users, are not listed as TUG members.  This can either be due to the fact they just wanted to participate here and not donate money to the group, or they are paying members and simply havent updated their profile to reflect that.

Either way, guests and members will always be welcome here to share information.

Scammers and spammers and such, are not...and are dealt with usually before most people even notice they were here in the first place due to the extremely dedicated and dilligent work of our moderators!


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## rosebud5 (Feb 22, 2009)

Looks like I need to get my count up so my opinion will be taken seriously  . I think your comment certainly has merit, but not everyone who uses this site has 1,000+ postings. Many are like me and based on what I have read so far, there is an awful lot of risk associated with buying TS over the internet.

Finally, let me say this is a great website and the moderators do a fantastic job. I think even a smart crook would spend $15 on a membership.


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## caribbean (Feb 22, 2009)

A lot of new people come here the first time looking for information following attendance at a TS presentation. They get interested in TS and maybe make the mistake,  like a lot of us, by buying from the developer. They have questions and need help in deciding if they made a good decision in buying and want to keep what they just bought. We here at TUG are more interested in helping guide then in the right direction, to rescind, than worrying about if they are a member. If they get good information here and find TUG to be valuable, most will continue posting and pay to become a member. Consider it kind of a trial run. And for those that don't become members, that's OK too, to each their own. Welcome, good to have you here.


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## Bill4728 (Feb 22, 2009)

rosebud5 said:


> Looks like I need to get my count up so my opinion will be taken seriously  . I think your comment certainly has merit, but not everyone who uses this site has 1,000+ postings. Many are like me and based on what I have read so far, there is an awful lot of risk associated with buying TS over the internet.
> 
> Finally, let me say this is a great website and the moderators do a fantastic job. I think even a smart crook would spend $15 on a membership.


You don't need to get your count up to be taken seriously but if on your first few posts, you had gone on and on about how good an up-front TS reseller was in helping you sell your TS for $$thousands more than you thought you get, you'd never be taken seriously.


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## teepeeca (Feb 22, 2009)

*rosebud5*

I think I have to question one thing you said in one of your postings---that there is an awful lot of risk buying a timeshare from the internet.

I "know" I have purchased over 10 timeshares from the internet, with no problems.  There were (on occasion) a "glitch", but the seller(s) made good every time.  If you do some research regarding the seller, you shouldn't have any problems, or if a problem would arise, it would "immediately" be taken care of.

Tony


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## Lee B (Feb 22, 2009)

I'm a cheapskate and took quite a while to join.  I 'paid' for reading the forums by posting information and honest opinions.  The membership is affordable and being able to read everything is worth it, but to each our own.

You made a good point, though.  If you see a scam posting, politely (in case you're wrong) post an inquiry about it.  Perhaps the moderator gave that poster the benefit of a doubt or knows enough poster history to trust.


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 22, 2009)

*The Big Risk Is Buying A Timeshare From A Timeshare Company.*




rosebud5 said:


> Many are like me and based on what I have read so far, there is an awful lot of risk associated with buying TS over the internet.


Timeshare ownership might be considerer semi-risky, period, Internet or non-Internet _mox nix_. 

What's really risky is committing tens of thousands of dollars to some timeshare company for a full-freight timeshare that's only worth a few hundred bux max.  

How can timeshare companies sell'm for so much when they're worth so little?

Easy.  The biz. plan of the timeshare companies relies heavily on sucker customer ignorance plus high-pressure sales pitches featuring arm twisting, guilt tripping, & psychological manipulation.  Lots of smart folks get taken in while they're on vacation, & plenty of those don't come to their senses till too late -- i.e., after the cooling off rescission period is over. 

People don't buy cars that way.  Why on earth should they make snap judgments like that on buying overpriced timeshares from timeshare companies? 

Plus, it doesn't take super knowledge or painstaking research or hidden insider info to cut the risks substantially. 

Click here for a crash course in the _Wisdom Of TUG_. 

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


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## Robert D (Feb 22, 2009)

rosebud5 said:


> Looks like I need to get my count up so my opinion will be taken seriously  . I think your comment certainly has merit, but not everyone who uses this site has 1,000+ postings. Many are like me and based on what I have read so far, there is an awful lot of risk associated with buying TS over the internet.
> 
> Finally, let me say this is a great website and the moderators do a fantastic job. I think even a smart crook would spend $15 on a membership.



The fact of the matter is that there's a lot more risk buying directly from a developer - when you do that, you lose 65% - 95% of your money immediately because you overpaid by that much!


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## Talent312 (Feb 22, 2009)

Bill4728 said:


> You don't need to get your count up to be taken seriously...



Yeah, it wouldn't matter to me...
I never take anyone seriously.
Heck, I don't even take myself seriously.


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## Htoo0 (Feb 22, 2009)

People take us seriously???


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 22, 2009)

*Don't Take It Serious.  It's Too Mysterious.*




Htoo0 said:


> People take us seriously?


Plus, there's all that baloney. 

( Any way you slice it. )





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


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## calgarygary (Feb 22, 2009)

Robert D said:


> The fact of the matter is that there's a lot more risk buying directly from a developer - when you do that, you lose 65% - 95% of your money immediately because you overpaid by that much!



I have to agree, I think the risk of losing 100% of an internet deal of a $1000 or less is much easier to swallow than the % lost through a developer purchase.  Also, I am quite sure that those who bought through the internet, are 99% less likely to use an upfront company when it comes time to sell.  So those who buy from the developer get ****** coming and going.


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## geekette (Feb 23, 2009)

rosebud5 said:


> Why do we allow guests to post information. Based on what I have read so far, scammers will not take the time to pay for anything. I'm sure this has been discussed and vetted, but why not allow guests read access only to the forum and only allow posting to those who are members.



Because then I wouldn't be able to answer a question of yours that I had the answer to!  And I would not suddenly pony up $15 to answer it, either.

Over time, I think I've added as much value as I've received.  

So long as you don't believe that all guests are scammers!!


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## Bill4728 (Feb 23, 2009)

Since this isn't a question about buy or selling but about guest on the BBS, I'm moving this to the TUG BBS board.


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## Steve NH (Feb 23, 2009)

From what I can see there are a lot of knowledgeable people watching this forum on a regular basis.

If someone (scammer/shister/whatever) posts something seriously misleading I think it would be jumped on immediately.


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## pammex (Feb 24, 2009)

Oh once again, I got another laugh out of TUG...some of these posts were really funny....I know I am posting baloney but no one in real life takes me seriously either or at least I think they don't...OH I laughed....thanks.


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## falmouth3 (Feb 24, 2009)

Steve NH said:


> From what I can see there are a lot of knowledgeable people watching this forum on a regular basis.
> 
> If someone (scammer/shister/whatever) posts something seriously misleading I think it would be jumped on immediately.



This is absolutely true.  It's a rare occurrance when a brand new poster posts something that resembles a scam that someone doesn't call him/her on it immediately.  It's also valuable for relative newcomers to recognise a pile of bull when they see it.  View it as an opportunity to see "real life scams" in the relative safety of TUG.   

Sue


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## Keitht (Feb 24, 2009)

As Brian said earlier, there has never been a requirement to pay for membership in order to post on the site.  There are a number of regular contributors who now show as 'Guest' who have given a massive amount to the site, but for their own reasons don't feel the need to pay to access the 'Members Only' areas.
I know it's not going to happen anyway, but to exclude that knowledge by forcing people to pay would be a massive mistake in my opinion.


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## djs (Feb 24, 2009)

To the OP, my initial response wasn't meant to be taking a shot at you.  Often times the scammers you are referring to will post once or twice and go away only to reappear under some "new" name.  They don't take the time to contribute constructively.  In a way they police themselves by being so obvious as to their motives.

At least your first post wasn't a 2-page list of cell phones for sale.    Those do appear now and then but are quickly removed by the moderators.


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## Makai Guy (Feb 24, 2009)

djs said:


> At least your first post wasn't a 2-page list of cell phones for sale.    Those do appear now and then but are quickly removed by the moderators.



For the benefit of any new users...  when you see a questionable post, the way to report it to the BBS Staff is to click on the "Report this as a problem post" icon (
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




) in the left section of the post.  This will email the entire BBS Staff so that someone can quickly deal with the problem.


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## Elli (Feb 24, 2009)

Makai Guy said:


> For the benefit of any new users...  when you see a questionable post, the way to report it to the BBS Staff is to click on the "Report this as a problem post" icon (
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Just curious, Doug, are there a lot of posts reported as "problem posts"?


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## DeniseM (Feb 24, 2009)

Elli said:


> Just curious, Doug, are there a lot of posts reported as "problem posts"?



I'm not Doug, but there were 6 reports in the last 24 hours.  However, I would say that the majority of problem posts and especially spam, are caught by moderators before a member even reports it.  I also get a fair number of reports via pm in which a Tugger contacts me directly about a problem.


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 24, 2009)

*Lacking In Impulse Control Around Here.*




DeniseM said:


> I'm not Doug, but there were 6 reports in the last 24 hours.


I'd send in lots more (
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




) alerts if the software didn't impose a 2-minute Waiting Period between (
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




) reports. 

I'm usually too impatient to wait the 2 minutes. 

Plus, I'm easily distracted. 

So it goes. 

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


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## Elli (Feb 25, 2009)

DeniseM said:


> I'm not Doug, but there were 6 reports in the last 24 hours.  However, I would say that the majority of problem posts and especially spam, are caught by moderators before a member even reports it.  I also get a fair number of reports via pm in which a Tugger contacts me directly about a problem.


Thank, Denise, interesting.  I have reported the odd one, but since I usually check TUG only once a day, problem posts get caught before I see them.


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## beanb41 (Mar 10, 2009)

The availability of the TUGBBS has saved many members and guests alike a huge amount of money and time. I only wish it was available when I  bought my first timeshare. I was a guest for a period of time before I joined. I would also like to thank the moderators who I believe do a great job and keep this forum on song.
Unfortunately with the current credit crisis and the low NZ dollar my membership is now twice what Americans pay in local currency. Its still worth it though


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## njdoofus (Mar 11, 2009)

Just signed up as a guest this week - sort of a test drive. Because of the helpful responses I've received to my posts, I'll probably buy a membership. As for the baloney, I'm saving it for my peanut butter & baloney sammiches .


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## njdoofus (Mar 12, 2009)

See, now I've joined. Bring on the baloney!


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## DeniseM (Mar 12, 2009)

njdoofus said:


> See, now I've joined. Bring on the baloney!



Yay!  You're official!


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## AwayWeGo (Mar 12, 2009)

*You Asked For It, You Got It.*




njdoofus said:


> Bring on the baloney!






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


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## Htoo0 (Mar 13, 2009)

^  What a bunch of baloney!


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## RDB (Apr 27, 2009)

rosebud5 said:


> Why do we allow guests to post information. Based on what I have read so far, scammers will not take the time to pay for anything. I'm sure this has been discussed and vetted, but why not allow guests read access only to the forum and only allow posting to those who are members.



I have usually not responded to posts I have no knowledge of, but I kept wondering how paying $15 keeps the now member from being a scammer.

Robert


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## DeniseM (Apr 28, 2009)

RDB said:


> I have usually not responded to posts I have no knowledge of, but I kept wondering how paying $15 keeps the now member from being a scammer.
> 
> Robert



Scammers post on hundreds of sites, they don't have the time or money to join every sighg.


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## The Conch Man (Apr 28, 2009)

I'd like to know why this subject matter was even brought-up months ago, should have been deleted as many posts like this got people (the true Guest on the BBS) got banned cause of people starting something. I was a member many, many years ago but since we sold our timeshare we really don't need to be a member cause we live here in paradise! We were owners for a very long time at a new timeshare resort in Key West, the 1st Hyatt built there.

Today's moderators & Admins do a good job of keeping "scammer's" or what "Rosebud" called "Guests", thanks Rosebud for calling me & every "Guest" who been here for a long time on the forum, a spammer from the BBS, years ago we all got in some conflict with each other here but you had to be here which included "members"!




RDB said:


> I have usually not responded to posts I have no knowledge of, but I kept wondering how paying $15 keeps the now member from being a scammer.
> 
> Robert


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## spiceycat (Apr 28, 2009)

posted on tug for a while before I joined.

only joined because need to see the reviews - trading for a friend to Las Vegas - not a place was interested in and wanted to get her a good trade.

so joined tug.

since then also used the classifed - which are free for members (okay 1 a year)


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## hockeybrain (Apr 28, 2009)

I think every post I have started has been labeled a "problem" post.   However, all of my posts have been questions about how to use various time share systems out there.   Many posters are like me ie. they have a problem understanding how a time share works or how best to apply weeks, points etc. and are looking for answers to their questions (problems).   So, problems are good.   Posters who are looking to make a fast buck, post only to tear down fellow posters, look to disrupt board function - these are problem posters.   So, problem posts are good, problem posters are bad  !


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## Keitht (Apr 28, 2009)

hockeybrain said:


> I think every post I have started has been labeled a "problem" post.



One man's problem post is another man's interesting discussion.


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