# Timeshare Adventures



## sailingman22 (Oct 23, 2006)

I recently placed a bid on a timeshare through Timeshare Adventures which was accepted and they asked for an electronic escrow. Sending checking account information  via fax seemed risky so I requested a mailing address for a money order. The address was mapped on mapquest and no proper address was displayed. Is this a legitimate timeshare resaler?


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## Dave M (Oct 23, 2006)

Timeshare Adventures is an upfront-fee resale company, meaning that they charge sellers a big fee to list a timeshare for sale. That's a no-no at TUG, even though, as a buyer, you don't have to pay the fee. Their "Platinum" service includes in-house closing. Their standard listing includes the closing service for an additional fee of $495.

Will they steal your money? Not likely. There don't appear to be any complaints on the Internet alleging fraud by this company. They have been around for several years and have been vilified – from a seller’s standpoint - as an upfront-fee company a number of times at TUG. 

Further, the information on the site seems to suggest that you were advised of the in-house closing process before you could get to a screen to place a bid. So you probably knew or should have known approximately what would happen if you were the successful bidder. The result isn’t different than allowing any online merchant to charge your credit card in advance before a product is shipped to you.

However, based on our past experience with organizations of this type, I have some question as to whether you are getting a good deal versus other options for purchasing at whatever resort your successful bid was for. If you want to share the resort name and type (e.g., 2BR lockout, Oceanfront, week 27) with us, I'm virtually sure someone can comment on the fairness of the price. If it's not a fair price, someone can suggest possible courses of action.

(Welcome to TUG!    )


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## sailingman22 (Oct 23, 2006)

*Timeshare Adventure*

The timeshare is Pono Kai. Listed as a 1Bd/1Ba annual red deeded timeshare at $2,000.


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## Dave M (Oct 23, 2006)

That's not a great bargain. 

One of the two sites I looked at to compare was www.RedWeek.com . There were two 1BR weeks listed there for $2,000 each. They have both been sold. Although we don't know what the purchase prices were, most knowledgeable timeshare enthusiasts know that resale prices are almost always negotiable. Thus, it's safe to say that one or both weeks probably sold for less than $2,000.

The other site I looked at was eBay. There have been a number of 1BR Pono Kai auctions recently. One sale was for $1,105. Another was for $1,526. A third was for $898.

You'll have to decide whether you want to continue with your planned purchase or try to get out of it.


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## sailingman22 (Oct 23, 2006)

I actually bid on the Pona Kai timeshare on Ebay for $1,105 and received emails from 2 different individuals stating that they were the owners and I could receive a second chance to purchase the timeshare. Neither one was the original owner according to Ebay. I almost got caught because they were very convincing.


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## Dave M (Oct 23, 2006)

Congratulations on avoiding the scam!


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## qlaval (Oct 24, 2006)

sailingman22 said:
			
		

> I recently placed a bid on a timeshare through Timeshare Adventures which was accepted and they asked for an electronic escrow. Sending checking account information  via fax seemed risky so I requested a mailing address for a money order. The address was mapped on mapquest and no proper address was displayed. Is this a legitimate timeshare resaler?



I'm presently in the process of acquiring two TS with them.
First you didn't make a bid, you made an offer and it looks like it was accepted. Not the same...
If you think you have offered too much that could be your mistake...
They do ask for an electronic escrow for a $500 deposit to start the process. Same applied for final payment.
In my case I did sent a certified $500 money order. Will do the same for final payment. (Send my deposit with their address and it did reach destination...) 

They are making papers, sending ROFR if any, asking for estoppel, etc...
Should you back up they will keep your deposit, again they don't work for nothing and it is normal.
I've checked them with the BBB and they were OK.
Your deposit as well as your payment will be deposit in an escrow account.
All papers are made with their lawyer who have a valid license.

If you're looking for a good deal make your offer in consequence...
You could be surprise in the difference between the asking and selling price...

TS Adventures is maybe not the best place for selling but is this for sure a good place to buy.


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## sailingman22 (Nov 7, 2006)

*Thank you*

I just purchased a ts at Pono Kai and want to thank everyone for their advise on the various threads. Everyone has been very helpful.


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## qlaval (Nov 7, 2006)

Did you buy it trought Timeshare Adventures?


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## sailingman22 (Nov 7, 2006)

No. After reading various threads about buying where you want to vacation, I purchased a ts from ebay for Pona Kai. Its a 1 bd/1bath float Red deeded property. The price was right and everything that I have read about the resort seems great. I am now aware of "second chance" offers that are not real from ebay and can identify "hopefully" avoid them.


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## sailingman22 (Nov 7, 2006)

The seller was GO Timeshares from Bozeman, MT and the closer is Resort Closings, Inc. So far so good. They seem to respond to phone calls and emails promply


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## madkt (Apr 20, 2007)

*Timeshare Adventures Employee Speaks!*

oops!  see post below.


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## madkt (Apr 20, 2007)

*Timeshare Adventures Employee Speaks!*

I have worked for *Timeshare Adventures* since day one.  I have experience with nearly all of our internal departments and I can sincerely say that we are a legitimate, ethical and very successful organization.  We offer more than any other timeshare resale company and our money-back guarantee is is solid and fair.  Our sales represenatives are instructed to clearly explain the timeshare resale market to potential sellers and advise them properly on resale market trends regarding pricing, speed-of-sale and etc.

The best thing about *Timeshare Adventures* is that we have an in-house closing department and it is run by licensed real-etate attorney who handles timeshare closings and rental agreements.  Our PLATINUM listed properties have NO CLOSING COST for buyer and seller and our money back guarantee states the if the PLATINUM listed timeshare is sold by means other than through *Timeshare Adventures* we will either refund 50% of our listing fee(provided it is sold within 50% of the original listing price) or we will still pay for and perform the closing, which will have to be done no matter how it's sold.

Also, because we have the 'in-house closing department' we have access to and publish actual resale and rental statistics on our website.  We have a lot of things in place that should communicate our commitment to our sellers.  I mean just the infastructure necessary to handle the closings should communicate to sellers that *Timeshare Adventures* is different.

The concept is simple.  We provide the tools necessary for timeshare owner to reach the buying/renting audience, the service of screening their calls and guiding potential buyers/renters to a timeshare that meets the specifics of their inquiry, and we add true value by including an attorney prepared closing, which simplifies and strweamlines the process for sellers and buyers.

I am passionate about the company I work for and I know where we stand ethically.  I have seen the results we deliver and I appreciate being able to "have my voice heard" at this forum.  I want sellers and buyers both to feel comfortable about our resale and our closing process and offer assurance that their interest are considered and held in high regard throughout each process.


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## Rent_Share (Apr 21, 2007)

Upfront Fee Based Company 

Most of the Sales Prices Seem Reasonable to Market, (Many high End Properties, Marriotts, Manhattan Club, Disney . . . .), the structure is too tedious to see the difference between ask and sell to see how much they are inflating the listing prices to entice the upfront fee payment


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