[2010] Florida AG releases website displaying active litigation against Scammers!

[TUGBrian]

its now on the top right...titled "investigations"

 

[LannyPC]

Has anyone heard of M&M Management Group 800 N. Olive St Dallas Texas 75201? They have contacted us on several occasions to provide renters or buy our timeshare property. We wonder if they are a legitimate company?

The fact that they initiated contact with you is the first red flag.

If they ask you for any sort of fee or tax before the sale or rental takes place, then they are not legitimate. Legitimate companies will take their commission out of the proceeds of the sale or rental.

Also, watch out for other red flags such as "Your money will be held in escrow", or they get your mouth drooling by telling you they can sell or rent your unit for a princely sum, or they ask you to wire money to some account.

 

[bill_21117]

I advertised with Timeshare Only which, according to the website quoted above, is one company in a list of other companies being subpoenaed. As a past and dissatisfied customer, is there anything I should be doing to try and claim back my advertising costs?

Marky, depending on how long it has been, you might consider disputing the charge with your credit card co if you used one. Give them as much info as you have pertinent to help your case and to show you were scammed, including this company's status with the AG. Let cc co. know you have not been able to contact scammer and have rec'd nothing for the money you paid them.
I am currently involved in doing this with AMEX. My 'experience' was two months old when I filed a charge dispute with them. Their process is to attempt to contact the scam company for comment. If they get nothing from company to justify charge, they are suggesting I'll get my $$ back. I'm about 3 wks into the dispute. Here's hoping it works.
Bill

 

[DeniseM]

Markymark posted his question on Dec. 23, 2010...and has not been back since 2010.

 

[rmdial]

Summit Management Services called

Just got a call from a young lady from Summit Management Services in Dallas saying they had a buyer for our Mayan Bliss TS in Nuevo Vallarta, Mexico. She was familiar with the Mayan Group and type of contract we have. She quoted me $59,950.00 and said they would followup with email and phone call. Told her we will not pay anything in advance and she replied they do not require prior payment but charge 8% commission at closing. Ask her what closing company and she said sales person calling tomorrow could answer that.

Anyone familiar with situation like this? Seems I have heard of no upfront sales before but just before closing date they call and want money.

Thanks in advance.

 

[TUGBrian]

this is where they will send you a bogus check...yet ask you to send them a legitimate check for their "commission"

becoming a more common tactic since people are wising up to the upfront fee scams.

 

[Rent_Share]

Or tell you there is a tax that must be paid that will be refunded at closing

 

[simpsontruckdriver]

The only thing you can do is give it away. You can post in "Bargain Deals", where you can also pay Closing Costs and/or Transfer fees.

TS

 

[markymark]

So what was the outcome of Timeshares Only? I noticed that they had vacated their offices across from Sea World.

 

[Jjgcmg]

[Deleted. Ads not permitted in the discussion forums.]

 

[rboesl]

The contract that they sent me by email (I couldn't figure out how to attach a PDF to this message - is there some way?) uses different names:
Orlando Ventures, LLC, dba Helping Timeshare Owners also written as a logo: Help4TSO

It also has this weird clause:

TRAVEL CLUB: Once you are in the process of canceling your ownership, you may not be able to utilize your Resort. For this reason, Orlando Ventures, LLC, dba Helping Timeshare Owners will provide you with a free a 1-year membership to Elite Destinations. We will provide you with a Login and Password so you can have access to any Resort offered through RCI. You will be able to see how cheap you can stay at your same Resort and compare it to what you are currently paying. This service has a value of $7,999.00 and you will receive this with our services. www.vacationfulfillment.com
HERE IS THE DEFAULT LOGIN: 10174267 & PASSWORD: Drive5 (case sensitive).

It's been a few years since this thread was active. Thought I would respond based on my search. DW & I just encountered Orlando Ventures, LLC and Helping Timeshare Owners. We were invited to a free dinner for a presentation on how to maximize value out of your timeshare. What we encountered couldn't have been further from what was advertised. They introduced themselves as Realty Advisors, after a little prodding.

The pitch has changed a bit from what's been described earlier in this thread. They asked us about what we owned, the maintenance fees, and if you had a loan how much you were paying. They then used these numbers to put together a chart that showed costs and concentrated on cumulative costs over 30 years. Once that was presented to you they picked a cost point about 7 years out. For a loan for that 7 year out amount (graciously offered at 0% interest) they could get us out of our timeshares and any loans. They would also waive their club fee (bluehike.com) valued at $7,999 which would give us immediate access to the same timeshares we currently own, plus others, for fees of $199 to $499 depending on unit size. Although for us they didn't provide a username & password to give it a look.

At the end, to try and close the deal, they also provided us with a 100% money back guarantee if they didn't get us out of all our timeshares within 3 years. They also promised no credit rating impact.

By the way, they said they would be off next week for the holiday. But, they would be in Michigan the following week. So look out Michigan, the scammers are coming, the scammers are coming!

 

[TUGBrian]

a shame that these same pitches go on in dozens if not hundreds of locations all over the country day in and day out...and have done so for over a decade.