National Timeshare Help Center

[Sponge]

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Dave M, BBS Moderator

 

[richardm]

Upfront fee is an upfront fee...

I actually tried to use them to rent one of my units.
When I called I was directed to some young lady who proceeded to start collecting my info. I stopped her to ask how the program, works. Only then she told me I needed to pay $299 membership fee, as they only list for 'members'. And it didn't sound like this was a one time fee, but some further regular fees will be required. For that they guarantee 'a rental'. Further questioning revealed that there is no guarantee that the rental will meet my minimum price, which at this point was my MF. I was turned off by the whole deal and said thanks, but no thanks. For the next few days I was getting messages, first from that same young lady then from others. They kept lowering the 'membership' fee and making all sorts of promises. All of a sudden they found a 'special program that they were sure I will be pleased with'.

Tug members unfortunately spend too much time in the cult atmosphere of the "No Upfront Fee" mantra.. You are correct that an upfront fee is an upfront fee, regardless of what it is called.. Whether it's a Redweek membership fee and classified costs, an eBay auction fees, a NTHC membership fee, or an ad in your local newspaper.. In most cases for the majority of timeshare owners- upfront marketing fees are a necessary evil. If you are the proud owner of a highly marketable property such as a Marriott or Hilton- you may have better options- but more than 80% of the current timeshare owners don't own an easy to sell or rent resort! For those owners, the trick to the trade is simply to look at the value of the service that will be received in exchange for the fee you end up paying!

Try to place your own free ads (and be prepared for the marketing calls that come from these), or pick a company you are comfortable working with that charges a price you are willing to pay!

Chances are with the current economy- it's going to be a bumpy ride no matter what choices you make. Deal with the bumps the best you can and hold on tight- you just might get there in the end!

 

[T_R_Oglodyte]

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[ace2000]

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[T_R_Oglodyte]

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[krissydee]

Well said richardm, no reason to cut off options that might work for you... I've never understood why some upfront companies are so bad, yet you still pay something upfront to list on ebay and redweek but people are enthusiastic about those

 

[e.bram]

So, NTHC is a "good" uofront company.(a la George Orwell some upfront companies are more equal than others)

 

[Stefa]

I've never understood why some upfront companies are so bad, yet you still pay something upfront to list on ebay and redweek but people are enthusiastic about those

I guess I don't get your point. I don't have a problem paying for most goods and services I receive, but I'm not going to pay (or recommend anyone else pay) 10x as much for the same (or, in many cases, less) service).

RedWeek charges $50 to list a timeshare for sale and $20 for a yearly membership for a total of $70. That's a lot better than the $500 or more that these upfront fee outfits charge. RedWeek also doesn't lure customers with promises that they will get close to (or in some cases more than) developer prices.

I purchased a timeshare through ebay from a couple who had previously listed with an upfront fee company. They ended up paying two years of maintenance fees while they waited for the offer that never came. I have no way of knowing if they would have had success with RedWeek, but I do know they would have saved hundreds of dollars.

 

[aliikai2]

NTHC

Is in fact not ( at least in my mind) the same as most Upfront Fee Companys that take between $399-$1199 and do nothing:annoyed:

They do get units sold, they do get units rented.

They actually work at this , not just a listing on a website, or an Ebay auction for unrealistic prices.:ignore:

They do collect a fee in advance, more to insure that the seller is serious, can you imagine how many flakes they would get if they didn't??

jmho,

Greg

 

[richardm]

They do collect a fee in advance, more to insure that the seller is serious, can you imagine how many flakes they would get if they didn't??

Greg

That's a new take I haven't heard before.. I thought the prevailing opinion here was that only uneducated flakes paid the upfront fees! :hysterical: I didn't realize it was a filtering process!

The truth is that advertising companies charge an advance fee simply because not all properties sell- and unlike residential there isn't a big pot of gold at the end of the rainbow when a timeshare sale finally happens to make up for those that remain stagnant!

Of course, if you realize that like residential- not all timeshare listings sell or rent- I guess "good" would still be a subjective term to the guy that paid depending on his own personal outcome!

If you think a system might work for you, have the fortitude to make up your own mind!

If you found a buyer via a free Tug classified- congrats!
If you found a renter by paying a Redweek fee- congrats!
If you sold your 308,000 Wyndham pts on eBay for $29- congrats!
If you paid TimesharesOnly and sold your Marriott- congrats!
If you paid NTHC and rented your Massanutten- congrats!
If you sold your Cancun Sunset Club on Bidshares- congrats!
If you paid a charity to take over your Royal Holiday Club- congrats!

The truth is not every owner will be successful, and many owners will find different roads to success.... The majority will pay some type of fee to travel that road, or will pay a hefty fee at the end of it....

I pay marketing fees all the time to most of the above. Sometimes I'm successful, and sometimes I'm not.

 

[dmorea]

NTHC Member? or guest?

Cindy from NTHC is a TUG regular and posts under the username NTHC - see this current thread for more info. - http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=87213

I am curious...I do see many listings from Cindy as NTHC, however it always shows as guest , not tug member.... Has the status changed? If she is (or they are ) a member it sure would make at least Me feel better responding to an ad if I knew for sure the membership was paid.

 

[DeniseM]

NTHC/Cindy has been a TUG regular since 2005 and probably before that as well, on the previous website. I "think" she was a member in the recent past, and maybe here membership has just lapsed - honestly I'm not sure and I don't have access to those kinds of records.

Anyway, I was commenting more on her reputation as long-term TUG participant, than whether or not she's a paid member. We have several people who are regulars, but for whatever reason choose not to join. IMNSHO, that doesn't make them any less reputable, and Cindy has a good reputation on TUG.

Yes, I urge people to join all the time, but it's because I think the member's only features are invaluable and well worth $15.