Phone Call from “PCE” [MERGED]

[OkUSooner]

Has anyone received a phone call from a group called PCE(Property Council Education)? They were looking for unhappy Marriott Owners. It sounds like a class action lawsuit, but now I wonder if it is one of those timeshare exit scams.

 

[dioxide45]

Has anyone received a phone call from a group called PCE(Property Council Education)? They were looking for unhappy Marriott Owners. It sounds like a class action lawsuit, but now I wonder if it is one of those timeshare exit scams.

More likely a scam. Attorneys or those looking to help someone sue won't be calling looking for prospects. All they need are a few plaintiffs and they can then try to move to class action. Then MVC would have to disclose all their owners information so they can be contacted regarding the lawsuit.

 

[OkUSooner]

More likely a scam. Attorneys or those looking to help someone sue won't be calling looking for prospects. All they need are a few plaintiffs and they can then try to move to class action. Then MVC would have to disclose all their owners information so they can be contacted regarding the lawsuit.

They definitely knew our names and that we were MVC owners. I am also aware that Marriott has been hacked in the past and our information has been compromised. This may just be a big phishing expedition. I usually don’t answer unknown phone numbers but it looked close to my physician’s number so I answered. This will teach me a lesson on being more attentive in the future.

 

[Bill4728]

I would also guess a TS scam.

 

[davidvel]

Has anyone received a phone call from a group called PCE(Property Council Education)? They were looking for unhappy Marriott Owners. It sounds like a class action lawsuit, but now I wonder if it is one of those timeshare exit scams.

What did they say, what did you tell them?

 

[dioxide45]

They definitely knew our names and that we were MVC owners. I am also aware that Marriott has been hacked in the past and our information has been compromised. This may just be a big phishing expedition. I usually don’t answer unknown phone numbers but it looked close to my physician’s number so I answered. This will teach me a lesson on being more attentive in the future.

Your MVC ownership is also public record as all deeds are recorded at the county level.

 

[pedro47]

Your MVC ownership is also public record as all deeds are recorded at the county level.

Dioxide45, You are so correct with your post our timeshare ownership is public record. To the OP, your phone call sounds like a scam call. Please block that phone number.

 

[OkUSooner]

Thank you all for your replies! I appreciate this wonderful forum, always full of information.

 

[iowaguy09]

Dioxide45, You are so correct with your post our timeshare ownership is public record. To the OP, your phone call sounds like a scam call. Please block that phone number.

I got a call from them this morning, and apparently missed one yesterday. Politely hung up on them and blocked the number!

 

[Bullfrog14]

PCE meeting for Marriott timeshare owners ? Anyone get a call? What’s it about?

[Moderator Note: Threads merged.] <-- SueDonJ

 

[vacationtime1]

What's PCE?

Someone is trying to sell you something.

 

[Bullfrog14]

Has anyone received a phone call from a group called PCE(Property Council Education)? They were looking for unhappy Marriott Owners. It sounds like a class action lawsuit, but now I wonder if it is one of those timeshare exit scams.

I just put in a post about that…I think you may be right..another scam to sell you more. Haven’t been able to find out if anyone actually went to the meeting!

 

[LeslieDet]

PCE meeting for Marriott timeshare owners ? Anyone get a call? What’s it about?

It is about scammers trying to separate you from your money by pretending to be from a company you are familiar with. Remember, your MVC ownership is public record. Real estate deeds are recorded. Try a google search using your name and town and you might be surprised how much data is out there.

 

[SmithOp]

If the phone number looks local in your area code it's probably spoofed, another sure sign of a scammer. Blocking the number won't do any good, they change numbers frequently.

 

[daviator]

I got a call like this just today, saying that they were a law firm working on legal action against MVC. The woman asked if we were aware that MVC had been taking owner inventory and renting it out on sites like Expedia and Travelocity for up to 50% less than what owners were paying in maintenance fees. But she was calling for my mom (who recently passed away) and I told her that she no longer owned any Marriott timeshares, and so she said she take her out of their system so we weren't bothered again.

I don't know if it is legit or not but she seemed a little too polite and professional to be a scammer, there was no pressure to do anything. But maybe I didn't let her get that far.

 

[LeslieDet]

I got a call like this just today, saying that they were a law firm working on legal action against MVC. The woman asked if we were aware that MVC had been taking owner inventory and renting it out on sites like Expedia and Travelocity for up to 50% less than what owners were paying in maintenance fees. But she was calling for my mom (who recently passed away) and I told her that she no longer owned any Marriott timeshares, and so she said she take her out of their system so we weren't bothered again.

I don't know if it is legit or not but she seemed a little too polite and professional to be a scammer, there was no pressure to do anything. But maybe I didn't let her get that far.

It is still a scammer, just apparently a polite one. That isn't how litigation works. I receive those same calls routinely. Yesterday, I received the exact same call and asked the caller where he was located. He said The Philippines. I suggested he find a different job. The caller before him said she was in Houston.

Then in the mail are a steady stream of postcards offering free meals if I only show up to hear how they are going to help me "recover 100% of [my] timeshare's purchase price". Then the postcard promises that if I attend the "free informational Lunch/Dinner Event" I will learn "how to permanently eliminate all of [my] timeshare obligations." Learn "the legal ways to get out of [my] timeshare contract when it no longer suits [my] needs." It continues, I'll learn how to "Gain access to GUARANTEED savings above and beyond [my] current timeshare benefits." And finally, they will teach me "how to become eligible to obtain a refund for the purchase of [my] timeshare."

Those scammers are relentless. Absolutely none of what they promise can happen when you purchase a deeded week and are long past rescission timeframe. There is never a business name on the postcard since the scammers change their name so often. Just an 866 number. It is a shame the USPS can't shut them down since the use the US mails to perpetrate their fraud.

 

[RX8]

This is going to be an exit company scammer. It may even be a roaming exit company putting on their web of lies at local hotels and the phone calls are attempts at getting people to sign up for a free dinner/high pressure presentation. These exit companies love to use scare tactics and lies in an attempt have timeshare owners hand over large upfront fees. Telling a lie that Marriott is renting their timeshare weeks for much less than their maintenance fee is just to get the timeshare owner all riled up and angry. At that point they are prime to cough up money to the scammer or to sign up for the presentation.

I see multiple area codes/numbers associated with their cold calls meaning that they are spoofing their caller ID, very common with scammers (and illegal).

An internet search reveals absolutely nothing about this “company” other than this TUG thread and reports of spam/scam phone calls. That should tell you something right there.

@STLBBB, not sure if the info is correct but someone on the internet (gotta be true, right?) says that Property Council Education is located at 1907 S Glenstone Ave in Springfield, MO (Mail Drop or virtual offices). I am unable to confirm that.

 

[rthib]

Did a quick search and found this from another group - “Hi, this is Molly with hi, this is Molly with PCE. Hello, this is Molly with PCE. Just giving you a call in regards to your hello, it's Molly with PCE. We're just giving you a call in regards to your vacation resort. Hi. This is Molly with Property Council Education. I'm just giving you a call in regards to your Westgate resort. We're just reaching out because we have a group of 75 original owners being represented by our attorneys throughout the whole state. Basically, what's happened was there's a consumer rights violation around the time that you purchased that's goodbye.”

 

[STLBBB]

If anyone would like to supply me with a phone number, website or any other information about Property Council Education, it is appreciated. Feel free to send me a DM if you don't want the number/info public.

 

[kanerf]

You might want check this out: https://www.scamadviser.com/check-website/propertycounseleducation.com

 

[LeeSoFL]

If anyone would like to supply me with a phone number, website or any other information about Property Council Education, it is appreciated. Feel free to send me a DM if you don't want the number/info public.

Call on Jan 29th from 561 210 4665 - they're having a meeting in Boca Raton for dissatisfied Marriott owners, price of maintenance and selling villas lower than owner's pricing.

 

[RX8]

Call on Jan 29th from 561 210 4665 - they're having a meeting in Boca Raton for dissatisfied Marriott owners, price of maintenance and selling villas lower than owner's pricing.

The scammers running the fly by night meetings in various cities try to disguise who they really are. I’ve received exit scammer meeting flyers in the mail before. None of them had a business name on them. The phone number to call to reserve a spot on the flyers always come up with limited info on an internet search. I suspect that multiple scammer companies might be using the same reservation group/number to sign up their victims.

In the case of (561) 210-4665, that is Boca Raton prefix making people believe that this company is local to where the meeting is. However, that number is actually a VoIP internet phone number meaning that they could be calling from anywhere in the world. These guys will be long gone after they collect their upfront fees and before the people realize they have been fleeced.

 

[kanerf]

Yup, receive lots of spam calls from my local area code which are probably some call center somewhere else. I have my iPhone set to ignore numbers that are not in my contacts list and send them straight to voicemail. Hardly any one leaves a message because that could be used against them as evidence.

 

[spider_eater]

It's not illegal to use local numbers even if they are in another state. It's done so you can call back without having long-distance charges. If the company is legit they won't ask for money over the phone, they won't try to give you dinners and gifts to show, and if you call the number back they will answer or call you back if it goes to voice mail.

There are A LOT of scams out there. But there are also many good companies that call and actually help with your issues.

I had to get out of one of my resorts a few years ago and after meeting with a few scammers I actually met with a company that helped me.

I don't have an opinion about the company you guys are talking about. But the amount of misinformation being spread in this discussion is crazy.

On another note Marriott was the resort I got out of and it was because non-owners were using the resort easier and cheaper than I was able to. And it's really not okay that I had to pay more and struggle to use it. It got to the point where I'd have to pretend to not be an owner just to find availability and after doing that a couple times when I said I was an owner I was told oh sorry it just booked.

 

[dioxide45]

It's not illegal to use local numbers even if they are in another state. It's done so you can call back without having long-distance charges.

I call BS on this. Those local numbers usually belong to another person. I know I have received calls from people saying I called them. I didn't. The caller ID number being displayed isn't a callback number that goes to the person who called you. They use the local number in hopes to spoof you into thinking it is a real person calling you instead of some telemarketing scam. LOo distance charges are pretty much a relic of the past.