Resale Ripoff

cedars · Mar 4, 2012

I just finished reading an indepth expose by the Tampa Bay Times-March 4 paper called "Resale Ripoff". It exposes the largely Florida based scam resale companies that have taken up to $200,000 from sick or naive people including many elderly and that the state does little to stop them. Very interesting reading-if someone else wants to post link that would be great-I am not tech savy enough to do it and my kids aren't home to help!

billymach4 · Mar 4, 2012

http://www.tampabay.com/news/busine...on-promises-usually-escape-punishment/1218177

cedars · Mar 4, 2012

Thank you Billy

ronparise · Mar 4, 2012

when asked the question...Why do you rob banks? Willie Sutton was reported to have said..."Thats where the money is"

As long as there is no effective resale market for timeshares and as long as folks are willing to pay to get rid of them, and as long as the industry is not willing to address the problem, and as long as there is no real prosecution......the new question for the bad guys is: Why do you con timeshare owners? and the answer is: That's where the easy money is

e.bram · Mar 4, 2012

The real culprits are the CREDIT CARD companies, they are the enablers that let these scumbags rip of naive people.
You don't see them using Paypal. They will not swindler operate using them. Consumer and buyer friendly. Maybe over friendly, but that is OK by me,

ps. When I bought my first TS from a PCC , they turned me onto TUG(I would not have not known where to look). Sometime bad guys are good guys.

whatsburning · Mar 5, 2012

ronparise said:
when asked the question...Why do you rob banks? Willie Sutton was reported to have said..."Thats where the money is"

As long as there is no effective resale market for timeshares and as long as folks are willing to pay to get rid of them, and as long as the industry is not willing to address the problem, and as long as there is no real prosecution......the new question for the bad guys is: Why do you con timeshare owners? and the answer is: That's where the easy money is

Why do you con timeshare owners? The prevailing thought to crooks might be, if that person can get conned by a TS company, it should be a piece of cake to get them conned by a con artist! Unfortunately.

Karen G · Mar 5, 2012

e.bram said:
The real culprits are the CREDIT CARD companies

No, that's not right. The real culprits are the scammers, the perpetrators of these crimes who steal from others. Credit cards are just one of the tools they use to rip people off.

TUGBrian · Mar 5, 2012

Think he migh have been more along hte lines of the credit card companies that refuse to refund/reverse the charges despite the organization being a known scamer.

ampaholic · Mar 5, 2012

TUGBrian said:
Think he migh have been more along hte lines of the credit card companies that refuse to refund/reverse the charges despite the organization being a known scamer.

The difference between a scam and a theft is in a scam the money is given over voluntarily and the victim doesn't realize they have been stolen from for several months after the fact.

And one would have to ask "known to whom?"

What usually happens is the credit card company as already cleared their books and moved on into the next fiscal period - they are not being "mean".

ronparise · Mar 5, 2012

e.bram said:
The real culprits are the CREDIT CARD companies, they are the enablers that let these scumbags rip of naive people.
You don't see them using Paypal. They will not swindler operate using them. Consumer and buyer friendly. Maybe over friendly, but that is OK by me,

ps. When I bought my first TS from a PCC , they turned me onto TUG(I would not have not known where to look). Sometime bad guys are good guys.

And if I send them cash, the problem is the US Treasury and if I send them a check its my bank...Dont shoot the messenger, or in this case the payment method....

No the mark is still the mark, and the con man still the con man. and the con, still the con, but the industry has developed an environment that encourages it

LannyPC · Mar 5, 2012

whatsburning said:
Why do you con timeshare owners? The prevailing thought to crooks might be, if that person can get conned by a TS company, it should be a piece of cake to get them conned by a con artist! Unfortunately.

Exactly. Then, compound that with many timeshare owners desperate to get out from under the MFs and you have a crop of potential victims ripe for the pickings.