Resorts Nationwide Inc...are they Good or Bad????

[Aikon]

Resorts Nationwide Inc...are they Good or Bad????[2010 thread revisited]

Hi all

I am a noob in the forum and first of all hello to all of you.I am from the Europe. I wish to ask advice from all of you regards this.

I got a call 2 days ago from some persons working at Nationwide Resorts Inc. Website is http://www.resortsnationwideinc.com. They asked me if i want to rent of sell my timeshare that i have with Starwood which i am not using since i have another timeshare in Europe. They knew my details and thought they were genuine at the time of the call. I paid some $1850 processing fees as they offered me a guarantee that they ll rent it out for 2 weeks in 6 months and in 6 months they ll sell it off. They gave me the contact numbers, names. Meanwhile during the call the line dropped. After a few minutes they called back again to give me a registration number and authorization code. They gave me also a fax number so that once i receive the contract via slow mail to fax it to them. They gave me their phone number etc. I was quite skeptical once i searched on the net and the word scam was all about. I called their offices and they answered. The person i wanted to talk to was on another line and i was asked if i can give them again my number and i ll be called back. I said that i was literally scammed then. However after about 5 mins they called back. I told them why the processing fees and why it was not possible to take the money from the final sale and told me that they were used for brokers etc. At the end they told me that if i dont like the contract i can just cancel everything.

I asked them about their reputation on the net and assured me they were no scammers. They told me that they were in business since 2004. However i wish to know your feedback (bad and good) about this above mentioned company especially from US residents as i always trust in locals even when abroad.

The address is this :-

140 W 5th Ave, Mt Dora, FL 32757 while the phone is (352) 383-0225

Would appreciate your honest comments. If there is foul play i would try to reverse the payment since i paid with VISA.

thanks for your time and help
al

 

[timeos2]

Get out if you can

Easy answer. Get out if you can - NOW!

This type of operation, no matter the name they use, is a complete scam as they are not ever planning on delivering what you think and they carefully crafted their spiel to imply they are offering a sale & rental of your ownership. They will eventually fall back on some wording in the small amount of actual documentation there may be that says you are paying for advertising. And getting ripped off for it.

A few red flags were the fact that they called you, they want up front money for something that does not require it and that they feel the need to sel it based on an unenforceable guarantee set up to ensure you will be past the time allowed to challenge any credit card charge.

Your sense that this isn't legitimate is correct. Take whatever steps you can to get a credit back NOW - this is and was a scam from the first phone call. Good luck,

 

[Aikon]

i will contact the bank and try to reverse the transaction then.

I cannot understand however 1 thing. Why is it that authorities across the US do not scrap and condemn such companies? Why do they allow loopholes in the system for fraud? Its fueling abuse without any control.

Really unfair.

Thanks a lot for the advice mate.
al

 

[DeniseM]

Hi and welcome to TUG!

ANY company that charges a large upfront fee is trying to scam you. They make their money with the upfront fee and then they make no attempt to sell your timeshare.

There are a lot of scammers out there taking advantage of desperate timeshare owners these days. Most timeshares are selling for 0-10% of retail, but that's a bitter pill to swallow, so owners grasp at shady offers, hoping they are for real. Legitimate resellers charge a commission after the sale, but the scammers all ask for a large upfront payment.

Here are some warnings signs with these kinds of companies:

1) Do they say that they already have a renter/buyer for your timeshare? (or an established market like people attending conventions.)

2) Do they want you to pay hundreds/thousands of dollars for a title search and transfer fees, or taxes, or a closing fee, UPFRONT?

3) Are they offering to rent/sell it for far more than the market value?

4) Do they want you to pay a large up front fee that supposedly you will get back?

5) Do they want your credit card number before they send you a contract?​

If you answer yes to any of these questions, then this is the usual scenario:

Once you pay the fee and receive the contract, you discover that the company has only promised to advertise your resort, not to rent/sell it, and they don't mention having a renter/buyer in the contract.

Then, you won't hear anything from them for a long time, and when you contact them, they will tell you that the renter/buyer backed out, but they will advertise your timeshare on their over-priced website.

Finally, when you try to get your money back, they will point out that you signed a contract, and it's only for advertising.

When you try to challenge it with your credit card company, they will tell you that you only had 60 days to dispute the charge, and that it's too late to do anything.​

To see what your timeshare is really worth on the current resale market:

1) Register with eBay
2) Log into eBay
3) Search for the resort by exact name
4) Click on "completed listings" on the menu on the left

(Be sure you look at the completed listings - those are actually SELLING prices - you will find asking prices all over the place, but what really counts is what they actually sold for.)
​

 

[Stefa]

i will contact the bank and try to reverse the transaction then.

I cannot understand however 1 thing. Why is it that authorities across the US do not scrap and condemn such companies? Why do they allow loopholes in the system for fraud? Its fueling abuse without any control.

Really unfair.

Thanks a lot for the advice mate.
al

I hope you are able to get your money back.

I am not defending the scammers, but one reason they are able to skirt the law is because the get you to sign a contract saying you agree to pay for "services" such as advertising, title searches, or appraisals. Of course, those so-called services are completely worthless, but they claim they performed them on your behalf and this is why they needed your money upfront and why they will not give any promised refund when your timeshare doesn't sell or rent.

 

[Aikon]

I hope you are able to get your money back.

I am not defending the scammers, but one reason they are able to skirt the law is because the get you to sign a contract saying you agree to pay for "services" such as advertising, title searches, or appraisals. Of course, those so-called services are completely worthless, but they claim they performed them on your behalf and this is why they needed your money upfront and why they will not give any promised refund when your timeshare doesn't sell or rent.

I did not sign any contract yet. Its coming with slow mail and they asked me to fax it to them once i sign it. They were indeed sort of rushed up. I do not know why they mentioned a guarantee that it will be sold in 6 months. Guess its because VISA allows only 4 months for a charge-back. I already informed the bank about the situation and the card has been destroyed. They will be unable to use the details now once the fee is reversed... hopefully.

I was going to let this Starwood timeshare to end up with a foreclosure. I still cannot understand how my personal information was obtained. Thought there was a privacy act in the US. Such an invasion of privacy is heavily penalized in the EU. I am sorry to say...the US is definitely one of the most beautiful countries i have ever been to and hopefully will go there again and again in the future but its not serious at all.

If anyone wants more details of the contact persons just let me know. Do not want any honest person who breaks his back working to get a $ to end up being shafted by such suckers.

Thanks all for your help and time
al

 

[Aikon]

As a follow up to this i ended up getting a soft copy of the document/contract (as the hard copy was lost in the mail) and a scan of the unsigned invoice of the transaction. I am 100% not going to sign anything at all.Asked them to refund me but i doubt it will ever occur. So already informed the bank and hope to reverse it back. If it is not signed it is illegal and non acceptable anyway.

this link shows exactly what it is This guy indeed exposed them!

http://www.ripoffreport.com/adverti...de-i/resorts-nationwide-inc-resorts-2fb36.htm

Spread the word pls!

 

[DeniseM]

I was going to let this Starwood timeshare to end up with a foreclosure.

Do you still own money on the timeshare, or are you talking about defaluting on the maintenance fee only?

 

[Aikon]

Do you still own money on the timeshare, or are you talking about defaluting on the maintenance fee only?

i am still paying a loan on it and always paid in time every month. If i can sell it for something i will,even if i loose money from it. Its a pity but 2 timeshares that i have locally are more than enough for me.

 

[DeniseM]

Unfortunately, it is virtually impossible to sell a timeshare that is not paid off. Be aware that defaulting may hurt your credit rating.

 

[Aikon]

As an update to this issue i was given the full refund. However if i only signed any of the papers or invoice i would have been ripped.


If anyone wants this timeshare even for something let me know. I do not need it anymore. Better someone enjoys it rather than leaving it to die out.

Anyway thanks to all for the help especially DeniseM.

 

[belthree]

THANK GOD I SAW THIS!!! I just received a call from RNI and the pitch was exactly how the posts and the article in fraud report described... EXACTLY THE SAME.
It all sounded good but the fact that they kept insisting that I should pay at that moment to get the process started got me suspicious. The guy finally pulled the old car salesman trick where his "manager" got on the phone. All their tactics just kept raising my suspicions that this is just another timeshare scam. When I kept telling them that I would call them back he finally got snooty with me and hung up. Now I see why they don't want anyone doing research before giving them money... cause they know they won't get any business!

What a scam!

 

[Aikon]

Happy to know this thread helped someone :whoopie:

I do get called from the US once a week roughly with timeshare offers and all sorts of promises.

Seems the recession is biting well onto them too and are doing all sorts to grab a penny out of unsuspecting victims.

 

[mb20]

I got called too

I got the identical call today. Year end activity I guess. What interested me is how much information they had about my DRI points...anyway had fun listening to the spiel and then emphatically saying no thanks. Thanks for the heads up.

 

[LannyPC]

I got the identical call today. Year end activity I guess. .

They know when to come out in full force --- right when MF bills are mailed out and shortly before the Christmas shopping season.

 

[Davidsen]

Don't do it I work for years there and is a scam since 2004 they have never rented or sold anything. They about to get busted

 

[quinny95]

Thanks for the helpful info.

I'm new to this group. Found this info/ group after getting this same phone call yesterday afternoon. I got hooked and gave them my credit card info & waiting for the contract by mail. Did my research a little too late hopefully I don't loose my $1870 fee. I should have known better sounded too good to be true. Hopefully I can call my credit card & stop the payment from going. Just thought I would thank everyone that posted there thoughts.
Thanks again,
J.J.

 

[timeos2]

It is a scam. End of story.

I'm new to this group. Found this info/ group after getting this same phone call yesterday afternoon. I got hooked and gave them my credit card info & waiting for the contract by mail. Did my research a little too late hopefully I don't loose my $1870 fee. I should have known better sounded too good to be true. Hopefully I can call my credit card & stop the payment from going. Just thought I would thank everyone that posted there thoughts.
Thanks again,
J.J.

$1870 !?! Wow! These guys aren't kidding around and are going for the whole thing in one big chunk. They must be good sales folk to get a number like that for a potential sale (that will will of course nevr actually happen as we all know). Most timeshare weeks no longer resell at that type of price and they want it for "listing" the time on some unknown, unseen web site.

All I can say is I hope you get your money back as that is just outrageous. And hopefully these types of scam artists can be shut down. It is sad that so many people who cannot afford it get taken (again and again) by the whole timeshare system. It can be a great value if used / owned right but far too many are uninformed and end up being losers in a very high priced game.

 

[AndreaG]

Hello Aikon,

I tried to send you a personal message but could now figure out how. Anyway I am new to this forum and came across your post. I have recently been called too by Resorts Nationwide Inc. with exactly the same story as your first post wrote. Am also skeptical about it, but on the other hand, if they guarantee to rent and sell the timeshare within six months, do you think there is a possibility to legally presecute them if they fail to rent/sell anyway?

Also an other question to DeniseM, do you have an idea how to sell the timeshare or do you know a company that does indeed work with commision, so taking their fee AFTER the sale?

Kind regards,
Andrea

 

[AndreaG]

i will contact the bank and try to reverse the transaction then.

I cannot understand however 1 thing. Why is it that authorities across the US do not scrap and condemn such companies? Why do they allow loopholes in the system for fraud? Its fueling abuse without any control.

Really unfair.

Thanks a lot for the advice mate.
al

From which point were they able to debt your credit card? From the moment you gave them your credit card number through the phone, or from the moment you signed the contract and send it back?

 

[LannyPC]

Hello Aikon,

Am also skeptical about it, but on the other hand, if they guarantee to rent and sell the timeshare within six months, do you think there is a possibility to legally presecute them if they fail to rent/sell anyway?

Kind regards,
Andrea

The cost (and hassle) to prosecute these scammers will be a lot more than what they charge you.

The first red flag should be that they called you without invitation. That's how these scam artists operate.

There is no way they can guarantee a sale or rental.

And yes, there are some legitimate resale brokers who will take out their commission after the sale. The down side is that their commission is a minimum of $1000 and your timeshare is probably not worth anywhere near that amount.

 

[RNI]

Debunking common "MYTHS" with Resorts Nationwide, Inc.

There has been a myth in the industry for over a decade that “All timeshare resale and rental advertising companies are the same.” Resorts Nationwide, Inc. has been leading the industry by developing and implementing new strategies to help Timeshare/Vacation Ownership Owners advertise for the last (six) 6 years. The company does additional advertising to draw individuals to our website where Owner’s timeshare’s are advertised. Follow the link to Florida Travel & Lifestyle magazine http://www.floridatravelusa.com/ or visit http://www.resortsnationwideinc.com. We challenge anyone who has posted negative information about Resorts Nationwide, Inc. specifically to show proof of their allegations All of the allegations that have been posted have been “in general” to the industry, not Resorts Nationwide specific.

We feel that we have been thrown into a category with companies that do not do anything but take money and run. Resorts Nationwide, adheres to the guidelines of the State of Florida and we do additional advertising to draw potential renters and buyers to our site.

As stated by the individuals that you “scared” into canceling, they were refunded without any recourse and we answered and returned their calls. That is not normal in the industry now is it

 

[rickandcindy23]

You charge an upfront fee and therefore are a scammer.

 

[Karen G]

Paying anyone an exorbitant amount of money upfront to list one's timeshare on an obscure website at an inflated, unrealistic price is a complete waste of money. No matter what a clever salesman tells you, there is no way anyone can guarantee a sale in this market at the ridiculous prices one sees on the website of the company mentioned above.

Any owner can list his property for sale, for rent, or as a giveaway on this site and many others at no charge or for very little money. Check completed sales on eBay to see what timeshares are selling for these days.

 

[LannyPC]

There has been a myth in the industry for over a decade that “All timeshare resale and rental advertising companies are the same.”

But what's not a myth is this. If a company charges a hefty fee (like $1800) upfront to sell a timeshare, then, no myth about it, it's a scam. Period. End of story. Good night. Drive safely.