Scam mailoff rental ads!

[Phill12]

I'm on my second year with Tug and have never run a ad because of all the scam mail.:annoyed:

Since Tug has been saying this problem being taken care of for many months I entered a rental ad today.

I have already had seven scam letters starting off with Tug Member we would like to send you payment for your timeshare.

Then another 1000 word letter about who to contact and all that bull!

I have always heard it was bad but on the same day of posting, I can not wait to see how many tomorrow.

I'm only running this ad about four weeks then pulling it to use.

I had it on Redweek for couple months without one contact just like last year.

I wasted money and time listing it on Redweek last two years but not once did I get scam mail!

 

[DaveS]

Not TUG's fault

Hi, the same problem occurs on many other sites, such as Craigslist. I am a Realtor and post many ads there for my clients to rent and sell their properties. I usually get these scam emails the same day as my postings. I just learn to spot them and hit the Delete key.

I don't think TUG can really stop them, as there is really no automatic way to differentiate a real inquiry versus a scam one. It still takes a real person with some common sense to read the inquiry to determine whether it is a scam.

Good luck to you and hopefully you will get some real inquiries!

Dave

 

[TUGBrian]

Not sure why you think the existing issue with the current ad program has been fixed or why you claim it has been "for months"...nothing at all has been done to the existing ad program that was put in place many many years ago.

I have however mentioned that the new ad program replacing the existing ad program will eliminate this problem. However unless I missed a memo, the new ad program is not yet complete and ready for public use...nor has anyone ever mentioned anything being changed or fixed in the existing ad program.

I do sympathize with the scam email volume you get and the first point of the new ad program is to eliminate that issue...but at the moment nothing has been changed.

 

[Phill12]

Not sure why you think the existing issue with the current ad program has been fixed or why you claim it has been "for months"...nothing at all has been done to the existing ad program that was put in place many many years ago.


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WELL EXCUSE ME FOR THINKING YOU HAD DONE SOMETHING ABOUT A PROBLEM EVERYONE COMPLAINE'S ABOUT.
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I have however mentioned that the new ad program replacing the existing ad program will eliminate this problem. However unless I missed a memo, the new ad program is not yet complete and ready for public use...nor has anyone ever mentioned anything being changed or fixed in the existing ad program.

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YES WE HAVE BEEN HEARING THIS STATEMENT FOR MANY MONTHS WITHOUT IT GETTING DONE!
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[TUGBrian]

WELL EXCUSE ME FOR THINKING YOU HAD DONE SOMETHING ABOUT A PROBLEM EVERYONE COMPLAINE'S ABOUT.

you are right...ive done nothing at all...I really dont actually work and instead I just sit here fielding questions all day as a productive use of my time.

YES WE HAVE BEEN HEARING THIS STATEMENT FOR MANY MONTHS WITHOUT IT GETTING DONE!

I'm not quite sure why you feel nothing has been done...but custom created ad programs dont grow on trees in my world. These things take time. In fact its practically done...all the volunteers and lifetime members have seen it and actually used it during our initial testing phase to provide feedback to make it even better.

Again...I apologize for the delay and will ensure never to mention upcoming features prematurely from now on.

I really dont understand why all the sudden you have chosen to berate me and the work that has been done merely because you misread something and instead now feel things are taking too long.

Offering the entire membership free ads with a far more effective search and viewing system that integrates with your existing TUG members only section is not something that happens overnight. I am sorry you feel the wait has been an unacceptable amount of time...but it is completely unfair to make comments like you have claiming "nothing has been done to fix the problem" when thats the furthest thing from the truth.

 

[TUGBrian]

I would also like to point out that you DO have a free...and completely spamless option for posting an unlimited amount of classified ads at the moment that was put in place many months ago.

The link is there in my signature and its available to any and all TUGBBS members.

While it doesnt get nearly the traffic volume the current ad program does, it is 100% free with no ad limits...and produces zero spam to your email address.

The new ad program we have (not) been working on all this time will be the best of both sections...and combine the traffic of the current ad program with the features and spamfree efforts of the one here on the forums.

 

[Dave*H]

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WELL EXCUSE ME FOR THINKING YOU HAD DONE SOMETHING ABOUT A PROBLEM EVERYONE COMPLAINE'S ABOUT.
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YES WE HAVE BEEN HEARING THIS STATEMENT FOR MANY MONTHS WITHOUT IT GETTING DONE!
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In defense of tug, these statements seem a little strong. Aren't most, if not all, tug moderators simply volunteers? If you are that unhappy, perhaps you could volunteer as well.

The current tug classifieds display the email address in plain site on the ad. Anytime an email is displayed like that, it is available for anyone to send to. This is true regardless of whether you are using tug, craiglists, or posting your email on any other site. The sugguestion has been offered by other tug members to create a email address specifically for the ad. That way, you can ignore it once the rental is complete and don't open up your primary email to spam.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I get oodles and gobs of scam emails, and I haven't posted an ad on TUG for a very long time, probably two years.

There are scammers everywhere I turn, and I am not into the "blame game," nor do I try to figure out how this is happening to me.

Redweek says you are protected against scammers, like the Nigerian email scams out there, but how are they doing that, anyway? I would like to know, because if they screen emails, perhaps they are screening out actual renters? Redweek is not the best site for rentals, as far as I am concerned. I get far more results from ads on My Resort Network and Vacation Timeshare Rentals, both of whom are free from the "scams." Your email is anonymous with both of those companies. Redweek isn't providing anything but a barrier between you and a renter in the form of a fee renters must pay to see ads. But that is just my opinion.

Brian, we know you are working to make things better, but I like it just fine right now.

 

[johnmfaeth]

I have had many years of VERY happy success with redweek. I have never received a scam email via redweek. The Scammers don't pay the $10 to join. As annoying as the scammers are the "windows shoppers" who ask legitimate sounding questions, they never buy or rent.

The $10 fee one pays to respond to ads, and get your true email address "shielded" is super cheap in my opinion.

Redweek was historically, the most effective too. For the last 2 years or so, my resortnetwork.com and vacationtimesharerentals.com seem equally effective. Bidshares and craigslist are 99% spam responses from my experience.

 

[EZ-ED]

With free e-mail addresses available via Yahoo, Google and others why would you use a real address for an advertisement. Get a free address and advertise away and when you get your place rented or sold let the spammers have your fake address to waste their time on. It's simple and you don't have to take out your spam frustrations on people who have no control over who sends you e-mail.

 

[DeniseM]

I agree with John that the $10 to join Redweek does screen out spammers, but it may also eliminate some legitimate renters. It's a trade-off, you either limit access to potential renters, or you deal with some SPAM.

SPAM is a fact of life. It may be a nuisance, but it's harmless, and an astute internet user should be able to quickly tell the difference between SPAM and a legitimate inquiry.

I have my email address all over the place and surprisingly, I don't get that much SPAM, however, I have my spam controls set pretty high so 90% of it goes in my SPAM folder. But I have to regularly check my SPAM folder, because sometime legitimate emails go there too. That's another thing to check - make sure you have your SPAM folder set up.

If it's a bother, I think the best solution is to set up a separate email address just for your rentals, so you don't have to deal with SPAM in your regular email.

And yes, almost everyone on TUG is a volunteer.

 

[TUGBrian]

and just to clarify...the new ad program will not require a fee to view all ads...they will be public.

you will just have to be a member to POST ads...and your email address will not be visible on the ad itself. Think the existing BBS classified section with the "contact seller/renter" button.

as a member you will also be able to post as many ads if you wish (within reason...after a certain number you will be considered a broker and thats different)...and run them as long as you wish.

 

[SDKath]

Sounds great! I cannot wait to see it up, along with that chat room -- for those of us who like to be on at 11pm every night PMing!

Katherine

 

[DeniseM]

along with that chat room -- for those of us who like to be on at 11pm every night PMing!

Katherine

Now Kath, WHO would do a think like THAT!

 

[TUGBrian]

test example of what the new ad page will look like

Click me

 

[johnmfaeth]

That looks very nice. Will give it a try.

I actually own a good number of internet domains from various business activities over the years, so I can setup nd trash mailboxes with no expenses of advertizing annoyances. I just like not wasting ANY time with unqualified leads.

Spam is a reality, can't blame TUG or anyone else for it's existence. But I do my best to avoid it where I can.

 

[csudell]

thank you all TUG volunteers

your work is greatly appreciated!

 

[brucecz]

Seeing how I am not as skillfull on the computor as the other posters here I only use one email address in our timeshare rental postings.

In regards to spam even through I am not as well versed on the computor and internet the spam does not really bother me as I have the delete button to use. I think we have had the samre email address for 3 or 4 years since we changed internet providers and intend to keep the same email address.

I would rather have to delete 30 spams a day then have one real inquiry blocked or lost because of filters.
We only have to spend in most cases at the most 5 to 10 seconds to identify spam and delete it.

Where we are permitted to we post our email address and home phone number and the hours to call we do so. Seeing that I am such a slow typer I much perfer to answer involed questions by phone than typing out answers by email in most cases. I feel I can explain things better over the phone than by email unless they want a list or one of our agreements.

Another thing I noticed that quite a few of the people I talk to over the phone about timeshare, rentals etc, are because of so many automated systems are happy to talk to someone directly.

We do a mix of rental ads and results on one site may be good one year then for no apparent reason the results may go drasticly up or go down for no apprent reason.

I accept I am going to get a fair amount of shoppers, tirekickers and a few scammers but most people are going to be pleasant to deal with once they know you can prove you have for rent in your ad.

We are dealing with something very important here, someones vacations.

Bruce

 

[johnmfaeth]

I couldn't agree more with Bruce in my preference to pick up a telephone and have a conversation with a potential renter.

Not only can you MUCH more easily have an interactive conversation about the resort and locale, but you get a much better sense of the person, and their true level of interest and intent that way.