Used a timeshare resale/rental company 😭 Got scammed. What can we do?

[butterflyglass]

Last year we fell for it. We used a company who cold called us to list our timeshare for rent. Nothing ever came of it and after a month or two they called us back and we got suckered in to paying them more money to list it for sale. They told us they had a corporate buyer and the sale would be completed within the next month or so.

Here we are 10 months later and still no sale. They took our money. But we signed contracts for both the listing it for rent and the listing it for sale.

My spouse wants to look for legal advice but I don’t know who to contact for that. Just a general lawyer? Do we even stand a chance at getting any of our money back from this scam of a company?

 

[TUGBrian]

Very sorry to hear that and we wish you would have found us sooner.

chances are slim to get any money back, but not zero!

Timeshare Scam Victim Retaliation Options for Owners

Timeshare Scam Victim options to fight back

tug2.net

 

[butterflyglass]

Very sorry to hear that and we wish you would have found us sooner.

chances are slim to get any money back, but not zero!

Timeshare Scam Victim Retaliation Options for Owners

Timeshare Scam Victim options to fight back

tug2.net

I agree I wish we would have found you. I should have trusted my gut when I felt it was off.

 

[WorldT]

Check out the above link posted. Be realistic with your situation. Considering how slim the possibility of a recovery is, I would be careful before spending any more money.
I got the same rental offer two weeks ago. I told the caller not interested. I had a different thing in my head to tell him but I decided to just close the call nicely. Should any of them call again, the conversation will take a very different path.

 

[butterflyglass]

Thank you. I will check the link out. It’s so sad these people do this as their job! How can they sleep at night?!

 

[RX8]

Sorry that this company scammed you. What is the name of the company?

I have edited my post as my most of my suggestions are already in the excellent link by @TUGBrian. The sample letter is a great first start. My only additions to that, should the scammer not respond to the letter, would be to also file a complaint with the FTC and also contact your local TV watchdog.

Good luck!

 

[Patri]

Your contract only said they would list it for rent, and list it for sale? They did that, most likely. So they met the terms you agreed to.

 

[RX8]

Your contract only said they would list it for rent, and list it for sale? They did that, most likely. So they met the terms you agreed to.

There are very few marketing companies that do as you describe without scamming. SMTN is one of them. They are an horrible value but they aren’t considered a scam. Everyone else other than those few can be considered downright scammers. They want everyone to believe they are providing a service for the fee but it is my opinion that it is all a facade. In many cases, there is no marketing behind the scenes. The companies do nothing but cold call for upfront fees. They hide behind the so called marketing business. I have said before that it is a genius marketing plan, like being able to steal while holding a get out of jail free card.

We don’t yet know the name of this business but I do know they are the scamming type. Cold call, upfront fee, scammed OP a second time with yet another upfront fee when they lied and told the OP that they had a corporate buyer lined up.

These scammers pretend to be a marketing company and if only a few complain it is nothing more than a civil matter, a consumer upset with the services provided. Your quoted statement is exactly why they use this business model to scam people. However, if everyone scammed filed the appropriate government complaints an investigation would reveal that the whole business model is a sham and their intent all along was to scam.

 

[dioxide45]

Any attempt to collect may cost more than you can end up collecting.

 

[butterflyglass]

Sorry that this company scammed you. What is the name of the company?

I have edited my post as my most of my suggestions are already in the excellent link by @TUGBrian. The sample letter is a great first start. My only additions to that, should the scammer not respond to the letter, would be to also file a complaint with the FTC and also contact your local TV watchdog.

Good luck!

Arclight Marketing

 

[RX8]

Arclight Marketing

Thanks for the business name. Below is a TUG thread from a few months ago.

Arclight Marketing Group appears to have NO website. The BBB doesn’t list a website nor can I find one. How can a company promising to market your timeshare have no website?

Victims posted BBB reviews rather than filing a BBB complaint. I don’t believe reviews hurt a rating like complaints do. There are a couple of positive reviews offsetting the bad ones. Those good reviews seem way over the top to be legit reviews. Lying scamming companies will post fake reviews.

Not a shred of doubt in my mind that this company is scamming.

Arclight Marketing Group

Does anyone have any experience with Arclight Marketing Group out of Florida? They are supposedly one of just two companies licensed to sell timeshares by bringing them to a presentation format. The cost is about $3000 up front and they sell within 90 days. You receive sales proceeds plus your...

tugbbs.com

Edited: I found the website. It isn’t under the same name. Does this change anything I wrote above? Absolutely not. A real marketing company won’t be hard to find on the web. A real marketing company will have a website promoting the things they are charging a fee for (this website is an advertisement to list your timeshare with them). A real marketing company would have a website that works! Yes, just about everything you click on their website is a broken link.

Exclusive Vacation Properties – #1 Vacation Properties

exclusive-vacation-properties.org

 

[LannyPC]

First and foremost, sorry for your loss that you got scammed. Sadly, we hear of this almost every week here on TUG how TS owners fall for this scam.

That being said, you might want to edit the title because, other than being a scam, a timeshare exit company is totally different from the upfront fee resale/rental scam company like Arclight Marketing.

The upfront fee resale/rental companies scam owners into thinking that owners will fetch unrealistically big bucks for the sale or rental of their TSs. Whereas, the TS exit companies tell owners that they can simply help owners exit or "cancel" their ownership without the owner expecting any money for a sale.

 

[butterflyglass]

First and foremost, sorry for your loss that you got scammed. Sadly, we hear of this almost every week here on TUG how TS owners fall for this scam.

That being said, you might want to edit the title because, other than being a scam, a timeshare exit company is totally different from the upfront fee resale/rental scam company like Arclight Marketing.

The upfront fee resale/rental companies scam owners into thinking that owners will fetch unrealistically big bucks for the sale or rental of their TSs. Whereas, the TS exit companies tell owners that they can simply help owners exit or "cancel" their ownership without the owner expecting any money for a sale.

Thank you. I will do that.

 

[bnoble]

Any attempt to collect may cost more than you can end up collecting.

This. Chalk it up to a lesson learned. There is no easy way to get the cash back, and the hard ways may also not work but will definitely be expensive. Typically, these companies run for as long as they can, declare bankruptcy to erase any liability, and then the principals re-form and start over.

 

[butterflyglass]

This. Chalk it up to a lesson learned. There is no easy way to get the cash back, and the hard ways may also not work but will definitely be expensive. Typically, these companies run for as long as they can, declare bankruptcy to erase any liability, and then the principals re-form and start over.

Sad. I really don’t know how people can live with themselves doing this to other people.

 

[bnoble]

How do people do a lot of things?

 

[sue1947]

I agree that your chances of getting any money back is pretty darn low and not worth the cost of a lawyer. However, I hope you take the time to file complaints with the attorneys general and BBB to help warn others. Even with that, these companies change their names when things get too hot, but you might help others learn from your experience.

 

[butterflyglass]

I agree that your chances of getting any money back is pretty darn low and not worth the cost of a lawyer. However, I hope you take the time to file complaints with the attorneys general and BBB to help warn others. Even with that, these companies change their names when things get too hot, but you might help others learn from your experience.

Thank you. I will definitely do those things.

 

[Patri]

There are very few marketing companies that do as you describe without scamming. SMTN is one of them. They are an horrible value but they aren’t considered a scam. Everyone else other than those few can be considered downright scammers. They want everyone to believe they are providing a service for the fee but it is my opinion that it is all a facade. In many cases, there is no marketing behind the scenes. The companies do nothing but cold call for upfront fees. They hide behind the so called marketing business. I have said before that it is a genius marketing plan, like being able to steal while holding a get out of jail free card.

I know all that. I was surprised there was an actual contract. Did OP read it? Of course it was a scam. Company probably did exactly what was in the contract, but at an inflated price on a site no one would ever see.
I’m curious how much victims read the fine print, or look for reviews on these types of companies before signing up. And look over the sites where the ts are listed. AND determine the true market value, not what they want it to be worth. And just use common sense about giving away money before a service is provided.

 

[LannyPC]

I know all that. I was surprised there was an actual contract. Did OP read it? Of course it was a scam. Company probably did exactly what was in the contract, but at an inflated price on a site no one would ever see.
I’m curious how much victims read the fine print, or look for reviews on these types of companies before signing up.

Some of these upfront fee resale/rental scam companies do send a contract. However, what they do when they call their victims is say that they will sell or rent out the TS for (unrealistically) big bucks but then, after collecting the upfront fee, send the victim the contract which states that the company will merely advertise the timeshare.

 

[RX8]

Some of these upfront fee resale/rental scam companies do send a contract. However, what they do when they call their victims is say that they will sell or rent out the TS for (unrealistically) big bucks but then, after collecting the upfront fee, send the victim the contract which states that the company will merely advertise the timeshare.

And scammers don’t really care about the contracts anyway as they use it to give the appearance that they are marketing the timeshare. While they say in the contract that they will advertise or market the timeshare, none of that happens. In the case of Arclight, they have no timeshares you can access on their website and no way for prospective buyers/renters to inquire (if they found the almost impossible to find website). Despite no functional website they continue to lie on the phone for upfront fees.

 

[chapjim]

And scammers don’t really care about the contracts anyway as they use it to give the appearance that they are marketing the timeshare. While they say in the contract that they will advertise or market the timeshare, none of that happens. In the case of Arclight, they have no timeshares you can access on their website and no way for prospective buyers/renters to inquire (if they found the almost impossible to find website). Despite no functional website they continue to lie on the phone for upfront fees.

If anything, under these circumstances, OP has a better shot than usual writing to the state Attorney General and/or FTC.

The company promised to market the timeshare but doesn't have any way to do that. The scammer failed to perform.

 

[davidvel]

Lots of good info in this thread, but for OP and others, who have been duped multiple times, these people are SCAMMERS. They are not a legitimate business, there is no money to recover from them, they don't have bank accounts or assets. "Contracts" are meaningless. No different than a pickpocket on the street. Don't spend another second thinking about recovering money from them.

If you get a call from someone saying they are investigating them, hang up. These scams include follow up efforts to take more of your $$$. They claim to be an agency investigating and get your financial info or more $$ so they can recover from them. A police officer lost hundreds of thousands of dollars, so they know what they are doing.

Bottom line, cut all ties, be it text, email or phone. Anyone calling you about it is the same scammer. Chalk it up to a lesson learned.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Thank you. I will definitely do those things.

Whatever miniscule chance you have of recovering some of your money back lies with complaining to your state AG, hoping that this is a big enough fish that law enforcement goes after them, hoping that they do get prosecuted, and hoping that restitution is part of whatever sentence they eventually get. It’s all a very long shot but certainly worth reporting the incident so others don’t get scammed. Don’t throw good money after bad though. Don’t “hire” someone to get your money back. There are a lot of scammers out there that prey on people who have already been scammed.

 

[jules54]

Don’t know how you paid the fees? If by credit card contact your credit card company. I don’t care how long ago it was and what type of contract you signed. It costs you nothing to look into the matter with your credit card company. Any so called business that accepts credit cards the credit card company can do a charge back. It might not stand but it is worth trying.
Some Tuggers will argue this is not possible. I hope they won’t argue it never hurts to look into it. Don’t ask don’t get.

Don’t be to hard on yourself. So many of us Tuggers have fallin for the same BS. I did my mistake before Tug even was Tug. Pretty certain it cost me 495.00. It was a high quality resort and the sales pitch to sell it to foreign investors that wanted property in California was sooo convincing.
I bought the contract resale to start with. I paid 5,000 for it. If I would have just waited a year I got an offer from the resort to buy back my contract for 4500.00 I jumped on it.

Good Luck

NEVER PAY ANY MONEY UPFRONT. THEY ARE ALL SCAMMERS. SOMETIMES THEY PUT A NEW SHADE OF LIPSTICK ON THE PIG, BUT ITS STILL THE SAME PIG. Sorry pigs I know this is offensive to you.