Where do PCC's get names and addresses?

[theo]

I've owned a few timeshare weeks for over 20 years now. In all that time I've never once heard from a PCC --- until today.

The envelope from Timeshare Relief correctly identified my name, address and zip code. In view of the fact that I use what I own and I don't exchange, I don't rent out my weeks or advertise to do so, and haven't offered my weeks for sale, I'm curious how / where this PCC has possibly now found me for the first time in several decades. Any thoughts, theories --- or winning lottery numbers?

 

[TUGBrian]

I must get 2 or 3 calls a week from people who are looking to sell names and addresses of timeshare owners.

Sometimes its a collection of owners from different resorts, sometimes its the entire list of owners from a large developer (starwood, marriott, etc etc)

there are companies out there that specialize in creating and selling marketing lists with all of your information.

I can assure you that noone has ever...nor will they ever get your information from TUG membership records.

 

[theo]

I can assure you that noone has ever...nor will they ever get your information from TUG membership records.

Brian:
Not for a moment did I even think of any TUG involvement. I'm still just mystified that a PCC has now first found me after 20 years...

I have to quote part of one alleged "testimonial" on the TR insert, reportedly offered to Timeshare Relief by a "satisfied customer":

"Your kindness and empathy will not be forgotten". :hysterical:

Call me odd, but those just aren't words which would come to my mind after writing a $3,500 check to "rid myself of one timeshare week"...

 

[Moosie]

Theo, I too have wondered, I have only been an owner for about 7 yrs. However I get calls almost daily, or a few times a week mail from various PPC's.

Only own one week, now a Wyndam, but that is about (Ihope) to end very shortly.

I have always wondered if itwas the one and only home resort selling the info, first Evista,(opps that a med I take) Equivest maybe) then Fairfeild, now Wyndham.

When I'm home and in a mood whe I get a call about a timeshare, my answer is now now Idon't own one what the heck you clling me for!

I should be done with mine very shortly, and it will be interesting how long all this nonsence goes on.

 

[dougp26364]

They get them from government offices. It's not hard to look up real estate transactions, deeds, titles et........

You're lucky it took them a while to find you. I get PCC cards 2 or 3 times per week. I rarely get calls anymore since we have all our phones on the do-not-call list and, when they do call, I tell them I'm on the list and I'll be filing a complaint that they called.

 

[Carolinian]

A friend of mine has been receiving their postcards with an odd way of setting up his address, not impairing his receipt of the mail, but just odd. The only place he knows of that has his address that way is the mailing list of a major timeshare exchange company.

 

[dougp26364]

A friend of mine has been receiving their postcards with an odd way of setting up his address, not impairing his receipt of the mail, but just odd. The only place he knows of that has his address that way is the mailing list of a major timeshare exchange company.

You think that either I.I. or RCI would sell off lists of it's members to make an extra buck? Oh, say it isn't so!

 

[theo]

I don't think so...

They get them from government offices. It's not hard to look up real estate transactions, deeds, titles et........

Wrong, I believe. My deeds were recorded long ago and they reflect an obsolete, entirely different address than the one to which the PCC correspondence was sent. Only the resorts / management companies at which I own weeks actually have current address info. Moreover, in order to look up public records, one generally first needs something of substance to work with (grantor name, grantee name, transaction date, etc.). In short, I do not at all believe that govt. / public records are the source.

My lead suspect is actually is a major exchange / rental company of three letters to which I once belonged --- but not since many years before they (finally?) became defendants in a class action lawsuit. Since I am no longer a member, perhaps they now have no qualms about selling my name and address (and / or those of current members...). No way to prove it, of course, and it certainly doesn't keep me awake at night --- the PCC letter is already resting comfortably in the paper recycling bin. I was just curious after 20+ years of apparently being safely "under the radar".

 

[AwayWeGo]

Few Postcards, Fewer Calls.

When we were rank timeshare newbies, still filled with bigtime enthusiasm & major serious pride of (resale) ownership, we'd get those cold calls from the Up-Front Fee folks telling how much money we could get selling our timeshare if we'd only just pony up $500 or so for market research, property evaluation, advertising fees, administrative expenses, etc. They said they had a buyer already wating, which of course if true would negate the need for any market research, advertising fees, property evaluation, etc. -- because they have a buyer already waiting before doing any of those things.

Describing the deal that way made their bogusness obvious enough that we didn't go for it. The must have crossed our name off the lists that they sell to other Up-Front Fee companies, because we hardly ever get calls like that these days.

When I do get a call like that, I go on & on to the representative about how much we like our timeshares, how well we like getting big, big bux renting'm out so we can snag el cheapo reservations into other people's timeshares, etc., all in an exaggerated way.

That typically leads the representative to ask if I'd like to rent out my timeshare, to which I say, "Shux, boy, it's already rented out -- for big, big bux." (or words to that effect). I just go on & on nonstop. Then pretty soon it's clear that the representative is no longer there, has hung up & moved on to the next prospect.

I don't feel there's anything wrong with slinging overstated & exaggerated baloney to the people at the other end of the phone. Shux, they're slinging nothing but baloney from their end.

Stroman & some pure-PCCs send us junk mail occasionally, but those go straight into the recycles.

In all, the volume of calls & junk mail has been going down.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[dwsupt]

pcc

I use to get them BEFORE I owned a time share! Then when I bought our first one I got a post card about one week earlier. I think the resale market is prime because it is often the PCCs that are selling you the timeshare. What's the odds that you might want to sell it a year or two later?

 

[theo]

Just curious...

I use to get them BEFORE I owned a time share!

Formerly (but no longer, unless I'm mistaken), it was actually possible to purchase a RCI membership without actually owning a timeshare. Out of curiousity, were you ever such a non-owner / RCI member at any time?
If so, my suspect list (already very short) grows even shorter still....

 

[wackymother]

I suspect it's not as targeted as you're thinking. I bet the PCCs just buy plain old mailing lists of people in certain age categories, certain income levels, certain zip codes, however mailing lists are broken down. Then they just mail the postcards blind and hope they'll hit.

They don't know that you have a timeshare--they just know that XX percent of people in the 45-54 age range with an annual income over $XX,000 do own a timeshare.

Direct mail is often kind of scattershot--they might send out thousands of pieces of mail in order to get just a few sales. Of course if the PCCs COULD get better mailing lists...like RCI's mailing list, say...then I'm sure they would be delighted to use them.

 

[Rent_Share]

2 % Response is a Grand Slam in Direct Mail

 

[icydog]

None of my kids, who don't own any timeshares, have gotten a postcard but I have gotten several. I believe that RCI has a hand in this because my friend only has RCI resorts and she gets them all the time. I own both II and RCI but they don't seem to know about those II resorts when I get the calls. I once told a salesperson that he should be ashamed of himself for lying like he did. I asked him if his mother knew how he earned a living.

 

[aptiva]

We are swamped with phone calls (which we never answer or hang up on) Today alone 2 calls came from (269) Michigan & (203) Conn. Yesterday (760) California. We have had so many Long Distance No.'s show that I found a site -Telephone No. Location to see where they originate from.
407 Florida lots & lots of times.. 774 Mass. 517 Michigan 646 New York 234 Ohio 205 Alabama 410 Maryland 706 Georgia 210 Texas.
We are in the suburbs of Toronto
Guess with everyone being able to go on a Do Not Call List south of the border they have hit on Canada
Oh ya I forgot they NEVER leave a message

 

[middleoforchid]

We too have gotten calls from Michigan (no friends there) and no message left! Now I know whose calling ....

 

[Rent_Share]

I believe that RCI has a hand in this because my friend only has RCI resorts and she gets them all the time. abI asked him if his mother knew how he earned a living.

Not necessarily cause and effect - just coincidental

With a few exceptions there are recorded deed on all properties. Deeds are public records. Some counties are more cooperative in making the data available

Ask any real estate agent / loan agent where they get the data for the farm - The tittle compaies extract it from their copies of the county's data bases and pass it out for free in the hopes they will get a referral for a tittle policy if it is refinanced or old

Fairly easy to identify recorded timeshare deeds by parcel numbers and sell though lists

As to people selling you out. - Some lists are supercharged by matching your criteria they are trying to meet with a prior propensity to respond to any unsollicted mail offer etc . . . .

http://www.timesharelists.com/

http://lists.esteemarketing.com/mar...AAD58E448C8D?page=research/datacard&id=228069

http://lists.teramedia.com/market;j...0CF8C9FF65D4?page=research/datacard&id=196323

http://www.americanbusinesslists.com/timeshare-owners-lists.html

http://www.responsivelists.com/datacards/timeshare.htm

Googe Search Results 1 - 10 of about 64,400 for Mailing list timeshare owners. (0.22 seconds)

 

[pranas]

None of my kids, who don't own any timeshares, have gotten a postcard but I have gotten several. I believe that RCI has a hand in this because my friend only has RCI resorts and she gets them all the time. I own both II and RCI but they don't seem to know about those II resorts when I get the calls. I once told a salesperson that he should be ashamed of himself for lying like he did. I asked him if his mother knew how he earned a living.

Interesting, the only calls that I get are about the one timeshare that I have that is II affiliated but I have not joined II.

 

[Rent_Share]

Just because there is a pattern doesn't mean they are correlated