Time Shares

Question: My husband and I own four time shares that we use frequently but have never had this problem until recently. We stayed at an RCI property that was billed as a five-star resort. We had to change the bed linens and bath towels ourselves by taking them to the laundry room to exchange, and we had to empty our trash by lugging it to the dumpster on the other side of the property. Our bed was a Murphy bed. There was no restaurant on site; the closest was five miles. No spa. No shampoo, no lotion, no shower cap. Oh, and they left a tip envelope, yet they offered no services.

So, you have a time-share to unload and a friendly salesperson calls to say he has a buyer. In fact, the caller can handle everything for you, including the Federal Trade Commission approval of the sale. All you have to do is pay a $3,000 deposit, to be refunded when the transaction is complete. Except that you never hear from the salesperson again. And by the way, the FTC does not review or approve time-share transactions. But the FTC did take action against the operators of a company it accused of pulling off that scam, taking in millions of dollars.

Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for. Credit card interest - The Federal Trade Commission is sending refunds to more than 4,400 consumers who were defrauded by a telemarketing firm that promised to reduce their credit card interest rates in exchange for an upfront fee. The FTC sued Economic Relief Technologies and several related firms and individuals in 2010, accusing them of a massive telemarketing fraud....

David Siegel, founder and chief executive of sprawling time-share company Westgate Resorts, is not known for subtlety. There's his quest to build the largest private residence in America, a 90,000-square-foot shrine to opulence in Florida that was modeled on France's Versailles palace. There's his starring role in the documentary "The Queen of Versailles," which follows the home's construction and the effect of the Great Recession on his firm and family. Then there are his claims that he was personally responsible for getting George W. Bush elected president in 2000 (perhaps by illegal means, Siegel slyly suggests in the movie)

Thank you for your time-share article ("Major Hotel Chains Jump on Time-Share Bandwagon," Travel Insider, March 15). I was at a time-share property in Palm Springs the very day of this article. Yes, I bought into the sales pitch. However, I rescinded only two days after by mail, in accordance with my recession rights. This "right" was only discovered when I reviewed my packet of papers. It was never told to me by the sales representative. I hope I get my money back and don't get stuck with such a bad deal.

The public auction of vacation time-shares originally scheduled for Nov. 8 at the Los Angeles Convention Center has been postponed until Dec. 6, according to auction sponsor Mario Collura of RE/MAX TRI, Marina del Rey. The seller registration deadline is Wednesday, he added. Registration information can be obtained from RE/MAX TRI, 13470 Washington Blvd., Marina del Rey 90292. The auction will be conducted by the Piatelli Co.

Thank you for "Time Shares: Take Your Time Before Signing on Dotted Line" [Travel Q&A, May 8]. My husband and I recently attended a time share presentation in Palm Springs. We were impressed and signed the papers and gave a deposit. We came home the next day. That evening, I read everything. The contracts were far more confusing than I thought, and I realized that the provisions were different from what we were promised. I am an attorney and very used to reading contracts. It took me three hours to try to figure out this one. I quickly decided that we needed to back out of this deal.

Time shares are tough to sell, even in the best of times. But now the shared vacation properties and their hefty annual fees have become nearly impossible to unload and are breeding a horde of scam artists preying on eager sellers. Nearly 8 million people ? about 7% of U.S. households ? own a time share, a vacation property owned by many people who take turns using it. The slow economic recovery, and the fact that the first generation to buy time shares 35 years ago has been retiring, means many people are looking to sell.

One piece of unsolicited mail, several credit-card billings, a few pleasant beach days and several uncomfortable hours at sea have arisen so far in my 15-month relationship with the vacation certificate industry. But like many troubled relationships, ours ultimately comes down to a few waves of anxiety and a couple of decisive moments. The most crucial of those moments cropped up on a blustery January afternoon here on Florida's southeast coast.

Ralph Mann, founder of Glen Ivy Resorts, has resigned as president and chief executive of the controversial time-share firm's parent, Glen Ivy Holdings Inc. Mann's resignation last week came just days before the company--already operating under a Dec. 30 court injunction--was slapped with a new state order barring it from selling time-share interests at its Lake Tahoe resort until it clears about $1 million in notes and mortgages on the properties. On Jan.

Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for. Credit card interest - The Federal Trade Commission is sending refunds to more than 4,400 consumers who were defrauded by a telemarketing firm that promised to reduce their credit card interest rates in exchange for an upfront fee. The FTC sued Economic Relief Technologies and several related firms and individuals in 2010, accusing them of a massive telemarketing fraud....

Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for. Mortgage relief - One of the most common scams in recent years has involved companies that promise to provide debt relief to homeowners who have fallen behind on their mortgages. Consumers are advised never to pay upfront fees to debt relief firms. Instead, fees should be paid only after the firm is able to reduce monthly payments or provide other favorable results. The Federal Trade Commission recently obtained a $3.9-million judgment against three firms that charged homeowners as much as $4,000 with promises of reducing mortgage payments and interest rates but then failed to provide such services.

Here is a roundup of alleged cons, frauds and schemes to watch out for. Romance scam With Valentine's Day approaching, now might be a good time for lonely consumers to watch out for a con called the "romance scam. " In this scam, criminals pose as would-be lovers through social media or dating websites, strike up an Internet-based relationship and then ask for money so they can travel to meet their pursuer. Once the lonely victim sends the money, the conversations end and the money is gone.

Time shares are tough to sell, even in the best of times. But now the shared vacation properties and their hefty annual fees have become nearly impossible to unload and are breeding a horde of scam artists preying on eager sellers. Nearly 8 million people ? about 7% of U.S. households ? own a time share, a vacation property owned by many people who take turns using it. The slow economic recovery, and the fact that the first generation to buy time shares 35 years ago has been retiring, means many people are looking to sell.

Forty years ago Wednesday, the disastrous Sylmar earthquake struck the Los Angeles region, killing 62 people, flattening buildings and crumpling roads. Many of the victims of the 6.6-magnitude temblor were inside a hospital that collapsed. For many readers on latimes.com , it was a day they will never forget. "The refrigerator tipped over and spilled everything out, windows fell out, cement walls fell onto our car," one recalled. "I truly believed in the moment that this was the end of the world.

Dear Liz: I'm in my early 50s and in good financial shape. I have no debt and a comfortable savings account and am working toward retirement goals with my wife of 21 years. For years I have lived very modestly (some would say cheaply). However, recently I had a health issue that is making me rethink my future finances. I was told I had about a 20% chance of surviving this thing and, although I'm OK for now, there is no guarantee it won't return at any moment. So should I keep planning for retirement, or should I take the "You can't take it with you" attitude and start having some fun?

Paramount Communications, which launched a hostile $10.7-billion offer for Time Inc. two weeks ago, cleared certain federal antitrust agency hurdles Wedneday but conceded in court documents that it is not prepared to purchase shares by July 5, the date its tender offer for Time is due to expire. Lawyers for Paramount told a Connecticut judge that Paramount awaits an initial decision by the Delaware court where the company has sued to overturn some of Time's anti-takeover defenses, including Time's recent move to acquire Warner Communications for $14 billion.

Consolidated Resort Enterprises Inc. of Newport Beach, owner of an apartment complex in Las Vegas, was acquired by a Minneapolis concern that says it will turn the apartments into time-share units. MPTV Inc. of Minneapolis swapped 7.5 million shares for Consolidated. MPTV closed at $5.50 a share on Nasdaq when the acquisition was completed earlier this week, which puts the value of the deal at about $41 million.

Question: I inherited a two-bedroom, two-bathroom time share in Escondido, and I can have my week as long as I pay the annual maintenance. Because I have family there, I don't need a place to stay. How can I sell this without incurring additional expense upfront? All the places I've read about on the Web want you to pay $500 or more upfront for them to market the unit. J. Cooper Lenexa, Kan. Answer: Cooper is wise. Nothing screams scam like, "I have a buyer waiting to buy your time share for $20,000 and all you have to do is give me your credit card number."

A few days before her 61st birthday on Sunday, Janet Engelbrecht received a postcard from what appeared to be a Costa Mesa travel agency. There was a birthday cake and the words "Happy Birthday!" on one side. On the other was the surprising and welcome news that, "in celebration of your birthday," Engelbrecht would receive "two round-trip airfares to anywhere in the continental U.S.," plus a seven-day car rental if she called within 48 hours. "We are excited for you!" the card says.