Timeshares are a legitimate vacation option for many people, but resales have sometimes been difficult for timeshare owners and scammers have been  preying upon timeshare owners trying to sell their interests with promises of buyers that never materialize after charging the timeshare owners upfront fees of sometimes thousands of dollars.
The FTC took action recently settled a lawsuit brought by it against Pro Timeshare Resales, a Florida based company that through telemarketing lured people into hiring them to sell their timeshare properties. Often the company indicated that it had a buyer lined up and that the sale would occur promptly, however, the truth is that not only did the sales not occur quickly, many times they never happened at all. Pro Timeshare Resales pocketed it up-front fees that ranged between $500 and $2,500 for their services, but provided little, if anything in return.
Under the terms of the settlement, Pro Timeshare Resales is permanently barred from providing timeshare resale services and paid the FTC more than three million dollars to settle the charges.
TIP
Anyone considering selling their timeshare unit should check out the legitimacy of any company proposing to help you sell your timeshare.  You can check with your state’s attorney general and your local consumer protection agencies.  Make sure you have a lawyer review any contract before you sign it and it is a good idea not to pay in advance for the services of someone purporting to assist you in reselling your timeshare unit. If you do pay an advance fee, make sure you understand the company’s refund policy.
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