Resort Equity Marketing to Offer Refunds December 18, 2007
Posted by JConnolly in : Timeshare Resource , trackbackIn a startling news article released 12/18/07 by the Orlando Sentinal, Resort Equity Marketing, a timeshare resale firm in Altamonte Springs based business, is offering around $50,000.00 in refunds to customers who filed a number of complaints with the Attorney General’s office in Florida. They will also be responsible for paying the legal fees associated with the investigation, which runs the total up to nearly $100,000.00.
The questionable sales tactics involved advertising timeshares for sale and offering airline tickets if the timeshare was not sold within 180 days. When the tickets were not delivered, customers got angry and filed the complaints. This type of selling practice has long been red-flagged as a scam in the timeshare resale industry and customers of buyatimeshare.com are normally cautioned to avoid such companies.
While having a good price and proper marketing remain the best way to resell a timeshare, there can never be a guarantee as to when a timeshare will sell nor a specific price in which the timeshare will sell.
Comments»
We, too, were “ripped off” by Resort Equity Marketing. What can we do to get a refund? We tried to stop payment through our credit card company, but to no avail.
I would contact the Florida Attorney General they would probably have the best means of how the process works to get your money back
i asked my credit card company to investigate the company which was global timeshare. they recalled my very large fee and then waited for them to reclaim it. needless to say they did not. i am in the process of writing to the attorney general in florida. you can get the paperwork off the website.
it too have been riped off by them they have not returned any of my calls or emails since they took $1182 off me on 27/02/08 if i contact the florida attorney general will i get my money back?
Ouch! I am so glad I read this page, and the previous 20 message boards discussing this company, because they have been calling me. And I am so not going to do business with them.
I to was ripped off. They sing you a sweet song but do nothing to sell your property. I never received the tickets or a follow up call once they took my Money. Stay clear!
I, TOO, AM GLAD I DID RESEARCH ON THIS COMPANY. ON TUESDAY, I WAS GOING TO MAKE A DEAL.
I will tell you that there are not a lot of companies that you can trust when it comes to your timeshare rental/resale… I was about to make a deal with them but resort equity wanted $1800 for their fee…then they dropped it down when I said no…then they dropped it down again…these people are only looking to make a quick buck! I ended up signing up with Interval Property Management and they have been amazing so far! I would steer clear of Resort Equity!
To Barbara Mathews, since you signed up with Interval Property management. Have you had any luck selling your timeshare? I m still leary about Interval selling my timeshare. They want $800 for advertising. Im not sure how true they are. I heard one compliant about them.
David
On August 22, 2008 Bryan Douglas from Resort equity called me and I was about to do the payment of $788 when I went online and read your comments.
Thank you all.
Clarin
Wow! I one of these guys are calling me now. Has anyone had any luck with them?
Thank you all for posting info from your experience! REM has called us numerous times, offering to “rent” our unused time for us to corporations. We were to call them tonight to make the deal. Won’t be accepting. Thank you, thank you, thank you all!! Really.
Wait a minute, what about these guys? They want $600 to sell my time share. Buyatimeshare.com. is this legit? Christ, i just want to get rid of the damn thing, i just got divorced.
To Barbara Mathews and David James, how has Interval been working for you? I have been called by REM but noticed that Interval had a better reputation. I am interested in Interval but want to be sure.
The bottom line here is , the only way to get rid of your timehshare is to sell it yourself. All these companies are looking to make a fast dollar. If they were legit, they would not take money up front, they would collect tthe fees at the time of the sale.
My best advise is to sell it on an auction site (you will lose money but, it will get sold) or go through a real estate (no money up front).
lesson learned, timeshares are not worth the headache!
Good Luck to all !
i am glad that i have read this website before making a deal with resort equity marketing. i was going to make a deal with them earlier today with a fee $1500 & they were guaranteeing me $26,000.00. thanks for the info. does anyone know of a legit company who can sell my timeshare?
ATTENTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
My name is theresa campbell and I can tell you 1st hand that Interval Property Management as well as resort Equity marketing lie to you – they both called me and told me that they had conferences and that they NEEDED my property for that weekends expo – Nicole Costa is a scam artist!!! I looked her up and found out she lives somewhere called Maitland – me and my husband plan on visiting her when we are taking a vacation this month!!! Do not listen to them – i spent $752 and got nothing – forewarning to anyone who goes with these companies – its all lies!!!!!!!!
I am so happy to have found this information. REM has been bugging me for 2 weeks. Of course, I have been suspicious of all the timeshare resale companies for at least 10 years and have never gone further than to look at their website. I recently disconnected my land line at home and now only use my cell phone. Interesting that REM contacted me only a couple of days after I gave my cell phone number to Interval. I have been an Interval member for many years. I am very curious to know if anyone has had success with Interval Property Management. I didn’t know they did resales. And Rick, I hate to tell you…..I have wanted to sell timeshare weeks for many years….no luck. You are better off spreading the word among friends and coworkers. I have been able to rent frequently enough to pay my maintenance and taxes every year. Good luck!
Hi, my name is Jose Cruz, I am thinking about sell my timeshare. Do anyone now a good company in Houston Tx.
I retract my last statement about interval property management doing the right thing – the rep from the company called me dozens of times per day untill i signed up and then nothing happened – not even a returned phone call – they told me they had an offer and then lied to me – DO NOT SIGN WITH THEM!!! whatever you do – this economy is so bad that i know that no one can afford losing even $5 – much less $600!!!
I am sooooo happy that I did my research because I was going to call REM back tonite to make a deal ! Phew !!! Now I have to make them stop calling me. I wish I knew of a reputable company that would help me get rid of my timeshare.
Thank Gopd I found these articles! they are trying to get my mother n’law’s $$ as we speak! But does anyone know of a SAFE way to market timeshares, without having to do it yourself?
I was just called by ‘Patrick’ at Resort Equity Marketing. Sounded fishy from the start so I got the info and did some quick research online. So glad I did. Today they were asking for $1,299 with $200 off if you commit to them by the weekend. If anyone does know of a good timeshare seller let us know! It’s probably safe to assume that anyone calling you at home, whom you’ve never called yourself, asking for money is a dangerous scenario to get into.
I was contacted by REM last Thursday. I told them I wanted to research the company before I paid any $. The salesman gave me a song and dance, letting me know there was a lawsuit in 2007 and they were very proud of the fact they paid the settlement. I guess a zebra can’t really change their stripes. I am also looking to offload my timeshare, would appreciate any tips. Thanks for your input.
I am filing with the Florida’s Attorney Generals office about this scam that I signed back in April. Has anyone had any luck from the Attorney Generals office? Oh, please if you can say no just say it and hang up. This company is such a scam!!!
Thanks for the info about REM. We received a call from them today.
A good place to get information and to post your timeshare for sale is http://www.TUG2.com. It is a timeshare users group that I have found helpful.
I just was contacted by REM, a Molly Baccam she wanted 1095.00 to sell my timeshare. She also gave me a song and dance about how they only sell to companies like Nike, Coca-Cola, etc…. that’s why the guarantee to sell in 180 days or less. I am so glad I dedcide to look them up online.I would like to sell it but who can u trust? I read someone state the best way to sell your timeshare is yourself thru an auction, how does that work? If anyone has successfully sold their timeshare I would very interested in knowing how?
Whew … have just been on the phone with REM three times this week – they were very, very pushy making all kinds of excuses as to why I needed to do this RIGHT NOW .. this pressure from the salesperson really gave me great caution – there was one slot left to fill and I had better take advantage of it or I will lose out! He even had the audacity to say “We are business men not salesmen” he was doing the paperwork as we spoke and I didn’t even know there was an up-front fee until he demanded my credit card information. By my experience, this company preys on folks they consider to be vulnerable- foolish as that may be … Well, threats do not make for good sales tactics and I am so, very, very thankful I found this site … and thank you everyone for sharing your experiences! I am definately not sending my $1275.00. Anyone want a vacation in Victoria BC – I have points for sale ..
) Cheers
Hello
I was alwo ripped off from this company REM. I was promised the world how my timeshare would be sold very fast for a good profit being shown at all these conventions etc. I was to get 2 plate tickets to any destination if my time share didnt sell. Since I havent been able to use my time share in TN I figured I would sell it and REM has been bothering me non stop so I thought it would be good to let them sell it for me. Well its been 1 yrar and 9 months now, and I keep being told that there could be a buyer around the corner. I have been calling back every 3 months to reneiw it, and if Im a day late, they tell me, Ohh you should of called earlier, now your listing wont be shown for another month, but I will reneiw it for you. I havent had 1 call from them since they got my money. I was also lied to saying that if another company sold my time share, I would get a full refund since they didnt sell it. I have asked for a refund many times and was told that wont happen, to just keep calling ro reneiw my listing. If anyone knows how I can get my refund back, please let me know. I wonder how people can do things like this.
My husband and I were contacted by REM on December 15, 2008 and got a very pushy sales pitch with a highly inflated price for our Bluegreen Vacation Club points. I told the salesperson to call back today (December 16th) after we had time to discuss this. In the meantime we researched the BBB of Central Florida and sites such as this one. Thank goodness for the internet!!!!! When he called back today I told him that we would agree to pay him double the $1295 AFTER he sold our vacation club and he said “That ain’t gonna happen — we not a real estate firm” and hung up on me. What a blessing!!! Please please be careful of these people and research, research, research. If it sounds too good to be true — hang up.
Thank you for being there, my wife and I were just talking with Bobbi from REM. All you guys have been saying was told to us. Glad we investigated and found this site.
A seller representative (Luis Castro) from Resort Equity Marketing (REM) has contact my husband and I several times offering to rent our two rooms deluxe village at a Liki Tiki. He said that the village is in a “hot spot†and that they have pre-qualified clients interested in pay from $2,600 – $2,800 FOR A WEEK. I thought that this is a too good to be true offer, so I start doing my research. All the info about REM I found on the web is negative, many people has been scamed by them. So I am affraid to loose my money. I asked them to write a letter explaining what they said about to refound my $799.00 if they don’t rent the village in 90 days and they reject. All the posts in this forum and many other sites reviewing REM has been very helpful to decide not to pay for that “serviceâ€. Thank you to all of you.
Regards,
Cristina Martinez
I got a call from Patrick @ Resort Equity yesterday. He too promised to rent my unused week(s) for as long as I own the timeshare and said, since I own at Orange Lake Country Club in Kissimmee, he could guarentee once this week went into inventory, it would be sold at $30G within 45 days. I told him after he asked for $995 on my credit card, to send me all the contract papers, I would have my cousin, who is a attorney in Tampa, Fl review them and would call him back on Friday morning. He replied: you are not really serious about selling your timeshare, so just enjoy it and hung up. Remember the good old line: TAKE TIME TO SLEEP ON IT AND TELL THEM IF AN ATTORNEY SAYS IT IS A GOOD DEAL, ONLY THEN WILL YOU SIGN! MAKES THE PESTS GO AWAY REAL FAST!
Thank you so much for this posting, I was just in contact with a Jennifer Johnston (ironic I know) from REM and she is due to call me back in 25 minutes. I am looking to legally and fairly rent my timeshare and they are definitely NOT what I am looking for. Anyone know anybody legit?
Please stay away from REM. I am one of too many that have paid tuition for this lesson.
I would be happy to join a class action suit against this type of predatory business.
I’m just confirming what everyone else has already said. REM scammed me out of $1,300 last September, all but guaranteeing me a huge profit. Of course, just like for everyone else, they were full of sh!t. Even AFTER I signed up with REM and gave them my money I was still getting called from their “associates” trying to give me the pitch AGAIN! After they had already scammed me! Now I get calls from numerous other “Management” companies about the same service. At least two calls per week. They all must be the same company. Probably a couple dozen people making a fortune off of honest people. One difference I may have is that REM promised me a $1,000 gift card if they didn’t sell my propoerty (not airline tickets). Unfortunately I found out that the $1,000 gift card is for a website site that sells merchandise that is at least 5 years old and way overpriced. It is sad that so many people make a living off of scamming other people!
Oh man! I just gave them my credit card number! I feel like a fool. AFTER I gave them my number, I looked on this web site!! I see the Florida Dept. of Agriculture and consumer services says I have three days in which to write a letter and post mark it, in order to cancel. I am definitely going to do that, and hopefully it will work. I had contacted my credit card co. and they said the charge has probably gone through and to get a cancellation number and dispute the charge. So, we’ll see how that goes!
I was contacted a week ago by Betty of REM. She was pushy and told me I needed to “sign up right now”. She called me 2 times a day for 2 days. She asked for $900 to “rent” my timeshare for the current points and then REM would it “within 30-90 days for between $27,000-$30,000! Or we’ll keep marketing it for free!”. With the promise that there were lots of clients waiting for my points, especially with 42+ conventions that had just signed a contract to come to the convention center there. When I explained that I needed to do some research and that I couldn’t afford the $900, she was able to drop it to $399 immediately (with the difference to be paid when it sold). Then I went online and saw this site and at least 10 others reporting them to be a scam. THANK GOODNESS FOR THE INTERNET!!!
Thanks for all the great comments! we too were just called by a man named andrew who said our timeshare was in a “hot spot” and said we could make a lot of money, we even told him that we might be interested to sell, but we quickly got online and found all of these negative reviews and immediatley told him we were not interested!
these guys are just a scam!!
TEXAS – REM called me today 10 FEB 2009, asking for $2500 to sell our timeshare. I am so glad thankful to find these notes on this company. David Sands is ringing our phone off the hook expecting a credit card today. Thank you, thank you, thank you. If it sounds to good to be true… IT USUALLY IS!
Feb 12, 2009
Hi
I have had a David Sands calling me for 2 weeks wanting me to rent my timeshare thru him. We were to finalize today- thanks for all the reviews- I will be staying away from REM. Anyone know about Villa Trader? Jen Kelly also called me about a rental…how are they getting our names?
Thanks for any info
Kathy
Hi – I wish I had read all of this before I listed with REM. It’s clearly my fault for acting quickly. I resisted answering the calls for a long time (several months) but then got laid off in November and decided to return one of the messages. They told me about a big Trade Show that weekend, and I needed to make a decision in 24-48 hours. Since then I’ve gotten calls from some of their other sales folks so I just called to make sure I’m still listed; they said it was an oversight and verified my property is still for sale. I wish I had that fee back! I’m still trying to sell on my own too but would guess I’ll have a hard time getting fees back under their guarantee even if I do!
I also was contacted last week by REM. I have a timeshare at Princeville Kauai. They said they could sell for a profit if I gave them 1399 then came down to 1199. Glad I saw these posting
An agent, Bruce Klein, from REM contacted me about our RCI POINTS package which ironically we were desperately trying to get rid of, saying that for only a one-time, up-front fee of $1,085.00 he could GUARANTEE it be sold in 3 months. He also seemed to plug away in his computer and found that our package we purchased for $13,000 was now worth an amazing $25K! Seeing that our family is going through some financial hard times, this offer seemed heaven-sent,but I wanted to do my research just to cover my bases (if I would have done that before joining RCI, we wouldn’t be in this mess to begin with.) So thank you so much to ALL of you for all of the information you’ve given and if you want to give Bruce Klein a call and tell him what a scumbag he is, please feel free. 800-672-7034 x258 or 321-282-0600
Hi Everyone.
I am so glad to find out this website and this forum about REM..I sent a complaint letter to Office of th Attorney General, Economic Crime Unit in Florida, but they sent me a letter saying that they are unable to provide any assistance in getting my money back. It sounded like the REM Contract made it very tricky that th attorney office couldn’t do anything. I wonder how you guys are getting the refunds back from them. Where else can I go to file a complaint or get help from? Thanks a bunch.
Thanks for all of your stories. I was contacted today by an REM representative. I have come to the conclusion that any company that has anything to do with timeshares must be dishonest. Chris White told us that we could sell our time share for thousands more than we paid for it because companies want them so badly. I asked why they didn’t just buy directly from the timeshare company and was told that it was illegal for corporations to buy unless it was from an owner. Not sure if that is true or not. It all sounded so good and that is what made me suspicious. Chris kept talking about the “guarantee” of selling our property. When I asked about the guarantee he couldn’t really tell me what that entailed. Of course the guarantee didn’t mean giving our money back because the $1599 was used for marketing. He also couldn’t tell me about the $1000 internet shopping spree that they would give if they didn’t sell it in 180 days because they have never not had one sell. Later he said that they had only given out 2 or 3. He also had a good answer as to why I had to decide by 3:00 (they were closing and a convention was starting?). I just wanted to write some of this to vent a little and put another story out there of how nothing good (that I have seen) comes from timeshares. Also 1-800timeshares doesn’t appear to be any better. In their defense they do screw you out of less money. They only take $600 dollars up front to sell it. They leave it listed until is sells. They don’t mention that “listing it” means that it sits on a webpage next the hundreds of others from the same resort, not to mention the thousands of others from other resorts. Thanks for allowing me to share a small portion of my frustration stemming from one of the biggest mistakes of my life-buying a timeshare.
Well, they are still at it trying to scam people as of 3/16/09. Same pitch and promises. Thankfully, we did not bite.
Does anyone know how to get your money back from REM??
El dÃa de hoy me llamó una srita. de nombre Angela López representante de Resorte Equity Marketing,tenian todos los datos de mi tiempo compartido y diciendo que si queria rentar los puntos. Me solicitaron autorizara un cargo en mi tarjeta por 900dlls. + imp. total de 1085 dlls.
Hablé a las oficina de mi tiempo compartido para preguntar si los conocen y ellos no saben nada.Al indagar en la web encontre este foro y es de preocupar.
Esto es en México y me asombra que siendo esto de EUA no los detengan.
Someone please help me. I haven’t received the contracts yet and they’ve already charged my credit card- I only agreed 2 days ago. Please tell me what to do. My credit card company said that they have to wait until tomorrow to cancel. I called REM and they said it takes 3 days for them to put my credit through. Do you think I will get my money back? Who do I contact at the Attorney Generals Office? Where can I get the info?
They just called us last night….unfortunately my husband gave them are credit card info even after I showed him some of these sites!! UGH!!! Now he finally realizes that he shouldn’t have, but he said they gave him 4 days to cancel….however the number they gave us just keeps saying that the office is only open from 8-5 no matter what time you call. Does anyone have a number to reach them so we can cancel??
My husband and I have were contacted back in October of 2008 by REM. Saying that they could sell our Bluegreen timeshare in 180 days or less. Promised us $1000.00 gift voucher if it did not sell. Great sells pitch and everything. Well, our180 days will be up on April 21, 2009. I just found out about the 2007 lawsuit that was filed. IS there anyway that we can start a New class action law suit against them? Thanks for the great tips but I am the idot here for believing them. Any advice? Lisa
I have used Resort Equity Marketing and 1800 Timeshares both with no result. They made many promises. The only thing that did was take my money. REM promised a $1,000 shopping spree from Elite Shopping Network which seemed to have items that I would be interested. Well since REM did not sale my timeshare I requested my shopping voucher and received a voucher for selectyourgifts.com. Nothing but junk! I am extremely frustrated and I was promised a guaranteed sale by both companies. I never had any interest in my timeshare at any time. What a joke. What a waste of time and money!!! Don’t have anything to do with either company.
Thank you for your website. REM is a scam. They wanted 999.00 from me. I typed in the telephone # 1-800-672-7034 in the address bar on the computer and that was all I needed. I immediately stopped payment on my check at the bank. I have learned my lesson. I was hoping to rent my 4th of July week at the Smokey Mountains in Gatlinburg,TN. They had offered me a good deal, and of course, that should have been my warning sign. Thanks for your site.
I, too, like many of you paid REM to sell or rent my timeshare. I should have known better than to pay upfront before any selling or renting was done. They recieved my contract on March 18, 2009 and I had to call them to find this out. No follow-up at all from them. I would definitely like to know if it is worthwhile to contact Florida Attorney General’s office.
Well I did read all about the bad stuff with REM and still went ahead and let them screw me. When you are in a bind, you will do just about anything to try to help yourself out. I was in a bind.
Only thing we can do is to make them stick to there contract. Their contract works two ways. We get screw for giving them the money but they have to do there part of the contract. If they do not sell or rent your timeshare in 90 days, then they (at there expense) will continue to advertise your property. If they don’t, then we can sue their asses for breach of contract. But the contract states we have to contact them every 90 days and tell them we have had no offers. That is the catch. If you do not contact them after the 90 days then they assume you sold it or rented it. They will have nothing to do with you again. You have to call them. How do we know if they are really making a effort to sell or rent the property?? One is by way of the Internet site, another they set up a booth in the Conventions, not sure of any others. It is REM that should prove to us they are advertising our properties. So go to the web site and see if you property is listed, go to the Conventions and act like a buyer and see if they tell you about your property. It is a two way street. If they lie to us about the sale they could be lying about the advertising too. This is the only way we are going to get a class action suit against them. We have to prove to the Attorney General Office they breached our contracts. Complaints by the hundreds have to be put in for the attention to be given. It took several thousands of complaints before for the first law suite was pursued by the Attorney Generals office.
Someone post the address to send the complaints. Lets all start filing complaints. It may not seem enough but we have to do something are they will continue screwing the public.
Everybody who got screwed keep calling the 800 numbers at least you are taking there profits away in long distance charges. REM has to pay for the 800 numbers and time you are on them. If any of us can prove they breached our contracts, we can go to the Florida Attorney General’s office and maybe they can do something for all of us.
Glad I checked here. I got a call from them today. I will not be calling them back.
I am so mad!! I was contact by them in January 2009. The saleperson told me things that sound like it can help my family out of our financial problem. She guarantee that my timeshare will be sold in 180days or I get my refund back. Also, I have 10days after I received the contract to cancel. I thought what’s the lost, I can get it back in 180days plus a $7000 giftcard. I thought this was a one time life opportunity to save my family. I end up paying $999. A couple of days later, I had bad feelings about it, so I call and cancel within the grace period. The salesperson sound very disappointed and hung up on me. I try calling back she never pick up or called back. So I waited for a about a week and my money did not returned into my checking accounting. Then I filed a dispute with my bank. My bank reverse the $999 back into my account. I thought everything was settled. In May 2009, my bank reverse their charge back and said that I never cancel my contract with REM so they void the dispute. Oh man I was soooo mad, I called and called my bank and they told me they couldn’t do anything. I called REM and they told me that I didn’t cancel within the grace period, so I thought they will return my money, but they needed to do some research. I thought I was going to get my money back, when I called back two days later the same person that talked to me was very disrespectful and said that they cannot return my money because when I filed a dispute they re-enroll me back into the system and that my only option is to continue service with them. They then told me that I won’t be getting my refund and after 180days I get a $1000 online gift certificate.. It’s all a rip-off!!!!! How can I get my money back when they have record that I did cancel within the grace period? Can I file lawsuit for false information? I never signed contract or anything!!!! If you have any information on what I can do to get my money back. Email me at miketuyet@gmail.com
Just got a call from “equity marketing” and decided to do a little research before signing anything….so glad I did. They promised to sell my timeshare within 180 days and the minimum price it would sell for was $19,000 because they sell to big companies like coca-cola and such. I was going to give them $985 to do this and I will not be calling them back after hearing all this, thank you!!
I listed my Wyndham timeshare points with REI on 4/10/09 at the price of $1595. I have a nice contract and a receipt for what they charged my credit card, and apparently that’s it. It’s now July 1, and I not only have had no offers on my property, but I have subsequently received at the minimum two sepatate phone calls from their marketing department trying to sell me the same contract I already purchased with them!! They apparently had no idea they already had my money to do what they wanted me to pay for again. What’s up with that!?!? Does anybody know if I have any recourse based on this info??
My name is Mary Vinson I listed my time share with REM August 8, 2008 now a year later and I Never received a single phone call towards an offer. Every time I call to make sure it gets renewed I ask why I haven’t gotten a cal and they have lame excuses and snotty remarks . Like we can’t make any one buy yours.
I want my money back any Ideas. In fact I can’t even find the listing on their web site. My time share is with Westgate lakes V in Orlando.
Blair Bryant –July 8,2009 REM has been making promises that sounded to good to be true, when we listened to their sales pitch. When we looked at resale values in Florida the points where selling for pennies compared to what we initially paid for them. REM wanted $899.00 up front. Times are tough and wish we had never saddled ourselves with a time share, that we cannot get rid of.REM was offering $53 to $58,000 for our time share that we paid less than half that amount for in Daytona.
RIP OFF RIPOFF SCAM LIARS CHEATER
WORSE THEY HAVE NO PHONE SKILLS
I just signed up with REM. I gave then my VISA # on July 7th. I have not signed the papers yet. I just called them and said I wanted to cancel because my husband does not want to sell. We will see if I get my $699 back.
I also was ripped by these people fast talking promises that never panned out and a gift certificate for 1000.00worth of garbage Call the Florida Attorney General maybe they can help waiting for a reply from them now
We have had properties listed with REM for 9 mos now and nothing. We have been diligent about renewals and received the gift certificate ( SH*T). Has anyone ever really sold anything through them? Does anyone know a reputable place to sell timeshares?
REM contacted me to tell me they have corporate customers that want to use my Wyndham points ($2500 for 77K points) in Orlando for upcoming shows. Knowing that “if it sounds too good to be true” I asked what they want to find renters for me.. $595 up front… “and if they happen to NOT find me a renter??” I asked…. lots of dancing and assurances that it doesn’t EVER happen.. I think after reading this I will opt out and NOT pursue the “opportunity” any further..
Oh boy, do I feel the fool. I signed with REM back in January, and my 180 days was up a couple days ago. Back then, I was tempted to check online, and I wish I had, but I just never got around to it. I’ve had no phone calls and no nothing from them. I should have known something was fishy because one guy first started calling me, then a 2nd, and he’d give me no info about the 1st guy and why the change, and whenever I called back, the voicemail was for a different guy completely.
I also noticed my property is not on their website anymore. At least, I’ll make them work for my money and keep my listing on there. I was initially told by the 1st guy that I’d get my money back if my property was not rented/sold within 90 days, but the contract I signed (stupid me) said nothing like that, instead offering me the $1000 shopping spree. Is there really nothing halfway decent thru Elite Shopping Network? Figures…
glad I checked as just got a call and e-mail from REM.
i thing the best place to sell your time share is from the time share office at your time share. I was just in Virgina Beach and the time share I was at had a dozen white weeks from free to $100. bucks and annual maintenance is only $375.
here are three suggestions for what to do with your time share week
I suggest to recoop money put in trades to exotic places and put the week up for rent. there is no fed or state income tax if you have less than 14 days of rental income.
check with your accountant and see what charity deduction you get for either:
Reserve the week at your time share and give the week to your local church/charity/public TV and they can auction off.
give the week to the charity
I ma so glad I checked them out on the internet. Isn’t it great. I am so thankful for all of the comments. I was going to call them back tonight with my husband. But after reading all the disaster stories, this won’t happen.
Anyone have ANY good experiences with REM?
If this REM Co. was so sure they had renters/buyers (whatever you are looking for) then REM should pay YOU, and then collect from the people or company that are looking.
REM – scammed me out of $800. NOT a good experience. I’m trying to see if I can get my money back!!!!
Just talked to Bill Richards and the “Manager”-Leah. Told that I need to pay money to see a contract. Pay money to see a contract? Ever hear of this?
They offered no proof of past sells to me or my wife.
Told me several times they are members or ARDA and that NO other timeshare resale company was members of it…BS. What is ARDA and what does it mean to me? A bad doctor can still be a member of the AMA so does it really mean anything except they pay a fee?
Please read up on this and save yourselves hundreds of dollars and a big heartache!
Notice there is nothing positive about this company? Does anybody have anything to say positive?
That is a huge red flag!!
My bank told me to fill out a Visa dispute form the same day the charge hits my account. Have blocked my debt card…we’ll see what happens!
I’m so glad I did the research on this company. After reading all the complaints, it’s a no brainer. They have called me several times saying they could get $2,500 a week for my Wyndham points. They only want $2,395, money which will now stay in my bank account. Can you say SCAM!!
Does anyone have more information regarding getting refunds from REM outside of Florida? I paid REM nearly a year ago is it too late? Any information would be greatly appreciated.
I also received the $1000 shopping spree from REM for signing up, the website is http://www.selectyourgifts.com, the “gifts” are total garbage. We also have to pay shipping & handling on everything! There are better and cheaper products at Wal-Mart. TOTAL SCAM!
August 28,2009
Mary Brown, I have just received my contract from REM and decided to check online for more information about them. I have just read all of the compalints and have found nothing good. Can’t we all
get in touch with the Florida Attorney General and somehow get this evil stopped????
I really wish I had checked online sooner. There must be a way to stop it.
HELP, SOMEBODY!!!!!
How about someone with experience starting a class action suit for all of us who have paid and not gotten even 1 offer in over 2 years.
I would be glad to join one.
Murray
I TO HAVE BEEN SCAMED BY RESORT EQUITY MARKETING. THEY TOOK $350 DOLLARS FROM MY ACCOUNT SAYING I COULD PAY THE REST WHEN I RECEIVED A CHECK FROM RENTING MY TIMESHARE. WHICH WOULD BE NO LONGER THEN 6 WEEKS. NOTHING
PLEASE HELP ME GET MY MONEY BACK!!
WOW, am I glad I found this thread!! They have been contacting me for almost a year now because I told them I was interested. I backed out because I have a soft spot in my heart for Worldmark (took my honeymoon at their Fiji location). I wanted to figure out a way to keep my points. Last night we finally decided that we should sell and today I got a call from REM. They are like psychics, it’s freaky. I was 90% ready to do it, and thought I’d look them up.. I guess the big red flag for me was when i looked on e-bay and saw multiple people with my same number of units selling for 1/3 of the price that REM was promising. Thank goodness for this thread, and my heart goes out to the people who got scammed. It’s not your fault, these people are very convincing. OH BTW, if anyone wants to give them a shot, they can go at least as low as $299 to list now…. they must be getting desperate.
We lost $400 to them too. The REM salesman gave me his ext. number and said to call him anytime. When I do, Im told that you may never speak to that person because they don’t allow that and you have to go through the customer service. All cust.serv is good for is renewing your listing. THATS IT!
I SIGNED A CONTRACT WITH RESORT EQUITY BECAUSE THEY OFFERED A SHOPPING SPREE. HOWEVER, THAT IS A JOKE TOO. JUST TV AD LIKE JUNK. NOT WHAT IT WAS REPRESENTED . hOW CAN YOU GET REFUND
i got a call from rem last month and one yesterday. i spoke with ben abraham. if anyone needs a number the one he gave me to call back today is 866-967-0137 his ext is 325. i told him i needed to speak with my husband before making any decisions. i have read 100′s of reviews and complaints on various sites about people being scammed by them. with their marketing skills they could make plenty of money legitimately. thx for this website its helped prevent me from falling prey to this scam.
I feel pray to this company as well through a phone call from Adam Cash 1 800-672-7034 Ext 313
I listed two properties with them 1 in Puerto Vallarta Mexico & 1 In Clear Lake Manitoba Canada on Dec 19Th 2008. Cost me just under $2000.00 for the listing but was told it was Guaranteed to sell in a couple months & that they had clients interested in the properties as wee spoke! All so came with a $1000.00 shopping spree. Not a single item is worth having to spend duty on shipping it to Canada. All items under $100 as well. A Scam! Still not a single offer. When searching for property it is not listed in Manitoba Canada. 9 months not a single offer of any kind. One of the resorts is listed as a 5 star resort. I am renting 2 weeks & not a single. How are hey rendering me a service. Please Stay away from this place Very bad news. cost me $2000.00. Any way I can get my money back?
So glad I looked up complaints for these rip-off artists. They keep calling and calling; they leave a message which is a recording by Edward who says he’s calling in response to my request… duh, I never made any request, never heard of them. It’s their trick to get around the national do not call list. I called back for the THIRD time today (that’s not counting the other 11 calls I did nothing about) to tell them quit calling me; each time I call they ask, are you Ms. Garcia? I say, NO, I am NOT, and take me off your list. They’ll probably call tomorrow. What can be done about this harassment?
I’m so much ashamed as this is first experience with scamesters.The saleswoman named Daine Palmer who introduced herself as one who also also hailed from NYC and tried to convince me that REM is the best timeshare renting/selling company…blah blah….and she ended up telling me what I really wanted her to tell me.
Bottom line she managed to steal $900 from my wallet.
The worst part is when I try calling the number and wanted to talk to her I’m directed to a 800 lines and was told as a company policy I cant talk to her any more as she does not have any information about it.Only sales can pull up the records.
I want to know if any we can file a class action suit against this fraud company in Florida district court and or complaint to BBB in order to get our money back,otherwise this company will keep milking the other innocent customers.
Manish
THANKS!! ALL OF YOU!!
I knew it was too good to be true, so I called my sister long distance who went online and found your scam warnings. I was called by Matt Wells at REM last month, and Michael Richards at American Resort Planners last night and again today. NO DEAL!!
Hi i got scammed too..how do we get a refund from them?
I am going to file a complaint with the local department of real estate (DRE) to get them shut down in my state (California). They are practicing real estate without a license. I suggest that each of you make a call to you local DRE and do the same so that they stop scamming other people. Also, my attorney suggested small claims court, because they didn’t stick to their marketing promises. On the contract it states they would advertise on the web, but then they attached a document showing 6 other methods of advertisement– which they say they use, but “not necessarily for your property.”
DON’T BE FOOLED. DO NOT USE THEM.
THIS COMPANY IS A RIP-OFF, THEY DO NOT DELIVER, THEY MISREPRESENT WHAT YOU ARE TOLD AND THEY DO NOT CORRESPOND WITH YOU ONCE THEY GET YOUR MONEY!!!!!!!!!
REM has not sold our timeshare and it has been over 180 days. The only calls we have gotten are from other agencies who are trying to rip us off the same way that REM did. As previously mentioned by other people, they do, at least, charge you the smallest amount ($600). The $1000 shopping spree is a ripoff too. You get credit for the item itself, but have to pay shipping/handling for EACH item. For example, a his/hers set of watches retailing at $100 will cost YOU about $15 in shipping costs. Do the math… if you bought 10 of these sets it would cost you $155 out of your pocket (because there is also a $5 per order fee). I’m disgusted and will be contacting the Florida Attorney General to see if there is anything that can be done at this point in the game. Do yourself a favor- use your timeshare and don’t try to make money off it. Eat the money you paid and try to enjoy the resort, etc. that you paid for…
I listed my timeshare with REM 18 months ago.I too was suckered into believing they were legitimate. I contacted the Attorney General and they said that they (REM) aren’t doing anything illegal. You can’t trust anyone.
Well i too, took the bait from rem cause it sounded so good at the time. Finally getting money back for having an annoying timeshare which charged maintenance fees and club dues uhg! Well 995 dollars later im still stuck with the damn thing! Its so frustrating, I want revenge i would be very interested in joining a class action lawsuit. If anyone needs another person contact me, I would love to make these bastards pay!!!
I too have been scammed and no one wants to give refunds… I have been scammed by 3 companies, oh boy am I gullible. I am just so desperate to get rid of this timeshare, it is killing me and my finances and I am seriously considering forclosure…. I would love to fight back on this, fight to make all of this stop!!!! How horrible that people make a living by taking advantage of hard working people. It is so disgusting! I continue to get phone calls from all sorts of these types of companies, wow they sure have no morals or conscience. Somebody please help!!!!!!
CRAPPPPPPP.. Im soo upset..By now this might sound like a broken record..But I’ve enrolled with Interval Property Management and the pitch line was the same as the others. Stupid of me i gave them 750$ and signed the contract despite my odd feeling of going with them. They promise to advertise and guarantee a renter. However, i still have yet to hear from “mitchell carter” who’s in charge of my property for rental. I had One of the Managers Jordan Delany call me, vast of times and even text me for the first few days.. and after signing contract 2 weeks later telling about another company that could enhance my opportunity of renting my property faster. I said No.. However, im still hoping to rent my property this yr.. Im soo mad i didnt do my research, like many or all of us i was desperate to rent my property and make a profit this yr. Not knowing the risk, and headache i was getting into. I Would never do business with them Again…
I have been ripped off by this company. I would like to get my money back. I had them put $1295.00 on my credit card. How can i get this back. I did this on 10 /14/2008. Please let me know what to do to get a refund. Thank you
Rip Off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was contacted in October 2008, payed for the agreement on 10-31-2008. Wishing I had Internet at that time. I was told much the same as everyone else, nothing has happened. I never found my listing and never received any calls. Has anyone found a way to obtain a refund? I am not usually one to get scammed, but I was scammed big time by REM. They took advantage of a lot of people. I wish there was some way to get our money back.
K Jasper- March 2010
I joined the goofy group. I gave them my credit card as tey had a buyer and if not I would recieve $1000 in merchandise credit. I never heard from them again, After a year I wrote a certified letter using the names and addresses on my one returned ???contract asking for a refund and surprise I just got the letter back not deliverable as addressed. I think my next leter will be to the attorney general. Evidently they weren’t fined enough. Iwish I had enough money that I didn’t need to worry but could sure use that money back.
Add me to the list. I to was told my timeshare was rented, I just had to sign the agreement and send it back. It cost me $500.00 to learn it was not happening. This was July 29,2009. PS I am still waiting for them to rent my timeshare. Craig Turner (don’t even know if that is his real name) promised me up. down & sideways he would get me $2500.00-$3,000.00 for my points. He called me 3 days in a row, once they had my $$$ he never returned my call. I was told that I have to call every 3 months in order for them to keep listing the timeshare…so what did I get for $500.00…SCAMMED!!
Two years ago I paid this rip off company $1700. to screw me and boy did they. I have never received one call in all that time from a buyer on my time share. I was told they could sell this time share in two to four months, six months max. I could also rent this property out for $3200a week (I have two weeks). You cannot call the thief who talked you into this scam, they make you call customer service. THIS IS HOW YOU CAN GET YOUR MONEY BACK contact Division of Consumer Services, 2005 Apalachee Pkwy, Tallahassee Fl. 32399-6500 Phone 1-800-HELP-FLA. I have contacted this agency and they have responded to my complaint, I haven’t received a ruling yet but they are looking into this. GOOD LUCK
RIP OFF!!!!!!!! Yes it seems many of us have been ripped off. I’m also a victim… Maybe we can ALL file a Class Action suit with the Attorney Generals office in the state of Florida. After reading so many complaints, I think strenght is in numbers. So if anyone is interested. I’ll do some research and post me findings.
I am so disgusted, I am feeling sick to my stomach because I am finally realizing after reading all of the complaints on this thread that I was scammed. A David Brown from REM called me on the phone several times and finally convinced me to fork out $1500.00 to rent my time shares in September 2009. I have not talked to him since I sent my contract back which looked legit. I made several attempts of calling the number 1-866-967-0137 extension 315 there was no answer. He specifically said I can call him anytime. It has been 8 months and none of my time shares had been rented. I hope this person and the company REM gets what they deserve for scamming people. If anyone is starting a class action suit to get them out of business and or a way to get our money back,please let me know.
They called me and offered to advertize a property that I did not own. Unfortunately, I was going through a mental disorder and gave them my credit card. They charged my credit card $1000/- I have been trying to get it back after I recovered from my disorder, but it’s been in vain. If you are filing a lawsuit against this company, I will provide details of how I was cheated. I never signed the contract, but they say that I provided telephone validation.
I have also been scammed by REM they charged $595.00 on 12/10/07. To this date 5/5/10 they have done nothing! I havent even heard from them since that date they charged my card! It has been 3yrs do you think I will ever get my money back? My credit card company said its been to long from the purchase date but they could send a letter to them disputing the charge! How can these people get away by scaming people for their money! I do hope they get stopped and I get my money back!
I, too, was one of the unfortunate ones. How can one ever be safe these days.My money was taken 13th March 2009, and I would love to be able to get it back.
Anyone know about buyatimeshare.com? Are they all the same?
Actually I have! I owned 3 timeshares that I had been trying to sell for a while. After listing with Buyatimeshare.com they sold all three properties in the first year of being on the market. They were always super friendly and professional. I have sent all of my friends and family to work with them. I would def recommend them!
We also were contacted MANY times and finally agreed and sent our $624. Then I went on line and found that they were not reputable, then called Discover and canceled to no avail. They said that we were late by 24hrs and that we could not cancel. It has beenJuly, 2009.
I too was ripped off by REM. I was promised after many calls that my property in Myrtle Beach could be sold very easy because there was no balance on the property. After many calls I finally decided to take the offer and much to my surprise I got ripped off. I paid them $1295.00 and have not recieved anything from them. Everytime I call they tell me the same lie. Now I have contacted the Attorney General in Fla. I have been told that the case against them has been closed. My contract was taken out in Feb. of 2009 and now it’s Aug. of 2010 and I haven’t heard a word from them.
HERB- YES IT SEEMS LIKE I WAS RIPPED OFF TOO- CONTRACT WAS JULY2009-AND SO FAR NOTHING-IF ANYONE HAS HAD ANY LUCK GETTING THEIR MONEY BACK – STAY AWAY FROM THEM.
I also was scammed by them – but being smart/tight with money, I paid with a platinum Discover card that had a 6 month satisfaction refund policy. On the 178th day with no offers from REM- I mailed a letter and contacted the credit card with my non satifaction of the services paid for and got a dispute initiated and REM did not respond to the “dispute of disatisfaction with services” I was issued a full refund from my Discover card. If I ever try to sell again – I will use the perks of another Platinum credit card to have the backing of satisfaction of services paid for. Good Luck to all of you – I feel lucky to have the refund. The Florida Attorney general is working to get people refunds on services paid to sell a time share that did not sell. Call them to see what they can do for you.
It sounds like we were all scamed by REM–$1595. This was in Jan. 2009. Wish we had found this web site long ago it would have saved us money, time and now the energy of filling out the papers for the Attorney General.
To top this off another company BestResortRentandSale.com for the tune of $599. said they could get the money back for you from REM. Throwing good money after bad. Twice burned.
REM is scandalous; they offered me more money than I paid for the timeshare even when I told that I only wanted a certain amount which was much lower than their offer. they wanted $799.00 up front, to cover title searches and what ever and I haven’t heard from them again. Every number has been disconnected or not working at all meaning they ring but there is no room on the voicemail slot. wish I had found any website that told this before, I would be a little more richer than I am now. I am broke.
HELLO!! Do not waste your money!! Interval Property Management is a HUGE SCAM take it from me I trained for a week to work with them and they take your money, pay their Reps 30% commission of everything you pay them and DO NOT market your property as they say!! There are no Trade Shows at the Convention centers and None of their Reps are licensed telemarketers. IT’S A SCAM!! Their prices start at $452 and go up to $999 never more than $1000 due to felony issues. They also closed down their Maitland offices.
118. Barbara from Michigan -November 24, 2010
Hello All; My husband and I were also scammed throught this REM aka American Resort Planners. I read all the above comments and they are ALL TRUE. They charged my credit card $1299.00. The representative told us that this amount would advertise our property until sold or rented. They took our money and we have not been able to contact them since . It was known as Resort Equity Marketing then, back in 2008. Now it is known as American Resort Planners. I am so hurt and disgusted. I am filing a complaint against them with the Attorney General’s office in Florida. I want my money back.
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Hi
Please, let me know if there is any way that we can get our money back, they didn’t do any thing after getting my money.