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Governor of Hawaii Calls For Tax Increase on Timeshares January 27, 2011

Posted by John Stephens in : Hawaii timeshare, News & Events , add a comment

Sometimes, you just shake your head.

At a time when Hawaii’s timeshare and tourism industry is just starting to emerge from the devastating effects of the recession, the newly-elected Governor of Hawaii goes and sucks all the air out of the tourism sails during his recent State of the State address.

According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, Gov. Neil Abercrombie is calling for additional taxes on timeshares and cuts to the marketing budget of the Hawaii Tourism Authority to help reduce a projected two-year budget deficit of $700 million.

Tourism isn’t the only area to face the budget axe, as the Governor is looking to cut programs across the board in areas such as welfare, health care and public worker labor costs.

Problem is – none of these areas actually produce revenue like tourism – which is the lifeblood of the state.

The newspaper reports that “Abercrombie plans to propose taking about $10 million of the Hawaii Tourism Authority’s $44 million marketing budget and diverting it to basic government services, environmental protection, public facility improvement and advancing culture and arts. He also plans to ask the state Legislature to increase the transient accommodations tax paid by those staying in time shares by 2 percentage points to 9.25 percent.”

With the effects of the recession wreaking havoc on municipal budgets across the country, I suppose it was only a matter of time before such high level talk surfaced. Tax increase discussions on timeshares have been underway on committee level in South Carolina for months, even though state legislators there give the idea virtually no chance of passage in the 2011 session.

Visitor numbers have been up significantly in Hawaii in 2010, with total visitor arrivals up 8.6% for the first 11 months of the year as people return to one of the top tourist destinations in the country. Arrivals were up 18.2% in November alone, but now, the good work that’s gone into attracting visitors back to the Aloha State could be undone.

“We could see lost jobs, reduced hours, less private infrastructure reinvestment and ultimately fewer collected taxes to fill state coffers,” said Keith Vieira, senior vice president/director of marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts in Hawaii and French Polynesia.

Timeshare owners and people looking to buy timeshare have known for years that Hawaii has some of the best resorts in the world. Disney’s new Aulani Resort in Ko Olina is due to open later this year and resorts such as the Westin Ka’anapali are traditionally some of the most sought-after properties in the world.

Don’t let the talk of narrow-minded political leaders keep you from enjoying the spectacular destination that is Hawaii. Even if the talk of transient accommodation tax increases becomes reality, it makes buying Hawaii timeshare an even better option. You can check out the Hawaii timeshare for sale on the BuyaTimeshare.com website by clicking here.

Finally – a Developer who takes Online Timeshare Complaints Seriously January 25, 2011

Posted by John Stephens in : News & Events, Timeshare Resale , add a comment

The Internet is a wonderful thing. After all, if it wasn’t for the Internet, we wouldn’t have a company and the thousands of people who advertise their timeshare for sale with us wouldn’t have such an effective tool to use to sell timeshare.

But there’s another side to the Internet – a side where people can anonymously write whatever they want to without repercussions; thereby becoming a nuisance or, worse, causing unwarranted damage to reputations. It is this side of the Internet that has had resorts and developers running scared for years.

Call it the “Trip Advisor Effect”.

This is when people go onto sites such as Trip Advisor, or any site that allows resort reviews without accountability for the reviewer, and cause damage to the image of a resort without the requirement of a single piece of evidence to support their claim. To be fair, Trip Advisor has made recent strides to clean this up due to questionable reviews in the past.

I’ve heard some pretty wild stories from developers. One mentioned to me that a woman went online and wrote an unjustified complaint about his resort. She later admitted that she made up the whole review because she was upset that her husband had an affair at the resort and wanted to take it out on them.

No wonder you can see the frustration in the eyes of developers at the mere mention of online reviews.

This is what makes Festiva Resort’s recent customer service outreach all the more impressive. Over the weekend, Festiva announced a new Complaints Resolution Center, an online area created to give consumers a place to resolve problems, submit complaints and read frequently asked questions and resolved complaints from other guests.

In a statement, Festiva gave the following rationale to explain the need for their initiative, saying “the timeshare industry’s online reputation has been inundated in recent years with various ‘consumer scam’ and complaint sites, claiming to help consumers solve their problems. In reality, these scam sites are set up to produce ill-gotten advertising revenue for their owners and offer little value to the consumer trying to open a dialogue that ends in their complaint being resolved or to obtain more information about their issue.”

Amen to that.

Festiva is taking on the industry’s 800 pound gorilla in the room – the need to counter the “consumer advocates” that, in reality, are only out to pad their own online wallets at the expense of legitimate businesses trying to serve the consumer.

“We’re trying to make a proactive effort to meet online complaints ‘head-on.’ We are able to resolve an overwhelming majority of the issues that our guests bring to our attention, and we constantly strive to improve our methodology and service as it applies to consumer complaints,” says Sara B. Little, Festiva’s Director of Corporate Communications.

We’ve seen this pattern for years in the timeshare resale business. Make no mistake – we support efforts to clean up the industry, root out rogue operators and improve business practices. However, there are proper channels that can be taken through state agencies in order to do this in an environment of accountability where allegations need to be confirmed before a reputation is called into question.

At BuyaTimeshare.com, we have a full-time customer service staff in place to help with issues that may arise with our advertisers. And potential owners looking to buy Festiva timeshare now know they have a great way to contact their customer service team to resolve complaints as they arise.  

Festiva operates a chain of resorts located in destinations across the United States and Caribbean. To find one of the terrific Festiva timeshares for sale or rent on our site, click here.

Changes are on the horizon for Disney Vacation Club timeshare resale points January 20, 2011

Posted by John Stephens in : Disney, Timeshare Resale , add a comment

Disney Vacation Club has announced changes to its points program that will affect all purchases on the resale market.

Below is the statement released by Disney Vacation Club that spells out those changes:

Disney Vacation Club® has announced a new policy that limits access to certain Member Getaways exchanges for Ownership Interests purchased on the secondary market (also known as the re-sale market).

Under the new policy, Members who purchase from anyone other than Disney Vacation Development, Inc., on or after March 21, 2011, will not be eligible to use those Vacation Points to make reservations within the Concierge Collection, the Disney Collection or the Adventurer Collection. Those Vacation Points will instead be valid only for reservations at Disney Vacation Club resorts, as well as for RCI® exchanges, Club Cordial and Club Intrawest.

The affected collections are special Member benefits programs offered by Disney Vacation Development, Inc., and are not part of Members’ Ownership Interests. That said, Members who purchased on the secondary market prior to March 21, 2011, may use those Vacation Points for all Member Getaways.

Note that the policy doesn’t impact banking, borrowing or transferring Vacation Points. All Members will continue to have the ability make such transactions, regardless of where they purchased their Ownership Interests. Complete rules about these transactions are available in the Home Resort Rules and Regulations section of this (DVCMember.com) website.

The good news is that these points can still be used for the 11 DVC resorts, exchanges through RCI and through Club Cordial and Club Intrawest, which is the original intent of purchasing these points anyway. The bad news is that the programs which will be off-limits to resale buyers provided excellent added value for owners to gain access to cruises with Disney Cruise Line, stays at hotels at Disneyland and Disney World and international hotel access at Disney theme parks in Paris, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

So the clock is ticking.

If you’re thinking about buying Disney Vacation Club timeshare points, now is the time to do it. For resale owners to be eligible for all programs, the purchase must close by March 20, 2011. All resale purchases before this date will remain eligible for all DVC, hotel and cruise products.

You can check out the full offering of Disney Vacation Club points on BuyATimeshare.com by clicking here.

Some Serious Timeshare Buyer and Rental Offers Were Generated at BuyaTimeshare.com in 2010 January 18, 2011

Posted by John Stephens in : News & Events, Timeshare Rental, Timeshare Resale , 1 comment so far

$90 million is a significant amount of money, no matter how you look at it. Unless you’re the federal government, but that’s another story.

Today, we’re here to celebrate a very important service that we provide to the thousands of timeshare owners who want to sell timeshare or rent timeshare on our website.

In 2010, we provided $90,435,503 in qualified offers to owners who advertised their timeshare for sale through BuyaTimeshare.com. Over 6,300 confirmed offers were sent to our advertisers thanks to the industry-leading, technological advances of our website. The website’s new technology determines the accuracy of the offer when it is forwarded to the owner, thus, the offer is legitimate and not one that may have been generated in error or because of some type of spam or irregularity in the system.   

This technology is what sets us apart from our competition according to our president and CEO, Wesley Kogelman.

“Any company can put numbers on their website saying how many supposed offers came in during the course of the year,” said Kogelman. “Our offers are genuine. Thanks to our advanced software, each potential buyer and renter offer is qualified as it is sent to the owner.”

“This allows us to create a successful platform where owners, buyers and renters can interact without the need for additional commissions, fees or agents,” added Kogelman.

Our average “for sale by owner” offer of $14,197 last year was about 70% of the $20,000 average price of a new timeshare interval, maintaining excellent value for owners.  

Rental activity was also impressive, with the BuyaTimeshare.com website generating $5,198,062 to rent timeshare across 4,595 offers. That $1,131 rental price per week would more than cover the cost of an average maintenance fee.

“The average maintenance fee is just under $700 so, with the value that we get for the rental inventory on our site, there’s plenty of cash left over for those owners looking to rent timeshare,” said Kogelman.

Our ability to attract buyers and renters is directly attributed to the substantial resources directed to search engine optimization, which allows us to be number one on sites like Google for terms such as “buy timeshare” and “buy a timeshare”. Chances are you’ve already seen how successful we are online if you’re reading this blog post since you had to find us online in order to read it.

“Timeshare buyers are going to find us, there’s no doubt about that,” Kogelman said. “Staying number one for these search terms is not easy and we spend a lot of time and money marketing our site in this way. But finding buyers is the only way we are able to keep our advertisers happy and that’s the key to our success.”

A great selection of timeshares can be seen on our website at BuyaTimeshare.com. When you go to our homepage, you’ll see a search field in the upper left-hand corner of the site. Just type the name or location of the timeshare you’re looking for and, if we have it advertised, it’ll come right up. You can begin by clicking here.

Timeshare Resales is Finally Getting Its Just Recognition January 14, 2011

Posted by John Stephens in : ARDA, News & Events, Timeshare Resale , 1 comment so far

Well, it’s taken a while, but it looks like the secondary market is finally being accepted as a legitimate option for people looking to buy timeshare.

According to numbers published by the ARDA International Foundation (AIF), using “an online timeshare resale company” was named as the most popular method that owners used to purchase additional timeshare, with 25% of owners surveyed using this method. These figures are part of a report issued in 2010 that also stated the category as tied for first among overall purchasers of traditional timeshare, with 16% using online resale companies to make their purchase.

Think about the significance of this for a moment. Among people buying timeshare resale, online resale companies were more popular than management companies, HOAs and brokers.  

This is astounding, especially when considering how long those supposed “traditional” methods have been around and how relatively recent the use of the internet has become to make such purchases.

This acknowledgement from the AIF carries a lot of weight, since the AIF is associated with the leading timeshare industry association in the country, the American Resort Development Association. The AIF figures can be seen on the ARDA.org website by clicking onto the AIF Foundation tab.

Perhaps now developers will take notice and consider the impact the internet is having on the timeshare industry in general and resales in particular.

If the car industry operated like timeshare, it would take more than a government bailout to help them. According to an Edmunds.com analysis, 65% of all automobile sales are resales.  That helps determine the value of a specific model as the resale value of an automobile is one of the most important factors used when buying a car. 

This is where BuyaTimeshare.com comes in.  For the past 11 years, we have been working hard to bring maximum exposure to the resale market and educate consumers about the value of timeshares on the secondary market.  Timeshare owners tend to be more educated and when they buy additional weeks they buy from online resale websites like ours, according to the AIF. 

Timeshares are a great way to vacation and can save you loads of money if you buy on the resale market. BuyaTimeshare.com provides a great place to find timeshares at amazing prices, so begin your search to buy timeshare or rent timeshare by clicking here.

How The BBB Has Ruined Your Buying and Selling Experience January 12, 2011

Posted by Bryan Connelly in : General, Marriott Timeshares, New Features, News & Events, Timeshare Rental, Timeshare Resale, Timeshare Resource, Travel , add a comment

ABC News discovers a misleading grading system that has deceived consumers for over 2 years

For decades the Better Business Bureau has been seen as a beacon of truth to those who needed to know the difference between a trustworthy business and a deceptive one. Recently, the BBB has had a light shined on its own operation, as ABC News and 20/20 investigates. Business owners are accusing the bureau of running a “Pay for Play” scheme, extorting money and potential customers from businesses that refuse to purchase a membership.

Many consumers utilize the BBB as a resource to find out which companies they can trust. Unfortunately, over the past 2 years a growing number of entrepreneurs have witnessed a skewed representation of their businesses. Despite resolved complaints and genuine service, without paying a membership fee these owners would never be seriously represented by the BBB. And the consumer is left in the dark and forced to overlook an otherwise reputable company, only to choose the one that bid the highest.

Some Los Angeles-based business owners have already confirmed multiple errors made by the BBB’s grading system. While some have purchased accreditation for non-existent companies, others have proven their point by getting an ‘A’ rating for a known terrorist group. Better Business Bureau executives maintain that the grade was given in error, but an overwhelming number of business owners, and consumers, have come forward to tell their side of a potentially harmful and deceptive business practice.

Company owners are being solicited by a telemarketing racket that promises a better grade for the price of around $400. This fact has been confirmed time and timeshare again by multiple companies nationwide. And without paying this fee, there is no way to get a higher score. BuyATimeshare.com stopped paying for its membership in 2010. Having worked in timeshare resales, this author can attest for the damage it has done to the industry, and to our reputation as an independently owned business.

The acknowledgment of this scam is paramount in an economy that cannot afford to squander it money on those who would rather Pay to Play than to provide a reliable product. BuyATimeshare.com urges consumers to base their buying and selling decisions on more than just a BBB grade, or any website that is designed to embrace the negative power of a complaint.

Timeshare in South Carolina could be a target for additional taxes in 2011 January 11, 2011

Posted by John Stephens in : ARDA , add a comment

Myrtle Beach timeshare owners and timeshare owners throughout the rest of South Carolina could be faced with additional taxes this year if local governments in the Palmetto State have their way.

According to a report in the Myrtle Beach Sun News, the Municipal Association of South Carolina would support a measure recommended by the state’s non-elected Tax Realignment Commission to tax maintenance fees on timeshares. While the Commission’s recommendation is not binding, it could become part of legislation during the up-coming state legislative session and Association Executive Director Miriam Hair said her group would support such a tax if raised during the session.

Last week, the North Myrtle Beach City Council passed a resolution supporting the Municipal Association’s agenda , which states that the tax measure is one of 13 “priorities to monitor” during the next session. In addition, the Myrtle Beach City Council is scheduled to vote on the agenda on January 25.

This has a long way to go before even getting to the legislative stage. Brad Dean, president of the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, thinks the recommendations won’t even get to first base in the state capital and was quoted as saying “the consensus is it’s going to land in Columbia with a loud thud and go nowhere.” Even so, the issue has attracted the attention of industry trade association ARDA, which has stated that it “will fight to keep (the recommendations) from being included in any legislative proposal in 2011.”

A more far-reaching recommendation by the Commission would remove a current sales tax exemption for new timeshare sales, resales and exchanges. This would effectively impose new taxes on just about every timeshare transaction in the state and speaks to the desperate tone of cash-strapped local governments that they would even consider additional taxes during the current anti-tax climate throughout the country.

Don’t count on these measures going through, as elected officials and business leaders have repeatedly said over the past few months that there’s little chance they will be taken up by lawmakers.

That’s good news for owners, as Myrtle Beach is a fantastic location and one of the best values for timeshare in the country. You can buy Myrtle Beach timeshare here at BuyaTimeshare.com and save a huge amount of cash by clicking here.

Make Finding a Buyer Fun at BuyATimeshare.com January 6, 2011

Posted by JConnolly in : Timeshare Resource , add a comment

Here at the Tampa office, BUYATIMESHARE.COM has been implementing new ways to improve the overall energy in the office, which ultimately motivates all staff member for the start of the 2011 New Year. Jason Connolly, The VP of Marketing as well as Tim Bohn, Director of Sales continuously work extra hard to come up with new ideas and techniques to inspire and motivate each Valuable member of our team.

Jason Connolly, who has a Bachelor Degree in Psychology, has become well known for his motivational and inspirational pep talks. Reps have learned that when they are feeling down or just in a slump to go to Jason for his positive inspiration. Connolly states, “Sometimes all our Team members need is for someone to have an open ear, but other times industry insight, tools and specific encouragement reminds each valuable member of our team to believe in themselves and not to give up when things are tough.”

Tim Bohn, who runs the Sales Department, always comes in with a positive attitude and energy beyond anyone’s expectations! Daily he comes in transfers his positive energy to all team members, which help BuyATimeshare.com service all clients with a smile. This week he has brought the “Wheel of Incentives” to BUY A TIMESHARE.COM. The wheel is designed to motivate each Advertising Executive to increase their productivity, when they excel they get a chance to spin this wheel and win prizes such as: New prospective clients, and Kogelman Kash, an internal reward system named after Wesley Kogelman, the owner! Tim always seems to come up with innovative ideas to get the office to be interactive, everything from this “Wheel of Incentives”, to placing over 25 balloons throughout the office. In fact his nick name is the Director of Vibe. Each time a Advertising Executive helps find a buyer or renter for a client, they are allowed to pop a balloon that reveals a hidden prize! Tim Bohn and Jason Connolly have helped make BuyATimeshare.com an uplifting, energetic office environment!

Wheel of Incentives

Disney Timeshare to Benefit from New Disney Cruise Ship January 6, 2011

Posted by John Stephens in : Disney, News & Events, Timeshare Resale , add a comment

Mickey Mouse has a big, new boat to play with as the latest addition to the Disney Cruise Line fleet sailed into port in Florida on Tuesday. The impressive Disney Dream entered Port Canaveral from Europe as a new 14-story, 130,000 ton playground for families looking to vacation with Mickey, Minnie and the Disney gang. The Dream is spectacular and will be the third ship in the fleet, joining the Disney Wonder and the Disney Magic.

But what does this have to do with the Disney timeshare product, Disney Vacation Club? Plenty, if you consider the new ship as a big, floating OPC booth.

According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel, Disney president and CEO Bob Iger has referred to the ships as “global ambassadors” that introduce the Disney brand to potential new consumers for company products beyond the cruise line. Company executives have said that sales of Disney timeshare products are “particularly strong aboard the cruise ships” according to the article.

The cross promotion is explained in greater detail in a piece on DVCNews.com, which is a daily blog dedicated to Disney Vacation Club. It explains that Disney timeshare has a big presence aboard the cruise ships, with special meetings held for DVC members and non-members. DVC members are given branded merchandise to wear while on the ship, such as baseball caps, in order to promote the brand. Of course, members understand the power of the referral program and how it can benefit their own membership.

With the new Disney Dream now ready to take on passengers and the Disney Fantasy scheduled to debut in March, 2012, the cruise line will increase its overall capacity by 150%. That’s thousands of potential new DVC members as a captive audience on board those ships. And you thought a 2-hour sales presentation at the resort was tough to get away from. Can anyone say “Man Overboard”!

Seriously, Disney timeshare is an outstanding product and Disney was one of the first major developers to see the benefits of creating a club with a limited ownership period. They want to cater to a repeat market of Disney fans who look to come back year after year and have succeeded in extending the squeaky-clean Disney brand into an industry that has not been previously known for its positive image.

That said, you don’t have to sail the seven seas aboard a Disney cruise ship to get a chance to buy into the Club. Take a look at the DVC inventory on the Buyatimeshare.com website by clicking here.

Timeshare Industry Gets Some Good News to Start Off the New Year January 4, 2011

Posted by John Stephens in : Bluegreen Resorts, Timeshare Resale , add a comment

First of all, we’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year as we look forward to a great 2011.

To get the new year off on a positive note, a couple of timeshare industry news items made headlines this week that, hopefully, indicate a better 2011 for the industry following  the negativity that clouded  the timeshare industry in 2010.

According to the Orlando Sentinel, Orlando-based timeshare developer Celebrity Resorts has emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy after filing for protection early last year. A company representative stated that Celebrity has come out from under the court-administered reorganization “fully intact” with no loss of jobs.

This is significant as financial troubles have plagued the organization for years and, while the company has operated with minor disruption to owners, the move allows Celebrity to finally begin the road to recovery and give owners some sense of stability. According to the company’s website, Celebrity has 13 properties throughout the country.

The second piece of good news comes courtesy of Bluegreen, which announced a new $20 million timeshare receivables purchase facility with Quorum Federal Credit Union. With financing tight throughout the industry as a result of the recession, news of additional funding for timeshare developers is a great way to begin the New Year. This will allow Bluegreen to continue with new timeshare sales, while receiving the backing of Quorum, and generate additional revenue from those sales.

The underlying theme from these articles is the added stability they bring to the industry and the confidence such news generates for people looking to buy timeshare and sell timeshare.

Celebrity has some great properties in places like Florida, Nevada and Colorado and people looking to buy Celebrity timeshare will want to know if the company is on solid footing before making a purchase. Putting the Chapter 11 filing behind them will certainly help.

Bluegreen’s news also helps, but in a different way. The new facility will help the company with new sales, but hopefully those people looking to buy Bluegreen timeshare take a look online here at Buyatimeshare.com for bargains before they sign on the dotted line at the resort. Those people who buy new will be looking to sell down the road anyway, so we’ll benefit either way.

You’ll find great deals on Bluegreen timeshare by clicking here and Celebrity timeshare by clicking here.