There’s a wall in every hardware store.
 
You know, the one with all specialty gadgets that you see in TV commercials.
 
But, buy one and you find out there’s frequently a flaw.
 
The miracle vegetable slicer only works on certain sized onions…
 
…or that knife sharpener requires that you hold the blade in a way no one can master…
 
… or that specialty paint brush that is decidedly not “dripless.”
 
When we hear promises were made that a timeshare will pay for itself in rental income… well, they remind us of that wall of flawed gadgets. The sales agent makes it look simple, but in reality, it’s pretty tricky to make it work.
 
Natalie and her husband found out about flawed timeshare promises when Capital Vacations convinced them to buy. She posted their story online to warn others.
 
“My husband and I were pressured into buying a Capital Vacations membership last November. We attended the presentation because it was a required part of a discounted stay at the Calypso Cay resort in Orlando, FL.” 
 
“We never intended to purchase anything.”
 
But their sales agent said making money with a timeshare was easy.
 
“We were told we’d be able to rent out essentially the lodging options available to us to others, to make money off the timeshare. “
 
“The salesman literally said to us that he has clients that allow family and friends to use their timeshare, any location, and make ‘a bunch of money’.”
 
The gadgets always seem to work for the guys who sell them.
 
“This was a huge selling point for us. We didn’t think that the ability to earn income off a timeshare existed.”
 
But when Natalie and her husband tried to rent out their timeshare, they found out Capital Vacations had tricked them.
 
“You can only book in 3-5-7 day increments. It would be pretty much impossible to ‘rent’ this out.”
 
“That’s really scary for us because we cannot afford it now without being able to earn income off it, and we have a baby on the way.”
 
We feel for Natalie…and her family.
 
And, at least, once you buy the gadget it’s paid for.  
 
At Capital Vacations, you just keep paying.
 
“We’ve since learned that annual maintenance fees will go up every year.”
 
“The company will not take any accountability of the lies, and they continue to try to bleed money from us at every turn.”
 
“What we thought was going to be an investment in our family’s future has been a financial nightmare that could bankrupt us.”
 
Sadly, a bad timeshare purchase is so much more costly a flawed gadget from the hardware store. 
 
There’s no trick to figuring out who can put a stop to the deceptive tactics. Let’s email Travis Bary, the co-president of Capital Vacations, and tell him he should act now to end this type of sales pitch. His email is tbary@capitalvacations.com.
 
Email Jason Gamel today, too. He’s the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), which represents timeshare companies in Washington, DC. Owners like Natalie can’t wait another day. Jason’s email is jgamel@arda.org.
 
But wait, there’s more. Because Kenneth McKelvey needs to hear from you too. He’s the chairman of ARDA’s Resort Owners Coalition, which claims to represent timeshare owners, AND an executive consultant to Capital Vacations. Email him at consumer@arda-roc.org before midnight to ask for his help to stop the tricky pitches.
 
Is your timeshare company full of tricks? Use the contact information in this list of ARDA VIPs to contact your company’s leaders.
 
Were you tricked rather than treated when you bought your timeshare? Share your story with us at info@timesharefacts.com. 
 
PS:  Follow us on social media.  Twitter   Facebook   Instagram