Why do you suppose timeshare companies always rush new owners through the signing of sales documents at the end of a lengthy sales pitch.

Could it be so the owners will sign without reading the “fine print?”

Scroll through the complaints against Hilton Grand Vacations on file with the Better Business Bureau and you’ll find a fair amount that involve owners who were never allowed enough time for a good review of what they were signing.

So, we were more than surprised to come across someone who actually DID read the fine print.

Sadly, it didn’t protect them from Hilton’s unethical behavior.

“In November 2023, I attended a timeshare sales presentation under the guise of being taken for a tour of a new hotel property. At the time, what was promised with the timeshare option sounded reasonable, so I agreed to purchase the points.”

A happy Hilton owner! We don’t see that every day.

“I had not used my points, so in February, when I got a call from Hilton Grand Vacations to take a trip on their dream vacation package using my bonus points, I planned to bring my daughter in May.”

“The dream vacation was hardly a dream.”

Sadly, happiness only lasts so long with Hilton.

“In my meeting to ‘show me how the new website worked,’ I was encouraged to ‘refinance’ my initial loan and for doing so, I would receive additional points.”

Hmm. We wonder why they keep putting quotation marks around “refinance.”

“As part of this process to ‘refinance,’ I was told I had to complete a credit card application for the Hilton AMEX. I did so, thinking I was going to get a better loan rate.”

Okay, now we’re wondering what a credit card has to do with the “refinance.”

“The more the salesman talked, the clearer it became that this was fishy, so I explained I had a meeting to attend to and asked for documents to be sent to me via email for signing via DocuSign. Then I left.”

“Reading the fine print, this was not a refinance at all, it was me purchasing more points at a lower interest rate and putting the balance on the AMEX.”

THAT’s why they kept putting “refinance” in quotation marks!

Ironic.

“I stopped everything and did not submit the DocuSign. I let the salesman know that this was not a refinance and I was not interested in buying additional points.”

Reading the fine print really paid off!

Well…not exactly.

“Then, last week, I got a letter from a title company. I am at a loss for how they sent anything to a title company without me completing the official documents.”

“This is fraud.”

This is just one example of the stories we hear from timeshare owners who feel deceived by what they were verbally promised by unscrupulous timeshare sales agents.

But finally, there may be some hope on the horizon. It’s called the Timeshare Transparency Act (S.3502). Introduced in Congress by U.S. Senator John Curtis (R-UT) and Senator Adam Schiff (D-CA), it’s essentially a long overdue “bill of rights” to prevent timeshare consumers from being sold a dream and delivered a nightmare.

The Timeshare Transparency Act (TTA) sets out clear, commonsense requirements for timeshare companies, so consumers understand exactly what they are purchasing:

• Total Cost Disclosure: Requires a single document itemizing all acquisition and maintenance costs (including fee increases).
• 14-Day Cancellation Period: Grants buyers in all states a 14-day, penalty-free period to cancel contracts.
• Exit Options: Requires clear, documented procedures for exiting ownership.
• Review Period: Allows buyers to review documents privately without high-pressure sales staff present.
• FTC Enforcement: Empowers the Federal Trade Commission to enforce these regulations.

To be considered further by the U.S. Congress, the Timeshare Transparency Act needs more support.

If you agree, contact your U.S. Senators and U.S. House Representative. Tell them you support the Timeshare Transparency Act (S.3502). Tell your representatives you’re tired of seeing families “misled and flat-out lied to” by an industry that seems to value profits over fairness and transparency.

• Find your Senator: senate.gov
• Find your Representative: house.gov

Predictably, the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), the trade association that represents the timeshare companies in Washington, DC., claims this bill is “unnecessary,” “duplicative,” and creates “unnecessary federal regulations.”

• Unnecessary? Tell that to the thousands who have filed lawsuits, or complaints with their state attorney general, or complaints with the Better Business Bureau.

Jason Gamel is the President and CEO of the American Resort Development Association (ARDA). Let’s ask Jason why he’s so afraid of affirming a nationwide 14-day cancellation window and why the timeshare industry needs to trap buyers before they can change their minds? Jason’s email is jgamel@arda.org

Want to ask your timeshare company’s leaders if “timeshare ethics” means anything to them? Use this list of ARDA VIPs to get in touch and ask them to throw their support behind the bill too!

PS: Follow us on social media. Twitter Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Threads