The Umbrella Effect 

 By Peter Roth, ARDA 

   

As our industry continues to develop solutions for owners who believe their vacation ownership does not match their present vacation plans, it is important to educate consumers about the exit process and provide them with the resources to make an informed decision. As we all can attest, the fraudulent misdeeds of companies targeting many owners—especially senior citizens—have added a layer of confusion with regard to our product.

While our industry leaders, ARDA-ROC, and ARDA State Affairs staff rigorously work with state and local law enforcement agencies to enact stricter consumer protections, it is virtually impossible to control the actions of all bad players scamming our owners. However, because those actions affect the entire industry, we can help share a consistent set of guiding principles for a safe resale process across the industry.

ARDA provides resale tips to help navigate consumers through the exit process, which can be found on ARDA-ROC.org. We also make the information available to owners who call our customer service portal directly with inquiries, to regulators, and to other state agencies—as well as the media.

To learn about the eight resale tips read this month’s issue of Developments magazine or to view the latest consumer advisories that include some of the most recent resale scams, visit our timeshare resales resource center.