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.