Smart Ways to Identify if a Timeshare or Travel Club is Legitimate or Not

Nowadays, everywhere you turn, someone is trying to sell you something. Some of the products that are sold with high-pressure tactics are timeshares and travel club memberships. With many owners today who want to get out of their timeshare contracts, the sales pitch entice you that spending some money with them now will save you lots more later. However, it isn't easy to separate honest over-the-top sales pitches from the outright scams. Meanwhile, travel clubs are also among the most problematic opportunities dangled in front of you.

The question is how can you tell if this travel club offer is legitimate or not. The problem club operations are those that ask for big bucks in up-front membership fees on the promise that members will get great deals in the future. Among these are the more benign subset consists mainly of timeshare promotions in disguise, presumably, to avoid the timeshare label, widely viewed as flawed.

All too often, law enforcement officials warned that the promised discounts and savings never materialize. The promoters provide prices that are no better than travelers can buy openly, through a wide range of discount sources, and the promised dream vacations never seem to become available.

Meanwhile, some very high-end vacation clubs actually own a string of vacation properties. That is, members share in the ownership of these properties, and the club operator agrees to repurchase for a reasonable price. Most mass-market timeshares, however, offer no asset value to back up your initial investment. At best, you own your membership and can sell it or pass it along to your heirs. However, some timeshare deals are for the term of your life only and will revert to the owner on your death.

On the other hand, beyond the resort aspects, challenge all claimed discount deals and don't be gullible. Try to ask about the specifics of a few available discount deals, and check them out before you accept any broad claim of great prices. Also, try to google the promotion or vacation club and check with a few of the gripe sites to see if the operation has generated any serious complaints or, even worse, law enforcement actions.