Must read : Time Share Scam Awareness! Don't be the next victim!

[Alex.Ong]

Hi,

You can add this two companies to your list;

Jeremiah & Partners
They claim that the company that you brought the timeshare from was under investigation and the Singapore Courts have place a sizeure on their companies. To summary they want you to pay the courts fees to them before they can bring the case to the courts.

Worldex Asia
They will call you to say a oversea company will be buying over your TS and ask you to go down their company to neogiate the selling price and after that you can collect the cheque immediately.

Wonder does anyone here got similar calls? Care to share?

 

[therat]

Lee & Chandra Partners(Located at Chinatown Point)[/U]. They tell you that they are legal service company but trust me, call up the law society and you'll know. My parents had entered into agreement with them and they purposely cancel off the 5days cooling off period and mis-led my parents to sign. Be very wary of the ross**** & Lee & Chandra Partners Pte Ltd. Remember a law firm will NEVER be registered under PTE LTD but under LLP, check it out if u don't believe me. Good Luck, readers. Hope my advice could help.

I've been to the mention company last yr.
They call my spouse say sth like can do sth on our timeshare (can't remember what).
A chinese male bring us to a room. Start to talk , say sth like government is or will coming out a new law or rule to monitor those timeshare. To see whether is the T&C legal or sth.. bla bla.

He want a photocopy of our timeshare doc which we allow him to make a photocopy. When my spouse ask him few question like,
how much we need to pay you.
Give us a price before proceed.
No one will work for free.
Give us a price.

He keep on say don't worry abt the price, we will deduce our cost from the deal.
My spouse say you need to let us know what is the price 1st. What if after we give a GO sign and the dealing price is lesser than your price. How? We are not going to top up any single cash.

In end, we just walk out the office.

 

[crntbs]

just received a phone call, below are our conversation:

me: hello
caller: hi, i'm bla bla bla from so and so company. We have a cocktail reception this sunday at suntec... bla bla bla (*this is where i started to switch off and she just keeps going on and on and one without letting me interupt.).
me: urm, sorry I'm not interested.
caller: Don't worry, there's no commitment. we're a new company trying to get market response... (*this is where I switch off again and she just keep blabbering on and on and on)
me: urm, sorry I'm busy now.
caller: Ohh... So I'll call you back later?
me: urm, better not.
caller: ohh... ok then.

Too bad I didn't really note the company name tho.

 

[9cheCk9]

Thanks guys, list updated

BLACK LIST
Heres one from me to start:
1. If you get a call and they identify themselves as 'Asia Demand', hang up straight away. They are a call center to lure innocent victims to

2. Discovery8 Pte Ltd/DiscoveryVIII - Previously at Tong Building but now known as

3. I-Discover International Pte Ltd with address @
123 Penang Road #03-12 Regency House Singapore 238465 (avoid like they have SARS).

4. Resort World Organisation or ANY company that claim they can buyover your Timeshare or Contract.
They cold call you to buy over Time Share or Contracts, but they will ask you to pay again and say you can get back your (Almost) all your amount in X years time. PLEASE AVOID THEM BECOZ ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

5. Lee & Chandra Partners Pte Ltd (Located at Chinatown Point) this is another company that claim they can help you with a FEE. Please remember all LAW firms are always registered with LLP and Never PTE LTD, so a self acclaimed law firm of Pte Ltd is probably nothing decent. Thanks Taurus for the information.

6.Jeremiah & Partners
They claim that the company that you brought the timeshare from was under investigation and the Singapore Courts have place a sizeure on their companies. To summary they want you to pay the courts fees to them before they can bring the case to the courts.

7. Worldex Asia
They will call you to say a oversea company will be buying over your TS and ask you to go down their company to neogiate the selling price and after that you can collect the cheque immediately. You are mostly likely going to be asked for fee payment as well.


Lets try to spread this awareness to everyone. Please join my FACEBOOK PAGE and hope it helps more people out there.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=631200221#/pages/JinHo-Cheap-Travel/169568417450

 

[cyclone]

above was truncated by me. That was 'i.Discovery' the infamous DiscoveryVIII.

did you pay them any money? was it the full sum or only a deposit?

Did they make any arrangement for monthly payments? e.g. GIRO?

I got conned by the same company while they were at Tong Building.

I paid a small deposit and i serviced it monthly for 2 years.



Don't go to CASE - I read about those who went.
1.Victims were made to eat the humble pie, told to negotiate with the 'timeshare' and continue payments.
2.CASE is powerless with no real authority, they are not able to spot any loopholes in the scam and knowing contract laws, they have to abide by it.
3. lost time/lose money/ gah'men also heck care you, hang you up to be slaughter/raped.

Hi Jack,

I've paid half of the sum of the membership 5k. They told me to pay the rest via credit card installments. Now, i'm still in the process with CASE to cancel my membership.

So u paid them for 2 years? Are u still a member or have u stopped the payments?

 

[cyclone]

Hi,

Thks for ur reply.....U say wenting or wendy? I email to wenting since last yr dec until now nvr reply me.....Now i am handled by a lady call Amanda.....She also another 1 nvr get back.....

By the way, i abit confuse abt their air ticket and hotel charge......Isit really cheap compare to outside??

Maybe u can pm me so we can discuss further.....

Thks Thks

Dear cutepig,

Wenting and Wendy is the same person. I've signed up with them and ever since I tried to get my first quotation with them, I was disappointed and now wish to cancel.

Basically, I'm also confused with their so called hotel/air advantage. When I wanted to go to HK last december, they offered me budget airline price at no discount and a hotel for $100 per night. When I checked out Zuji online, the price difference is really not that great. I would say u would probably save about $20 to $30 on the whole............that's really peanuts for the sum of money you have paid them for the membership. In the end, I made my own reservations through Zuji.

I go for holiday at most once a year and I can only manage to save that 'peanuts' sum of money per year....yet have to pay $1000++ for the membership??? After that first experience, all their promises dun make any sense to me at all.

But too bad for me....it's too late to legally cancel the contract. Now, i'm still trying with CASE.

 

[Alex.Ong]

I hope the goverment can do something about the Timeshare. All these companies are somehow interlink to each other to rid honest people like us of our hard earn money. After reading all the post in the net, I begin to belive there's no such thing as buy back programs. It just a clever way of setting up to get more money.

 

[onlinesurv]

Intl timeshare scam

Please report timeshare cheating/fraud to the police/CAD. You will be doing yourself and others a service.



http://www.expatica.com/de/news/european_news/Spanish-police-hold-alleged-timeshare-

fraudsters_58315.html
Spanish police hold alleged timeshare fraudsters
Twenty-two people accused of running a bogus timeshare scam have been detained in Malaga and Tenerife.
24/11/2009

Madrid – Spanish police said Monday they had arrested 22 people accused of running a bogus timeshare

scam.

Police said the suspects, who were detained in the southern city of Malaga and on Tenerife in the Canary

Islands, tricked their victims into believing they had found people who wanted to buy the right to use

their homes.

But once the victims had handed over money they thought was to cover expenses for the deal, the

intermediaries and those supposedly interested in using their homes would disappear, according to a

police statement.

After this initial scam members of the network tricked several of the victims again by pretending to be

lawyers and offer to help those who had been defrauded, police alleged.

"They would claim to have recuperated the money that had been defrauded and assured them that it would

be returned to them, demanding fresh payments for their services," police said in a statement.

Police did not disclose the nationalities of the suspects. They carried out 11 searches as part of their

operation and seized two guns, an electric shock device, several shackles and more than EUR 30,000 in

cash.

A timeshare involves people buying an entitlement to stay for a period each year in a property.

The system has given rise to a string of bogus timeshare scams across Europe, particularly in Spain.

AFP / Expatica


----------------------------------------------------------------------------



http://www.expatica.com/de/news/local_news/gang-held-after-15000-hit-by-eur-10m-timeshare-fraud---

30317_28638.html
Gang held after 15,000 hit by EUR 10m timeshare fraud
26 May 2006


MALAGA — Eight people have been arrested in connection with a EUR 10 million timeshare fraud which is

said to have affected 15,000 owners.

In a police operation, codenamed Trafalgar, detectives arrested the gang who aimed their fraud at

Britons or other northern Europeans, who owned or wanted to own timeshare property on the Costa del Sol.

The gang used a complex web of up to 300 companies and employed up to 1,000 people to disguise their

operations.

Four of those arrested were British, two South African, one Belgian and another gang member was

Norwegian.

Police named the gang leader as Willem Marthinus P., 58, from South Africa. His wife, Gunn Iren K, 48, a

Norwegian, was also involved.

Other members of gang were Briton Malcom David K., 32, who allegedly falsified documents and obtained

lists of thousands of timeshare owners who were targeted by the gang.

Other suspects named were Belgian Johannes V., 51, whose job was to distribute falsified documentation,

Britons Willy S., 44, and Steven Stewart R., 53, South African Leon O., 49; and Briton Rupert Quentin

M., 37.

They were arrested in Fuengirola, Mijas and Coin on the Costa del Sol.

Spanish police said the gang moved to the Costa del Sol in 2000.

They used legally registered companies and employed telesales operators to contact timeshare owners and

offer the chance to sell their shares in a property, offering to contact possible buyers in return.

They tricked owners into sending quantities of cash to Spain to pay for legal, management or tax fees.

It would often take some time before the victims would realise they had been defrauded.

At the same time, they were selling the same product to potential buyers with the promise of inflated

profits.

The gang were also promising to take legal action against other companies which they were actually

running.

They claimed they could act for fraud victims.

They then used fake papers purporting to come from Spanish lawyers and notaries, and repeating the

fraud.

After police action in 2001, they re-started the fraud, this time using third parties to hide who was

really running the scam.

They would create a web of fictitious companies, with some genuine businesses, all the time pretending

they were prestigious timeshare companies.

But after a few months, they would disappear, then reappear elsewhere to repeat the same fraud.

 

[onlinesurv]

More bite in Consumer Protection Fair Trading Act against timeshare merchants

http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/407767/1/.html

More bite in Consumer Protection Fair Trading Act against timeshare merchants
By Imelda Saad, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 09 February 2009 1631 hrs

SINGAPORE: The government is strengthening the Consumer Protection Fair Trading Act to give consumers

more protection against timeshare merchants.

Minister of State for Trade and Industry Lee Yi Shyan told Parliament on Monday that from April, the

cooling-off period will be extended from the present three days to five days.

The measures will also extend to businesses that claim to help consumers resell their rights under

timeshare contracts.

In addition, authorities are stipulating a 60-day refund period for contracts that are cancelled within

the cooling-off period.

Mr Lee said the Police will investigate if there are allegations of cheating or other criminal offences.

However, he said the amendments will not cover the beauty industry, which some MPs had called for,

because consumers who fall victim to high pressure selling already have clear recourse under the current

Act.

Mr Lee added that facial products and slimming treatments are neither complex nor hard to understand.

He said: "The best protection for consumers is still founded on their ability to discern the best deals

for themselves, being vigilant to any unrealistic promises and to walk away from pressure selling with

(sic) bath towel or otherwise."

On the progress of the so-called Lemon Law Taskforce, Mr Lee said the taskforce is nearing completion of

its work and will make formal recommendations shortly.

A 'lemon law' aims to protect consumers against products with latent defects, known colloquially as

'lemons'. The taskforce is co-chaired by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), the Trade and

Industry Ministry and representatives from industries.


- CNA/ir

 

[therat]

just received a phone call, below are our conversation:

me: hello
caller: hi, i'm bla bla bla from so and so company. We have a cocktail reception this sunday at suntec... bla bla bla (*this is where i started to switch off and she just keeps going on and on and one without letting me interupt.).
me: urm, sorry I'm not interested.
caller: Don't worry, there's no commitment. we're a new company trying to get market response... (*this is where I switch off again and she just keep blabbering on and on and on)
me: urm, sorry I'm busy now.
caller: Ohh... So I'll call you back later?
me: urm, better not.
caller: ohh... ok then.

Too bad I didn't really note the company name tho.

I think I know which company.
I also receive a call with the same information as u had stated
The company should be Jardin Smith International Pte Ltd
www.jsi.com.sg

I went down b'coz free meal + $100 Carrefour voucher.

Basically it is a UK land investment company.
Ask you to buy a plot @ UK. 1 plot S$30 psf, size 1000f
So.. est S$30k, return is 2000x in 6-8 yrs time if the permit for development is approval by the UK government, etc..
Someone write a blog abt this
http://www.lioninvestor.com/jardin-smith-international/

BTW, the company is not regulated by MAS

 

[9cheCk9]

Very few companies are calling themselves Timeshares now.

Take I-Discover International for example, they claim themself as a Membership program. There is actually nothing fraud about them, but I just wish to LET THE PUBLIC KNOW that YOU HAVE TO BE PREPARED IF YOU WANT TO JOIN THEIR MEMBERSHIP.

After joining them, members have found out that their SERVICE is the WORST. Unsuspecting people, please don't be blinded by their seemingly professional office environment or sales talk. Don't expect them to follow up on your holiday enquiries or bookings either. You have to push them for it.

So again, IF YOU'RE NOT PREPARED FOR ALL THEIR BULL****S, PLEASE DONT SIGN UP AS THEIR MEMBER or whatever they wish to call it.

 

[Jack_Chen]

Jack, did you do any bookings from them all these years? Hows your plan now?

I paid a small deposit (less than 1k), paid them a monthly amount (GIRO deduction) (less than $150 a month).

Back then, they peg your plan to the amount already contribute. Like how many percent paid up, the plan will go live (and you need to start servicing the monthly fee), how many percent paid up, rebate will start.

That's what is sucky, you throw a huge lump sum for a plan at least 10 years and on top of that, got monthly service fee. They will fake you saying, if you don't use, the monthly rebate will nice nice cover the monthly service fee. I remember just a year plus from my sign-up, they just up the monthly service fee citing what Fuel price and Inflation. There is no further agreement to sign for things like that one.

Unlike other contracts where rates are specified and cannot anyhow change. Imagine if Singtel play this kind of pattern.

The amount paid up to the day I terminate the GIRO payment is not even up to the plan starting point. No bookings. Small relief.

After terminating GIRO payment, I send a registered mail terminating the plan. They tried to bully me, send me email saying contract has no termination clause, etc. I ignore everything, was prepared to go to court and make big news out of them. Have not heard from them since. But I forgo all monies paid up to that point. So they are fully compensated for the time spent, psycho-ing me.

 

[Jack_Chen]

Hi Jack,
I've paid half of the sum of the membership 5k. They told me to pay the rest via credit card installments. Now, i'm still in the process with CASE to cancel my membership.

So u paid them for 2 years? Are u still a member or have u stopped the payments?

bro cyclone,

I paid a very small deposit (less than $1K), I also paid a monthly installment via GIRO (less than $150). After 2 years, when I reviewed my monthly expenses, I find the plan is not useful but when I check the contract T&C again, I got cold sweat.

After google, then I realised DiscoveryVIII has a very smelly reputation. Heng, I didn't continue to be fooled.

because mine is GIRO, I can simply terminate and to reinstate, D8 have to get authorisation through me. I simply ignore their email, didn't get anymore letters, (changed mobile number). No longer with them, but lose all monies paid up to date.

However, I calculated the total, just over $3k only, so it's a small lesson compared to some of the mature consumers who plonk thousands down. Or using mini-bond saga as a benchmark.

I worry for you bro, as they have lured you into a trap. Banks are not as forgiving. I am not sure how your credit card installment works, but usually it means the bank have paid up on your behalf and your actual creditor is now the Bank, not i.Discovery.

D8 was easy to get rid of because they don't dare to go to court. Bank will not hesitate to recall loan/give you bad credit rating/make you bankrupt/bring you to court. The most scary is when other banks you have loans with will also recall loan when you default on one bank. No liquidity, you are looking at bankruptcy.

Please update us on how CASE is performing on your 'case'. This is another agency to be wary of.

 

[9cheCk9]

Thanks Jack for the advice, we have a guideline for the clueless now at least.

BLACK LIST
Heres one from me to start:
1. If you get a call and they identify themselves as 'Asia Demand', hang up straight away. They are a call center to lure innocent victims to

2. Discovery8 Pte Ltd/DiscoveryVIII - Previously at Tong Building but now known as I-Discover.

3. I-Discover International Pte Ltd with address @
123 Penang Road #03-12 Regency House Singapore 238465 (avoid like they have SARS).
** NOTE to all existing victims, if you still have any outstanding payments or you are able to terminate your monthly payment with them, please stop these payment immediately. Send them a letter or an email of your dis-satisfaction as true as it is, and bar their calls on your phone. Since you're already in this ****, deperate situation requires desperate measure, if I-Discover takes you to court, tough up! and never let that beat you. We have consumer law to protect us and remember that the customer is always RIGHT!

4. Resort World Organisation or ANY company that claim they can buyover your Timeshare or Contract.
They cold call you to buy over Time Share or Contracts, but they will ask you to pay again and say you can get back your (Almost) all your amount in X years time. PLEASE AVOID THEM BECOZ ITS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN.

5. Lee & Chandra Partners Pte Ltd (Located at Chinatown Point) this is another company that claim they can help you with a FEE. Please remember all LAW firms are always registered with LLP and Never PTE LTD, so a self acclaimed law firm of Pte Ltd is probably nothing decent. Thanks Taurus for the information.

6.Jeremiah & Partners
They claim that the company that you brought the timeshare from was under investigation and the Singapore Courts have place a sizeure on their companies. To summary they want you to pay the courts fees to them before they can bring the case to the courts.

7. Worldex Asia
They will call you to say a oversea company will be buying over your TS and ask you to go down their company to neogiate the selling price and after that you can collect the cheque immediately. You are mostly likely going to be asked for fee payment as well.

8. River Marketing
Similar to Worldex Asia, this company is located at Tong Building (Rolex Building) 302 Orchard Rd unit no #06-01. They will also call and offer to buy your contract over. I am not able to find any solid complaints about this company yet. But Just Watch out! And deny their assistance if it means you need to Fork out more money and/or Wait to get your money back (Common cases are the company will somehow go bust or get bought over before you can get your money back).



Lets try to spread this awareness to everyone. Please join my FACEBOOK PAGE and hope it helps more people out there.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=631200221#/pages/JinHo-Cheap-Travel/169568417450

 

[koiphone]

Another company called River marketing also using the same tactic as Worldex Asia. They are at the Tong Building (Rolex Building) 302 orchard rd unit no #06-01. I went there to find what kind of company. Inside the notice board have Wordex Asia letterheads and also spoken to one of the ang moh. I just show him my printed copy of my old contract and he immediately said need to see original contract before he can proceed to check for buyers. I ask him why printed copy cannot used for checking process, he replied with british law crap. After which, i just say nevermind since must need original contract to continue. Then i just left the place. Subsequently, one of them call and ask me why i never go. Stupid them, never communicate among themself whereby i had already went. I told them i would NOT go again due to the angmoh insist for original and waste my time. The caller say sorry and wanted to reschedule me and i told him, i will never go again. They still reschedule me instead.

One day before, they still call me to remind me to go. I gave the caller one round to yelling session.

 

[9cheCk9]

Thanks bro for the information, updated list. Heads up again for people.

 

[existentialistalbert]

Haven't been to this forum for long time as have been busy with many stuff, and realise these scam companies are still at it.

Bro check, how is yr situation now?

Bro KO. Kindly update me on whether the scam company refund already?

 

[koiphone]

The angmoh so rude, i don't even want to continue, so i would not know whether they real or not. If they really sincere, cannot be so rude. To note, inside their notice board have worldex letter heads, my guess they are connected.

 

[akademon]

Anyone heard abt Marriot Vacation Club?

Went to their presentation and they seems very professional.

Any comments?

 

[genie47]

Anyone heard abt Marriot Vacation Club?

Went to their presentation and they seems very professional.

Any comments?

I am a member of MVCI.

OK compared to all the timeshare scams you read here. MVCI-AP is legit with real vacation resorts belonging to the Marriott chain.

They don't pressure you and they operate on the points system. Not cheap and they don't give you the impression they are cheap.

They don't pressure you but you have to weigh your options when deciding. You don't "own" the vacation properties. You are actually buying future vacations. It appeals to people who plan their vacations before hand and not those gallivanting adventure sorts.

Yearly, there is are club dues or if you prefer the membership maintenance fees. It is in USD.

They have "club connections" which are basically hotels in the Marriott chain that are not part of the MVCI repertoire of resorts. You can use your club points to stay at the club connections.

So far, I've stayed at the Renaissance Harbor View HK and Mayfair Suites at Bangkok.

I just returned from staying at the Empire Place at Bangkok. The accommodations are basically a condo unit in the Sathorn area of Bangkok next to Empire Tower. Yes, the area where all the RBS, Stanchart, PCW financials are. The service though is impeccable. The club staff are at your disposal, just call and they come up to your unit in less than a minute. Well, it is a pretty small considering there are only 59 units of the Empire Place that belongs to MVCI.

The crown jewel of this club is the Phuket Beach Club and the Mai Khao resort which are bascially side-by-side to each other on Mai Khao beach in Phuket. Everyone who went there gave it rave reviews. I was offered this as my home resort (traditional 7 day/week block) by the resort itself from Marriott and not MVCI-AP. Gave me 5d/4n stay for free to decide but have to attend their talk if not forfeit and pay. I nearly slapped myself when the price for a gold week is USD36k The talk is very professional though the American guy trying to sell to us was disappointed when we declined. That was way back in 2005.

When we returned, MVCI-AP contacted us and we went for the talk in Ngee Ann City. Got free this free that. The price offered to me was less than half of that in USD for the Phuket-only version with many resorts to stay not just in this region but also in the US. The club connection hotels/resorts attracted us and we bought it.

After all this is said, I must warn you. YOU DO NOT OWN the resort or anything. This is paying for future vacations. The points can be carried over for one year only. But you can convert them to Marriott Rewards Points if you did not take a vacation with them for 2yrs in a row.

The plus side is that the resorts all have an office that serves the club members. The club connection hotels don't have this though. A stay at the resort also earns you Marriott Rewards Points. So you can redeem these for stay at Marriott hotels or Hertz rental or SIA airfares.

You can buy more points but it is enough for me. It is expensive to own more points and this means you can stay longer during platinium periods. The placement of the platinium periods is quite dastardly. It is always during school holidays. So far I've been going during gold periods which are cheaper and off-season for most SGers though my recent trip to Bangkok is platinium plus and used up almost all of my points.

MVCI-AP is not the only one. I think Hyatt or is it the Hilton group has their own timeshare as well. These are legit and also very expensive to have. Remember. Be wise about this. Don't expect yourself to "own" anything. You are afterall just like a country club member and that is all.