“In the end, you make your reputation and you have your success based
upon credibility and being able to provide people who are really hungry
for information with what they want.” – Brit Hume
A Credible Organization
Credibility breeds trust, and trust is the unifying element of any
great relationship. Throughout our lives, we strive to build this
credibility with friends and family, to build it with our coworkers, and
to build it in our business enterprises. Without trust, creating a
strong network of communication would be impossible. The key to
developing an association based on good faith is taking an honest
approach in everything we do. Is it any wonder, then, that trust is so
difficult to establish in the timeshare industry, a veritable desert of
ethical conduct?
However, there are a few individuals and companies in this seemingly
desolate landscape that are working to bring a degree of trust and
integrity to the timeshare arena. One such group that has been
establishing standards for good business practices for over forty years
is the American Resort Development Association (ARDA).
Based in Washington D.C., ARDA is a trade association that seeks to
cultivate the progress of the timeshare industry throughout the United
States. In short, they work to establish business standards throughout
the industry via several different means. They were first established in
1969 as the American Land Development Association, and today they have
grown to include nearly 1,000 corporate members. ARDA’s primary purpose,
as declared in their mission statement is to “foster and promote the
growth of the industry and to serve its members.”
A Necessary Good
A lot of people might read that quote and immediately think that
there is some sort of spite between ARDA and the timeshare transfer
industry (with ARDA taking the side of the resort developers and the
transfer industry taking the side of angry consumers), but this just
isn’t the case. Like any competitive industry, there are always going to
be multiple layers and multiple perspectives. We live in a world of
opposites, and these opposites are in place to maintain a sense of
harmony, a sense of balance throughout the universe. Why would the
timeshare business be any different?
The fact is, sometimes timeshare owners simply want out of their
contracts. Maybe it’s become too expensive, or maybe the owners just
don’t have the time to use it, but either way, they don’t want the
property anymore. With the resale market being what it is, being
released from a timeshare contract would be nearly impossible if it
weren’t for transfer companies. We hope that ARDA continues to help the
timeshare business grow and prosper, but for individuals who feel that
they’ve erred in purchasing a vacation property, we’re here to help.
Fostering the Industry
ARDA’s mission is accomplished through a number of different avenues.
For one, ARDA serves as a highly influential advocate on behalf of
resort developments and consumers by engaging in lobbying efforts
centered on legislative and regulatory issues such as “unwarranted taxes
and excessive regulation.” They also work to enact public policy
involving the timeshare industry and timeshare owners.
Further, ARDA seeks to educate its members with timeshare information
by conducting industry research, hosting webinars, and by publishing
Developments
magazine, “the voice of the timeshare industry.” Throughout the year,
there are ten issues circulated that are full of informative articles
that focus on industry trends concerning both consumers and developers.
Finally, ARDA also offers a major networking opportunity by holding
the ARDA Annual Convention and Exposition. The conventions consist of
dozens of educational seminars that cover marketing, technology,
finance, and design, among many other topics. Last year, the convention
was held in Las Vegas, and this year’s conference will be held in
Hollywood, Florida – just north of Fort Lauderdale.
ARDA isn’t only concerned with catering to the corporate side of the
industry, however. ARDA-ROC (Resort Owner’s Coalition) works to defend
timeshare owners against legislation that could have potentially
disastrous consequences. According to their website, through ARDA-ROC,
“Owners can be part of an effective grassroots lobbying coalition of
timeshare unit owners dedicated to preserving, protecting, and enhancing
vacation ownership.” This organization gives owners a significant
political voice in an industry where it can sometimes be difficult to be
heard.
A Trusted Leader
With all of this in mind, it’s easy to see why ARDA is such a major
player in the timeshare industry. They maintain an influential presence
in Washington, and they offer a valuable service to their many
constituents. They are a trusted leader in the timeshare development
arena, and they are fighting to protect the interests of the industry
and their members. At the end of the day, their primary goal is a noble
one – to enhance the vacation resort development industry – and we
applaud them in this endeavor.
At
Newton Group Transfers,
we have a distinct appreciation and respect for ARDA (although we do
not endorse them, nor are we endorsed by them). They attempt to regulate
the timeshare industry in a manner that they feel best represents their
members’ wishes, and they’ve worked tirelessly to establish a great
deal of trust and credibility, which is always an admirable enterprise.
In fact, we’ve learned a lot about consumer advocacy from ARDA that we
attempt to implement in our own business practices on a daily basis.
We don’t believe that the resort development advocacy that ARDA
strives for and the consumer rights that Newton Group Transfers works to
protect are mutually exclusive. Although the timeshare transfer
business may occasionally be at cross purposes with ARDA, we feel that
our two general ethos align pretty closely. In fact, we think that the
timeshare transfer business and ARDA balance each other out perfectly,
as we are both dedicated to increasing the credibility of the industry.
Newton Group Transfers advocates for the group of owners that no long
have a need for keeping their timeshares, while ARDA strives to advocate
for the entire industry as a whole, which, in some cases may not
specifically address the segment of owners who are seeking an exit. We
seek to gain our client’s trust through our core values of integrity and
transparency, while ARDA seeks to gain the same through similar
upstanding ethical conduct.
A Model of Excellence
So, there you have it. ARDA has over 40 years of timeshare-related
regulation under their belt. They’ve established themselves as leaders
in the timeshare industry, and they’ve built credibility along the way,
both in Washington and throughout the country. They stand for something
in a business that often shudders when asked to perform with integrity.
Although Newton Group Transfers hasn’t been around as long as ARDA,
we’re dedicated to doing things the right way, and we plan on using ARDA
as an ethical model in our pursuit of excellence as we continue to
perform a valuable service on behalf of our customers.
ARDA attempts to maintain and enhance the timeshare experience, while
Newton Group Transfers offers assistance to those seeking an exit.
We’re both looking out for the best interests of our clients and
members, and, at the end of the day, it’s a commitment to remaining true
to our core values that really counts.
With nearly a decade of experience, we have accumulated a vast
expanse of knowledge on the industry, and, as a result of this
experience, we have heard literally thousands of different owner's
stories. Many of these stories detail an ownership experience that was
everything the consumer could have asked for and more. This is the type
of experience that ARDA has been fighting for throughout their history.
Unfortunately, not every story we hear has a happy ending. Sometimes,
timeshare owners are desperate to get rid of their properties, and we
feel that we give them the best opportunity to do so in an honest and
trustworthy fashion.
If you and your family feel like you may have reached this point,
please contact us at (877) 354-4321, or visit us online at
newtongrouptransfers.com.