Large Travel Fees Associated with Timeshare Vacations

For some timeshare owners, the journey to their property is a short drive away from home. For most, however, their annual vacation destination is located quite far away. Actually, that’s usually the whole point of going on vacation; sometimes, you just need to get away! In this case, traveling to your timeshare requires a lengthy road trip or flight. These costs can add up rather quickly, especially if you are traveling with several family members. The fact is that, often times, the travel costs associated with timeshare ownership are left out of the equation when people consider their vacation budgets.

Air Travel

As the economy continues to struggle, and the cost of fuel progressively rises to record highs, experts predict that the price of airfare will persistently increase annually over the next 20 years. In fact, the current average price of airfare is already up nearly 10% from this same time last year. According to Ed Perkins, a blogger with smartertravel.com, “Just about everyone in the business believes that airfares are going up, generally, across the boards, and more or less permanently.” Factors for the price hikes include decreased airline capacity, labor strife, conflict in the Middle East, and recent mergers among large carriers. Unfortunately for travelers, none of these issues seem to be going away any time in the near future.

It’s not all bad, though. On the whole, flying is still a relatively cheap form of travel (in relation to rates adjusted for inflation over the last 30 years), and most airlines stay afloat by throwing in hidden costs such as large baggage fees or instituting small price increases several times throughout the course of the year. Many carriers are looking to invest in more fuel-efficient planes, but much of the technology has yet to be fully realized and the cost for research and development alone is well into the billions of dollars. The average consumer who’s grown accustomed to paying modest fees is likely in for a rude awakening in the near future.

Car Travel

The typical timeshare traveler overlooks several fees associated with car travel that can add up quickly, even if you’re flying. If you’re flying, parking your car in an airport ramp can cost as much as $100 per week. In addition, you’ll have to either rent a car or rely on taxicabs for the duration of your trip, and these costs can get out of hand quickly. For instance, I checked to see how much it would cost to rent a compact car over Christmas this year, and the overall figures well exceeded more than $100 per day with Enterprise.

If you’re driving to your vacation destination, there are obviously costs associated with fuel, oil changes, and potential car problems. While fuel prices remained relatively low over this past summer (in large part due to the political elections), most experts don’t expect that trend to continue. In fact, many economists are predicting $4 per gallon again by the end of January.

There are also the unseen costs of piling mileage onto your vehicle’s odometer. In 2011, Americans drove an average of 13,500 miles per year (this statistic includes teenage and senior drivers that typically wouldn’t be driving cross-country to a timeshare destination). A roundtrip car ride from the northern eastern seaboard to southern Florida is more than 2,500 miles. That’s almost a fifth of the miles you’ll put on your car in an entire year! Cars are meant to be driven, but packing on the miles will shorten the length of your vehicle’s life.

Just One of Many Fees

Many people are completely comfortable with paying the travel fees associated with timeshare ownership. Others, however, are beginning to see these costs as the straw breaking the proverbial camel’s back. Once these expenses are coupled with maintenance fees and special assessments, along with the headaches associated involved with scheduling your allotted time at your vacation property, the cost of owning a timeshare becomes less and less feasible.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your timeshare, the smartest, fastest way to remove yourself from your contract is to seek the assistance of a timeshare transfer company like Newton Group Transfers. We pride ourselves on our honest approach with our customers, and we won’t sugar coat the situation. We are fully aware of the severity of the timeshare crisis.

At Newton Group Transfers, we offer the opportunity to forge a new financial future by accepting each predicament for exactly what it is, and by working together to develop guaranteed alternative solutions. Please contact us at 1-877-354-4321, or enter your information at our website to receive a free quote today!

What Constitutes an Investment?

Throughout our lives, we will invest in many things. We will invest in our family. We will invest in our friends and neighbors. We will invest in a set of values, in political candidates, and in our favorite baseball team. All of these investments serve to heighten the enjoyment of our lives, while keeping us grounded and focused on what is truly important, but there are other types of investments as well.
Financial investments provide security for the future of our families. They allow for our country to prosper globally, nationally, and locally. Without a constant state of investing, the economy would stagnate and fail. For these reasons, investing is a vital element of our nation’s framework and is built into the fabric of our financial systems.

Investments such as homes, businesses, and stocks are purchases made in which a profit is expected and the analysis shows reasonable assurance of security for both the principle and the return. These are sound investments that most Americans will engage in at some point in their lives, but not all big purchases can accurately be referred to as investments.

For instance, buying a new car is not an investment. The instant the vehicle rolls of the lot, its value depreciates significantly. Unless the car is a classic model in mint condition, there is no reasonable assurance of security for the principle or the return. This isn’t to say that there wouldn’t necessarily be an emotional investment in buying a car, but financially speaking, a car is simply a big purchase with the potential to improve the quality of life for the purchaser. There is no prospect of monetary gain attached.

A timeshare can be thought of in much the same way as the new car rolling of the lot. It’s beautiful, it’s exciting, the family loves it, and the future looks brighter from inside of it. Not only that, but a timeshare can be a symbol of status, of moving up in the world toward a more comfortable lifestyle. Unfortunately, after the initial love affair with your new property, the shiny veneer of the new timeshare begins to fade over time and the once sleek and sexy “investment” becomes just another expensive responsibility. To complete the analogy, when one considers the travel expenses, maintenance fees, special assessments, and depreciating value of the property the timeshare begins to look less like a Lamborghini and more like a lemon.

The bottom line is that a timeshare is not a typical property because it’s not an investment. At numerous sites across the internet, an interested buyer can find timeshare owners desperately trying to sell their “investment” for less than one dollar. There are two interesting elements to this phenomenon: The first, is that a timeshare owner would be so eager to rid him or herself of their property that he or she is willing to sell it for the price of a candy bar. The timeshare is so economically toxic that giving it away makes more fiscal sense than keeping it. The second element, is that despite an offer that is obviously too good to be true, occasionally a buyer will come along with no conception of the financial hell that they have voluntarily entered. This cycle will continue to repeat itself as new timeshare owners become frustrated, angry, and cynical concerning the pitfalls of timeshare ownership. Eventually, they too will be willing to practically give the property away rather than deal with the headache of timeshare ownership.

Throughout the course of ownership, the average timeshare owner will spend over $100,000 in costs related to the property. This amount is staggering considering the brief time actually spent at the property and the already significant original price tag.

If you would rather not spend your children’s college funds on a one week per year vacation destination, then maybe you should consider allowing Newton Group Transfers to provide an affordable, efficient, and guaranteed exit solution from your timeshare contract. For a nominal fee, you and your family can be free of the mounting costs associated with the property. Please contact us at 1-877-354-4321 or online at newtongrouptransfers.com to discover a new path to financial security. Who knows, maybe with the money you save, you could buy a new car…

Timeshares: The Ultimate Impulse Buy

After I filled my gas tank yesterday, I strolled inside the gas station to pay. It was a busy time of day, and the price of gas was cheaper than it has been recently, so there was a long line in front of me at the checkout counter. While I was waiting, my eyes began to feast on the candy prominently displayed below the counter top. As a professed chocolate addict, I freely admit that as soon as I got to the front of that line, I greedily snatched a King Size Reese’s and tossed it next to the register; I couldn’t help myself! Spending $0.99 on a candy bar is a relatively harmless exercise in impulse buying, but timeshare salespeople use a very similar method of appealing to emotions other than the purchase itself in their pitch.

Marketing and advertising are everywhere, and they’re here to stay. A product or service no longer sells itself on its own merit, there’s just too much sales competition, too much market research, and too much profit to be gained. As a practice, marketing toward impulse buying is generally an unethical exercise, but usually potential buyers see through the shtick and are responsible with their purchases. However, one major exception is buying a timeshare.

Most people that are invited to a timeshare sales pitch assume they’ll sit through a little speech, qualify for their free meal or gift, and be on their merry way, but the relentlessness of the salesmen make this impossible. The trick is to offer these gifts in exchange for a simple, brief, conversational meeting to discuss a potential vacation opportunity. These supposedly low-pressure sales presentations quickly devolve into an intense and uncomfortable bullying session. The salesmen use a full arsenal of anger and shame to play on your emotions in the hopes of pressuring you into an impulse buy. They extended the pitch far over the allotted time, and they’ll deny you the promised gift if you refuse to buy.

Here are a few tips to avoid the impulse buy. Keep these in mind if you agree to attend a sales presentation:

• Drive yourself to the presentation: This is probably the single most important thing to remember when attending a timeshare sales pitch. Many times, the resort development will suggest a meeting at a central office and then transport you to the actual presentation miles away. This is their sly way of kidnapping you and should be avoided at all cost!

• There’s no need to be polite: Be firm from the beginning and maintain a disinterested stance throughout the presentation. These salespeople are determined to capitalize on any indication that you may be willing to buy a property and they will use your kindness against you when you refuse to buy. If you’re only there for the free gift, be sure to make this known from the beginning and don’t waver on this stance.

• Beat them at their own game: Before you attend the presentation, do a little research online. Find the resale prices of some of the timeshares for the resort you’re visiting, print them off, and bring your homework with you to the pitch. Early in the salesperson’s speech, publicly ask if they can match the lowest prices on the sheet. This will serve as a crippling blow to the foundation of their proposal and drastically shorten the presentation.

A timeshare sales speech is much more than a minor inconvenience; it’s a manipulative assault on your emotions. Remember that you don’t owe these people anything regardless of how they will try to guilt you into an impulse buy. Stay strong, don’t lose your cool, and keep the tips listed above in mind.

Avoid Timeshare Resale Companies!

Timeshares are a tricky thing. At first, they seem like such a great purchase. Who wouldn’t want to reserve a few weeks at a vacation condo by splitting the cost with hundreds of other buyers?

Unfortunately, like most things in life, there’s a catch. When you consider the hefty initial payment, consistently rising maintenance fees, and special assessments that blindside owners, timeshare ownership far exceeds the cost of conventional vacations. These fees are so outlandish due, in large part, to the fact that the resort’s marketing campaigns are responsible for nearly 50% of the final timeshare price. These wildly aggressive strategies lead to a huge mark-up in your costs.

On top of the costs associated with owning a timeshare, it’s important to remember that they can also be extremely expensive to sell. Most resale agencies require a significant upfront sum to list your property, and they continue to charge monthly fees until your timeshare sells. Overall, listing your timeshare will cost you thousands, and they rarely sell, even after your financial commitment.

Of course, timeshares rarely sell due to a number of factors, not the least of which is that the reseller has little motivation to do so as long as their clients continue to line their pockets. Coupled with the fact that a large number of these companies are nothing more than fronts for scam artists, timeshare resale companies simply aren’t the way to go. Usually, people only turn to them when they’re desperate to dispose of their contract, only to lose hundreds, if not thousands, more in the process. In fact, according to The South Florida Sun-Sentinel, complaints about timeshare resale companies doubled in 2009 to become the most frequent complaint reported to the state’s Attorney General.

These fraudulent companies do an excellent job of disguising their true nature, so here are a few suggestions to help you determine the soundness of the company:

·         Verify the business’ physical address: This is a surefire way to determine the validity of the business.

·         Do your research: A simple way to ascertain the legitimacy of the company in question is to contact the Better Business Bureau and the state Attorney general.

·         Look for the guarantee: If the reseller doesn’t offer a full and guaranteed money-back refund of your money if you aren’t satisfied with their service, DO NOT COMMIT to anything in writing!!

Considering the many drawbacks of listing agencies and the fact that many of them are illegitimate, I strongly urge you not to enlist their help. The surest way to avoid being scammed by a resale company is to not seek out their assistance in the first place. But there is an expedient, affordable, and sensible way to end your timeshare ownership.

The best option for timeshare owners who are looking to dispose of their timeshare contract is to enlist the help of Newton Group Transfers for a guaranteed exit from your timeshare. Unlike resellers, we offer the following features to keep you confident and informed throughout the process:

• ·         All pertinent information is documented in writing.

• ·         An immaculate track record that can be referenced and verified via the BetterBusiness Bureau.

• ·         A swift transfer of your timeshare property with a nominal, one-time fee.

• ·         Every detail of the terms and conditions of the service offered.

• ·         100%money-back guarantee to successfully complete your transfer in a timely fashion.

We urge you to be diligent in your search for an efficient and expedient timeshare exit solution. We realize that most timeshare owners have dealt with less that reputable individuals and organizations in the past, and we understand the hesitation to move forward with an exit solution that requests an upfront fee. However, the bullets above speak volumes about our credibility and our honest commitment to our customers. We have our client’s best interests in mind, and we will work tirelessly and honestly to remove you from your timeshare obligation. So please contact us today at 1-877-354-4321 or visit us online at www.newtongrouptransfers.com to liberate yourself from your timeshare contract.