Scammed

Last January, we enlisted the services of a timeshare resale company to try to sell our timeshare in Panama City Beach. We have week 13, usually right in the middle of Spring Break. Since that area is a hugely popular Spring Break venue, the place is a madhouse during our timeshare week, so we never use it. We rent it out every year, no problem, but figured we ought to sell it and put the money to better use.

We really never wanted a timeshare at all but bought it for $1400 from a friend who never used it after his wife died. We were trying to do him a favor. So, we listed it for sale with WWV in Daytona Beach, FL. They claim to offer potential buyers vacation perks and hold presentations of their listed properties. Trying to be sure the place was legitimate, we went to their storefront which was different from their mailing address. At first, they hesitated to give us the physical address because they said they were just then expanding and moving to larger digs. We insisted we would only sign up in person, not over the phone or in the mail. When we arrived, we looked around and saw the place was surely not ready for the public. Surely, they must just be moving in... We were put at ease by the very personable manager. The secretary brought our paperwork in and after reviewing the contract which promised to refund our $499 fee if our place wasn't sold within a year, we felt it safe to make the deal.

Later, we began to feel uneasy about the website and the company. Our property was not listed on their site as promised and the site really didn't try to sell properties as much as to troll for listings. It was not user friendly at all. Our concern grew and we made another trip to Daytona Beach. The "sales" office was still barren and in disarray. It did not look at all like a place where presentations were held. The secretary was the same lady, but claimed that WWV was no longer there and indeed, there was a sign above the door reading ITC. She claimed they were a brand new company and she knew nothing of WWV. We insisted she was the same lady who did our paperwork with WWV, but she steadfastly denied it. Then in walked the man who sold us the deal. We presented our paperwork and our complaint. At first he told the same yarn as the secretary, then, when we called him by name, he said, he did remember us and that he would see to it our listing was up that day. He gave a slick song and dance about different branches of the company using different names and that our contract was still valid and they were remodeling and would soon be doing presentations, blah, blah, blah.

We left feeling we'd been had.

Today, we once again drove to Daytona. The same secretary told us the company was brand new (it's now VMTI) and claimed no knowledge of WWV or ITC or us. She became very defensive and refused to verify her name. We left and drove to the mailing address of the company which turned out to be a box at a UPS Store. The clerk told us the box was no longer in use and the police were investigating the fraud that was being conducted through that address.

Our next stop was the Daytona Police Dept. where we didn't get far but did get a phone number where we can reach a detective tomorrow who will be able to find the case number and locate the people working on it. We may be able to help them with names, etc. or maybe they have all that. But the scammers are still operating out of the same building but with new phone numbers and a new name. They lease that space and somebody signed that lease. The fraudulent scheme consists of signing up prepaid listings by promising a refund after a year, then dissolving the company before a year is up only to begin operating under a new name, mailing address and phone number, doing the same thing in the same place.

Okay, we were fools to prepay. I would have had a fit if one of my clients had done such a thing. What were we thinking?!

We really have no expectations of getting our money back but hope we can help put a stop to this thievery. Right now, I am praying for these crooks to get caught, repent, find Jesus and study scripture as they serve their time in prison. I'm trying to love my enemy... and, praise God, He is helping me do it. Sometimes, however love needs to be tough and these folks need to be made to understand the seriousness of their deceit.

Ah well, life is never dull!