Transfer America

Many consumers who become timeshare owners purchased their timeshare out of haste. They fell for the presentations and the representatives were able to convince them to purchase this once in a lifetime deal. However, what many of them don’t realize is how much money and sleep they are going to lose in the future. A timeshare representative will do anything in their power to convince unsuspecting consumers into making a purchase without truly understanding their future obligations.

For example, John Retzl was told by a salesman that upgrading his timeshare was a great investment and if he ever changed his mind the company would buy the timeshare back from him. However, everything the salesman told him was a lie. Retzl is one out of 101 timeshare owners who have submitted complaints to the attorney general in Florida through a lawyer.

Mike Finn, a lawyer at Finn Law Group, stated that Wyndham made sure that timeshare owners would not be able to escape from their timeshare contracts. Many times negotiations with Wyndham would result in no changes and Finn would then accuse “Wyndham of deceptive sales practices… [because] sales representatives made sweeping promises to potential buyers during marketing pitches that were not included in the written contracts the customers eventually signed”.

Wyndham recently released a statement regarding these accusations:

“We are aware of a growing trend of unscrupulous businesses that exist for no other purpose than to prey upon and exploit timeshare owners with promises of financial gain in exchange for an upfront fee. Not unlike the recent proliferation of timeshare rental/resale and third-party transfer and relief companies now getting the attention of law enforcement agencies in Florida and elsewhere, these so-called advocacy groups specifically target timeshare owners facing economic challenges, collect their fees and leave their victims grossly misinformed with even greater financial hardship.”

To this day, Wyndham as well as other timeshare companies remain clueless as to how to deal with unwanted timeshares. On the other hand, to those who truly wish to escape from their timeshare, contact Transfer America today and talk to one of their representatives.

Transfer America reports on an article that warns timeshare owners not to be tricked when selling their timeshares. The Better Business Bureau is advising families not to fully trust a company until you have done your research and determined their legitimacy. Many deceptive companies have realized how desperate struggling families are in trying to get rid of their timeshares and use that to their advantage.

The president and CEO of the BBB, Steve Bernas, commented, “While timeshare owners are looking to lessen a financial burden, many vacationers are not buying. Unfortunately, some unscrupulous timeshare resellers are taking advantage by misleading actual owners in the hopes of selling their timeshare quickly.”

Understanding the need for guidance, the BBB offers the public some tips on how to notice companies who are not trustworthy. First, always check to see if the business is a BBB Accredited Business or at least has a good rating and little customer complaints. Second, make sure the company is licensed and always confirm the location of the company. Thirdly, understand all the costs associated with the service and always be wary of companies who charge an upfront fee for those are the companies that usually disappear once they receive their money. Lastly, never fall for an offer that sounds too good to be true. Take the time to think the offer over and fully understand the terms and conditions.

With these tips, the BBB hopes that timeshare owners are better equipped to understand how companies are able to persuade someone into purchasing a non-existent service.

Transfer America reports on the Saga Sapphire inaugural cruise. This cruise has already been delayed for a week because of a shipyard strike and wasn’t able to set sale until recently. However, after setting sail, the inaugural voyage has stopped mid-cruise because of engine problems. The Saga Sapphire seems to be encountering bad luck at every corner.

John Honeywell, a blogger, stated that the ship was “due back in Southampton on April 18, is now waylaid in Valencia, Spain, and that passengers (who will receive a full refund and a discount on a future cruise) will be flown back to the U.K. on Monday”. Most of the passengers are scheduled to attend Sapphire’s next cruise on April 25.

In a follow-up report, Honeywell reported that passengers aboard the ship will only receive a fifty percent refund because the cruise will skip El Ferrol, Spain as well as Leixoes, Portugal. The spokesperson for Saga, Paul Green, commented that the disaster “could not have been detected or foreseen”.

Green also added that “even though the ship remains safe to sail. The line operates on the precautionary principle and will only set off if we have a fully functioning back-up engine and replacement parts are being flown to Valencia and the company is carrying out what it describes as a ‘forensic engineering inspection’ to discover the cause of the problem.”

Furthermore, Honeywell stated that, “inspection by officials from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency uncovered a total of 55 ‘deficiencies’ on board, ranging from lack of training in fire drills, to an incomplete lifeboat inventory. The faults were not considered serious enough for the MCA to detain the ship.”

This recent incident is being added onto the long list of recent ship problems that seems to be affecting each company. Just last week a Dutch company vessel suffered engine failure, leaving 73 passengers and 4 crew members stranded. This year seems to be a bad year for all cruise ships.

Transfer America reports on a new program being tested at the airports. Last week, TSA announced their new pilot program “that uses machines to check IDs and boarding passes instead of having agents examine them with black lights and magnifying glasses”. This new program will enable TSA agents to focus primarily on carry-ons and potential threats. This new program is currently being tested at Washington Dulles International Airport and depending on the results may been seen at others this year.

According to Kip Hawley, a former TSA administrator, “TSA has focused too much on enforcing regulations on prohibited items and too little on analyzing and managing risk, an approach that has been both an operational mistake and a public-service disaster”. Hawley even went as far as to proclaim that airports should eliminate the ban on prohibited items, except for weapons.

Hawley commented, “The crux of the problem, as I learned in my years at the helm, is our wrongheaded approach to risk. In attempting to eliminate all risk from flying, we have made air travel an unending nightmare for U.S. passengers and visitors from overseas, while at the same time creating a security system that is brittle where it needs to be supple.”

Subsequently, the new program also known as Credential Authentication Technology will be used to scan the passenger’s boarding pass and photo ID and use the information to verify the names provided. In doing so, the program will be able to authenticate the boarding pass and allow the passenger forward. Furthermore, the CAT-BPSS will be able to determine whether the photo IDs are legitimate or fraudulent. If there are any discrepancies with the photo ID, a TSA agent will ask further questions.

Kiersten Todt Coon, the president and CEO of Liberty Group Ventures LLC, commented, “When you use machines to authenticate documents, you minimize the room for error. And when you take the human element out of it, [agents] can focus on the things that look anomalous when people are going through security.

“When all the TSA agent is doing is scanning the document, there’s no appearance that they’re making a subjective decision in terms of additional screening. That will mitigate some of that disgruntled passenger feeling.”

If this program proves successful, it could eliminate traveler frustration levels, reduce unpleasant traveler-agent interactions and reduce the number of TSA agents.

The PreCheck program has been around for about a year and more than 540,000 people have already used this service. This new program allows chosen passengers to pass through a different lane for security as well as not having to remove shoes, jackets, take out liquids, or remove laptops from bags. Passengers who use the program will also avoid the pre-flight pat downs. TSA stated that the PreCheck program will expand to thirty-five more airports by the end of this year.

Currently, the program is only available to passengers of Delta or American Airlines but it will soon be expanding to include United Airlines, U.S. Airways and Alaska Airlines.

Greg Soule, TSA spokesperson, stated, “It’s helping us to move away from a one-size-fits-all approach to security, with a goal of providing the most effective security in the most efficient way possible. We want to be able to focus on passengers we know less about.”

The idea of this program is to focus on potential threats instead of loyal passengers. This will enable TSA to remove low-risk, pre-screened passengers from the main security line which also reduces the costs of security. The PreCheck passengers will also be able to pass through security much faster as well.

The program is only available to American citizens at this time and there are only two ways to join the program. The first way is to be personally invited to join. Airlines will invite some frequent fliers to join free of charge. These frequent fliers would have to meet certain security criteria as well as a background check. The second way to join would be to apply for the Customs and Border Protection Global Entry program. This program allows passengers “to be vetted in order to expedite the customs process on arrival into the country from abroad”. Those who are not invited by airlines would be responsible in paying a $100 fee and if approved would be accepted into the program for five years. Since the introduction of PreCheck, applications for the Global Entry program has doubled.

Kate Hanni, the executive director of Flyersrights.org, commented, “We believe it should be expanded to every airport in the nation and they should stop treating every airline passenger as if they are terrorists. As someone who travels very frequently, $100 for the speed with which you can move through security and retain your dignity is a small price to pay.”

To those who wish to become a part of this program but are unable to due to a timeshare, contact Transfer America today.

With gas prices as high as it is, it has become extremely difficult to take long road trips or vacations. Recently, the Men’s Health magazine has organized a challenge for all electric vehicles. The 2012 Electric Car Challenge (ECC) challenges electric cars to make a 3,000 mile trip across the U.S. without stopping at a single gas station.

The senior editor of the Men’s Health Magazine and member of the Challenge team, Eric Adams, commented, “We love road trips and this is an excuse to have a different kind of trip.”

To accomplish this feat, the trip will use the 2012 Ford Focus Electric for this record-breaking task. The trip will require the team to stop 40 to 55 times to recharge the car and to ensure the battery doesn’t fail. Though this is not the first attempt at a long-distance, multi-state trip, this challenge hopes to travel further in less time.

The team hopes to reach the Santa Monica Pier within 12 days while promoting various activities along the way. During the two to four hour charging sessions, the team will embark on numerous adventures that promote fitness, environmental and other exciting missions.

This challenge also hopes to destroy any challenges that may stand in the way of consumers acceptance of the electric cars. One of the fears some have is called ‘range anxiety’. This anxiety is the “fear that you’ll run out of juice without a charging station in sight”.

The editor of Edmunds.com commented, “Electric cars at this point are pretty much commuter vehicles. It’s really difficult [to go further] because the infrastructure isn’t there yet.”

For example, the Ford Focus Electric has an estimated range of 76 miles. Once the team reaches that point they would need to find a recharging station or a business that has a 240V power outlet. Adams commented, “Any business that has a welding station uses 240V. We may call Firestone stores and see if we can roll up and plug in for a couple of hours.”

To find other charging stations, the team will uses apps such as PlugShare and ChargePoint which shows on a map where the closest charging stations are. They wish to show consumers that they have no reason to fear running out of juice before reaching the next power station. If consumers were able to see the number of stations, they would be less likely to have range anxiety.

This challenge is going to open the eyes of many who are apprehensive of purchasing an electric car. To those who wish to purchase an electric car but cannot due to a timeshare, contact Transfer America.