Timeshare and its service. What is a timeshare in tourism - the pros and cons of the system

“The whole world is at your feet, kind-hearted clients. We have a great offer for you: you give us money, and we give you promises!” - something like this should sometimes sound like the slogan of timeshare companies, ruthlessly "undressing" gullible citizens. "Timeshare" is a special form of property ownership in the territory resort hotel club type on a contractual basis, which gives the right to use the apartment annually for a certain period of time according to the contract (usually weeks).

Timeshares: an empty shell in a beautiful wrapper

Nevertheless, companies selling such “happiness” do not talk about pitfalls - it is in their interests to find a buyer and sell the maximum set, so agents go to any tricks just to lure them into their networks. For example, when a family arrives at a hotel on the island, a specially trained person is always “attached” to them, who is always close to potential customers. In the process of this communication, the “victims” are constantly in some kind of euphoria from the agent’s colorful stories about the advantages of this island and relaxing there. If the agent sees that there are adult children in the family, then another type of “processing” begins - talk about official employment and further living in this heavenly place on our planet.

“Forgotten” weeks in contracts, apartments for two instead of those promised for four, lack of feedback after signing the contract - this is all a reality that comes the moment you become a client.

So the fairy tales that you were told during the “candy-bouquet” period very rarely coincide with the text of the contract. Our editors tried to find out about the "methods" of these companies: customers who were disappointed with "timeshare happiness" shared their stories.

Story #1

Olga

It didn't happen to me, but to my parents. They are rather just tourists, understanding little, and I cannot establish vigilant control over them.

And this is not the first time this has happened to them. For a long time there was a case when they tried to drag us into such a case. But then I was with my parents, and we managed to safely get away from it. We were caught in Salou, invited to a presentation, then they took us to inspect the apartment complex offered as part of the timeshare.

Then my parents went to rest, they were met at the Domodedovo airport by some representative, they talked, he took their contacts. Upon returning to Moscow, my parents were “called” and invited to come to the office by the VDNKh metro station. There they were interviewed again, and in the end they signed a contract for 180 thousand, for 5 weeks of residence for 2-3 years. It was the Club La Costa company.

During the last trip as part of a timeshare in Tenerife, another interesting story happened. Once we stopped in one village to have a bite to eat seafood. A girl met us at the restaurant, she gave advice on dishes and at the same time asked if this was our trip to the island on our own or through a tour. We said that through a timeshare. She further suggested that we consider another proposal if we use this type of service. I said no, no need ... But this did not stop her - she asked at least to go to the presentation, because then she would receive a “bonus” for this. As expected, my compassionate parents, of course, found the time and the right moment, took 200 euros with them and went to this “wonderful” event.

There they were told everything in the brightest colors, and in the end they signed an agreement, more like a certificate without a full-fledged two-way translation into Russian, until 2022 for 8 weeks for 3,000 euros.

They already made the initial contribution on the same day at the meeting itself, and then began to pay the rest. Payments could be made within a year and a half, and trips could only begin after making 60%. By December, everything was already paid. And then it began...

At first, the timeshare idea looked very nice. You pay $15,000 and never worry about your vacation again. For this money, for example, you redeem 1/25 of the hotel and get every year for two weeks for personal use an exotic Pacific bungalow, a room in a luxurious hotel in Nice or in a cozy club on the Mediterranean Sea. Such a vacation was called a timeshare.

That's just, as always, in domestic conditions, its charm is very dimmed ...

Timeshare was invented in the 60s, when a crisis began on the global real estate market. The owners needed money to build new hotels and restore old ones, and some resourceful agency decided to take this money from potential vacationers. Roughly speaking, the service looks like this: the hotel is sold 50 times by the number of weeks in a year minus some time for repairs. If, by selling it to one person, the owner could receive, say, 100 thousand dollars, then when buying a timeshare, each of the 50 buyers pays him 10 thousand, and the cost of the hotel grows to half a million. Each of these buyers has the right to rest free of charge in this hotel for as many weeks as he has redeemed. The right to use can be for life and be inherited or "temporary" for a period of 30, 50, 70, 100 years.

There is no need to think that, having bought a timeshare, you will travel all your life to the same long-annoyed Cyprus. As soon as timeshare took shape as a separate service, club exchange systems appeared, the most famous of which are RCI (Resort Condominiums International) and II (Interval International). With their help, you can exchange your two weeks for a similar vacation elsewhere. Timeshares are divided into several categories depending on the time of year: so if you buy a week in the high season, you have a "red" timeshare, in the off-season - "white", and in the low season - "blue". "Red" week, of course, the most profitable in the exchange. Redeemed weeks can be either fixed (for example, from August 10 to August 24) or floating. A timeshare certificate holder has 3,600 resorts in 94 countries, and for one week in the Canary Islands, you can get two weeks in America. And if, for example, you bought a double apartment, you have the right to bring your friends there for free.

The average price of one week according to the timeshare system in such popular places how Canary Islands or Mallorca is 10-13 thousand US dollars. The same holiday in the resorts of Cyprus or Greece does not exceed 7-8 thousand dollars. Money for the average European or American, as you can see, is not very big. Therefore, the growth rate of timeshare tourism is 15% per year, while the growth of traditional tourism does not exceed 8%.

In our country, timeshare has become known since 1992. But while all over the world there are three and a half million "share" hoteliers, in our country there are still no more than 20 thousand of them. Yes, and those special lucky ones can not be called. Unfortunately, the reputation of timeshare in our country is badly tarnished, and there are no less scandals associated with club holidays than with financial "pyramids". And all because most of the deceived owners unknowingly contacted fraudulent companies. Most of the timeshare companies that operate with us are registered as travel companies and do not have a license to conduct such activities. They sometimes resort to dubious methods of work. A common way to attract customers is as follows: in a supermarket, a person comes up to you and says that he is conducting a statistical survey. He starts asking you about your age, marital status, income, where you spend your holidays. Then they call you at home and say that by participating in a poll, you won a prize. You need to come to an office for it. By the way, only middle-aged couples with an income of at least 15 thousand dollars a year are invited there. And in this very office, specially trained agents fool your brains so much that you leave the first $ 500 without even bothering to read the contract.

Half of these unfortunate buyers usually come to their senses in a couple of days and begin to feverishly think about how to sell this timeshare. So, the next option of taking money from the population is just used in the secondary timeshare market. The bell rings in your apartment: "Would you like to sell your timeshare?". The firm says that they already have a client who wants to buy your weeks, and he is going to pay a couple of thousand dollars more than you hoped. For the service, the intermediary asks for 10%. But you need to pay the money up front, and even purchase a certificate of authenticity of your timeshare certificate for $ 150. A significant part of timeshare owners usually decide to take a risk. Is it necessary to say that the agent, having received the money, is no longer announced?

Adviсe

So that you don’t join the army of timeshare owners storming the courts, here are some of our educational tips for you:

Never enter into contracts if the seller uses the "pressure selling" method. Signs of such marketing are the following formulations: you need to hurry with the purchase, since there are only a few free weeks left, only today there is a 20-30% discount, if you conclude a contract today, the company will make a gift in the form of payment for air tickets. Don't believe those companies that say you can make money by buying a timeshare. You can, at most, save money, and even that is still a big question. Never leave any deposit at the presentation, in all European countries you can take a deposit from the client under the contract only 15 days after the presentation. Take the contract home, consult with a lawyer and, if there are comments, seek to include them in the text of the contract. Often contracts are clearly designed for the incompetence of clients. And such a trifle as the absence of company details in the contract can deprive you of the opportunity to defend your rights in court.

It is extremely important that your club is part of one of the international exchange systems, such as RCI. Be sure to find out the current costs of maintaining the apartment. This figure can range from $200 to $500 a year, and it's best to find out before signing a contract, not after. Try to find out if the club is far from the sea, if there are nightclubs or the airport nearby. Ask about the availability of air conditioning, TV, refrigerator, washing machine, etc. in the apartment.

If you decide to sell your timeshare, please contact the club for which you are the certificate holder. You will be given the coordinates of the trust company with which this club cooperates, and this company will already help you with the sale or renewal of the certificate. And you should definitely be wary if you are offered to pay for this service in advance.

Who knows what a timeshare is?

That's right, literally - the division of time. Organization of recreation in the RCI (Resort Condominium International) or II (Interval International) system, which involves about three thousand clubs in more than 70 countries around the world.

Timeshare sounds great

The idea is this: you buy luxury apartments in the property in a beautiful resort and own them from one to 51 weeks a year. And you get the right to exchange these weeks of rest for others in any part of the world. And all this for mere pennies compared to the value of real estate in the same resort. Only a few thousand dollars for the right to lifelong, inheritable ownership of the apartment! In addition, this happiness can be sold, exchanged, leased, bequeathed, etc. at any time.

Did you like it? Do you want to live like the heroes of "Santa Barbara"? Want to profitably invest your money? Let's get more of them here. We will arrange everything for you! - this is promised at almost all presentations of companies offering to buy a timeshare.

There were several dozen such firms in Moscow. Recently, having practically exhausted the supply of Muscovites who are able to "buy in" on these promises, such companies have turned their eyes to the regions: the first transactions were registered in Yekaterinburg, Rostov, Krasnoyarsk.

Let's try to figure out together what this system is and how it works.

Natural selection

If you put on your best outfit, parade in it in a crowded, prestigious place (large department stores, lobbies of expensive hotels) and give the impression of a successful person, then it is possible that a pretty girl or a young man with a notebook will approach you. In a light, casual conversation, you will be asked to answer a few questions and fill out a questionnaire. After that, they will offer to visit the presentation of the company, promising something amazing. They will be asked to come together - with a wife (husband) or with a girlfriend (friend).

It was you who met with the "external representative" of the firm. When selecting them, preference is given to students of humanitarian universities (journalism, law, VGIK, etc.). For 3-4 hours of "catching clients" young people receive 5 dollars and from 0.25 to 1% of the contract amount, if it is concluded.

At the presentation

Presentations are most often held in expensive hotels or in posh offices. When you arrive there, another employee of the company talks to you for an hour and a half. This is an "internal representative" - ​​he has no right to talk about prices, but only "warms up" you for the manager. He receives the same as the "outside representative", but before he is accepted for this job, he must pass the exam.

ConfOP employees managed to get hold of a curious internal document from one of the firms selling timeshare: an instruction manual for an "internal representative". This classified document is called "Training representatives" and is a cross between instructions for introducing a client into a trance state and a treatise on the ethics of communication. The employee must memorize the text.

Here are some of its fragments.

Make sure that you (representative - VK) are either near or ahead of them ... This is part of your control over them (clients - VK). You should act like a friend who is about to show them your house and explain how great it is...

Control over your customers is an essential part of your job. You must control your customers from the first minute you meet them. You need to create a slight psychological and physical superiority. Control where they sit, what they touch, what they look at, what and when they eat or drink. Some people are trying to take control of you, don't let them... Some may say they only want to see apartments and prices... Some may say they're not interested. Ignore this and continue with the presentation...

Most the best way to make people relax is to make them laugh... Laughing makes people feel good, they do things they normally wouldn't do. It might set them to rest...

You have to sell them a DREAM... Create that dream for them, color the picture...

Draw a picture for them, make them believe you, you have to paint them into the picture... let them be on a golf course, in a hot tub, in a pool or on a ski lift. Find their hotspot, keep asking questions by pressing the buttons until you find the right one. Their hot spots and fun vibe is what sells...

Our task as sellers is very simple - we just need to find out the desires of customers, and then inspire that our product is what they want...

Touch is your tool. Frequently touch both clients...

This job isn't easy... THIS IS WHY THIS JOB IS SO WELL PAID...

Did you feel like a dough from which you can sculpt Easter cakes? Not? You are a strong person...

When the Easter cake is ready, the manager comes up to you and gives you papers to sign.

The manager of the firm is paid between $500 and $1,500 monthly, plus $500 quarterly to keep him in shape. The manager - "white collar" - must carry out the final "finishing" as quickly as possible. He also accepts money from you.

None of the papers describe your apartment. What for? Don't you trust our firm? We have shown you films and prospectuses. Don't you want to relax like all rich people? You may not have enough money? It doesn't matter - you can always sell your timeshare, we will buy it with pleasure. And, please, hurry up, we will close soon, and we will solve all your questions tomorrow, in the event that, of course, you make an advance payment today. Tomorrow it will cost 20% more. Handle? Please! Everything! The contract is signed!

The morning is wiser than the evening

The applicant is bound by the provisions of the club's constitution, regardless of whether he has read its contents ... At one of the presentations, I suggested that the manager take the money in an envelope - without counting. Didn't take it.

"In the event of conflicts between the Russian and English texts of the treaty, the English text shall prevail." Thank you for not offering to sign the contract in Chinese.

"This contract cannot be cancelled." Did we promise to buy a timeshare from you at any moment? Our intern gave you the wrong information, a mistake came out.

"All verbal assurances are null and void." Remember: "Don't you trust our firm?"

"The parties irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Isle of Man." How long have you looked there for the last time?

"All disputes and disagreements ... shall be settled by arbitration. Arbitration shall be held at the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris, France." Do you like to feel like a subject of private international law?

For any lawyer, such an agreement causes a slight toothache - many of its conditions are contrary to our law. From a legal point of view, you, as the owner of a timeshare, are as far from the owner of the resort as a patient of a regular sanatorium. After all, you cannot allocate your share in NATURE and dispose of it at your discretion. It is impossible to prove this to the company's employees - they do not understand (or pretend not to understand) legal terms, or simply "ignore it and continue the presentation."

But the most important thing is that not a single company gives any guarantees of the quality of services: "the best guarantee is the good name of the company" (and you hear it at the presentation for the first time).

The vast majority of customers who have bought a timeshare are trying to return the advance paid. And I must say, not without success. Behind Last year Dozens of statements of claim were written to the court and almost all processes were won. But it is difficult to predict how events will unfold outside the walls of the capital, where firms will go after hardening in battles with Moscow lawyers.

You bought a timeshare after all...

But in fact, what will happen if you still fully pay for the timeshare and try to exercise your right to rest? What's in the resort?

Here are some excerpts from the letters of citizens who experienced the "charms" of the promised fabulous life: ©

"Having spent the whole night in the apartment (the heating did not work), we decided to understand where we were. There was dust, dirt, noise of construction vehicles all around (it turned out that repairs were underway)."

"The apartments have worn out furniture, worn, untidy carpets..."

"The apartment did not have air conditioning."

"There was no restaurant and no organized catering at all, the hotel was in the mountains - and it was impossible to buy food without a car."

"A full-scale construction was going on 25-30 meters from the hotel, noise, dirt; rooms are cleaned once a week."

"All restaurants and cafes in the area are closed until the beginning of the holiday season, sports grounds, a swimming pool, boat stations are only in the perspective plans of the club owner."

"Hot water and electricity are strictly metered, the economy mode is brought to the limit, the use of water from the sea horizons makes it unsuitable not only for drinking or washing dishes, but also causes allergies."

"The resort is located 350 km from the airport, and a taxi there costs $260."

"I have visited many resorts, but I have never seen such horror anywhere."

And now the question is: what would you do if you were in Moscow after that?

That's right, we would go to the company to terminate the contract.

Here is the company's response in full:

"The company, in accordance with the contract, fulfilled its obligations by providing a vacation certificate for membership in the club ... The conditions for the further implementation of membership are not within the competence of the company and are not the subject of a contract concluded between the company and the client."

What to do next?

Read the laws of the Isle of Man...

In fairness, it should be noted that there were positive responses. Some clients were satisfied with the rest in the first year. But by the beginning of the next holiday season, they began to receive bills for colossal sums: for the repair of apartments, for their maintenance during the off-season, and sometimes for recovery after natural disasters. Having paid these bills, the owners forever parted with the idea of ​​selling their timeshare - it began to cost such crazy money that it would hardly be possible to find a buyer.

To have or not to have

The RCI system really exists in many countries of the world, and it is possible that someone, somewhere has managed to take advantage of its benefits. But in the Russian market, unfortunately, timeshare has proven itself not from the best side.

What are the main visible reasons for this? Why is it that a good, in general, idea has acquired such ugly forms in our market?

The system has existed in the world for about 60 years. Naturally, a whole sea of ​​low-liquid offers has formed on the timeshare market. Some of them were sold by dissatisfied customers - for example, due to insufficient good location resort or because of not the best attitude towards the clients of the administration. Some of the resorts fell into disrepair due to natural wear and tear. And some are under construction and the infrastructure there is not yet developed.

And now all these illiquid assets poured into our market. If we multiply this by the usual Russian attitude to business, then the position in the club system will become clearer. So, for example, 60% of Moscow timeshare firms have already died. Where the money of the clubs went at the same time remains a mystery. Some firms are constantly changing names, while cutting off dissatisfied customers. Thus, the company "Paradise" was revived under the name "Paradise Group", then "Paradise Gift" ... And although legally these are completely different companies, consumers say that the same people work there.

One thing is clear: buying a timeshare in Russia in the near future means taking a very big risk.

timeshare this is one of the forms of ownership in which one property is rented by several persons. This system, now common in American resorts, European and Asian cities appeared in the 1960s. Timeshare is most in demand in Tenerife (Spain), Israel and Thailand.

Timeshares in Russia are most popular in the following schemes:

1. Use of real estate for a week every 2 years.
2. Use of the apartments for a month every year.
3. Stay once a year for one specific week. This method is the most common, but is only suitable for people who have a fixed annual vacation schedule.
4. "Floating" timeshare - the use of apartments at different times of the year in agreement with the management company.

The contract can be concluded for a period of 3 years to several tens. At the same time, "timeshare" weeks are divided into:

• red (typical for the holiday season) - the most expensive;
• white (for off-season);
• blue (non-tourist season)

When contacting exchange companies, you have the right to exchange more expensive weeks for less valuable ones, that is, red weeks for white ones, but blue weeks cannot be exchanged.

The timeshare scheme has its own Benefits:

• regular real estate for timeshare - apartments or studios, which are of the highest standard;
• the owner of the timeshare has the right to defer vacation weeks on account of subsequent years in order to increase the time of ownership of the apartment;
• the owner of the timeshare can transfer to friends, assign or resell their weeks;
• the timeshare user has the right to regulate the rest time;
• the management company provides bonuses - additional days;

However, there are also limitations:

• timeshare is quite expensive. In addition, the owner of the apartments undertakes to pay annual taxes;
• the timeshare user has the right to a limited stay in the apartment;
• timeshare is quite difficult to resell due to the high cost;
• after the expiration of the lease time, the ownership of the timeshare owner is not retained;
• high risks - in case of bankruptcy of the management company, the client loses his capital;

In general, it remains a mystery for what purpose these same timeshares are needed? After all, buying this type of property, you are doomed to spend your long-awaited vacation in the same place. And if a person has enough funds to invest in real estate, then it is better to acquire it as a property, and not to buy the right of annual temporary use of the same object. When buying a “certificate to the country of fools”, weigh the pros and cons, so that later you don’t have to think about how to return the money back or sell the timeshare to another buyer.

July 22, 2012 The term "timeshare" (literally "time sharing") is most often used in the travel business. And here it means co-ownership of real estate in resort areas. These can be rooms in hotels, boarding houses, holiday homes, etc.

The idea of ​​a timeshare is this. You cannot afford to buy property in an expensive foreign resort: it is expensive, and you will have to pay considerable taxes. But you can buy ownership for periods ranging from one week to the 51st week of the year.

Timeshare is distinguished by seasonality and quality of service.

According to seasonality, the timeshare has its own color:

Red - best season for relax;

White - off-season;

Blue is the season with the lowest demand.

In terms of quality of service, timeshares are distributed similarly to the star rating category of hotels.

Resorts are divided into the following categories:

Standard;

Golden crown.

Timeshare as a club vacation

Club vacation involves the opportunity to take advantage of comfortable living conditions in club-type hotels. Club members, purchasing a timeshare in such a club hotel (one or several weeks), get the right to exchange their time and place of rest for another in accordance with the existing price list of resorts of various categories. For example, more than three thousand resorts around the world are connected to the international RCI club recreation system.

The cost of a personal club membership varies depending on the number of years for which the fee is paid: the more years you pay, the lower the cost of membership in the club in terms of one year.

Timeshare Benefits

For countries where the law regulates timeshare, it provides a number of significant benefits for participants in the system:

1. Acquisition of ownership of real estate on prestigious resorts;

2. Opportunity to exchange the place of rest, accumulate the duration of the rest, giving up your weeks in one year or sell your weeks, if in some year it is not possible to find time for a holiday at the resort;

3. Transfer the acquired timeshare by inheritance or sell;

4. Solve the problem of corporate holidays for company employees.

Club rest, in addition to the listed advantages, has the following advantages:

1. Rest in apartments, which have all the conditions for living, as in your own apartment or house, including the opportunity to invite friends;

2. A one-time investment in the purchase of a timeshare and payment for membership in the club allows you to choose a new vacation spot every year;

3. Systems of discounts for air travel.

"Russian Timeshare" as a way to withdraw money from the population

In Russia, Timeshare is often tried to be sold using aggressive methods of influencing a potential buyer (extortion of money). Through various tricks in the form of opinion polls or reports that you have become the winner of some promotion, you are lured to presentations or to events for the presentation of supposedly won prizes. You are urged to turn off your cell phone and be with your significant other.

It turns out that you won a week of rest. You can choose the resort yourself, but you will be persuaded to choose the one that the owners of the timeshare need. You will pay quite a bit, but then it turns out that the round trip is paid out of your pocket, meals are also at your expense, and on the spot it turns out that you still need to pay for insurance, an extra week or some other expenses that are refundable. All this was allegedly stipulated in the contract. You pay for everything, but you will not see your money anymore, because on the day of departure you will not find a representative of the company.

Currently, hundreds of civil cases are being considered in the courts of our country on the claims of deceived people who suffered from the actions of unscrupulous timeshare companies.

If you still decide to try, then when buying a timeshare, beware of situations where they prove to you that right now you need to make a deal, otherwise tomorrow the lot will be twice or three times more expensive.

Having the intention to purchase a timeshare, carefully study the contract, which must be drawn up in at least two languages, Russian and English.

Do not trust those who do not provide you with a contract for review in a calm home environment.

Find out information about the structure of the club, additional cash payments, as well as liability for non-payment of membership in the club.

When reselling certificates, beware of unscrupulous intermediaries, carefully study the contracts and do not pay in advance for processing transactions or conducting marketing research.

It is also important to mention that Timeshare is difficult to use as an investment, as there is almost no market for resale in reality, and the providers of this service often do not record the purchase of this property in the property register or land registry. As a result, in the event of bankruptcy of this company, the buyer will not have any rights.