Expert: Andreas Rossler - 10/19/2007

Question
We bought a weeks timeshare from a developer with the promise that another week that we own would be sold within 90 days. It's been 6 months and no sale. Can we file a complaint with someone in Florida?
                         Thanks,
                    Dick Mawhinney

Answer
You bet.  I have a list of possible actions - obviously not all of them apply, however, explore each option and see what works best for you.  I would consider asking for a full refund and release from the contract.  Well, here is the list:

1.   The Attorney General.  You should file a complaint with the Attorney General where the company is headquartered, the state where you purchased, and your home state.  Here is a good site where you can link to Attorney General complaint forms online:  http://www.fair-debt-collection.com/attorneys.html
2.   See if the company is listed with the Better Business Bureau; file a complaint with the BBB.  Here is their online complaint form:  http://www.bbb.org/complaint.asp
3.   A good site is the Rip-off Report.  Be careful when writing up a report on that site – state the truth and nothing but the truth.  This site is caught by search engines, so be sure to use the company name.  Here is their site:  http://ripoffreport.com/
4.   Complaints.com is similar to Rip-off Report.  Here is their website:  http://www.complaints.com/  (#3 and #4 have a simple purpose, to get the company’s name to show up on search engines.  This is the worst possible publicity and can cause the loss of an untold amount of business).
5.   The FTC (Federal Trade Commission).  They are very much interested in hearing about shady timeshare developers or rip-offs.  The reason being that most timeshares solicit individuals via the telephone.  Here is their online complaint form:  https://rn.ftc.gov/pls/dod/wsolcq$.startup?Z_ORG_CODE=PU01
6.   For reference purposes, you may want to check out the National Association for Members - http://www.natlassoc.org/ - lots of good stuff.
7.   If a lawyer or other professional (CPA) was involved in the transfer or escrow process, you may be able to file a complaint with the state bar or other professional organization they belong to – depending on the nature of your situation.
8.   Report the company to the state agency that regulates real estate.  It is best to do a Yahoo search like this:  “Florida Department of Real Estate”.  You could however start here and drill down to the right website:  http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/State_and_Territories.shtml
9.   If your situation involved a credit card purchase and you’re not getting your refund, definitely call the credit card company and find out their policy on filing a complaint.
10.   File complaints with State, County and City Consumer Protection Offices.  Here you’ll find a list of all of them: http://consumeraction.gov/state.shtml
11.   File a complaint with the National Consumer’s League Fraud Center.  Here’s the web site:  http://www.fraud.org/
12.   File a Complaint with the National Association of Consumer Advocates.  Here is their website:  http://www.naca.net/
13.   Small Claims Court.  What’s good about small claims is that it is easy and can cause huge head aches for the company.