Posted on Mon, May 14, 2012
It's automatic. You've been doing it for so many years. That time of year rolls around and your first thought is to head over to RCI Login or call RCI to deposit your timeshare. Your plan is to deposit it long enough in advance that you'll have the most amazing selection of timeshares available to withdraw from. How's that plan working for you so far?
It's time for something new.
The idea of timeshare exchange was launched over 35 years ago. It was so novel and so helpful that it launched the timeshare industry into a new stratosphere. In short, timeshare was never the same again. People bought timeshare with the idea of having not only better vacations but more of them. Owning a timeshare was a like a passport to luxury travel. But things have changed yet again.
The Internet and mobile technology has completely assimilated into our society and changed us forever. And like the caterpillar has changed forever, so has vacation ownership. TimeshareJuice is a new web-enabled application that connects owners to trade timeshares for almost every resort in the world. It's time to use the Internet to exchange your timeshare at over 4,500 timeshare resorts worldwide. That dream of timeshare faded as the companies that promised us the freedom began to take it away. But once again, timeshare is your passport to vacation around the world.
Learn from the experts how to exchange your timeshare for free this year. Travel the world for free at over 4,500 resorts worldwide.
Posted on Mon, May 07, 2012
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Vacation ownership and timeshare exchange can take you and your family on some of the most exotic, fun, and exciting vacations of your life. Millions use timeshare exchange and IntervalWorld.com to enhance their vacation each year. IntervalWorld offers over 3,000 timeshare resorts to choose from for your next timeshare exchange. But this year, come to TimeshareJuice and choose from over 4,500 timeshare resorts to exchange your timeshare. And not only do we have more resorts to choose from but you'll save money, too. That means more cash to spend while on your next vacation.
What is Timeshare Exchange.
Timeshare exchange is the ability to trade your timeshare week with another timeshare owner. With over 5,000 timeshare resorts worldwide, your vacation possibilities are almost limitless. Enjoy an amusement park vacation in Orlando, gambling and nightlife in Vegas, the beaches of Hawaii, and culture of the Far East in Thailand.
How does IntervalWorld.com work?
As a member of IntervalWorld, you'll pay an annual membership fee of $89 per year. That gives you access to the website and catalog to search. If you find a timeshare you like, you deposit your week in the IntervalWorld bank and select resorts you would like to withdraw. You then pay $199 fee for each exchange.
How does TimeshareJuice.com differ from IntervalWorld.com?
- Our service is completely online. You won't need to wait on hold.
- We have 4,500 resorts to choose from where IntervalWorld only has 3,000.
- Right now, we have no fees. You'll save over $300 in fees to use towards your vacation.
Timeshare exchange is an exciting feature of timeshare ownership and can enhance your vacation memories like never before. How you exchange your timeshare is completely up to you. It's your money. Use it wisely.
Enjoy!
Posted on Fri, Apr 27, 2012
You've been using RCI.com for over 10 years now...at least! You only exchange your timeshare once every 3 years but you have to pay membership each year. You are pouring money down the drain. That's like joining a gym and paying membership dues each month but only visiting the gym every third. And then you exchange and you get a whole new set of timeshare exchange fees. This year you have the option to exchange your timeshare online... It's fast, easy, and free. If you don't like the service, you can always go back to RCI but you might find that you prefer trading online as opposed to the old way.
TimeshareJuice is completely online.
- There's no phone to wait on hold. There's no catalog to kill trees and take up space in your kitchen.
- You won't have to wait for months and months hoping your property becomes available (and all along you worry about missing great airfare deals).
- You simply list your property and you'll begin to see offers made directly to your inbox (your own personalized trading portal) to trade all over the world. And you don't have to wait for offers. You can search on your favorite destinations and make as many offers to exchange your timeshare as you want. And unlike RCI.com, our resort reviews are all written by members not paid reviewers.
No, you can't deposit your week with TimeshareJuice. We don't offer a timeshare bank. You shouldn't be depositing your week anyway. You should be taking a vacation. The #1 reason people deposit their week is because they can't find a suitable trade. Is that you? Is that why you deposit your timeshare. If you had great trade opportunities, you would never bank your week. You would take the vacation opportunities and go.
This year, try something new. Your vacation is worth it. You are worth it.
May your best vacation be the next one!
Posted on Sat, Apr 14, 2012
A few weeks ago, I received an email from a member of ours that is also a member of TUG2.net stating that they were censored on TUG2.net website. The member told us that they were censored on TUG2 for a comment they made. They stated it was the second time it has happened and they wanted to know why. They wanted to know if there was an "issue" between the 2 companies.
They were responding to a question from another member about TimeshareJuice. Their comment was deleted right away. This is not the first time we have received an email like this. So what's up, TUG2.net? Why the censorship?
There was a question posed on TUG from a member stating that they had heard of a website called TimeshareJuice and wanted to know if anyone had ever used them. The member that wrote us replied to the message stating that they had in fact used the site, had a positive experience and have recommended it to others. The reply was only up for a few minutes and them it was deleted from the website.
Like I said, we've gotten similar emails in the past but we've never reacted to them. We've always been so busy building the site to really pay much attention to it and we're not really into negativity so we just let it go. But we've always wondered why a website like TUG2 who states that they are for the betterment of timeshare would ban the comments regarding another timeshare website that is also for helping timeshare owners.
We've had quite a few blog posts about Interval World and RCI over the last year posted on TimeshareJuice.com and we always approve them as long as they are not derogatory or defaming in any way. We allow people to state that they like it or don't like it as long as it is an opinion and not a commercial or spam for another product. We realize that for every Coke lover, there's probably a Pepsi lover, too. No need for hostility. We feel like if we have a good product, people will come back and they will tell others. So far, that's working. And that's how all the great ones start.
Do you agree?
Posted on Mon, Mar 26, 2012
I bought my timeshare over 10 years ago and I still remember sitting down with the salesperson and learning about timeshare vacations. Timeshare travel was completely foreign to me at that time and I'm still learning today. I remember towards the end of the discussion he mentioned "timeshare exchange": the ability to trade a week at your resort for another week at any of the 5,000 resorts worldwide. What a concept! I could go anywhere on vacation. I didn't care too much about it at that time because we really loved our timeshare resort so much and I couldn't think why I would want to go anywhere else. But what he did tell me sounded pretty good. Little did I know how it really worked. What he also left out was that there is another way to exchange timeshares. That would have been helpful but I eventually figured it out anyway. There are 2 options when it comes to timeshare exchange.
The first option is the most popular and widely known; it's called Timeshare Exchange Club. The timeshare owner joins one or more timeshare exchange clubs to trade their week each year. They deposit their week and withdraw another from the community bank of weeks. The most well-known companies are RCI (see RCI.com) and Interval International (see Interval World). RCI has over 3 million members and Interval International has over 2 million members. If you are a member, you are required to pay an annual membership fee of $89 and then when you want to exchange your timeshare, you have to deposit your week (relinquishing your right to that week) and then pay about $200 for the actual transaction. Once you pay, you can choose which resorts and weeks you want to vacation at. If the week is not available, you have to wait for it to come available but you always have to pay in advance. If your trade does not happen, you can get a refund of the fees paid.
The other way to exchange timeshares is called "Direct Timeshare Exchange" and was not told to me when I first purchased my timeshare. I figured this out over time. This is when two members meet and exchange their timeshare weeks with each other; no exchange club involvement. Timeshare owners that utilize direct timeshare exchange save money (no annual membership fee or transaction fee) and have more flexibility to trade for any resort and any week. There are no imposed rules from the exchange club and no waiting on hold. The big drawback is "selection"; Your options for exchange are limited if you don't know enough people. This is why we built TimeshareJuice; to connect the 8 million timeshare owners to connect and utilize each other's timeshare weeks.
There you have it. Those are the two ways to exchange your timeshare and travel the world. Go and explore!
Learn from the experts how to exchange your timeshare for free this year. Download this free guide and travel the world for free at over 4,500 timeshare resorts worldwide.
Posted on Wed, Mar 21, 2012
One of our beloved members and Diamond Resorts owner recently contacted us with a question about her timeshare travel. She is a happy Diamond Resorts owner of 10 years and wants to know which Diamond Resorts are the best and most sought after locations. She said she asked the representative at Diamond but they couldn't give her a straight answer. Well, with 177 resorts to choose from, I can see why they had a difficult time asking that question.
Diamond Resorts locations range from Norway to Nevada, Maui to Malta and Pennsylvania to Portugal. What an amazing selection of fabulous vacations they have to offer.
Here are the most popular and highest rated Diamond Resorts on TimeshareJuice:
Polo Towers Villas Diamond Resorts in Las Vegas, Nevada
Polo Towers Suites Diamond Resorts also in Las Vegas, Nevada
The Point at Poipu Diamond Resorts in Kauai, Hawaii
Learn how to rent your Diamond timeshare and make money this year. Download the free ebook "Rent Your Timeshare & Make Money" today!
Posted on Sat, Mar 17, 2012
It seems every day now I hear another timeshare scam . The timeshare industry is known for scams. And when you hear the details about the scam you always wonder how people fall for the scam, right? That's until the scam happens to you . Recently, a family member (Walter) told me he was called by his timeshare resort company to rent his week out for him. The more I heard about the story, the more I smelled a scam. Let me tell you about timeshare scams, the tell-tale signs of a scam, and how to avoid timeshares scams so you don't find yourself falling for them.
Walter told me that the "resort developer" (he owns a timeshare with Diamond Resorts) could rent the week for $2,500 and they need to charge him a $1,300 up-front fee. I thought that sounded a little fishy. I was surprised that a resort of that stature would do that. So I asked some more questions. I told him to have them call me to talk it over. Let the fun begin.
When they called me I asked a few questions right away . It turns out that it wasn't the resort developer (Diamond Resorts) at all. It was some company based in Florida. They explained to me that they could rent out his studio week in Cancun to someone for the "customary rate" of $2,500. Obviously I questioned that. The more I dug, the more I found out. They weren't "renting" the week. They weren't handling the transaction. The only thing they were offering was to advertise it. And if it didn't rent, there were no refunds. No specifics about how they advertised either. While on the phone I did a quick Google search on their name and story after story came up about people they had ripped off. The story was always the same. The company took the customer's money and ran. The amounts of money they charged varied but the ending was the same. Suffice it to say I told them to never call me or Walter again. SCAM!
So what are the signs of a timeshare scam? Let's review them.
* Don't pay an upfront fee - As soon as they ask for that, run. Once they have your money, they have absolutely no incentive to work.
* Don't take the word of someone who calls you - Verify everything. Every scam is always the same. It's always some call center operation in Florida making outbound calls to elderly timeshare owners. They are your best friends on the phone but you have no idea who they are. They will tell you what you want to hear. Check Google, the BBB, and the State Attorney General.
* Tip: Tell them you are recording - To ward off scammers I always tell them I am recording the call and ask for their permission. That usually puts them back on their heels. You'll know right away who is full of "it".
* Get specific - I asked them specifically "You are going to rent this for $2,500?" The answer I got back: "No, we are not realtors. We can only advertise. And there is no guarantee we can get $2,500. It depends on how flexible you are on the offers we get." Once I started asking questions, the whole story came crashing down like a house of cards.
* Questions I recommend: What specifically are you doing for this money? Is there a refund? Are there any complaints currently filed against you with the Better Business Bureau? Can you show me proof in writing that you have rented units before for this price? How can we arrange this so you can get paid when I get paid?
Timeshares are fun but the industry does have its fair share of scams and then some. Popular services for exchange are IntervalWorld or RCI.com. Timeshare vacations are great for the family. But remember "Caveat Emptor". In every scam, the victim feels powerless by the caller. Trust me; you are smart enough to handle this. Just ask a few questions and you'll be surprised at how quickly you get that feeling in your gut. And once you get that…hang up.
Posted on Thu, Mar 08, 2012
We don't get this request very often but we did get it again this week. The person emailed us with a story about being persuasively talked into buying a timeshare on vacation. The story usually usually involves free show tickets, unrelenting salespeople, and some alcohol. The bought the timeshare and now they want out of the contract...
We've said it many times, timeshare is a wonderful way to vacation. We have thousands and thousands of members from all around the world from almost every resort club (Marriott Vacation Club to Mahindra Resorts in India)there is and they are all happy with the timeshare vacations they have taken. They might be upset with the heavy fees that are levied upon them by the exchange clubs (and sometimes the resorts themselves) but they are generallly happy with their timeshare.The problem comes in from the experience of having bought their timeshare.
When I bought my timeshare over 10 years ago, I never felt the pressure to buy. I didn't feel talked into it or lied to. I do wish I understood the timeshare exchange process and rules a little better but that's about it. Looking back I wish they would have had some sort of post-purchase helpline to take me through the steps. All I was told was "Here's Interval International's number. By the way, do you have some friends that want to buy a timeshare?". But like I said, no pressure to buy. The stories I have heard from various owners from different resorts are alarming. I realize that there's always two sides to each story but some of these sales tactics seem downright unethical and maybe even illegal.
If you are in a situation where you feel like you have been duped or tricked, I would suggest you call the FTC or BBB to speak with someone right away. Read the contact that you signed again (hopefullly you read it in full the first time) and look for a termination clause of some sort. If you need help, contact us and we'll do the best we can. But if it turns out that you are now the owner of a timeshare, it's not the end of the world. There's some some great resources here about how to rent your timeshare and make some money as well as exchanging your timeshare for a week at another resort around the world. Who knows, you might even be on your way to a vacation of a lifetime!
Posted on Mon, Feb 27, 2012
"Hi, can I exchange RCI Resorts here?". We get this question about exchanging RCI Resorts at least once per week here at TimeshareJuice. The owner is a member of RCI and for one reason or another is not happy. They have an RCI Resort to trade and are seeking alternatives for timeshare exchange. Perhaps a friend told them about us or they read an article from a travel magazine or website.To answer your question, YES you can exchange an RCI resort at TimeshareJuice. We welcome everyone!
RCI is an exchange club for timeshare owners. The way the service is advertised is so that timeshare owners deposit (or bank) their timeshare and withdraw another timeshare to travel to. They might own in Cape Code, Massachusetts and want to travel Hawaii. They trade their week in the Cape and book a week in Hawaii.
Since RCI is a closed club, not all resorts are available. We designed TimeshareJuice as an "Open Club" and welcome all timeshare resort owners. Simply list your timeshare and begin to make offers for trade and away you go.
The other feature that owners like is the substantial reduction in fees. RCI fees include a yearly membership fee of $89 to be part of the club. That must be paid whether you successfully complete a trade or not. We have always believed that fee was wrong and have never had an annual fee. We also don't have an exchange fee (right now) and their fee ranges from $159 to over $200 for the timeshare exchange.
So not only can you exchange RCI resorts here at TimeshareJuice, you can trade any timeshare you have. Come and join the fun!
Learn more: Free Download to Exchange Your Timeshare Free
Learn from the experts how to exchange your timeshare for free this year.
Travel the world for free in gorgeous timeshares.
Posted on Sat, Feb 25, 2012
The other day my friend, Bill forwarded me an email he received from Lifelock about timeshare rentals and timeshare scams. The source of the information was the FBI.gov website. Knowing what I do for work, he thought it would be good information to have. I wasn't surprised but it was a good reminder about who and what is out there in the timeshare world. These scammers promise big cash payments to rent your timeshare or sell your timeshare. Don't fall for it.
Timeshares are a wonderful way to vacation and see the world. We have experienced some wonderful vacations as a result but I'm not naive enough to say that there are not issues in the timeshare industry. Scammers are in every business but we seem to have more than our fair share. Perhaps this stems from most timeshare owners not truly understand timeshare and what their rights are as an owner.
As an owner, you have the right to vacation at your resort, exchange your timeshare with another owner and go almost anywhere in the world (for free), or rent your timeshare and make some money. There is no other type of vacation property nearly as versatile or flexible. Granted it was difficult for an owner to exercise that flexibility for many years because exchange services were ineffective and expensive and rental websites just don't know or don't care about the differences between standard vacation rentals and timeshare rentals. But that's over now. We at TimeshareJuice have spent a lot of time and money building a way to achieve the highest value for your timeshare each and every year.
As a public service, I will print what the FBI warned but this is no different than what we have been writing about for quite some time. Here is the FBI Warning:
- Watch out for high pressure sales tactics. Scammers often try to force you into making quick decisions. They tell you that it's a one-day only offer or that they have other people interested but you're the first. The goal is to make you act without validating what they're saying.
- Avoid paying upfront fees. This is especially true without a contract or some form of guarantee, because once you sign that check or hand over that credit card, the payment has been sent the only thing scammers care about.
- Check with the Better Business Bureau. If there's ever any doubt, take a moment to review the history and record of the person or business. Taking the time to research will arm you with knowledge and even provide relief from high pressure sales situations.
One day we won't have to worry about these scammers. Timeshare will be great, demand will be strong, and values will be high. Timeshare will be left to be what it is: a great way to vacation. But until then, let's be careful out there.