Support TARDA's Fight for Timeshare Transparency
0% complete
$1,372 raised of $5K
26 donations
ADD is multitasking
Goal $5,000
Our GoFundMe goal includes raising ARDA’s Conference fee of $1,400 per person to send two advocates to Washington DC. AARP Supports the Timeshare Transparency Act. ARDA is opposed, saying only a few people are not happy with their timeshare. $2,800
Second, we would like to file a public records request for Marriott Vacation Clubs, Sapphire Resorts and Club Wyndham aka Travel & Leisure. $750.
The most common complaint is being assured of the ability to rent to offset costs and even loan payments. The contract may say you can rent, but doesn’t disclose the fees and obstacles that make the strategy unfeasible. After Westgate Resort protesters raised money through a GoFundMe to file a Florida public records request, the report provided 585 complaints of which nearly half mentioned rental.
Third, we would like to allocate $1,450 for TARDA to contribute to the rebuilding of their website. Ten volunteers, including Rina, paid their own expenses to meet with Congressional offices in Washington DC in March of 2026 and September of 2026. A third trip is planned for the spring. We learned that TARDA relied on volunteers to host their website for five years, but the time came for a professional website hosting company to rebuild their website, Neon Goldfish. To lobby in Washington DC, an organization is a necessity.
ARDA Conference fee - $1,400
Public Record Request - 750
TARDA Website - 1,450
$5,000
In 2010 ARDA was fined for not calling donations “voluntary” by the Federal Election Commission. They now $5 to $10 are automatically billed and most are opt-out, meaning you have to call to have the donation removed. They raise $5 million a year. They call ARDA-ROC a grass roots organization.
Too often reading the contract and the contract cancellation period doesn’t protect the buyer because the buyer doesn’t have access to the booking site until after the cancellation period has passed. One of the bill’s provisions is to provide clear, documented options to exit at purchase. Another is to disclose modifiable fees.
In the case of Marriott Harborside timeshare, fees have more than doubled to $5,500 a year for a 2 BR, there is no exit available, even for those who have debilitating medical conditions.
Please sign Danilo’s petition
Rina’s Marriott Vacation Club
I bought Marriott points for a specific location overseas. Since I did not have access to the booking site, there was no way to know that the location I wanted to visit was not available through the website.
I am a Gen Z/Millenial aged buyer. We won’t dignify the names of the publication or the author of an article in which ARDA and Marriott Vacation Clubs provided quotes implying that younger buyers should “invest” in a timeshare instead of buying a house. I am aware of many younger buyers harmed because of unfair and deceptive timeshare practices.
Jimmy’s Sapphire Resorts experience.
Sapphire sells triennial points. An industry expert said they were sold about 15 years ago, but were not popular. The product is sold as being able to be used over three years, but the truth is every third year. A number of people on our Sapphire Facebook Group have reported this. Like Rina, since we didn’t have access to the booking site until after the contract cancellation period had expired, we had no way of knowing what we bought.
Family 1: Tom served 23 years with the Baltimore County Police Department. A Wyndham owner for over 20 years, Tom reported that all their Wyndham sales agents over the years advised him to buy more points to rent to offset costs, not disclosing that Wyndham keeps 40% of the income. The strategy didn’t work. Reading the contract and the contract rescission period does not protect the buyer because the contract states you can rent, but doesn't disclose the fees and obstacles that make the strategy unfeasible. This is the most common reason for default, according to the reports TARDA receives. Tom’s maintenance fees were over $20,000 a year, due to being sold points to rent. About 50% of the points owned were purchased to rent.
At a subsequent meeting, he was advised to rent through an agency outside of Wyndham. It did work, but resulted in a cease-and-desist letter accusing Tom of commercial activity. He has been struggling to pay off over $30,000 in high-interest credit card debt charged to three Wyndham credit cards. Tom shares his experience on PodTV Episode 110, July 27. All shows can be accessed from the bottom of the homepage, click Live Update.
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