Transfer Smart News: AG Files Lawsuit against a Timeshare Reseller in Palm Beach Gardens

Year 2009 may already be over but the downsides in the timeshare industry are still visible. This year, several owners trying to get out of their timeshares are expected and there may still be a number scams that would operate in this industry. Last Tuesday for example, in Palm Beach County Circuit Court, the Florida Attorney General filed a lawsuit against a Palm Beach Gardens-based company engaged in deceptive trade practices involving timeshare resales.

The accused company is the American Marketing Group LLC which is suspected in using telemarketers to entice customers to buy its timeshare resale services and charged an upfront fee, promising a refund if the timeshare did not sell in 120 days. As the lawsuit alleges, written contracts the company provided contained completely different language than what was agreed on over the telephone.

Last November, the Attorney General's Economic Crimes Division in West Palm Beach launched an investigation into the company as the consumers told the investigators that the company did not sell their timeshares and that they were unable to contact the company. Moreover, they did not receive their promised refunds.

Meanwhile, the lawsuit brought against the firm and its owner William Biossat seeks a permanent injunction prohibiting the defendants from engaging in any timeshare resale business in the state or out of state involving Florida businesses and residents.

For the year 2010, there may still be many owners trying to get rid of their timeshares while some of them even hire a timeshare transfer company such as the Transfer Smart. On the other hand, scams may still operate in various ways in this industry such as the recent case in Palm Beach Gardens. This also serves as a warning for timeshare owners to still keep their eyes on such fraudulent activities especially in getting rid of their units.