Florida Timeshare Owners Group

[ronparise Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ronparise]

I attended a meeting of FTOG yesterday. As you can see from the agenda, it was a full day with several exchange companies speaking as well as 4 guest speakers. The thread that tied together the presentations of the 4 guest speakers was the state of the resale market, especially for the "legacy resorts" Also everyone seemed really interested in the new timeshare law that went into effect in Florida this year>

My interest was the resale market and the reason I went to the meeting was to meet attorney Mike Finn

Here is his google ad"

FinnLawGroup.com - Finn Law Group
Adwww.finnlawgroup.com/(855) 346-6529
Cancel your Timeshare with a Real Attorney. Contact Finn Law Today!
Take Action Now Contact Finn Law

I wanted to quiz him on just how can one cancel a timeshare> Conventional wisdom here and on TUG is; you cant.

so I asked. His answer was that he goes to the developer and threatens a lawsuit unless they take it back.... and they almost always do. I asked, what about the legacy resorts where there is no developer and he said they are more difficult in that they often require some negotiation, like offering a years mf to give them (the hoa) time to find a home for the week

the charge for his service is a flat fee, not an hourly rate.


another speaker Shep Altshuler, publisher of "Timesharing Today" magazine spoke about the Timeshare Board Members Assn, that he founded. He brought together boardmambers from a number of legacy resorts to discuss common problems and common solutions. Prime among them is the issue of viking ships. I made the point with Shep, that the viking ships could be put out of business if the hoas would accept their own weeks back (perhaps with a payment required) his response was that many are moving in that direction

Greg Crist of the National Timeshare Owners Association, talked about viking ships as well, but also focused on the evils of the new Florida timeshare law, as did timeshare broker Tom Tubbs.


so a an hour to the meeting and an hour back and nearly 5 hours there made for a full day... but a productive one as well

[ronparise Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ronparise]

One more thing on that meeting

one of the members spoke for a few minutes on another subject near and dear to my heart and that is how to value a timeshare on the secondary market.. His paper was focused on Disney and why Disney does a better job of holding value than almost anything else, but the points he makes will also explain why others dont

link to Why Disney?

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...highlight=Finn

Post 265

(It's like the continents are moving closer together. I can hear the creaking.)

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

more likely the sound of this

[ronparise Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ronparise]

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...highlight=Finn

Post 265

(It's like the continents are moving closer together. I can hear the creaking.)

Consensus on TUG seems to be that this guy is just another viking ship timeshare relief company... Was that your experience??

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Who?

Where?

[ronparise Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ronparise]

The folks on TUG think that Attornet Michael Finn is just another upfront fee scam artist, who will take your money and either not transfer your timeshare at all or will transfer it to a Viking Ship

I was hoping to find someone that has used him and could confirm that or to say otherwise.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

If he is a scam artist we will have to start calling him Mickey Finn.

[SallyHoover Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SallyHoover]

The folks on TUG think that Attornet Michael Finn is just another upfront fee scam artist, who will take your money and either not transfer your timeshare at all or will transfer it to a Viking Ship

I was hoping to find someone that has used him and could confirm that or to say otherwise.

From what I have read, here, there and everywhere, is that he is successful is settling and getting some out of their contract. Not always successful. I think that most that settle have a non disclosure clause from the developer which is convenient for the Finn group. What would be helpful to know is if he is more successful than a persistent individual working directly with the developer to get out. My feeling is not really. If he can get you out of the deal, the individual probably could have done it themselves with a fair amount of effort.

[ronparise Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ronparise]

From what I have read, here, there and everywhere, is that he is successful is settling and getting some out of their contract. Not always successful. I think that most that settle have a non disclosure clause from the developer which is convenient for the Finn group. What would be helpful to know is if he is more successful than a persistent individual working directly with the developer to get out. My feeling is not really. If he can get you out of the deal, the individual probably could have done it themselves with a fair amount of effort.

Yjere is no question that a lot of things can be done "do-it-yourself. I know how to change the oil in my car, but I prefer to hire an expert to do it, And I know how to cook, but still enjoy a dinner cooked for me especially whe on vacation

When I was selling Real Estate in SW Florida during the boom and bust a few years ago, I saw lots of people that were upside down with the banks and had to negotiate a short. Some chose to do it themselves, some let me do it, and others hired an attorney. And you are right the do it your selfers did as well as the professionals

My point is, that a service provider isnt a scam artist just because what he does can be done yourself or done cheaper somewhere else.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

If he can get you out of the deal, the individual probably could have done it themselves with a fair amount of effort.

Time is money for many.
Like my real estate broker used to say to us agents, "Is it dollar productive use of your time? If not delegate it to a professional. There's food for everyone. "


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Yes, but a lot of the get rid of your timeshare "professionals" are con artists that steal everyone else's food.

[SallyHoover Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SallyHoover]

Yjere is no question that a lot of things can be done "do-it-yourself. I know how to change the oil in my car, but I prefer to hire an expert to do it, And I know how to cook, but still enjoy a dinner cooked for me especially whe on vacation

When I was selling Real Estate in SW Florida during the boom and bust a few years ago, I saw lots of people that were upside down with the banks and had to negotiate a short. Some chose to do it themselves, some let me do it, and others hired an attorney. And you are right the do it your selfers did as well as the professionals

My point is, that a service provider isnt a scam artist just because what he does can be done yourself or done cheaper somewhere else.

I agree but I believe his fee is in the $2000+ range and there is no guarantee that he will be successful nor is there really a way to know objectively what his success rate really is.

So with those unknown odds I might be more inclined to take the do it myself approach.
Disclosure, I've tried to change my own oil but it was way too difficult without being able to jack up the car and the cost ratio makes it ineffective for me to do it, especially factoring in the frustration factor. On the other hand I usually cut my own hair, professional once a year to fix up my mistakes. I've had bad haircuts at every price point and for $25-$50 for a bad hair cut, I can give myself a so so cut for free. I never order salmon or pasta out because I can make it better and cheaper myself but there are things that I do order out.