Property Donation Group: Scam

[Greyman Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Greyman]

I recently contacted them to see about donating a blue week timeshare that we no longer need. After 24 hours they said that none of their charities wanted the property but that they would take it off my hands if I would pay the 2010 maintenance fee and also pay $824 in closing costs.

When I got the paperwork, the sales contract was with IA Vacations and the closing agent was American Timeshares Closing LLC. These companies are both owned by the same person, Stacy Gillispie. Also, in the paperwork was a limited Power of Attorney giving Gillispie full power over the timeshare week, including "the power to perform all and every act and thing fully and to the same extent as the Grantor(s) could do if personally present, with full power of substitution and revocation."

I objected to the POA and to ATC as the closing agent and countered that I would transfer the timeshare to anyone they wanted as long as I could choose the closing agent and pay him directly. PDG's response was "Have a great day."

The scam here is quite simple. Once they have your $824 and your POA, you are at their mercy. If you ask to see the closing paperwork, they will tell you that it has been delayed, lost, resubmitted, or something. Because they are supposedly doing it with your POA, then you won't know what, if anything, is really going on. If they can't sell your timeshare before the next maintenance fee is due, they can simply walk away with your $824 and leave it deeded to you. Even if they transfer the deed, with your POA they can transfer it to join ownership between you and them and you won't know it. Then, when it doesn't sell, they can file a quit claim deed on their part ownership, leaving you the sole owner as they walk away with your $824.

Good luck suing them. You'll need a lawyer in Las Vegas where PDG is located and in Tennessee where IA Vacations/ATC LLC is located.

My father used to have a favorite saying: "Ali Baba was a fortunate man--he only had 40 thieves to worry about."

PDG is very aggressive about posting rebuttals to any negative information. Feel free to email me and I will forward you their email chains with me.

BEWARE

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

Congrats on making what I think was a very smart decision! I've had a number of clients who also reported very bad experiences with the same group.

Post an ad in the freebies section here, offering to pay the closing costs. You may find a taker! You can also post a free ad on some other venues such as Free Timeshare Classifieds, Sell Timeshare, Selling Timeshares for Sale, Resale and Rent, and www.bidtime.com.

Be sure to contact your HOA or developer and find out if they have a relinquishment program. Not many do, but you always want to ask!

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

Apparently the original poster has, so you might want to address that post rather than make a general company defense.

[Greyman Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Greyman]

Removed PDG siteOR you can post your timeshare for free at this link http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...-involved.html


Please see my original note:

"PDG is very aggressive about posting rebuttals to any negative information. Feel free to email me and I will forward you their email chains with me."

Thank you for proving my point.

Now the, as tonyg suggested, why don't you answer the following questions?

1. Why is the timeshare re-seller and the closing company that you recommend owned by the same person, Stacy Gillespie?

2. Why is Mr. Gillespie your preferred agent when the Better Business Bureau has an extensive history of complaints against him for unfiled deeds?

3. Why does Mr. Gillespie need a power of attorney to transfer ownership of a timeshare to his company by his closing company? Can't he send the closing paperwork to the current owner or is he trying to hide the progress of the transfer process?

4. If PDG is on the level, then why won't you allow someone to transfer a timeshare to Mr. Gillespie's company using their own closing attorney at their expense?

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

OR you can post your timeshare for free at this link http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...-involved.html (Get rid of your Timeshare for free, Absolutely no fees involved)

Please see my original note:

"PDG is very aggressive about posting rebuttals to any negative information. Feel free to email me and I will forward you their email chains with me."

Thank you for proving my point.

Now the, as tonyg suggested, why don't you answer the following questions?

1. Why is the timeshare re-seller and the closing company that you recommend owned by the same person, Stacy Gillespie?

2. Why is Mr. Gillespie your preferred agent when the Better Business Bureau has an extensive history of complaints against him for unfiled deeds?

3. Why does Mr. Gillespie need a power of attorney to transfer ownership of a timeshare to his company by his closing company? Can't he send the closing paperwork to the current owner or is he trying to hide the progress of the transfer process?

4. If PDG is on the level, then why won't you allow someone to transfer a timeshare to Mr. Gillespie's company using their own closing attorney at their expense?

Just so you know they are tring to post here but because it sounds like an ad we are not going to allow the post

[PDG Member Find all posts View Profile Close PDG]

Response To Your Questions

I'm happy to answer these questions though I fear a moderator will delete my post as they have in the past.

1. Why is the timeshare re-seller and the closing company that you recommend owned by the same person, Stacy Gillespie?

Answer) There is nothing unusual about the companies being owned by the same owner. It is common for companies to in-source business functions to achieve greater efficiency, consolidate overhead expenses and keep costs low. By using efficient and low cost service providers we are able to push the cost of the entire process lower and increase the amount of proceeds our partner charities receive. That is one of the reasons why we have lower administrative costs and fees then most other property donation companies.

2. Why is Mr. Gillespie your preferred agent when the Better Business Bureau has an extensive history of complaints against him for unfiled deeds?

Answer) Our understanding is that for the most part these complaints were unfounded. As most of you know the closing process can take up to 120 days which can seem like an eternity to someone who is eager to be done with their timeshare. Third parties that use Mr. Gillespie closing services often neglect to inform their client of the possibility of a delay of up to 120 days before the process is completed. Some poorly informed clients grew impatient and were quick to complain. These complaints have been answered but the BBB isn't clearing them because IA and ATC refuse to pay the membership fee.

We have been very impressed with the professionalism of Mr. Gillespie. He has handled every one of our transaction in a competent and straight forward manner.

As a side note, the credibility of the BBB as eroded severely over the years and is now regarded by well informed consumers as an unreliable source.

Please read the following link:
Ripoff Report: BBB Better Business Bureau rip-off Nationwide Worldwide

3. Why does Mr. Gillespie need a power of attorney to transfer ownership of a timeshare to his company by his closing company? Can't he send the closing paperwork to the current owner or is he trying to hide the progress of the transfer process?

Answer) After years of practice in the timeshare industry, Stacy has found that this is the most effective way to handle the transfer. In our industry the Power of Attorney is a standard best practice for deeded property donations and expedite the process enormously. Since we have not found a drawback to his process we will continue to use it.

4. If PDG is on the level, then why won't you allow someone to transfer a timeshare to Mr. Gillespie's company using their own closing attorney at their expense?

Answer) We use the same company because we have a system that is already in place. We are not interested in dealing with thousands of real estate lawyers and unfamiliar closing companies. The $824 that was quoted above wasn't just closing fees but the resort transfer and recording fees as well.

Not one of our actual "paid" clients have ever complained about our services. We are not a charity, we are a socially driven for profit company that liquidates timeshares that people don't want and gives cash proceeds to our partner charities.

I will continue to answer all questions posed regarding our company and I encourage further cross examination of the topics discussed in this thread.

I hope that you will agree that this posting is not spam or an ad but simply direct answers to direct questions.

Thank you and have a great day!
Vanessa Collins
Donation Coordinator
OR you can post your timeshare for free at this link http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...-involved.html (Get rid of your Timeshare for free, Absolutely no fees involved) BF

[Greyman Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Greyman]

Red Flags In Timeshare Re-sales

Thanks, Big Frank. I suspect that it will be only a matter of time before PDG changes names and comes back as a new business---that seems to be the trend if you follow BBB complaint histories. So, for anyone considering a disposition of a timeshare, here are some red flags I have identified from my limited experience. If you see any one of these in the deal, you should probably walk away. If it seems to good to be true, it probably is.

1. Never pre-pay closing costs or other fees. You may very well never see your money again and find out when the next maintenance fee is due that you still own the timeshare.

2. Never give a power of attorney to anyone to transfer your timeshare. Once you do, you will lose control of who is on the deed and who is liable for future maintenance fees. Any reputable closing attorney will express ship the closing paperwork to you for execution.

3. If you are going to transfer a timeshare, insist on using a closing attorney of your choice and at your expense. The easiest way to find one is to call your resort and ask for their recommendation.

Think about it: if you were selling your house, would you give the buyer--a total stranger--a POA and a check for the closing costs and trust him to conduct the closing?

[Good_Buddy Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Good_Buddy]

Great Info

Thanks for the details on companies like these... is there an actual list that we should refer to or do we just check out a company using the BBB (which my wife and I do on almost any service providing company)... also, what about companies that claim they can rent your timeshare? What do you recommend as an avenue to check them out as well besides the BBB? I just joined last month so my questions are probably ones you get all the time. If you can point us in the right direction that would be fine too.

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

Best bet is to figure they are all con artists until credible information to the opposite presents itself. Anyone wanting money upfront is doubly suspect.

[PDG Member Find all posts View Profile Close PDG]

why don't you post our response

If you are running an open forum then why don't you post our responses. There is alot of misinformation that I am seeing and you fail to let us clear it up. That is not good business.

[Greyman Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Greyman]

Agree wholeheartedly. Assume that anyone offering to buy, transfer, or rent your timeshare is a fraud until you establish otherwise.

You cannot depend on the BBB to identify the crooks; PDG had no BBB record when I engaged them and it wasn't until they sent me the paperwork concerning Stacy Gillespie and his companies that I realized that I was dealing with crooks. These characters change company names more frequently than most people change their underwear; the BBB can't keep up with them.

I have another couple of high-end weeks with Marriott Vacation Club. Some clown in Orlando called me one evening and offered to rent out each week for me for $1600, with a payment to his company of $624 (I love how they always use odd numbers for their fees). I told him that the weeks normally rented in the Marriott system for $3,800 or more. He pretended to re-check his numbers on his computer and immediately offered me $4,500. I told him to email me a contract. The contract said that they would take my $624 and make no guarantee that they would rent my property. When he called me back, he insisted that a guarantee wasn't necessary because "we have never failed to rent a property like this and we are holding an international sales event in Orlando next weekend for agents who will reserve your property." I told him that, as luck would have it, I was going to be in Orlando the following week for a conference and would fly in a day earlier to attend his sales event. He told me that it was closed to people not in the travel business and disconnected.

Of course, I had no "conference" in Orlando but two can play the "con" game.

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

The BBB runs on funds provided by members, thus one must assume that member problems would be resolved or forgotten and non-members would be the ones with black eyes.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

If you are running an open forum then why don't you post our responses. There is alot of misinformation that I am seeing and you fail to let us clear it up. That is not good business.

We wll allow you to post as long as it does not sound like an ad. The 2 posts sounded like an ad that we did not allow. We could have given you 2 infractions for that but did not. Now that we are on the same page you can post but if your post now sounds like an ad again it will be removed and you will get an infraction which get a few of these and you will be banned from the site.

BTW your profile name is an ad as well , be thank full we let you get away with that one for the time being.

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

PropertyDonationGroup,

Welcome to the forums! You'll find some very savvy timeshare owners in this venue, so it should give you the opportunity to have some lively and enlightening discussions....

I've got two simple questions for anyone willing to answer at IAVacations, American Timeshare Closings, Property Donation Group, Redweeks4less, Alltimevacations, Timeshare Liberty, or any of the other myriad of names used by this collective group of individuals...

#1- What is the name and phone number of the current bank where you have an active escrow account?

#2- How can I get in touch with the namesake of your first company, Isaac Adams? It doesn't seem like he's been around much for the last few years.

[PDG Member Find all posts View Profile Close PDG]

What's up with all the BiaS?

I understand your need to censor spam so I respectfully ask "what's your definition of an ad"? We don't post offers, phone numbers, websites or anything of the sort. We only give direct answers to direct questions. If our answers could send us business then I guess we are doing something right. I'm beginning to think that the moderators have pre-judged our business. Who pays you to keep our responses out? False accusations keep occurring and you refuse to post our side of the story. We have never changed our name and never will. All of our clients are happy. Shame on the moderators. An open forum means everyone has a voice.