April Update – Timeshare Transparency Act S3502 – FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson Answers Question about Timeshare – Military Update
Categories: Monthly NewslettersDecember 22, 2025
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The TIMESHARE TRANSPARENCY ACT S 3502 offers federal oversight and other provisions for the protection of timeshare consumers. The bipartisan bill was introduced by Senator John Curtis of Utah (R) and co-sponsor California Senator Adam Schiff (D). AARP Supports the Bill. At The Hive: TARDA co-founder Irene Parker, Don Parker, Utah Senator John Curtis (R), TARDA co-founder and President Sheilah Brust, and Kimberly Calhoun, PodTV Executive Producer of Timeshare Solution or Surrender
April Update: Senator Curtis questioned Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson about timeshare at the Commerce, Science and Transportation Subcommittee hearing on Wednesday, April 15. Chairman Ferguson stated,“there has been no increase in the number of complaints, but the rate of “alleged” loss has gone up significantly.”
Few think to file with the FTC, based on interactions with those who have reached out to TARDA, so we believe the number of complaints the FTC receives through their Consumer Sentinel portal is small compared to the actual number of complaints. One sales agent, who earned $2.4 million a year, according to a lawsuit, operated unchecked for years. We are aware of 24 families who reported him. He was one of many repeat offenders we have tracked. To file a complaint with the FTC and listen to the Q & A:
https://www.ftc.gov/media/71268
We thank Tennessee Senator Marsha Blackburn (R) for becoming a second co-sponsor. The bill had a 5% chance of making it though committee, but those odds increased to 26% with a second co-sponsor.
Our meetings on The Hill would not have happened without the efforts of more than 150 timeshare members and owners who reached out to their respective members of Congress. We thank two other volunteers, Rina from Delaware, and Karen from North Carolina, who joined us in Washington DC to meet with lawmakers and staff evaluating the Timeshare Transparency Act. We appreciate the openness of legislative staff to finally hear the voices of true timeshare consumers.
An Important Update for Military timeshare buyers
On March 26, 2026, The Middle District Florida Court in Steines vs Westgate Resorts CERTIFIES the following liability-only class:
All active-duty service members or their dependents who financed the purchase of one or more timeshare interests via an extension of credit from Westgate Palace, LLC., made between February 2, 2017, and February 28, 2025 (“the Class Period”), who paid interest and who did not sign an MLA waiver form in the form of Exhibit I, 2025 MLA Disclosure.
Five Developers have been sued, accused of violating the Military Lending Act. The MLA exempts home mortgages. Westgate Resorts lost their appeal when The Eleventh Circuit Court ruled that a timeshare stay is more like a transient stay than a residential stay. Thus, a timeshare loan is not the same as a home mortgage. This means Military timeshare buyers should be considered Covered Borrowers. FNMA and the National Credit Union Administration (NCUA) both state on their websites that a timeshare loan is not a mortgage, even though it may be reported as such. The MLA also prohibits arbitration. We have heard from far too many active duty service members with security clearances in jeopardy, reporting unfair and deceptive timeshare practices.
Get Involved
To show support for the Timeshare Transparency Act, reach out to your local members of Congress to share your timeshare experience and reason for supporting the bill. The link below lists the 27 Senators who serve on the Senate Committee for Commerce, Science and Transportation, that will debate the bill. Committee members:
https://www.commerce.senate.gov/members
The bill:
CURTIS, SCHIFF INTRODUCE BILL TO PROTECT CONSUMERS FROM PREDATORY TIMESHARE PRACTICES
To Track the Bill and Find Your Local Members of Congress
https://www.govtrack.us/congress/bills/119/s3502
The Timeshare Transparency Act would require all timeshare agreements to:
● Include a single document itemizing all acquisition and maintenance costs.
● Mandate disclosure of modifiable fees and the notice requirements for such changes.
● Provide clear, documented options to exit ownership.
● Grant buyers a 14-day penalty-free cancellation period.
● Allow buyers time to privately review the timeshare agreement.
● Empowers the Federal Trade Commission to enforce these rules and issue further regulations.
● Preserves the rights of states to enact stronger consumer protections in regulating the timeshare industry.
The 14-day rescission period will have little effect for those over-promised availability, because the purchaser typically does not have access to the booking site until after the cancellation period has expired. However, a standardized 14-day rescission period would eliminate the confusion caused by rescind periods that varies by state from three to ten days. The only opportunity to truly protect the consumer would be if the rescission period began the day the purchaser obtained access to the booking site.
A common complaint is that the the sales team promised the ability to rent out a week or weeks to offset costs or earn income, but the contract fails to disclose the fees and obstacles that make the strategy unfeasible. That, and being falsely told it is easy to refinance, drives thousand of families into default.
Our PodTV show, Timeshare Solution or Surrender, has had over 200 guests share their experience. As of this year, the hour-long show airs live from 1 to 1:25 Eastern time, with a prerecorded Timeshare Resource segment provided by industry experts. All shows can be accessed from the Showcase at the bottom of the PodTV homepage. https://podtv.tv/
What’s not in the bill
● Not disclosing the meeting or “update” is a solicitation
Branded hotels like Hilton/Marriott/Holiday Inn solicit without disclosing the invitation is about timeshare. The loyalty member is invited to hear about our “vacation program.” Existing members are often told that what they will be attending is informational or an orientation, when in actuality, it is an attempt to sell more points.
● The recorded closing used as an entrapment
Diamond Resorts started recording the closing in 2017, after the Arizona Attorney General issued an Assurance of Discontinuance. The purchaser is not allowed to record. We have received many reports of agents coaching what to say or not say on the recording closing. If a buyer asks a question, the recording is stopped, the deception confirmed, and the recording device turned back on. If the recorded closing can be used against the purchaser, the purchaser should be allowed to record the sales session.
● A timeshare loan should not be defined as a mortgage
Timeshare contracts are financed at 12% to 19%, with little to no resale value. A timeshare with an outstanding loan is impossible to sell on the open market. Commissions are not disclosed. Selling and marketing expenses run as high as 50% or more, including the “free” gifts. There is little to no equity. Some developers who charge an exit based on maintenance fees, require $20,000 to as high as $30,000 or more to give back points. Some resorts prohibit renting except to friends and family.
● The oral representation/non-reliance clause does not belong in a unilateral timeshare contract
If it is, it should be disclosed at or prior to the presentation, not buried in volumes of fine print.
Who does the American Resort Development Association (ARDA) Protect?
ARDA opposes the Act, stating current regulations are adequate. The National Association of Attorneys General disagrees:
Unfortunately, the current landscape of the timeshare industry has exposed significant inadequacies in protection for those seeking to purchase, lease, or exit their timeshare contracts.
https://www.naag.org/attorney-general-journal/timeshare-obligations-regulations-and-challenges
ARDA is the timeshare industry’s Washington-based trade association and a major lobbying force. ARDA-ROC, Resort Owners Coalition, raises approximately $5 million a year in opt-out donations, invoiced on maintenance fees. Opting out is not always easy. Few timeshare members we’ve asked have been able to answer the question, “What is ARDA?”
Why the switch to opt-out?
Resort Owners Coalition PAC will also pay a $300,000 civil penalty. It is the largest fine imposed by the Federal Election Commission since 2007. The charges, most $3 to $5, were billed to individual timeshare owners along with tax and maintenance charges. The small donations, not itemized by the PAC, totaled $8.4 million between 2003 and 2007, records show. Political contributions are voluntary, and federal law requires solicitations to make that clear. Federal records show that since 2006, ARDA has spent more than $1.1 million on Washington lobbyists to oppose such things as mortgage reform legislation, including the expansion of truth-in-lending requirements to timeshare buyers. Reported by the Broward Bulldog (renamed Florida Bulldog)
A Timeshare Users Group (TUG) post: [2017]: Got my maintenance fee statement. There was no mention of ARDA fees, BUT when I compared the DUES part with the lower total fees section, there was a $7 difference. There was no mention of the extra $7 being for ARDA. So I changed the amount at the bottom to reflect what was actually stated of the $904. Just be aware.
A YouTube video, concerning ARDA-ROC recommending listing companies that charge an upfront fees to list a timeshare:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-lPhsKp09vg
One of the Timeshare Transparency Act’s provision is to allow private time to review contracts. Buyers are demanded to buy the same day. In 2019, former Arizona Represenative, Shawnna Bolick, sponsored a bill that would have allowed a 24-hour cooling off period BEFORE signing a contract. The bill passed the House 100%, but was defeated in the Senate. At the Senate hearing, ARDA lobbyist Don Isaacson argued:
“But the bottom line is that the state should not step in to protect people who didn’t bother to understand the nature of the deal.”
Timeshare Hostages
Several resorts, including Club Exploria, Soleil Management, and Great Eastern, will not allow an exit under any circumstance. Several independent Legacy resorts do not allow an exit. The timeshare industry’s top lobbyist told ConsumerAffairs that points have no resale value, while claiming that consumers don’t mind because – “Their value comes from using it,”
Legislative Hypocrisy: According to ARDA-ROC’s 2019 website for timeshare members:
ARDA-ROC is working on four core state issues in 14 states (including) Non-Judicial Foreclosure:
Support non-judicial foreclosure laws which provide strong consumer protection provisions.
https://www.redweek.com/blog/2019/12/02/arda-roc-maintenance-fees
ARDA-ROC Chairman Kenneth McKelvey, stated in minutes of the April 10, 2019 at ARDA’s World conference:
“The best thing we can do with exit (is) judicial foreclosure, ruin the credit and enforce the contract.”
Timeshare and Resort Developer Accountability, Inc.
In 2019, five of us, who resolved disputes through self-advocacy, formed TARDA https://tarda.org/
Social media groups include Club Exploria Hostages, Vacation Village Unfortunate Owners https://www.facebook.com/groups/1309724916165817, Westgate Resorts Hostages, Bluegreen Hostages, https://www.facebook.com/groups/DiamondResortsOwnersAdvocacy,
Let’s hope TARDA becomes obsolete because of reaching our goal of greater honesty, transparency and accountability.
TARDA would not exist without your support. Let us hear from you if you wish to join our efforts to make a difference or donate to the cause.
https://tarda.org/get-involved/