How to Write a Timeshare Report

June 25, 2025

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By Irene Parker, MBA

The first step to resolving a dispute is to compose a clear, concise report. Dig out your contracts, if you have them, and gather:

The 5 Ws: 

What did you buy? A timeshare. No, what did you buy? Points or a  week? If points, how many? Is it a timeshare or a Travel Club?

Where did you sign the contract? What state, at a resort, or a dinner road show?

When did you sign the contract? Provide the exact date.

Who did you buy the contract from? Provide the names and real estate license number (if you have it) for the sales agents, managers, and quality assurance people involved. A few states do not require timeshare sales agents to obtain a real estate license.

Why did you buy it or why did you upgrade?

If a first time buyer, how did you end up at a sales meeting?

Once the chronology is established, write the first paragraph. I want out of everything! Not necessarily. We say dispute resolution rather than timeshare cancellation, because sometimes the answer is to have the last contract or two canceled, if reporting deceptive sales.

If you purchased multiple times, and some upgrades are years ago, summarize the upgrades to the best of your ability, but the most recent purchase, the one or two being disputed, should be near the beginning of the report. The first paragraph should state what you want to have happen. As I learned from an editor at Jim Cramer’s TheStreet -Don’t bury the lead!

The H Question

How did you pay for it? Purchase price, down payment (charged to a personal or resort credit card?), amount financed (you can’t just subtract because of incidental costs), at what interest rate?

Especially important for the Military and veterans who maintain a security clearance:

Are you current on payments?

An often asked question: Should I stop paying my maintenance fee or loan payments?

Answer: Watch PodTV Timeshare Solution or Surrender Episodes 8, 11, 24, 26, 31, 48, 63 as these Episodes include attorneys and credit repair experts. We are not attorneys, so answering that question would be providing legal advice. We appreciate attorneys who donate their time to answer questions our volunteers are not qualified to answer. Episodes 26 and 31 include experts who work in lending and credit repair. All shows can be accessed from the drop-down menu:

https://podtv.tv/timeshare-showcase

Submitting your report

In most cases, emailing the report is fine. The Developer will likely deny your initial request anyway. If no response, resend in a week, and file with the attorney general’s office in the state where you signed your contract. File with the BBB and the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC is listening as timeshares and travel complaints were #17 on the their Top Scams list.

Don’t

Don’t say you want everything in writing. Talk to whoever reaches out. Take good notes, sleep on it, and compose a rebuttal the next day, thanking them for reaching out.

Don’t send To Whom it May Concern – find the name of a department or person.

Don’t use inflammatory language

The License to Lie Clause

One short, overlooked clause in timeshare contracts states:  I did not rely on oral representations to make my purchase, translated the sales agent said…. The fact that you tapped your initials acknowledging this, doesn’t mean the resort will not reverse a deceptive sale. The complaint must be credible. The more detail provided, the better. They told me I could rent it out to pay for itself is a general statement. PodTV, Episode 36, includes a Marine family that reported that they were told,  Don’t worry about your husband being deployed to a combat zone, you can rent it out and it will pay for itself. A detailed account of the member attempting to rent, explaining on Episode 36, why the approved rental programs didn’t work, provided more credibility.

Members Supporting Members 

There is a TARDA Facebook Group that consists of some whose timeshare is in their rear view mirror, or remain a timeshare member having resolved a particular contract dispute. Some defaulted and were foreclosed, but remain with us to support those just entering the highway for resolution.

A resolution can take weeks or over a year. A few of our founding TARDA board members resolved their disputes without retaining a third party. It took three years. I filed a dispute with the Arizona, Florida and New York Attorneys General and was offered a refund. I refused the refund, as I would have had to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA), agreeing never to say anything negative about the company. After attended a revolting timeshare presentation in 2015, I realized something was broken in the timeshare industry. Our TARDA board members want to build bridges to increase transparency and honesty. It’s an uphill battle, but we’re committed.

I like to quote Mother Teresa who, when asked the question, Who causes the problems in the world?, replied, I do. It’s time to take the blinders off and acknowledge the bad apples and do something about it, or else we plug on in the court of public opinion, to shout from the rafters, Do not believe anything a timeshare sales agent says. That’s not fair to honest sales agents, but bad ones are professional liars. This was explained to me in 2016 by an industry expert.

A frequent comment is I feel so stupid. AARP Staff Reporter Doug Shadel explains in his book Outsmarting the Scam Artist that no one is smart enough to outsmart a scam artist and why. That’s one reason why husbands should not blame wives, or wives, husbands.

https://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/bookstore/money-work-retirement/scams-fraud-scheme.html

Finally, self-advocacy works, but for those who do not have the time or temperament, there are a handful of law firms we trust. There are also law firms that refer to TARDA if there are reasons why they cannot provide services. We are always on the lookout for skilled volunteers so:  https://tarda.org/get-involved/  and thanks to all who donate their time or treasure.