Don’t get caught! Indonesians are only one group of tourists in Singapore who have been falling victim to unscrupulous timeshare companies. Chinese and Bruneian tourists are also frequent targets.

According to CASE, The Consumers Association of Singapore, many wealthy Indonesians frequently travel to Singapore. It is not unusual for a Singapore timeshare company to instruct their sales agents to seek out certain groups of tourists on holiday or to hire sales agents specifically because they are English, Mandarin, or Malay-speaking.

As one timeshare vacation agent was quoted by The Electric New Paper News of Singapore as saying, “As I speak Bahasa Indonesia, it’s easier for me to pitch my sales to fellow Indonesians. I also gained their trust easily as I’m Indonesian…But after one or two months on the job, I started receiving complaints from my customers…I felt guilty to have sold them something that they can’t really use.”

A frequent tactic of an unethical Singapore timeshare deal involves charging consumers between $30,000 and $50,000 for lifetime timeshare vacation memberships. For this expenditure, the timeshare buyer gets one week of timeshare vacation annually. Not only is this timeshare deal a bit pricey, but it includes the caveat that vacationers schedule their holidays one and sometimes even two years in advance.

In 2005, CASE received over 2500 complaints against timeshare companies in Singapore. This past October, the association announced that it is cutting the grace period for a timeshare company to clean up its bad practices from three months to one.

These get-the-sale-at-all-cost practices certainly damage the “name” of timesharing, but you can buy timeshare or sell timeshare successfully and easily online. Just check out SellMyTimeshareNOW.com. You’ll be amazed at the number of timeshare connections made around the world through that site.

What are some of your experiences? What tips can you give for buying, selling and renting timeshares? How does timesharing impact your vacationing? Many people say it gives them a chance to spend more quality time with their families, while others say it provides the perfect get-away. Post a comment and let us know!