The Association of Timeshare Recyclers Works to Rebuild Industry Image

(TRAVPR.COM) FL - December 3rd, 2013 - The Association of Timeshare Recyclers (ATR), is a non-profit organization that has been established to help rebuild the image and financial stability of the timeshare industry by creating programs that help to increase consumer perception of flexibility, liquidity, and value of a timeshare interval in the secondary market. 

The ATR’s Clearing House Program works hand-in-hand with developers in active sales who wish to allow existing timeshare owners to trade in unwanted timeshare memberships in exchange for credits or other consideration against a developer’s new timeshare program.  The process is very similar to trading a used car for credit against a new one.  Trade-in programs win the Developer a sale that they would not have otherwise had and offers consumers an easy exit solution.  Many developer’s report that trade-in programs often produce VPG’s (Value per Guest) at least 1,000 usd higher than standard non-owner tours.  Trade-in programs not only offer strong selling advantages, but they also greatly increase the consumer’s perception that timeshare is flexible and has value.  Plus they have an added benefit that allows developers to compete with relief companies who offer an exit from timeshare, but don’t offer any real consideration for a timeshare interval that a consumer wishes to exit from.  

“A trade-in program is probably the easiest tool that a Developer or Timeshare Sales and Marketing Company can offer their sales team.  Literally, a sales team can be trained on how to operate a trade-in program in few hours, and then experience an immediate increase in VPG.  Consumers love the service because they get to exit a timeshare program that is no longer suiting their needs and purchase a new one.  It is really an all-in-one service for consumers who don’t have to pay advertising fees or wait for their property to sell, because they are able to exit one timeshare and purchase another in a single transaction.  As long as the interval is traded in with an affiliated ATR company, the industry can be assured that the interval will be recycled in the most responsible way possible.  We ensure that the transferring resort gets all the assistance they need to better retain their member base and recycle the inventory that is traded-in or any additional inventory they may have,” said Heather Guffin, President & CEO, Association of Timeshare Recyclers.

The ATR’s inventory recycling program includes a myriad of rental, resale, and HOA Outreach services that ensure that the interval that is traded-in is recycled into a new maintenance fee paying owner’s hands.  Some of these recycling services include:

•             Resort Revenue Generation

•             Onsite Resale Teams

•             Offsite Resale Teams

•             Maintenance Fee Absorption Programs

•             Member Upgrade Campaigns

•             Deed back Solutions

•             Developer Match/Investor Buy-in Programs

In the aftermath of the economic downturn in 2008, many fraudulent resale companies began to prey on timeshare owners, convincing them to pay thousands of dollars in upfront fees for guarantees on sales that never happened.  Timeshare owners often paid these fraudulent companies thousands of dollars in an attempt to relieve themselves of their timeshare maintenance fee bill.  The activity of fraudulent resale companies and the fact that the timeshare industry in general has not offered consumers a viable exit strategy, has contributed to consumer frustration reaching an all time high. 

To assist in the efforts of rebuilding the timeshare industry image, ATR recently launched the Timeshare Owners Coalition (TOC) to bolster its efforts of promoting viable exit strategies, as the number one complaint about timeshare ownership is the difficulty that some people have in selling due to the low demand for older resort membership, which in turn, fuels the fraudulent companies who prey on these people.  That ATR has been focused on consumer education, public relations, and lobbying campaigns to ensure that a timeshare owner’s real property rights are not infringed upon.

  The ATR and ATR-TOC continues to work to help bridge the gap between primary and secondary market companies, and to help put an end to deceptive marketing practices.  The ATR’s efforts to collaborate between all tenants of the timeshare industry will help to increase consumer’s timeshare experience overall and will ensure that our Legacy Resorts are able to recycle their unused intervals and stay in business over the long term.  The mission strategy for the ATR is find, create, and promote exit strategies for timeshare owners that works for the entire industry, including:  consumers, developers, and resort operators.

For more information visit www.timesharerecyclers.com

The Association of Timeshare Recyclers

The Association of Timeshare Recyclers (ATR) is a non -profit corporation founded by Heather Guffin who is also the current company President and CEO. The company’s mission is to find, create, and promote exit strategies that work for the industry as a whole. The ATR actively searches for and endeavors to create exit strategies that provide a win-win-win scenario for consumers, active sales rooms, HOAs and timeshare resorts. In order to fulfill the ATR’s mission, it relies upon timeshare resellers, renters, and trade-in companies that work hard every day to recycler timeshares on the secondary market. 

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