In March I was contacted by Steve Mclaughlin from Resales By Owner. Located in the heart of Daytona Beach. He was responding to an e-mail i had sent requesting information on selling my timeshare.
I have a 2 bedroom unit in Orlando Fl. I had purchased this in 2002 for approximately $11,000 dollars.
Steve claimed he sells these all the time and that he could get me $18,900 dollars. It sounded too good to be true, but was also very inviting. Then he won me over with his warm and genuine personality. (I should have backed off then) He sounded very educated in the timeshare business and I was desperate to sell this following a divorce in '06.
At first i told Steve i could not afford the $500 fee. I told him i could in a couple of weeks. From the first conversation untill the time i paid him $400 dollars. (He was able to lower the fee because he was the senior marketing executive.) He contacted me 2-3 times a week to just say hello. I felt as if we were becoming friends. Heres where it goes sour. After paying the $400 dollars i never heard from him again and the weekly phone calls stopped. He also guranteed he would have this sold for me.
It has been 3 months now. I have still not gotten a phone call from him and he does not return mine. I just want other consumers to be careful from these con men. They are professional scan artists.
They live to take advantage of people like myself, who are in a desperate situation with no way out. Steve played me for a fool and put me in a worse situation than i had already been in. I should have realized from the start what he was going to do.
I guess in the back of my mind i had some idea that this might not have all been true. I was in such a desperate situation though and I wanted so badly to believe him that i justified to myself that things would go as planned.
I have since contacted my local police department as well as the State of Florida Attorney General's Office. My credit card company has been of no help to me. They informed me that since i has signed the contract that was sent to me from Resales By Owner that i was responsible for the charge. I am hoping that I am able to share this information with other consumers who might get the same exciting phone call i received.
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