Trying to get out of his Bluegreen and Silverleaf timeshare, VA Army Chaplain James McConnell is stuck with a Travel Club that promised to help but did not. Now he owns both.

::::::::

I have heard from 81 veterans and active-duty military and law enforcement who have reached out to me alleging timeshare fraud. This is Mr. McConnell's story in Mr. McConnell's own words:

My wife Donna and I are 76 and 80 years old. I am a Baptist Chaplain at the VA Medical Center in Las Vegas. I spent 20 years in the Army. I was eight years an enlisted soldier and twelve years a chaplain. As an enlisted man, I was stationed in Korea for a year in 1969, stationed three years in Germany and the rest in the states. I served as Chaplain at Fort Dix, NJ, from 1983 until retirement in 1994. I also served at Field Station Kunia and the 4^th of the 87^th Infantry Battalion at their Chaplain in Hawaii. I was stationed in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait during Desert Shield/Desert Storm and assigned to the 1^st of the 17^th Field Artillery Battalion as their Chaplain during the war.

We are aware that many seniors are going through what we are going through, stuck with timeshares we can't get rid of, and then losing even more money to companies promising you that they can get you out of your timeshare but don't. Allied Solutions Group told us they could get rid of our timeshares if we pay them more money for a travel club.

We attended the Allied Solutions Group presentation over a year ago at a Joe's Crab Shack in Las Vegas for the purpose of getting out of our two timeshares. We paid Midwest Transfer $27,895 May 17, 2017, for a Travel Club package. The purchase price included a credit of $3,200 ($1,600 each for the Bluegreen and Silverleaf timeshares), but now we are stuck with a travel club we don't need or want and the two timeshares. It's a nightmare. They didn't even give us information about the travel club.

I contacted Irene Parker at Inside Timeshare. Irene contacted Help4TSO and spoke with a representative. Irene said the representative was very nice. She said he looked up our records and said they refunded us $3,200 because they did not get us out of our timeshare. We never received a check for $3,200.

Irene also contacted Allied Solutions Group for us. They would not talk to her. Irene asked if they could tell her what services Allied Solutions Group provided. The representative Irene spoke with said she would not describe their services.

We understood that what Allied Solution Group proposed was a travel club. It was supposed to be a replacement for what we had hoped to lose. Getting out of timeshare was the only reason we attended. We had no interest in spending money for another vacation since we were trying to get rid of what we owned. Allied Solution Group told us the program we signed up with would replace our timeshares. The Allied Solutions Group wrote three dispute letters which we were to correct and send to the timeshare people. We did that but didn't hear anything of consequence back.

We have a $37,000 loan. We owned two Silverleaf weeks and are still paying. If you own a house, you can sell your house if you have a loan. We did not know that timeshares are worthless. This is devastating for seniors who have always paid their bills on time. What can you do if you bought something that can't be sold?

Allied Solution Group/Mid-West Transfer described their services as a Mortgage Relief Advocacy Process. They said an advocacy firm is retained by Help4TSO,

Helping Timeshare Owners, LLC, Orlando, Florida.

According to the Help4TSO website:

Orlando Ventures, LLC dba Helping Timeshare Owners will fight to recover any and all monies paid to the developer. If not successful, Orlando Ventures, LLC will refund 100% of your monies back. Orlando Ventures will receive a 10% commission on monies recovered not to exceed $500.

We signed the agreement May 18, 2017

$1,600 charged to be released from Silverleaf

$1,600 charged to be released from Bluegreen

Also known as The Mid-West Transfer, a mortgage-relief and travel plan

May 25, 2017 agreements were signed by Bill Howell.

$6,300

$9,595.

$8,800.

$24,695 + $3,200 = $27,895

Why are regulators not interested? There seems to be no one to talk to and no one seems to care. It is shameful and we don't understand why there is so little regulation. It seems the only way to protect consumers is to write about what is happening to warn others. DON'T BUY A TIMESHARE YOU CANNOT GET RID OF and don't pay anyone you don't know money to get out of a timeshare.

Authors Bio:
Irene Parker, MBA opened the first Edward Jones office on the Big Island of Hawaii in 1995. After Edward Jones she worked for CASA of South Central Kentucky from 2009 to 2011, writing court reports and editing volunteer court reports on behalf of children in foster care. Currently she writes for Inside Timeshare, published in Spain, a timeshare watchdog blog. Previously she published articles as a contributor for TheStreet, Jim Cramer of CNBC's investment news service. Timeshare Advocacy Group TM was formed by a handful of advocates that has grown to 44 volunteer advocates assisting buyers of timeshare who feel they are a victim of timeshare fraud, or of the timeshare lending process.