Beware of tricks when buying 'vacation ownership' services

On June 6, the General Department of Tourism sent a document to the tourism management departments of provinces and cities to propagate to people and tourists about finding information before signing a "vacation ownership" contract.

Recently, this agency has received many petitions and letters from citizens related to purchasing "vacation ownership" services.

The content of the petition reflects that in addition to the buyer (owner of the vacation week) having the obligation to pay the vacation provider the amount according to the contract value, he/she must also pay annual fees or annual maintenance fees that are adjusted up or down irregularly, causing damage to the owners; confusing the buyer through advertising activities or concealing, providing incomplete, misleading, inaccurate information about the product, service and some other content.

A vacation home at a property that offers "vacation ownership" services.

Therefore, to ensure the legitimate rights of the people, the General Department of Tourism recommends that local tourism management departments promote awareness among the people about the "vacation ownership" model according to the recommendations of the National Competition Commission and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Specifically, before buying, you need to clearly understand the nature, benefits of the product, service and potential risks.

Before deciding to participate in a “vacation ownership” introduction and sales event, it is necessary to find out information about the type of products and services that will be introduced at the event as well as the supplier; determine in advance the issues of concern regarding benefits and risks to proactively request further clarification.

Before deciding to sign a contract, it is necessary to request a full set of contracts and study them carefully, especially carefully considering the needs of yourself and your family over a long period of time.

Compare the company's advertised, offered, or "verbal promises" with the formal terms of the draft contract.

In addition, it is necessary to clearly identify all costs that must be paid during the contract term. Most vacation ownership contracts are long-term contracts, in addition to the fixed fee from the beginning, the buyer will have to pay many additional fees such as maintenance fees, annual fees, management fees, operating fees, etc. These costs may not be clearly and fully specified.

Buyers also need to learn about the conditions and restrictions for the buyer in enjoying and transferring the right to vacation, for example: when can the vacation start, can it be transferred to another person, if so, how long after signing the contract or using the service, are there any conditions attached?

In particular, it is necessary to be careful with unfavorable terms in the contract, for example: limiting the buyer's right to complain and sue; not allowing contract cancellation; unfair sanctions for violations;...

Local tourism management departments need to require businesses providing travel services, tourist accommodation, and other units providing “vacation ownership” services to advertise and provide complete and accurate information; establish clear vacation purchase contracts, without provisions that are unfavorable to consumers such as limiting the buyer’s right to complain or sue, etc.

Vacation ownership, or as it is calledtimeshare, simply understood as a tourism model that provides the right to stay for the buyer at a certain luxury resort for a certain period of time each year, in a certain number of years. This right to stay has a very long term, can be up to decades or the entire life of the project.

Recently, according to people's feedback, the advertising situation, with many tricks showing signs of deceiving people to buy travel trips, or long-term investment in resort packages, is flourishing. Many people who have participated in the contract said that they did not enjoy the right benefits as the service provider had committed or advertised.