The Colorado Attorney General files suit against a Timeshare Sale Operation under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act

The Colorado Attorney General is taking action against a group of interrelated companies and their owners in regard to a timeshare sale operation. The case is Attorney General Cynthia H. Coffman et al. v. Highlands Resorts at Christie Lodge, LLC, et al. Case No. 2016CV34399. I am familiar with this type of timeshare sales operation as I ran across a couple of them during my time with the Wyoming Attorney General's Office consumer protection unit. I know the lead attorneys on the Christie Lodge case, and they are really good at what they do. I think it is going to be tough for the defendants to come out of the case unscathed.

The classic timeshare sales operation works by persuading consumers, through the promise of high value free gifts to attend a sales presentation regarding the timeshare offer. Consumers are typically promised airline tickets or cruises if they simply attend a sales presentation. Despite the too good to be true offer, many consumers bite and attend. At the presentation the consumers are subjected to high pressure sales tactics to convince them to buy into the deal. Consumers are pressured to make an on the spot purchase. Consumers are not given time to reflect on the purchase. If consumers are given an opportunity to think about the offer, they usually decline because it does not seem like a good deal. The only way for the timeshare folks to make the operation work is to close the sale at the presentation.

Consumers who buy into the timeshare deals often have buyer's remorse. However, it is very difficult for them to get out of the deal. They also find it difficult to make use of the so-called timeshare points. Furthermore, and this seems to be part of the focus of the Christie Lodge case, consumers often find that the airline tickets or cruises that they were promised come with so many conditions and hurdles to redeem them that they are often practically worthless. In the Christie Lodge case, this triggered a claim against the defendants under the Colorado Consumer Protection Act for making false representations.

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