The developer pays the grounds keepers (with benefits; believe it or not) about $50/$60 a week (a six day work week mind you); less or about the same for the waiters, the maids and so on and then they turn around and charge the Gringo and Mexican TS Owners AMF’s comparable to the rates in the US, Canada etc. as if the Mexican developers have the same overhead (and fixed costs); Mordidas aside that is ;~)

We sell exclusively as suggested and that is vacations, use and pleasure.

And I might add, we do really well!

That said, allowing the so called postcard companies, certain vacation/travel club outfits, some resale companies and the like to be members is not worth the money to ARDA that they pay to be members, precisely because they spend all their time with consumers slamming timeshare, telling everyone how bad timeshare is, what a huge mistake it is to buy timeshare and so on and so forth, all the while bragging about belonging to the American Resort Development Association to give them credibility. It’s an oxymoron at best. ARDA ought to clean out the barn and put some kind of limits on who is accepted as members, but of course they won’t.

I once worked as a procurement director for a certain resort managed by the developer and I took my job seriously. It was time for refurbishment for the units and I worked my tail off getting the best deals possible. I also got new contracts for everything from toilet paper to light bulbs. Overall I saved the resort (and therefore the ts owners) THOUSANDS of dollars. How was I rewarded? The company gave me an ass chewing and fired me. Because they didn’t get all there usual kickbacks from the suppliers!!!!

It’s a dirty dirty world, children. Color me disenchanted.

And for all you out there that don’t understand what a ‘profit-center’ is then let me give you an example.

A roll of toilet paper cost the developer or HOA $0.15 (that cents) but they (developer/HOA) pad the cost so that the AMF each owner pays reflects a buck for the same roll(s) of toilet paper!

Not a bad mark-up!

And then add in everything else that is marked up that much (and more) from light bulbs to (you name it) and you’ll begin to appreciate why AMF’s have become such an issue!

I read the post about ARDA and the first image that came to mind was that there is a Whore amongst us!

Since the recent US Supreme Court decision establishes, by law, that Inc.’s etc. are considered a person then the two following definitions of being a Whore would absolutely apply to ARDA.

Whore:

“A person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.”

“A venal or unscrupulous person.”

It should!

It could work but there seems to still be to many mouths to feed at the top end of the deal who’ve never sold a week in their lives and they aren’t about to give up on the only system they know.

So that is my 2 cents!

You’re making too much sense. The problem is, the entire sales process needs an overhaul. Nicely done.