The Exchange companies make the timeshare really attractive and they care about their members, but in some cases however they want to assist the member with the problems that might arise with the management or legalities of the club they really can’t unless they can recommend the professionals to do it.
RCI
When RCI opened its office in Moscow in 1996 they were confronted by the confused timeshare buyers, demanding the money back for their timeshare purchase from RCI, thinking they bought from RCI & not from the marketing company.
Back in 1996 RCI office in Moscow was extremely happy to work together with Help Line International who would take away all the heat by explaining who is who and offering the clients our service to trace their money and to get them the timeshare from the developer direct at a minimum cost of our services.
We have negotiated with RCI a special deal for the timeshare buyers who were victims of the absence of legislation and who lost some or all money buying the timeshare in those times.
We were enrolling at half price with RCI the timeshare which these families would receive with our assistance at a discounted cost.
Together with RCI we aimed to restor the good name of timeshare.
Thus we enrolled over 200 members in 1997- 1999. Many of them are still with RCI. In total we have enroled over 600 members with RCI most of whom would not become the members as they lost money on their original contract which was not completed.
Another our valuable service to RCI was the Travel Club assistance to the RCI members.
Somebody needed to help the Russian members to receive the holiday visa support letters from the resorts. The members couldn't benefit from the inexpensive charter flights, which they could not buy outside the package holidays. If it was not our travel club services for the first years of timeshare in Russia and befor RCI could organise their own assistance to their members, we believe hundreds of families would have given up their membership.
At that time RCI gave us the status of their official Help Line and recommended us to their members if they have timeshare questions not related to RCI: resort disputes, maintenance issues, resales, legal or usage consultancies.
One of the most exiting was the project called “We want you back", where we dealt with the RCI members who were repossessed for non payment of maintenance at the resorts which don't allow the reinstatement.
We have agreed a special deal with a few Developers and upgraded those families to a new product.
RCI sent out a letter which was inviting the members to get back by contacting Help Line International hot telephone line to get the details. In some cases the members benefitted not only from the better quality of the new ownership, but also from the price which in some cases was less than if they could reinstate their membership by paying all the debts.
Since 1996 we arranged hundreds of exchanges & bonus holidays to the members who for some reasons did not achieve the holidays before (mostly because they were not educated how to use the product) & were thinking of giving up their membership.
Interval International
Though Interval International members in the earlier years of timeshare were getting extra service from the marketing companies they bought from, it did not take much time before we became partners and started offering Interval International our unique services.
Our first serious business contact happen in 1998 when disappeared a marketing company Silver Holidays which was selling membership in Palm Beach Club, affiliated to Interval International.
Due to the total support & assistance of II we managed to trace most of the clients of this company to confirm the membership or to complete the left & distrased clients.
In 1999 on invitation of Interval International all members of Help Line International came to the II office in Helsinki. What was ment to be a tour round II office turned into a four hour training, since the Help Line staff came already well aware of how the system works but had a lot of detailed questions on advantages & usage of II exchange system.
The other situation where the Interval International invited Help Line International to step in was the bankruptcy of Royal Equator Club in Seychelles and Starlight Club in Cyprus.
Our mission was to provide the members with the alternative membership at the very discounted fee in order to save these families to the industry.
Obviously we have chosen a membership for them in the country with strong timeshare protection laws to avoid the same troubles in the future and the membership which had the same or higher value.
In 2001 we became aware of a Russian resale schema where they faked the Interval International papers and used a recognised name for their fraudulent activity.
We urgently collected the evidences and passed it to Interval International to be able to act legally against this company quickly enough to avoid the scandal and save many people from losses.
We continue working on day to day basis with Interval International assisting their members with the charter flights, travel visa arrangements, disputes with the resort management companies or any other timeshare issues which are not part of II operations
Dial-n-Exchange
We have introduced Russian speaking members to Dial-n-Exchange by becoming their exclusive partner in Russia & setting up the Russian web site www.timeshare-obmen.ru as far as back in 1999.
Ofcause our main exchange partners always were and still are RCI and Interval International, but with the help of D-n-E we could provide the service to the clients who for some reasons could not or would not go on with their original exchange membership.
It was an important service to the clients who listed their timeshare for resale and were hoping to sell soon. They would not prolong at this point their exchange company membership and in many cases would risk losing their week.
We did our best to avoid it.
ICE Gallery
Though sea cruise are not as popular with Russians, Ukrainians and Kazakhs as with citizens of European countries for example, we found it really exiting to assist our clients with booking the cruises with ICE Gallery.
The pick of our activities with ICE Gallery was in 2003 -2008 when we arranged the maximum amount of cruises.
There were a number of onsite marketing companies selling membership to ICE Gallery as part of the deal to the clients. It all sounded great at the point of sale.
But when it was coming to plan the cruise holiday the clients were lost as they could not find information in their language, they did not have any body to arrange their travel visas and answer their numerous questions.
Our Travel Club started the cruise Help Line for those clients.
Our knowledge and expertise brought the extra promotion of cruises among our regular clients and In 2005 we added ICE Gallery membership to the privileges of our VIP Membership Program giving our clients an opportunity to enjoy the cruises with our assistance. This was highly appreciated by our members.
By reinstating the members in their clubs, we indirectly achieved to bring them back into the exchange system as well.
Since 1996 we gave free of charge consultations to over 7500 family members on usage of their timeshare weeks, points & exchange system.