If you are interested in becoming a timeshare owner, you need to be aware of the timesharing scams and lies being told by timeshare salespeople.  A timeshare salesperson will promise you the sun, moon, and stars in order to get you to walk out of a presentation as an owner, but they will rarely make good on the special perks they are offering during the sales pitch.  Below are the Top 5 Timeshare Lies told my time share salespeople, and are something every prospective buyer should be aware of to avoid being scammed.

1. Timeshare is a good investment.  This is one of the biggest lies out there, and one of the key ways timeshare salespeople will get prospective buyers to sign on.  Many timeshare salespersons will present the timeshare as if it is a real estate investment, leading consumers to believe its value with appreciate over time, which is totally false.  The truth is, timeshare purhased from a developer overpriced, and the same timeshare can be purchased on the resale market for a fraction of the price.
2. You can make a lot of money renting out your week, if you choose not to use it for any reason.  This is just another form of bait used by timeshare dealers to make you feel as though timeshare is a good investment, and one you can make money on if you decide it is not for you.  In reality, it is difficult, if not impossible, to rent out an unused timeshare week, and most owners end up banking unused weeks or losing them all together; if you do not think you will use a timeshare, do not purchase one.
3. If you get tired of your timeshare you can easily resell it, and even make a profit.  Timeshares are almost always sold at a loss on the resale market (unless you were lucky enough to pick up a Hawaii timeshare at some deep discount).
4. X company will buy your old timeshare from you for a considerable amount of money (perhaps more than you paid for it), and that amount will be deducted from the purchase price of a new timeshare or applied as the down payment.  Truth is, this simply does not happen.  Timeshare salespeople have no intention of helping you get rid of an unwanted timeshare you already have, and these X companies do not usually exist.
5. You will be able to trade your timeshare week for a stay anywhere in the world (this applies to weeks vacation ownership only).  The way that timeshare weeks programs are set up do not make it very easy to trade for other locations, and many weeks timeshare owners have found that without banking a few years in advance, it is almost impossible to get their choice of resort and/or week.  For more information on this read -Murillo vs. RCI

If you are presented with any of the above 5 scenarios, get the promises in writing.  If you choose to go through with the purchase, make sure these facts are noted in the contract signed by you and the company representative and MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A COPY of it before you leave the property. If they are unwilling to do this, which is more likely than not, walk away.