WA TOURISTS in Bali are being pressured into buying timeshare property worth thousands of dollars, says Commissioner for Fair Trading Patrick Walker.
“Consumers have reported being approached by street touts offering free prizes to attend timeshare presentations lasting up to three hours,” Mr Walker said.
“After three hours consumers can become very susceptible to high-pressure sales pitches.
“In one case it was alleged the salesperson contacted the consumer’s bank in Perth to try and effect a transfer of their money on the spot, as soon as he agreed to make a purchase.
“These activities are not regulated by Australian law so it important to be on guard at all times. The cost of taking legal action, if it becomes necessary, can be very expensive.”
WA Timeshare Resort Management Committee chairwoman and Australian Timeshare Holiday Ownership Com-mittee director Brenda Bannon said that, because WA had no new developers going out to the market, local consumers were not exposed to what timeshare was about.
“WA is not involved in primary selling. It is mostly resale,” Mrs Bannon said. “The timeshare industry here is moving towards self-regulation. We also have a cooling off period.
“We are trying to promote ourselves positively. “In Australia, timeshare owners get the land strata titled. Here you own the land. In Bali you don’t.”
Mrs Bannon said the WA industry was a stable one.