Timeshare has already gained a bad reputation here but Singaporeans are still falling prey to such schemes, said a my paper report on Tuesday.

According to surveys conducted by the Consumers Association of Singapore (CASE), timeshare has received the most number of complaints for five years running.

Each year, Timeshare products receive at least 2000 complaints. In the first five months of this year, it has already received 1057 complaints. There is also a disturbing increase in the amount of money implicated in each case.

CASE Executive Director Seah Seng Choon says that the reason why timeshare companies can succeed repeatedly is because they employ different creative methods to scam their customers.

Some promise cashbacks after a few years, others 'fantastic' value-for-money deals to lure unsuspecting customers.

Other more aggressive timeshare companies threaten their customers, saying they would force their children to make payment if they do not pay the fees accordingly. These parents, in fear of implicating their children, eventually pay these companies.

In an interview with my paper, lawyer Amolat Singh describes the timeshare experience as a sticky affair. He says there is no termination clause in a timeshare contract. So even if the consumer did not enjoy any timeshare holiday package, as long as the contract holds, the consumer has to continue paying maintenance and membership fees. The consumer will face legal issues if he fails to do so.

Furthermore, there has been a recent appearance of agents who claim to be able to help consumers transfer or terminate their timeshare contracts.

For example, some 16 consumers lodged a complaint to CASE, attempting to recover obscene amounts of "administration fees" from "agents" of timeshare companies. The fees involved ranged from $10,000 to $90,000.