LETTER FROM CHAIRMAN
Thursday, May 14, 2009
This month, my message is about “fair play” and that is a pretty difficult precept to live up to, because we represent the interests of both resort owners and end customers.
Primary membership at AIRDA is for resort owners and developers in the timeshare marketplace. These form the core group who benefit from being active and present within the AIRDA platform. Then we have what we call signed-in members – new prospects, or customers of timeshare who look at our website or get in touch with us for more information.
So, whose side are we on? Resort owners who are primary members of AIRDA, or customers who may approach AIRDA to clear a doubt or address a grievance?
This is where we wear the hat of the third umpire.
We do extensive “replays” of a particular situation that has been presented to us and then we analyze it from different points of view. If we find that a member resort has indeed slipped up on service from a customer’s viewpoint, we initiate a dialog with the resort to address the issue constructively. On the other hand, if we feel that a customer has misrepresented his case in some way, we advise him to pull back on the complaint and close the chapter.
If a dialog between customer and resort owners is not resolved for some reason, AIRDA will allow both parties to follow through on legal options and allow law to take its own course. The effort here is to build consumer confidence in an industry that sometimes needs propping up in terms of commonly identified business standards and work processes.
While our primary concern is the interface with AIRDA members on ethical and transparent processes, we think it is equally important to create awareness among non-members to follow the standards set by AIRDA. Our primary members are a closely knit team of resort owners and operators who want to give timeshare its due place in the sun.
B. S. Rathor
Chairman, AIRDA
Examples of AIRDA initiatives in the interest
of primary members and end-customers
Timeshare to move into common pool on industry benefits
AIRDA is a member of the Confederation of Indian Industry's National Tourism Committee. Our interaction with the Ministry of Tourism to get resorts re-classified is gaining ground – bringing under one umbrella all facilities and services offered, as in the hotel industry. Soon, all benefits available to the hotel industry could be extended to the resorts sector as well.
Withdrawal of utility fees charged to customers
Here’s one leveler initiated by us among member establishments that was actually in the interest of customers. AIRDA prevailed upon member establishments to discontinue the practice of collecting utility fees on resort-to-resort exchanges and holiday swapping. AIRDA enabled this as part of the industry’s efforts to align itself with global practices. As a result, timeshare owners are now only required to pay an annual maintenance fee.
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