"Why was TUG formed?
Bill Rogers, He initiated TUG because his wife and his traded our very nice (Gold Crown & 5 Star rating) resort for what can only be described as a run-down converted motel. To say that they were upset, is to put it mildly.

The picture in the Exchange Resort Directory looked great! The description had everything we were looking for, even tennis. But when they got there...... The condo was probably WW II vintage and still had the original furniture (he had seen better thrown away on the street). But the straw that broke the camel's back was the tennis court (they love tennis and all their trades usually have tennis available). The only court was over grown with weeds and did not even have a net!) When they asked about it, they were told it had not had a net for years! So much for Resort Directory pictures and write-ups! They vowed they would never be ripped off again! From that time on, when they are in an area (and have time) they tour the timeshare resorts to find out what they are really like. They would no longer rely only on the Exchange companies for this information!

During our vacations, they found that most timeshare owners feel the same way. So, with the help of other timeshare owners, they have formed the Timeshare Users Group.

By the way, the exchange company did credit them with their exchange fee ($69) to be used toward another exchange. What a joke! they lost a week's vacation, not to mention, the hundreds of dollars in maintenance fees we had to pay at our home resort.

Who can Join TUG?
Membership is available to anyone who owns or is thinking of purchasing a timeshare resort unit ( the best time to join our group is prior to buying your first resort so you can take advantage of the members experiences and learn which resorts to buy and how much to pay ).

How Much Does It Cost?

The membership fee is only $15 for the first 12 months ( renewals dues are only $10 or 3 years for $25 ).

What Do I Get For My Membership?

There is an extended TUG resort reviews database ( See sample reviews ) here on this web site available only to TUG members. There are over 2000 resorts covered by this database now and growing weekly. The reviews also include pictures of the resorts, general resort information and a list of owners' email addresses who are willing to answer additional questions regarding the resorts not covered by the detailed reviews.

There is a complete Ratings and Ranking Database available to TUG members only. ( See sample ranking listing.) This is a quick way to see how our members rate the resorts which they have actually stayed at. It has become a valuable source of information to use when planning for exchanges.

The Members Only area also has expanded to include a Historical Sale Database, Permanent Swap Database and Result of various Trade ( exchange ) Test from our members allowing them to see which resorts were the best for making trades thru the exchange companies..

In addition, they have gathered a great deal of valuable info from timeshare experts about how to best exchange, sell, buy or rent timeshare resorts. With their "TUG Classifieds" members are able to get the best exposure for their timeshare ads. BONUS - New members receive their first classified ad FREE!

They have 5 websites interlinked and are outgrowing these ... tug2.net ( our main homepage ), tug1.net, timeshare-users-group.com, tug1.org & tug2.org ... plus domain names that also work ... tug2.com & tug1.com ) The members control the websites and its content. We are a volunteer organization with more than 40 member volunteer reps who run the different areas of our websites." [Via tugbbs.com]