Local, state, and national chambers of commerce, like the Better Business Bureau, are a place where you can look to help assess the reputation of any resort developer or timeshare exchange company. If a business has gone to the trouble of joining a chamber of commerce, the action alone improves the odds that it is run by a reputable person.

The national Chamber of Commerce is not a parent organization of the countless state and local chambers across the United States, nor does it give out the names of its members to consumers. Instead, your best bet for finding out if a business is a member of any chamber is to ask your contact at the company, or to call the local chamber in the state where the business is based. For more general information about the Chamber of Commerce system, log on to www.uschamber.com.