Free Timeshares?

I purchased a timeshare and was given the option of a Free Timeshare. I don't know anything about any of these resorts. Do any of them strike you as worthwhile? I won't except the freebie if it isn't a good trader and has high MF.

Excel file --> http://dl.dropbox.com/u/2411532/FREE Timeshares.xls

I wouldn't - why pay a maintenance fee for something that you can get cheaper via RCI escapes or even straight rentals? If any of these weeks were good then why would they be free? These are weeks that have low demand. I would not take on this liability as once you own it you are stuck with it.

Don't you have to pay the closing costs? If so, it ain't free!

If these were good traders with low maintenance fees, they wouldn't be giving them away.

Yep, I agree. I wasn't sure if there might be a diamond in the rough. That wouldn't make sense though.

I cannot open this link on my netbook. However, I did get a free timeshare with one of my ebay purcheses- a Sheraton Vistana Resort Cascades 2 br l/o Gold Plus season for absolutely no money (no closing, no transfer fee.) So, look at the list carefully and take one ONLY if it is truly something you would have paid for anyway. They can be a great deal or they can be absolute dogs. I recommend reading the reviews on TUG before you make a decision about any unit. Often the weeks offered are off season or bad views. The seller will answer questions about the units before you commit.

Agreed. Alot of times the free ones (I assume you bought on EBAY) offered in those auctions tend to be ones they can't even sell for $1.00 and have already tried. Just be aware, their whole point with the 'free timeshares' is to dump the MF on that dog and make it look like a **BONUS** to the buyer.

I Resemble That Remark.

poleary2000 said:

I purchased a timeshare and was given the option of a Free Timeshare. I don't know anything about any of these resorts. Do any of them strike you as worthwhile?

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The timeshare we bought via eBay this past summer included another free timeshare of our choice, anything we selected off 2 separate lists (points & weeks).

We said No Thanks to the free timeshare & went ahead with the eBay timeshare purchase -- a dinky points timeshare we bought as a replacement for an even dinkier points timeshare that we deeded back to the resort because of maintenance fees that had escalated out of control.

Meanwhile, we have another extremely nice timeshare with reasonable maintenance fees that we are offering as a giveaway ourselves -- floating-week 3BR lock-off, Orlando FL -- no strings attached, other than the cost of deed preparation & recording + $75 resort transfer fee. Maintenance fees for 2011 are due & payable, but are not overdue till 1-1-2011. Click here if you have any curiosity about that.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

DeniseM said:

Don't you have to pay the closing costs? If so, it ain't free!

If these were good traders with low maintenance fees, they wouldn't be giving them away.

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Exactly.

There is a reason they are trying to get rid of these timeshares. My advice would be to stay away from anything you don't really want or need. You may have a hard time unloading it in the future.

Stefa said:

Exactly.

There is a reason they are trying to get rid of these timeshares. My advice would be to stay away from anything you don't really want or need. You may have a hard time unloading it in the future.

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Sooner or later they will be shoveled into a dummy corp., which will BK, and be dumped at the HOA's doorstep. Further adding to the proliferation of non-performing weeks which all owners pay for.

But, who cares? The PCC's are selling ill-begotten goods at a great price. No sense in asking questions when buying merchandise off the back of a truck. It feels better to crow about the $100 bargain.
Except, of course, those few deals that go sour. Then, we have plenty to complain about.