# Questions aboout Williamsburg Plantation



## SeemaRavi (Jun 21, 2010)

We bought a vacationa ownership y'day in Williamsburg, VA thru. Williamsbug Plantation.

We got the Tri-yearly deal for $4990. We get 2 deeded weeks every 3 years, a bonus vacation every years, and 12 get aways each year. MF are about $225/year. We also got the Gold cards thru. Interval International. Our deeded wk is 8. 

First we were offered a similar pkg for 10K and said yes, and while closing found out our REP lied to us abt several things. then we left to go get our gifts and that guy gave us this deal and "seemed" like a better rep, too. We felt it was reasonable and we were getting a good deal for less than $5K. 
But, now I am not sure after coming to this forum.

I want to know how the trading works based on our deeded wk. We are week number 8. Can we only exchange our week/location IF we can first find someone to take OUR week?? I dont want to be stuck going the Williamsburg every year at the end of Feb.. Or do we just pay the $139 exchange fee and go whereever we want whenever we want and the company takes care of our week 8??

Does anyone have this same vacation, they are happy with? 

I would appreciate some info, comments,suggestions, etc etc......

THANKS!!


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## DeniseM (Jun 21, 2010)

Hi and welcome to TUG - you can buy this timeshare on the resale market for a fraction of what you paid.  My advice is for you to rescind immediately - this is a completely legal way of canceling the contract and getting all your money back.  Then you can take your time, and do your research, and buy with no pressure.  You have a very limited time to rescind, so you want to do it ASAP.  

You may feel very confused at this point - that's normal.  But look at it this way - you only have one chance to rescind and get your money back.  You have forever to think about it and buy a timeshare if you decide you want to. 

Still not sure? - Look at the prices on these Williamsburg timeshares on ebay - http://realestate.shop.ebay.com/i.h..._osacat=15897&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3286.m270.l1313

Here is more info. about *rescinding* - this article was written for another timeshare, but besides that, everything applies to you.

*Rescind - it will save you thousands of dollars...*


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## wackymother (Jun 21, 2010)

Definitely rescind. Week 8 is the bottom of low season in Williamsburg, and it will not trade for anything much. 

Rescind, and you can buy something nice--high season, big unit, nice resort-- in Williamsburg for every year for about $200 if you wait for the right deal. Or you can rent there for a very reasonable price.


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## pedro47 (Jun 21, 2010)

You can rent week 8 from RCI, II and other web sites from $199 to $249 per week save your money. This is my opinion only.


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## DVB42 (Jun 21, 2010)

Week 8 in Williamsburg has a 50, the lowest possible ranking on the Interval International Trade Power chart. Since you bought yesterday there is still time to rescind. I recommend that you do so. 

I think Williamsburg is a great place to visit. But I would look for a fixed week resale unit during the summer months.


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## SeemaRavi (Jun 21, 2010)

Thanks everyone! We have decided to cancel it. When we called the lady who did our closing, how long we have to cancel and what the procedure is, she was upset and said it's not right for us to cancel bc we wasted so much of their time y'day!!!!!!!

Now we are def. cancelling!!


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## wackymother (Jun 21, 2010)

SeemaRavi said:


> Thanks everyone! We have decided to cancel it. When we called the lady who did our closing, how long we have to cancel and what the procedure is, she was upset and said it's not right for us to cancel bc we wasted so much of their time y'day!!!!!!!
> 
> Now we are def. cancelling!!



You go, girl! The instructions for canceling are in your contract. Be sure to follow the instructions exactly. Get the letter in the mail asap! You'll be really happy you did!


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## DeniseM (Jun 21, 2010)

Be very careful about getting info. from your sales Rep.  She will attempt to stall until it's too late to rescind - this is an infamous tactic!  

See the instructions in the link I posted above, and find the rescission paperwork in your contract & follow that exactly.  

Do not expect the resort/sales person to help you with this - you should avoid having any further contact with them - it's their job to get you to change your mind. 

If you need help, just let us know.


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## Rob&Carol Q (Jun 22, 2010)

Congratulations on your good decision to rescind!

Now, do *EXACTLY* what your paperwork tells you to do.

Then amuse yourself by looking up the package you bought from the developer on Ebay.  You'll be shocked at what the true price actually is...

And stick around...lots of Timeshare smart people here to help you make a better decision for you and your family.  One thing to take from all this...never, ever buy a retail TS again!


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## mecllap (Jun 22, 2010)

DVB42 said:


> Week 8 in Williamsburg has a 50, the lowest possible ranking on the Interval International Trade Power chart. .



What is this chart, and where is it?  Everything I've seen before makes trading power the actual "best kept secret" -- or were you just teasing and doing your own ranking?


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## AFARR (Jun 22, 2010)

*Interval World*

I'm not a member of II, but they have various charts for their resorts..

Go to intervalworld.com

Look for the Resort Directory Link.

Click and find the area you are looking for...

Click on a resort...to the right side is the "Travel Demand Index" for that area.

100 is average supply/demand.   50 is Highest Supply, lowest demand, and 150 is the reverse (higher numbers are better if you are an owner...and lower numbers are better if you are trying to trade into that area).

Here's the one that shows (assuming I saved the link right) for the Outer Banks.






AFARR


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## DeniseM (Jun 22, 2010)

mecllap said:


> What is this chart, and where is it?  Everything I've seen before makes trading power the actual "best kept secret" -- or were you just teasing and doing your own ranking?



The chart is actually the Travel Demand Index.  It doesn't show trading power - what it does show is the seasonal demand for each region.  The demand for trades in week 8 is very low in the region.  Based on the demand chart, you  know that if you own a week 8, it's not going to trade well, because there is no demand for week 8 trades.


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## DVB42 (Jun 23, 2010)

Here is the correct Travel Demand Index for Williamsburg. Week 8 is a 50. Denise is right - the chart denotes "travel Demand" and not "Trade Power." Sorry if that was confusing. However the extremely low number for week 8 would lead to very low trade power.


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## esk444 (Jun 23, 2010)

SeemaRavi said:


> We got the Tri-yearly deal for $4990. We get 2 deeded weeks every 3 years, a bonus vacation every years, and 12 get aways each year. MF are about $225/year. We also got the Gold cards thru. Interval International. Our deeded wk is 8.



Sounds like a great deal, except your salesperson didn't tell you that:

1) You probably only bought 1 guaranteed week late February week in Williamsburg when the place is a ghost town and hotel rates are around $60-100 per night for even the nicest hotels in the area.

2) You are only guaranteed 1 reservation every 3 years, thus your yearly $225 fee equates to $675 for that week's stay.  My guess is you got a 4Br that is a lock off into 2-2Br. units.  This means you have either one huge unit or 2 smaller units that you are only guaranteed to use in late February.  If you want to use either unit some other time, you must exchange it in II or whatever internal trade system the resort has, if any.  Generally, Williamsburg winter weeks have low trade value and will only trade into off season in desirable resorts or places where there are lots of excess capacity (i.e. Orlando).  You must pay an exchange fee for each trade, at least $139 each through II.

3)  Your bonus weeks are subject to availability and you must pay a significant additional fee to use them.  Prime summer and spring break weeks will probably not be available for bonus weeks, so owners rarely use them.

4) The getaways are available to any member of Interval International and you are not limited to just 12 weeks.  Once again, they are subject to availability, cost between $200 and $2,000 (will the bulk around $500 to $1,000), and are often off season or shoulder weeks.  So to use 12 getaways may cost an additional $6,000 or so.  I've never used one, though I occassionally see some decent ones.

5) Gold membership costs about $45 a year and any member of II can purchase it.  The main benefits are you get a $25 discount on getaways and are allowed to do a short stay (2, 3, 4, or 5) day exchange, but only a handful of resorts let you do this (mostly in places with excess capacity like Orlando or Williamsburg or during off season).  You must still join II to be a Gold member, which is about $60 per year if you purchase a multi-year membership.  Most people never bother getting Gold membership.

6) You can purchase a prime summer week annual timeshare at Williamsburg Plantation resale for just a couple of $1,000's.  If you search hard enough, you might be able to find one for $1 or so on ebay.  The market value of a 4 Br lock off week 8 at Williamsburg Plantation is $0 and it will be very difficult to sell or even give away.

That's the type of stuff you learn searching the boards and reading the articles here on TUG.  That $4995 deal appears to be an incredible bargain at first blush, but after you dig into the details you find out it is an outrageous rip off.

The other reason to wait is people often buy a timeshare that doesn't quite meet their needs and later regret it.  They are often very difficult, sometimes impossible to sell or get rid of, so it is better to make sure a particular timeshare will work out for you, you are comfortable with the system and/or management company, and the cost/MF.


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