David (gruffy? Are we now all dwarfs?) ... Taking the bait? No, just pointing out that if an owner does not sell and has no reason to sell, the initial downstroke has provided years and years of wonderful vacationing. Priceless? Maybe not. But everything in life is not measured by dollars. Why should timeshares be only measured that way? I don't measure it that way. I suspect many timeshare owners feel the same way.
Why must I worry about paper timeshare losses? I can afford what I bought. I'm not selling. Any paper loss will not cripple me or my heirs
I have nothing against buying a timeshare on the cheap. I have done that myself more than I have bought from the developer. If a person can get one where he/she wants to go in the season they want to go there (in other words at a voluntary resort), that's great.
If a person can buy a resale unit which gives better resale value (in other words a mandatory resort), go to it.
But, just because some Starwood resorts are voluntary and some are mandatory, does not mean that all must be mandatory. I knew what I was buying. Didn't you? I can't believe you were bamboozled when you bought.
Those who bought voluntary from Starwood were not promised that the next buyer would be able to use the StarOptionsc the same way. If anything'sc part of the presentation, it's that they won't. And, for every week I brought from Starwood I signed a document acknowledging that buying a timeshare is a bad business decision. As far as I know, so did everyone else. Won't take responsibility for those who refuse to read or overbuy. ... Salty