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Welk Resort; should I buy from developer or ???

JPTraveler

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We attended a presentation at Welks Resort in Escondido, looking at the Platinum points system.
The sales team really promotes the trading power of the Welk Resort points in II since Welk Mountain View (?) is an Elite Resort in II terms.

The cost of 360,000 every other year points cost around $53,000.20.
EOY Maintenance fee is $1620
Credit for other time shares we already own for $30,000, which is a fair credit, but still leaves the cost to us of appx. $23,000 for the 360,000 every other year points.

Is this crazy to consider or worth the cost?

Any advice is appreciated.

I have 6 days to rescind.
 

Saintsfanfl

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Plenty of cheap units on the resale market. Rescind immediately. Not sure if you can have the points option for a resale but it wouldn't be worth the cost anyway.

I have stayed at that property. We were there for a wedding so the stay definitely served it's purpose but for a vacation resort it is not my cup of tea. It is huge and the pools are no where near the size needed for the number of units. It is more like a community with country club common rec areas. The problem is since everyone is on vacation the various pools were so packed that we were literally shoulder to shoulder with people.

It isn't bad but compared to other properties we have been to like a Marriott or a Hyatt the place is a bit of a ripoff. I wouldn't buy anything from a developer no matter who it is though since there are much cheaper options available.
 
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taterhed

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We attended a presentation at Welks Resort in Escondido, looking at the Platinum points system.
The sales team really promotes the trading power of the Welk Resort points in II since Welk Mountain View (?) is an Elite Resort in II terms.

The cost of 360,000 every other year points cost around $53,000.20.
EOY Maintenance fee is $1620
Credit for other time shares we already own for $30,000, which is a fair credit, but still leaves the cost to us of appx. $23,000 for the 360,000 every other year points.

Is this crazy to consider or worth the cost?

Any advice is appreciated.

I have 6 days to rescind.


  1. You are not crazy. You like spending time with your family/friends/significant other in a quality resort. You do NOT need to buy from the developer to do that.
  2. You have doubts about your purchase. You are correct: this is probably a bad deal for you. Smart to come ask questions.
  3. While you re-think your goals and options to achieve your vacation goals and needs... (goals :>) you should rescind.
  4. Even if this is the best deal ever....it will still be available next week or next month. You have less than a week to avoid what may be a huge financial mistake. Rescind now. If, after rescinding the deal and seeking advice from others (TUG is a great source for that!) you still want the deal....the fine folks on TUG will help you find what fits your needs: resale or not. It may be from another source--it will probably be significant cheaper and may meet your goals and needs better.
You were smart enough to come here and seek advice; rescind now and give yourself some time to listen to that advice.

Cheers
 

TUGBrian

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TUGBrian

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curious what other timeshares he owns where 30k is considered a "fair credit"...heh.

especially considering you didnt balk at thinking the welk contract is worth 50k!
 

mjm1

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I would not buy this directly from Welk. If you really like the Welk system and resorts you can buy points on the resale market. The only disadvantage is you won't get discounted rates if you want to add nights under bonus time. That feature doesn't add that much value.

Good luck and please let us know what you decide.

Mike
 

JPTraveler

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The other timeshares are in the Caribbean at an exclusive, yet small resort.
I submitted the rescission offer by fax this AM and also send a copy via FedEx that will arrive tomorrow afternoon.

I have a strong suspicion Welk bumped up the cost of the 360K EOY points to the 53K range, so they could offer more for the timeshares I already own.
That is why I posted the quote from Welk, to see if anyone has a price comparison from their Welk sales pitch.

Does anyone have comparison numbers for Welk Points, to fact-check their sales staff?
 

JPTraveler

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Very interesting. 540K platinum points for $3500.

I need to learn more about the point system of trading. I have 3 fixed weeks that I often trade through II but have never used points.

The sales pitch says that you can get a week anywhere in the world for 90,000 points and since Welk is an Elite resort, it is easier to book with better resorts. How does one verify that this is true?
 
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JPTraveler

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Very interesting. 540K platinum points for $3500.

I need to learn more about the point system of trading. I have 3 fixed weeks that I often trade through II but have never used points.

The sales pitch says that you can get a week anywhere in the world for 90,000 points and since Welk is an Elite resort, it is easier to book with better resorts during more desirable weeks. How does one verify that this is true?
 

JPTraveler

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curious what other timeshares he owns where 30k is considered a "fair credit"...heh.

especially considering you didnt balk at thinking the welk contract is worth 50k!

If I did not balk at the 50K, I would not have posted to TUGS today.

One of the issues with the Welk sales pitch, is they do not let you leave the "Preview Center" to think about the offer or do any research. My cell phone did not get service in the main sales room so I did walk to the back window and researched some resales on TUGS, but it is difficult for me to use the small phone for much real research.
When I told the realtor what I found on the resale market, they throw the Welk right of first refusal, saying I would not be able to get the points on the resale market, since Welk will buy them up to keep their prices up.

I knew I had the right to rescind, which I exercised today.
I just wish I did not waste so much time with the sales crew yesterday.
 
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TUGBrian

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sorry, poor choice of words on my part!

very glad to hear that you chose to rescind and do your research! you will be so thankful you did so!
 

taterhed

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If I did not balk at the 50K, I would not have posted to TUGS today.

One of the issues with the Welk sales pitch, is they do not let you leave the "Preview Center" to think about the offer or do any research. My cell phone did not get service in the main sales room so I did walk to the back window and researched some resales on TUGS, but it is difficult for me to use the small phone for much real research.
When I told the realtor what I found on the resale market, they throw the Welk right of first refusal, saying I would not be able to get the points on the resale market, since Welk will buy them up to keep their prices up.

I knew I had the right to rescind, which I exercised today.
I just wish I did not waste so much time with the sales crew yesterday.

In light of several threads and angry diatribes posted here on TUG claiming that most/all TUG'ers are vehemently anti-developer and scream RESCIND! without thought for what is right for the owner......

Now that you have rescinded, you can take the time and perform your 'due diligence' research and see what is right for you, what makes financial cents (sic), and what developer/resale options are available to reach your goals--including the best price point for developer sales and/or ROFR on resale.

It's a shame the sales staff feel they need to use 'pressure' tactics to sell. Congrats on making a smart move.
cheers!
ps Hope your decision brought a smile to your face today!:D
-
 

davidvel

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One of the issues with the Welk sales pitch, is they do not let you leave the "Preview Center" to think about the offer or do any research. My cell phone did not get service in the main sales room so I did walk to the back window and researched some resales on TUGS, but it is difficult for me to use the small phone for much real research.
This is interesting. I suppose that they could have bad cell service at Welk in Escondido, but I've heard rumors (and I think references in other posts) to cell phones not working at presentations.

If they are jamming phones this would be a violation of federal law, and an illegal business practice.
 

Ty1on

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This is interesting. I suppose that they could have bad cell service at Welk in Escondido, but I've heard rumors (and I think references in other posts) to cell phones not working at presentations.

If they are jamming phones this would be a violation of federal law, and an illegal business practice.

For reference

https://www.fcc.gov/general/jammer-enforcement
 

vacationhopeful

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Drats, we all know that metal lined rooms are for our OWN SAFETY against alien mind control!;)

Just look around ANY public place ... at least 20% of the population is checking or talking on their cell phones over a 15 minute period of time. You will hear message dings, phone rings and have people walking into you.

My grocery store NEVER has a phone ringing in the aisles ... but the roof is supported with steel beams, all the shelving units are metal, the walls are solid cement blocks ... but you can, "surprise" make a short call out.
 

Kaelyn

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Thanks, I've printed that out.... very useful information. Marriott got in trouble jamming wireless internet on their properties to force you to use their ridiculously priced (and ridiculously slow and insecure) internet service.
 

Colt Seavers

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Thanks, I've printed that out.... very useful information. Marriott got in trouble jamming wireless internet on their properties to force you to use their ridiculously priced (and ridiculously slow and insecure) internet service.

Just to be clear the case referenced involved one Marriott hotel and was not related to Marriott timeshares in any way as far as I know.
 

Ty1on

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Drats, we all know that metal lined rooms are for our OWN SAFETY against alien mind control!;)

Just look around ANY public place ... at least 20% of the population is checking or talking on their cell phones over a 15 minute period of time. You will hear message dings, phone rings and have people walking into you.

My grocery store NEVER has a phone ringing in the aisles ... but the roof is supported with steel beams, all the shelving units are metal, the walls are solid cement blocks ... but you can, "surprise" make a short call out.

This is the truth, and I have been giving this a lot of thought the last few days. While it may be illegal to jam, there has been plenty of experience with building designs and materials and their effect on cell signal strength, and it wouldn't surprise me if new sales centers were architecturally designed to be cell shadows, which would be perfectly legal.
 
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