What good is timeshares anymore

[Domastimeshare1979]

What good is time shares these days . Being member of interval international for 46 yr and Rci. . You can’t get an exchange any more. You can get Verbo rentals or hotels.com or any other way at the same locations you wanted to exchange though . Some thing needs to be done to preserve or get arid of
Timeshares . What can we do ???

 

[TolmiePeak]

I have Marriott and HGVC. I never exchange. Isn't it only good for week stays? I use my HGVC for several 3 to 4 night stays at their various properties.

 

[jp10558]

What good is time shares these days . Being member of interval international for 46 yr and Rci. . You can’t get an exchange any more. You can get Verbo rentals or hotels.com or any other way at the same locations you wanted to exchange though . Some thing needs to be done to preserve or get arid of
Timeshares . What can we do ???

Usually I find that TS are cheaper via the system than via rentals...

 

[andre10056]

What good is time shares these days . Being member of interval international for 46 yr and Rci. . You can’t get an exchange any more. You can get Verbo rentals or hotels.com or any other way at the same locations you wanted to exchange though . Some thing needs to be done to preserve or get arid of
Timeshares . What can we do ???

I tend to agree with you overall as I think timeshares, and particularly how they're deeded rather than being short term "right to use", can become peoples' worst nightmares with no escape in sight. So many horror stories and, yet, there has been no legislation to end timesharing as we know it. I don't know of any other industry which is responsible for the ruination of so many lives that can still continue to do so

Of course, the more experienced people on TUG, like people skilled in home foreclosure law, can stand on the graves of others and be quite content with the current state of the timeshare industry.

So, assuming you can do exactly that, stand on the graves of others by buying resale cheaply from a person perhaps destroyed by his/her wholly unsatisfactory timeshare ownership, then you might benefit. But only if you buy the right resale timeshare. And that benefit may involve full kitchens and more spacious accommodations at a lesser cost than hotel rooms. Lesser cost for now, perhaps, but if maintenance fees keep rising, and you throw in a special assessment or two, the costs might turn out to be pretty much the same.

As for the exchange services, I also agree that if you're a normal person checking the exchange services at random times during "normal" hours of the day, you'll likely find nothing of great interest. But if you're getting up day after day at 4 AM, you might find something good that was just posted for the day. In other words, if you're willing to relentlessly spend all manner of uncompensated hours searching, maybe your uncompensated multiday, multiweek search will pay off.

On the other hand, you can rent airbnb, VRBO, expedia at a moment's notice and go pretty quickly thereafter. And no lingering obligations thereafter. And go to places where there might not be much in the way of timeshare coverage which don't even "exist" in the eyes of a devoted timeshare enthusiast.

Or, yet again, you can stand on the grave of the timeshare owner who has to rent out because he can't travel to his week, after all.

 

[Domastimeshare1979]

Even with a points basis because you do have a particular place and date it almost impossible to rent out . There is no difference in exchanges if you have a two bedroom unit either . There should be rules on that too .

 

[Polly Metallic]

Just came back from an exchange to Newport RI. Much cheaper via timeshare than renting from some homeowner or staying at a hotel. Headed to Vermont on an exchange next month and Hershey PA in early October. The system is still working for many of us.

 

[AwayWeGo]

It's still working out advantageously for us -- not our (triennial 1BR) resale timeshare itself, but its low cost & its utility as a toehold into the RCI system, for access to bargain reservations close to their check-in dates (i.e., not strictly last-minute, but within a few weeks of check-in).

As long as it keeps providing access to spacious luxury vacation accommodations at Motel 6 & Super 8 rates, we'll be satisfied with it.

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

 

[jp10558]

I tend to agree with you overall as I think timeshares, and particularly how they're deeded rather than being short term "right to use", can become peoples' worst nightmares with no escape in sight. So many horror stories and, yet, there has been no legislation to end timesharing as we know it.

I think this is because there are a lot of people (if you believe ARDA something like 85% of owners) who like timeshareing. And legally as far as I can tell it's the same idea as a family splitting ownership up to kids of a family property, but keeping the property whole, or like shareholders of a company. Maybe we should also legislate the stock market away too IDK. The US powers that be don't really see a huge problem and there's strong pressure against "nanny states" protecting you from yourself.

I don't know of any other industry which is responsible for the ruination of so many lives that can still continue to do so

Of course, the more experienced people on TUG, like people skilled in home foreclosure law, can stand on the graves of others and be quite content with the current state of the timeshare industry.

So, assuming you can do exactly that, stand on the graves of others by buying resale cheaply from a person perhaps destroyed by his/her wholly unsatisfactory timeshare ownership, then you might benefit. But only if you buy the right resale timeshare. And that benefit may involve full kitchens and more spacious accommodations at a lesser cost than hotel rooms.

Like so many things in life, the devil is in the details. But just like master couponers can get groceries "for free", we can get lodging for very cheap.

Lesser cost for now, perhaps, but if maintenance fees keep rising, and you throw in a special assessment or two, the costs might turn out to be pretty much the same.

Predicting is hard, especially the future, but hotels and airB&Bs have gone up in price too. I'm seeing some signs they've corrected downwards since the spike I saw at the end of the pandemic, but even at 2012 prices for hotels as soon as you want 2 rooms they make many 2BR TSs competitive or cheaper. Current hotel rates are much worse in many comparisons. You do have to make sure you're comparing like for like to the extent you can, but if TS is an option, I just in March in Southern CA I found I paid for 6 nights in hotels what I got 14 nights for in TS. With kitchens and hot tubs and often other stuff too. This is significant (for me anyway).

As for the exchange services, I also agree that if you're a normal person checking the exchange services at random times during "normal" hours of the day, you'll likely find nothing of great interest. But if you're getting up day after day at 4 AM, you might find something good that was just posted for the day.

I think this greatly depends on the exchange company, what you consider "great interest" and excluding using OGS, also it excludes the current great deals on cash stays in RCI for instance.

In other words, if you're willing to relentlessly spend all manner of uncompensated hours searching, maybe your uncompensated multiday, multiweek search will pay off.

This isn't actually necessary for many, especially if you're not hustling for that "once in a lifetime exceptional exchange" but just "like for like" or even "a bit cheaper than MF in what you exchanged into".

On the other hand, you can rent airbnb, VRBO, expedia at a moment's notice and go pretty quickly thereafter.

This is true, though I can also sometimes find a Last Call and go a week after I book it. And I've found for some events the Hotels book up surprisingly far in advance.

And no lingering obligations thereafter.

True, though I keep hearing AirB&B horror stories in the news too. Probably overblown like TS ruining peoples life, but something to also consider. I've also heard about extra cleaning fees after the fact from AirB&B, but I'm not sure if they've changed their policies to combat that.

And go to places where there might not be much in the way of timeshare coverage which don't even "exist" in the eyes of a devoted timeshare enthusiast.

Oh, not, they exist, and I (and most on TUG) use them when necessary - I think a common refrain is to expect to cover a percentage of travel with TS, maybe 50%? You can go higher if you make TS the primary driver of a trip, or less if you want the traditional "fixed week" sort of experience. But I rarely see anyone say locations without TS aren't a valid location to go to.

Or, yet again, you can stand on the grave of the timeshare owner who has to rent out because he can't travel to his week, after all.

Or use the TS owner who made a business out of renting and rent out that week.

The thing I always find is if I try and book like for like in locations where TS is an option, I'm almost always paying a multiple for the non-TS option, especially if I need multiple rooms, want a Kitchen (or add eating out costs for a larger percentage of meals to the non TS option), want a resort style property with hot tubs, saunas, steam rooms, ping pong, etc etc. The hotel versions of that aren't at the Hampton Inn prices I usually use to compare.

would be my argument and a reasonable IMHO comparison.

 

[jeffox]

I love timeshares. For the locations I go to regularly, I can rent a two bedroom with full kitchen at 6 months out for less than maintenance fees.

 

[andre10056]

I love timeshares. For the locations I go to regularly, I can rent a two bedroom with full kitchen at 6 months out for less than maintenance fees.

In my post, I made mention of two types of people who like timeshares:

(1) "...Of course, the more experienced people on TUG, like people skilled in home foreclosure law, can stand on the graves of others and be quite content with the current state of the timeshare industry.

So, assuming you can do exactly that, stand on the graves of others by buying resale cheaply from a person perhaps destroyed by his/her wholly unsatisfactory timeshare ownership, then you might benefit..."

(2) "...Or, yet again, you can stand on the grave of the timeshare owner who has to rent out because he can't travel to his week, after all."

You jeffox might be in the latter category although I don't know from whom you rent and what their story may be. But you've learned that there is ample opportunity to obtain "below maintenance fee" rentals, and the people providing those "below maintenance fee" rentals are no doubt getting hurt by having to do so.

As far as the former category is concerned, as long as timeshare buyers do a great job of ripping the desperate seller's face off, of course they might look upon the overall timeshare transaction as affording them a great value, resulting in their becoming rah-rah timeshare cheerleaders.

 

[jeffox]

You jeffox might be in the latter category although I don't know from whom you rent and what their story may be. But you've learned that there is ample opportunity to obtain "below maintenance fee" rentals, and the people providing those "below maintenance fee" rentals are no doubt getting hurt by having to do so.

I rent through the Armed Forces Vacation Club and have rented what I used to own for almost half what my maintenance fees were a decade earlier when I gave it back. Once the numbers of ownership no longer made sense I got out and found I could rent when needed and avoid ongoing never ending fees. With flexibility and going to over built locations, I can get leftover, unsold inventory at low rates. The two types timeshare work best for are long term planners and last minute flexible travelers.

 

[jp10558]

In my post, I made mention of two types of people who like timeshares:

(1) "...Of course, the more experienced people on TUG, like people skilled in home foreclosure law, can stand on the graves of others and be quite content with the current state of the timeshare industry.

So, assuming you can do exactly that, stand on the graves of others by buying resale cheaply from a person perhaps destroyed by his/her wholly unsatisfactory timeshare ownership, then you might benefit..."

This is quite the skewed framing. I've gotten several TSs now from people on TUG who got them resale, who are done with them. They didn't ruin their lives. I've also heard of people who aged out and passed them on. Again, they got 10,20,30,40 years of good use and now want to deal with passing them on because their kids don't want them, or they don't have kids or whatever.

(2) "...Or, yet again, you can stand on the grave of the timeshare owner who has to rent out because he can't travel to his week, after all."

You jeffox might be in the latter category although I don't know from whom you rent and what their story may be. But you've learned that there is ample opportunity to obtain "below maintenance fee" rentals, and the people providing those "below maintenance fee" rentals are no doubt getting hurt by having to do so.

IDK what they mean or where they're renting TBH. I'd love another source of good deals. I feel like many of the screaming deals are renting out otherwise unsold or delinquent inventory from RCI. Some are the brokers on LMR here, and there IDK, maybe someone is losing money on the MFs... There's also always the possibility it's people who made it a business and are getting them at lower than normal MF rates - Wyndham used to give VIP people sometimes significant discounts on points values which I'm sure helped some of the megarenters. Maybe other systems allow this also?

As far as the former category is concerned, as long as timeshare buyers do a great job of ripping the desperate seller's face off, of course they might look upon the overall timeshare transaction as affording them a great value, resulting in their becoming rah-rah timeshare cheerleaders.

My goodness, do you also feel like if someone suggests buying used cars, they're "ripping the face off" the original owner or leaser or something?

I'd argue that most of the people who had their lives "ruined" aren't even the people able to rehome them because they're also defaulting on loans.

And anyway, if you do the resale thing, are you arguing it isn't a good value? By the way, this isn't something that's hard to do. Anyone can do so. It's not like some of the "rah rah" stuff where most people can't do the thing anymore for various reasons. This is exactly like buying a used car.

It's also worth pointing out that in some situations, like "The Timeshare Traveller"s one, even buying retail can save money on a 10 year use horizon. It's of course much easier to do so resale.

 

[jp10558]

I rent through the Armed Forces Vacation Club and have rented what I used to own for almost half what my maintenance fees were a decade earlier when I gave it back. Once the numbers of ownership no longer made sense I got out and found I could rent when needed and avoid ongoing never ending fees. With flexibility and going to over built locations, I can get leftover, unsold inventory at low rates. The two types timeshare work best for are long term planners and last minute flexible travelers.

Ahh, so basically RCI. I was wondering also - this may be inventory that the owner deposited as an exchange but no one else picked up the exchange at that resort. So they did get the MFs and actually made some more money from you, the owner got a useful exchange, and you got a good deal. I'm not saying it has to be this way, but it certainly seems possible - in which case it's wins all around at least some of the time.

 

[andre10056]

People are acting as if I'm speaking about them personally (as if I know or care about how any individual acquired their timeshare). I'm speaking about the entire timeshare system which lends itself to, and will necessarily involve, the exploitation of others.

It is an evil system which involves a multitude of evil people and oftentimes destroys people. You can deny that if you like, but in my opinion there is no parallel business set-up that perpetrates the harm that this one does.

 

[escanoe]

I don't know of any other industry which is responsible for the ruination of so many lives that can still continue to do so

Online gambling, alcohol ….just perhaps?

 

[Hindsite]

It is an evil system which involves a multitude of evil people and oftentimes destroys people. You can deny that if you like, but in my opinion there is no parallel business set-up that perpetrates the harm that this one does.

I can think of many that are substantially worse: Anything involving lithium mining or any form of mining or refining in less developed countries that have lower health and environmental standards than those in the countries of the consumers that use the product. Lots of types of Ship dismantling business are very exploitative so anyone who has ever been on a ship or boat contributes to that misery. Then there's fast fashion clothing or any other type based on low cost manufacturing under near slave conditions. If you drink tea from China then its quite possible that your tea was harvested by political prisoners held without trial, not sure about coffee, but there will be issues there too. Lots of agriculture and construction in developed countries is reliant on trafficked labour and gangs, nail salons are too often in that category too. Then there's all the big social media companies who make money from just about any form of misery humans can inflict on eachother. Unfortunately exploitation is all around us, often hiding in plain sight. I've never seen timeshares come up in the lists of unethical and exploitative industries, it probably doesn't get anywhere near the volumes compared to what gets done under the guise of "Commercial Interest". If reducing the harm done by bad timeshare practice is what you can contribute then go for it, we all have to do what we can and are prepared to do for anything to change.

 

[andre10056]

Online gambling, alcohol ….just perhaps?

Thank you for that, escanoe. You clearly see what kind of category timeshares are in. Although I will say that the difference is that what you mentioned are addictions. Buying a timeshare may not have had anything to do with poor lifestyle choices, but may merely have had to do with the buyer being fraudulently misled.

I thought also, that I'd like to respond to someone's contention that the timeshare market is like the used car market.

Let's theoretically say that it's not a Chevy Impala or a Ford Focus, but instead a Chevy Timeshare.

Many people buy their Chevy Timeshares after having sat in a presentation with an extraordinarily helpful and friendly salesperson who ultimately, upon speaking to his manager on the prospective buyers' behalf, allows him to buy his/her Chevy Timeshare for a mere $50,000. Unknown to the buyer, Chevy Timeshares are being offered on ebay for a dollar bill without any takers.

Assuming he doesn't have a medical emergency or something else comes up, he can make use of his Chevy Timeshare as he expected to be able to do. But then a few years go by and he's no longer pleased with his Chevy Timeshare. He can't use it as he thought he would be able to do, so now he wants to sell it. And finds out that he can't even give it away.

So no problem. He licks his financial wounds and calls the junkyard to come out and pick up his Chevy Timeshare. He might even get $400 or so from the junkyard who will make it available for used parts. And then finds out that no, despite it perhaps having a blown head gasket or a transmission stuck in reverse, he can't get rid of it. His ongoing payments must be paid forever. He begins to worry that his kids or grandkids will have to make payments in perpetuity.

Meanwhile, there's a new set of prospective purchasers about to be led to slaughter at the Chevy Timeshare dealership. And you see them, think briefly about warning them, but then realize that you save $500 per year on your annual payments because of their being led to slaughter. And thereafter pat yourself on the back at how clever you are to get your Chevy Timeshare at a lesser cost than others are paying for their Ford Hotelrooms.

 

[jp10558]

Thank you for that, escanoe. You clearly see what kind of category timeshares are in. Although I will say that the difference is that what you mentioned are addictions. Buying a timeshare may not have had anything to do with poor lifestyle choices, but may merely have had to do with the buyer being fraudulently misled.

I thought also, that I'd like to respond to someone's contention that the timeshare market is like the used car market.

Let's theoretically say that it's not a Chevy Impala or a Ford Focus, but instead a Chevy Timeshare.

Many people buy their Chevy Timeshares after having sat in a presentation with an extraordinarily helpful and friendly salesperson who ultimately, upon speaking to his manager on the prospective buyers' behalf, allows him to buy his/her Chevy Timeshare for a mere $50,000. Unknown to the buyer, Chevy Timeshares are being offered on ebay for a dollar bill without any takers.

It's an analogy - not everything is exactly the same or I'd just be repeating myself. There are Buick Timeshares going for a few thousand too - it depends on the car / TS.

Assuming he doesn't have a medical emergency or something else comes up, he can make use of his Chevy Timeshare as he expected to be able to do. But then a few years go by and he's no longer pleased with his Chevy Timeshare. He can't use it as he thought he would be able to do, so now he wants to sell it. And finds out that he can't even give it away.

If it's paid for he very well may be able to give it away. OTOH, if you wanted to private party sell a car you still owed $15,000 or or something, I bet you'd find you couldn't "give that away" either.

So no problem. He licks his financial wounds and calls the junkyard to come out and pick up his Chevy Timeshare. He might even get $400 or so from the junkyard who will make it available for used parts. And then finds out that no, despite it perhaps having a blown head gasket or a transmission stuck in reverse, he can't get rid of it. His ongoing payments must be paid forever.

You can always stop paying. You might get annoying letters, but if you don't owe a loan I really doubt much more will happen than that.

He begins to worry that his kids or grandkids will have to make payments in perpetuity.

And this is just flat out wrong. Maybe he should also worry that if he left a house to his kids or grandkids they'll have to pay taxes on it in perpetuity.

Meanwhile, there's a new set of prospective purchasers about to be led to slaughter at the Chevy Timeshare dealership. And you see them, think briefly about warning them,

This is also just wrong - what the heck do you think TUG is even all about? We're warning anyone who'll listen. Some of us wear TShirts around resorts or to owners updates / sales pitches. My goodness, you've imagined a very negative "generic TS booster" here.

 

[dioxide45]

The whole thing with timeshares, is, if they were great they would sell themselves. They don't. Very few people go into a timeshare presentation with a plan to buy a timeshare. Probably close to 99% of people. The main timeshares that are "bought" (not sold) are resale. The timeshare ownership is made up of different categories of people; those that are happy with it, those that are unhappy but resigned to use it, those that are unhappy and don't use it.

Even timeshare company CEOs recognize that timeshares are a sold product. There is no value except in their use and even that is hard to justify for the developer buyer. Developers have to play funny money games to make them seem to make sense for the average timeshare purchaser.

Certainly a blanket statement that all timeshares are bad for all people isn't true, but is it true for most or many people? Do most people get value out of their timeshare that exceeds just paying for travel accommodations on an as needed basis?

 

[WorldT]

Do you drive a car, have you seen what oil drilling does to the land or water sources around where it is drilled. Have you seen the livelihood of those who depended on the land or water that is now destroyed just evaporate? Worse in countries without stringent rules for drilling. The big players, Shell, Chevrolet, ExxonMobil have all done it. I have seen it in person not just what is reported on TV.
The mining for the battery in the car, the phones, iPads, etc.
The metal mining for the car.
The refining to get the plastic and metal components for the car.
And if you bought that vehicle used, someone had to buy it new and likely lost equity in it (may even have been repossessed).

(Some of these already mentioned above).

Would you stop driving a car?

Timeshares are not for everyone. Timeshare salespeople lie all the time. You pay a significant amount more if you buy it from the developer. Even when you buy from a developer, the scam is that reality does not always match up to what the salespeople said. They typically match what is in the written contract.

But to say those that buy resale are standing "on the grave of a timeshare owner" is so off mark.
First thing I learned when I found this site is to do your research and buy resale. And those who bought retail and are fortunate enough to find TUG during the rescission period are routinely told to cancel. I am yet to see anyone here keep quiet because they want to collect that unit on the resale market later. There is a running total of those who saved money because they found TUG after they were lied to by the salespeople. That total does not include people like myself who found TUG before we were caught by the lies.
I think your statement may be applicable to some other sites I am not aware of but it is really not representing what is happening here.

 

[jp10558]

Certainly a blanket statement that all timeshares are bad for all people isn't true, but is it true for most or many people?

The problem is we'd need to define "bad" and find a set of representative surveys. We KNOW they're bad for people who go to the news and say they're bad. We KNOW they're good for many on TUG. We "know" ARDA says ~85% are happy with their ownership. What does that tell us about the truth though? All I'm willing to commit to is it's not clear to me which way that falls.

Do most people get value out of their timeshare that exceeds just paying for travel accommodations on an as needed basis?

I'm going to say again it's kinda a wash in my wild ass guess. How are you defining "value"? I've said this before, but I take probably 10x as many trips because of TS for longer times than I did "as needed" before TS. I probably spend more money travelling in total, but I travel way more and enjoy my stays way more. On a per sqft/functional/time basis they're IMO easily 30% the cost of my "as needed" before. I'd also say they've opened my eyes and interest in alternatives to "Hampton Inn" rooms for non TS destinations. I think expanding my horizons there also has a value. Of course - I have a specific type of job that lets me do these things, I have relatives I like to go places with who have similar jobs or are retired or can get a week off every other year and cycle through for lots of trips. I may someday try solo trips inspired by TUG.

Ok, my story over - I also know plenty of people who cannot commit to anything more - especially travel. If they buy the "magic math" of a TS salesperson, they're not going to get good value most likely.

All I can say is TS still do apply the general rule of own vs rent. Don't own something if you only use it every 3 years or something - the added costs make up for the profit for the company that you rent the thing from. There's a breakeven point for everything - some of which also applies to non momentary considerations like hassle of renting vs using what you own. Financially - as someone else has said - it's a math problem. I think once you get over one week in a year, TS start to amortize buy in pretty quickly over renting - especially via access to RCI or II cash deals.

In terms of it being a hobby or something that's so hard only some people are willing to do it... I don't think I'm doing anything special - the TUG hustle really isn't something I've done, I've been booking at the opening weekish (not even first day) and picking up "just sitting there" exchanges and cash buys. The main TUG trick I used was being on TUG, but this isn't some secret society - you don't even have to pay to get access to most of the wisdom in the free forums - heck you don't even have to join for most of it.

I guess at a certain point - if you don't ever search you'll never find that's for sure. I only learned about various niche things by spending time finding and reading niche forums online - but I've pretty much always been glad I did.

I also tend to be careful with the idea that "if some number of people don't get the good outcome the thing is inherently bad". I'd like to see gambling shut down first TBH - you get way less guaranteed entertainment time for way more money in a LOT of cases. I think we could make a good analogy about most people buying a new car vs a used one, or people's cell phone plans vs pre-paid and on and on. There's lots of places people pay more money than they need to for a service or product, and yet there's a lot less gnashing of teeth there.

 

[silentg]

Thank you for that, escanoe. You clearly see what kind of category timeshares are in. Although I will say that the difference is that what you mentioned are addictions. Buying a timeshare may not have had anything to do with poor lifestyle choices, but may merely have had to do with the buyer being fraudulently misled.

I thought also, that I'd like to respond to someone's contention that the timeshare market is like the used car market.

Let's theoretically say that it's not a Chevy Impala or a Ford Focus, but instead a Chevy Timeshare.

Many people buy their Chevy Timeshares after having sat in a presentation with an extraordinarily helpful and friendly salesperson who ultimately, upon speaking to his manager on the prospective buyers' behalf, allows him to buy his/her Chevy Timeshare for a mere $50,000. Unknown to the buyer, Chevy Timeshares are being offered on ebay for a dollar bill without any takers.

Assuming he doesn't have a medical emergency or something else comes up, he can make use of his Chevy Timeshare as he expected to be able to do. But then a few years go by and he's no longer pleased with his Chevy Timeshare. He can't use it as he thought he would be able to do, so now he wants to sell it. And finds out that he can't even give it away.

So no problem. He licks his financial wounds and calls the junkyard to come out and pick up his Chevy Timeshare. He might even get $400 or so from the junkyard who will make it available for used parts. And then finds out that no, despite it perhaps having a blown head gasket or a transmission stuck in reverse, he can't get rid of it. His ongoing payments must be paid forever. He begins to worry that his kids or grandkids will have to make payments in perpetuity.

Meanwhile, there's a new set of prospective purchasers about to be led to slaughter at the Chevy Timeshare dealership. And you see them, think briefly about warning them, but then realize that you save $500 per year on your annual payments because of their being led to slaughter. And thereafter pat yourself on the back at how clever you are to get your Chevy Timeshare at a lesser cost than others are paying for their Ford Hotelrooms.

You don’t say you own a timeshare? Did you buy an expensive one? Have you owned one you couldn’t sell or had a bad experience with? Standing on the graves is a little harsh describing resale timeshare owners. First time we bought retail and owned it for 30 years. Mostly bought resale from other Tug members and sold or gave away after we no longer wanted them. Over time since 1981 I have owned 10 Timeshare weeks not all at the same time and have enjoyed staying at most of them and also exchanged with them too. Last one I have I will keep til RTU comes up. I consider timesharing as a hobby which I have enjoyed and hope to rent or exchange for many more years.

 

[andre10056]

Pretty amazing. "Timeshares may be bad for some, but may be good for others". "I tell people with my T-shirts at resorts, and here on TUG, that they shouldn't buy a timeshare."

Not responsive to my point.

And the point is that whoever gets value from their ownership of their timeshare, for whom the timeshare "works for them", for whom the timeshare "may be good", however you want to express it , gets that value due to others getting slaughtered, getting beat up, getting exploited, getting abused.

So you never thought about why you get such value out of your timeshare? Do you really think to yourself, "Wow! I get a spacious condo with a kitchen for less than a hotel room. It just fell out of the sky offering such benefits."

Do you think maybe, possibly, perhaps it may have to do with MANY PEOPLE paying many tens of thousands to the timeshare entity for their timeshare? And that you directly benefit from others being scammed?

So, yes, you do indeed stand on the graves of others in order to get value out of your timeshare. I know I do. But for anybody to deny that obvious 100% reality, I don't know what to tell you.

 

[jp10558]

Pretty amazing. "Timeshares may be bad for some, but may be good for others". "I tell people with my T-shirts at resorts, and here on TUG, that they shouldn't buy a timeshare."

Not responsive to my point.

And the point is that whoever gets value from their ownership of their timeshare, for whom the timeshare "works for them", for whom the timeshare "may be good", however you want to express it , gets that value due to others getting slaughtered, getting beat up, getting exploited, getting abused.

What about the people like The Timeshare Traveller (youtube) who (goodness knows why) bought retail / developer and still gets good value from them (he's provided numbers)? Is he also due to others getting beat up? On the other hand, are you claiming there's some sort of timeshare "original sin" and we're all tainted even if we bought from someone else who bought resale?

So you never thought about why you get such value out of your timeshare? Do you really think to yourself, "Wow! I get a spacious condo with a kitchen for less than a hotel room. It just fell out of the sky offering such benefits."

Do you think maybe, possibly, perhaps it may have to do with MANY PEOPLE paying many tens of thousands to the timeshare entity for their timeshare? And that you directly benefit from others being scammed?

So you think that if we never bought resale less people would be "scammed"? Most people know next to nothing about timeshares and don't own or rent them. Most people who own don't seem to know about resale. They're selling them at developer prices with or without the resale market. I'd argue that the resale market helps people get cleanly out of timeshares, delays the developer getting them back due to defaults to sell again at a hugely inflated price, and offers much better deals for buyers.

So, yes, you do indeed stand on the graves of others in order to get value out of your timeshare. I know I do. But for anybody to deny that obvious 100% reality, I don't know what to tell you.

Because this is a odd framing. It really is. Those buildings and systems exist. I think some have existed longer than I have, and all have existed longer than I've owned. Those people taking the depreciation hit might pay for something, but the current owners pay the MF and ongoing costs to run the places. As far as I'm aware, nothing I'm doing has hurt anyone. I picked up the TS I own because someone else wanted to get rid of theirs at the price I offered. Would not getting resale be better for anyone?

Your logic is literally that anyone buying something used is "standing on the graves of others" unless the person selling the used item sells it for more than they bought it for. This is on its face kinda insane to me.

 

[andre10056]

What about the people like The Timeshare Traveller (youtube) who (goodness knows why) bought retail / developer and still gets good value from them (he's provided numbers)? Is he also due to others getting beat up? On the other hand, are you claiming there's some sort of timeshare "original sin" and we're all tainted even if we bought from someone else who bought resale?

So you think that if we never bought resale less people would be "scammed"? Most people know next to nothing about timeshares and don't own or rent them. Most people who own don't seem to know about resale. They're selling them at developer prices with or without the resale market. I'd argue that the resale market helps people get cleanly out of timeshares, delays the developer getting them back due to defaults to sell again at a hugely inflated price, and offers much better deals for buyers.

Because this is a odd framing. It really is. Those buildings and systems exist. I think some have existed longer than I have, and all have existed longer than I've owned. Those people taking the depreciation hit might pay for something, but the current owners pay the MF and ongoing costs to run the places. As far as I'm aware, nothing I'm doing has hurt anyone. I picked up the TS I own because someone else wanted to get rid of theirs at the price I offered. Would not getting resale be better for anyone?

Your logic is literally that anyone buying something used is "standing on the graves of others" unless the person selling the used item sells it for more than they bought it for. This is on its face kinda insane to me.

I think you might for a moment consider a business' revenue and expenses and resulting profitability or loss.

Instead, you're responding to me about "the used item having to be sold for more than they bought it for".

What on earth does that have to do with at what level the resort may be able to set its maintenance fees?