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Feeling pretty stupid

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Hey everyone!
So, my husband and I bought 44,000 points in the flex program last December. Of course, we went into the meeting with absolutely no intention on buying anything, we just wanted discounted disney tickets and somehow walked out as owners. Funny how that happens. Anyway, that day we felt like we made a terrible decision but thought it was too late to do anything about it and had no idea that you could rescind. Just learning all about this now. I understand that we completely overpaid for something that can be purchased at resale for (from what I'm reading) as little as $1. ONE FREAKING DOLLAR. I feel duped, taken advantage of, disappointed, stupid for not having done any research. BUT, cost aside, did we make a bad decision in buying a timeshare in general? I guess I'm just looking for some words of encouragement, haha. Thanks!
 

DeniseM

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Welcome! TUG has thousands of members because we enjoy our timeshares. Now that you are an owner, the best thing to do is to learn how to get the most out of your ownership. I'd start with the stickies at the top of this forum (Vistana/Starwood.)
 

Passepartout

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Hey everyone!

I understand that we completely overpaid for something that can be purchased at resale for (from what I'm reading) as little as $1. ONE FREAKING DOLLAR. I feel duped, taken advantage of, disappointed, stupid for not having done any research. BUT, cost aside, did we make a bad decision in buying a timeshare in general? I guess I'm just looking for some words of encouragement, haha. Thanks!
Hi. Welcome to TUG! You're in good company here. About half of us did exactly what you did. Bought retail. And survived. Most of us even bought more on the resale market- essentially halving the price of the initial purchase.

OK- for now, start by studying the Vistana or former Starwood forume. Learn from others who own the same as you do. And fer cryin' out loud, GET VACATIONING! Once you get timesharing, you'll (almost) forget what you paid, and just enjoy the great family times you are 'forced' to take.

Again, Welcome to TUG!

Jim
 
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Hi. Welcome to TUG! You're in good company here. About half of us did exactly what you did. Bought retail. And survived. Most of us even bought more on the resale market- essentially halving the price of the initial purchase.

OK- for now, start by studying the Vistana or former Starwood forume. Learn from others who own the same as you do. And fer cryin' out loud, GET VACATIONING! Once you get timesharing, you'll (almost) forget what you paid, and just enjoy the great family times you are 'forced' to take.

Again, Welcome to TUG!

Jim


Thank you so much, Jim! I should have mentioned - we have already booked our first vacation at the Westin Mission Hills Resort next month. Very much looking forward to getting away! I am determined to learn how to make the most of it. Great thought about buying resale, too! I have a lot of research ahead of me.
 

Panina

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Hey everyone!
So, my husband and I bought 44,000 points in the flex program last December. Of course, we went into the meeting with absolutely no intention on buying anything, we just wanted discounted disney tickets and somehow walked out as owners. Funny how that happens. Anyway, that day we felt like we made a terrible decision but thought it was too late to do anything about it and had no idea that you could rescind. Just learning all about this now. I understand that we completely overpaid for something that can be purchased at resale for (from what I'm reading) as little as $1. ONE FREAKING DOLLAR. I feel duped, taken advantage of, disappointed, stupid for not having done any research. BUT, cost aside, did we make a bad decision in buying a timeshare in general? I guess I'm just looking for some words of encouragement, haha. Thanks!
Welcome to Tug.

You are not alone, many of us here on tug purchased our first timeshare from a developer, including myself. It is done already, don’t look back, look forward and enjoy.

I love timesharing. Here on tug you can learn everything you need to know to use your timeshare the best you can.

Consider joining tug as a member for only $15. A few of the things a membership will do is let you look at reviews of other resorts and see sightings for hard to get trades.
 

Henry M.

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You thought the price you paid was ok for what you were getting. The aftermarket price doesn't matter unless you want to sell. Just enjoy your purchase and don't worry about the past.

I bought my first week back in 2002 and now have 5 weeks. I greatly enjoy them and the memories I've built with my family over the years are priceless. I bought from the developer, but don't have intention of selling. At the time, there were no aftermarket units anyhow, because the resort was not even built. My now adult kids have called dibs on the weeks, so they won't be sold for at least two generations, and my granddaughter is already showing she loves where we go too (mostly Maui). My kids grew up going to Maui every year, and love the location. I could have saved some money if I'd waited, but I choose not to worry about that. IT has certainly been worth it to me to own the timeshare. The key is to use it to its fullest extent. If you actually vacation all the time, it is cheaper than paying for a hotel. If you don't, then it is just a waste of the maintenance fee cost.

I couldn't go to Maui as often or for as long as I do if I hadn't purchased my timeshares. I can go for 2 weeks for each week's maintenance fee. It is cheaper than having bought a home or condo there, and all maintenance and care of the property is taken care of. It is a luxury, but one that I really enjoy. The time I currently own is about what I would realistically use if I had a second home there.
 

cindyc

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Now that you are an owner focus on the opportunities going forward: great vacations in luxury accommodations in places you want to spend time. You can't drive down the road safely if you are always looking in the rearview mirror! Learn to use what you own as best you can and that is generally by planning far, far in advance.
 

needvaca

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I bought my first Vistana timeshare from the developer 13 years ago. Have loved it and used it every year since. (My 2nd purchase was resale)
There are great properties in the Vistana network, and you can book great ones especially if you aren't tied to a kid's school schedule.
Happy travels.
 

GregT

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Hey everyone!
So, my husband and I bought 44,000 points in the flex program last December. Of course, we went into the meeting with absolutely no intention on buying anything, we just wanted discounted disney tickets and somehow walked out as owners. Funny how that happens. Anyway, that day we felt like we made a terrible decision but thought it was too late to do anything about it and had no idea that you could rescind. Just learning all about this now. I understand that we completely overpaid for something that can be purchased at resale for (from what I'm reading) as little as $1. ONE FREAKING DOLLAR. I feel duped, taken advantage of, disappointed, stupid for not having done any research. BUT, cost aside, did we make a bad decision in buying a timeshare in general? I guess I'm just looking for some words of encouragement, haha. Thanks!

Welcome to TUG, and as others have noted, you are in very good company! I bought a timeshare from the developer and then many others resale. Vistana has great properties and you will enjoy your membership. Once you figure it out, you may be buying another 44,000 point package (resale) for cheap - and then an 81,000 point package. Who knows?

But learn how to use it and where you want to go - welcome again!

Best,

Greg
 

GregT

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Welcome to TUG, and as others have noted, you are in very good company! I bought a timeshare from the developer and then many others resale. Vistana has great properties and you will enjoy your membership. Once you figure it out, you may be buying another 44,000 point package (resale) for cheap - and then an 81,000 point package. Who knows?

But learn how to use it and where you want to go - welcome again!

Best,

Greg

I'm quoting myself -- a bad habit of mine.

I was thinking further on this -- I'm writing this response while on a week long trip to Marriott Ko Olina, and having a wonderful time here. I went back to my records (I am a compulsive record keeper when it comes to my vacations), thinking about how timeshare ownership has changed the frequency and quality of my vacations.

Since I bought my first timeshare in 2005 (Worldmark), I've taken 96 trips (could be a long weekend, could be a week-plus stay) and 75 of them have been in timeshares. I'm sure timeshare ownership is a direct factor -- it forces me to make/plan vacations which I love, and both the planning and the trip itself is very therapeutic for me.

So, I hope you embrace them and that they bring as many positive memories for you as they have for me!

Best,

Greg
 
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Welcome to TUG, and as others have noted, you are in very good company! I bought a timeshare from the developer and then many others resale. Vistana has great properties and you will enjoy your membership. Once you figure it out, you may be buying another 44,000 point package (resale) for cheap - and then an 81,000 point package. Who knows?

But learn how to use it and where you want to go - welcome again!

Best,

Greg

Thank you so much! I know I have a lot of learning to do but curious about the maintenance fees when you buy resale. Do you have to pay the full fees for each timeshare? So if my fees now are around $800, if I buy another 44,000 I'd be paying $1600?
 

rickandcindy23

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Many of us here were duped by a timeshare salesperson at one time or another. For us, it was 38 years ago. Back then, timeshares were not fancy like they are now. They were just as nice as our average house, with several bedrooms and bathrooms (3/2 for our Twin Rivers). Nothing fancy, but in a nice area that people love to visit. You literally cannot give these units away now.

We paid a ridiculous price for that timeshare. I think it was $7,200. That was a lot of money back then. We could have bought a very nice car.

I also felt stupid and uninformed back then. Now we own a lot of timeshares, most of which were free, or nearly free. I feel I kind of got back at the timeshare industry.

You can get another timeshare that is in the same system, but you can do much better this time around.

Sorry you were duped. Join the club.
 

Passepartout

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Thank you so much! I know I have a lot of learning to do but curious about the maintenance fees when you buy resale. Do you have to pay the full fees for each timeshare? So if my fees now are around $800, if I buy another 44,000 I'd be paying $1600?
Yes. That's pretty much how it works.
 

GregT

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Thank you so much! I know I have a lot of learning to do but curious about the maintenance fees when you buy resale. Do you have to pay the full fees for each timeshare? So if my fees now are around $800, if I buy another 44,000 I'd be paying $1600?
Yes, it's correct that you pay the full fees for each timeshare, however you will start to look for the lower Maintenance Fee timeshares to supplement your core week.

Your Flex points may turn out to have a special feature to them (because these programs change all the time) but you should feel free to supplement with other StarOption weeks that have a different MF for the number of points. Additionally, because you purchased directly, you may be treated differently now that Marriott has acquired Vistana (that is total speculation, but we will find out soon).

I think you should study the program carefully, get over the upfront cost of your 44K Flex Options, and see how best to maximize. Vistana truly has great properties, WPORV is one of my favorites.

Best,

Greg
 

taterhed

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Let me define stupid:

Growing old, watching your family/kids/dogs/friends growing old....and not spending quality vacation time with those you love.

That's stupid.

Paying more than you could have? That's unfortunate.

Finding TUG? PRICELESS.

Learn how to use what you bought.
Learn how to maximize your enjoyment and usage of your vacation
Make memories that can't be purchased for any price.

That's smart. Not stupid.

Welcome.
 
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