[ 2020 ] Please I need help getting out of a timeshare [Sapphire Resorts/Geo Holiday Vacations]

[bogey21]

I can't seem to locate a real estate lawyer who deals with TS.

Personally I wouldn't waste any money on a lawyer. There really isn't much, if anything, one can do for you...

George

 

[theo]

Update as of Jan 21, 2021:
It's been about 2 weeks and I have not received a response to my emails or letter sent to Geo. I received the annual membership dues invoice yesterday and I still intend on not paying it. I also looked at the website www.responsibleexit.com and sent an email last week to ARDA to find out if they can provide any info on an exit plan that GEO may offer its members; no response to date. I will update with any news

I respectfully remind you that the "RD" in ARDA stands for "Resort Development". Call me a cynic, but I wouldn't expect much (if any) consumer-friendly feedback from the likes of ARDA in regard to your situation, although I would be delighted to be proven wrong.

ARDA's superficial interest in "responsible exit" is largely self-serving, in that their primary objective is to steer people away from the (too many --- and all utterly useless) "exit companies", which can (and do) often just muddy up title issues and delay a clean transfer, creating a mess which the company then has to sort out in order to conclusively resolve clean ownership.

ARDA aside, I am inclined to believe that if GEO (an operation about which I admittedly know absolutely nothing) will not voluntarily release you from your contractual obligation, then you may very well have no other choice than to pay GEO not another cent --- and just let them do whatever they wish in response to non-payment (...which is, frankly, little or nothing of any consequence if this is only "membership" in the first place. Your "membership" will of course ultimately be cancelled --- so what???

Good luck.

 

[bogey21]

I'm in total agreement with theo...

George

 

[GEOEXIT]

I respectfully remind you that the "RD" in ARDA stands for "Resort Development". Call me a cynic, but I wouldn't expect much (if any) consumer-friendly feedback from the likes of ARDA in regard to your situation, although I would be delighted to be proven wrong.

ARDA's superficial interest in "responsible exit" is largely self-serving, in that their primary objective is to steer people away from the (too many, utterly useless and ineffective) "exit companies", which can (and do) often just muddy up title issues and delay a clean transfer (or foreclosure), creating a mess which the company then has to sort out in order to conclusively resolve clean ownership.

ARDA aside, I am strongly inclined to believe that if GEO (an operation about which I admittedly know absolutely nothing) will not voluntarily release you from your contractual obligation, then you may very well have no choice other than to pay GEO not another cent and just let them do whatever they wish in response to non-payment (...which is, frankly, little or nothing of much consequence).

Good luck.

Thanks for your input

 

[Grammarhero]

i have said it before and i said it again , as much helpful as this forum can be , the majority of people are just speculating and for sure don't know squat .

i have defaulted in many timeshares from different companies altogether as i was ultimately going for bankruptcy , meaning i didn't care no more . MOST companies besides sending you into collection and of course foreclosing on the unit CAN NOT do anything else (providing there is no loan in the unit , that will be a different case), the credit hit as everybody will know ,it mostly depends on your own credit . it is not a set # 50 , 70 points . the good news is even if a lender sees it they would not care much about it . i took a loan in a car in a deal at 1.95 % interest putting down 20% almost a year after i defaulted . everything else remain the same , i still pay the same % on my mortgage , it is not like they are going to change it . NO FEAR , JUST DO IT! ,

it is very sad to meet this folks that out of fear have been paying this ridiculous MF year after year , sometimes even not using their timeshare just because they live in fear . the reward is not just to get out of the EXTORSION but it is more a mental relief as then you will discover there is and always have been a better way to travel
let me introduce you HOTELS.COM , no annual memberships , no weekly stays , no solicitation phone calls or presentations , it cost you $0 dollars
you can have thousands of places a lot of them way better that the timeshare resorts in the area ,if there are any . i often see timeshares resorts even for less than what an "owner" will pay maintenance for . just ridiculous and pitty . The damage that the presentation does to most folks that fell in the trap is not the 10 thousand , 25k or just 2k they scammed from them but it is incredible how they got traumatized for life , as they really believe the only option to go on vacation is what RCI has available , the 5 outdated resorts in the area and how they have to make arrangements to accommodate to what it is available , e.g. can only check in on a friday

FREEDOM and the pursuit for happiness , it is actually in our constitution , and there is TUG and EBAY where you can get one for free even with MF paid (i will not get one unless it comes with MF paid in advance)

p.s. i did keep my Marriott units , PBV nuevo vallarta , week 4 French ridge ,Saint augustine beach and tennis club Floating prime season and Silver lake resort that gives me good amount of points for a decent value on RCI points. i am retired and do travel a lot and i still use exchange companies like Trading places (my favorite) , interval international where i trade my Marriotts and Platinum interexchange . i do rent part of my stays with VRBO , e.g. stay weekdays at Tahoe and rent it for the weekend usually pay my stay . i do prefer to travel when it is not crowded .

to summarize , you can still use the network even when you are out , you can actually just use a travel agency (hotels.com) but do yourself a favor and stop feeding the sharks and get liberated from the extorsion and the fear.


i do have a credit card with HOTELS.COM and i'm Platinum member , i do get the 10% rewards that anybody can get + granted early check ins and sometimes free upgrades . i feel appreciated as i never felt with the timeshare companies . For those that love Vegas or Cruising your best bet is the Mlife card from MGM/Royal Caribbean , check their program and be prepare to get rewarded , they really know how to spoil you , to me the best reward program in the entire tourism industry
i often wonder if someone instead of buying a timeshare would have prepaid a program like with these companies , could have enjoy cruises and luxury stays instead of that nightmare they got themselves into , what a shame . live and learn

If you don’t mind, would you kindly list which resorts were defaulted and which led to decreased credit scores?

 

[Grammarhero]

Thanks for your input

@GEOEXIT We hope you are well and healthy. If you made the hard decision to default, mind sharing if your credit score got affected? It would help tuggers in similar situations moving forward.

 

[Grammarhero]

Nope

@noni0617 We hope you are well and healthy. If you made the hard decision to default, mind sharing if your credit score got affected? It would help tuggers in similar situations moving forward.

 

[GEOEXIT]

@GEOEXIT We hope you are well and healthy. If you made the hard decision to default, mind sharing if your credit score got affected? It would help tuggers in similar situations moving forward.

Hey @Grammarhero, I did not pay the MF which was due at the beginning of January and don't intend on paying it again. So far they tacked on a late fee (I checked my account). I think this will be a long process and my credit, if affected, will not be hit overnight. According to my contract, my account will be terminated next week (45 days after MF fee due date, if not paid). I will check to see if that happens. I will note that Geo has not responded to my request to surrender the timeshare and notice that I will no longer pay the MF. I notified them of this some weeks ago and I have received zero response. Will update you guys with any developments. Stay safe all!

 

[LannyPC]

Will update you guys with any developments.

Thanks. Updates to these are always appreciated.

 

[rh_max03]

I did not pay the MF which was due at the beginning of January and don't intend on paying it again.

I'm pretty much in the same place. I inherited a GeoPremiere membership many years ago. The company is really a shell of what it used to be. The availability of units has been on a decline, it's near impossible to book directly with them. I paid the MF for 2020 but didn't use it due to COVID. I've decided to just not pay the MF this year and have them cancel my membership. So far, I've received a notification for MF fees and a late-payment notification. I've also received 2 voicemails (I think it was them, but they were robo-type calls, and not terribly clear). I don't plan to contact them, and will just continue ignoring them.

 

[GEOEXIT]

I'm pretty much in the same place. I inherited a GeoPremiere membership many years ago. The company is really a shell of what it used to be. The availability of units has been on a decline, it's near impossible to book directly with them. I paid the MF for 2020 but didn't use it due to COVID. I've decided to just not pay the MF this year and have them cancel my membership. So far, I've received a notification for MF fees and a late-payment notification. I've also received 2 voicemails (I think it was them, but they were robo-type calls, and not terribly clear). I don't plan to contact them, and will just continue ignoring them.

Hey @rh_max03, sounds like we are at the same stage of the game with Geo. Definitely agree that their service and availability have gone downhill over the years. Good luck in the default process & keep us updated; I will do the same. Take care.

 

[MikeGio]

Guess we are next in line here.
We bought into GeoPremier back in 1988 when there were many properties (St Martin Guana Bay, Imperial Lakes – Florida, Lake Tahoe, Geopremire Quebec, Jockey Club Vegas and perhaps more). Over the last 25 years we had many great trips and lovely memories. We never upgraded to the GeoHoliday Point system so my agreement says we can have any week in any of a growing list of resorts. The reality is and our resort list has dwindled to just one in Quebec.

Now our dues are all up to date for this year, but we are at a point where we can never seem to get any space at our one remaining resort.
If we try and exchanges via RCI we do not get enough buying power for a comparable unit, so we are considering getting out and are curious as to your experience.

We sent Saphire a letter a few weeks ago, asking for an update. What happened to all our other resorts, why is the never space at the Club GeoPremier site, ...
Let's see what they say. I have a year till next fees are due. So I'm willing to give them that time to justify why they should not take it back.

 

[lasvegas18geohelp]

Thanks for the input. I decided this year to put an end to it and stop paying the annual MF. Let's see what action they take, if any.

Hi there,
Can you please tell us what happen as of today? Did everything went well with you?

 

[repthrd]

Hi there,
Can you please tell us what happen as of today? Did everything went well with you?

Hey @rh_max03, sounds like we are at the same stage of the game with Geo. Definitely agree that their service and availability have gone downhill over the years. Good luck in the default process & keep us updated; I will do the same. Take care.

@GEOEXIT

I am in your boat and will probably just stop paying Sapphire. We have great credit and don't owe anything. Curious how you ended up since this seems to be a couple of years ago?