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got traumatized for life , as they really believe the only option to go on vacation is what RCI has available , the 5 outdated resorts in the area and how they have to make arrangements to accommodate to what it is available , e.g. can only check in on a friday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
