Change to Redweek process and all those extra fees... And not in a good way....

[richardm]

If you use Redweek, be aware that they've changed their operating process without notification.. The do it yourself option is basically gone. If you try to post an advert, the new cost is $49. plus another $99. when someone clicks the "offer" button I guess. Their website states you can still handle payments and contracts yourself, but on the last advert I posted the system only defaulted to using Redweek payments and those additional fees. I tried calling, but the call center rep said they weren't updated about the changes other than being told to take names and numbers of people who complained and forward it to their direct supervisor.

If you are going to advertise on Redweek, just make sure you have a clear understanding of what the actual fees are:

The timeshare owner pays $148. I imagine there could be potential issues with the mandatory $99 fee being charged without an actual rental completing, but I hope Redweek finds ways to work on that.

On top of the advertising fees, Redweek also charges the renter an additional transaction fee and taxes on top of your pricing.

Example: Marriott Grande Vista week advertised at $1,890. Owner paid $148 in advertising fees. Renter would have to pay $2,322. That is another $432 in charges on top of the owner's rental price. Add that to the original $148 charged, and means Redweek has $580 in charges on this rental..

Hopefully, Brian will spend some money to have the Tug classifieds updated and improved...

 

[WaikikiFirst]

Marriott Grande Vista week advertised at $1,890. ... Redweek has $580 in charges on this rental

that = 30%+. Is that all Rdwk or is there a 10% or so "sales" tax in that going to the state?

 

[chapjim]

Seems that RedWeek.com might be exercising its monopoly power.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Seems that RedWeek.com might be exercising its monopoly power.

The problem is they think they have a monopoly, but they don't. Ultimately they need to be able to compete with cash rental rates from the hotel chains themselves and as they edge ever closer to that point where it doesn't make sense to rent a timeshare, they put their whole model in jeopardy.

 

[dioxide45]

Here is a lengthy thread in the Marriott forum about this topic;

Is Redweek only offering two verified and protected options now?

I created an ad just last week with the DIY option with Redweek NOT handling the payment. Today I'm wanting to create another one and not seeing that option. Am I missing this option or is it not there anymore?

tugbbs.com

 

[dioxide45]

that = 30%+. Is that all Rdwk or is there a 10% or so "sales" tax in that going to the state?

Here is a better breakdown. $231.25 of that is taxes to the state of Florida. Redweek gets the $148+191.50 minus any merchant credit card processing fees.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Use go-koala.com with no fees to list, and hopefully with more people renting on that site, renters will find Koala over RW.

I cannot believe RW has gone this direction. I get a lot of rentals through RW, but many of mine have been DIY. I am very disappointed in RW taking away the DIY.

My Resort Network is still a DIY option, also TUG. I rented two on TUG for next month. I was thrilled with that one because they know my reputation on TUG.

 

[hurnik]

Use go-koala.com with no fees to list, and hopefully with more people renting on that site, renters will find Koala over RW.

I cannot believe RW has gone this direction. I get a lot of rentals through RW, but many of mine have been DIY. I am very disappointed in RW taking away the DIY.

My Resort Network is still a DIY option, also TUG. I rented two on TUG for next month. I was thrilled with that one because they know my reputation on TUG.

I'm also disappointed. The $49 (vs. $39) I can live with. The extra $99 on top? Eh, not so much, but I'd increase my rates to compensate for that. The BIG thing for me is Redweek holding the payments for 9-12 months and possibly screwing me out of getting paid (like they did during COVID and I think once/twice afterwards where someone had posted the renter backed out like 1-2 days before check-in and they were unable to recoup their week). I don't trust Redweek in that regard. They have a history of changing/modifying things without notice (this is now what, the 4th-5th time including the COVID fiasco that they've changed policies/procedures without notice).

 

[TUGBrian]

Hopefully, Brian will spend some money to have the Tug classifieds updated and improved...

what would you like to see improved?

 

[TUGBrian]

Ok since no feedback there, how about a better/easier question.

if you could change or improve one thing in the marketplace, what would it be?

 

[rickandcindy23]

Ok since no feedback there, how about a better/easier question.

if you could change or improve one thing in the marketplace, what would it be?

The problem with Koala and other rentals sites is visibility on the internet with a Google search for timeshare rentals. Redweek comes up on top with every search, and they are pretty proud of it, which is why their prices have increased. The verify and protect option makes it less of a perceived ripoff for people.

Craigslist was a great way for me to rent my timeshares for years. I still had an ad for this year, kept it updated with dates for my ski weeks, didn't get a single valid hit. I had a lot of people who mistook my ad for a longterm rental as a homebase for several ski season workers. Their thought was, "Sleeps 8, perfect, we can share the expense amongst a bunch of us." Well, we only rent about 12 weeks per year, and some are duplicates, so that doesn't work for seasonal workers.

Timeshare has a bad reputation. How many timeshare exit commercials do people have to watch before they think all timeshares are a scam and to stay away from timeshare owners who are "renting" what they are "stuck with?" These companies have generally hurt owners.

 

[TUGBrian]

sadly TUG does not have the ability to compete with the google ad spending of large corporations.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

Ok since no feedback there, how about a better/easier question.

if you could change or improve one thing in the marketplace, what would it be?

Personally, I think the only thing that would "improve" the marketplace in the way that people probably mean, would be advertising, (especially targeted advertising on social media streaming services for people researching vacations) but then the model doesn't work since I'm sure you can't afford to advertise given how cheap the rates are that you charge. The interface itself seems great to me.

So my conclusion is, TUG is a great low cost option for what it is, and it fills a niche (nearly free timeshare rental listings) that nobody else is filling right now, but it's also not really going to compete with someplace like Redweek. I wouldn't change a thing.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

sadly TUG does not have the ability to compete with the google ad spending of large corporations.

Yeah, I wrote my post before I saw this response, but it's this. People can have a free / nearly free place to post their timeshares for sale/rent, or they can have a place to post their timeshares for sale/rent that gets a lot of traffic, but they can't have both of those things. TUG is the only place I know of that fills the sweet spot of "free/nearly free" while still having at least some traffic.

 

[rickandcindy23]

When I did a search for timeshare rentals, Koala did come out on top of RW this time. I am impressed. TUG was on the first page. Some scam companies are listed, like Sell My Timeshare Now. RCI and some upfront-fee companies come out ahead of TUG.

Not knowing much about how the searches work, I would say that my using/ browsing RW, TUG and Koala probably determines what I will see in a Google search.

The way Redweek is organized is really so ideal. I said something to Koala about their listing organization needing to mirror RW, but of course they should not do that. I find Koala hard to navigate but probably because I am used to RW. I have been a member since 2008.

TUG seems to be a place for owners to rent for less money, just in general. The communication between owner and renter is awkward. I think it would be nice for the entire email from the renter to go directly to my inbox, so I can respond that way. That is one improvement I think is probably something you can do. Getting notification, then going to TUG Marketplace to check messages, clicking on the email address, having that open into a new window on Outlook, it's a lot of steps.

 

[hurnik]

So, does anyone know with this new change:

It *sounds* like basically:
a) You have no need of a rental agreement anymore
b) Even if you did/do use one, it's basically null and void because Redweek's clause for arbitration basically supercedes whatever you have in your agreement.

Example:
There used to be:
Strict cancellation (no refunds)
flexible, etc

Now, it doesn't matter because Redweek will determine if the renter gets a refund or not, right?

 

[TUGBrian]

Getting notification, then going to TUG Marketplace to check messages, clicking on the email address, having that open into a new window on Outlook, it's a lot of steps.

the main problem with this is how many of the notification messages get intercepted by spam filters....you can always tell on mondays when our automated "hey you have an unread message for your listing" get sent out and so many people log in to check their messages because they didnt see the original instant email notification.

heck we even have some that claim the automated reminder message also goes into spam for them. its frustrating for sure.

id not be against modifying the message to include everything (though i honestly thought I did that, will verify)...but emails are so utterly unreliable that id think even MORE people would miss them if the notification itself contained the message.

 

[Oceans8]

Seems that RedWeek.com might be exercising its monopoly power.

Not sure why anybody would use Redweek anymore when there's a better site - FindingMeili.com... it allows owners to list their unit, DIY for around 16 bucks. They also have a clone feature for 5 bucks. I had two desert springs units, and cloned them. 4 listings for WAY less than one redweek DIY AD

 

[rickandcindy23]

Not sure why anybody would use Redweek anymore when there's a better site - FindingMeili.com... it allows owners to list their unit, DIY for around 16 bucks. They also have a clone feature for 5 bucks. I had two desert springs units, and cloned them. 4 listings for WAY less than one redweek DIY AD

Never heard of it.

 

[Oceans8]

When I did a search for timeshare rentals, Koala did come out on top of RW this time. I am impressed. TUG was on the first page. Some scam companies are listed, like Sell My Timeshare Now. RCI and some upfront-fee companies come out ahead of TUG.

Not knowing much about how the searches work, I would say that my using/ browsing RW, TUG and Koala probably determines what I will see in a Google search.

The way Redweek is organized is really so ideal. I said something to Koala about their listing organization needing to mirror RW, but of course they should not do that. I find Koala hard to navigate but probably because I am used to RW. I have been a member since 2008.

TUG seems to be a place for owners to rent for less money, just in general. The communication between owner and renter is awkward. I think it would be nice for the entire email from the renter to go directly to my inbox, so I can respond that way. That is one improvement I think is probably something you can do. Getting notification, then going to TUG Marketplace to check messages, clicking on the email address, having that open into a new window on Outlook, it's a lot of steps.

I would never use that crap site Koala. half the time the Koala employees have zero clue how to get you the confirmation. FindingMeili.com is much better than either of those

 

[Oceans8]

Never heard of it.

Never heard of it.

Well, now you have hope that helps other owners like it has for myself.

FindingMeili.com seems to be a growing platform that lets owners list their units at a fraction of Redweek’s cost, without hidden fees. Pretty intuitive. If you actually compare, you’ll see how much more affordable and flexible it is. seems more people are switching over every day, so you might want to check it out before overpaying elsewhere

 

[dioxide45]

Well, now you have hope that helps other owners like it has for myself.

FindingMeili.com seems to be a growing platform that lets owners list their units at a fraction of Redweek’s cost, without hidden fees. Pretty intuitive. If you actually compare, you’ll see how much more affordable and flexible it is. seems more people are switching over every day, so you might want to check it out before overpaying elsewhere

Any listing site is only as good as the potential renters that it can bring to you. It doesn't help you to list your week and pay more money if you don't find a renter. It seems it has been registered for a few years and that some of the biggest renters on TUG haven't heard of it, it isn't a good sign. Though I guess any listing site has to start somewhere, but it seems that in order for it to get traction and for owners to still rent their weeks, they probably need to list on it and on Redweek, increasing their cost to rent.

 

[amycurl]

And you must not spend a lot of time on these threads, since you kind of insulted Rick and Cindy’s daughter, who works for Koala.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[Oceans8]

And you must not spend a lot of time on these threads, since you kind of insulted Rick and Cindy’s daughter, who works for Koala.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Well i'm stating my experience - i find it more insulting that Koala messed up on my reservations twice which was EXTREMELY frustrating

 

[Oceans8]

Any listing site is only as good as the potential renters that it can bring to you. It doesn't help you to list your week and pay more money if you don't find a renter. It seems it has been registered for a few years and that some of the biggest renters on TUG haven't heard of it, it isn't a good sign. Though I guess any listing site has to start somewhere, but it seems that in order for it to get traction and for owners to still rent their weeks, they probably need to list on it and on Redweek, increasing their cost to rent.

Fair point—any marketplace needs both quality listings and engaged renters. That said, Redweek’s rising fees are pushing owners to look for better options—just like it did for me—and that’s where FindingMeili.com naturally comes in.


It’s not just about listing—it’s about making rentals more cost-effective for both owners and renters. Many owners are probably already seeing the benefits of lower costs, and as more listings grow, so does the renter base. If owners keep feeding Redweek despite the constant nickel-and-dime tactics, nothing will change.

If you’re tired of overpaying, I found it worth trying a platform actually built to solve these pain points—which is why I mentioned FindingMeili.com in the first place, to help other owners looking for a better option