Festiva and Escapes! resort

[baybee210]

I own a deeded fixed week at Escapes! to Hot Springs Village that floats week 1 thru 52. Last year management of most of the Escapes! resorts were taken over by Festiva. I was told this morning that Escapes! no longer exists and that my week in Hot Springs Village is treated as a floating week as a courtesy and will be fixed week only when transferred to any new owner except family. This was news to me. I had located two people who were ready to accept my timeshare with the understanding it was a floating week.
Now the deal is off.
Seems like someone (Festiva, Escapes!, board of directors) have made arbitrary decisions that have greatly diminished the value of my original purchase and have made my deed impossible to sell.
Do I have a legitimate case for not paying future maintenance fees and forcing Festiva to take the deed back?

 

[carl2591]

Festiva resorts.

welcome to the world of a place WORSE than Westgate. Class action lawsuit may be the only way to get that feature of floating week restored.

Festiva is one of the many resorts management groups that get up each day and try to figure out way to make your week less valuable.

depending on how you feel you can just give it back and find something at another place that is not infested by them or the other leach outfits..

 

[bobpark56]

welcome to the world of a place WORSE than Westgate. Class action lawsuit may be the only way to get that feature of floating week restored.

Festiva is one of the many resorts management groups that get up each day and try to figure out way to make your week less valuable.

depending on how you feel you can just give it back and find something at another place that is not infested by them or the other leach outfits..

Not everyone feels that way, so take what the writer says with a grain or two of salt. My wife & I are happy Festiva owners. But we are points owners, not tied to any specific week(s). We mostly use the units we get from Festiva for trading via II, and our experiences have been good.

 

[dougp26364]

I own a deeded fixed week at Escapes! to Hot Springs Village that floats week 1 thru 52. Last year management of most of the Escapes! resorts were taken over by Festiva. I was told this morning that Escapes! no longer exists and that my week in Hot Springs Village is treated as a floating week as a courtesy and will be fixed week only when transferred to any new owner except family. This was news to me. I had located two people who were ready to accept my timeshare with the understanding it was a floating week.
Now the deal is off.
Seems like someone (Festiva, Escapes!, board of directors) have made arbitrary decisions that have greatly diminished the value of my original purchase and have made my deed impossible to sell.
Do I have a legitimate case for not paying future maintenance fees and forcing Festiva to take the deed back?

It depends on your original contract and what Escapes! originally sold you.

Our very first purchase was a developer week from DRI. We didn't know diddly about timeshare and didn't have a clue when the salesman told us we were buying a fixed week ownership that floated. What we bought was a fixed week/fixed unt but management was allowing it to float.

A few years later we were informed they would no longer allow us to float the week as we had been allowed too the past but would have to abide by our original deeded week, which really didn't work for us and was arbitrarily assigned by the salesman. From that point on that week became an exchange week and we learned a lesson.

So, if your original contract says you bought a fixed week but Escapes! Was allowing you to float it, you're probably stuck. If your original contract clearly states your week is a floating week the you may have recourse against Festiva. Of course how much money you want to throw at this problem, assuming your original contract clearly gives you the right to reserve any week within your season, is up to you.

You might not be getting the shaft from Festiva as you got the shaft from Escape! With the original deed. Festiva may actually be doing you a favor by allowing you to continue to float as the original owner. They may have the right to enforce your original purchase of a fixed week if that's what Escapes! Really sold you.

 

[Bill4728]

It depends on your original contract and what Escapes! originally sold you.

............

So, if your original contract says you bought a fixed week but Escapes! Was allowing you to float it, you're probably stuck. If your original contract clearly states your week is a floating week the you may have recourse against Festiva. Of course how much money you want to throw at this problem, assuming your original contract clearly gives you the right to reserve any week within your season, is up to you.

You might not be getting the shaft from Festiva as you got the shaft from Escape! With the original deed. Festiva may actually be doing you a favor by allowing you to continue to float as the original owner. They may have the right to enforce your original purchase of a fixed week if that's what Escapes! Really sold you.

Well said and Good advice!!