Finally, an Oceanwatch Gold on eBay

[EKniager]

I was excited the other morning to receive an email from eBay notifying me that a gold Oceanwatch auction had just started on eBay. Unfortunately... the seller is alltimevacations 2008. A little Yahoo! search revealed them to be a crooked husband and wife broker/closing company team who never pay the sellers. People who have been taken by them have called the TN AG, BBB, and the local police.

It wasn't clear to me if the buyers made out okay in these transactions so I guess I'll have to sit this one out and wait for a legitimate seller to show up.

Any Tugger ever have a successful purchase through these... hustlers?

 

[CashEddie]

I was excited the other morning to receive an email from eBay notifying me that a gold Oceanwatch auction had just started on eBay. Unfortunately... the seller is alltimevacations 2008. A little Yahoo! search revealed them to be a crooked husband and wife broker/closing company team who never pay the sellers. People who have been taken by them have called the TN AG, BBB, and the local police.

It wasn't clear to me if the buyers made out okay in these transactions so I guess I'll have to sit this one out and wait for a legitimate seller to show up.

Any Tugger ever have a successful purchase through these... hustlers?

Yea, I saw the same auction last night and read who the seller was and proceeded to delete the auction from my watch list. This seller is the same as redweek4less (i just think they use different ebay IDs) and both use the same horrible closing company which many TUGGers have complained about.

I know some folks have reported having success with this seller but I would advise extreme caution with them because of the negative reports and would actually stay clear of them.

 

[jont]

Too bad

I too saw this and although I would like to add a MOW gold week, now doesn't seem to be the time. It will be interesting to see what it sells for.

 

[EKniager]

Yea, I saw the same auction last night and read who the seller was and proceeded to delete the auction from my watch list. This seller is the same as redweek4less (i just think they use different ebay IDs) and both use the same horrible closing company which many TUGGers have complained about.

I know some folks have reported having success with this seller but I would advise extreme caution with them because of the negative reports and would actually stay clear of them.

I believe they own the closing company too!

 

[EKniager]

I too saw this and although I would like to add a MOW gold week, now doesn't seem to be the time. It will be interesting to see what it sells for.

I was reviewing the math with my wife the other day. It may be cheaper to rent the nights as we need them in the spring and fall instead of buying a week and being stuck with the obligation and the 7-night stay. I know there is the 3- and 4- night split but the 4-night is M-Tu-W-Th.

We are heading there soon for an overnight. The price options were pretty good. Since it is our anniversary, we opted for the most expensive, an oceanfront room for $134.

 

[BobMc]

I would love to bid on this property but would not get involved with this company again. I "won" an OceanWatch silver season on ebay on August 9.
Marriot ROFR came through 9/16. Then nothing, even though I called and wrote weekly they were doing nothing. The deed was sent to the county (I hope, they sent me a copy) Jan 4. That was only because I told them I wouldn't pay the maintenance fee to them but only to Marriott if I was listed as the owner. I will not consider this done until I actually hear from Marriott.
You can call every week and they will say things are going along, but they are actually doing nothing.
When a company has its money upfront it has no incentive to do anything that is not making more money.

 

[SueDonJ]

... Unfortunately... the seller is alltimevacations 2008. A little Yahoo! search revealed them to be a crooked husband and wife broker/closing company team who never pay the sellers. People who have been taken by them have called the TN AG, BBB, and the local police. ...

Hmmmm. So far on TUG we've watched three different eBay auctions of DC Points. The first fell through, the second was a re-listing of those same Points and I don't think we ever found out how that ended. The third and most recent is here; it was linked in Post #20 of the Marriott points no value: resale recent thread. In all three the seller doesn't appear to know anything about the costs involved with resale DC Points use or transfers.

If you click on that "here" link is this the same seller that you're talking about? Looks like it but can you confirm? (It may be worth noting the seller's history the next time we see a DC Points auction from them.)

 

[CashEddie]

If you click on that "here" link is this the same seller that you're talking about? Looks like it but can you confirm? (It may be worth noting the seller's history the next time we see a DC Points auction from them.)

Yes. its the same seller. I just went out to the link and compaired the ebay ids and the same closing company is used. Ad layout and wording is similar to the other ads they have listed.

 

[SueDonJ]

Thanks.

 

[presley]

I was excited the other morning to receive an email from eBay notifying me that a gold Oceanwatch auction had just started on eBay. Unfortunately... the seller is alltimevacations 2008. A little Yahoo! search revealed them to be a crooked husband and wife broker/closing company team who never pay the sellers. People who have been taken by them have called the TN AG, BBB, and the local police.

It wasn't clear to me if the buyers made out okay in these transactions so I guess I'll have to sit this one out and wait for a legitimate seller to show up.

Any Tugger ever have a successful purchase through these... hustlers?

Yes. When they send the contract it says IA Vacations. Property Relief is the closing company. If you google either of those, you will see lots of stories. There are several right here on TUG.

From a buyer's standpoint, eventually, I got the timeshare. However, I didn't know anything about PCCs when I purchased and only later learned that they often never paid the sellers. I really felt horrible when finding that out. I've often thought about the sellers and wondered if they were okay with the way things went, or if they had regrets.

IA Vacations requires the sellers to sign over their rights regarding the timeshare to a company employee. From there, they can do whatever they please. I googled the name in the city of the attorney in fact and saw that there was another man with the same name in the same city who has many complaints about being an apartment slumlord. I don't know if it is the same character or not.

 

[jont]

I think if it goes low enough that Marriott might exercise ROFR on this one.

 

[dmorea]

I was reviewing the math with my wife the other day. It may be cheaper to rent the nights as we need them in the spring and fall instead of buying a week and being stuck with the obligation and the 7-night stay. I know there is the 3- and 4- night split but the 4-night is M-Tu-W-Th.

We are heading there soon for an overnight. The price options were pretty good. Since it is our anniversary, we opted for the most expensive, an oceanfront room for $134.

May I ask where you rented the room from?

 

[EKniager]

May I ask where you rented the room from?

As an owner you can rent directly by contacting a MVC rep at 800-845-4226. I believe we get at least 20% off.

 

[jont]

Yes, it's great for a 1or 2 nite stay. You can also do it online with code MOD. I'm going to start to compare MOD prices vs the cost of using points. I've had instances where the MOD discount is not available for the nights I wanted.

 

[MOXJO7282]

I too saw this and although I would like to add a MOW gold week, now doesn't seem to be the time. It will be interesting to see what it sells for.

Its a OV unit in one of the back buildings so the demand and resale price won't even come close to a gold OS or OF.

 

[gnorth16]

Its a OV unit in one of the back buildings so the demand and resale price won't even come close to a gold OS or OF.

Thanks for that. Even though I have vowed never to do business with either company again, I am still watching this, mostly out of curiosity. It even includes free usage.

See my comment here about both companies. A complete and total mess !!!

http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=162011

 

[EKniager]

Its a OV unit in one of the back buildings so the demand and resale price won't even come close to a gold OS or OF.

That's a positive, from my perspective.

- I'm looking for a cheap "in" and don't care about the view. The whole idea is to have minimal fixed cost to amortize over and above the annual MF's. Plus, I am not going there to sit in my room.

- I expect the final eBay price to be close to around $0.15 on the dollar to the original developer selling pricing; that's what another Tugger paid (more than once) for this in the 2nd half of 2011. So... there is minimal investment and/or loss on resale.

- I wouldn't worry about demand, ~85% of the country lives in households that make less than $100K. (In other words, they are price sensitive and would prefer a lower cost.) OV still rents for a decent number, i.e., 1.5-2.0 times MF. Folks just want to get into MOW. I think most will choose to settle for OV versus picking another location to vacation.

 

[Bucky]

That's a positive, from my perspective.

- I expect the final eBay price to be close to around $0.15 on the dollar to the original developer selling pricing; that's what another Tugger paid (more than once) for this in the 2nd half of 2011. So... there is minimal investment and/or loss on resale.

That might have been me. I paid $2500 for each of my Gold weeks off of Ebay. ROFR was no problem and you are correct about the rental prices. MF were $999.97 and these weeks easily rent for $2000-2500. We reserved the last two weeks in Aug 2012. Aug 17-24 is the last week before the schools start back in most of SC/NC, so very high demand for rentals.

 

[CashEddie]

That's a positive, from my perspective.

- I'm looking for a cheap "in" and don't care about the view. The whole idea is to have minimal fixed cost to amortize over and above the annual MF's. Plus, I am not going there to sit in my room.

Totally agree here and this has been my philosophy about views as well. Don't get me wrong, I have stayed in ocean front properties and yes they are amazing for about 15 minutes total time I would actually utilize the balcony because the other times I'm on the beach in the water.

 

[EKniager]

That might have been me. I paid $2500 for each of my Gold weeks off of Ebay. ROFR was no problem and you are correct about the rental prices. MF were $999.97 and these weeks easily rent for $2000-2500. We reserved the last two weeks in Aug 2012. Aug 17-24 is the last week before the schools start back in most of SC/NC, so very high demand for rentals.

Do you remember who the eBay seller was? Were yours garden, OV, OS, or OF?

This auction is at ~$1,500 with 17 bids so far. (Why does anyone bid before the final 25 seconds?) It will be interesting to see where it ends.

 

[jont]

Do you remember who the eBay seller was? Were yours garden, OV, OS, or OF?

This auction is at ~$1,500 with 17 bids so far. (Why does anyone bid before the final 25 seconds?) It will be interesting to see where it ends.

Guess they don't know about snipe programs.

 

[BarbS]

The description says it's oceanview, but the unit number listed is an oceanfront (or oceanside - not sure). How do we know which one is correct? I realize this could be one of the ultimate occupancy units, but how do we know this if it's not mentioned?

 

[SueDonJ]

The description says it's oceanview, but the unit number listed is an oceanfront (or oceanside - not sure). How do we know which one is correct? I realize this could be one of the ultimate occupancy units, but how do we know this if it's not mentioned?

The contracts for any weeks that were sold with an "ultimate occupancy" provision include specific related wording in the Contract for Purchase and the deed, as well as in a separate Amendment pertaining only to UO. If the seller has the original documents s/he should be able to furnish copies.

Otherwise, I think there is a certain Marriott office that will verify the purchased type of unit/view, which either the seller or buyer can contact by phone. Maybe it's the Owner Modifications office? I'm sure someone who's been through an UO resale can confirm the office and phone number.

 

[BobMc]

I have a similar situation with a unit I am trying to buy from iavacations. I asked Property Relief if it was ocean side or ocean view, and they didn't know what I was talking about. When I finally got them to send me a copy of the deed a couple of days ago I saw it was an ultimate occupancy situation, so it was ocean view as advertised. They are very reluctant to send a copy of the deed, but it is proably ocean view as advertised. They don't know anything about ultimate occupancy provision.

 

[EKniager]

I have a similar situation with a unit I am trying to buy from iavacations. I asked Property Relief if it was ocean side or ocean view, and they didn't know what I was talking about. When I finally got them to send me a copy of the deed a couple of days ago I saw it was an ultimate occupancy situation, so it was ocean view as advertised. They are very reluctant to send a copy of the deed, but it is proably ocean view as advertised. They don't know anything about ultimate occupancy provision.

Have you threatened to "trash" them on eBay feedback? It would seem to me that that is one of the better ways to get them to move forward with your sale. You'd think they would be careful not to mess up their rating.