Got into buying but Saw this wonderful website and wanting to Rescind

[momwantsavacation]

CHILL ... members here seriously suggest at LEAST 6 months of studying, reading, asking, visiting (renting or taking a tour) ... before YOU BUY ANYTHING. This is a lifestyle product which has to be used for YEARS after you buy it.

Ever brought a car and see the more perfect car (color) 6 months later? Timeshares are NOT easy to get rid of nor functional the same. If you buy a resort in Williamsburg, YOU might hate it even though on paper and via pictures was "so cute", best location, so full of golf courses & outlet malls, has an indoor pool, tennis, water parks in area, etc. Or the exchange company changes next year. Or a hundred other things happen.

I know ... I brought for what I thought was all the RIGHT reasons until I opened the door on my first stay .... the entire UNIT was PINK ... the kitchen cabinets, the walls color, the appliances, the tub & toilets ... the furniture was a plastic flowers with dark blues, greens, and pink flowers. I was sobbing with tears 3 feet inside the door to the unit ... one of my sister's just kept saying, "it looks really clean" while the other 2 guests of mine where speechless and jaws & eyes wide open.

Thanks Vacationhopeful. That is not what I want to happen for sure. Pink is my least favorite color.

I just want to have the most urgent questions that my husband has answered at this point which is why I sound like I am rushing. Thailand and Hawaii is definitely in his mind which is why I keep repeating it. I wanted to know if it's even worth anything outside the US and if the trading power "matches up" so to speak.

I am definitely not rushing since I have not even gotten the deposit back. No money to spend at all. So I have time on my hands until I do. I just immediately post the thoughts as I read along so if I misunderstood, you wonderful people can tell me before I start confusing myself.

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[momwantsavacation]

OK. Two things:

1. slow down. Nothing is going anywhere and the values are not skyrocketing right now. Some TS purchases are like crab traps: once you get in, you can't get out. You have a tight budget. You'll need to make sure you make good choices....the first time.
2. There are several ways to enjoy the use of timeshares:

• Own it and use it (close to home, easy for short planning and easy for long planning, flexible, no surprises and affordable)
• Own it and trade it (good for short notice, not so good for long-range and school calendars, unpredictable, lots of suspense, more expensive, can go unused due to 'hard to use' factor)
• Rent it for the maintenance fee (cheaper than owning, you know what you get, easier to plan ??, lots of choices, some suspense, flexible, long/short planning etc...) Since you've said 'Thailand' a number of times, I'll point out that tourism to Thai has a black-eye right now...rentals should be plentiful and dirt-cheap for quite a while. If you look, you could probably rent anything (Marriott included) for fire-sale prices. Many are asking how to refund reservations due to the terror/political climate there.

My suggestion to you was Worldmark. Easy to own (near home), affordable and flexible etc... Easy to trade in any exchange and trades well--for any destination that can be found on the exchanges. Can be rented, swapped or gifted/guested. Covers all the points above. NOT a trap, easy to buy, easy to sell, easy to rent unused points.

You might, however, consider just renting some units from the exchanges previously mentioned:: SFX, TPI, DAE, Platinum. These companies (all, I think) allow anyone to join and not only exchange properties, but also rent unfilled weeks. Some have membership fees, some do not. Generally, if you join the preferred membership, you get more value for your money. Not too expensive to join them--especially when they have membership drives. So, you could easily rent a unit in Thailand for cash with no up-front outlay. Later, if you get a timeshare (WM or ???) you could exchange the timeshare for one in (Thailand) your choice of destinations and, depending on the quality of your exchange, possibly get 2 for 1 (2 weeks) or even 3 for 1 exchange time--especially to some of the less-demanded resorts across the pacific rim and Thailand. This type of strategy would take time, planning, research and practice. Not something you can buy, but something you learn.

I've included the links to the exchanges below...you might take a look and see if there is something you could rent to get the 'mom needs a vacation' bug out of your system now, today. Then, you can take your time for future vaca. I will say, these purchase things take time (month or two at least) and that can be frustrating when you're trying to book next month or next year--and it's rapidly approaching. Finally, many of the secondary exchanges (like SFX etc...) work on a 'request' system. You call them, tell them what you want and when and they'll try to find it for you. Many report success with this system for lesser traded properties. You might just call them and chat.


SFX
http://www.sfxresorts.com/resort-directory/pacific-rim/thailand/
TPI
http://www.tradingplaces.com/exchange/about-tpi-exchange
DAE
http://www.daelive.com/search/bonusrental.aspx
Plat
https://booking.platinuminterchange.com/crs/Hotweeks.aspx?Step=1

I guess I was posting haphazardly that everyone is thinking I am rushing through this. I try to read along the posts that you have referred me to and start asking questions. I try to get them all out before I forget them, so that's probably why I sound so rushed.

You mentioned renting, I saw it here on TUG marketplace as well. It seemed to be pretty expensive. I will look at the others you have mentioned so I can make a comparison.

I also read in the forum that WM is more in the west and Wyndham is in the East coast and that they are separate entities but in the same company umbrella?

I was also trying to find what are the points mean? Does 5,000 points mean a week how much does it vary during the high and low season?

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[taterhed]

I know ... I brought for what I thought was all the RIGHT reasons until I opened the door on my first stay .... the entire UNIT was PINK ... the kitchen cabinets, the walls color, the appliances, the tub & toilets ... the furniture was a plastic flowers with dark blues, greens, and pink flowers. I was sobbing with tears 3 feet inside the door to the unit ... one of my sister's just kept saying, "it looks really clean" while the other 2 guests of mine where speechless and jaws & eyes wide open.

That's a funny story.... now. ROFL

 

[vacationhopeful]

That's a funny story.... now. ROFL

Wasn't funny when you are living it.

Found out the next morning from an elderly couple that the resort was being redone. An unit on the upper floor was set up as the sample - sister & I were amazed it was the same resort ... AND I took no pictures. AND the special $1500 assessment was already PAID.

But I did learn another lesson. An onsite visit tells you a lot MORE than an eBay ad.

 

[taterhed]

I guess I was posting haphazardly that everyone is thinking I am rushing through this. I try to read along the posts that you have referred me to and start asking questions. I try to get them all out before I forget them, so that's probably why I sound so rushed.

You mentioned renting, I saw it here on TUG marketplace as well. It seemed to be pretty expensive. I will look at the others you have mentioned so I can make a comparison.

I also read in the forum that WM is more in the west and Wyndham is in the East coast and that they are separate entities but in the same company umbrella?

I was also trying to find what are the points mean? Does 5,000 points mean a week how much does it vary during the high and low season?

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5000 points is the minimum account with WM. Accounts are billed annual MF's by the amount of points you own. The scale increments for every 2500 points. So, 5000-7500 is $XXX, 7500-10000 is $XXX, 10000-12500 is $XXXX. Good account sizes are 5000, 7000, 10000. There are sizes in between, but you pay more MF's for less points.

All resorts are different points and have different seasons. See the guide here: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/wyndham/worldmark_directory1415/#/0

Generally, studios are around 4-6k, 1br 6-8k, 2br 6-10K, etc...
There are different levels of rooms as well (some with hot tubs, fireplaces etc...). 5k accounts are a bit rare. You can rent all the points you want, but 10k seems to be a good sized account. 7000 would work, but they seem to run a premium. Specials (Monday madness and others) rent you units for cash at 7c a point. Lots and lots of details about it.

Anything last minute or on special can be quite cheap. You can go to the owners website (official) and see some of the offers.

Ask all the questions you want, just don't get overwhelmed.

BTW, if you looked at the rentals on DAE or TPI (???) for Thailand, I thought they were pretty doggone cheap. Hawaii, of course, is never cheap.

 

[momwantsavacation]

I got the refund back! Thank you guys for all your help!

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[bjones9942]

MWAV -

Congrats on the refund! When I saw your requirements I immediately thought WM as well. From the posts about them I've seen here I think they fit your needs to a 'T'.

I also agree with the other posters - take your time. Read the posts here, and other timeshare forums. Watch the ebay auctions to get an idea of other options and what they might cost/benefit you. Look at the timeshares for sale here too. When you find a resort/club that looks interesting google it and read EVERY article that comes up. Read the horror stories and put yourself in their shoes. Don't forget to factor your travel costs into the total expense when comparing different options too. And figure your maintenance fees will probably go up a few percentage points each year. You may also have 'special assessments' for repairs. I'm told the timeshares in Hawaii have recurring building maintenance due to normal weather damage (someone tell me if I'm wrong - I don't own in Hawaii) that usually results in a special assessment for the owners.

For your next vacation I'd suggest you try using one of the 'last minute' bargains available on places like Trading Places (they call theirs 'Hot Deals' and you don't pay a fee). You can get an excellent price at good resorts. It will give you an idea of what timesharing is like. If you can't wait to book until the last minute, then check here for a rental in the resort/area you'd like.

When you think you've found something that makes for a good fit for your family - post here and ask what others think. We're a pretty honest and often times blunt group!

I have to give my obligatory 'Don't discount Mexico' blurb. Yes, TUG naysayers, I know they primarily vacation in Summer and it's DARNED hot in Mexico then. However, Puerto Vallarta is beautiful. Mazatlan has a whole big city to explore. Cabo has golfing and fishing. Cancun has wonderful beaches. There is culture and history and people who speak a different language - in the country right at our southern border. And I'm not saying they should have their home resort in Mexico, just that they shouldn't count Mexico out when trading.