Help with cancelling timeshare with Westgate

[mwright745]

Hello everyone. Me and my wife bought a westgate timeshare in 2018 and we aren't happy with it. Westgate told us a lot of lies and we've had nothing but issues when using it. We want out and are trying to find out what options we have. Checked into some exit companies but they were asking for insane down payments. Any advice would be appreciated

 

[rickandcindy23]

Hello everyone. Me and my wife bought a westgate timeshare in 2018 and we aren't happy with it. Westgate told us a lot of lies and we've had nothing but issues when using it. We want out and are trying to find out what options we have. Checked into some exit companies but they were asking for insane down payments. Any advice would be appreciated

Exit companies do nothing but talk about what they will do. They don't follow through. If you are unhappy with Westgate, the exit companies are just as bad, and even worse.

Stop paying and don't answer any collection calls and let it foreclose. Your credit will suffer.

 

[theo]

Hello everyone. Me and my wife bought a westgate timeshare in 2018 and we aren't happy with it. Westgate told us a lot of lies and we've had nothing but issues when using it. We want out and are trying to find out what options we have. Checked into some exit companies but they were asking for insane down payments. Any advice would be appreciated

1. Do NOT waste ANY of your time or money on ANY so-called "Exit Company". None of them can do anything for you, except to take your money. I repeat --- NONE!

2. Westgate (a.k.a. "Wastegate") has a "deedback" program which they call "Legacy" ("Larceny" apparently just didn't have the same ring to it as a program name). Legacy may cost you +/- two thousand dollars (if yours is a timeshare that Wastegate will take back at all), but exit via "Legacy" is clean, lawful --- and permanent. There must be no outstanding loan balance and all maintenance fees would have to be paid up to date in order to even be eligible for consideration. Contact Wastegate directly for more details regarding cost and possible "Legacy" eligibility for your particular ownership.

3. You can also choose to just do nothing at all, completely stop paying any further maintenance fees and Westgate will foreclose at some point, although not likley for a year or two, maybe more. However, if there was a loan associated with your purchase, defaulting on the associated loan could also have negative credit report consequences, although that consequence is not at all a certainty. If there is an outstanding loan balance, "Legacy" is not an option and you obviously cannot sell or transfer the ownership, even for free, without first satisfying the existing debt. Even with no loan balance, the market for Wastegates resales is, to say the least, "not robust", so resale is an unlikely option.

I despise Wastegate (although their physical properties are generally nice enough) and I can certainly appreciate that considering paying them even more money just to escape them is a sickening and truly maddening concept, but it may be the most expedient exit route available to you and one perhaps at least worth considering. Good Luck!

 

[tschwa2]

@mwright745 Have you paid off your loan? Exiting through Westgate won't be an option if you still have a mortgage. If you want to go that route you need to pay it off, be up to date with MF's and depending on the time of the year, they may want next year's fees too, plus pay their $2000=/- fee.

 

[mwright745]

1. Do NOT waste ANY of your time or money on ANY so-called "Exit Company". None of them can do anything for you, except to take your money. I repeat --- NONE!

2. Westgate (a.k.a. "Wastegate") has a "deedback" program which they call "Legacy" ("Larceny" apparently just didn't have the same ring to it as a program name). Legacy may cost you +/- two thousand dollars (if yours is a timeshare that Wastegate will take back at all), but exit via "Legacy" is clean, lawful --- and permanent. All maintenance fees would first have to be paid up to date in order to even be eligible. Contact Wastegate directly for more details regarding cost and eligibility for your particular ownership.

3. You can also choose to just do nothing at all, completely stop paying any further maintenance fees and Westgate will foreclose at some point, although not likley for a year or two, maybe more. However, if there was a loan associated with your purchase, defaulting on the associated loan could also have negative credit report consequences, although that consequence is not at all a certainty. If there is an outstanding loan balance, "Legacy" is not an option and you obviously cannot sell or transfer the ownership, even for free, without first satisfying the debt. Even with no loan balance, the market for Wastegates resales is anything but "robust", so resale is an unlikely option.

I despise Wastegate (although their physical properties are generally nice enough) and I can certainly appreciate that considering paying them even more money just to escape them is a sickening and truly maddening concept, but it may be the most expedient exit route available to you and one perhaps at least worth considering. Good Luck!

Thanks so much for your reply. I spoke with them this morning and they don't offer any kind of help on these *not surprised. My problem is we still have a loan on it and don't want to take the credit hit. Spoke with a lawyer on this and they said they would take on the case but we would have to miss a payment. They said they only take payment if they win. Any experience on this?

 

[mwright745]

@mwright745 Have you paid off your loan? Exiting through Westgate won't be an option if you still have a mortgage. If you want to go that route you need to pay it off, be up to date with MF's and depending on the time of the year, they may want next year's fees too, plus pay their $2000=/- fee.

Unfortunately we still have a balance with them. We are so disgusted with them and the lies they told us. Everytime we've used it it's been a nightmare. And now I'm in a situation to where we can't use it much anyway due to health reasons. Just want it gone at this point. Spoke with a lawyer but not sure what the procedure would be but was told I would have to miss a payment in order for them to take the case.

 

[Passepartout]

Unfortunately we still have a balance with them. We are so disgusted with them and the lies they told us. Everytime we've used it it's been a nightmare. And now I'm in a situation to where we can't use it much anyway due to health reasons. Just want it gone at this point. Spoke with a lawyer but not sure what the procedure would be but was told I would have to miss a payment in order for them to take the case.

Well, if your health concerns are such that you are not in need of a high credit score in the next few years, you can simply stop paying and tell 'em to pound sand. Yes, a timeshare foreclosure might cost you 50 or so credit score points, but over time that will resolve itself, and meanwhile you'll be free of Wastegate's evil claws and have $XXX effectively less expenses.

Jim

 

[TUGBrian]

was the topic of our first "Timeshare minute" episode!

however as mentioned in your situation you only have one exit option if you still owe a loan balance and that is to default.

 

[mwright745]

Thanks to you all for your responses. Really thinking about just going ahead and stop paying for it. We are literally giving them money for something we aren't happy with and can barely use.

 

[TUGBrian]

Westgate is known for being more aggressive than most at making efforts to collect on defaults.

would expect a better than average chance of them turning you over to a collections agency and the default showing up on your credit.

 

[theo]

Unfortunately we still have a balance with them. We are so disgusted with them and the lies they told us. Everytime we've used it it's been a nightmare. And now I'm in a situation to where we can't use it much anyway due to health reasons. Just want it gone at this point. Spoke with a lawyer but not sure what the procedure would be but was told I would have to miss a payment in order for them to take the case.

NO attorney has any knowledge of secret procedures or possesses any magical elixirs with which to extract you from a valid contract, voluntarily executed of your own free will (...about six years ago now, apparently). Ditto for the associated loan.

I cannot and do not recommend going down the "billable hours rabbit hole" of hiring an attorney who ultimately cannot help you or extract you from your situation anyhow. Furthermore, Westgate is certainly no stranger to litigation and has historically demonstrated a healthy appetite (indeed, seemingly a fondness) for litigation --- and they certainly have capable attorneys of their own, attentively representing Wastegate interests at all times. Don't pay good money to fight a battle that you cannot possibly win.

 

[mwright745]

NO attorney has any knowledge of secret procedures or possesses any magical elixirs with which to extract you from a valid contract, voluntarily executed of your own free will (...about six years ago now, apparently). Ditto for the associated loan.

I cannot and do not recommend going down the "billable hours rabbit hole" of hiring an attorney who ultimately cannot help you or extract you from your situation anyhow. Furthermore, Westgate is certainly no stranger to litigation and has historically demonstrated a healthy appetite for litigation and they certainly have capable attorneys of their own representing their interests at all times.

Thanks definitely not going the lawyer route.

 

[mwright745]

Westgate is known for being more aggressive than most at making efforts to collect on defaults.

would expect a better than average chance of them turning you over to a collections agency and the default showing up on your credit.

Looks like we are just gonna have to deal with them and the collection agency smh.