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Is it really worth all this effort?????

mary1208

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OMG - i've been reading all these posts for hours and it seems more complicated with each one I read. My DH and I just bought a timeshare with Orange lake - yes, we were suckers like many of you were - and after doing our research (after the fact but w/in our 10 cancellation time frame), I'm wondering if it's just a huge hassle that I don't have time for. People are saying that you have to "learn the system". Ug.... I'm too old and too busy for this .............. please be honest - is this worth it???

Thanks!Mary
 

DeniseM

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OMG - i've been reading all these posts for hours and it seems more complicated with each one I read. My DH and I just bought a timeshare with Orange lake - yes, we were suckers like many of you were - and after doing our research (after the fact but w/in our 10 cancellation time frame), I'm wondering if it's just a huge hassle that I don't have time for. People are saying that you have to "learn the system". Ug.... I'm too old and too busy for this .............. please be honest - is this worth it???

Thanks!Mary

Timesharing is not for everyone. If you don't understand exactly what you own, and how to use it, you won't get the most out of it, and you probably won't enjoy it. Right now you might just be feeling overwhelmed by all the new info.? If I were you I would rescind immediately, and do your homework, and take your time, before you buy (and buy resale!)

In general, to make timesharing really work for you, it helps if you are a big time planner, can commit to a vacation at least a year out, and you enjoy the details of trip planning. To a lot of owners, (ME!:D) the planning is half the fun! If you don't think that's you, maybe renting would be the best for you, because you don't have to deal with all the little details of reserving and exchanging.

Either way - rescind, hang around TUG, learn more about timesharing, and then you'll be able to make a decison you're happy with.

Be SURE you follow the directions for rescinding to the letter! Very important!

Good luck! :hi:
 
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acesneights

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Rescind.

If you don't want to learn the system, just rent timeshares. You can get pretty good deals on TUG.

If you decide to buy later, learn the system first, then buy resale.

Stan
 

mary1208

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denise - thank you! you confirmed for me that this is the right place! we think we did good with the orlando location, week 9, and the pts system. It's just sooooo confusing! my friend at work suggested, as you said, that once you start calling to plan your next vaca, you learn more about "the system". i love the challenge of finding the next great vaca spot - just don't have enuf time! haha! this will be fun!
thanks!
Mary
 

AwayWeGo

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[triennial - points]
It's Like A Real Life Board Game.

is this worth it?
Sure, it's worth it.

I think of the whole timeshare scene as being like a semi-complicated board game, except with real people going to real places instead of little game tokens moving from space to space on a game board, and (more important) with real dollars instead of Monopoly money.

And in between timeshare vacations, there's the vicarious enjoyment of timeshares I get via Internet from places like TUG.

If you think you can stand it, you can click here for my complete timeshare history (so far), which isn't really all that complicated.
-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 

mary1208

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Alan - "away we go" - that's what I feel like is happening to us.......... i'm happy with the location, week, price and the points we're getting - just getting used to how to use them to our advantage. That's where the experience of you wonderful folks come in! I hope it's not too confusing - I'm a computer analyst by trade so I like a challenge - but not toooooo much of one when it comes to planning vacations. I'm hoping this option will be cheaper for us in the long run.
mary
 

JudyS

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I love timesharing, and have gotten great resorts very, very inexpensively. However, I think getting involved with exchanging is probably only worth it if you can use several weeks of timeshare a year.

Owning to use can be worth it even if you use just one week of timeshare a year.
 

DeniseM

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i'm happy with the location, week, price and the points we're getting

If you bought from the developer, you probably paid a lot more than you would on the resale mkt. - sometimes twice as much or more! :bawl: Even if you are feeling better about timesharing in general, I still think you should rescind, learn more about timesharing, and then buy resale. If you post what you paid here and exactly what you bought, someone can tell you what it would cost resale. RESCIND! :doh:

Just to get an idea how cheap resale can be - check out the TS ads on ebay.
 
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T_R_Oglodyte

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Your situation is very common for someone first getting involved in timesharing.

I must stress that very often people in your situation find that the original purchase, which they thought was so ideal, turns out to not fit themselves so well.

It's like tasting chocolate for the first time - you can't imagine anything tasting better and your hooked on that first experience. But after you learn more about chocolate you find other chocolate options that you wind up enjoying even more.

So I concur with the advice to rescind. Take your time and get to know about the options available to you. At first it will seem overwhelming, but if you stick with it for several months - reading messages, looking at the advice pagees, and asking questions - it will start to sort itself out in your mind. You'll then start to figure out which options will work best for you. And then when/if you do decide to buy, you'll buy knowing you're making a fully informed choice.

Don't worry about letting go of that unit you like so much right now. If it truly is the best for you, it'll still be available later. And you can probably pick it up resale then for less than half of what you paid.
 

sfwilshire

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Planning our various trips is a hobby for me and almost as much fun as taking them. It is a stress reliever to look for just the right arrangements.

We vacation better with timeshares than we ever could without. We started small and it was a long time before I discovered TUG and learned all the finer points of maximizing my opportunities. But even in the beginning when I knew nothing, I still had fun with it.

It's like anything else new. If you jump in and start reading posts here, it's like a foreign language. Over time, though, it becomes pretty straight forward. There is a great group of folks here always willing to help.

Rescind, read up, and if you decide it's for you, find a nice resale property that will give your family pleasure.

Sheila
 

grest

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I remember being confused like that, and overwhelmed about all I needed to learn if I was going to make timeshare work for me...You don't need to do it all at once. Just take the time to absorb it and see if it fits you. I'm glad I did. You'll find that one size does not fit all, and this may not work for you at all. But, to answer your question about its worth, oh yes, it has been worth it for us, very much so. And the helpful friendly people here have been instrumental in that process.
Welcome!
Connie
 

Keitht

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Timeshare ownership can be great, but as others have already said, it isn't right for everyone. Whether it is right for you or not only you can decide.
What everybody will be agreed on is that if you purchased through OL direct, i.e. through the developer, you have paid more than you need to. Rescind immediately, keep copies of everything and note dates and times of any communications.
If after further consideration you think t/s is for you there are lots of people on this site who can point you towards ways of buying the same thing at a fraction of the developer cost.
 

Gemini2

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Rescind...rescind...rescind... quickly!

Wish we had known about TUG years ago when we over-bought ($$$). As a new TUG member, I can tell you that this TUG site is a breath of fresh air .... honest, helpful members that can offer you tons of experience and advice.:)

Watch as your dollar gets you much further with re-sale timeshare purchases (and ...some at great bargains right here on TUG!). As you can see, with all these posted advice/tips ... you have little to lose by rescinding, and yet much to gain. Good Luck!
 

Timeshare Von

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Mary,

Congrats for finding the world of timeshare vacationing! It is wonderful. Even more kudos to you for finding this group in time to rescind. As many others have already suggested, since you have time to do so, you really should reconsider your purchase and rescind it ASAP. I am one who believes strongly in buying on the resale market and not from the developer. That is especially the case for Orlando - any time of the year except "maybe" Christmas week (and even that can be of questionable value).

Orlando is one of the easiest trades in the timeshare world. You can also rent there pretty much anytime you want to go, for about what your MF's would cost in a year. In not owning there, you can also sample and experience many different resorts throughout the area. There are a lot of very nice TS resorts in and around Orlando/Kissimmee.

Best wishes to you as your continue to learn and evaluate the purchase you've made.

Yvonne
 

elaine

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1st CANCEL IN WRITING--then read TUG--enjoy

I would rent a TS from a tugger (there are plenty in Orlando) for the 1st year and then see what you really want. Orlando can be had (Even week 9) for cheap on resale and you can see what you want. MAny of us tuggers have a similar disease and should be checked into TS anonymous---but MOST who own TS use or trade and put only an hours or so a year into traveling planning. We have 4 TS, 3 we use the same fixed week every year--we bought to use and enjoy them and they are VERY cost effective--and I don't need to read/post on tug to pay my maint. fee and have great weeks there.

BUt for us crazy tuggers---IT is EXACTLY like a board game--from buying on EBAY to getting that fabulous exchange---to just going to your home resort.
I have 1 TS that is strictly a trader---being on the HUNT is lots of fun-----also trading "up" either getting a bigger unit or better place than your trader is lots of fun.

And for those who don't want to make it a hobby--there are points, which are up-front like for like exchanges--but WAIT---what about the 60 day roulette wheel--double or nothing--wait and see if you can snag your week with 1/2 the points--or come up bust.
I am WAY to addicted to TS and TUG--but it is a fun ride (and I had made some great tugger friends who share my sickness!!) Elaine
 

AwayWeGo

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[triennial - points]
Whoops -- I Did It Again.

(after the fact but w/in our 10 cancellation time frame)
In my usual too-hasty way, I caught "after the fact" in your original message but skipped right over "w/in our 10 cancellation time frame" -- my bad.

Even so, playing the timeshare real-life board game is still worth it. But if you can get out of your full-freight timeshare purchase while the rescission window is still open, then after a while -- no rush -- you surely can find the equivalent of what you (almost) bought for much less on the resale market, possibly even excactly the same thing "used" as what you bought "new," but for a fraction of the full-freight price.

See, as a practical matter, there is no difference in the timeshare biz between "new" & "used" -- by the time you show up & check in, your brand-new timeshare condo villa has already been occupied by some of your fellow timeshare owners at that resort, not to mention all the other people who stayed in your unit via rental or exchange. Put another way, all timeshares are "used" by the time you actually get there, so why pay big bux to the timeshare company for a timeshare represented as "new" when as a practical matter it's no such thing?

Click here for another TUG rant on the subject of resale & full-freight timeshares.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​
 
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ebay comparisons

Mary,

If you are unsure of rescinding, run an ebay advance search to check out what Orange Lake has recently sold for resale. There are also other sites such as Redweek.com.
 

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Totally worth it. No regrets, but plenty of great memories.
 

mary1208

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Alright! You've all convinced me! I"m going to rescind but continuing looking and reading up. I like the idea of timesharing - i want to start taking more vacations and this seems like the ideal and most cost effective way of doing it. Thanks for all your great advice and comments. I'm looking forward to chatting more as I do my research!
Mary
 

JohnnyO

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Congrats on your decision to save yourself thousands of dollars. And welcome to timesharing. You are already ahead of the game by not buying (if you recind properly and in time) from the developer and finding TUG. Take your time...no rush. You have learned a bunch already and the rest will be fun. You will also learn more about what you want out of your vacation experience.

Alright! You've all convinced me! I"m going to rescind but continuing looking and reading up. I like the idea of timesharing - i want to start taking more vacations and this seems like the ideal and most cost effective way of doing it. Thanks for all your great advice and comments. I'm looking forward to chatting more as I do my research!
Mary
 

johnmfaeth

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Hi Mary,

I think you've seen already what a helpful bunch the Tuggers are.

After you rescind, please come back and learn enough to feel comfortable in your purchase.

While it seems like tons of stuff here, much is arcane, like good restaurants in Kona Hawaii, etc. Do some searches on your resort name and read that stuff first.

And you are welcome as a guest, but consider joining us as a member.

With each new voice, we all gain strength.

Welcome!!!

John Faeth
 

stonebroke

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Good Question - Is it Worth it?

I read alot of the Posts on Tug and have for probably 5 years or more (six months before I bought). It does take effort and time. However, I just was reading another post this morning on another topic and the poster said there are two kinds of timeshare owners.

Those who take the time and effort to learn to use the system or those who the system uses.

Timesharing isn't for everybody and neither is TUG but that is why most of us spend time here.
 

BGRed

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Alright! You've all convinced me! I"m going to rescind but continuing looking and reading up. I like the idea of timesharing - i want to start taking more vacations and this seems like the ideal and most cost effective way of doing it. Thanks for all your great advice and comments. I'm looking forward to chatting more as I do my research!
Mary

Mary,
we bought from the developer in Branson and thought that we were being careful about the representations and fine print. On the 8 hour drive home, my wife was rereading everything that we had signed only to discover that one of the key representations did not make it into the contract...even after we had discussed it several times with the agent. Within our 5 day recision window, I did a little research on the company and discovered that they actually had pending litigation with the state of missouri. I also discovered TUG during that research and received some very candid advice, including someone willing to spend an hour on the phone with me (he had bought at the same place and was happy with his purchase).

We did rescind and I now I read TUG every few days to try to learn more about what we should be looking for in a timeshare property if we were ever to jump back in.
 
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