Just signed up for Welk Resort Platinum, considering canceling

[iPenguin02]

I literally just signed up for the Welk Resort Platinum Timeshare at the Escondido location. My deal was $13,040 with the $995 closing, $1065 VOA, getting us 120,00 points EOY. Based on what I was reading in this forum and others and all signs point towards canceling ASAP. In the life of the loan, I would end up paying $26,000+, and I looked on Ebay, I would get more points annually for a fraction of the cost. if I were to cancel and decide to buy from Ebay or any other outlet would that hinder Welk from approving in any way? What is the difference between the developer deal I got today and the deals i'm seeing on forums and Ebay?

I'm new to the whole timeshare thing and it was very enticing. The property is very beautiful and the RCI partnership/exchange makes it look worth while. But on the forums, and other sites, I am reading that it is very difficult to exchange the points for a stay on dates that you want even at one of Welks own resorts. Can anyone give me more insight to this? Sounds like I would need to see whats available and plan accordingly based on that.

One of the main reasons my girlfriend and I decided to sign up was just to stay on the property. The salesman explained that it would be best to use the RCI program, so I could get a free bonus week and pay to stay at Welk at the 'Owner' rate. Escondido rate being; 1 Bedroom (small) $129, 1 Bedroom (large) $159, 2 Bedroom (small+large combined) $199. No deal on the 3 room villas. Realistically, how difficult is it to book just a weekend stay at the Resort, lets say 2 weeks-1 month in advanced. I tried using my contract number to sign in, but I can't. Sounds like I'd have to wait until Monday to call and get that fixed.

In the contract is says I have to mail a letter. I read the canceling a timeshare page on TUG and I have a few questions regarding the wording. Text is below. I intend on using the template from the TUG page, I assume I should date it, do I need to send it certified mail or regular mail works just as long as the post mark date is dated before the 7 days? I know the resort has no obligation to keep me updated, but should I still include a statement to be emailed once the process of cancellation has started? Should the note be hand written or typed and signed? I can't find any information on what is facsimile, is that FAX?

29. CANCELLATION OPTION. YOU MAY CANCEL THIS CONTRACT WITHOUT ANY PENALTY OR OBLIGATION WITHIN SEVEN (7) CALENDAR DAYS OF RECEIPT OF THE PUBLIC REPORT OR AFTER THE DATE YOU SIGN THIS CONTRACT, WHICHEVER DATE IS LATER. IF YOU DECIDE TO CANCEL THIS NOTICE OF CANCELLATION SHALL BE EFFECTIVE UPON THE DATE SENT AND SHALL BE SENT TO WELK RESORT GROUP, INC., 300 RANCHEROS DRIVE #100, SAN MARCOS, CALIFORNIA 92069 ATTN: CONTRACTS CANCELLATIONS. YOUR NOTICE OF CANCELLATION MAY ALSO BE SENT BY FACSIMILE TO (760) 651-3248 OR BY HAND DELIVERY. ANY ATTEMPT TO OBTAIN A WAIVER OF YOUR CANCELLATION RIGHT IS VOICE AND OF NO EFFECT.

They gave us a free RCI Bonus week as part of the signup. At least I'll get to do my cruise and whale watching trip just for taking the tour. Although, I heard it is a pain to get the cruise scheduled.

My girlfriend and I would like to travel more and timeshares seem like the way to go. Welk seemed great because of all their partners such as Disney. Like I started, I am new to Timeshares, any extra info/knowledge you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long read, thanks in advanced.

 

[mjm1]

You should definitely rescind your purchase immediately. Follow the instructions. Don’t go back to the sales office as they will just try to talk you out of rescinding.

We are prior owners of Welk and have stayed at the Escondido property and a couple others many times. 120k points will only get you the smaller 1BR side for one week. The only owner benefit you lose by buying points on the resale market is the discount you get if you rent extra nights from the resort. Trades through RCI can be done but they charge an exchange fee of several hundred dollars.

Timesharing is a great way to vacation if you can plan ahead, especially if you travel during peak seasons. Do more research on the various systems available and then decide what works best for you. TUG is a great resource, so congratulations on finding the site.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[LannyPC]

I will add to mjm/Mike's comments. Take lots of time to research all the ins and outs of timeshares, especially owning one. Some would suggest taking at least six months of research. There's no hurry. Many deals that are available today will be available six months down the road. You can ask lots of questions on these boards that will get answered honestly by timeshare and travel veterans.

But first things first. Get on your rescission. Once you put your properly-signed letter in the mail, the developer has up to 45 days to refund you every penny you put down. It usually does not take that long but keep an eye on your credit card activity to watch for a refund.

 

[Panina]

Welcome to tug. By your post you know the answer Recind. You can get much more for much less. More important is to learn and research before you buy so you know what will work best for you.

 

[tugcccsp]

I bought one fixed week resale 2 years ago at Welk Escondido for $3000. It is 4th of July week every year. It is a nice resort, but I recommend buying resale. There is no charge for guest certificates.

 

[jpc763]

One thing to add. Consider joining TUG. It is the best $15 you can spend on your vacationing future!

 

[dayooper]

One thing to add. Consider joining TUG. It is the best $15 you can spend on your vacationing future!

I second this. The $15 is well worth the money. Don’t just look at Welk. Take the time and rent units in other systems. Study the ins and outs. Once you join Tug, take a look at the reviews of the various resorts in the different systems.

Oh yeah, and welcome to Tug.

 

[iPenguin02]

You should definitely rescind your purchase immediately. Follow the instructions. Don’t go back to the sales office as they will just try to talk you out of rescinding.

We are prior owners of Welk and have stayed at the Escondido property and a couple others many times. 120k points will only get you the smaller 1BR side for one week. The only owner benefit you lose by buying points on the resale market is the discount you get if you rent extra nights from the resort. Trades through RCI can be done but they charge an exchange fee of several hundred dollars.

Timesharing is a great way to vacation if you can plan ahead, especially if you travel during peak seasons. Do more research on the various systems available and then decide what works best for you. TUG is a great resource, so congratulations on finding the site.

Best regards.

Mike

I will add to mjm/Mike's comments. Take lots of time to research all the ins and outs of timeshares, especially owning one. Some would suggest taking at least six months of research. There's no hurry. Many deals that are available today will be available six months down the road. You can ask lots of questions on these boards that will get answered honestly by timeshare and travel veterans.

But first things first. Get on your rescission. Once you put your properly-signed letter in the mail, the developer has up to 45 days to refund you every penny you put down. It usually does not take that long but keep an eye on your credit card activity to watch for a refund.

Welcome to tug. By your post you know the answer Recind. You can get much more for much less. More important is to learn and research before you buy so you know what will work best for you.

I bought one fixed week resale 2 years ago at Welk Escondido for $3000. It is 4th of July week every year. It is a nice resort, but I recommend buying resale. There is no charge for guest certificates.

One thing to add. Consider joining TUG. It is the best $15 you can spend on your vacationing future!

I second this. The $15 is well worth the money. Don’t just look at Welk. Take the time and rent units in other systems. Study the ins and outs. Once you join Tug, take a look at the reviews of the various resorts in the different systems.

Oh yeah, and welcome to Tug.

I actually paid prior to signing up to the forums. I figured why not, I read alot of useful information prior to signing it up. So why not support.

So I've faxed over and sent a copy view certified mail within the time frame. I haven't heard from them yet. Should i be worried. I used the template thats on TUG.

 

[taterhed]

No.

If you followed the instructions, they have no recourse but to cancel the purchase and rescind the contract.
They are under no obligation to contact you.....and the statues will specify the time they have to complete the cancellation.

Congrats again.

 

[mjm1]

Congratulations on executing your rescission. Give it a little time.

Glad to hear you became a member of TUG as well. The knowledge and insights available on this forum are outstanding. Keep researching and you will find the system that works best for your travel needs.

Best regards.

Mike

 

[llauryn]

Hi everyone,

My partner and I also bought a timeshare from Welk Resort in Escondido yesterday, after spending 5.5hrs with a saleman who made the offer sound really amazing. But upon heading back home, we began looking at their timeshare reviews and saw all the complications others have had with Welk. We too are in the midst of writing a rescission letter, but I was having trouble finding the template.

If anyone could please post it on here or link me to the page that it’s on, it would be a great help!

Thank you!

 

[llauryn]

I literally just signed up for the Welk Resort Platinum Timeshare at the Escondido location. My deal was $13,040 with the $995 closing, $1065 VOA, getting us 120,00 points EOY. Based on what I was reading in this forum and others and all signs point towards canceling ASAP. In the life of the loan, I would end up paying $26,000+, and I looked on Ebay, I would get more points annually for a fraction of the cost. if I were to cancel and decide to buy from Ebay or any other outlet would that hinder Welk from approving in any way? What is the difference between the developer deal I got today and the deals i'm seeing on forums and Ebay?

I'm new to the whole timeshare thing and it was very enticing. The property is very beautiful and the RCI partnership/exchange makes it look worth while. But on the forums, and other sites, I am reading that it is very difficult to exchange the points for a stay on dates that you want even at one of Welks own resorts. Can anyone give me more insight to this? Sounds like I would need to see whats available and plan accordingly based on that.

One of the main reasons my girlfriend and I decided to sign up was just to stay on the property. The salesman explained that it would be best to use the RCI program, so I could get a free bonus week and pay to stay at Welk at the 'Owner' rate. Escondido rate being; 1 Bedroom (small) $129, 1 Bedroom (large) $159, 2 Bedroom (small+large combined) $199. No deal on the 3 room villas. Realistically, how difficult is it to book just a weekend stay at the Resort, lets say 2 weeks-1 month in advanced. I tried using my contract number to sign in, but I can't. Sounds like I'd have to wait until Monday to call and get that fixed.

In the contract is says I have to mail a letter. I read the canceling a timeshare page on TUG and I have a few questions regarding the wording. Text is below. I intend on using the template from the TUG page, I assume I should date it, do I need to send it certified mail or regular mail works just as long as the post mark date is dated before the 7 days? I know the resort has no obligation to keep me updated, but should I still include a statement to be emailed once the process of cancellation has started? Should the note be hand written or typed and signed? I can't find any information on what is facsimile, is that FAX?



They gave us a free RCI Bonus week as part of the signup. At least I'll get to do my cruise and whale watching trip just for taking the tour. Although, I heard it is a pain to get the cruise scheduled.

My girlfriend and I would like to travel more and timeshares seem like the way to go. Welk seemed great because of all their partners such as Disney. Like I started, I am new to Timeshares, any extra info/knowledge you can give me would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long read, thanks in advanced.

Where were you able to find the infomation on terminating? I’ve looked through the contract and can’t seem to find that page anywhere!

 

[AJCts411]

Curious, If Welk (or any other) failed to include the required information on rescinding, then is there a legal contract? With the games full on by sales, what proof can they offer that this information was included, if you did not specifically acknowledge receipt of the instructions? Extrapolate that further, then do you have a longer time to cancel, until rescind instructions are provided? Seems like the pressured buyers might have their own loop hole to play.

 

[Victoria Pita]

I am somewhat in the same boat. My boyfriend and I got suckered into signing and after reading these posts I sent out the rescission letter the next day. They are now saying that I have to speak to a representative to process my cancellation. I am very busy with work and to be quite honest, I don’t want to speak to anyone from that resort. I was just wondering if any of you know if this statement is true or not?

 

[geist1223]

To the best of my knowledge you do not have to speak to anyone to get a recession processed. This is most likely an attempt to talk you out of it.

 

[Grammarhero]

I am somewhat in the same boat. My boyfriend and I got suckered into signing and after reading these posts I sent out the rescission letter the next day. They are now saying that I have to speak to a representative to process my cancellation. I am very busy with work and to be quite honest, I don’t want to speak to anyone from that resort. I was just wondering if any of you know if this statement is true or not?

Make sure you and your Bf both sign the cancellation letter. Make sure the cancellation letter had the contract number there, and send certified. No need to talk to anyone. How much did rescission save you?

 

[LannyPC]

They are now saying that I have to speak to a representative to process my cancellation...I was just wondering if any of you know if this statement is true or not?

Who are "they" and how did they contact you? And BTW, like most sales people, if their lips are moving, they're likely lying.

 

[rickandcindy23]

You do NOT speak to anyone. Those are the bad guys. Believe me. Do not talk to anyone at the resort. Just rescind via certified mail, return receipt requested. Go into the post office and tell them what you need to do.

 

[Shankilicious]

I literally just signed up for the Welk Resort Platinum Timeshare at the Escondido location. My deal was $13,040 with the $995 closing, $1065 VOA, getting us 120,00 points EOY. Based on what I was reading in this forum and others and all signs point towards canceling ASAP. In the life of the loan, I would end up paying $26,000+, and I looked on Ebay, I would get more points annually for a fraction of the cost. if I were to cancel and decide to buy from Ebay or any other outlet would that hinder Welk from approving in any way? What is the difference between the developer deal I got today and the deals i'm seeing on forums and Ebay?

There isn't a lot of difference except you can't supposedly cant utilize day use at Escondido if you're a resale owner. Other than that, below 420k points, Priority 5, there's no difference.
And for anyone reading this, never buy Welk semi-annual. The window for booking with borrowed points is only 60 days, which is laughable unless you wanna go to Palm Springs in the summer or Branson anytime but summer.

 

[Grammarhero]

I am somewhat in the same boat. My boyfriend and I got suckered into signing and after reading these posts I sent out the rescission letter the next day. They are now saying that I have to speak to a representative to process my cancellation. I am very busy with work and to be quite honest, I don’t want to speak to anyone from that resort. I was just wondering if any of you know if this statement is true or not?

@Victoria Pita
We hope that your rescission went well and enjoying life without the financial burden of a developer/resort TS. Solely to track how much TS owners have saved, mind sharing how much you saved with rescission? As half of all tuggers initially bought developer/resort TS, there is no shaming.