Lost But Still Searching

[margee]

All I want is to unload my timeshare [resort name removed]...has anyone heard of GroupWiseInc.com out of PA? According to mailing they're not a resale or listing co. I don't want to waste my time if fraud...HELP!




[Since you are trying to sell this resort, and we don't allow advertising in the forums, I removed the name of your resort, so your post won't be perceived as an Ad. - DeniseM Moderator]

 

[DeniseM]

We don't recommend any company that asks for an upfront fee of more than $50. For lots of info. see the "How to Sell Your Timeshare" article at the top of the board.

 

[margee]

Still Needing Help

Has anyone heard of Group Wise, Inc. out of Hermitage, PA, and if yes are they for real. They only want those owning their TS with all fees paid and current. They are not listing or resale company per their postcard/said they will acquire a limited # of TS while they are in our area and to set up an appt. to see if we qualify for their "unique" program. Also, giving all with an appt. a $25 gas card. Am I paranoid or do I really smell a rat? We need to unload our [resort name removed] due to health issues. Just want to get what we paid for it. Any help available out there? Since I am totally new to this...I may be doing this wrong...but, I still need help.

 

[vacationhopeful]

Their unique program is you paying them $3,000-5,000 to help you out of your "problem". On these boards, that type of company is called PCC - for postcard company. Do a search and you will find there are many posts about such outfits.

Unless you brought resale, it is highly unlikely you will get anywheres near what you paid for it. Many people here check eBay as to what current units are going for. If you are unfamiliar with eBay, perhaps a friend could get online with you and do a search there.

Never pay more than $50 for advertising to sell your TS. Also, there are a BARGAIN BASEMENT section here which is free to post in or join TUG for $15 and get a FREE ad on the MARKETPLACE.

Welcome to TUG!

 

[DeniseM]

Margee - I moved your 2nd post to your first thread. If you have any more questions or comments, please post them in this thread, instead of starting a new one.

Also, please do not post the name of your TS in your posts, because since you are trying to sell it, this is considered advertising, on TUG.

Just want to get what we paid for it.

Timeshares are like cars, as soon as you drive them off the lot they depreciate. In this economy, even the very top timeshares are selling on the resale market for 40-50% of original retail, the mid-level resorts are selling for 5-20% of retail, and you can't even give away the bottom level resorts, so there is no way to resale your TS for what you paid for it.

Please read the "How to Sell your TS" article on the Buying, Selling, Renting forum.

Good luck!

 

[calgarygary]

margee, you have now received some very upsetting news - the timeshare that you might have considered to be an investment is not. Given the info. you have posted, Group Wise Inc. has all the earmarks of a pcc and will not be offering you any $ but expecting you to pay them substantial dollars to take the timeshare off your hands. Unfortunately, in more than a few cases, the pcc will not complete the transfer and even if you pay them, you are not guaranteed that the ts will be taken out of your name and you could still be responsible for mf.

Another type of ts predator is alive and thriving on the internet and you might expect to hear from them. Once people start to list their ts for sale, upfront fee companies promising a seller willing to pay big $ will likely contact you. If you do receive communication with these types of promises, delete it. These companies have no incentive once you have paid their fees and the promised buyer will disappear.

Follow the advise given about how to sell and accept that you are about to take a big loss.

 

[ljp1492]

Has anyone heard of Group Wise, Inc. out of Hermitage, PA, and if yes are they for real. They only want those owning their TS with all fees paid and current. They are not listing or resale company per their postcard/said they will acquire a limited # of TS while they are in our area and to set up an appt. to see if we qualify for their "unique" program. Also, giving all with an appt. a $25 gas card. Am I paranoid or do I really smell a rat? We need to unload our [resort name removed] due to health issues. Just want to get what we paid for it. Any help available out there? Since I am totally new to this...I may be doing this wrong...but, I still need help.

have you heard any more about group wise inc---i was just contacted ny them for an appointment---HELP

 

[TUGBrian]

your questions appear to have been answered above in the previous posts.

 

[mandbarmour]

Group Wise is still around.

I just got back from a Group Wise presentation offering to give me a $4,000 credit toward the cost of a vacation club in exchange for taking my timeshare off my hands - and all I had to do was give them $3,995 for the remainder of the cost in the club! I could then be allowed to pay the club's annual fee of $49 for any year I wanted to travel and could select up to 6 weeks of travel during the year for $299 to $799 per week depending upon my desired destination. They would provide me with a book letting me know what destinations were available. I did not like the sound of paying money for the promise of some weeks, somewhere, and came home to start doing my research (okay - I know I should have done it sooner!!!). Glad we didn't sell because they were not there to buy, they were there to sell.

 

[DaveNV]

I just got back from a Group Wise presentation offering to give me a $4,000 credit toward the cost of a vacation club in exchange for taking my timeshare off my hands - and all I had to do was give them $3,995 for the remainder of the cost in the club! I could then be allowed to pay the club's annual fee of $49 for any year I wanted to travel and could select up to 6 weeks of travel during the year for $299 to $799 per week depending upon my desired destination. They would provide me with a book letting me know what destinations were available. I did not like the sound of paying money for the promise of some weeks, somewhere, and came home to start doing my research (okay - I know I should have done it sooner!!!). Glad we didn't sell because they were not there to buy, they were there to sell.

Sounds to me like they're just offering you RCI Extra Vacation weeks, which can be obtained anytime, by anyone who belongs to RCI. No special deals there.Any organization that charges you in advance for something like this is likely just out to take your money.

If you read further on Tug, you'll learn there are a number of ways to sell or give away your timeshare yourself, without paying anyone a fee for the privilege. I've sold three timeshares in the last year or so, and have done so with very little issue. You just need to know what your timeshare is worth, and market it properly. The hardest part is coming to terms with the current value of your timeshare. Most are selling for pennies on the dollar.

The technique that worked for me was agreeing to pay the closing costs on the sale. When I compared paying maintenance fees one more time against the cost of paying closing fees, it was cheaper to pay those costs for the new buyer. Combined with a realistic sales price made it an easy choice for a buyer looking for that week. The sale happened quickly, and everything was completed simply and easily.

Good luck!

Dave

 

[foreverloves]

Mandbarmour - I live not that far from you and didn't hear about them in the area. Wow. Amazing.

Generally, if you offer to pay for the closing on the timeshare (which might cost you $500) you can unload it for free. It's a heck of a lot better than paying someone $4K (plus more money). Strange, too...if people are there wanting to get out of their timeshare, why would you sell them MORE timeshares? I wonder how many people took advantage of that offer?

I'm glad you didn't bite. If you are a member of TUG, you can post your free ad (with your membership fee of $15) and if you put "FREE CLOSING" in the title, I'll bet you get some bites. Even ebay with a free closing can get bites. Good luck!

 

[DeniseM]

Please consider giving it away to a private individual who can use it, before you spend a cent with a company like this.

There are two places on TUG where you can give away your TS's for free (no charge for the Ads.) There are other cheap and free sites on the internet, as well.

TUG Marketplace - the only cost is your TUG membership - $15 (List it for $1 and it will automatically go in the Bargain Basement Ads.)

Bargain Deals - Totally FREE! - just write a simple post with all the pertinent info. In your post, include the following info.:

-resort name
-unit size
-season owned
-maintenance fee
-current reservations​

To make it more attractive I would:

1) Pay 2010 maintenance fees

2) Pay for the title transfer (you can get a simple professional transfer for about $100) I've used this licensed document Prep. company and the owner is a Tugger. - Note, this is my personal recommendation, not as a representative of TUG.

3) Reserve a popular holiday week in 2010 for the new owner​

Good luck!

 

[DeniseM]

Generally, if you offer to pay for the closing on the timeshare (which might cost you $500) you can unload it for free.

Even a full service closing is only about $350, and there is no reason to pay for a full closing for a free TS, because neither side has much of any risk.

 

[foreverloves]

Should have said "up to about $500", because you're right. It can vary widely. I always throw $500 out there because it should never really cost MORE than that. I'm an overestimator