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Non-Buyers Remorse

Hankmoon

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Are you aware that with 112.00/ month for 3 years you could easily get 10 to 18 weeks of vacation time, with no further commitment if you do not want to?
Just buy a RCI timeshare on ebay with low maintenance fees, 300 or less per year, preferably in Vegas, since you seem to enjoy going there. That should cost you less $100.
Then join RCI, around $100 per year, and use their "last call" rental program for weekly timeshare rentals costing between $200 and 300.
If you rent at an average of $250 per week, you should be able to squeeze 16 weeks out of the $4000 you would pay, fewer weeks if you pay more, more weeks if you pay less.
So, my advice is: drop your vacation club, and do not consider Westgate. There are way cheaper alternatives out there that get you the same thing.

I have an RCI free membership with one of my vacation clubs and I do not think it is of any value. When the free membership expires, I will not renew. The getaways are not of high quality.
 

Hankmoon

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Thank you!



Thats something I don't understand. I've read about people buying multiple timeshares. That means you have multiple maintenance fees too, right? Is that really cost effective?

I own two vacation clubs. It is not about cost effectiveness. it is about the experience at each club. They are different and have different purposes.
 

Hankmoon

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Yes, I'm suspicious of timeshares that are given away for free. My thoughts are that they are desperate to get out of MF.

How do you know which resorts are prime? Do you get most of your information from this website? What are self managed resorts?

We almost bought a timeshare for $1. It would have been a huge mistake. When I researched it, there were many things the owner did not disclose. As the saying goes, nothing is free.
 

Hankmoon

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Don't buy from developer period. They can offer you nothing you can't in a few years resale. These are timeshares we are talking about not full time homes or vacation homes. There is always a way to get rid of timeshare. I understand how emotion and want can drive someone to make a purchase.
Consider everyone giving you advice has made a similar purchase from developer or have rescinded on a purchase. I have owned timeshare for 23 years. I still get caught up when I tour new resorts or hear about new programs. I still purchase and then have to rescind when I read the contracts more carefully once I return to a sane state of mind.
West gate has a terrible reputation.
A great way to find the perfect resort for you is to go to every presentation and timeshare tour you possibly can. Never buy from developer, just take the tours and the gifts then look for the timeshare resale. You must developer a tough skin and assume most things sales people tell you are lies.
You can take a lot of cheap trips, just by answering the phone and buying the 3 or 4 nite stays for next to nothing. Or the ads in RCI or Interval International magazines. You can join DAE and it costs nothing and you can get bonus weeks cheaply. Also you can join SFX or buy off eBay or sky auctions. So many less expensive ways to travel to gorgeous locations without investing any long term monies.

On closing I once again want to thank everyone who answers questions on these boards. The time research and detail you all put into your answers is so amazing. Your an awesome group of people who are not afraid to explain your own mistakes and victories to help total strangers make a very hard choice.

I do not agree. The best reason for buying from a developer is when you want an ocean view guaranteed. With both my vacation clubs, I have been able to negotiate addendums guaranteeing me ocean views. That is worth every extra penny of buying from the developer. I have also been able to negotiate so many extra perks worth tens of thousands of dollars that my breakeven points are very short.
 

taterhed

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rpennisi

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I wonder why an elite resort above only gets 3/5 in all the categories rated?
 

Cathy Rosen

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I think vacation clubs are great. We own two and we paid A LOT more than you did and our usage fees are in the thousands. We love them both. You do not need to pass them on to anyone. You are still young enough to enjoy it. If your kids do not want them, then just enjoy them as long as you live. Don't worry about the afterlife. Have fun now!

Yes! That's what I like about my club membership. It has plenty of advantages over a timeshare and I think I got a very good deal.

Is yours actually a vacation club like mine where you do not own a timeshare but just get to rent what is available? I can't find any information on them on the internet, but I actually met someone while in Los Cabo who had a vacation club similar to mine.
 

Cathy Rosen

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Perhaps I misread the OP's post, but I believe she's talking about the flamingo.

Gatlinburg, Park City and Westgate Las Vegas are Elite the others are all Premier select or nothing.

Sent from my SM-N920P using Tapatalk

No, I am not. I'm talking about Westgate Casino where they are renovating constantly. I just stayed at the Flamingo this last trip, but the timeshare I'm looking at is at the Casino.
 

Cathy Rosen

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I have an RCI free membership with one of my vacation clubs and I do not think it is of any value. When the free membership expires, I will not renew. The getaways are not of high quality.

Somehow I have the impression that Interval is better. I have Leisuretime and Passport with my club membership and its the same as a gold membership with Interval only without the exchanges. The getaways are the same and there are some decent deals.
 

taterhed

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No, I am not. I'm talking about Westgate Casino where they are renovating constantly. I just stayed at the Flamingo this last trip, but the timeshare I'm looking at is at the Casino.

Ok, that is an Elite resort then. My bad.
Much less availability at the WVE, but still available in Interval thru Nov 2018. Getaways for Nov/Dec 2017 priced at $58 a night (studio).
 

Hankmoon

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Yes! That's what I like about my club membership. It has plenty of advantages over a timeshare and I think I got a very good deal.

Is yours actually a vacation club like mine where you do not own a timeshare but just get to rent what is available? I can't find any information on them on the internet, but I actually met someone while in Los Cabo who had a vacation club similar to mine.

Yes it is a vacation club, not a timeshare. We do not need to exchange and we can use any club in the system by calling to make a reservation. It is not points based like Marriott. We get a certain number of weeks and hotel nights depending on the club. Between the two clubs, we could travel forever!
 

Cathy Rosen

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Ok, that is an Elite resort then. My bad.
Much less availability at the WVE, but still available in Interval thru Nov 2018. Getaways for Nov/Dec 2017 priced at $58 a night (studio).

What?! $58.00 a night? When I called Interval just to find out what kind of prices I could get on their getaways with their gold membership, they were looking at my leisure time membership because the Gold has not be activated yet. So they gave me exactly the same prices as what I already have. I called back and explained that I wanted to know about gold member pricing and she said its the same.

I looked at the price of WVE under my membership for Nov/Dec and the prices I found were between 71.00 to 87.00 per night, not $58.00 which leads me to believe that it may be a different kind of membership after all. Its so frustrating that I can't look at the prices of the Getaways of Interval Gold because my new member ID isn't set up yet. That's important to me, and is part of my decision which I need to make before I even get to see Interval.

So if there is not much availability for the one bedroom, doesn't that make it more valuable to trade with?
 

vacationhopeful

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Please just rescind. You seem to want to KEEP THIS NEW PURCHASE ... for whatever reason.

Is it the devil you THINK you know? Is it for a personal reason that YOU MUST BE RIGHT? You believe the timeshare sales person over a bunch of strangers on the internet who have NO FINANCIAL gain in your buyer decision?

You are NOT dumb. You heard what the sales staff has been trained and paid to do ... SELL YOU A PRODUCT you do not need, spin jockey the info, glaze over the negatives and shine the spotlight on a PERFECT family vacation condo for way cheaper.

PS Your rescind window is NOW closing or is closed. Either cancel now or LOVE it to "the END OF TIME" ... Meatloaf's song of the 1970s "Dashboard Lights"
 

Cathy Rosen

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Please just rescind. You seem to want to KEEP THIS NEW PURCHASE ... for whatever reason.

Is it the devil you THINK you know? Is it for a personal reason that YOU MUST BE RIGHT? You believe the timeshare sales person over a bunch of strangers on the internet who have NO FINANCIAL gain in your buyer decision?

It's because I want it! But I don't think I can really justify the cost. I think what I have now is fine and I'm happy with it. Looking over the timeshares for resale on this board, I'm seeing a lot of high MF and I'm not liking the idea of loving any of them till the end of time.
 

vacationhopeful

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Yes, your want it but are looking at just the leftovers for the past 10 years on this board. Good weeks do show up ... but your impatience is why you ARE NOT HAPPY.... NOW!

You have the burn .. remember, when a girlfriend just wanted to get married because she has found the perfect wedding gown or her best friend is planning her wedding?

Never a GOOD REASON for the "HURRY UP .. LET'S DO IT!" decision plan .. esp with timeshares.

Try this .. instead of buying another TS ... rent a week off the LMR thread once every EVEN MONTH ... make an offer, and GO! Look for Friday checkin for 3 nights or stay SAT, SUN and MON .. for 3 nights. And maybe gift the unused dates to family members or friends.

Yes, MFs can be over $1000 for 7 nights. My basic resort has 2/2 bdr for $885 annual MFs .. they are lockoff units, But the ocean view 1/1 units have MFs for around $740. For a Febraury or Holiday Week, those MFs look good ... for the off-season, the MFs are the same .. hence, not a good for an offseason week.
 

lilliand

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The $5000.00 I dropped on my vacation club is considered equity so it goes towards the purchase price of a new timeshare. My additional out of pocket expense is just under 7,000.00

I agree with the "rescind." Sounds like you like the vacation club and are giving it up as "equity" for this new deal. I seriously doubt they are really giving you much if anything for it. You probably could of gotten the same bottom line without giving it up. We purchased from the developer and they also took a timeshare we owned as "down payment." We love our timeshare and know we paid too much for it but are using it and have had many great vacations already. I feel the "trade in" or "equity" is sort of like what car dealerships due with taking your used car and making it sound like they are giving you a great deal on it but raise the price of the new car to compensate for it.
 

taterhed

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Perhaps you should just buy the Wastegate so we can close this thread? No, not really. That would be a long-term mistake. IMNSHO.

My last post and I'm unfollowing. Love your Vaca/Travel Club? Good for you. Enjoy it. Many people don't use what they've bought and get bitter etc...

My strongest words possible to you anyone else: AVOID WESTGATE like the plague.
Just don't do it!

Dont-feed-the-trolls.png
 

Cathy Rosen

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I agree with the "rescind." Sounds like you like the vacation club and are giving it up as "equity" for this new deal. I seriously doubt they are really giving you much if anything for it. You probably could of gotten the same bottom line without giving it up. We purchased from the developer and they also took a timeshare we owned as "down payment." We love our timeshare and know we paid too much for it but are using it and have had many great vacations already. I feel the "trade in" or "equity" is sort of like what car dealerships due with taking your used car and making it sound like they are giving you a great deal on it but raise the price of the new car to compensate for it.

I agree. I doubt I could get my money's worth out of any timeshare. I used to think timeshares could save money, but when I look at it from the perspective of projecting how many vacations I'll take for the rest of my life, and projecting how much I'll end up spending, its no bargain at all. Owning a deed means nothing to me. It's more a liability than an asset.

I'm not educated enough to buy privately either, don't know that I care to invest the time to learn either. I think I'll stay clear of timeshare presentations in the future. They only get me in trouble and I end up wasting a day of my valuable vacation time and worse yet I end up fretting and agonizing over it afterwards.

Thanks everyone for the info and getting me to slow down and think. I probably would have bought it if it weren't for you, although I could do without the troll remarks. I know some are offended if I have anything positive or even neutral to say about Westgate, and I do apologize, but I happen to like my vacation club nonetheless. You may be pleased to hear, however, that at the timeshare presentation, they brought a young woman, who was considering buying, over to me because I was a vacation club owner. She was pretty starry eyed, but instead of waxing euphoric over what I have, I expressed doubts about owning instead. I don't think she was encouraged after talking to me.
 

dominidude

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I agree. I doubt I could get my money's worth out of any timeshare. I used to think timeshares could save money, but when I look at it from the perspective of projecting how many vacations I'll take for the rest of my life, and projecting how much I'll end up spending, its no bargain at all. Owning a deed means nothing to me. It's more a liability than an asset.

I'm not educated enough to buy privately either, don't know that I care to invest the time to learn either. I think I'll stay clear of timeshare presentations in the future. They only get me in trouble and I end up wasting a day of my valuable vacation time and worse yet I end up fretting and agonizing over it afterwards.

Thanks everyone for the info and getting me to slow down and think. I probably would have bought it if it weren't for you, although I could do without the troll remarks. I know some are offended if I have anything positive or even neutral to say about Westgate, and I do apologize, but I happen to like my vacation club nonetheless. You may be pleased to hear, however, that at the timeshare presentation, they brought a young woman, who was considering buying, over to me because I was a vacation club owner. She was pretty starry eyed, but instead of waxing euphoric over what I have, I expressed doubts about owning instead. I don't think she was encouraged after talking to me.

You are the very first person who I've read has anything positive to say about Westgate. In my view, Westgate timeshares are way overpriced for what you get, even if you buy resale. You bought at sticker price directly from the developer and seem to like the product, like I said, that's a first.
As far as renting units rated Elite by II, it is relatively easy to do so, as long as you have flexibility with the check-in dates.
Also, as far as the price of renting those units, I just checked II and saw studios in premier resorts for rent from $280 to $399 a week. I saw studios at the Elite Westgate las vegas going for $459 to 559, and at the Elite Marriot Grand Chateu from $527 to $827.
From my perspective, it seems that you are renting excess inventory and paying $500 per week to do so.
You should be able to rent those same units that you have been renting for less if you buy a resale timeshare with low maintenance dues, join an exchange company, and rent the excess inventory weeks you want from the exchange company.
 

Cathy Rosen

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Also, as far as the price of renting those units, I just checked II and saw studios in premier resorts for rent from $280 to $399 a week. I saw studios at the Elite Westgate las vegas going for $459 to 559, and at the Elite Marriot Grand Chateu from $527 to $827.
From my perspective, it seems that you are renting excess inventory and paying $500 per week to do so.
You should be able to rent those same units that you have been renting for less if you buy a resale timeshare with low maintenance dues, join an exchange company, and rent the excess inventory weeks you want from the exchange company.

Actually, under my club membership, I can rent up to TWO studios for 500.00 per week, since they don't offer 2 BR suites at the casino. Under my membership, I can rent 1 or 2 BR for 500.00 per week at any WG resorts. I always rent 2 BR since its the same price. When I first joined, you could even rent 3 BR for 500.00 per week, but they changed it so you can only rent 2 now. They occasionally send email offers for 2 BR at one of their resorts for 399.00 per week. I got that once at the Towers in Florida. They've also sent me certificates to MyCondoGetaway where you can rent at non-Westgate resorts around the world. The prices were 279.00 for a studio/wk, 350.00 for a 1BR, and 399.00 for a 2 BR. I went to Los Cabo las May with that. Stayed at Casa Dorada Real in a 2 BR for 399.00 and the all inclusive was optional. We took the all inclusive since there were no restaurants within walking distance. That was $95.00 per day/person. They also price match, so when I went on a Disney Cruise, I found a sale off the Disney website, and booked it through WG. I got an additional $300.00 off the cabin. Same with the river cruise I went on. All 4 of us each got an extra $100.00 off the lowest sales price I found. Thus far, I have been letting my membership lapse when its up for renewal and let some months go by until I'm ready to start planning my next vacation. But if you renew right away, they take $50.00 off the renewal, and if you pre-pay for the next 2 or 3 years, its even more. I think the longest I went between renewals was a year because I used the MyCondoGetaway certificate they sent me which I could use even when my membership expired as long as the certificate itself didn't. I also have access to Westgate Cruise and Travel where you can book getaways for sometimes as low as 49.00 per week. Those are pretty rare though. They are mostly 399.00 per week and they can be anything from a hotel room to a 3 BR condo.
 

JudyS

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Cathy, I've read this whole thread and it's seems you have two main goals:

1) You want to stay in nice timeshares at a reasonable price
2) You don't want to be stuck paying high maintenance fees on a timeshare you can't get rid of.

Both of these are very good goals. But, it sounds as if Westgate is the main (or only?) system you've looked into so far. And, I don’t think Westgate is a good option – it really won’t get you to either of your goals. There are much, much better timeshare options to achieve your goals.

For the first goal, it sounds like the Westgate you are considering actually has quite high maintenance fees. You said the fee was $419 a year, correct? And I assume you pay that *every* year, even though you only get usage once every *other* year? So, that actually makes the fee $838 for each usage. And, you only get four nights each usage, not seven? If so, that works out to $209.50 per night, which is $1466.5 per seven nights. That is a REALLY high maintenance fees.

Plus, it’s not clear if you can actually trade this in II. Yes, Westgate told you that you could. But, you said yourself that Westgate is a bunch of liars. Maybe the sales staff in Vegas seemed nice, but when it comes to exchanges, you will be dealing with Westgate HQ in Florida – the same group of people you despised back when you owned your Florida timeshare.

As for your second goal, Westgate timeshares are among the hardest to get rid of. I doubt you can get Westgate to insert a buy-back clause in their contract. And even if you did, you’d probably have to go to court to enforce it. As for giving a timeshare away to another owner, probably the best place to do that is here on TUG. But, hardly anyone on TUG will even consider a Westgate ownership.

Here are a couple of options that would work better:

1) Buy a summer every-other-year Fairways of the Mountains (Lake Lure, NC) two-bedroom. These actually “lock-off” into two one-bedroom units. So, this gives you a one-bedroom unit to trade each year. The MF is about $350 every year. This resort trades very well in II. And, with summer units, Interval will give you an “Accommodation Certificate” (bonus week) for each one-bedroom. The Accommodation Certificates have much, much better availability than Interval’s lower-priced Getaways. (By the way, the Getaway you saw priced at $2500 probably isn’t available as an exchange at all.) This resort trades in RCI, not just II, so you would also have access to RCI’s rentals as well. (It’s only a so-so trader in RCI.) These weeks are really quite rare, but I can give you tips on finding one.

2) Buy a small Worldmark contract. This costs more than Fairways of the Mountains, but Worldmark resale contracts hold their value very, very well. Even during the worst of the Great Recession, no one was giving Worldmark contracts away. The prices went down, but you still had to pay to get one. For $2000, you can buy a small Worldmark contract. This will allow you to join both II and RCI and get rentals from both. It will also allow you one very powerful trade in II or RCI every other year. The annual fee would be about $500, and I think that includes a “free” RCI membership (not sure.) You can also rent one-time use of Worldmark credits to give you another powerful trading week each year.

By the way, you said you want to travel a lot, but didn’t say how many weeks a year you mean. If you want to travel a *lot* -- say, 8 weeks or more per year – you best option would probably be a UDI ownership at Christmas Mountain Village in the Wisconsin Dells. This very unusual ownership allows booking many weeks per year. The MF is $1200, plus a $95 cleaning fee per week. If you book 8 weeks a year (very doable), that works out to a fee of $245 per week booked. The units are all two-bedrooms, and they trade very well in both II and RCI. It’s also pretty easy to rent a summer week out as a way of reducing your total cost.

I love my (many) timeshares, and I encourage you to buy a timeshare. Actual exchanges have much more availability than low-priced rentals and getaways. But please, expand your search beyond Westgate!
 

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Oh, another thought. It sounds like a main benefit of your vacation club is access to II's Getaways. You could get the same access by buying a “swing-season” (off-season) studio at Falcon Point in Avon, Colorado. It has the lowest annual fee of any timeshare I know. I owned there a few years ago and the annual fee was $198. It’s a very well-run resort, and most of the units there have much higher maintenance fees, so it’s not underfunded. You can trade the studio for pretty much any last minute (less than 60 day) exchange on II. (If you book further than 60 days out, your exchange options will be limited because these studios are low-demand.) These units are pretty rare, but I think the resort will sell you one for about $500. Or, if you’re patient, you can pick one up on eBay for $1. The $5000 you spent on your vacation club could have been invested in Series I U.S. Savings bonds (which are indexed to inflation), and you'd have enough money to pay the maintenance fees for about the next 25 years. And, these studios are not that hard to give away here on TUG.

IMNSHO, you are trying to convince yourself that your vacation club purchase was a good deal. This is leading you to believe that the vacation club actually has equity that will be applied towards the purchase of your next Westgate timeshare. This equity does not exist. The Westgate in Florida was a bad deal. The Westgate vacation club was a bad deal. The Westgate in Vegas will also be a bad deal. Westgate specializes in getting people to buy bad deals. Walk away from them.
 

JudyS

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I own two vacation clubs. It is not about cost effectiveness. it is about the experience at each club. They are different and have different purposes.
Hank, it sounds like what you own is quite different from the Westgate vacation club that Cathy has discussed. The term "vacation club" gets used in various different ways in the timeshare industry. Both Marriott and Disney have products that they call "vacation clubs," but these are actually timeshare ownerships, not just a right to rent surplus units.

Can you tell us the names of the vacation clubs you own?
 

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1) You want to stay in nice timeshares at a reasonable price
2) You don't want to be stuck paying high maintenance fees on a timeshare you can't get rid of.

Yes, that pretty much sums it up, but I've given up on the idea of owning any timeshare.

For the first goal, it sounds like the Westgate you are considering actually has quite high maintenance fees. You said the fee was $419 a year, correct?

No. Actually it was $419.00 every TWO years, which I think is pretty low. Looking at Tuggs, I haven't seen any MF that low. I've been using $200.00 per year or 419.00 every two years interchangeably throughout this thread. Although the closing agent assured me that the HOA fees rarely go up in Vegas, its not written in my contract, so there is no guarantee they won't.

it’s not clear if you can actually trade this in II. Yes, Westgate told you that you could. But, you said yourself that Westgate is a bunch of liars. Maybe the sales staff in Vegas seemed nice, but when it comes to exchanges, you will be dealing with Westgate HQ in Florida – the same group of people you despised back when you owned your Florida timeshare.

Come on. Westgate is the third largest timeshare company in the world. Why wouldn't anyone who owns a timeshare be able to trade through Interval?

I doubt you can get Westgate to insert a buy-back clause in their contract.

I agree.

As for giving a timeshare away to another owner, probably the best place to do that is here on TUG. But, hardly anyone on TUG will even consider a Westgate ownership.

I don't want to deal with getting rid of any timeshare, Westgate or otherwise. If I couldn't give it away to someone and I couldn't sell it, I'd have to put it in my will to someone I hate, like my ex-husband. But what if I outlive him?

I love my (many) timeshares, and I encourage you to buy a timeshare. Actual exchanges have much more availability than low-priced rentals and getaways. But please, expand your search beyond Westgate!

No, I've decided timeshares aren't for me. I'm happy with my vacation club and I'll just stick with that. The timeshare I was interested in would give me higher end vacations, but I can't justify the cost. Say what you will about Westgate, in my own experience, some of what I've read on this site is true and some of it isn't. In real life while vacationing, I have encountered happy Westgate timeshare owners. I've also read positive reviews from them on trip advisor. I understand that I'm not going to find anything positive about them here on this website. The tricks they tried to play when I got out of the timeshare I almost bought in Florida was everything that everyone described to a T. All things considered, I take the pros AND the cons with a grain of salt. I believe that all timeshare companies are risky to deal with, and I also think buying a timeshare from a private owner has its risks as well. I think there may be some benefits to buying from a developer such as what Hankmoon mentioned, where you can negotiate an oceanview in your contract. I was also told that at the Westgate casino, a fully loaded cabana at the pool is only $200.00 to rent for the whole day to timeshare owners as opposed to the $2,500.00 you would have to pay anywhere else on the strip. Furthermore, if you spend $150.00 on food at the casino during your stay, the cabana is free! So there are perks like that, that are offered, that maybe you wouldn't get if you bought from a private owner. Still, these things aren't in writing. Regardless, its still not enough to justify the cost, because I don't really need that.

Just shoot me if I ever go to another timeshare presentation again. I always end up buying one and then changing my mind and backing out. Instead of coming home relaxed and rejuvenated, I come home stressed out and frazzled.
 

JudyS

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Actually it was $419.00 every TWO years, which I think is pretty low. Looking at Tuggs, I haven't seen any MF that low. I've been using $200.00 per year or 419.00 every two years interchangeably throughout this thread. Although the closing agent assured me that the HOA fees rarely go up in Vegas, its not written in my contract, so there is no guarantee they won't.
Thanks for the clarification. At one point, you said you were using the $200/year figure because it was the cost of your Vacation Club. So, I didn't realize that $200 was also the per-year cost for your annual fees.

Keep in mind, though, that the $419 every two years only gets your four nights, not a full week. So, it's more like $100 a night in annual fees. There are many timeshares whose fees are in the $100/night range. And, there are quite a few timeshares that have fees (for a full week) in the $450 - $500 range, and allow owners to own just one week every two years. So, the fees for these every-other-year timeshares would be $250 a year or less. And as I said, I know of a timeshare where $200 gets you a week (in a studio) every year.

Browsing the TUG Marketplace isn't the best way to find low-fee timeshares, because the best deals don't just sit around. A discussion on the Buying, Selling, Renting Board, asking which timeshares have the lowest fees per year, would be a better approach.


Come on. Westgate is the third largest timeshare company in the world. Why wouldn't anyone who owns a timeshare be able to trade through Interval?
Because Interval generally requires depositing a full week. What you'll own with Westgate isn't a full week, it's just four nights. Westgate may have verbally told you that you can deposit into Interval, but Westgate sales agents have quite a reputation for lying.

Also, II has more Westgate weeks than they can find occupants for. In Orlando, the Westgates tend to be among the last timeshares to fill up. So, it’s not as if Interval is begging for more Westgate deposits.

Just shoot me if I ever go to another timeshare presentation again. I always end up buying one and then changing my mind and backing out. Instead of coming home relaxed and rejuvenated, I come home stressed out and frazzled.
A lot of people on TUG refuse to set foot in timeshare presentations. Presentations do indeed add stress to one’s vacation, even if one *doesn’t* buy. So, I think your decision to avoid these presentations is a very good one.

I've given up on the idea of owning any timeshare.
OK, yes, timeshares aren’t for everyone. But if you ever get tempted by those “free cabanas” and other perks, I’d suggest asking here rather than going to a developer. Developers want your money and many salespeople will say anything to talk you into a timeshare. The members on TUG know an amazingly amount about timeshares. When TUG members say something on these forums, it is almost always because they truly believe it, not because they are trying to get people to part with their money.

I think you encountered some problems on this thread because you asked for advice, and then argued against the advice people were giving you. Some of the folks here “live and breathe” timeshares (I own about 30, myself) so they get upset when a new member acts as if TUG members don’t know much about timeshares. If a new member here just asks, “Is timeshare for me? And if, so, which one would suit me best?” then they generally get a friendly reception and good advice.
 
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