Posters Dissing Free Timeshare Giveaway Forum Ads

[CalGalTraveler]

People cannot comment on classified advertisements so why is it allowed in the Free Timeshare Giveaway forum?

While I believe it is appropriate for people to provide their opinion on all other forums about the pros and cons of a timeshare resort or deed specifics, there have been a number of commenters, not involved in the transaction, providing unhelpful and speculative comments about free timeshare giveaway advertisements in that forum.

For example, general commenters providing negative opinions about the giveaway. Okay so you would not buy it because it has high maintenance fees, but maybe someone else has a situation which finds value - you've just made prospective buyers feel foolish for considering it - and the poster feel stupid for owning the timeshare which adds insult to injury. This seems to go against the spirit of TUG.

What do you expect for a free timeshare? If it had value it wouldn't be listed in this forum except for rare unicorns where the family or elderly owner just wants out. Providing unicorn listings is not the purpose of the free giveaway forum AFAIK.

Or speculative comments about the general area which could be true or untrue e.g. how future hurricanes will affect Florida timeshares, or the Lahaina fires will affect resort staffing. Such comments not only distract from the ad but kill any prospect for the poster re-homing the deed. This feels unfair to the poster - especially since the commenters are not interested in taking the deed.

There may be many issues with a free car posted in a classified ad, but others are not allowed to post and point them out. YMMV. It is helpful to ask for the MF and other deed specifics, but IMHO inappropriate comments by people who are not involved in the transaction feel unfair.

Rant over. (FWIW...I have not posted a free giveaway, so I have no horse in the race, however someday I may want to give away a timeshare.)

 

[GrayFal]

 

[rickandcindy23]

I agree that people should keep opinions to themselves.

I see one I referred to a friend because the resort has just been drastically updated, and they own a week there already. It was fine before, but it's way better now. The units are beautifully updated, and the studio is such a nice size.

 

[dioxide45]

I can see both sides of this. I notice a lot of new people scouring the Free Timeshares forum. They may not be aware of some of the issues. I have seen some timeshares listed for free where the poster didn't disclose large special assessments that were due or coming up. These should certainly be called out.

I looked at the post about the Maui fires and that seemed to be in a direct response to someone asking about how the fires could impact the resort.

It should be up to the buyer to do their due diligence but there are some timeshares that are so flawed that they simply aren't worth taking, even if for free. If someone is listing their Westgate timeshare that has significant resale restrictions that the person listing the unit isn't mentioning, should other posters not point that out?

 

[marmite]

Absolutely agree @CalGalTraveler. I have seen several free listings where subsequent comments killed the prospects of giving away the timeshare. If someone wants to do research on IF a timeshare is good choice or not for them, there are other places for that discussion.

 

[GrayFal]

Absolutely agree @CalGalTraveler. I have seen several free listings where subsequent comments killed the prospects of giving away the timeshare. If someone wants to do research on IF a timeshare is good choice or not for them, there are other places for that discussion.

Or telling the poster they should not give away as the ownership has “value” - just not the place/forum for that discussion

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I can see both sides of this. I notice a lot of new people scouring the Free Timeshares forum. They may not be aware of some of the issues. I have seen some timeshares listed for free where the poster didn't disclose large special assessments that were due or coming up. These should certainly be called out.

I looked at the post about the Maui fires and that seemed to be in a direct response to someone asking about how the fires could impact the resort.

It should be up to the buyer to do their due diligence but there are some timeshares that are so flawed that they simply aren't worth taking, even if for free. If someone is listing their Westgate timeshare that has significant resale restrictions that the person listing the unit isn't mentioning, should other posters not point that out?

Okay. Perhaps if there are serious issues like a known assessment missing or the MF or unit season is wrong or missing to correct the ad.

But we have seen comments recently when the MF is clearly listed, "The maintenance fees are high, I would never buy that."

I have seen people that own Westgate or have family that own Westgate that want another Westgate - despite the resale drawback. Who am I to tell them that it doesn't have value? Disclosing the resale limitations may be in line with the first sentence above on accuracy - or not. It's a grey area. All timeshare systems have resale limitations. Where do you draw the line?

Perhaps adding a "Caveat Emptor: conduct due diligence" at the top of the forum and encouraging prospective buyers to ask questions in the relevant forum about a specific deed or developer if they desire further info.

I am not against asking questions and conducting due diligence. The Forums are a better place for such research.

 

[jp10558]

Hmm, I kind of see both sides of this - on the one hand, I hate to see someone pick up a timeshare that isn't going to be good - and many posters don't actually know the restrictions on the resale - they talk about how they used it as a developer purchase.

 

[TUGBrian]

unsolicited and unnecessary comments on free giveaways can be reported and deleted yes, especially opinions!

if a question is asked however, i do not see an issue with someone responding to an interested party with additional information even if that information isnt terribly flattering....though again just responding with factual and pertinent information that a potential buyer likely needs to know.

 

[TUGBrian]

i just clicked on some random free giveaway posts and didnt see anything out of line, but maybe some got deleted.

i do recall the recent hilton silver week discussion, and that certainly did spin out of control (and some posts got deleted) but in that case I dont think that actually made the chance of finding a taker for that week any worse as it was already about as close to zero as it could get. but you are correct the unrelated stuff should not have been posted in that thread though it was also hashed out in the multiple other threads by that same party and as such I think it carried over simply because of who had posted it.

will keep an eye on it in the future and feel free to report things that are out of line.

 

[easyrider]

People cannot comment on classified advertisements so why is it allowed in the Free Timeshare Giveaway forum?

While I believe it is appropriate for people to provide their opinion on all other forums about the pros and cons of a timeshare resort or deed specifics, there have been a number of commenters, not involved in the transaction, providing unhelpful and speculative comments about free timeshare giveaway advertisements in that forum.

For example, general commenters providing negative opinions about the giveaway. Okay so you would not buy it because it has high maintenance fees, but maybe someone else has a situation which finds value - you've just made prospective buyers feel foolish for considering it - and the poster feel stupid for owning the timeshare which adds insult to injury. This seems to go against the spirit of TUG.

What do you expect for a free timeshare? If it had value it wouldn't be listed in this forum except for rare unicorns where the family or elderly owner just wants out. Providing unicorn listings is not the purpose of the free giveaway forum AFAIK.

Or speculative comments about the general area which could be true or untrue e.g. how future hurricanes will affect Florida timeshares, or the Lahaina fires will affect resort staffing. Such comments not only distract from the ad but kill any prospect for the poster re-homing the deed. This feels unfair to the poster - especially since the commenters are not interested in taking the deed.

There may be many issues with a free car posted in a classified ad, but others are not allowed to post and point them out. YMMV. It is helpful to ask for the MF and other deed specifics, but IMHO inappropriate comments by people who are not involved in the transaction feel unfair.

Rant over. (FWIW...I have not posted a free giveaway, so I have no horse in the race, however someday I may want to give away a timeshare.)

Is this rant related to the Kaanapalli deeded timeshare where I answered the op's question relating to how the fires affected the resorts on Kaanapalli ? I thought it was a very positive and helpful remark.

Bill

Also, just curious how the fires may have affected the resort, if at all?

Most of the refugees have moved out of the Kaanapalli resorts and the Lahaina Strong fishing camp on Kaanapalli Beach has disbanded. There may be a worker shortage in Kaanapalli due to the fire and people moving out of the area for housing.

 

[davidvel]

It seems a bit duplicitous to state that the potential taker should do their due diligence, but also complain that comments should be turned off so that accurate factual information cannot be provided. I haven't commented on such ads in a long time, but have seen posters that leave out highly relevant info that newbies likely would not know, and not be able to know, from other sources. It is hard to apply caveat emptor where the "buyer" does not have the ability to find out important info about the giveaway.

While it is not a sale per se, a seller in most states is obligated to disclose all facts material to a transaction that the other party does not know. Materiality means any info that would affect the "buyers" decision to buy or not. If the fact sways someone to not want it, it is material. Put another way (how it is explained to real estate agents), if you don't want the buyer to know the information because you are afraid it may make them less apt to buy, it is material and you must disclose.

I think the same should apply to a giveaway here. Otherwise TUG is just as bad as a developer that only gives selective info, and doesn't tell an unsuspecting buyer the reality of the whole transaction. Many people post giveaway ads and do not disclose info about the trash they are pawning off. This should not be allowed.

Comments that are pure opinion, random discussion, inaccurate, or non-factual should be reported and deleted, in my opinion.

 

[dioxide45]

I have seen people that own Westgate or have family that own Westgate that want another Westgate - despite the resale drawback.

But these kinds of people are going to look past any comments made by others about the restrictions as they know what it is they are buying.

 

[klpca]

I gave away a free timeshare that was located in a place that some tuggers would never own (Mexico), and opinions were given, lol. The funny thing was that I cross posted it on a Facebook page for owners and gave it away in one day. The buyer was thrilled to only have to pay the transfer fee. Of course I received zero interest on my TUG listing.

 

[marmite]

What about having a template/format people have to use for the giveaway ads (or rules such as for posting a Distressed week)? Then people would have an opportunity to fill out the relevant info, including a statement as to whether there is a special assessment, mortgage etc. If we see something we know to be untrue or incomplete we could flag it and the moderator could remove. If I list my week on eBay, classifieds or some such thing, even if free or a starting bid of zero, people can't change my ad or include their opinion on if it is good or not.

 

[davidvel]

I gave away a free timeshare that was located in a place that some tuggers would never own (Mexico), and opinions were given, lol. The funny thing was that I cross posted it on a Facebook page for owners and gave it away in one day. The buyer was thrilled to only have to pay the transfer fee. Of course I received zero interest on my TUG listing.

Are they happy with what you gave them? Have they since learned things they did know know that they are disappointed with?

 

[davidvel]

What about having a template/format people have to use for the giveaway ads (or rules such as for posting a Distressed week)? Then people would have an opportunity to fill out the relevant info, including a statement as to whether there is a special assessment, mortgage etc. If we see something we know to be untrue or incomplete we could flag it and the moderator could remove. If I list my week on eBay, classifieds or some such thing, even if free or a starting bid of zero, people can't change my ad or include their opinion on if it is good or not.

Luckily, TUG is not Ebay.

 

[marmite]

Luckily, TUG is not Ebay.

But it could be better. Complete ads with the relevant information would be a starting point of informing buyers what they're getting.

 

[alwysonvac]

Or telling the poster they should not give away as the ownership has “value” - just not the place/forum for that discussion

Sorry, I disagree with this point.

I’ve made the “value” post when the timeshare could be easily resold for $5,000+ since some owners have no clue.

If the owner is aware and still doesn’t care that’s different vs a buyer who is simply going to profit from the giveaway.

- 2022 Westin Kaanapali (link)
- 2019 Westin Kaanapali (link)
- 2023 Hyatt Kaanapali (link)

 

[klpca]

Are they happy with what you gave them? Have they since learned things they did know know that they are disappointed with?

? I have no idea. She was an owner already and couldn't believe that she could get another unit for the cost of a transfer fee. When it completed, we were both happy.

 

[DeniseM]

I think factual posts that add missing info using a neutral tone can be helpful. But posts that sneer at the offer, or take the thread off topic, are problematic. I occasionally delete or edit inappropriate posts in that forum. YMMV

 

[TUGBrian]

What about having a template/format people have to use for the giveaway ads (or rules such as for posting a Distressed week)? Then people would have an opportunity to fill out the relevant info, including a statement as to whether there is a special assessment, mortgage etc. If we see something we know to be untrue or incomplete we could flag it and the moderator could remove. If I list my week on eBay, classifieds or some such thing, even if free or a starting bid of zero, people can't change my ad or include their opinion on if it is good or not.

there are two sticky threads in the free giveaway forum with one even specifying exactly what details should be included in a free giveaway thread.

id say its followed mabye 25% of the time.

 

[DeniseM]

Some owners don't really know what they own, so they may need help finding the info. I don't think that should preclude them from posting their offer. After they post, people will ask questions and point them in the right direction. Most of the time it works just fine.

 

[rickandcindy23]

After I pay the special assessment I am required to pay before deeding Blue Ridge Village back to Bluegreen on 7/1, I have considered advertising it here on TUG as a giveaway with LT Transfer's closing costs paid by the buyer. I would love to keep the week out of Bluegreen's greedy hands. After paying two special assessments with total out-of-pocket at about $2,000, I am pretty fed up with Bluegreen.

But then again, the maintenance fees are also high, so it's not just the special assessment that makes me dislike Bluegreen and BRV.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

It seems a bit duplicitous to state that the potential taker should do their due diligence, but also complain that comments should be turned off so that accurate factual information cannot be provided. I haven't commented on such ads in a long time, but have seen posters that leave out highly relevant info that newbies likely would not know, and not be able to know, from other sources. It is hard to apply caveat emptor where the "buyer" does not have the ability to find out important info about the giveaway.

While it is not a sale per se, a seller in most states is obligated to disclose all facts material to a transaction that the other party does not know. Materiality means any info that would affect the "buyers" decision to buy or not. If the fact sways someone to not want it, it is material. Put another way (how it is explained to real estate agents), if you don't want the buyer to know the information because you are afraid it may make them less apt to buy, it is material and you must disclose.

I think the same should apply to a giveaway here. Otherwise TUG is just as bad as a developer that only gives selective info, and doesn't tell an unsuspecting buyer the reality of the whole transaction. Many people post giveaway ads and do not disclose info about the trash they are pawning off. This should not be allowed.

Comments that are pure opinion, random discussion, inaccurate, or non-factual should be reported and deleted, in my opinion.

If there is wrong or missing info e.g. wrong MF, then fine for contributors to point out or add if it helps the accuracy of the listing.

Similar to classified ads, if the timeshare is falsely advertised it is on the seller to represent appropriately. If the buyer does not get what was stated in the advertisement their recourse is to sue the seller for false advertisement. Although Tuggers can point out material issues such as a known assessment, or missing info, it is not TUG's job to police the accuracy of listings.