Sticky - Hilton Vacation Club / DRI now accepting deedbacks - Give back your HGV/Diamond Resorts Timeshare

[VegasBella]

I am a legacy week owner at a resort previously managed by Monarch.
I was curious so I asked about the program last year and received this response:

Dear VegasBella,

Thank you for your email! Pursuant to your request for information on our
voluntary surrender program. There is no compensation. If interested, please
submit a hardship letter either by email to lossmitigation@diamondresorts.com
or mail to the address below. Upon review, we will determine if you are
eligible and have met our requirements listed below.

* Loan MUST be paid in full
* Maintenance fees and/or club dues MUST be current
* Resort MUST be on DRI approved list for surrender
* $250 processing fee per contract - due upon execution of paperwork

Diamond Resorts International
Attn: Loss Mitigation
10600 W Charleston Blvd
Las Vegas, NV 89135

I believe my ownership has a bit of value, I enjoy using it, and I'm not desperate to get out of it so I'm not going to pay them to get rid of it. First I would try to sell it. Then, I would offer it free on TUG first and only failing that would I go to DRI. So I don't know if they would take it back or not, just sharing this info in case it helps anyone.

 

[jifercanuck]

So, we've been DRI owners, (formerly Sunterra and others...) since the late 90s. Our whole family joined in; mom, dad, two kids....all co-owners. I have advice for those thinking of relinquishing this ownership! First, don't put your whole family on the deed! Secondly, beware of DRI ownership if you're a foreigner and ever want to get rid of it! Our Dad passed away in 2006. Our Mom is now in long-term care, suffering from dementia. We used the advice on here to inform DRI that we were done with our ownership and wanted to return it, no loans to pay off, no strings attached, and we informed them that my Dad had passed and Mom was unavailable.

Problem is, we're Canadians....

Boy oh boy is that EVER a hassle! We sent them everything they asked for, death notification, POA for Mom, title fee, the works. We sought out a notary while together in the States over March Break and signed off but the notary also signed herself in a "witness" which is not allowed (and we didn't know this, of course!) If that were the only problem it would be fixable. However, they've now returned everything, with additional forms to be notarized because, unknown to us, they apparently didn't pay close attention to my initial email and didn't send all the documents requiring notarization. Now, we are back in Canada, in separate regions. Getting a document bound for the U.S. "authenticated" in Canada is a pain in the ... especially when the two signers are not in the same place.

Apparently, the US will not accept Canadian notarization without authentication at two levels! Now, the title company wants an ORIGINAL death certificate, an ORIGINAL POA document. (we sent copies) accompanied by additional notarized documents (which they didn't send us initially). All Canadian notarized documents must be authenticated by the U.S. embassy and there is a charge for each page. All we wanted to do was get out of this with minimal fuss and expense. The total cost of getting this paperwork done will exceed $750.00 according to our best guess because we have to hire a firm to process it all, in duplicate for both of us, and get these documents through two different agencies in Ottawa before sending them on to Las Vegas! Needless to say, we're considering other "options". None of them includes maintaining a timeshare costing us over $1000 CDN per year.

 

[Quimby4]

March 12, 2017 - $250 paid via credit card and notarized paperwork submitted
April 6, 2017 - Deed transfer recorded per Chicago Title
May 16, 2017 - still show as active owner in Diamond.

Any suggestions?

 

[TUGBrian]

keep emailing/calling

 

[meggerss]

Just for the record, I was recently successful in deeding back our Isle of Bali/Liki Tiki Village week to Diamond. It does take some time and patience is required. I found Chicago Title to be extremely cooperative and helpful in processing the deed, which was registered back to Diamond in mid-November.

However, 2+ months later, our Diamond account still showed as active. I contacted Diamond and found that they were (apparently) not aware of the deed being processed, perhaps due to the registrar misspelling our name when recording the deed!? After pointing them to the deed, they soon closed our account. I believe Chicago Title had informed Diamond of the deed being registered, so not sure about why the issue here.

After getting the deed issue resolved, I then requested a refund of our 2017 club service fees that we auto-payed for 10 months in 2016. After 4-5 calls over the next 2-3 months, they finally approved the refund and we received a check in April. Again, patience and persistence was required to move the refund along.

The process does work, but there are some steps that seem to take longer than one would expect. Good luck to others!

 

[cgeidl]

We paid our Deedback fee in December for the program. Just yesterday we received a certified letter from Diamond resorts Demanding that we pay the annual maintenance fee with extra fees for not being paid on time. I called this morning and demanded that our account get fixed and a letter acknowledging that we Recive the Deedback forour property .They could do nothing on the telephone.

 

[TUGBrian]

did they cash your check and send you the paperwork to initiate the deedback?

 

[dougp26364]

We paid our Deedback fee in December for the program. Just yesterday we received a certified letter from Diamond resorts Demanding that we pay the annual maintenance fee with extra fees for not being paid on time. I called this morning and demanded that our account get fixed and a letter acknowledging that we Recive the Deedback forour property .They could do nothing on the telephone.

They're pretty disorganized with one dept not telling the other what's been done. I had to call our resort, tell them everything had been turned over to loss mitigation and that the contracts were no longer in our names. I offered to send them copies of the paperwork and cancelled checks if they needed reminding. They were able to call loss mitigation and confirm the transfer. I also had to remind THE Club, who attempted to bill me membership fees with no contracts in the account, that we were no longer owners and therefore no longer members. They got that straightened out as well.

 

[cgeidl]

did they cash your check and send you the paperwork to initiate the deedback?

Yes Check went thru in December. Called today and the Title company has not completed the transfer. Was told it could take a year and a half or more in some cases.unbelievable processing time and the HOA for our resort is threatening liens, and foreclosure and turn over to a debt collector agency.
Oh well there is the federal fair credit practices act which we used as a suit basis against a bank and Transunuion credit agency a couple years ago and ended up with over $100,000 to the good after legal fees. Much hassle and a few court days but a healthy settlement. Diamond resorts are that they could not issue a letter saying that we had did it back until the title company complete transfer as we could call the title company and cancel the escrow and get our timeshare back.

 

[dougp26364]

I'm not so sure I wouldn't call the state of Nevada AG and run this scam by them. I wouldn't expect it would get you anywhere but you never know.

 

[TUGBrian]

Id gather its just as suspected above...the left hand not communicating with the right hand.

id certainly reply to the folks yelling at you for not paying and provide them with copies of the deedback info and the cancelled check.

 

[RLS50]

Unfortunately this type of dysfunction seems to be common inside Diamond. We have found that different departments don't really talk to each other, and you will rarely find any customer service agent who will take your issue and own it to resolution, if it requires assistance and coordination from other departments. If that happens you usually just get passed around from department to department like a ping pong ball. Sometimes if you can request and get an actual supervisor on the phone they may be able to take care of it for you, maybe not.

Just document all your correspondence, who you spoke with and when, and your paperwork. And have that available to provide to whoever is requesting it. Time consuming and painful I know.

 

[TheWizz]

...I sent the email in to DRI on June 13th to deed-back my three timeshares. A couple of days later, I received an email stating they had received it and got a ticket#. A week later I inquired again and was told it was approved and that the whole process could take "45-60 days" to complete...
I received a FedEx envelope from the Title Co. on Aug. 4th for "one" of my three DRI timeshare deeds (PT Villas). I expected the other two to arrive a few days later, but after two weeks, no more paperwork. I called DRI and inquired and they said that sometimes the title searches take longer for some properties vs. others, but said they are in-progress and the Title Co. will send the paperwork out by deed as they are ready. So... I'll just keep waiting for the other two deeds paperwork to arrive and then get it all notarized at one time and send all three back together. The positive is I should have them all (relatively soon) and sent in before the grim reaper comes a calling in Dec. seeking next year's MFs, which I do not plan to pay, ever, again.

Since I didn't have all the deeds before EOY2016, I contacted the Loss Mitigation Dept. about the 2017 MFs and I was told since I was approved before the EOY for deed back, I would not have to pay any of the 2017 MFs. Of course that didn't stop them from harassing me starting Feb. 1st for being "late" on my MF payments.

Almost ONE YEAR after I started the process to deed back my three DRI timeshares, it is FINALLY done and over!

I received by second timeshare paperwork in January and the third (finally!) about four weeks ago, after dozens of calls and emails to the Loss Mitigation Dept. I had all three notarized, sent in the deeds and the check for $250x3, and waited. About two weeks later the check for $750 cleared. I logged on last week and it didn't show any deeds or MFs due, however, it still showed I had 30K points for 2017 and 30K for 2018. Guess I should have booked something grand!

I wrote the Loss Mitigation Dept. one last time alerting them to this, and the next day when I logged on, it showed I no longer have access to the site or anything on DRI. Such a nice feeling... So now my 30K points and the $3600 in yearly Club Dues and MFs are finally gone.

 

[pistachio27]

Since I didn't have all the deeds before EOY2016, I contacted the Loss Mitigation Dept. about the 2017 MFs and I was told since I was approved before the EOY for deed back, I would not have to pay any of the 2017 MFs. Of course that didn't stop them from harassing me starting Feb. 1st for being "late" on my MF payments.

Almost ONE YEAR after I started the process to deed back my three DRI timeshares, it is FINALLY done and over!

I received by second timeshare paperwork in January and the third (finally!) about four weeks ago, after dozens of calls and emails to the Loss Mitigation Dept. I had all three notarized, sent in the deeds and the check for $250x3, and waited. About two weeks later the check for $750 cleared. I logged on last week and it didn't show any deeds or MFs due, however, it still showed I had 30K points for 2017 and 30K for 2018. Guess I should have booked something grand!

I wrote the Loss Mitigation Dept. one last time alerting them to this, and the next day when I logged on, it showed I no longer have access to the site or anything on DRI. Such a nice feeling... So now my 30K points and the $3600 in yearly Club Dues and MFs are finally gone.

So what of your original deeded time share weeks? Do you no longer own them? Are you out the money spent on your 30k points and what you paid originally for your units?

 

[TUGBrian]

Unfortunately no matter what your solution, you wont ever recover the money spent originally buying retail.

 

[DRICaptive]

excellent!

I would be interested to know what the "Fee" is for deeding back your unit.

$250 per contract for paperwork processing. I just did this in April 2017.

 

[tstora]

It took three months and four calls, but I finally received a refund for 2017's maintenance fees! I finally got the refund within a day after the final call because a very helpful rep actually went down to the payment processing department to see what the holdup was. Thanks very much to her!

As I've stated previously, I started the deedback process and prepaid my 2017 fees back in September of 2016. I have no idea what the cutoff date would be to get a refund, but it really doesn't hurt to call and try. Getting rid of the timeshare in the first place was fantastic, but getting my maint fees back was a lovely cherry on the top.

 

[RLS50]

I finally got the refund within a day after the final call because a very helpful rep actually went down to the payment processing department to see what the holdup was. Thanks very much to her!

Glad you had that experience and got that help. Some of the people we have dealt with inside Diamond have been very friendly. You could tell some tried to be helpful, but their internal processes seemed completely dysfunctional, especially last year when we were trying to deal with any issue that required coordination from multiple departments. But I will admit that recently things have started to seem like they were getting better. I recently talked to a rep from Diamond who told me a new executive had taken over customer services with the mandate to make improvements and fix the problems. We have seen some signs of improvement. It will be interesting to see if it is real trend or just a brief anomaly.

 

[koric1]

Hello, Need advice PLEASE. DRI Hawaii collection and we'd like to find a way out. Been a member since 2013. Is the deed back still available?

 

[Kathy Parrish]

It took three months and four calls, but I finally received a refund for 2017's maintenance fees! I finally got the refund within a day after the final call because a very helpful rep actually went down to the payment processing department to see what the holdup was. Thanks very much to her!

As I've stated previously, I started the deedback process and prepaid my 2017 fees back in September of 2016. I have no idea what the cutoff date would be to get a refund, but it really doesn't hurt to call and try. Getting rid of the timeshare in the first place was fantastic, but getting my maint fees back was a lovely cherry on the top.

I had paid my maintenence fees so I asked if I could use my points while we were waiting on the process to take back my points and was told I could not use them. We have since been released from Diamond, I wonder what the chances are that I could request my fees back?

 

[tstora]

I had paid my maintenence fees so I asked if I could use my points while we were waiting on the process to take back my points and was told I could not use them. We have since been released from Diamond, I wonder what the chances are that I could request my fees back?

They told me refunds were given on a case-by-case basis, which I'm thinking was code for, "If you keep calling us enough we'll give it to you. Otherwise we hope you'll give up trying and forget about it." Seriously, though, you won't lose anything except your time by giving them a call and trying. Just be prepared to make lots of follow-up calls.

 

[TheWizz]

So what of your original deeded time share weeks? Do you no longer own them? Are you out the money spent on your 30k points and what you paid originally for your units?

Yes, if you do a "deedback" process with DRI, the deeds go back to DRI, along with the MFs. The original costs paid are sunk costs. However, I bought all my Sunterra/DRI resorts on the resale market for pennies on the dollar many years ago. The most I ever paid was the conversion fee ($3K??) to get into "The Club" with my deeded weeks, several years ago when they allowed such transactions. If the MFs hadn't skyrocketed as much as they have over the past several years, I might have kept my DRI holdings, but they did go way up and our travel habits have changed, empty nesters now, etc., so just didn't need them any longer and not worth the cost of the MFs each year, especially after they kept devaluing some of the benefits that in prior years allowed me to basically get most of my MFs back by booking a cruise and then cancelling it. That prior program ended a few years ago. So I'm glad I got out when I did.

 

[Firepath]

It sounds like at least some of the Monarch (MGV) deedback requests are being denied for whatever reason. I thought my elderly dad had paid his dues and late fees, etc. but found out when I had to sign for a certified notice (his mail comes to my address) from MGV that he didn't. I had told him he needed to pay it up to date and then we could request the deedback, but now he received a "Suspension and Right to Repossess Notice." Since the deedback request isn't guaranteed to be approved and it appears they are ready to repossess, is that a reasonable way to get rid of it? I know he may still have to pay the fees and it may mess up his credit but he's 87 yrs. old and isn't going to be doing anything that requires good credit. I'm not looking for legal advice but does anyone know if just letting a timeshare be repossessed is a reasonable way to go under these circumstances?

 

[TUGBrian]

Hello, Need advice PLEASE. DRI Hawaii collection and we'd like to find a way out. Been a member since 2013. Is the deed back still available?

follow the directions in the first post and send off an email!

 

[koalamoose]

It sounds like at least some of the Monarch (MGV) deedback requests are being denied for whatever reason. I thought my elderly dad had paid his dues and late fees, etc. but found out when I had to sign for a certified notice (his mail comes to my address) from MGV that he didn't. I had told him he needed to pay it up to date and then we could request the deedback, but now he received a "Suspension and Right to Repossess Notice." Since the deedback request isn't guaranteed to be approved and it appears they are ready to repossess, is that a reasonable way to get rid of it? I know he may still have to pay the fees and it may mess up his credit but he's 87 yrs. old and isn't going to be doing anything that requires good credit. I'm not looking for legal advice but does anyone know if just letting a timeshare be repossessed is a reasonable way to go under these circumstances?

Firepath, I was in the exact same situation with my dad's MGV timeshare (he has points as opposed to a deed) - father received certified mail notice for repossession (I receive his mail too and managed his affairs). I had doubts, but by following the instructions in this thread I've gotten a positive and timely response from DRI. I am in the final stages of closing his account. Here's what I did:

1. 6/29/17: Paid all fees due for 2017 in advance - they won't continue with the buyback unless the timeshare balance is $0 on the account for this year.

2. 6/29/17: Emailed lossmitigation@diamondresorts.com; Subject: Inventory Takeback Request
Text: Hello, I am beginning the process for a Deedback request for my Monarch Grand Vacation. Owner is in poor health and unable to use properties in the future. [you can word this as you see fit; just a short message indicating that there is no need for the timeshare anymore - maybe include financial hardships, medical issues?] Information is below and attached. Balance through 4th quarter 2017 fully paid on June 29, 2017.
Owner Name: / Member No.: /Type: /Level:/ Account Number: / Inventory owned (ie. weeks, points, etc):

3. 6/29/17: received automated message: Thank you for your e-mail. A new ticket has been created. A Diamond Resorts International Team Member will contact you within 1-2 business days. Please use this ticket number for all future correspondence.
Thank you,
Inventory Recovery Support

4. 7/6/17: response: Thank you for your correspondence. Please be advised that Diamond Resorts
International ("Diamond") does not have a voluntary surrender program; however, relinquishments requests are reviewed on a case-by-case basis. Diamond takes the concerns of its owners, members and guests very seriously, and empathizes with its owners and members circumstances and understands that from time-to-time, certain issues may arise which would prevent them from taking advantage of their purchase.

Therefore, after review of the account, Diamond has approved the request to voluntarily surrender the ownership for relinquishment for a $250.00 administrative/ transfer fee ($250.00 each/per account). A Mutual Release and Termination Agreement for your execution will be sent to you in the next 15-20 business day.

Please send any further request/inquiry to this email.

5. 7/7/17: sent release agreement; asked to notarize, sign and return along $250 check for admin/transfer fee (sent it same day)

6. 7/19/17: saw that the check cleared, just sent a message asking what the status is on the cancellation.

So it looks like I'm almost done! DRI has been good to work with through this process. It does still appear to be evaluated on a case to case basis, but they seem reasonable if you have a good justification (and poor health does appear to be a reasonable request given my and other folks on this discussion board). I considered just letting the timeshare lapse, but honestly I think that would be a drawn out and stressful process to keep receiving scary notices in the mail. Plus, if your father passes away it will just become more complicated. Some other posters mentioned that they requested a refund of their 4th quarter fees after the termination process was completed. If your father has the funds, my advice would be to just take care of it now, write it off as a loss, and move on with your life.