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

[koric1]

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.

Hello, Did your dad have a paid up mortgage ? I still have a mortgage on my timeshare.. also when you said you paid up the balance in full.. what was that referring to please

Thanks

 

[koalamoose]

Hello, Did your dad have a paid up mortgage ? I still have a mortgage on my timeshare.. also when you said you paid up the balance in full.. what was that referring to please

Thanks

hi there, the property did not have a mortgage balance - they bought a certain number of ownership points and it was paid off. He was paying the yearly dues and maintenance fees, which was close to $900/year. Needed to pay the entire year's maintenance fees upfront before DRI considered the release (ex. the 4th quarter fees were due in Sept/Oct but we needed to pay for it before asking for the release).

Glad to help/provide info to owners! This thread helped me find the answers to release my dad from his timeshare and I'm happy to give back.

 

[koalamoose]

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.

Update: DRI responded and said they cancelled account on 7/13 and will be mailing out a cancellation letter today! woohoo!

I encourage all DRI/MGV owners going through this situation to ask for a release and be patient through the process. It's definitely worth it to stay persistent!

 

[koric1]

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately for me, we have an outstanding mortgage to deal with. I don't know if I have any recourse with a deedback unless I pay off the mortgage Which I would immediately lose if they took it all back.. I'm thinking my only other way to handle this is with a timeshare attorney?

 

[koalamoose]

Thanks for your replies. Unfortunately for me, we have an outstanding mortgage to deal with. I don't know if I have any recourse with a deedback unless I pay off the mortgage Which I would immediately lose if they took it all back.. I'm thinking my only other way to handle this is with a timeshare attorney?

I am not sure - I'd review the postings in this thread to see what they did in your situation.

 

[geist1223]

I doubt that a "Timeshare" attorney will be able to get you out of your Contract. If you are serious about getting rid of it you may have to stop all payments, go into Default, and take a Hit on your Credut Rating.

 

[Firepath]

Thank you so much Koalamoose!! I just read your response and this is great news. I was surprised to see how quick the process was for you. I'm I going to get started on this tomorrow and hopefully will be done with it before the end of the year.

 

[TUGBrian]

a timeshare attorney is not going to get the credit company who lent you the money for the initial mortgage/payment to just forgive that debt.

any owner can get out of any timeshare if you simply stop paying...we assure you that your ownership will be terminated on its own if you cease payment!

the penalties/ramifications for not paying on a loan you took out however vary wildly depending on who loaned you the money (in many cases a 3rd party lender such as barclays for DRI). barclays could care less what your circumstances are or what you spent the money on (even if it wasnt a timeshare).

when it comes down to it for them, they loaned you x,xxx thousands of dollars that you used to pay for something. they dont want the item you paid for, they want you to repay the loan! it is a very important distinction many owners dont make (defaulting on a loan, vs defaulting on your maint fee payment) and one many "cancellation/attorneys/etc" exploit into convincing owners into paying them thousands more dollars.

 

[WackyLucy]

...we have an outstanding mortgage to deal with. I don't know if I have any recourse with a deedback unless I pay off the mortgage....I'm thinking my only other way to handle this is with a timeshare attorney?

You have a loan obligation. No attorney has any ability or avenue to ignore or alter that fact and no resort will accept a "deedback" in which you don't actually have clear title to do so in the first place, because of the associated loan debt. The loan debt must be satisfied.

 

[dri_daddyo]

I just wanted to say thanks for creating this thread.

I was finally able to get out of my DRI timeshare through this process.

I have a question about the $250 check, however. In the contract release paperwork I signed and had notarized, there was no mention of the $250 "processing fee". It was on the accompanying letter from DRI, but wasn't in my official paperwork. Any chance it wasn't legal for them to enforce? I paid it, but I choked a couple times while writing it.

 

[ChinoBC]

Sent our initial email last night. Wish us luck.

 

[ChinoBC]

Sent our initial email last night. Wish us luck.

They said they will mail us paperwork to begin the deed back process.

 

[Firepath]

So following Koalamoose's great information, I contacted DRI about my dad's MGV account. My plan was to pay the MF through the end of the year and then request a deed back due to his poor health. They wouldn't talk with me until I emailed my Power of Atty to them and they entered into their system which took several days. I called today to confirm they had it in the system and they told me there was a zero balance as the account was closed as of July 14 (30 days after the date on the "Suspension and Right to Repossess Notice"). It had already gone through foreclosure and they closed out the account. I explained what I had planned to do and they didn't seem to care that I intended to pay for this. I confirmed that they didn't send this to Collections and that they won't be sending it to Collections, that nothing is owed. It was kind of funny because they assumed I was trying to get the account back again and they were not going to allow that! Hopefully what they told me was true and we won't receive a bill sometime in the future. I'm happy that this now seems to be done.

 

[nomoretslt]

So following Koalamoose's great information, I contacted DRI about my dad's MGV account. My plan was to pay the MF through the end of the year and then request a deed back due to his poor health. They wouldn't talk with me until I emailed my Power of Atty to them and they entered into their system which took several days. I called today to confirm they had it in the system and they told me there was a zero balance as the account was closed as of July 14 (30 days after the date on the "Suspension and Right to Repossess Notice"). It had already gone through foreclosure and they closed out the account. I explained what I had planned to do and they didn't seem to care that I intended to pay for this. I confirmed that they didn't send this to Collections and that they won't be sending it to Collections, that nothing is owed. It was kind of funny because they assumed I was trying to get the account back again and they were not going to allow that! Hopefully what they told me was true and we won't receive a bill sometime in the future. I'm happy that this now seems to be done.

Me too. Got a response from DRI that they are accepting my voluntary surrender request. They have directed the title company to send me the Surrender Documents. $250 for documents and title transfer. I will rest easier when all is said and done. I will keep you all posted. I am so glad I stumbled upon this board. Thank you!!!

 

[nomoretslt]

They said they will mail us paperwork to begin the deed back process.

ChinoBC, have you received your paperwork yet? I'm about three days behind you, was also told the title company would be sending paperwork and nothing yet. I think I'm too anixous!

 

[ChinoBC]

ChinoBC, have you received your paperwork yet? I'm about three days behind you, was also told the title company would be sending paperwork and nothing yet. I think I'm too anixous!

Yes. Just had it notarized and sent off in the mail yesterday.

 

[nomoretslt]

Yes. Just had it notarized and sent off in the mail yesterday.

That is great news. Hoping to get mine in the next few days.

 

[nomoretslt]

Still waiting for my paperwork. Just as well, as I will be taking my week (hopefully last one) soon. Planned on dropping it in the mail the day I leave.

 

[She5tx]

Has anyone been able to receive a refund for the maintenance fees? Mine was taken back, I did not use my week this year hoping to recover the yearly fees? If you were able to recover where did you call? Thank you for this forum!!!!

 

[nomoretslt]

Has anyone been able to receive a refund for the maintenance fees? Mine was taken back, I did not use my week this year hoping to recover the yearly fees? If you were able to recover where did you call? Thank you for this forum!!!!

Congrats on the take back! If you go back a few pages from here, there were a couple of owners that did get maintenance fee refunds...so you will have to look. I'm not sure how many posting here come back once they are done with giving back their timeshare. I think the people that got refunds had either not taken their week yet or were having their fees subtracted monthly via direct debit. Or maybe send another email to loss mitigation....they might point you in the right direction. If the giveback closed before your "week", you should get a refund. No harm in asking. Good luck. That is why I'm not sending my paperwork in right away.....but am still anxious, as I have not received anything yet.

 

[tstora]

Has anyone been able to receive a refund for the maintenance fees? Mine was taken back, I did not use my week this year hoping to recover the yearly fees? If you were able to recover where did you call? Thank you for this forum!!!!

Call 1-877-497-7521, then press 3 for Inventory Recovery. They can put in a request for a refund, but they do say it's on a "case-by-case" basis. Until they outright tell you, "No," keep calling and asking. Some people have reported getting a refund within days of asking (I think they paid using a credit card), but I paid with a checking account and that caused some delays in getting the refund.

The key in getting a refund or even just starting the deedback process is persistence. If it's been a few weeks since your last correspondence, make sure to call or e-mail and ask for an update. The people there are generally very friendly and helpful, but I can imagine they're swamped with work so it may take time.

And, nomoretslt, I wouldn't worry too much (even though you better believe I did while I was waiting!). It took almost two months for me to receive the paperwork for my Orlando timeshare. Here's what Diamond told me:

"The timeline of the Title Company and their processes are unknown to us, as it
differs per account, property, and/or Owner(s). They have received a numerous
amount of requests from us and communications will come from the Title
Company, to the Owner, with a NEW Surrender Deed or a Letter requesting
further compliance from the Owner. You are welcome to follow-up with our
office if you have not received any communications after 60 days from your
initial request date."

Also, I encourage everyone who's had a successful deedback to support TUG by getting a membership, even if it's just 1 year. $15 is nothing compare to the thousands I'll save from now on, and I'll forever be grateful I found this place.

 

[nomoretslt]

tstora....was your Orlando timeshare title with First American? Don't want to post the resort name, I'm afraid of bad karma! But thanks for that, I'll rest a little easier.

 

[TUGBrian]

Also, I encourage everyone who's had a successful deedback to support TUG by getting a membership, even if it's just 1 year. $15 is nothing compare to the thousands I'll save from now on, and I'll forever be grateful I found this place.

thank you for the kind words! While tug membership is not required to obtain the info and advice we provide for owners...it certainly ensures that TUG will always exist as a place future owners can find help on the internet for free!

http://join.tug2.net

 

[tstora]

tstora....was your Orlando timeshare title with First American? Don't want to post the resort name, I'm afraid of bad karma! But thanks for that, I'll rest a little easier.

I honestly don't remember what the name of the title company was, but my timeshare was at Grande Villas Resort (formerly Cypress Pointe Resort II).

 

[nomoretslt]

I honestly don't remember what the name of the title company was, but my timeshare was at Grande Villas Resort (formerly Cypress Pointe Resort II).

Thanks for your response. I reread the e-mail I received from loss mitigation. I'm a little confused..."You are welcome to follow up with our office if you have not received any communications from the Title Company after 60 days from the date of the submittal". I am wondering if they mean 60 days of THEIR submittal of my request to them for 60 after I submit the paperwork to them.

I'll be sending loss mitigation another e-mail just to set my mind at ease, but based on what you are saying, it could take 60 days just for e to get my documents.

Chinobc, above, received his documents in a week and has already returned them. Different resort and different title company I am surmising. And mine is different from yours.

Thank you again everyone!