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Take our timeshare [SilverLeaf]

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Silver Leaf
My wife was dragged by a friend to a timeshare pitch when she was 19. Her friend is the flighty type and hyped her up about it. Long story short, my wife bought a timeshare after they promised the world and made it seem so great. A few years later we met and got married. She said she'd purchased a timeshare that she'd never used but thought maybe it could help us plan a honeymoon. I already knew timeshares are pretty much a scam, but we looked and there wasn't really anything we wanted to do.

My wife is 31. The timeshare is paid off. We've never used it. We don't want it. It's a ton of bricks on us. Every time she gets a letter from them, she wants to rip her hair out. All these companies want us to pay them to take it off our hands, or pay them to "list it."

The number of people trying to get out of timeshares should be a red flag to anyone thinking of buying a timeshare. It is such a complete scam, especially when you can just travel hack and not be limited in dates, or where you can go, and travel for free. I'm redeeming 4 free hotel nights Los Angeles for $2,250 worth in hotels in March. We're going to Athens and Santorini in May for $90 out of pocket on flights and rooms. We're staying in 5 star hotels. That's $383 in annual fees, and doesn't take into account the points I've earned, any room upgrades I'm sure to get, or the other free nights I currently still have with those cards for the same amount in annual fees.

Her timeshare is with SilverLeaf. If you want it, it's yours. We're giving it away. We won't pay you to take it. That seems like a scam in itself. If you know ways we could maximize it without paying out more to do your program, then I'll be interested in hearing from seasoned vets who've found a way to not get completely ripped off by timeshares. One guy said we could assign it to him, and for $10,000 he'd help us maximize the timeshare and convert everything to RCI points. Nope. Not doing that. Another scam.
 

DaveNV

TUG Review Crew: Expert
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Free Agent
Sounds like you’ve had a time of it. For the record, paying anybody an up-front fee to take or sell your timeshare is usually a scam. You wouldn’t pay a realtor up front to sell your house, so why do it with a timeshare?

I don’t know about Silverleaf, so can’t advise you about the best way to pass along what you own. But Tug has a Bargain Basement forum where you can list your timeshare for free, and know that an interested group of potential buyers will see the ad. There is also a Marketplace forum where secondary ads can be placed. Take some time to search out your options here and make a smart choice. I’ve personally bought and sold a number of timeshares here over the last fifteen years or so.

We’re a friendly, educated bunch, who know how to wring the maximum out of any timeshare ownership. Someone should be along soon to help you do the same thing. Welcome to Tug!

Dave
 

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite
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Wyndham Founder; Disney OKW & SSR; Marriott's Willow Ridge,Shadow Ridge,Grand Chateau;Val Chatelle; Hono Koa OF (3); SBR(LOTS), SDO a few; Grand Palms; WKORV-OF (2),Westin Desert Willow.
Silverleaf is in the Holiday Inn group?

Timeshares are not scams, not the way we use them and what we own. We travel 12 weeks per year with timeshares, and our kids also use our timeshares for their vacations, so probably 20 weeks per year, on average. We own a lot more than that.

Your wife just didn't buy a great timeshare, and those great ones can be had on the resale market for pennies, literally.
 

bizaro86

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If you want someone to take it for free, you'll need to put an ad with the actual details of the timeshare. What is the home resort, maintenance fee, size, etc. The TUG bargain basement would be a good plce to start.

If you really want to get rid of it, I would offer to pay closing costs, which should be about $200 plus anything Silverleaf charges. (Or Holiday Inn Vacations, who I think bought silverleaf). Use someone reputable like LT Transfers.

If you really, really want to get rid of it, I'd offer to give the new owners current year use. You've probably paid 2019 fees already (or if not, it will almost certainly need to be paid up to get rid of) but doesn't sound like you're using it. Giving the new owner free use of 2019 would make it more desirable as well.
 
Joined
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check with HICV and see if they will accept a deed back.
https://www.orangelake.com/horizons

I love you. Thank you so much!
They said they'll take it back at no cost. Lady said it's a 6-8 week process. We have to keep the fees current, but $100 in fees to get rid of this thing is better than paying some snake $2,500 to get rid of it.
 
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Silverleaf is in the Holiday Inn group?

Timeshares are not scams, not the way we use them and what we own. We travel 12 weeks per year with timeshares, and our kids also use our timeshares for their vacations, so probably 20 weeks per year, on average. We own a lot more than that.

Your wife just didn't buy a great timeshare, and those great ones can be had on the resale market for pennies, literally.


I respect your alternative view point. I don't see the value in hundreds of dollars of monthly maintenance fees, on top of the mortgage and nightly fee, to be limited in which week you can vacation and where you can vacation.

The Holiday Inn Orange Lake lady initially tried to convince us to keep the timeshare. She said we can use my wife's week in the 30th week of the year in Florida, or pay $75 to transfer it to some river resort in Illinois or some cabin place in Georgia. That may be some people's cup of tea, and I can certainly appreciate that they love those types of vacations, but it's just not ours. It's not a fit at all, and at 19 she certainly did know any better. It's a learning experience.

The Orange lake rep said Silver Leaf had a practice of preying on the younger individuals. They've seen a flood of paid 3rd party cancellations and just decided to start taking them back. That's fantastic for them. Certainly a stand up company, if true.

My wife and I aren't at the point where we can travel 12 weeks in a year. We have 3 kids. The oldest is only 9. We get 3 weeks vacation time. The flexibility, affordability and the experience of travel hacking with credit cards is just a much better fit. For $588 a year in resort maintenance fees alone, we can travel like the elite. Different strokes.
 
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Hey guys, thanks for y'alls help!

Someone gave me information about Holiday Inn Orange lake. They bought Silver Leaf. The rep on the phone said they had a flood of people returning their Silver Leaf timeshares via paid 3rd party vendors. They learned of Silver Leaf's predatory system for targeting younger individuals who don't know any better, and decided to take them back for free.

So my wife has started the process based of information originally gotten in this group! We're so happy to have gotten information that fast. We really can't thank everyone enough who took the time to respond.

We pay out $49 a month in maintenance fees. That's it at this point. Orange Lake gave us the pitch about how to use and benefit from the program my wife has, but it is simply not a fit. It's one week out of the year. There's a fee to switch weeks. There's a fee to switch locations. Location choices on the package don't fit.

We're incredibly happy with how we redeem travel points right now. It was a great life lesson, though it was an expensive one.

Anyways, thank you guys again. I really do appreciate the help and advice, and how quickly it came.
 

K2Quick

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My wife and I aren't at the point where we can travel 12 weeks in a year. We have 3 kids. The oldest is only 9. We get 3 weeks vacation time. The flexibility, affordability and the experience of travel hacking with credit cards is just a much better fit. For $588 a year in resort maintenance fees alone, we can travel like the elite. Different strokes.
You're actually the type of family that would benefit most from timeshares. The one you owned was just a rotten fit for you, though. Once you've had a chance to let the dust settle, it might be worth your time to figure out a timeshare system that fits with your objectives and explore buying options on the resale market. I get that you're staying in nice hotels now, but cramming your family in a small hotel room, even a nice one, is a pain compared to being able to put them in a separate bedroom. The extra space offered by 2 BR timeshares is nice. I much prefer a clean but modest 2BR timeshare unit over a luxury, but small, hotel room.

I think that timesharing is a bad fit for most people, but you sound like someone who could really benefit from it if done correctly.
 

bizaro86

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You're actually the type of family that would benefit most from timeshares. The one you owned was just a rotten fit for you, though. Once you've had a chance to let the dust settle, it might be worth your time to figure out a timeshare system that fits with your objectives and explore buying options on the resale market. I get that you're staying in nice hotels now, but cramming your family in a small hotel room, even a nice one, is a pain compared to being able to put them in a separate bedroom. The extra space offered by 2 BR timeshares is nice. I much prefer a clean but modest 2BR timeshare unit over a luxury, but small, hotel room.

I think that timesharing is a bad fit for most people, but you sound like someone who could really benefit from it if done correctly.

I agree with this (and probably wouldn't be here if I didn't). I definitely used credit card points/sign-up bonuses like crazy pre-kids. If you can manage that, you can manage to make crazy up-trades using timeshares. I stay pretty frequently at 2 bedroom suites from name brand hotel companies at ridiculously low prices - I couldn't see going back to hotels now even if it was free...
 

carpie99

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I agree with this (and probably wouldn't be here if I didn't). I definitely used credit card points/sign-up bonuses like crazy pre-kids. If you can manage that, you can manage to make crazy up-trades using timeshares. I stay pretty frequently at 2 bedroom suites from name brand hotel companies at ridiculously low prices - I couldn't see going back to hotels now even if it was free...

The CC travel hacking is starting to come to an end as the CC companies get smarter ... damn Chase and their 5/24
 

breezez

TUG Member
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Wyndham 406K
RCI Points 196K
Hyatt Pinon Pointe
Hyatt Coconut Plantation
The CC travel hacking is starting to come to an end as the CC companies get smarter ... damn Chase and their 5/24
Yeah but if I don’t stop buying TS. It’s like I get a new signup bonus every year just from MF payments
 

JudyS

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I found it hard to figure out what was being offered, and then it turned out to have been deeded back. Maybe a moderator can edit the title to say the timeshare is gone.

I am with Breezez here -- I get all sorts of credit card points when I pay my annual fees. I like it that the SPG Luxury card -- which has been named "Bonvoy Brilliant" card, as of today -- and the Chase Sapphire Reserve give back $300 of their credit card annual fee as a travel rebate on my timeshares.

I also agree with people who say that a multi-room timeshare beats a luxury hotel room. I only stay in hotel rooms if I'm going somewhere with no timeshare. And then, no matter how nice the hotel is, I feel cramped and miss the kitchen.
 

R.J.C.

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My wife was dragged by a friend to a timeshare pitch when she was 19. Her friend is the flighty type and hyped her up about it. Long story short, my wife bought a timeshare after they promised the world and made it seem so great. A few years later we met and got married. She said she'd purchased a timeshare that she'd never used but thought maybe it could help us plan a honeymoon. I already knew timeshares are pretty much a scam, but we looked and there wasn't really anything we wanted to do.

My wife is 31. The timeshare is paid off. We've never used it. We don't want it. It's a ton of bricks on us. Every time she gets a letter from them, she wants to rip her hair out. All these companies want us to pay them to take it off our hands, or pay them to "list it."

The number of people trying to get out of timeshares should be a red flag to anyone thinking of buying a timeshare. It is such a complete scam, especially when you can just travel hack and not be limited in dates, or where you can go, and travel for free. I'm redeeming 4 free hotel nights Los Angeles for $2,250 worth in hotels in March. We're going to Athens and Santorini in May for $90 out of pocket on flights and rooms. We're staying in 5 star hotels. That's $383 in annual fees, and doesn't take into account the points I've earned, any room upgrades I'm sure to get, or the other free nights I currently still have with those cards for the same amount in annual fees.

Her timeshare is with SilverLeaf. If you want it, it's yours. We're giving it away. We won't pay you to take it. That seems like a scam in itself. If you know ways we could maximize it without paying out more to do your program, then I'll be interested in hearing from seasoned vets who've found a way to not get completely ripped off by timeshares. One guy said we could assign it to him, and for $10,000 he'd help us maximize the timeshare and convert everything to RCI points. Nope. Not doing that. Another scam.

You seem to not understand what the word "scam" means. Timeshares have good and bad things associated with them but they aren't a scam just because you never learned how to use it properly.
 
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