What is Wyndham's excuse for taking up to 6 months to transfer contracts?

[rickandcindy23]

LT Timeshares asked Wyn for an update on a transfer, and they couldn't even find the paperwork. $299 transfer fee is a lot to pay for poor service.

 

[raygo123]

LT Timeshares asked Wyn for an update on a transfer, and they couldn't even find the paperwork. $299 transfer fee is a lot to pay for poor service.

New owners come first and then upgrades and then tickets and then tribute and then pathways and lunch and then resale. Makes perfect sense.

Sent from my Lenovo TB-X606F using Tapatalk

 

[lotus921v]

It’s been an absolute sh*tshow lately. It’s also ridiculous that they no longer give the party that is receiving the contract any information despite the deed being in their name

 

[alm99]

How long ago did you start the transfer? I have a resale that was filed back in late Feb, was told 10-14 weeks with the resale company. Was hoping for sooner.

 

[WManning]

How long ago did you start the transfer? I have a resale that was filed back in late Feb, was told 10-14 weeks with the resale company. Was hoping for sooner.

How long is Certified Exit taking to transfer now???

 

[WManning]

New owners come first and then upgrades and then tickets and then tribute and then pathways and lunch and then resale. Makes perfect sense.

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Wouldn't a resale buyer be considered a new owner?

 

[lotus921v]

Wouldn't a resale buyer be considered a new owner?

Nope. They don’t hurry like they do for developer purchases

 

[rickandcindy23]

How long ago did you start the transfer? I have a resale that was filed back in late Feb, was told 10-14 weeks with the resale company. Was hoping for sooner.

!/4. Not yet four months but LT Transfers has some from fall of 2022 that are still not transferred.

 

[CruiseGuy]

Wyndham doesn't seem to have a good history on transfer times. It really should only take a few weeks/couple months. But they drag it out. My contracts have generally taken roughly 6 months to close most of the time, plus or minus a couple weeks usually. I sometimes see people that get them transferred in 3-4 months, but I don't think I've ever had that happen.

I had one contract that took about10 months to transfer. It finally transferred in early 2020 right before COVID hit. There were no issues, problems, corrections that were needed, missing paperwork or signatures. They just sat on it for some reason.

A few years before that I had one that took so long the process ended up being cancelled. It was for a CWA contract. The owners were a couple that were US residents but citizens of another country. They apparently decided to return to their home country and sold their deed. The problem was that Wyndham took so long processing the paperwork, and at the last minute Wyndham decided they needed everyone to sign an additional paper both buyer and seller. It seemed like it was just some CYA paperwork because everything had been handled by a company that had done lots of these transfers before and worked to streamline everything so that there wouldn't be this back and forth. But by then the seller had thought everything was already taken care of and had already moved back to their home country, so the sale fell through. I'm guessing Wyndham ended up losing out on months of MFs before they finally just took the contract back themselves. Kind of silly on their part.

 

[hapstersmom]

You are luckier than we were. It took us almost a year, and then we lost that year's worth of use as they transferred it at year end, and we couldn't get into the system then ( a few years ago before upgrades.) My step-daughter worked for them in HI and said it was common and part of their operating policies.

 

[Jan M.]

From the time I listed the six Wyndham contracts we rehomed last year until they were out of our account was 2.5-3 months. The National Harbor contracts took the longest as someone has to go to the county courthouse in person.

When I listed them I had already contacted LT Transfers, had the forms they use, had the deeds and the VOITs/estoppels. I also walked the buyers through what they needed to do with the forms, submitting copies of their driver's licenses, etc.

How fast things proceed quite often depends on the seller, their closing company and the buyer too. When we bought those six resale contracts only the two we got from another experienced Tugger went through as quickly and as smoothly. We also had previous experience with buying Grandview at Las Vegas (not Wyndham) resales. The four we bought from various resellers, not the owners, didn't go nearly as smoothly and certainly not as quickly.

 

[morexplore]

Hi, I'm new to Wyndham. I've purchased a very small Bali Hai points contract that I planned to add my 3 adult children to the new deed, and set up a new Wyndham account that all would have access to, saving on guest certificates for family. Could I then add another larger points contract I get just in my name, and combine both contracts into one account? I've read I can do it the other way around, have an account in my name first, then add an account with me and children- should it work the same? And everyone in the account would get access to points from different contacts, so long as they were combined in one account? Does anyone think having multiple people on the deed would in any way further slow down what sounds like an extremely slow transfer process?

 

[Jan M.]

Hi, I'm new to Wyndham. I've purchased a very small Bali Hai points contract that I planned to add my 3 adult children to the new deed, and set up a new Wyndham account that all would have access to, saving on guest certificates for family. Could I then add another larger points contract I get just in my name, and combine both contracts into one account? I've read I can do it the other way around, have an account in my name first, then add an account with me and children- should it work the same? And everyone in the account would get access to points from different contacts, so long as they were combined in one account? Does anyone think having multiple people on the deed would in any way further slow down what sounds like an extremely slow transfer process?

Do you already have an account or will this Bali Hai be your first contract?

Yes, you can add a contract that's in your name only to your existing account. Everyone on the account will have access to all the points from every contract in the account.

If you're concerned about the maintenance fees your kids will be responsible for should they not want to keep the larger point contract, I would only put them in the small Bali Hai deed/contract.

Having the extra names won't make any difference in how long Wyndham takes once they receive everything from the closing company. It's important for everyone to get the copies of their driver's licenses or other valid ID sent in and all paperwork signed and notarized promptly. Hopefully the closing company is also prompt in getting everything submitted to Wyndham.

 

[morexplore]

Hi, yes the Bali Hai would be my first, I do not have one now.

At some point, I plan to selectively add a 200,000 point plus resale contract in my name only to maximize the value of program fees- which is another reason I want to combine. Am I correct to assume everyone could also then also use the RCI account that would come with the Bali Hai if they wanted to purchase a last call, etc, ?

 

[Jan M.]

Hi, yes the Bali Hai would be my first, I do not have one now.

At some point, I plan to selectively add a 200,000 point plus resale contract in my name only to maximize the value of program fees- which is another reason I want to combine. Am I correct to assume everyone could also then also use the RCI account that would come with the Bali Hai if they wanted to purchase a last call, etc, ?

I'll apologize in advance for laughing but I'm laughing at both you and myself. When you said you intended to add a large point contract when you found the right thing I figured you meant something for at least 500k-800k. Why would I think that? Because you said you'll be adding your 3 adult children. That small Bali Hai and another 200k to get you over the minimum program fee tells me you'll have around 258k points.

I'm assuming, yes I know, that you're doing something that literally almost every newbie does which is not thinking big enough. It's extremely rare for a newbie to think big enough. You're thinking of all the great vacations you and your family will have but don't realize that 258k points probably isn't going to get you nearly as much as you'll want/need. Double that would be a better place to start. Most of us bought, developer or resale, in baby steps as we learned what we had wasn't going to go nearly as far as we thought or wanted. Buying bigger will save you money over buying in baby steps.

Here's what I recommend you do. Go to the Wyndham website and look in the blue part for Publications. When you open that up and page down you'll see Club Directory. Anyone can access it without having to sign in. Browse the point charts in the Directory for several areas and resorts. It's helpful to open up a second tab and google 2023 Timeshare Weeks Charts so you can refer to it when you're looking at the point charts in the Directory. Look least half a dozen resorts you and your family would like to stay at, at what time of year and what size unit you'd want/need. That should give you a better idea of what to look for in your next purchase.

So many times people pass up some fantastic deals because they can't conceive of being able to use that many points. It's easier than you think, lol. Recently there was a listing on eBay for 895k points at Panama City Beach. The 2023 maintenance fees for PCB are $4.86. The seller was asking $5k or best offer and paying the closing costs. I encouraged someone I've been working with to see what the seller would accept for the best offer. The seller was willing to take $2500.

 

[rickandcindy23]

@Jan M. That Panama would be a great one for a start.

 

[morexplore]

Hi Jan, Thank you for the great advice! I did track that Panama City listing on Ebay- and would not have guessed they would accept half the asking price. But it had been listed for awhile, and I'm sure the goal is to sell. A very good bargain though, point well taken. In my case, I do want to try Wyndham a bit slower, see real world availability for times/resorts I want. Plus, I already own 4 deeded weeks at resorts I like, though I've selectively acquired those and so I can also rent out at a profit if I want to go somewhere else. Plus I like to bargain hunt owner rental weeks and 60 day or less last minute listings, and usually get a half dozen of these weeks per year for just the two of us to use. My thought of adding my adult children to one contract is more for the future, if it gets to a point I cannot use, they can decide with minimal financial obligation. And maybe they'd like to pick up some last call bargains on RCI now too. But I agree, it makes more financial sense to acquire one larger vs multiple smaller if the goal is to get to a much higher level- though I do think with Wyndham making rentals difficult, the high point contracts will have less of a market- as most people don't envision using that many points to start.

 

[troy12n]

So many times people pass up some fantastic deals because they can't conceive of being able to use that many points.

I think it's not just "being able to use the points", for some people, it's the obligation of the maintenance fees, year over year. And for something north of 800k points, even at a low MF resort, that is a substantial expense, especially for some people, including families with kids, and ongoing obligations now, and in the future (cars, college, etc)

I have been in the market for a resale contract to add onto my existing retail ownership, I had been looking for something between 150k and 300k, and finally got an additional 156k at National Harbor. I kind of wish it was a little more, but it will do for now. While I was looking, several popped up that were in the 400k-800k range or bigger, but I just could not justify that expense. I still have kids, am paying for college for one of them, and am about to start with the other, just can't justify that right now.

Also got in a serious car accident last week where my vehicle was totalled and now I have to deal with buying a new Truck. My insurance settlement isn't going to cover the cost of replacement, so i'm going to probably have to sue the driver and/or their insurance company to be "made whole". Luckily I was not seriously injured and appear to have no permanent health issues from it.

I don't recommend getting plowed into by a fully loaded semi-truck... everyone including the highway patrol and tow truck driver told me that if I wasn't driving my pickup truck, I would probably be dead. Puts a lot of things in perspective.

 

[dcdowden]

We are going through certified exit now. We started the process in mid January. It took three months to get the deeds and paperwork for us to sign, notarize and return. We'll see how long it takes to complete the exit. Our 'Limited Edition' use year will start 10/1 so that's one indicator. In the meantime, we are still paying maintenance fees. Obviously, they will prioritize new developer sales in order to start collecting the maintenance fees faster. Certified Exit staff has been helpful when I've called for what it's worth.

 

[Jan M.]

How long are transfers taking has been an ongoing question since I joined TUG.

We know that transfers are likely to take longer from around Thanksgiving until after New Year's. That's a given every year.

We also know that the transfer of Wyndham sales take priority over resale transfers.

Sometimes there's been something going on. Like the credit pool points problem and the subsequent freeze of August 2016. Then in few months before the transition to Voyager in May 2017, when many owners use years were being readjusted. Also a few months after when a lot of problems with owners accounts were being fixed. When they were scrutinizing all Bali Hai resale transfers to make sure none of then slipped through as developer.

More recenly the separation of developer and resale points in August 2021 would have necessitated the need for more staffing with a number of VIP owners rehoming their resale contracts or turning them back through Certified Exit. I'd guess that Wyndham projected by this time the need for that extra staffing would have passed and made cutbacks. That's how businesses are run.

Of course there's always the turnover in staffing issue. It takes time for new employees to get trained.

I reported what the Owner Care rep said in our recent conversation. The change in her tone of voice when I asked if points were being given in the second half of the use year led me to think they've had a lot of calls lately about this. Her answer was a scripted response when word from on high has come down. Our conversation before that had been very cordial. I could hear the relief in her voice that I wasn't challenging it; that I just wanted information.

Is this new or resurrected policy here to stay? Will it be randomly applied? Will it fall by the wayside to be brought back at a future time? It would be nice if Wyndham could show us enough respect to give us clarity as to what the rules are and consistency in how those rules are applied.

 

[BarryS]

My closing company sent the deed and transfer paperwork to Wyndham on Feb 23rd. I've been calling every couple of weeks, and consistently being told it takes 8-10 weeks. When I called last week, I was told 10-12 weeks. Today is 10 weeks, so we'll see what they say today...

 

[altiste1]

My closing company sent the deed and transfer paperwork to Wyndham on Feb 23rd. I've been calling every couple of weeks, and consistently being told it takes 8-10 weeks. When I called last week, I was told 10-12 weeks. Today is 10 weeks, so we'll see what they say today...

Let us know how your squeaky wheel strategy works out. I have a deed that was submitted to Wyndham on March 16 and I’m considering starting to do as you’ve done in hopes of moving things along. Definitely want to avoid the 7-10 month timeframe I’ve heard rumors about.

 

[troy12n]

I know it can be frustrating that it takes so long, but it also at the same time does give some benefit to us in regards to maintenance fees...

If you do like most people do, you aren't paying MF until after the contract is in your name and the points show up for you to use. This is extremely advantageous, especially if you are in a situation like me, and have an October use year, i'm hoping the points drop in August or September and then i'm only responsible for 1 or 2 months of MF, for a full years worth of points. That is a huge WIN for me. Or they could really drag their feed and I don't get ANY of this UY points because it took too long... but at least it's not costing me anything if that happens.

But if you need to use/want the points immediately, then it doesn't matter, you would rather pay the MF sooner if you had the points available. So it's not always clear cut one size fits all.

I agree that these transfers really should not take as long as they do. I have to imagine this is strictly a function of their staffing levels. I would venture to guess they have 1 or 2 people who do this, and the work piles up. Wyndham, since they are still getting paid MF regardless of how long the process takes, is not incentivized to make the process quicker... they simply don't care. I'm one of those people that always looks at both sides trying to understand why/how something is done the way it is...

Also, a wakeup call to those of you who do business with the likes of Tochoa25, and other sellers who collect MF immediately when the auction closes... you are paying HIM or the previous owner (we really don't know, he could be pocketing the "MF" money and the original owner is actually still paying for it) while Wyndham drags their feed. I would never do business with someone that had this extremely unscrupulous business practice.

 

[lotus921v]

You are luckier than we were. It took us almost a year, and then we lost that year's worth of use as they transferred it at year end, and we couldn't get into the system then ( a few years ago before upgrades.) My step-daughter worked for them in HI and said it was common and part of their operating policies.

as in done intentionally? any particular reason?

 

[Minerva78]

Oh boy. We finally signed the paperwork today for a transfer process initiated in February, through Timeshare Nation. Wyndham claimed they would send me the finalized information and add me into the system within 30 days, but Timeshare Nation says it's been taking 6 - 7 weeks! The contract has 2023 and 2024 points available for use, and I was hoping maybe we could reserve SOMETHING this year. At least we are not out any money (not for MFs, no cost for the contract) while this drags on, but hearing all this makes me wonder if we'll be able to use any points this year at all.