Do you think Timeshare is really a good deal for users ??? or only for the companies

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

I agreed and thanks for the comments, this works for some people... but make the mathematics.. I know it will depend of what you paid but I'm sure the
timeshare companies are doing so much money, and they are selling a problem for the people having to pay EVERY year a FEE..
Today with all the vacations or hotels web engines I"m sure you can find your resort and get it for lower or same price of what you pay for maintenance+taxes (without taking in
account special assessments), so why to own ?
if you can choose where to go, check-in any day of the week, stay many days as you want, and ... No pay "exchanges fees", "saved fees", "RCI Fees" etc.etc..

I realized this too late ... and I want to share it ...

Timesharing is definitely not for everyone and maybe not for you either.
I do encourage you though to hang around here and read some of the threads pertaining to what you own and see if you can't find the hidden value in owning a timeshare.
We would be happy to help you learn how to use what you own to maximize your vacation dollars.
That is one of the main reasons that this forum exists aside from making lots of new friends.
So welcome to the forum.
Hope you stick around.

[chriskre Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close chriskre]

How do not pay money up front ?
buying it from resale market... right ? did you buy from there ? any recommendations ? I would like to sell mine and I need to find a trusty company to do it with...

I also wanted to say that since you live in Florida (so do I) that there are many many cheap timeshare vacation opportunities that you are not aware of.
Many times you can get a full weeks stay at several timeshares on short notice for as little as $49 to $99 a week.
That's cheaper than one night at Motel 6 many times.
That's for sometimes 2 bedroom accommodations.

I've gotten several great deals like these for trips to the beach and Orlando.
This is all possible because of the large amount of timeshares we have here in Florida.
I'd be happy to share with you how you can take advantage of these deals too.
It would probably make you much happier that you own a timeshare.

[SallyHoover Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close SallyHoover]

How do not pay money up front ?
buying it from resale market... right ? did you buy from there ? any recommendations ? I would like to sell mine and I need to find a trusty company to do it with...

When people say "do not pay money up front" they are referring to selling or getting rid of a timeshare. You don't want to pay someone an upfront fee (more than $50 or so) to advertise. If you can find a broker to work with, you want one that takes a commission from the back end of the sale. Most timeshares aren't worth enough for a broker to be bothered. If you think your timeshare is useless and you can rent for less, chances are your timeshare is worth $0 or less than $0 (as in you might have to pay a year or 2's worth of MF's plus closing cost) in order to find someone who will accept ownership from you. But you never know just because you don't have any use for or others may but don't expect to find someone who will pay a lot. If it is in Florida and isn't a DVC (Disney Vacation Club) or a platinum Hilton, or a platinum Hyatt, it probably isn't worth enough to find a broker. There are some Marriott and Starwood platinum weeks worth $1000-$3000. There are a few other places that have some value ($500-$2000) but are very dependent on low MF's and a highly desirable week like Xmas or NYE. The majority are in the -negative to $500 range. If your timeshare is somewhere else share some generalities like developer (if there is one) and city and season.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

Sometimes developers still in sales put their unsold inventory up for rental to the general public, but in doing so they are cutting their own throats, as they are undermining value to own.

More sinister is when a major exchange company puts exchange deposits up for rent to the general public. II does it a bit, but the big perpetrator of this activity is RCI, which should stand for ''Rents Condos Instead''. There were a couple of class actions over this scam, but the class action attorneys sold out their clients by taking a million dollar fee for themselves and useless trinkets but no injunctive relief for their spurned clients.

I agreed with you.. but... today with that many internet engines to find good deals in hotels the prices you can get are maybe the same or lower of what you paid every year you keep the timeshare.. so the money you paid in front is the part that is ripoff.
take a look of your resort in expidia.com, or hotels.com or tripavisor, even now in groupon there are always specials in low, mid and high end resorts... then you will pay for a week between $700 to $1000 that is near of what you pay in maintenance and taxes every year...
I think that industry is doing too much money from people like you and me... more when they sell and over sell the same hotel for years !!!
think about it.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

I agreed with you.. but... today with that many internet engines to find good deals in hotels the prices you can get are maybe the same or lower of what you paid every year you keep the timeshare.. so the money you paid in front is the part that is ripoff.
take a look of your resort in expidia.com, or hotels.com or tripavisor, even now in groupon there are always specials in low, mid and high end resorts... then you will pay for a week between $700 to $1000 that is near of what you pay in maintenance and taxes every year...
I think that industry is doing too much money from people like you and me... more when they sell and over sell the same hotel for years !!!
think about it.

Gosh, folks are catching on.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Sometimes developers still in sales put their unsold inventory up for rental to the general public, but in doing so they are cutting their own throats, as they are undermining value to own.

More sinister is when a major exchange company puts exchange deposits up for rent to the general public. II does it a bit, but the big perpetrator of this activity is RCI, which should stand for ''Rents Condos Instead''. There were a couple of class actions over this scam, but the class action attorneys sold out their clients by taking a million dollar fee for themselves and useless trinkets but no injunctive relief for their spurned clients.

It's too bad it's not possible to measure how much of the worthlessness of timeshares can be attributed to RCI selling out timeshare owners for a few extra bucks.

Ms. Dehaan (sp?) never woulda done that.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

You can often find rentals that beat timeshares. The timeshare advocates have a fixation on Motel 6 as being the alternative which is absurd.

Here is a nice alternative to a timeshare in a great area near the Temecula wine country. I live just 15 minutes from it. It is $150 /nt, and offers a cheaper weekly rate.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/VacationR...alifornia.html

I rented a 2BR unit at the Wyndham Waikiki Beachwalk for a very reasonable rate. We stayed in a huge 2 BR unit with full kitchen at the Homewood Suites ( Hilton Property ) in Phoenix for $139 /nt during prime time. It also included free breakfast every day and free dinner ( Mon-Thu ).

You can also get some really good package deals to tourist areas that include airfare.

You just have to know how to find the deals and maybe do some negotiating.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

To be honest, if it was just the 2 of us and we didn't have to travel during school holidays, we'd sell and keep just 1 timeshare to access off-peak bonus wks and use lots more hotels. We currently own 4, having just gotten rid of our 2 South African ones.
I still think it's worth at least having one timeshare though for us. Especially when some off-peak bonus wks go for around $200/wk. Can't beat that with a hotel.

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

It's too bad it's not possible to measure how much of the worthlessness of timeshares can be attributed to RCI selling out timeshare owners for a few extra bucks.

Ms. Dehaan (sp?) never woulda done that.

The RCI rental to the public program hit timesharing hard in a variety of ways, which impacts resale by owners and also rentals by owners:

1) They flooded the rental market, which hurt rental prices that timeshare owners could get. In some areas it became more difficult to rent out your units at all. This also impacted the value proposition of owning timeshare.

2) They created a value priced alternative to the ownership and exchange model upon which timesharing, and RCI itself, had previously been built. This directly competed with the ownership model and put financial pressure on that model. Why get tied down by owning when you could rent from RCI and often cheaper?

3) They destroyed the exclusivity concept of timesharing where you had to own to participate (unless you found an owner rental). The exclusivity concept, together with the 45-day window for exchanges without regard tp trading power, had given value to off season weeks, which many used to get their feet wet in timesharing. RCI also started feeding much of the cream of the 45-day inventory into rentals instead, making it of far less value to owners.

4) By renting out many of the more desirable exchange deposits, RCI made it harder to get good exchanges, or even like for like exchanges. (Jim, the changes in those daily SW Fla. searches you do certainly showed that change after the rentals started). That lessened the value of using timeshare for exchanging.

5) All of this created less demand in the marketplace for timeshare and hurt resale prices.

6) As the value and usefulness of off season weeks declined as a result of RCI changes, owners bailed out of them or tried to, and they became harder to resell. This impacted resort budgets and put upward pressure on maintenance fees, which further reinforced the lack of value in owning many timeshares.

7) This spiral created by RCI opened up opportunities for PCC's, and their advertising created more negativity by the public toward timeshare ownership.

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

It's too bad it's not possible to measure how much of the worthlessness of timeshares can be attributed to RCI selling out timeshare owners for a few extra bucks.

We probably would have bought another timeshare by now if it weren't so easy to get Extra Vacations. I suspect it's had a serious negative impact on resellers.

You can often find rentals that beat timeshares. The timeshare advocates have a fixation on Motel 6 as being the alternative which is absurd..

Not me. I compare it to other options in the area that will fit my family and have a full kitchen. I do find rentals for less once in a while, but never for much less, and since I can find such deals as an owner, I come out ahead. If hubby had more vacation time I might rent more, but if we vacation then the way we vacation now, I'd probably just get Extra Vacations or Last Call weeks from RCI. Extra Vacations generally cost the same or a bit less than rentals, often about the yearly fees for places where I can get that info. I might get a better deal with someone who is desperate to rent closer to my travel date, I suppose, but that doesn't fit my personal style.

We stayed in a huge 2 BR unit with full kitchen at the Homewood Suites ( Hilton Property ) in Phoenix for $139 /nt during prime time.

You may call that a full kitchen. Hilton may call that a full kitchen. If it doesn't have a regular oven, then I don't consider it a full kitchen. I also like to have four full burners, although I don't always need those. But I do always use the oven when we vacation.

I think you have a fixation on the idea that no one can really like their Timeshare, so you figure people must be kidding themselves when they say they do.

[CarolF Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CarolF]

I love my timeshare. It is used for a family and friends skiing holiday every year. The savings are enormous.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

We probably would have bought another timeshare by now if it weren't so easy to get Extra Vacations. I suspect it's had a serious negative impact on resellers.




Not me. I compare it to other options in the area that will fit my family and have a full kitchen. I do find rentals for less once in a while, but never for much less, and since I can find such deals as an owner, I come out ahead. If hubby had more vacation time I might rent more, but if we vacation then the way we vacation now, I'd probably just get Extra Vacations or Last Call weeks from RCI. Extra Vacations generally cost the same or a bit less than rentals, often about the yearly fees for places where I can get that info. I might get a better deal with someone who is desperate to rent closer to my travel date, I suppose, but that doesn't fit my personal style.




You may call that a full kitchen. Hilton may call that a full kitchen. If it doesn't have a regular oven, then I don't consider it a full kitchen. I also like to have four full burners, although I don't always need those. But I do always use the oven when we vacation.

I think you have a fixation on the idea that no one can really like their Timeshare, so you figure people must be kidding themselves when they say they do.

I don't have a fixation at all. I understand that many people like their timeshares. I don't know why you are so sensitive about it. If you like it then that is fine but it is not for everybody and there are viable alternatives.

We have been timeshare owners for 25 years and have had many enjoyable vacations but we also do many non-timeshare vacations. We prefer luxury accommodations with all the amenities of a first class hotel resort. We have had that experience at the Grand Mayans in Mexico having spent 10 weeks with them but we no longer travel to Mexico. We don't care about kitchens as we never cook when traveling or vacationing. We are going to sell our last timeshare in the near future as we now prefer non-timeshare.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

You can often find rentals that beat timeshares. The timeshare advocates have a fixation on Motel 6 as being the alternative which is absurd.

Of course it's absurd when in many cases you are renting the same timeshare that the advocates are talking about, often for less than an owners annual fee, and with no ongoing commitment.

The overbuilt areas are the worst, or best, depending on what side you are on.

We have three weeks with $650 annual fees and mostly wind up renting them for $300 . . . $499 for peak season.

What has happened is exactly the opposite of the dire "hotel and motel" future that was painted to prospects in TS sales pitches of yesterday.

As this has become true, I think timeshare sales people have lied even more to get the sale.

The quickest way to get out of a TS sales presentation is to politely let them know you know the truth. Mention craigslist or skyauction or VRBO or homeaway or AFVC or . . . .

But, then, if you know all that, what are doing at a TS sales presentation?

[barndweller Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close barndweller]

We love our timeshares. We use our units every year and only deposit when we want to go someplace else for a change. All our units are in CA or Arizona so we can never find something to rent with 2 bedrooms and a full kitchen and a pool and barbecues and midweek cleaning for anywhere close to our maintenance fees. When we exchange we usually go to Hawaii where rentals are even more. We often use owner bonus time for short spur of the moment getaways for far less than the same units from rental agencies. There is no way I'd go back to using motel rooms. We are retired so we can take advantage of bonus weeks that we get from our deposits at SFX or Trading Places. We long ago gave up on Interval and never dealt with RCI. We have also used our units to bring our kids & grandkids along and had wonderful family vacations. We go see the sights, play in the pool and have big family barbecues. You can't do that in a motel room. I might feel differently if I lived in another region of the country where timeshares are a dime a dozen but here in the west you can't beat them for economical vacations.

Upscale, luxury hotels have their advantages, I guess, but on a budget, nothing beats a timeshare. Our next trip is a full week in a 1 bedroom condo with full kitchen in the heart of San Francisco for $800 at Christmas (a bonus week from SFX). We plan to hit all the tourist spots, take in a play and gorge ourselves on fresh steamed Dungeness Crab. We wouldn't be able to do that in a $275 a night hotel room.

[CEDOJ Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close CEDOJ]

chriskre
Thanks for your kind words... and yes I would really appreciate if you share with me some of your tips to take advantage of my timeshare.
Thanks !!!