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[Crystal Time Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Crystal Time]

Hello everyone! I am new here, and am hoping to get more insight on timeshare stuff. I purchased a vacation ownership with Westgate Palace 2 yrs ago.

Anyway, I'm hoping to get a lot of info from experienced t/s'ers. Maybe able to become more educated.

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

confused...need help selling timeshare

Hi everyone
I am trying to get rid of my timeshare at Summer Bay, Florida
Its a lovely resort, 2 bedroom 2 bathroom sleeping 6/8 but we just don't use it anymore
I contacted my resort today and asked them if they would take it back, and they said no! All payments are up to date, and have owned since 1995
I want to know what my options are ....if i didn't pay my maintenance fee's would they just take it back??
I live in the UK. The timeshare was purchased in joint names but I split with the ex about 8 years ago and he doesn't have anything to do with it really

Please help as I just want to be free from timeshare

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

Try offering it on our freebie forum.

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

New Member and Bluegreen Closing

My husband and I are new members. We live in the beautiful state of North Carolina but we love New Orleans so we bought a 2 bedroom unit at Bluegreen La Pension in New Orleans. We have used it once and just found out that they are going to close for almost a year for renovations. Don't know what this means as far as usage for 2011 and an assessment. We did receive a bill for our maintenance fee for next year. Being new to timeshares we really are novice and don't know a lot.

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

We have used it once and just found out that they are going to close for almost a year for renovations. Don't know what this means as far as usage for 2011 and an assessment. We did receive a bill for our maintenance fee for next year.

Bluegreen doesn't usually charge points owners assessments for regular maintenance jobs. There was some talk of an assessment this year but that never came to pass and I haven't heard that it's going to be done next year either. And if they do charge a special assessment, it's often to all members (not just those who own at the affected resort), so it's usually not backbreakingly high.

If La Pension is closed you could try out another Bluegreen resort for that year or you could save your points to go to La Pension twice the next year - however, after the first year you can only use those points on red season or lower, so one of those visits would have to be off season. But remember you only have two years to use them - you get the year's points on your "anniversary," they roll over to red season or lower the second year on your anniversary, and then expire on the anniversary after that.

You might use your points on the Lodge Alley Inn, in Charleston, which is probably the Bluegreen resort most similar to La Pension, or on Grande Villas at World Golf Village in Saint Augustine, which is very different from Lodge Alley or La Pension, but more typical of Bluegreen resorts as a whole. Charleston and Saint Augustine aren't New Orleans, but they are both beautiful old cities you might enjoy checking out if you haven't. Then when La Pension opens up again you can go back to New Orleans.

You could also use your points to trade through RCI and maybe get another resort in New Orleans the year La Pension is closed, but I have heard that New Orleans can be tough to get into and that probably wouldn't be the best use of your points. You also have to pay an extra fee to trade through RCI, while trading through Bluegreen will cost you nothing more than your usual yearly fees.

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

Thanks

Thanks so much for all your help. Like I said we are new and we really don't know what we are doing. When we got our invoice for next years mainteance fees it said that they were closing immediately after Mardi Gras for a year. We have never been given any information about trading or points or anything like that so we don't know what we can and can't do. Would you happen to know where we go to find out about points - how we get them, how many we get, etc. Our unit is a 2 bedroom, red week if that makes any difference. Thanks in advance for any advice and help.

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

We have never been given any information about trading or points or anything like that so we don't know what we can and can't do. Would you happen to know where we go to find out about points - how we get them, how many we get, etc. Our unit is a 2 bedroom, red week if that makes any difference. Thanks in advance for any advice and help.

Well, now I'm confused. Maybe I spoke too soon.

If you bought from Bluegreen you should have points with Bluegreen, but if you bought it before Bluegreen was involved you have a week at La Pension and that's a different deal. I know La Pension was Bluegreen by summer 2008; if you bought much before that you may have a regular week and aren't part of the Bluegreen points system. If you bought from Bluegreen you should have a bill like mine, meaning in the "description" part after your maintenance fees it will say something like x-number of points x .06950. That's a Bluegreen points contract in Trust Fund E, and that will tell you how many points you have.

Bluegreen owns and manages the resort, meaning you could theoretically own a week there and Bluegreen would bill you but you wouldn't have points, but if you bought from Bluegreen you should have the points. As far as I know Bluegreen never sold regular Timeshare weeks there.

If you have weeks rather than points, that's a whole different system. When Bluegreen renovated Shorecrest I they offered weeks owners either time at Shorecrest II to use or trade, or a discount on their maintenance fees, so don't panic if you've got a regular week. I know Bluegreen's point system well, but if you have a regular week you'd probably get better advice from someone else. If it turns out you own a week and not points, I'd post to the South Central board and ask how to contact your Home Owners Association. You'll get more weeks owners there I'm guessing.

South Central - AR LA KY TN MS AL - Timeshare Forums

If you own points, then post here or to the Bluegreen subforum and you can get a lot of information.

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

You think you're confused - I'm REALLY confused with points vs. weeks. My bill did not have anything about points on it. It just gave the amount we owe, and when we owe it and that they were closing for a year. We bought the unit in January 2010 and they call it Bluegreen La Pension. The front desk person kept saying - you are a La Pension owner not a Bluegreen owner but we never knew what that meant and she couldn't really tell us. Also, when we bought we were told that we were buying a fixed week (week 10 which is what we wanted) but that turned out not to be true and we have a floating week that does not include the weeks of Mardi Gras, Jazz Fest, etc. You have to buy those weeks separately so we later found out. The process has not been a pleasant one and we wonder if we haven't made a mistake but the units are really nice, the location is good, and we love New Orleans so we have accepted what has been so far and not made waves. I do feel like we have not been provided all the information that we need in order to utilize the timeshare like we would like.

Thanks so much for your help and I will certainly take your advice.

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

We bought the unit in January 2010 and they call it Bluegreen La Pension. The front desk person kept saying - you are a La Pension owner not a Bluegreen owner but we never knew what that meant and she couldn't really tell us.

Huh. Did you buy it resale, then? But, yeah, if you are a La Pension owner rather than a Bluegreen owner, you own a week, not points. Most Bluegreen owners own points, not weeks. You're not a Bluegreen owner; instead you own a week within a Bluegreen-owned building, if you see the difference. As a points owner, I pay membership dues to Bluegreen; many weeks owners pay dues to an HOA, a Home Owners Association but I don't know if that's standard or not.

Maybe you could start a new thread here in General Timeshare Discussion, asking how to track down a Home Owners Association. Tried to do a search but TS4MS and our router don't get on well, so it didn't work for me. I would think there ought to be an easy way to do it - an HOA would want your dues, after all!

[rikkis_playpen Diamond Club Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close rikkis_playpen]

The staff at La Pension have always been very helpful.. Perhaps you simply need to try again as it doesn't sound like your call went well.

Ask the front desk if you can purchase a copy of the rules and regulations, as that will give you basic info on reservation windows, priorities, etc.. It will also likely get you transferred to someone else at the resort who will have more time to try and answer some of your questions.

Set your calendar to call and reserve a week as early as possible. That will give you the best chance at getting a high demand interval.. But in reality, it's the time you want to go that matters!

Don't even think about points or exchanges at this point.. Concentrate on learning to use your ownership as is.. You've already stated that you love New Orleans- so let that be the base for your future travel. Bluegreen will consistently try to convince you to convert to points, but remember that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence!

A large majority of the really happy timeshare owners I speak with own the basic old fashioned weeks ownership and use it regularly at their home resort. They develop a comfort level both with the resort and the city, and often develop friendships with other owners that can span years!

It always amazes me how many new owners purchase a resort, and immediately start trying to figure out how not to use their own timeshare!

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

Ask the front desk if you can purchase a copy of the rules and regulations, as that will give you basic info on reservation windows, priorities, etc.. It will also likely get you transferred to someone else at the resort who will have more time to try and answer some of your questions.

Duh! I'm slow! And they'd no doubt be able to give out info on the HOA, right?

It always amazes me how many new owners purchase a resort, and immediately start trying to figure out how not to use their own timeshare!

I think in this case it's less not wanting to use her own timeshare and more the fact that the Timeshare isn't going to be available one year!

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

Good evening all,

I spend a great deal of time on TUG and am happy to find another site for my greatest travel passions!

I live in Carlsbad, have 3 beautiful children and a wonderful wife.

We own two weeks in Maui Ocean Club, and 3 companion systems: HGVC, Worldmark and Wyndham.

Nice to meet all of you!

GregT

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

Wheres the Freebies section

Hi, I'm new here and just want to get rid of my timeshare

It has been suggested that I should put my timeshare (Summer Bay Orlando) on there as I just want to get rid of it

Can anyone help me??

Also, I contacted Summer Bay and asked what would happen if I didn't pay my maintenance fee's and they said they would start foreclosure proceedings....does anyone know what implecations it would mean for me/my credit rating in the UK?

I appreciate any replies

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

I got my introduction to timesharing sometime in the 1980's when I bought at The Inns of Waterville Valley in NH. After thinking it over a day or two, I rescinded. Did several Orlando presentations on trips there in the 80's and 90's and finally bought a resale in the mid 90's- my big mistake- in Orlando. After a couple of trips to the Royals in the 90's I bought 3 consecutive weeks at the Royals. Got into the South Africa craze after I joined TUG in 1998 and bought 2 weeks there. Bought a few more Royals along the way and then after discovering I had way more timeshares than needed, began to whittle down the portfolio. I also sort of inherited a Williamsburg week by marriage. Now we are down to 3 weeks, which can get us up to 5 weeks of vacation a year which is still more than we need, but we finally are at the point where we don't have to book it or lose it.

Hope you weren't trying to get away from me cuz I just followed y'all over here. Sheesh, I'm running out of aliases! I know a lot of you like to keep the same "identity" but not me. Don't worry, I'm harmless, just a lil ole timeshare board addict, racking up more time online than on vacation.

No more new sites for awhile, huh?? I'm out of breath trying to keep up with the cool kids.

__________________

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

When we got our invoice for next years mainteance fees it said that they were closing immediately after Mardi Gras for a year.

Availability at Club La Pension came up on the Bluegreen Yahoo group, and a number of people have reservations for after Mardi Gras and one of them was told recently while there that the renovations are being done on a unit-by-unit basis. So maybe the note on your invoice referred only to that unit? I believe the units at La Pension vary widely, so perhaps it just meant you can't reserve your "own" unit.

I'd follow the advice of rikkis_playpen and call them up again. The conversation may go better now you have a better idea of how you're connected to Bluegreen and have some terminology to work with. If you can get the number of someone on the Home Owners Association, that might be a better choice than the front desk, as well.