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So how much of my letter was edited? Here is what they printed last issue:
Crazy Suggestion
We have been subscribers of your
magazine for many years, and have even contributed reviews
and articles to your publication. We own 19 timeshares at the
present time and are constantly assessing and evaluating our
timeshare portfolio. We do not feel “stuck” with any of our ownerships
and know we can easily sell any of our weeks, with a wellwritten
ad, posted on many different resale sites.
Personally, I have a big problem with Timeshare Relief, Time
No More, Vacation Solutions, Timeshare Acquisitions, etc., all of
whom charge $3,495 to owners who want out of their timeshare
ownerships. Some timeshares are not worth much, that is true
enough, but many timeshares that these companies acquire are
very valuable. They sell large numbers of Hawaii weeks on eBay.
I have purchased from their companies, though unknowingly.
They do not disclose the amounts they expect to sell the timeshares
for. Within two weeks of one of their presentations, Timeshare
Relief lists them on eBay.
Now for a crazy suggestion: If all resorts would just allow
owners to give their deeds back, with one or two years of maintenance
fees in advance to give the resorts time to resell and giveaway
weeks, we could cut down on the need for these companies.
I see a movement toward that direction, where resorts are
able to offer this as an alternative to owners who feel so desperate
that they would pay these companies to rid themselves of a
timeshare.
Along with that, I am hoping TimeSharing Today
would consider donating a page in the classified ads
for HOA’s to advertise these weeks for free, with the
only cost being the closing. If we get the names of
resorts out there, we can help all timeshare owners by getting
these unwanted weeks into new owners’ hands. Of course, valuable
weeks would rarely, if ever, be listed for free. It would be
older resorts with HOA boards that would take advantage of the
free ad space. This would help your publication, when newsletters
go out, explaining the plan for marketing weeks. Plus, your
magazine would be providing a great alternative.
I know we can make this plan work. For resorts that are currently
in developers’ hands, there should be no issue with taking
weeks back from unhappy owners. I expect more of the bigger
companies and resorts that are still in the business of sales to
realize that it is in their best interests to take weeks back that are
fully paid for. Why wouldn’t they? They can always resell them.
We only need to help the smaller resorts, the underdogs. I
see no reason for resorts to hire lawyers and take weeks back by
force, at such a great expense. This would help resorts and owners
alike. Plus, readership for your magazine will go up, as more
and more opportunities for free weeks start appearing in your
magazine. People really do buy those eBay $1.00 weeks.
Please do not sign my full name if you choose to publish
this letter, as I have purchased from at least one of these postcard
companies and they know who I am. I worry about retribution.
Cindy in Colorado
So how different was that letter, compared to what they printed? I think very different, but that is my opinion. There is a definite slant in their edited version.
Crazy Suggestion
We have been subscribers of your
magazine for many years, and have even contributed reviews
and articles to your publication. We own 19 timeshares at the
present time and are constantly assessing and evaluating our
timeshare portfolio. We do not feel “stuck” with any of our ownerships
and know we can easily sell any of our weeks, with a wellwritten
ad, posted on many different resale sites.
Personally, I have a big problem with Timeshare Relief, Time
No More, Vacation Solutions, Timeshare Acquisitions, etc., all of
whom charge $3,495 to owners who want out of their timeshare
ownerships. Some timeshares are not worth much, that is true
enough, but many timeshares that these companies acquire are
very valuable. They sell large numbers of Hawaii weeks on eBay.
I have purchased from their companies, though unknowingly.
They do not disclose the amounts they expect to sell the timeshares
for. Within two weeks of one of their presentations, Timeshare
Relief lists them on eBay.
Now for a crazy suggestion: If all resorts would just allow
owners to give their deeds back, with one or two years of maintenance
fees in advance to give the resorts time to resell and giveaway
weeks, we could cut down on the need for these companies.
I see a movement toward that direction, where resorts are
able to offer this as an alternative to owners who feel so desperate
that they would pay these companies to rid themselves of a
timeshare.
Along with that, I am hoping TimeSharing Today
would consider donating a page in the classified ads
for HOA’s to advertise these weeks for free, with the
only cost being the closing. If we get the names of
resorts out there, we can help all timeshare owners by getting
these unwanted weeks into new owners’ hands. Of course, valuable
weeks would rarely, if ever, be listed for free. It would be
older resorts with HOA boards that would take advantage of the
free ad space. This would help your publication, when newsletters
go out, explaining the plan for marketing weeks. Plus, your
magazine would be providing a great alternative.
I know we can make this plan work. For resorts that are currently
in developers’ hands, there should be no issue with taking
weeks back from unhappy owners. I expect more of the bigger
companies and resorts that are still in the business of sales to
realize that it is in their best interests to take weeks back that are
fully paid for. Why wouldn’t they? They can always resell them.
We only need to help the smaller resorts, the underdogs. I
see no reason for resorts to hire lawyers and take weeks back by
force, at such a great expense. This would help resorts and owners
alike. Plus, readership for your magazine will go up, as more
and more opportunities for free weeks start appearing in your
magazine. People really do buy those eBay $1.00 weeks.
Please do not sign my full name if you choose to publish
this letter, as I have purchased from at least one of these postcard
companies and they know who I am. I worry about retribution.
Cindy in Colorado
So how different was that letter, compared to what they printed? I think very different, but that is my opinion. There is a definite slant in their edited version.
You can receive a tax deduction of up to $5000.00 without an appraisal and the charity we support can always use any amount to help them. 
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