NEW TS OWNER!! Question about Kaua'i!

[JDrozen Member Find all posts View Profile Close JDrozen]

just got off the phone with welk...they say you're giving up "a floating week", say when you go to request it simply "opens up a week vacancy at any time at Welk" --

yes, in theory when you exchange you are giving up a week at Welk, but that week isn't determined until you go to deposit.

Here's the deal, unless there's specifics about other programs that are very close or identical to the program we are in, the wife (for better or for worse, right? UGH) wants to stay in what we got. Nothing I can do about it and I don't want to ruin all of your Saturday nights, including mine, sooooo thank you again so much for the care, honesty and time it took to deal with me over the last couple of hours. I guess I'll find out all about the exchanging process and the trading power, etc etc etc, when I go to make my first exchange.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

that's what I was trying to say as well Gray...

what type of programs did you buy lawren? that would help me maybe with trying to convince her...the programs you bought were for resorts where? And what amount of travel comes with those programs?

Gray - can you clarify again...I highly doubt the program we joined is some "revolutinary" thing, but it SEEMS like the way they described it is, there is no such thing as "giving up" a week at Welk in November vs June and one carrying more weight than the other. They did not describe that it works that way at all...it is like you call up and say I want to go to X and if the trading power is high enough at your resort (which Welk in southern cali is supposed to be very high), then they take your week not "specific week" just the 7 days you have availalbe at your use for Welk Resorts in Escondido, add that to their bank, and get you the place you want to go....

is that so wrong or ass backwards that you're laughing at me? LOL.

Gotta get over it..lawren, unless there's a lot of specifics you can provide about the programs you belong to so that the wife can compare them to the program we just purchased, she seems to not want to be persuaded, UGH. she is scared to get out of this program and then not know any details about other types of programs.

thanks so so so so SO much for the help and advice, if we're stuck in this one then I will just lean on all of you to help us get the most out of it that we can!

I could provide a ton of information on what I own, where I've gone over the last 10 years, the various different ways I can use them, the inexpensiveness of great weeks, bonus weeks, etc but it CANNOT be done in one fell swoop and in time for you to digest it and rescind by midnight tonight PDT.

and there are so many, many other different systems that can do all sorts of gee whiz stuff.

I will resign myself to helping coach you with what you obviously are going to stick with.

Yes you will get great vacations and yes the rack rates will be less as you amortize your purchase but it would be a lot cheaper and cost effective if you rescind and start from scratch now.

I PROMISE that Welk will take your money next month if that is what you have to own.

[JDrozen Member Find all posts View Profile Close JDrozen]

appreciate everyone's honesty....even if you're laughing at me. lol.

I told the wife some of what I found out here. She wants to stay in. Love her, even if she's an IDIOT and I don't necessarily love her right NOW. lol.

like I said, without SPECIFICS about these "other programs" in terms of resorts, trading power, how many weeks of travel you get, time allocated for traveling, etc etc etc, so she can compare other programs to the one we joined, I have nothing to say to her except "really knowledgeable time share owners said we can join almost identical programs and pay way less." -- any specifics about your travel weeks, etc, that I can use to convince her?

[JDrozen Member Find all posts View Profile Close JDrozen]

thank you Lawren, you're right, it would take too long and the wife is being stubborn about this, like I said she was SO thrilled about this program. Well I asked her if she said she'd be THRILLED to flush 10k down the toilet.

anyway, it is what it is. I guess we're staying in the program and I am very appreciative of all the thoughts, opinions and advice and attempts to help. I will SURELY lean on you to help me get the most out of this and TRY to feel like we still made a relatively good decision when we save a lot at resorts over time (like Gray said, not paying 800+ a night at SOME point will save us more $ than the 16k we spent, even if years down the road....)

Soooooo, getting back to the question, Poipu vs Marriot in Lihue? LOLOLOLOL kidding, have a great weekend everyone!!!!!!! lawren, gray, everyone else, thank you again from the bottom of my dejected heart!

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

The good news is you have enough posts now to go to the exchange opportunity forums and see what we are seeing each morning.

[JDrozen Member Find all posts View Profile Close JDrozen]

yay!! Lawren said something good!! Maybe my world isn't ending after all? LOL.

thanks again everyone!

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

We're merely disappointed for you and your wife that you have not rescinded as advised. However, it's just money and if you can afford it, then it's not a big deal. So now you just have to focus on making the most of your purchase.
Good luck!

[JDrozen Member Find all posts View Profile Close JDrozen]

lawren, I am curious how you could own so much for LESS than 40% of what we paid...if yo u don't mind (and if you do mind, TOTALLY no worries), I'd love to get an email from ya...maybe it's the cost of places in southern california? somehow I doubt that....I'd love to know how you own weeks at resorts like this for SO cheap...I will PM you my email address.

[JDrozen Member Find all posts View Profile Close JDrozen]

Thank you Sydney!

I tried to advise her.....but to no avail...so what can I do? Certainly not going to act when she said she is comfortable where we agreed to be (before we apparently knew ANYTHING, LOL)...

so just have to deal with it now. don't want ppl to think I do not respect their advice.

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

JDrozen, I suggest you delete your email from your post by going back and editing it out. Otherwise you will get lots of junk mail and unsavoury timeshare scammers contacting you. You can PM Lawren your email address to protect your privacy. She knows how to contact you.

[JDrozen Member Find all posts View Profile Close JDrozen]

THANK YOU sydney!! much appreciated!

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

You've received some really great advice here from seasoned timeshare experts. It sounds as if you aren't going to rescind now, but if I were you, and looking for a trader and not wanting to stay at your home resort, I would rescind immediately. The same deal will be there in a month and you can do some research in the meantime. You have nothing to lose by rescinding, really. People do it every day!

We bought direct from a developer for $45K on Maui. We bought at a resort that we knew we would visit every year. If we ever don't use it, we will rent it out for at least double our maintenance fees. So far, we have used it every year. This same resort is currently selling on the resale market for the low 30Ks. We have no regrets because we have used it every year, but our other timeshare purchases have all been resale.

Now if you want to buy a SoCal trader, I've read that the Grand Pacific Resorts trade well. Marriott's Newport Coast Villas trades well, and you can probably buy an every year 2 bedroom for a little more than what you paid for your LW points. Westin Mission Hills also trades well, and you can get a 2 bedroom Platinum week there for quite a bit less than what you paid for your 1 bedroom.

If you are happy with your purchase, then enjoy it and don't look back. Just have fun!

[JDrozen Member Find all posts View Profile Close JDrozen]

Thanks Denise! Was VERY happy with it til now. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. ALMOST wish I hadn't found this place to be quite candid...however, I feel I can make great friends here and at the very least, people will help me to make the most out of the purchase we have made.

Problem is, there just isn't enough time to learn about other programs and other information to make an educated decision. I understand, rescinding is reversible and NOT rescinding is IRReversible, but wife doesn't want to rescind, so it is what it is.

Hopefully I can get some of that buzz back and feel good about the purchase we made. To be honest, it's not so much even overpaying, it's wondering if traveling and exchanging will be as easy and seamless as we were led to believe it will be. If we overpaid, we'll make it back by saving on hotels over the course of our life, may take way longer than some (like Gray said not paying $800+ a night, etc), those savings WILL come back to us eventually....BUT if we can't trade and exchange like we thought, then it will be a MAJOR regret.

I appreciate everyone's advice to rescind, but my hands are tied here. SOOOO, someone tell me trading is usually easy, fun, and Welk has a high trading power, lol.

[JDrozen Member Find all posts View Profile Close JDrozen]

given what our program provides and other prices of programs that I researched myself online, I find it hard to believe the programs that cost 25% of what we paid, offer the same amt of weeks and the same flexibilities......BUT I also know I basically know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING compared to the users on here. so just have to suck it up and hope i don't regret this too much.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

given what our program provides and other prices of programs that I researched myself online, I find it hard to believe the programs that cost 25% of what we paid, offer the same amt of weeks and the same flexibilities......BUT I also know I basically know ABSOLUTELY NOTHING compared to the users on here. so just have to suck it up and hope i don't regret this too much.

You are growing on me like a fungus - so I will share with you....

I purchased this week on ebay - total including closing costs were $1600
Sheraton PGA 2BR lock-off - meaning I can take the 2BR unit and 'separate' it into 2 1BR unit.

I deposited 1 1BR unit with SFX - an independent exchange company and 3 1BRs in II (my 2007 and 2008 weeks)

Here are my trades....the first two were possible because of the Starwood preference

Exchanged 1BR into a 2BR Harborside at Atlantis
Exchanged 1BR into Westin St John studio
Exchanged 1BR into 2BR Villas at Wilderness Lodge DVC

and the 1BR I gave to SFX I used to trade into the Grand Mayan Nueva Vallarta 2BR in January.

With other resale weeks that I have purchased for under 2K, I have traded into the Royal Resorts in Mexico, Disney Vacation Club DVC 6-7 times, Ireland, London......get the picture?