Information about buying timeshare (Wyndham)

[cmg420 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cmg420]

Hi,

I'm very new to the timeshare research process and have only been exposed to Wyndham through their presentations. I actually do like their points system, but I wanted to ask about tips or things to watch out for. I've read the horror stories, etc. Where should I start looking? Since they're always adding new affiliations, how will I know whether I can use my points at all locations? How can I find out about hidden fees? Is it safe to buy timeshare from ebay? Will I need to visit the location before purchasing? Any help is greatly appreciated!

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

There is an excellent "wyndham primer" at:

forums.atozed.com

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

The link that bnoble gave you in his post is an excellent piece on getting to know Wyndham. Also you can look at questions in the Wyndham forum here and I would go to the Wyndham Resorts Forum site at Wyndham Resorts Forums • Index page
There are lots of Wyndham Owners there that discuss various aspects of that ownership.
As for the questions you asked in your post:
Once you are an ower you have access to new resorts as well as old ones. The Wyndham sales folks will sometimes try to tell you different but when they do it is not true. The new resorts will usually cost more points per stay in tho. There aren't a lot of hidden fees, it is pretty much your maintenance fees and a yearly fee for exchange company (usually RCI). When you buy resale I understand there is a pretty large fee for getting in to their Plus Partners program but I am not sure what it is. As far as being safe to buy timeshare from ebay, lots of people do, but, find out about your seller if you can and ask questions so that you completely understand the terms of the sale, and follow all other ebay buying good practices. If you have a question about a particular sale ask a question here and someone may very well have the answer. Since Wyndham is points you really don't have to visit the location where the points are based unless you really want to. Find out what the maintenance fees are for the points you are looking at buying. It is different depending on where the points are based.
A general piece of advice is ask a lot of questions any where you can and don't buy until you are satisfied that you know the answers and that you understand the program you are buying in to and it is what you want.

Hi,

I'm very new to the timeshare research process and have only been exposed to Wyndham through their presentations. I actually do like their points system, but I wanted to ask about tips or things to watch out for. I've read the horror stories, etc. Where should I start looking? Since they're always adding new affiliations, how will I know whether I can use my points at all locations? How can I find out about hidden fees? Is it safe to buy timeshare from ebay? Will I need to visit the location before purchasing? Any help is greatly appreciated!

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

Hi,

I'm very new to the timeshare research process and have only been exposed to Wyndham through their presentations. I actually do like their points system, but I wanted to ask about tips or things to watch out for. I've read the horror stories, etc. Where should I start looking? Since they're always adding new affiliations, how will I know whether I can use my points at all locations? How can I find out about hidden fees? Is it safe to buy timeshare from ebay? Will I need to visit the location before purchasing? Any help is greatly appreciated!

I don't recommend eBay for someone's first purchase.. While great deals can be found there- there are also many errors and problems that occur in that venue. If you aren't savvy enough to know real info from misleading- you may not have a great experience.. A bad purchase experience simply reinforces the misconceptions about timeshare in general, and can have a big impact a new owner's usage and enjoyment. The importance of first impressions and all that........

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

RP and I may be in the minority, but I agree with this. There are a lot of little "gotchas" with Wyndham FSP deeds. For example, Florida and California FSP deeds have property taxes billed separately---some ebay sellers disclose this, others don't, and this can make the difference between a deed with attractive MFs and a total dog. I've seen several ebay ads that clearly quote MFs on EOY deeds but claim the points are annual. You really need to understand the system to avoid these trouble spots.

There are a lot of reputable Wyndham resellers---and folks over at atozed have put together contact information and recommendations for them. You might spend an extra few hundred dollars this way, but you'll learn more in the process.

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

For balance, I would not discourage anyone from making their first purchase via eBay, provided they have the guidance of someone who knows what they are doing . . . some here, for instance.

I have bought via eBay.

[Bill4728 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Bill4728]

THE KEY TO BUYING A WYNDHAM TIMESHARE IS:

Know that there are 3 different kinds of "Wyndham" TS and know which kind you are buying.
-1- The unit is in a resort managed Wyndham but the unit itself is not a wyndham unit.

-2- The unit is in a resort managed Wyndham but the unit is not in Fairshare points (FSP). This is the wyndham point system and how Wyndham owners can use their points to reserve at other wyn resorts. Please note that sometimes it is better to not be in points if you are buying at a resort you want to go to over and over and don't want to compete with all the other FSP wyn owners for a week ( like Hawaii)

-3- The unit is in a resort managed Wyndham which is in FSP. Either it has been convert from weeks to FSP or was FSP from the very begining. Almost all weeks which are sold as UDI (undivided interest) are in FSP.

Hope this helps

PS beware I talking about Wyndham Vacations (aka Fairfield) NOT "Worldmark by Wyndham" (aka Trendwest) which is a completely different TS company.