new owners now concerned

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

Hello all:

My wife and I just bought a timeshare from bluegreen resorts while in Gatlinburg, TN. We have three children - 11,8, and 5 and we opted for 20000 points every other year, which renews every other April 1st. My understanding after reading through all of these materials is that 20000 points will be placed in my account on April 1st every other year. If we do not use the points the first year, then half will go into the saved account for the 2nd year, but with restrictioned seasonal use (no higher than red). And since we will primarily be booking for summer use, how will I ever have enough points to book in some of the higher use places that have ultra red and super red status, when I have now learned that it is difficult to get into these places if you dont book at 11 months prior to arrival - we'll be trying to book these places at 3-5 months which seems very unlikely that we will get one of these - Big cedar for instance. Even if we borrowed points from the next cycle - the 10000 points will still have restrictions.

we were told at presentation that it would be easy to get anything we wanted as long as we booked 3-6 months in advance. I do not believe this fairly explained during our presentation.

And how easy is it to book with RCI when you have just 45 days to book something?

after all I have read online in the last 24 hrs, I am worried about this purchase.

Thanks

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

Bluegreen is a fantastic system, but if you are still able to rescind do so and learn about timeshares. Spend some time here...the deal will still be there six months from now if you want it.

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

I think it may make sense for you to cancel out of the agreement and go through Bocabum. He will get you a much better price and be straight up with you about what you will get for the amount of points you buy.

I just did the owner update with them at Gatlinburg on Sunday and was disappointed how little 'owner update' there actually is before the sales pitch starts. Also, the person we had was not even really up to date on the information that she should be providing to the owners.

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

I have now learned that it is difficult to get into these places if you dont book at 11 months prior to arrival - we'll be trying to book these places at 3-5 months which seems very unlikely that we will get one of these - Big cedar for instance.

Big Cedar will be tough to get in the summer, and many places will be tough to get in June with a April anniversary. August is a better, but you're still going to have trouble getting a unit right on the beach or at Big Cedar. Harbour Lights and Grande Villas, which are both close to the beach but not on it, have plenty of availability in August right now, so does the Falls Village in Branson, both resorts in Tennessee, and Mountain Run at Boyne. I'd like any of those in August except Branson (not hitting Missouri in August even if Big Cedar lives up to the hype, thanks).

Technically there's still ocean front that sleeps six available in August right now but your choice will certainly be more limited by the April anniversary that in would be if you could reserve earlier. And some people with your anniversary date reserve a week and deposit it with RCI, which gives you more flexibility in choosing your time and place. The 45 day limit on RCI is just for the Last Call reservations, not on your trades or on Extra Vacations.

Mind you, I agree with the others that your best bet, if you can do it, is to rescind and do some research and buy from Boca. Or just buy from Boca, since the only way to get a better deal than he offers is if you don't want Bonus Time and the other benefits of authorized points. But buying unauthorized points has some hidden hazards he can make sure you avoid, so Boca's still probably the way to go. And as Holly says, odds are you could get the same offer from Bluegreen six months from now if that's what you decide to do.

But if you can't rescind, it may not be as dark a situation as you fear.

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

Thanks all for the quick replies. You are all very helpful. We went by the bluegreen preview center on the way out of town today and spent some time with them. They showed us how you can use RCI to book things relatively easily (with the small fee). for example the sales guy there buys one studio week at Big Cedar (3-5000 points) and deposits that in RCI. At that time he has 2 years to decide how he wants to use that, and he usually gets a 2 bedroom somewhere he wants to stay (for a week of course). He seems to think this is a much better way of using your points.

He also stated that my banked points should not have a restriction, but honestly I am skeptical because of the way he was waffling about the answer. For instance I asked him - if i didn't use any of my 20000 points the first year, and wanted to book a week somewhere for the following summer (my renewal date is April 1st) that cost somewhere b/w 15 and 20000 points in something above plain red (super or ultrared) - would I be able to do that? Because my understanding after reading the contract is that at least 50% of my points will have a restriction of red, white and blue only, which in my mind cannot be used for anything above red. Am I wrong about this? But he said that there should be no restrictions, but the best way to use those points is through RCI - get more for your points that way.

And, are you all saying I should rescind because of my renewal date and my particular situation? Can I get my renewal date moved, if I threaten to cancel? I just bought this two days ago.

And one more thing. What are these owner updates I keep reading about?

Thanks everyone for your help. My wife and I are really trying to figure this out.

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

I'm not a Bluegreen owner, but spent a little time looking at the system. I believe you are correct; carryover points can't be used for High Red.

Why should you rescind? You should rescind in part because you are probably over-paying relative to the price that a qualified reseller can get you. But, mostly you should rescind because you still have a lot of questions. Once the rescission date is past, you own what you own, whether it is the right thing for you to own or not. If, after researching your purchase, you decide that this is really what you want, and you paid a fair price for it, call Bluegreen and ask them to write it up. They'll fall all over themselves to do it.

Take your time. A timeshare is easy to acquire, but hard to dispose of.

[Pstreet1 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Pstreet1]

The other point that needs to be looked at is RCI availability. Bear in mind that there is nothing in RCI for you to get if the owner who owns the week hasn't deposited it; owners of summer weeks often plan to use their weeks. Summer weeks usually are snapped up very quickly by timeshare users hoping to trade. Most of us plan 2 years ahead of time or last minute to snap up cancellations.

The RCI trading is definitely a possibility, but you'll have the best luck 2 years, sometimes more, from when you want to travel, or else last minute. Don't be lulled by what the salesman said about RCI.

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

Thanks all for the quick replies. You are all very helpful. We went by the bluegreen preview center on the way out of town today and spent some time with them. They showed us how you can use RCI to book things relatively easily (with the small fee). for example the sales guy there buys one studio week at Big Cedar (3-5000 points) and deposits that in RCI. At that time he has 2 years to decide how he wants to use that, and he usually gets a 2 bedroom somewhere he wants to stay (for a week of course). He seems to think this is a much better way of using your points.

He also stated that my banked points should not have a restriction, but honestly I am skeptical because of the way he was waffling about the answer. For instance I asked him - if i didn't use any of my 20000 points the first year, and wanted to book a week somewhere for the following summer (my renewal date is April 1st) that cost somewhere b/w 15 and 20000 points in something above plain red (super or ultrared) - would I be able to do that? Because my understanding after reading the contract is that at least 50% of my points will have a restriction of red, white and blue only, which in my mind cannot be used for anything above red. Am I wrong about this? But he said that there should be no restrictions, but he best way to use those points is through RCI - get more for your points that way.

And, are you all saying I should rescind because of my renewal date and my particular situation? Can I get my renewal date moved, if I threaten to cancel? I just bought this two days ago.

And one more thing. What are these owner updates I keep reading about?

Thanks everyone for your help. My wife and I are really trying to figure this out.

No. We are all advising you to rescind because buying from the developer directly in almost all cases is the least cost effective way to enjoy timesharing in any system.

Rescind, learn and then buy resale.

If in the end you decide the developer package is what you want, that offer will still be there, next week or 6 months from now.

A belated to Timeshare Forums and congratulations on finding us while you still had any options at all.

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

Thanks to everyone

Makes sense. Thank for everyone's input. I think for now we will get out and do better research and consider resale. Thanks again!

[Merilyn Member Find all posts View Profile Close Merilyn]

I also hope you were able to rescind. I checked out BG and Wyndham and finally bought Wyndham from a resale. It was so much cheaper. After checking out which company to go with, should you want Wyndham, I can give you the name of who I bought from. He actually lives in Gatlinburg, TN. I agree that Boca is your best bet for BG. Oh, and I own at Wyndham Smoky Mountain. It is a great place and I have several other Wyndhams within a few hours of me so it is nice for those get-a-way weekends.

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

Starman...I sent you a PM.

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

Because my understanding after reading the contract is that at least 50% of my points will have a restriction of red, white and blue only, which in my mind cannot be used for anything above red. Am I wrong about this?

You are correct. At the end of the first year, half the points will "roll over" and be good only for red or lower seasons.

And, are you all saying I should rescind because of my renewal date and my particular situation? Can I get my renewal date moved, if I threaten to cancel? I just bought this two days ago.

People are recommending you rescind because you can get a better deal resale.

What are these owner updates I keep reading about?

Owner updates are supposed to be - and sometimes actually are - a chance for the owner to get new information direct from the source. For example, if Bluegreen has added new resorts to the system, you may be able to get points charts for them at an owner's update before the charts are on the website and before the units are actually available. But generally owner updates are just another opportunity for the salespeople to try to get you to buy more points.

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

This site can help

My wife and I bought a Marriott property and ran into a similar issue. We decided to get out. Be careful when trying to do that. We contacted several companies to help us but many of them just took our money and did nothing. <removed link to site> actually got us out. It's a big relief for us. Just thought I'd tell you about my experience.
Best of luck

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

Thanks all for the quick replies. You are all very helpful. We went by the bluegreen preview center on the way out of town today and spent some time with them. They showed us how you can use RCI to book things relatively easily (with the small fee). for example the sales guy there buys one studio week at Big Cedar (3-5000 points) and deposits that in RCI. At that time he has 2 years to decide how he wants to use that, and he usually gets a 2 bedroom somewhere he wants to stay (for a week of course). He seems to think this is a much better way of using your points.

You may not always be able to get something with RCI. You would need to keep your destination options open if there's nothing available in RCI where you want to go. You may need to change your destination.

He also stated that my banked points should not have a restriction, but honestly I am skeptical because of the way he was waffling about the answer. For instance I asked him - if i didn't use any of my 20000 points the first year, and wanted to book a week somewhere for the following summer (my renewal date is April 1st) that cost somewhere b/w 15 and 20000 points in something above plain red (super or ultrared) - would I be able to do that? Because my understanding after reading the contract is that at least 50% of my points will have a restriction of red, white and blue only, which in my mind cannot be used for anything above red. Am I wrong about this? But he said that there should be no restrictions, but the best way to use those points is through RCI - get more for your points that way.

Saved points can only be used for Red and lower. However, there are options available to get 'full' points if needed - such as renting points or prepaying maint fees so that you can use points from your 'next' anniversary.

And, are you all saying I should rescind because of my renewal date and my particular situation? Can I get my renewal date moved, if I threaten to cancel? I just bought this two days ago.

Renewal date cannot be moved, these are tied to the deeds. If you ever add points and 'combine' deeds then the date could be moved. But added points must be bought in the correct way.

And one more thing. What are these owner updates I keep reading about?

Thanks everyone for your help. My wife and I are really trying to figure this out.

After becoming an owner you will be offered an "owner's update" every time you stay somewhere. You can decline. It's mostly a sales pitch to get you to buy more points. Some people do them because they do usually give you some cash for going thru the update (pre-loaded name brand credit cards).

FYI - There is only one authorized reseller of BG points which is Pinnacle Vacations. You can run a search on their website to see BG points that are for sale. If you consider a purchase from them, do not contact them. Contact bocabum on this message board first. He can assist you with buying points from them. Only resale points from Pinnacle are considered "qualified" points - meaning they would count towards achieving Premier levels with BG. From Pinnacle you can also get some of the perks like bonus nights and Travelers Plus.

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

Just wanted to say thanks again to everyone. You all have been so very helpful. We sent our certified cancellation letter today - should be there by Friday. We had 10 days to get the letter to them and this is day 3. Hope there is no hassel.

We are definitely going to check Pinnacle now. Cant wait to see what they have. I think this whole vacation timeshare thing can really work, if you find the right deal. Thanks again to all of you.