New to Bluegreen

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

I'm curious how badly I got ripped off? How much is the Charter Certificate worth?

I went to a sales pretension on Friday in Pigeon Forge with no intent to purchase, but it seemed like such a good deal and nothing like the horrors I've heard about time shares.

We got 7000 point every other year, we were told we'd get our points on May 1st but now I see that it's even years... so much for a trip this year. We also got 4000 bonus points and the Charter Certificate.

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say how much we paid but lets just say it's A LOT more than I've seen posts for sale online. It seems as though the Charter benefits are non transferable and only available when purchased through BG? Is the VIP Program, Traveler Plus, etc. worth the extra money paid?

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

Follow the instructions to the letter and rescind now if you still have time. BG is a fantastic program, but you likely overpaid. Others will be along soon, but you should read some posts on this forum. There's a member here, Bocabum99 that is a BG authority and can help you navigate the system and make the right purchase for your family.

Again, Bluegreen is one of the best timeshare systems out there but like all of them you have to work it. This forum can help you do that.

Best of luck to you.

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

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say how much we paid but lets just say it's A LOT more than I've seen posts for sale online. It seems as though the Charter benefits are non transferable and only available when purchased through BG? Is the VIP Program, Traveler Plus, etc. worth the extra money paid?

You're the only one who can decide if they're worth the extra money paid, however, even if they are, you can get them cheaper through resale with an authorized reseller.

Resale is always going to be cheaper than new - that's true of almost everything. That doesn't mean you didn't pay what Bluegreen spent in selling it to you and it doesn't mean what you bought isn't "worth" what you paid - again, that's your decision. Some people who know about the resale market still pay developer prices, because they want Bluegreen to keep developing new resorts and improving the old ones, and it's people who buy new who're part of that creative process.

But if you feel you over paid, I'd certainly look into resale, because with Bluegreen, at this point, you can get through resale what you can get new (not the case with all timeshares and may not be the case with Bluegreen forever).

[jmc Member Find all posts View Profile Close jmc]

My husband and I did not find this valuable site until after we had purchased from the developer 3-4 times. We know we made a big financial commitment and have owned for about 4 years and we love the Bluegreen TS system. We now know we have helped the company's success as mentioned. What is done is done -a life lesson learned- from now on to purchase resale, but no regrets with our past purchase. We have had some great vacations in great surroundings all withn the Bluegreen system. We found that bonus time is handy, especially if we had limited points from year to year, but it sounds as if buying resale you can still get the perks. Good Luck.

[jimmy44 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jimmy44]

same here

You sound just like me and my wife. We have done the same upgrades and spent a lot of money with BG. We really don't regret doing it too much but some of the resorts are not as nice as i think they should be. I wish i had known about this website years ago but didn't. Sometimes you pay dearly for your experience.

[bfdretired Member Find all posts View Profile Close bfdretired]

I too purchased from B/G .....live and learn...do i regret it no way...we have enjoyed many trips...8-9 different resorts so far....and more to come....
once you learn the system and keep learning...you will enjoy time sharing....by no means am I and expert but i have leaned a lot and this forum helps all the time............enjoy you next trip

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

I'm curious how badly I got ripped off? How much is the Charter Certificate worth?

I went to a sales pretension on Friday in Pigeon Forge with no intent to purchase, but it seemed like such a good deal and nothing like the horrors I've heard about time shares.

We got 7000 point every other year, we were told we'd get our points on May 1st but now I see that it's even years... so much for a trip this year. We also got 4000 bonus points and the Charter Certificate.

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say how much we paid but lets just say it's A LOT more than I've seen posts for sale online. It seems as though the Charter benefits are non transferable and only available when purchased through BG? Is the VIP Program, Traveler Plus, etc. worth the extra money paid?

As was said, only YOU can decide if buying direct from BG is worth it to you. But, thanks for assisting BG in it's development efforts. I, too, initially bought direct from BG. Learn how to use the points - especially during the off seasons - anything below red.

The 4000 bonus points you will be able to get after being an owner for a year, unless they've changed that restriction. There are restrictions on these points so when you get them and make a reservation, see if they apply to that reservation.

The "charter certificate", unless it emphatically gives you certain benefits, is basically worthless I think - a sales gimmick.

Traveler's Plus is worth it if you are able to use it. Hot Weeks is great for short notice trips using few points (3000) for a week.

Bonus nights are inexpensive and a good way to prevent using so many points, or to get nights when the points are gone (if there is availability). Bonus nights are also for short notice travel.
You will be able to use bonus nights as soon as you are setup in the system, assuming you did get the bonus nights feature.

You will also have available extras that RCI offers when your RCI account gets setup.

I encourage you to register at the BG and RCI websites when you are able to and get familiar with them - they are valuable resources.