Is this good or bad for me???

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

Timeshare - VI

What new owner meeting? I have not heard of it.. maybe because i've not signed anything yet.. we will be going down mid Apr to meet... I still don't know what to do, what options I have.

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

VI has been calling me to set up a time to come and discuss VI membership and to sign the papers we were sent. I'm wondering if I sign the papers will they then buy the points back since I can't really afford to buy more and I doubt my 58 converted points will get me much of anything. I really just want out of it and realize I'll lose the money I spent to buy my 4000 points but oh well....lesson learned

Did anyone catch Josephine Chen on KCTS today? She talking a bit about the state of timeshares in this economy. Here's the link:

April 2, 2010 | About The Money | PBS Video

She features Steve Danishek and he puts the cost of timeshare into perspective. I only bought 4000 points so I'm not sure that it really applies to me but someone who spent 20k might be interested.

TMA Incorporated
4626 NE 174th Place
Seattle, WA 98155
Contact: Steve Danishek (206) 363-2523

[baumer64 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close baumer64]

I got another call

I got another call from VI on Monday night. This time it was a gentleman with a bad Indian accent. Again, he was trying to say how exciting it is that I'm now a VI member and how much I will love them. I expressed the same concerns as I did to the previous caller and asked when I would be scheduled to meet with VI and talk about my transfer to them. He wasn't sure but it was at this time I realized he was calling me in reply to the messages I had left asking questions back in January! Nothing like a fast reply, it only took them 2 1/2 months to return my call from the three messages I left.
He said he would see about setting up a meeting for me in Leavenworth, which is still 2.5 hours away from me.

I don't know what to do. I want to meet with them to find out if I do have any options but I think I've pissed away $8000 on this whole thing. I really wish I had just bought a camper like I originally wanted to do. If I meet with them before any of you, I'll report back what I learn.

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

timeshare

I'm not sure that we ARE members of VI. I have not signed anything yet. We are meeting on the 14th, i'll report in after that and let you know what's happened.

In the meantime I emailed marissa from Great Links to ask her why i was being billed for monthly installments still for our maintenance fee (yearly) as I'm not really getting anything from Greatlinks... i'll let you know what she says to that.

...Pam...

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

breach of contract

I'm not a lawyer, but I've been reading online where people are no longer paying for bankrupt or disbanded timeshares because it's considered a breach of contract.
Timshare provider's side of the contract calls for providing the timeshare locations as specified, such as Desert Canyon, Dungeness, etc.
Timeshare buyer's side of the contract calls for paying to use these locations.
Obviously, if the providers no longer offer these locations (or any, in the case of Great Links), then they are in breach of contract and the buyers shouldn't have to pay.
We didn't sign a contract to pay for NOTHING.
And because Great Links didn't go bankrupt, I'm guessing they can be sued or held liable for loss of benefits or property or whatever.
Surely there has to be a lawyer in our group...or maybe lawyers are too savvy to buy timeshare?

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

Timeshare Great links

Hi there,

Well we went down yesterday and had our meeting with them. They explained the book and how they operate, and we spoke about how they did exchanges etc.. I was mostly upset because I felt that I was not going to be able to do searches in the way i used to do with GLinks on interval, and put up a low season 1 bedroom and search to see what I could get... (I've been able to exchange for 4 different 2 week holidays in the carribean in high season in the past 2 years...) but they said I could still do that, so it appeased me somewhat.

There were 2 guys there, each talking to a person who came in. There were many people scheduled to be seen and many of them already had VI #'s so had already sent in paperwork. He said the majority of the people had already signed, but they were meeting with them still and going over everything in case they had more questions.

He said that if we wanted to take things away and read more or research more that was no problem, they didn't want us to do something that we were not comfortable with.

I told him that we felt we were lied to by GL and that we felt we were sold a pig in a poke and that we were considering looking into a class action suit , he said.. against who? there is no more GL, the guy has nothing left, he's had to sell everything, his own home etc.. he's ruined.. that when investors in the buildings he owned units in pulled out, he did not have the money to buy the whole building.

We did end up signing, because in the end, we bought this timeshare thing for our retirement, and we did not want to be left with an 8000 dollar bill we had to pay and nothing to show for it. They took over the loan of the thing, we will now do payments with them and will have them come out automatically from our account (we like that better than having to send cheques each month).

We felt ok about things, so will wait to hear more from them. We did get an RCI package added in so that we can book a week using 22 points.. it cost some $ but we liked that we can get a week so cheaply (short notice type holidays).. anyways when they added in what we bought, and did the calculations out, our maintenance fee was now 38 or so more a month, but our monthly loan payment was now 40 less a month so it evened it out.. the payments are for longer and are at 15% but we can pay it off anytime with no penalty, and we might just do that. When I get my first bill with them, I can and might just pay it all off, then have no bills and save a ton of money on interest....

I work hard and long hours and the one thing I really love are my holidays. Call me spoiled, but I fight to get them and that is what the timeshare did for me, was allow me to plan fun holidays... so I didn't want to give that up, and so for good or evil, I'm signed up.

Oh, and on our contract it showed if we wanted to, we could purchase 131 more points for 485 $ for a one time thing.. When we bought with GL we bought 9000 points and they matched it... so the VI guy said they were trying to be as similar to the GL contracts... He signed off on the free 3 nights certificate we got at the meeting. He also gave us a bonus week with RCI (this is the company that gives us the week for 22 points) so the bonus week was $249 canadian anywhere in RCI (so 35 a night) and I said we liked doing a 2 week holiday.. so could he give us 2 vouchers and he said he would..

There was no pressure exerted on us to sign up, Chris, the guy we talked to answered all of our questions and we felt good signing up.

I know this is probably not what you fellow GL owners wanted to hear, but we are going to give it a shot. Worse case scenario is that we are now VI members, we'll see how it goes, if we don't like it, we will try to sell it, but we are going to give it a go.
...Pam...

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

take action now against the change at Desert Canyon

I am in the same boat as many of these posts. When I signed up I was also told that there would be a water park installed and tennis courts. The folks at VI have told me if I dont sign up its fine with them but I will still owe for the membership purchased from Great Links. I wanted Desert Canyon & the bonus time, especially since it is close to me and now they are excluding this property after one year. SO I am filing a complaint with general's office in WAshington STate.
https://fortress.wa.gov/atg/formhand...laintForm.aspx

I dont understand how - since we were given deeded interest it can be changed this way without our written consent... I am not signing the VI paperwork until I hear from the attorney general's office. If you know others who are unhappy please spread the word. the more people who issue a complaint, the more likely that the AG will take action.

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

class action lawsuit

I find it interesting that VI said that you shouldn't file a class action suit against the owner of GL because he has nothing. If those of you who are still making payments to Great Links continue with those payments, who are they going to??? Who is collecting that money and for what? You're paying for nothing. Breach of contract.
I don't think you should be forced to transfer those payments to VI. You should just be able to stop paying because the other side has breached the contract.
If you feel that the VI thing is good for you, go for it. But I don't think anyone should feel like they have to transfer over to VI so that they are actually paying for something.
And remember, VI could close its doors too. Nothing is certain in this economy. That's why I think timeshares right now are risky. Many have declared bankruptcy.

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

Here is an inside scoupe. First off forgive me if i miss spell anything.

Homestead is actually 4 companies.

2 are still in operation and doing well.

1 is strugling but still running

Great links was its best money maker and and carried Homested NW the home building side when the economy crashed. Those two were the more main stream companies.

Jim Wynstra didnt sell anything, he still lives right down from the old sales office and is in homestead everyday. I can garentee you he is sitting pretty right now. you all have probably worked out or swam with him and didnt even know it.

if it was me an I owned with great links I wouldnt sign up with VI and for those who did sign up and "pambo" and then paid more for less then you got with GL.... Not really a smart thing to do. Honestly the whole timeshare thing is a rip off.

Agian if it was me, I would file for breach of contract stop paying and return the ownership back to GL or VI.

Read your ownership paperwork. If you dont pay for all your points after and certin period of time the point are reverted back to GL....

If you own your points you can abandon them back to GL and not pay the maintence fees...

Get out while you still can. The "good thing" is over we all got screwed in the deal one way or another.

In time each of the reamaining properties will be sold off IE Desert Canyon, Moses point....

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

The "good thing" is over we all got screwed in the deal one way or another.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. This is all the fault of Wynstra or whoever and not the fault of VI. VI has honestly valued the interest in GL and the difference is what you were over-sold by GL. I can make no judgment on whether GL owners should pay VI anything, but Wynstra or whoever made a killing on you and you believed him/them. Go after them if you feel you were wronged.

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

timeshare GL/VI

Well whether it is a good thing or not, we have decided to give it a try. I have never claimed to know alot about timeshares, only that we loved the 4 x 2 week holidays we had in the last 2 years to the carribean.

I had been hoping for options to be discussed here, for anyone to offer advice as to what we as GL points owners could do, but there were no lawyers here, there were no discussions of anyone organizing anything and I don't like having things hanging over my head... for good or ill, we did sign up.

I surely do wish everyone who is going to fight this all of the best. I don't even know who the owner is... is that Jim Wynstra or is that the name of the lawyer they have working for them on their board of directors? I don't know..

Deepthroat, you certainly are entitled to your opinion as to whether timeshares are a good deal or not. I can only say I've really enjoyed what we have gotten for exchanges so far and feel getting 2 weeks in the carribean in high season x 4 for exchanging 1 bedroom low season rooms, to me, was great fun and worth it.

...Pam...

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

the real scoop

Thank you Deepthroat for the info. I've been looking for information regarding Wynstra (owner of GL, Homestead, etc). And it seems he hasn't filed for bankruptcy and is still in business. Anything more you can give us is welcome.
Pambo, I'm glad you think your timeshare exchange is worth it. But I've done the math, and if you count up what you spend on points per year and maintainance fees, and then housekeeping fees, you can usually book a cheaper vacation yourself during high season. Timeshares are just a middleman, that adds fees to your vacation budget. And then there's the risk of your timeshare going belly-up, like GL.
Great Links was the only timeshare I've seen that seemed like a good deal because of the bonus time, and only because of the bonus time. VI has nothing like it to offer me, so I will not give them a dime. I agree that timeshares are a ripp-off.

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

GL owners getting hosed

Thank you tonasket for posting that link to the AG's complaint page. I too filed a complaint with the AG against GL. They are still trying to tell me that I am responsible for the balance on our original timeshare, even though we are NOT signing with VI. When we signed up at the Lynden office, our sales rep told us that the loan we were signing up for was through GL, and that Resort Funding was an arm of the Great Links association. So how come if GL went under, a part of that company is still trying to get my money? Does anyone know if Resort Funding actually is a part of GL or not? It seems to me if they aren't, then they also are getting screwed in this deal.

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

Thank you Deepthroat for the info. I've been looking for information regarding Wynstra (owner of GL, Homestead, etc). And it seems he hasn't filed for bankruptcy and is still in business. Anything more you can give us is welcome.
Pambo, I'm glad you think your timeshare exchange is worth it. But I've done the math, and if you count up what you spend on points per year and maintainance fees, and then housekeeping fees, you can usually book a cheaper vacation yourself during high season. Timeshares are just a middleman, that adds fees to your vacation budget. And then there's the risk of your timeshare going belly-up, like GL.
Great Links was the only timeshare I've seen that seemed like a good deal because of the bonus time, and only because of the bonus time. VI has nothing like it to offer me, so I will not give them a dime. I agree that timeshares are a ripp-off.

Again, GL could not sustain their model. VI does have Bonus Time of their own. VI is one of my favorite timeshares among many.

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

Resort Funding

I don't know if Resort Funding is an arm of Great Links or a seperate company. You should find out. If they are part of Great Links, then the breach of contract issue is valid, probably.
You can look up a company on the State of WA's website: Google "State of Washington business lookup" and you will find links to the Dept. of Revenue, Secretary of State and Dept. of Labor's look up sites. There you can see if a company is registered in WA state, and you can also look up by owner's last name (Wynstra) to see what companies a person might own.
But of course there are often layers of ownership to complicate things.
I would do some research if I was still making payments to Great Links.