I'm a TimeShare Rookie with questions

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

Very new to the timeshare thing. Purchased last year at the Rangeley Lake Resort in Maine. Odd year week 14.

I happen to own a camp in the area and mostly purchased the timeshare to gain unlimited use of the facility pool and grounds for the kids.

Week 14 is just around the corner and really doubt I will use it. I have been told by the resort that I need to sign up with II in order to bank (whatever that means) my week.

This whole thing is very new to me and I'm not sure how everything works. Is there somewhere I can read about "timeshare exchange for dummies" or can someone give me some basics on this stuff. I just don't want to hastily sign on to an II membership and pay fees to find out I wasted my money. I just want to make the correct decisions and not waste my week.

Thank you

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

II will cost you yearly for membership ( look for a 2yrs for 1 deal if you decide to join). When you put in a request for an exchange or book on on line or phone there is a $ 149 fee ($139 for online). So it will cost you $ 228 or more to exchange (in addition to your resort fees and taxes). Week 14 is not the worst week for exchanging, but it far from the best, so you may not be able to get what you want when you want it for an exchange.

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

Very new to the timeshare thing. Purchased last year at the Rangeley Lake Resort in Maine. Odd year week 14.

I happen to own a camp in the area and mostly purchased the timeshare to gain unlimited use of the facility pool and grounds for the kids.

Week 14 is just around the corner and really doubt I will use it. I have been told by the resort that I need to sign up with II in order to bank (whatever that means) my week.

This whole thing is very new to me and I'm not sure how everything works. Is there somewhere I can read about "timeshare exchange for dummies" or can someone give me some basics on this stuff. I just don't want to hastily sign on to an II membership and pay fees to find out I wasted my money. I just want to make the correct decisions and not waste my week.

Thank you

II will cost you yearly for membership ( look for a 2yrs for 1 deal if you decide to join). When you put in a request for an exchange or book on on line or phone there is a $ 149 fee ($139 for online). So it will cost you $ 228 or more to exchange (in addition to your resort fees and taxes). Week 14 is not the worst week for exchanging, but it far from the best, so you may not be able to get what you want when you want it for an exchange.

Since this is week 11 on the coming Saturday, I imagine it is a bit late to deposit this years week - if you do, it will have extremely low trade-ability and u will only be able to exchange under 60 days ahead - maybe even under 2 weeks.

My advice is to find a way to use part of your week this year or offer it for a few $100 to a co-worker....and then think about planning for your 2013 week usage.

[VacationPro Member Find all posts View Profile Close VacationPro]

Very new to the timeshare thing. Purchased last year at the Rangeley Lake Resort in Maine. Odd year week 14.

I happen to own a camp in the area and mostly purchased the timeshare to gain unlimited use of the facility pool and grounds for the kids.

Week 14 is just around the corner and really doubt I will use it. I have been told by the resort that I need to sign up with II in order to bank (whatever that means) my week.

This whole thing is very new to me and I'm not sure how everything works. Is there somewhere I can read about "timeshare exchange for dummies" or can someone give me some basics on this stuff. I just don't want to hastily sign on to an II membership and pay fees to find out I wasted my money. I just want to make the correct decisions and not waste my week.

Thank you

The timing is very tight to pull this off. You should probably call Interval International and see if they can work this out. It will cost you around $89 for the membership and $139 for the exchange. As has been mentioned, the window that you will be able to see will be very limited, so you will have to decide if that is worth it to you.

Good Luck.

[Ellen Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ellen]

Very new to the timeshare thing. Purchased last year at the Rangeley Lake Resort in Maine. Odd year week 14.

I happen to own a camp in the area and mostly purchased the timeshare to gain unlimited use of the facility pool and grounds for the kids.

Week 14 is just around the corner and really doubt I will use it. I have been told by the resort that I need to sign up with II in order to bank (whatever that means) my week.

This whole thing is very new to me and I'm not sure how everything works. Is there somewhere I can read about "timeshare exchange for dummies" or can someone give me some basics on this stuff. I just don't want to hastily sign on to an II membership and pay fees to find out I wasted my money. I just want to make the correct decisions and not waste my week.

Thank you

When you deposit your week with Interval International (II) you giving them your week as a trade. You give them your week so you can go to one of their affiliated resorts, so you are exchanging your week at your resort to stay at a different resort. They have affiliated resorts in the US, Mexico, Europe, Canada, etc. You can look at their affiliated resorts in their on-line directory. I don't think you have to be a member to access this.

You will be paying the annual II fee ($89) upfront plus the exchange fee, $139 in the US and I think $159 international (?), when you make your exchange. You have 2 years from the date of your week (So week 14 of 2013) to use your week. But if you don't use it the first year of your II membership you will have to keep renewing your membership to keep your deposit. If you don't use it during that year and don't think you will the second and don't renew I think you just lose your deposit (ask II). I ALSO DO NOT KNOW IF YOU CAN DEPOSIT YOUR WEEK WHEN YOU ARE TWO WEEKS WITHIN THE ARRIVAL DATE. CALL II AND ASK. IF YOU CAN'T THERE IS YOUR ANSWER.

When you deposit your week with Interval and you are within 60 days of the arrival date for the week you are depositing you will be restricted to booking your week elsewhere to 60 days before you want to go, meaning you are looking at booking weeks no one else wanted and booking at the last minute. If you want to go somewhere in the off season it probably isn't a big deal but it's unlikely you'll go any where during a high demand season unless you want to go somewhere where there are a lot of timeshares (Branson, FL, Williamsburg, etc.) and you are not picky where you stay.

To confirm the above and get more info you should call II and have them explain it all to you. If it doesn't make sense the first time call again, some reps can be more informative than others. Ask a lot of questions, until you understand it. If you travel a lot it and have flexibility it may be worth paying for a one year membership and depositing it to figure out the system and look into your options.

If you don't deposit it with them to exchange into another resort later and you do not use your week you will lose your week so trying to sell it to a friend or co-worker for cheap is a great idea. You could give it to someone if you simply don't want to deposit with II and won't use it. Or just go for a short or long weekend instead of the whole week.

Hope this helps......

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

Although the timing would be problematic (very short notice) another exchange option may be Dial An Exchange (daelive.com) They don't have the availability that II would, but seem to have less restrictive rules. Might be worth checking out for future reference anyway, I have no personal experience with them, however.