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Re: Re: Re: Westgate Property Owners (by KC):

larry84 wrote:

It is hard to tell how good Westgate is compared to other timeshare companies because these comments are a minority compared to all the owners of Westgate timeshares.

The irrefutable fact and fundamental problem with Westgate (unlike ANY "other timeshare companies") is that Westgate knowingly, willfully and deliberately devalues resale ownerships by employing onerous and severe restictions on resale owners attempting to make reservations. I have had a few decades of timeshare experience at this point and I know of NO other timeshare company that penalizes resale owners in this particular (and very punitive) manner. That's a fact. It’s not an opinion and it’s not based upon (and not offered in response to) anyone’s subjective “comments” in these forums or anywhere else. A fact is a fact.

Westgate is certainly not unique in having hungry and deceitful sales weasels aggressively "peddling their product" --- and most Westgate properties are certainly nice enough. I also agree 100% with your observation that people need to take responsibility for their own decisions and actions. That aside, it is other post-sale Westgate practices that place Westgate at the "bottom of the barrel" (in my opinion) among all timeshare companies.

Westgate owners who overpaid to buy developer-direct and who actually use and enjoy what they own may very well be satified with their ownership --- good for them! However, when / if the day comes for those same people to sell that product, they may promptly discover (to their shock and dismay) that what they own may be almost worthless and impossible to sell in the resale market, due to the severe reservation restrictions Westgate has contrived to impose upon all resale ownerships. It would seem that there may be some basis for Westgate having acquired the nickname "Wastegate" in some timeshare forums. There is apparently also some reason why people often have to PAY Westgate (over a thousand dollars) to take the product back! (I am referring here to Westgate's deedback program which they call "Legacy"). Even with "Legacy" Westgate actually selectively picks and chooses the ownerships that they will even let people PAY WESTGATE to take back! That's a special kind of greedy, in my opinion.

P.S. I have no affiliation with any timeshare company anywhere --- and I never did. I do own and use several (resale) timeshare weeks at independent, non-"chain" properties, but certainly have never owned (and would never consider owning) within Westgate. I am merely offering some objective observations, since you seem to be waving the Westgate flag a bit here without any mention or acknowledgement of the unique and glaring shortcomings of owning within Westgate, as described in paragraph 3 above.