Original Message:
Re: How to get rid of a timeshare you no longer want .... (by R P.):
That's the way everyone should buy into timeshares ... buy where you like to go. Exchanging is merely an added feature but should not be the main reason for buying any timeshare (no matter what a slick timeshare salesperson may have told you). It seems the better exchanges are harder to get each and every year.
Exchanging is the main disappointment I've witnessed concerning timeshare ownership (except for rising maintenance fees and special assessments) .... having to plan so far in advance to get an exchange you desire along with the rising costs of belonging to an exchange company.
When we first got into timesharing RCI exchanges were $129, now they are $164+ per exchange (for U.S. residents, more for Canadians) not counting exchange company yearly membership fees and rising costs for guest certificates.
If one is flexible in where they would like to go they can do a direct exchange with another person. Redweek has added this feature to their website. As Jennie stated above, renting a timeshare from an individual owner without the hassles of ownership is also a viable option.
darlenep30 wrote:We now only own three where we love staying and belong with II. After meeting owners at resorts that had both Rci and II we would talk to them and see they had better units than us and many ex Rci users among them!