Original Message:
DFAC factual clarifications... (by KC):
jimc148 wrote:I have absolutely no affiliation of any kind with DFAC --- and never did --- and I am certainly NOT waving the DFAC flag here. That much very clearly stated, I will still point out that DFAC only charges fees to accept a timeshare "donation" when the prospective "donation" is of so little market value that it may be a long time (perhaps even several years) before they can "unload" it. DFAC is well aware that the owner of record has to pay annual maintenance fees on every "donated" week --- and DFAC doesn't want a stinky albatross carcass around their neck any more than you do. Hence the hefty charges to cover future maintenance fees for low value "donations" which are accepted. For a high value / high demand week donation, those fees are waived entirely (except for a few hundred dollars in closing costs), since DFAC knows that they they won't have to hold onto a decent value timeshare for very long. Not so for low value / low demand "stinky albatross" weeks, however.I just called DFC to ask about donating a red week at Carlsbad Inn & Beach Resort. They quoted me over $1800 for closing costs. DFC may be a non-profit organization but Mr. Tarpey's other company , Resort Closings, is certainly NOT non-profit!
Resort Closings, Inc. (as mentioned above, also owned / run by attorney James Tarpey) does the market assessment for prospective "donations" to DFAC. Resort Closings, Inc. is not a "charity" in any way, but their closing costs are comparable with most others (i.e., under $400). To my knowledge, only JRA Services and Timeshare Transfer actually have lower fees, while numerous other closing entities have higher closing cost fees than Resort Closings, Inc.
Personally, my primary "beef" with DFAC / Resort Closings is that they previously circulated completely erroneous info regarding tax deductions for donated timeshares (in truth, the tax deduction is exactly ZERO if the market value of the "donation" is also effectively ZERO). In all fairness, however, they seem now to have ceased distributing (and have removed from the Internet) their previous completely false and incorrect tax deduction information.