Original Message:
ask-redweek-wyndham-ovation-help-owners-get-out (by E G.):
Trying to make the best of a bad situation and use the timeshares as much as possible after relieving 70+ year old mama fighting cancer of them (She survived!) While growing up took vacations every year through the timeshare system, so I knew a lot but thought it might be ok to hear them out (possibly upgrade a little) on new things during their “owners meetings”…. BS... Soon after I spoke to the new Ovation department and was told that I had to have my loan on newly purchased access points paid off for an entire year BEFORE they would even consider letting me surrender. The year waiting period was a surprise as it hadn’t been disclosed when I purchased the points. I had bought the small group of points to add to mom’s old but converted Fairfield Glade deeds. After paying the $600ish to transfer the 2 deeds into my name they wrote up one of them differently and the ovation person said I was going to have trouble with it for some reason. If this redweek site is legitimate and it is a place where people can understand the situation better, discover why they should avoid it at all costs initially, maybe work to improve it, and buy/sell, I appreciate it very much. I have to take responsibility for being trusting, open and honest and not business-savvy. Good lesson but at what expense? Generations to come are bound by these manipulative, deceptive practices? They won’t normally deal with you at all unless both you and your spouse are there but I shared with the sales department enough times that I wouldn’t be traveling with my spouse ever. The first time they sent me home with a ton of paperwork for him to sign and we never responded. The next time they saw me they came up with another approach to help for about 50% less cost than the previous situation. They promised the world and how I would be able to offset so much with the rewards card, which I didn’t end up qualifying for, and said I could use my now Bigger point balance to cover my maintenance fees. They don’t tell you at the time that almost a years worth of points barely covers a SINGLE month of maintenance fees. Somehow they used my husbands PayPal account for the loan but he wasn’t even there. It wasn’t until I tried to interact with PayPal that I realized it. I still pay it because I don’t want to hurt him but that seems like it crosses the line even more than their normal manipulations. I told them I only had a couple hundred dollars of disposable cash to survive on every month and they qualified me using his account?? Now because of the ovation limitations and the rising fees and mortgage interest costs every month I can’t afford to really vacation or do anything else even with a couple extra side jobs. I don’t know what I’m gonna do when I have to replace my new-to-me, 20-year-old car. I think I have read one current comment that Wyndham considered taking their location at the Glade back, which surprises me. They really tried hard to charge me, equal to that of the points already paid for and attached b/c mom had converted the deeds usage to points before Wyndham bought Fairfield. They wanted to charge me market value cost to simply replace those deeds thus showing they were empty pieces of paper. So for now I’m holding onto them but they threaten that the fees will continue to rise on them more-so than the Access only point fees. Not sure if Glade deeds are on the Ovation wanted list or if its changed, so any experiences shared are appreciated.