sELLING MY TIMESHARE

redsearch wrote:

Which company are you referring to? I have been searching through the BBB reports of fee-upfront companies, and their usual retort is that they don't guarantee the outcome.

norin wrote:

It took me awhile but I've resigned myself to fact that I got burned by a stupid con artist who offered to sell my Wyndham timeshare.

I reported that company to the BBB in the hopes of getting my money back and also filed a dispute with my credit card company. I definitely plan to put my timeshare up for sale on this site when the time is right. Has anyone who got burned by these guys (and is willing to admit it here :P) complained to a BBB and gotten their money back?

Oops, I should have done that huh? The company in question was Land Ahoy Properties. (www.landahoyproperties.com.) They are based in Orlando, FL The guy I spoke to was Chris Baldwin. My complaint to the BBB in Orlando was the first made againat the company so he called me back (after days of not returning my calls) and was probably spooked.

I have the contract that they sent me but largely the claim of fraud was verbal and not on paper. :( Stay away from this company! I only wish I had done more research before falling for these scams! I was desperate to get rid of the timeshare, a fact that they preyed upon my desperation.

norin wrote:

It took me awhile but I've resigned myself to fact that I got burned by a stupid con artist who offered to sell my Wyndham timeshare.

I reported that company to the BBB in the hopes of getting my money back and also filed a dispute with my credit card company. I definitely plan to put my timeshare up for sale on this site when the time is right. Has anyone who got burned by these guys (and is willing to admit it here :P) complained to a BBB and gotten their money back?

I had a situation a few months back. I filled out a form online about selling my timeshare. Within a few minutes I got a call from a gentleman from IBD Marketing telling me I should have no problem selling and its worth more than i paid, yada yada yada. So I foolishly gave him my credit card # to charge the $799 upfront fee. He told me it was guaranteed. I was supposed to get a contract within a short time but in the meantime they put me on thier website. After a few weeks I still didn't get a contract which I wasn't going to sign anyway, I called my credit card co and disputed the charge. They sent them a letter but I also called the co. and to my surprise they credited me the $799. I think my unit is still on thier website.

Upfront fee timeshare resale companies tell you that your timeshare is worth far more than it actually is in order to get your upfront money when they know that your timeshare will not sell for anywhere near what they have quoted or at all.

On the other end of the spectrum you have scam companies such as Timeshare Relief telling all prospective clients that their timeshare is worthless and that they need to give them $3000 +- to take it off their hands.

Both types of companies prey on desperate people. From one end of timeshare scams to the other with developer timeshare salespeople in between with their own lies told to prospective buyers.

As I have said many times before, I honestly don't see how these people sleep at night.

jayjay wrote:

Upfront fee timeshare resale companies tell you that your timeshare is worth far more than it actually is in order to get your upfront money when they know that your timeshare will not sell for anywhere near what they have quoted or at all.

On the other end of the spectrum you have scam companies such as Timeshare Relief telling all prospective clients that their timeshare is worthless and that they need to give them $3000 +- to take it off their hands.

Both types of companies prey on desperate people. From one end of timeshare scams to the other with developer timeshare salespeople in between with their own lies told to prospective buyers.

As I have said many times before, I honestly don't see how these people sleep at night.

norin wrote:

It took me awhile but I've resigned myself to fact that I got burned by a stupid con artist who offered to sell my Wyndham timeshare.

I reported that company to the BBB in the hopes of getting my money back and also filed a dispute with my credit card company. I definitely plan to put my timeshare up for sale on this site when the time is right. Has anyone who got burned by these guys (and is willing to admit it here :P) complained to a BBB and gotten their money back?

I had 3 Timeshares rented out by this company within 6 months, I tried RedWeek and they stole my money. It's strange that you would bad mouth one company and in the same breath you say that you will go with another company. And as for being the first one to complain to the BBB, just proves that this company doesn't mis lead there customers. You sound like you don't know what you want and you find comfort in blaming others for your instability.

danc99 wrote:

norin wrote:

It took me awhile but I've resigned myself to fact that I got burned by a stupid con artist who offered to sell my Wyndham timeshare.

I reported that company to the BBB in the hopes of getting my money back and also filed a dispute with my credit card company. I definitely plan to put my timeshare up for sale on this site when the time is right. Has anyone who got burned by these guys (and is willing to admit it here :P) complained to a BBB and gotten their money back?

I had 3 Timeshares rented out by this company within 6 months, I tried RedWeek and they stole my money. It's strange that you would bad mouth one company and in the same breath you say that you will go with another company. And as for being the first one to complain to the BBB, just proves that this company doesn't mis lead there customers. You sound like you don't know what you want and you find comfort in blaming others for your instability.

Hi Dan,

Do you have an account under another name on RedWeek.com that you used in trying to rent out your timeshares? I wasn't able to find a paid membership on our website for you. I want to make sure that you aren't confusing us with another company.

Thanks, Marty

Marty; My money says that you won't hear back from Dan. But, I will be interesting if you do.

danc, you're comparing apples to oranges below. norin was trying to sell her timeshae, not rent it out as you were. The company she mentions charges a large upfront fee (in the hundreds) to list her timeshare in a computer database and that's all they do. They do no marketing to sell her timeshare and she loses her upfront fee. Land Ahoy is just another scam upfront fee resale company ... they get your money and you never hear from them again.

If they were a legitimate resale company they would take her fee after they sell her timeshare, not before. The mantra for timeshare educated people is never ever pay an upfront fee to any company to sell your timeshare.

On the other hand, Redweek charges a nominal fee to list with them. They get thousands of hits a day from people looking for sales and rentals. If you listed your timeshares for rent on Redweek and received no interest, then you were more than likely asking far too much. The market (renter/buyer) sets the price for all sales and rentals.

Redweek is a timeshare internet listing service, not an upfront fee resale company that charges hundreds of dollars.

In closing, I'm sure you paid a fee to that company to rent your timeshares. Would you care to tell us how much they charged you?

danc99 wrote:

I had 3 Timeshares rented out by this company within 6 months, I tried RedWeek and they stole my money. It's strange that you would bad mouth one company and in the same breath you say that you will go with another company. And as for being the first one to complain to the BBB, just proves that this company doesn't mis lead there customers. You sound like you don't know what you want and you find comfort in blaming others for your instability.

I am one of those people who surf Redweek, but haven't yet joined. I was looking for a place to rent a timeshare, and so far, this site is quite interesting and I have learned a lot.

Here's the big question. Are the weekly amounts negotiable or not? How do I go about this?

I am another who will admit to being scammed by a timeshare resale company. In my case, it was ResortoUs out of Las Vegas. I (stupidly) paid their upfront fee. Within about 3 months they closed up shop taking everyone's money with them. Lesson to be learned. NEVER pay upfront fees.

There is an interesting internet site that alerts people to these kind of bad companies and allows people to report them for the benefit of others so they also don't get scammed. The website is www.ripoffreport.com.

carries25 wrote:

I am one of those people who surf Redweek, but haven't yet joined. I was looking for a place to rent a timeshare, and so far, this site is quite interesting and I have learned a lot.

Here's the big question. Are the weekly amounts negotiable or not? How do I go about this?

I have found that SOME sellers will negotiate a rental price ... especially as the end of the year comes into sight and their unit has not rented yet (to pay their annual maintenance fees). It does not hurt to counter-offer a lower rental fee. The worst that can happen is the renter says, "no thanks".

It probably depends on how anxious the owners are to rent. It certainly wouldn't hurt to make an offer lower than their asking price. As someone else mentioned above, the worst they can say is "no".

P.S. You can contact the owner by clicking on their name in the ad and asking if the price of the rental is negotiable, however you have to be a member of Redweek in order to contact their clients. Membership offers a measure of safety for Redweek's renters and sellers. Many other sites with email addresses listed in the ads run rampant with spam (junk mail and scam/con artists).

carries25 wrote:

I am one of those people who surf Redweek, but haven't yet joined. I was looking for a place to rent a timeshare, and so far, this site is quite interesting and I have learned a lot.

Here's the big question. Are the weekly amounts negotiable or not? How do I go about this?

I already know the answer but will ask anyway and that is why owners go through all this STRESS trying to sell and wasting money on ads and outside companies trying to get rid of their unit! Answer: GREED!

Reason I bring this up is (SOME RESORTS) have resale companies that will do all the work while you do nothing.

We own at the Ridge Tahoe and three years ago we went up and bought a unit we use to own years earlier. We had three choices in the Naegle building and bought the one that had July 4th week that year! We bought for good price and recieved some very good extra's worth about $2400.

People on here that are being real about the value could enjoy life alot more using the resale company at their resort than running ads and hoping for buyers and at some point taking little money to dump their unit.

I talk to the resale in-house company last visit to the Ridge. I asked about the selling process when we were ready to move on. We bought from them and wanted to know about the selling process!

Yes they do all the work and close and charge fee for this. Also you make less if an owner like myself was to buy your unit because of the owner discounts but it gets done and you do nothing and still use your unit until it is sold.

We were told that we might only clear $3500 if another owner bought and more if first time buyer.

Think about how many owners start off asking for high price and 2-3 years later get little or nothing.

I was in the office booking 2008 use while there last year and there was two families in there buying units.

The resales office does very well and the information you get is true from them. I wish when we sold years ago that this resales office had been here!

I see ads on here and other sites with so much miss information it is scary. One person on Redweek list many units including the Naegle with mf of around $650,when it is $766 a year now!They list queen beds when Naegles all have king beds with third bed in living room being queen and they list sleeps eight when it sleeps six. This is false information that might be important to a buyer! Most ads can not even list what building their trying to sell and there are five! It seems that 90% of the units listed are the Plaza or Terrace which are high rises and only difference is Plaza has washer/dryer in the unit.

We stayed in the Terrace on our bonus time and hated it. We had some friends come up that had stayed with us and loved the Naegle.They asked about staying in the Tower to try it out. They figured if they owned the Tower we could share vacation time in both units and make trades other years.

When they checked in they were put in the Terrace and even after telling them they had already set it up to stay in the Tower and probably buy they were put in the Terrace. They left two days early because this is not what they wanted. Said the Terrace was not the building they wanted for a week with there boys.

It seems the older Tower and Naegle are everyone's favorite buildings at the Ridge!Both are at the top near the club house.

I 'm sure that there are many resorts out there that have resales in house and except for greed why would any owner put them selves through this kind of stress to make little extra money!

Just talking about the Ridge now but when we are ready to sell we will book great week so if buyer has other choices our unit would have best week availble and if sold great and if not we would have great time one more year!

NO STRESS! PHIL

I came back on here to do edit because after reading next post from jayjay I guess I wasn't clear enough! I'm talking about selling with resale on site that some resorts have once they are sold out.

Unless your going to be greedy and ask for high amount and drop price over the months and maybe get nothing done this seems to be pretty good solution to no stress in selling your unit!

When we were interested in buying a resale at a gulf front timeshare resort on the panhandle of Florida, I called the resort to see what a 2 bedroom, beachfront unit would cost resale. The in-house resale salesman told me I'd be getting a bargain at $9000 for that type unit. I told him "no thanks".

I went on to find a resale on Ebay at the same resort for the same beachfront, two bedroom type unit for $1500.

It depends on the resort as to what kind of bargain you get from buying resale in-house.

I am talking about selling your unit! We bought our unit for $5200 with two years free mf and $2400 in discounts and extra bonus time of 20 days over next four years. We have already used eight days extra time up there!

This is the Naegle Building every year use and gets listed on Redweek from $3200--$8000.The units listed for this high price is normal for some listing company and no way they will get that much unless they just run into a fool wanting to lose there money.

But like I said my point on this is for SELLING your unit and getting away from all the stress! I would think other resorts have this same setup availble to owners.

My Opinion: If someone is looking to sell, ALWAYS check with your resort in-house sales dept. IF, the resort handles resales, you will always get a better deal.

The Logic: TS buyers always contact the resort for info and availability. Your fees, if any, will be lower. Info will be "more" honest

You can always list on the web, such as Redweek, but you have the advantage of also having it listed at the resort. You can still negoiate the selling price, the same as you would do if listing your residence.

Most importantly, be realistic! There are tons for TS sitting out here for sale, with greatly inflated prices. If you seriously want to sell, price it in the proper range for resales. Remember it's a TS, not a lottery ticket.

Redweek listed resales at one of my resorts, are priced considerably higher than value and they are "pool" or "courtyard" views. Someone calling the resort, will find beachfronts for less money. There is no difference in units, other than view. And while prices are negotiable, a listed high dollar price will be a turn-off to many prospects. "Fairplay" will almost always win.

jons29 My Opinion: If someone is looking to sell, ALWAYS check with your resort in-house sales dept. IF, the resort handles resales, you will always get a better deal.

The Logic: TS buyers always contact the resort for info and availability. Your fees, if any, will be lower. Info will be "more" honest ===========================================

jons29 you made my point even better than I did! I was trying to let some owners know there are better and less stressful ways to sell in some cases. You just need to understand the true value of your resort and what (your time) is worth to deal with selling!

I know for a fact families that trade into the Ridge and stay in the Naegle or Tower Buildings just rave about them! I have been in hot tub or pool and had people ask me if I was a owner and then spend time sitting and asking questions about the Ridge.

We were some of the first to own in the Tower when it was being built and loved it. We sold five years later and just came back and three years ago bought the Naegle which is more family set up with outside patio that reaches from one bedroom to the other. We cook out there at least three nights of our summer week vacation. Naegle is true two bedrooms and not lockoff.

We love sitting out there in the morning reading paper and having coffee and watching Chip and Dale run all around!

Someday we might buy second unit at the Tower again too!

What I see are three people everyday in resales dept and many people talking about buying .I would guess they sell units every week from just people that traded in there. I know when I asked about the Tower unit last year they didn't have any on the books that were EOY like we wanted.

They have this traffic everyday and offer good deals with very good goodies to go with it. Now why would anyone not use them to sell instead of paying to list and then sit and wait for years(stress).

I don't know about other resorts because I have really never had dealings with them but would think they are out there for owners to use! PHIL

I have advertised my prime ski week (red week) on RedWeek for one year while progressively decreasing the price to 1/2 the original purchase price. I never even got an inquiry, a nibble - over the entire year!

Any thoughts as to why? Bad week? Bad property? Bad exposure through RedWeek? So I paid $65 to RedWeek and got nothing in return. What next?

Thanks, Ron

rond36 wrote:

I have advertised my prime ski week (red week) on RedWeek for one year while progressively decreasing the price to 1/2 the original purchase price. I never even got an inquiry, a nibble - over the entire year!

Any thoughts as to why? Bad week? Bad property? Bad exposure through RedWeek? So I paid $65 to RedWeek and got nothing in return. What next?

Thanks, Ron

Well you didnt say what property you are selling but to be honest some people don't want to pay a membership fee just to make an offer. Redweek is a great site and I have been a member for 2 years, but it is very hard to find if you are a buyer searching on the internet. Try it, go to google and act like your a buyer and you are looking for your timeshare. You wont find redweek at the top of the list. So if you are looking to sell your timeshare I recommend working with the company that you can find the easiest on various searches. That way you know if a buyer is looking for your resort your ad will be found.