Buying, Renting, and Selling Timeshares

Is there any EFFECTIVE way to dump a wyndham timeshare...???

Dec 10, 2015

Any company that claims they can get you out of your timeshare for an upfront fee is a SCAM !!!!


Don P.
Dec 10, 2015

Go to the Timeshare Companies forum. There is a pinned thresd about Wyndham's Ovation program where it is accepting a limited number of timeshares back from owners. In order to qualify, you have to be up-to-date with your mortgage and maintenance fees.

Just don't pay anyone a large, upfront fee to do the work.


Lance C.
Feb 22, 2017

Do you how much percentage of what you paid do they return to you??


Lizzy L.
Feb 22, 2017

you can try to sell it to a second market dealer.


Annette J.

Last edited by phyl21 on Feb 22, 2017 03:32 PM

Feb 22, 2017

How much are your Maintenance fees and how many weeks does that get you in a two bedroom at Indio in March?


Annette J.
Feb 22, 2017

I think it is absolutely nothing!


Annette J.
Feb 22, 2017

lizzyl2 wrote:
Do you how much percentage of what you paid do they return to you??

If you bought a contract with Wyndham during a brief time when they were offering a program called Pathways, (which required a new purchase during that time) you might be entitled to about 20% of what you paid retail. Most people qualify for Ovations. In some cases you are offered 3 years worth of points to use by calling and booking without paying MF for those points (in return for returning your deeds/contracts). Other are only offered the option to return the deeds/contracts without any compensation.


Tracey S.
Feb 23, 2017

tracey75 wrote:
lizzyl2 wrote:
Do you how much percentage of what you paid do they return to you??

If you bought a contract with Wyndham during a brief time when they were offering a program called Pathways, (which required a new purchase during that time) you might be entitled to about 20% of what you paid retail. Most people qualify for Ovations. In some cases you are offered 3 years worth of points to use by calling and booking without paying MF for those points (in return for returning your deeds/contracts). Other are only offered the option to return the deeds/contracts without any compensation.

That Pathways ship has long since sailed, but (for now, anyhow) the Wyndham Ovation "deedback" door remains open. You are absolutely correct however that the operative word is MOST, as Wyndham will not just take anything and everything back under Ovation; the actual acceptance percentage is not known. It's surely worth a try for anyone just looking to bail out for once and for all --- and is willing to understand and accept that they are otherwise simply not going to recover much (if anything at all) in the resale market.


KC

Last edited by ken1193 on Feb 28, 2017 04:38 AM

Oct 19, 2018

What companies did you call?


Belinda Z.
Oct 20, 2018

belindaz5 wrote:
What companies did you call?

You do realize that there has not been a response in this thread for about a year now, don't you? To which post are you replying?

But, if your question is regarding the title of your thread about dumping a Wyndham timeshare, I suggest you go to the forum Timeshare Companies and then the thread near the top entitled "Wyndham's new "Ovation" program offers exit solutions for their owners... interested?" There you will find information about contacting Wyndham concern the program they have in place for owners who want to give their units back.


Lance C.
Oct 20, 2018

Well for anyone that sees this, I wanted to buy some from this site, but I need to be a paid member to even see the ads. Not paying to see an ad. So there goes the sale.

<shrug> Plenty of places to buy from, but ads on this site are worthless if folks can't SEE them.


Kathleen F.
Oct 20, 2018

kathleenf44 wrote:
Well for anyone that sees this, I wanted to buy some from this site, but I need to be a paid member to even see the ads. Not paying to see an ad. So there goes the sale.

Just to clarify, you do not have to be a paid member to see the ads. You have to be a paid member to respond to ads. You still have to sign up to be a free member to see the ads but you do not have to pay to see the ads, just respond to them.

And just for the record, many paid RedWeek members who advertise on RedWeek like the idea of members having to pay to respond to ads.


Lance C.
Mar 07, 2019

We did an update on September 2, 2018 and signed a contract for $47,000. We were suppose to get. points that would give us 1 million points on a a permanent basis. We checked our contract and found that Whyndham supplied bonus points for two years and the goes away.. We contacted our sales person the next morning and he took us to his manager.. We cited our concerns about our promise of being a Gold member with a little over 1 million points. He said he would take care of this and send us the update change to our contrac. That never happened so we disputed with Barkley visa and automatic payments on our American Express account....freezing all payments to Whyndham. We have a dispute number and have been talking and emailing since last September with senior membership customer service representative Ross Steinmann.. No help with delay after delay. We just want to terminate our membership with Whyndham. Do you have a legal letter for cancelling contract?

Don Howard 706-490-3790


Donald H.
Mar 07, 2019

donaldh271 wrote:
...signed a contract for $47,000. We just want to terminate our membership with Whyndham. Do you have a legal letter for cancelling contract?

First of all, I would start by removing your personal information from your post. You are inviting a bunch of spammers and scam artists to bombard you with shady deals. That leads to the second point. Do not go contacting any of these companies that supposedly cancel or exit you from your timeshare or the loan.

An important couple of questions are How much have you paid so far and How much more do you owe?


Lance C.
May 23, 2019

I do not agree with Lance and no bone to pick in this fight, just dont like to see valid options not be looked into. I Have two cousin's that just used a company to get them out LEGALLY. Funny thing is they were all talking about timeshares a couple family gatherings ago. One bought one from Wyndham for 29K two years ago and the other bought from Blue Green for 27K 1 year go. both timeshares are now gone including the mortgage they had. Took right at a year on both to get them out due to the mortgage. After reading this I called one of my cousins and he said it was a decent chunk, but the best money he ever spent. Saved thousands on the mortgage and the Maint. Fee's and is gone.Side note when my cousins were buy I started looking into one and found I could buy the same thing for a buck on E-bay and or even go to redweek and or even other online rental places and find cheaper than the Maint. Fee's alone and go when I want.


Jeff F.

Last edited by phyl21 on May 24, 2019 11:05 AM

May 24, 2019

NEVER pay anyone money upfront that claims they can get you out of your contract . These low life companies even sink so low azs to send shills into the forums claiming success stories to lure their victims into their trap .


Don P.
May 24, 2019

Don, I would not say never as everything you do you have to pay upfront, Your time, Gas, shoes, Attorney's, just about anything except a real estate agent and Trucking Companies. Even a service such as Red week requires upfront to try and sell or rent, but think its a great service. Probably the best way is to really figure whom is a good company and whom is not instead of blanket statement to all companies or attorney's that charges upfront. Really comes down to if they can provide the service they say and then how to know if they are good at it? Right? The better question, which ones can? I think this would help people allot more if something was done in this area. However, you bring up a good question, Wonder if Red Week or any other company would do all there services for free until the services was provided for. Example, I'm in the trucking business and this is exactly what happens. We do not get paid until the shipment is delivered. Could Red Week or other service companies survive if this was the case? Probably not due to the nature of the business needing to collect upfront, because only a certain percentage does actually come to a transaction, but in my bizz you have to preform first to get paid. Just think its the nature/type of the bizz to how a business charges it customers, whether its up front or later.


Jeff F.
May 24, 2019

NEVER pay anyone money upfront that claims they can get you out of your contract .These low lives have perfected their skills to persuade vulnerable owners to fork over THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS on a PROMISE . What do you know about these parasites . What are their real names . What are their criminal records . Oh that's right .........they will have answers for all your questions . They are very good at what they do . That's what they do they take your HARD EARNED MONEY !!!!

Anyone STUPID enough to give them your HARD EARNED MONEY after reading this then they deserve to lose their money .


Don P.

Last edited by donp196 on May 24, 2019 12:35 PM

May 24, 2019

jefff382 wrote:
I Have two cousin's that just used a company to get them out LEGALLY. Funny thing is they were all talking about timeshares a couple family gatherings ago. One bought one from Wyndham for 29K two years ago and the other bought from Blue Green for 27K 1 year go. both timeshares are now gone including the mortgage they had. Took right at a year on both to get them out due to the mortgage. After reading this I called one of my cousins and he said it was a decent chunk, but the best money he ever spent. Saved thousands on the mortgage and the Maint. Fee's and is gone.

A few things here. First, are you and your cousins really that close that they would reveal such information to you? They seriously told you about a company they paid thousands of dollars to (I'm assuming) to relieve them of a mortgage and maintenance fees? And on top of that, they told you the name of the company?!?! And then on top of that, you decided that you (not they) would come on these boards and tout the praises of this previously not-so-well-known company?!?!

And how can their timeshares be "Gone"? The timeshares still exist. It's not like they were put in an incinerator and reduced to ashes.

Did they explain how this company worked because each time I hear of a company that supposedly got a customer out of a timeshare with a mortgage still on it the question arises. For argument's sake, I'm just going to roll out some round figures. Let's say your cousins still owed $15,000 on their mortgage. They paid this miracle-working company $4000 to "cancel"' their mortgage and timeshare. So now your cousins are elated that they only spent $4k instead of $15K (yes, I would be too). As well, this company that you and your cousins are touting are $4K richer. But what about the $15K that is owed to the lender? What happens to the lender? How does the lender get satisfied?

I raise this question each time I see someone on these boards touting a company that supposedly "canceled" their mortgage (and possibly timeshare) but no one can ever explain this phenomenon. After all, if someone owed you $3000 but, for one reason or another, did not want to or could not pay you back, then went to some supposed debt-cancellation lawyer, paid the lawyer $500 to get rid of this debt and this debt were somehow cancelled, how would you feel not getting the $3000 owed to you? How would you feel about your debtor as well as this lawyer? How would you feel about the debtor (or his cousin) going on forums like these saying, "Hey, if you owe somebody money that you do not want to pay, then hire this lawyer who, for a fee smaller than what you owe your creditor, will make your debt disappear"?


Lance C.
May 25, 2019

Having heard from 831 families, I have learned it's easy to say "don't pay anyone upfront," but what about the Alzheimer's diagnosed buyer not capable of filing complaints on their own? I have heard from more dementia diagnosed patients listening to timeshare members than I did when I served on an Ombudsman Advisory Board, advocates for patients in nursing home. The busy surgeon doesn't have time to put the necessary time in to dispute a timeshare. It takes regulatory filings and endless rebuttals. It works but it is often a marathon, not a sprint.

I am no fan of exit companies, but if two of them had not spent the money to send attorneys to the March 12 Florida legislative workshop to defeat a very bad anti-timeshare consumer bill, this bill would have passed. One of them put me up in a hotel so I could report on the fiasco. The bill died in Florida so ARDA introduced it in Nevada, the identical bill. After many timeshare members opposed the bill (unless timeshare buyer were offered 24 hours to review a contract), it mercifully was taken off the docket. Jason Gamel, the Sr VP legal from Wyndham testified at the workshop. He said members don't need to contact exit providers because Wyndham has a hardship department he made sound benevolent. Gamel is the new president of ARDA, replacing Howard Nusbaum. Ken McKelvey, of Defender Resorts, and Chairman of ARDA ROC testified that he has been a developer for 30 years and all resorts "and I've worked with many," he said, have a dissolution policy. Fortunately, the Florida state representatives saw through these guys. Representative Newton said he had to file for bankruptcy in the 90s to get out of his timeshare.

This is a new website launched by Laura Crow. She has gathered Wyndham members in dispute. https://www.facebook.com/groups/376743609795740/

Gamel and McKelvey (MeKelvey recently absorbed into Diamond Resorts via Apollo's $200 million infusion to acquire National Hospitality Group), said they were concerned about timeshare members experiencing unfair and deceptive sales practices from exit providers. The bill asked for a 24 hour cooling off period before signing a timeshare exit contract. The exit companies said great! But timeshare buyers should be offered 24 hours before signing a timeshare contract. Given this would probably destroy the timeshare industry if same day sales went away, both the bill in Nevada and Florida went nowhere. ARDA vigorously opposed the AZ pro-consumer bill offering timeshare buyers the 24 hours. It was a wash so both sides with be back to the drawing board for 2021.

Due to the enemy of my enemy is my friend concerning this legislation, I have gotten to know four of the exit companies. AARP is allowing a full page add for one of them. I've learned the exit companies don't like each other, they all criticize the others, feeling their way is the best way. We are a small group of capable volunteers that can answer questions for about 30 callers a month. Two of the exit companies receive 3,000 to 3,500 callers a month. They both each accept less than 200 as clients. I am working with the Straight-A Guide nonprofit to provide free content or a self-help Free at Last Timeshare Member Support Manual for $1,495 (which will include podcasts and webinars) to offer a self-advocacy guide. All proceeds will benefit the 501c3 formed ten years ago to help those imprisoned transition back to society. We just had to switch the word prison with timeshare. The content was quite similar. We (our volunteers and me) can't keep up with our volume of callers. I am 40 to 50 volunteer hours per week. My husband is 81 years old. He would like to spend more time with me.


Irene P.

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