How to get rid of a timeshare you no longer want ....

My timeshare was in VA BEach Ocean Sands. I went every year and sometimes got bad weather most times were nice ( not too hot). I was there for Hurricane Isabelle. They asked if we wanted to move to one of their other resorts off the beach and I agreed since the hurricane was heading for where I lived anyway. I got tired of going to the same place every year and maint Fees that go up also amentities being taken away everyear and this new point system which they wanted even more money for which I understand was used to trade or change weeks. Too much expense. I have family in FL I need to start visiting more often and can stay for free or at an inexp motel out of season. I don't like messing with points, long advance reservation notices, etc....

annt45 wrote:

My timeshare was in VA Beach Ocean Sands. I went every year and sometimes got bad weather most times were nice ( not too hot). I was there for Hurricane Isabelle. They asked if we wanted to move to one of their other resorts off the beach and I agreed since the hurricane was heading for where I lived anyway.

I got tired of going to the same place every year and maint Fees that go up also amentities being taken away everyear and this new point system which they wanted even more money for which I understand was used to trade or change weeks. Too much expense. I have family in FL I need to start visiting more often and can stay for free or at an inexp motel out of season. I don't like messing with points, long advance reservation notices, etc....

Annt45 you just made the point I try and make to new people thinking of buying their first time share. There is a nice upside to owning if you plan on a vacation trip every year and hope to try new places.

There are much more down sides to owning and you pointed them out.

We own three timeshares now and that is down from five. We were sick of all the travel and spending year in advance trying to set these trips up.Also hate dealing with trading companies and being held hostage by them.

We sold our two timeshares last couple years that dealt with Rci because of being held hostage.

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!

We found that even though there were less resorts with II the nicer resorts seem to be with II.

These are things I wish new owners would look at before diving in with the sharks! Resorts always find way to up the fee's and so do the trading companies!

After all this comes the time to try and sell and more fun now starts.

As much as we have enjoyed owning timeshares I think it will be nice when we get rid of all of them and not have to deal with all the bull!

"As much as we have enjoyed owning timeshares I think it will be nice when we get rid of all of them and not have to deal with all the bull!" __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Renting a week or two now and then directly from owners here at Redweek.com is a great alternative to owning a timeshare. You obtain all of the benefits of a timeshare vacation without the ongoing responsibilities and expense of ownership.

Hubby and I own too many timeshare weeks. Our circumstances have changed through the years and we can no longer use all of the weeks we own, although we anticipate using them again in a few years.

We have had 100% success renting our excess weeks through ads placed here at Redweek. Many of our renters used to own timeshares, sold them, then found it difficult to settle for hotel rooms. They are glad to rent a condo timeshare unit from us for around the same price they would pay for a hotel. We are glad to obtain the rental fee to pay our maintenance fees.

Many of our renters have never owned a timeshare because they are able to rent what they need each year from ads at web sites such as Redweek. I'm glad they figured this out without buying a week from the developer and then going through all the drama, uncertainty, and frustration of dealing with RCI and other exchange companies.

I tell all of our relatives and friends that most people are better renting instead of owning a timeshare unless they find a resort and week (or season) that they would like to return to almost every year. And if they find such a place, always buy via resale. We own several of these and are very glad we do.

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!

Some of our best exchanges have been through RCI. As a matter of fact, we are sitting on the lanai in Hawaii (Kauai at the Shearwater) as I write this, an exchange made through RCI. I think you just need to have a resort that is a great trader, then everything falls into place. I check every evening at midnight Eastern Time and find great exchanges about 10 months out. It takes patience. I don't put in a request because I don't want to be offered something less than I want. Last minute exchanges into Hawaii are plentiful as well.

cynthia281 wrote:

Some of our best exchanges have been through RCI. As a matter of fact, we are sitting on the lanai in Hawaii (Kauai at the Shearwater) as I write this, an exchange made through RCI. I think you just need to have a resort that is a great trader, then everything falls into place. I check every evening at midnight Eastern Time and find great exchanges about 10 months out. It takes patience. I don't put in a request because I don't want to be offered something less than I want. Last minute exchanges into Hawaii are plentiful as well.

If someone can take advantage of last minute weeks in Hawaii, this can be easily obtained through RCI's "Last Call", Interval International's "Getaway weeks", the San Francisco Exchange Company's "Sell-off list", Trading Places Int'l excess inventory, www.skyauction.com, snap travel.com, and numerous other outlets.

I wouldn't waste a tiger trader week to obtain such an exchange.

I agree that frequent, even daily on-line searches of RCI begun a year or more in advance increases the chances of receiving a desirable exchange, if the week you own has great trading power. I own 15 timeshare weeks and have received fabulous trades through the years--Paris, London, Copenhagen, east and west Germany, Sweden, Assisi, Venice, Mougins (south of France), Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Merida, Nassau and Freeport Bahamas, Aruba, St. Maarten, dozens of weeks in Florida in February, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Sedona, Williamsburg, the Berkshire and Pocono Mountains, Alexandria and Williamsburg, Virginia, and Maui, Kaui, the Big Island, and Oahu several times. This is just some of the exchanges received since we began buying timeshares (ALWAYS via resale) since 1995.

That being said, the exchange availability has declined steadily since Cendant acquired RCI. There is a major class action lawsuit against Cendant and RCI alleging that they are not making deposited weeks approriately available to their members. So many RCI weeks appear regularly on a variety of web sites, accessible to the general, non-timeshare owning public at prices below what the owner of the week pays in maintenance fee. Also, the proliferation of Points-based systems such as Marriott, Fairfield/Wyndham, Hilton Grand, Disney, Starwood, Sunterra, Trendwest, Sunterra, Equivest, Royal Holiday, and of course, RCI Points, decreases the availability of "fixed" deeded weeks.

So I no longer deposit any of my primo weeks with RCI. I have a couple of low-value weeks with poor rental potential. That's all RCI gets from me nowadays. Since Redweek.com grew into a great resource for renting weeks, I rent out all of the top value weeks we do not want to use in a particular year, and use the rental money to rent what we want directly from another owner who has placed an ad on Redweek. As more and more people do this, there will be a further decrease in what RCI has available for exchange. RCI is losing tens of thousands of members each year due to the frustration experienced trying to get desired trades.

That's why many of us who were thrilled with RCI exchanges in the "good 'ole days" have reluctantly accepted the fact that it no longer works that way anymore. I blame it on corporate greed. Timeshare ownership began in the 1970's as fixed week ownership and functioned well that way for many years. It appears the wheel has come full circle. In today's corporate-driven world, I consider owning a week you would not mind using yourself every year to be the safest, least frustrating and least time-consuming way to enjoy the benefits of timeshare ownership. That week should be very rentable in the years you choose to vacation elsewhere (or not at all). The mediocre or worse weeks RCI is likely to offer you can be picked up through the numerous web sites mentioned above anytime you want that type of vacation. Or rented from an owner. The Internet is a great resource for timeshare owners who learn to use it effectively.

jennie wrote:

cynthia281 wrote:

Some of our best exchanges have been through RCI. As a matter of fact, we are sitting on the lanai in Hawaii (Kauai at the Shearwater) as I write this, an exchange made through RCI. I think you just need to have a resort that is a great trader, then everything falls into place. I check every evening at midnight Eastern Time and find great exchanges about 10 months out. It takes patience. I don't put in a request because I don't want to be offered something less than I want. Last minute exchanges into Hawaii are plentiful as well.

Last minute exchanges to places like Hawaii and the Caribbean are plentiful because the airfare price is prohibitive unless purchased months, or even a year in advance. A trip to Hawaii is usually planned way in advance.

If someone can take advantage of last minute weeks in Hawaii, this can be easily obtained through RCI's "Last Call", Interval International's "Getaway weeks", the San Francisco Exchange Company's "Sell-off list", Trading Places Int'l excess inventory, www.skyauction.com, snap travel.com, and numerous other outlets.

I wouldn't waste a tiger trader week to obtain such an exchange.

I agree that frequent, even daily on-line searches of RCI begun a year or more in advance increases the chances of receiving a desirable exchange, if the week you own has great trading power. I own 15 timeshare weeks and have received fabulous trades through the years--Paris, London, Copenhagen, east and west Germany, Sweden, Assisi, Venice, Mougins (south of France), Cancun, Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, Merida, Nassau and Freeport Bahamas, Aruba, St. Maarten, dozens of weeks in Florida in February, Las Vegas, San Diego, San Francisco, Sedona, Williamsburg, the Berkshire and Pocono Mountains, Alexandria and Williamsburg, Virginia, and Maui, Kaui, the Big Island, and Oahu several times. This is just some of the exchanges received since we began buying timeshares (ALWAYS via resale) since 1995.

That being said, the exchange availability has declined steadily since Cendant acquired RCI. There is a major class action lawsuit against Cendant and RCI alleging that they are not making deposited weeks approriately available to their members. So many RCI weeks appear regularly on a variety of web sites, accessible to the general, non-timeshare owning public at prices below what the owner of the week pays in maintenance fee. Also, the proliferation of Points-based systems such as Marriott, Fairfield/Wyndham, Hilton Grand, Disney, Starwood, Sunterra, Trendwest, Sunterra, Equivest, Royal Holiday, and of course, RCI Points, decreases the availability of "fixed" deeded weeks.

So I no longer deposit any of my primo weeks with RCI. I have a couple of low-value weeks with poor rental potential. That's all RCI gets from me nowadays. Since Redweek.com grew into a great resource for renting weeks, I rent out all of the top value weeks we do not want to use in a particular year, and use the rental money to rent what we want directly from another owner who has placed an ad on Redweek. As more and more people do this, there will be a further decrease in what RCI has available for exchange. RCI is losing tens of thousands of members each year due to the frustration experienced trying to get desired trades.

That's why many of us who were thrilled with RCI exchanges in the "good 'ole days" have reluctantly accepted the fact that it no longer works that way anymore. I blame it on corporate greed. Timeshare ownership began in the 1970's as fixed week ownership and functioned well that way for many years. It appears the wheel has come full circle. In today's corporate-driven world, I consider owning a week you would not mind using yourself every year to be the safest, least frustrating and least time-consuming way to enjoy the benefits of timeshare ownership. That week should be very rentable in the years you choose to vacation elsewhere (or not at all). The mediocre or worse weeks RCI is likely to offer you can be picked up through the numerous web sites mentioned above anytime you want that type of vacation. Or rented from an owner. The Internet is a great resource for timeshare owners who learn to use it effectively.

Our Tiger trader has very low maintenance fees and does get us to Hawaii, where maintenance fees are more than double ours. I think this is an adequate means of obtaining the weeks we want. Our maintenance fees are only $440! Try to buy a Hawaii two-bed week with maintenance fees even twice that. You cannot do it.

Airfare from Denver is always very reasonable last minute, unless it is summer or holiday times. I use sidestep.com to search many different airlines and sites at once. It is VERY effective for finding airfare. I am happy to recommend that site to anyone who needs last-minute travel to Hawaii. Hopefully it will work for you as well, Jennie. Are you a TUG member? I am probably familiar: rickandcindy23!

I don't actually own a timeshare we have a vacation plan where we have a number of weeks that we can take vacations for in numberous locations. How would be the best way to go about selling these weeks?

I'm stuck!

Even charities don't want to take my timeshare. I don't know what to do.

Please come to this website to raise our voices to the government about timeshare.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/TimeshareResortProtectionAct/signatures-3.html

Robert

robertk284 wrote:

I'm stuck!

Even charities don't want to take my timeshare. I don't know what to do.

Please come to this website to raise our voices to the government about timeshare.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/TimeshareResortProtectionAct/signatures-3.html

Robert

I went into ipetitions and didn't see anything on timeshares. That would be a good idea and I felt the same way about Govt intervention. There should be some kine of standards where they can't raise fees anytime they want. Where did you try to donate. I donated mine to Florida Veterans Assistance Association. Where is your timeshare? Mine was in VA Beach in Sept.

robertk284 wrote:

I'm stuck!

Even charities don't want to take my timeshare. I don't know what to do.

Please come to this website to raise our voices to the government about timeshare.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/TimeshareResortProtectionAct/signatures-3.html

Robert

Hi, Don't most timeshare resorts have a rental agency that can be used. We own two Timeshares in two very different places and renting always works. We do lose 33% and 25% of the rental but anything above the maintaince fee is a bonus. These rental agencies do all the work and all we do is sign a tax form and a rental form. Kath

kathleenc103 wrote:

robertk284 wrote:

I'm stuck!

Even charities don't want to take my timeshare. I don't know what to do.

Please come to this website to raise our voices to the government about timeshare.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/TimeshareResortProtectionAct/signatures-3.html

Robert

Hi, Don't most timeshare resorts have a rental agency that can be used. We own two Timeshares in two very different places and renting always works. We do lose 33% and 25% of the rental but anything above the maintaince fee is a bonus. These rental agencies do all the work and all we do is sign a tax form and a rental form. Kath

mike1536 wrote:

kathleenc103 wrote:

robertk284 wrote:

I'm stuck!

Even charities don't want to take my timeshare. I don't know what to do.

Please come to this website to raise our voices to the government about timeshare.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/TimeshareResortProtectionAct/signatures-3.html

Robert

Hi, Don't most timeshare resorts have a rental agency that can be used. We own two Timeshares in two very different places and renting always works. We do lose 33% and 25% of the rental but anything above the maintaince fee is a bonus. These rental agencies do all the work and all we do is sign a tax form and a rental form. Kath

================ One of my resorts will rent my week and pay me 70% (approx $900) which was about the same amount I was able to get through a RedWeek renter. Another of my resorts does not have a rental program. There are still some downsides. With my resort, the renter can cancel the reservation 14 days prior to the check-in date. I could keep it in the rental pool or take my week back, but at such a late date I may not be able to rent it again. Through redweek, I get all the $$ upfront and there are no refunds for a cancellation unless I can get another rental.

adahiscout wrote:

mike1536 wrote:

kathleenc103 wrote:

robertk284 wrote:

I'm stuck!

Even charities don't want to take my timeshare. I don't know what to do.

Please come to this website to raise our voices to the government about timeshare.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/TimeshareResortProtectionAct/signatures-3.html

Robert

Hi, Don't most timeshare resorts have a rental agency that can be used. We own two Timeshares in two very different places and renting always works. We do lose 33% and 25% of the rental but anything above the maintaince fee is a bonus. These rental agencies do all the work and all we do is sign a tax form and a rental form. Kath

================ One of my resorts will rent my week and pay me 70% (approx $900) which was about the same amount I was able to get through a RedWeek renter. Another of my resorts does not have a rental program. There are still some downsides. With my resort, the renter can cancel the reservation 14 days prior to the check-in date. I could keep it in the rental pool or take my week back, but at such a late date I may not be able to rent it again. Through redweek, I get all the $$ upfront and there are no refunds for a cancellation unless I can get another rental.

===== Very good point! MD

Very Good Point! We still never ran into the problem of a renter backing out (now I bet we are Jinxed) and we still make more than I see on Redweek after the fee's. My week 8 at Ridge Top Shawnne rents for 1400 to 1600 a week which I think is nuts but that's what people pay. We also like the partial week rental so we can go or someone we know can go and we still have the maintance fee paid for us. Kath

kathleenc103 wrote:

adahiscout wrote:

mike1536 wrote:

kathleenc103 wrote:

robertk284 wrote:

I'm stuck!

Even charities don't want to take my timeshare. I don't know what to do.

Please come to this website to raise our voices to the government about timeshare.

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/TimeshareResortProtectionAct/signatures-3.html

Robert

Hi, Don't most timeshare resorts have a rental agency that can be used. We own two Timeshares in two very different places and renting always works. We do lose 33% and 25% of the rental but anything above the maintaince fee is a bonus. These rental agencies do all the work and all we do is sign a tax form and a rental form. Kath

================ One of my resorts will rent my week and pay me 70% (approx $900) which was about the same amount I was able to get through a RedWeek renter. Another of my resorts does not have a rental program. There are still some downsides. With my resort, the renter can cancel the reservation 14 days prior to the check-in date. I could keep it in the rental pool or take my week back, but at such a late date I may not be able to rent it again. Through redweek, I get all the $$ upfront and there are no refunds for a cancellation unless I can get another rental.

===== Very good point! MD

Very Good Point! We still never ran into the problem of a renter backing out (now I bet we are Jinxed) and we still make more than I see on Redweek after the fee's. My week 8 at Ridge Top Shawnne rents for 1400 to 1600 a week which I think is nuts but that's what people pay. We also like the partial week rental so we can go or someone we know can go and we still have the maintance fee paid for us. Kath

I just started to try to sell my timeshare at Palm Beach Shores Resorts in Florida. It is week 34 every odd year. It is a nice resort but we just cannot make the vacations work with our schedules. Along with the deeded week, we also had a "bonus week" every even year which could only be reserved within 45 days of the vacation date. Is this bonus week transferable and of any value in the sales process? Any other advice in selling? Im glad I came here. I just got off the phone with "Timeshares Only" and they claimed they could sell it for more than I payed for it.... for the one time price of $598. What a rip-off.

jons98 askes, quoted in pertinent part:

>> Along with the deeded week, we also had a "bonus week" every even year which could only be reserved within 45 days of the vacation date. Is this bonus week transferable and of any value in the sales process?<<

This question cannot be answered here with any degree of knowledge or accuracy. You should have that conversation directly with the sales office of the resort itself to find out details of the transferable nature of the bonus week, and if so at what additional cost. Any answer you get here is likely just uninformed guesswork, and you need more solid info than mere speculation in order to avoid potentially misrepresenting facts of purchase to a prospective buyer.

Re: >> Any other advice in selling? <<

Week 34 (late August) in coastal Florida is a tough sell. Hot, humid and in the prime time of hurricane season. You may have a tough row to hoe to sell that week. Every other year usage certainly doesn't help much either. I'd suggest advertising on RedWeek, Vacation Timeshare Rentals, and even eBay (if you get really desperate). Try to remember that the MARKET determines the value of your week and price it accordingly. The market does NOT care one bit what you originally paid for your timeshare. The market only cares what it's worth today, right now, in the current market conditions.

Good luck.

jons98 wrote:

I just started to try to sell my timeshare at Palm Beach Shores Resorts in Florida. It is week 34 every odd year. It is a nice resort but we just cannot make the vacations work with our schedules. Along with the deeded week, we also had a "bonus week" every even year which could only be reserved within 45 days of the vacation date. Is this bonus week transferable and of any value in the sales process? Any other advice in selling? Im glad I came here. I just got off the phone with "Timeshares Only" and they claimed they could sell it for more than I payed for it.... for the one time price of $598. What a rip-off.

mike1536 wrote:

jons98 wrote:

I just started to try to sell my timeshare at Palm Beach Shores Resorts in Florida. It is week 34 every odd year. It is a nice resort but we just cannot make the vacations work with our schedules. Along with the deeded week, we also had a "bonus week" every even year which could only be reserved within 45 days of the vacation date. Is this bonus week transferable and of any value in the sales process? Any other advice in selling? Im glad I came here. I just got. off the phone with "Timeshares Only" and they claimed they could sell it for more than I payed for it.... for the one time price of $598. What a rip-off.

============ If your bonus week is from Interval International, then it probably won't be transferable. Did you initially buy from the developer? These "bonus weeks" are used as perks. If you bought resale, the bonus week must've been transferred to you and therefore should be transferable to someone else. As for value (assuming they are Interval International bonus weeks), my personal opinion is they do not have a lot of value because of the 45 day restriction and very limited availability during peak periods. I rarely use the ones I get. Good Luck

Thanks for the replies. Im not sure about where the bonus week came from but we did buy from the resort so I guess I should contact them. I imagine we may hold on to it for another year and try our luck again. RCI has been terrible getting us an exchange for our week. We had an ongoing search for a specific week for a 3 state area and got nothing matched even though we put in the search 9 months ahead. Now this year I missed banking my week so its gone. Vacations really shouldnt be this much of a headache but I guess you live and learn

jons98 wrote:

mike1536 wrote:

jons98 wrote:

I just started to try to sell my timeshare at Palm Beach Shores Resorts in Florida. It is week 34 every odd year. It is a nice resort but we just cannot make the vacations work with our schedules. Along with the deeded week, we also had a "bonus week" every even year which could only be reserved within 45 days of the vacation date. Is this bonus week transferable and of any value in the sales process? Any other advice in selling? Im glad I came here. I just got. off the phone with "Timeshares Only" and they claimed they could sell it for more than I payed for it.... for the one time price of $598. What a rip-off.

============ If your bonus week is from Interval International, then it probably won't be transferable. Did you initially buy from the developer? These "bonus weeks" are used as perks. If you bought resale, the bonus week must've been transferred to you and therefore should be transferable to someone else. As for value (assuming they are Interval International bonus weeks), my personal opinion is they do not have a lot of value because of the 45 day restriction and very limited availability during peak periods. I rarely use the ones I get. Good Luck

Thanks for the replies. Im not sure about where the bonus week came from but we did buy from the resort so I guess I should contact them. I imagine we may hold on to it for another year and try our luck again. RCI has been terrible getting us an exchange for our week. We had an ongoing search for a specific week for a 3 state area and got nothing matched even though we put in the search 9 months ahead. Now this year I missed banking my week so its gone. Vacations really shouldnt be this much of a headache but I guess you live and learn