Consumer Advocacy
The "Other" Side of Timeshares: Common Complaints
Dissatisfied Timeshare Owners Vent Frustrations, Offer Advice
In the United States the timeshare is more profitable than it has ever been. According to an Ernst and Young Study conducted for the American Resort Development Association (ARDA), dealers sold an estimated $8.6 billion worth of timeshares in 2005 alone. This represents the latest crest in what has been, for 20 years, a consistently expanding industry.
And yet, the timeshare's reputation has only grown grimmer. The name is virtually synonymous with scam, as its collection of satirical variants might suggest (crimeshare, etc). And it has been suggested by experts and timeshare owners alike that a handsome portion of that $8.6 billion (as well the profits collected in 2006) may not have been obtained through legitimate means.
Profiles abound of dissatisfied customers who were seduced by free preview weekends and promises of a free-exchange system that would allow owners to trade their weeks in for exotic locations. Floridian Tim Dawson purchased extra property at Marriott's Summit Watch under the impression that he would be allowed a one-week booking advantage over other owners. "But then I found out that you can't book that month ahead unless you have two weeks of the same value that are consecutive," he said. "They didn't tell me that. The whole point of buying that second week was so that I could book in advance." Ed Solomon, a Westgate Park City Resort owner, commented: "It's absolutely ludicrous. If you want to go anywhere in the Caribbean, no way. It you want to go to Vail, you can, but in August [not ski season]."
Another Westgate buyer named Don Collier found the exchange system less than accommodating. "We found out that our unit in Park City, called a one-bedroom grand that could officially sleep six, was worth a one-bedroom Westgate unit in Florida. ... These only sleep four. We had four kids and a baby." To find a satisfactory week Don was forced to purchase a $130 membership in a third-party company that arranges exchanges, as well as additional transaction fees. Don added: "I would not buy a timeshare again. There are just too many good, cheaper alternatives."
Timeshare owners, particularly in the "right-to-use" point system, have additionally found themselves inundated with maintenance fees – since the resorts retain ownership of the units, they can adjust such charges whenever and however they deem necessary. Don Collier also commented on this: "I do feel I was suckered in somewhat because our initial maintenance fee was only about $400. Our timeshare was only every other year, so imagine my surprise and consternation two years later when I was hit with a $540 bill. (It) really took away a lot of the joy of ownership." One anonymous Marriott owner limns a similar situation: "Before we knew it we were spending $1,000 to $1,100 to use our weeks [after initial payments of $800 per year]. ... We could probably do a lot of vacationing for that elsewhere."
And failure to pay these climbing charges can result in punitive action. Texan and multi-timeshare owner Ron West said, "Delinquent maintenance fees can incur abusive late charges, plus you cannot bank your week for trading until the fees for the year are paid."
Still, despite the apparent difficulties, there are ways to wring satisfaction from the timesharing industry – which may also provide insight to its popularity.
John Wildfong, a Wyndham timeshare owner, admits: "I don't have a lot of complaints. If you want to try to go to the Caribbean over spring break, it's going to be a problem. "But if you want to go to a place a lot of people don't want to go, it works great." Wildfong recently traded nearly 200,000 points for a two-bedroom week in Las Vegas, as well as a one-bedroom week in Arkansas.
Another owner at Westgate, Paul Larsen, has had to deal with numerous unexpected alterations. After staying at the resort during Thanksgiving one year and enjoying it, he found that the following Thanksgiving had been deleted from his season window. By voicing complaints, however, he claims he has managed to secure that week every year regardless. He has also been able to evade superfluous charges: "They have tried to get us to pay fees for banking a room, but we have so far been able to work around those." In fact, Larsen is so enamored with the resort (and finds these difficulties so tolerable) that he has purchased a second, larger unit there. His careful attention to the transaction's contract may offer golden advice to those looking to get the most out of their timeshare: "I came across several discrepancies between what we were promised and what we were signing. I sent each of the incorrect documents back."
Some quotations found in "Promises, Promises" by Lee Davidson, published November 20th, 2006 in The Deseret News (Copyright 2006, The Deseret News Publishing Co.).
Other quotations found in "Timeshares Aren't What They Used To Be" by Carol Sottili, published December 17, 2006 in The Washington Post (Copyright 2006, Washington Post).
