Have you or anyone you know ever been involved with a Timeshare?

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Novel_Willingness721@reddit

When I was a kid in the early 80s, my family got a free ski weekend for just looking at a timeshare. Suffice it to say, my parents didn’t invest.

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I got a free 4 days in Vegas a few years ago this way. We also got $300 cash for going to their 3 hour time share presentation. But the minimum buy in for the time share was something insane like $60K. My husband and I were 25 and 23 at the time. It was hilarious that we were targeted for this.

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brakos@reddit

The Vegas timeshare folks will talk to anybody with a pulse

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mossryder@reddit

Same happened to me in Austin Tx. Was 21, partner was 22. We had a flat coming in to ausin, and this guy GAVE us a tire, and the only payment he wanted was for us to go to this TS thing. Got a bunch of gift cards and shit.

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100PercentThatCat@reddit

We did this at a water park in Gatlinburg. Went in knowing we would not invest, but goddamn if my husband wasn't looking at me like "maybe???" by the end. Finally I asked why the salesman was saying we owned the property, when we were actually reserving the right to rent it for cheap, essentially. He went on about how you get a deed, and that makes it real. Went something like this:

Salesman: No no no, just like you have a deed for your house, you have a deed for the timeshare.

Me: Except I don't own the timeshare, I can't do anything I want with it.

Salesman: You can though! It's a real deed, you can sell it any time you want.

Me: Can I burn it to the ground? I can burn my house to the ground, because I own it. Can I burn down the timeshare?

Salesman: ... Let's go look at some interior options.

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VeggieMeatTM@reddit

This is how my parents "paid" for vacations.

3 days/2 nights all expenses paid for a family of four was a common offer, so they'd each sign up for separate timeshare seminars so we'd net 5 days and 4 nights at Disneyworld or some other resort. Yeah, we had to change accommodations mid-week, but the only expenses incurred for us were getting to/from the home airport and souvenirs.

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PossumJenkinsSoles@reddit

This is how we vacationed as kids because my mom was fairly low income and on her own. She had specific strategies about scheduling the pitch late in the day so the sales person was ready to go home and wasn’t giving us the hard sell.

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Soft_Assistant6046@reddit

My wife and I got a free trip to San Antonio (Not far from us, but still free stay at the hotel and free SeaWorld tickets etc.), and it literally was just a 30 minute presentation. If you ever have a chance, 100% worth it if you know how to say no lol

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BunnyBree22@reddit

Replying to brinns_way...your parents are smart to not cave and take full advantage. Reminds me of that king of queens episode

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Kittypie75@reddit

I have a family friend who loves it. She "has" a place in Mexico.

We are going to have to deal with a 2 hour long presentation on our trip next month to Orlando, but we are getting a whole week free from a timeshare company. Normally we wouldn't bother but we are trying to save every penny for Disney.

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spring13@reddit

My in-laws have one that is more like a system of places you can choose from, not specifically a single place. I would never bother myself but they're not the type to be about to handle researching and choosing places to go on their own. And I'll admit that they're generous and have let us use their credits to take a few vacations that have been enjoyable.

I don't know why they actually bothered when they never really seem to go anywhere themselves and probably would be happy just going to the exact same place every time, but for whatever reason this was how they decided to spend their money.

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callmeKiKi1@reddit

My boss has one in Vegas. It gets used twice a year, and the savings on motels just barely pays the maintenance which just keeps going up. As it is his family never uses all of the time they have. They also keep adding on fees, like parking charges and “short stay” fees. He regrets ever getting it, but his Mom insists on keeping it for now so he has not looked into trying to get out of it.

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IHaveBoxerDogs@reddit

His mom insists? Yikes.

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IHaveBoxerDogs@reddit

I know someone who has one through I think Hilton or Wyndham, although it’s branded as a “vacation club.” They like it. They like going to the same place (Hilton Head), and they’ve made friends with other owners. I think because it’s a brand name it’s slightly less janky. They also went into it knowing it’s not a real estate investment. It’s a place to vacation. But I would still would never buy one, for many reasons.

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Secret-Ice260@reddit

My parents got suckered into one. It was awful. They had some life things happen and they couldn’t afford it anymore, but it was hell trying to get out of it. They eventually had to declare bankruptcy. The time share was included in the bankruptcy, but the time share company still tried to sue them. The court dismissed it since it had been included in the bankruptcy filing.

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brinns_way@reddit

My brother inherited one from a relative. He uses it yearly. It works for him because he and his wife like vacationing in the same spot and doing the same activities year after year.

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downthestreet4@reddit

My cousin inherited one in Breckenridge. He loves to ski so he uses it 2-3 times a year. He couldn’t use it one year and rented it out and said he got enough to basically cover his annual expenses for it.

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yourmomlurks@reddit

So it is basically prepaid hotel.

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Lothar_Ecklord@reddit

My parents don't own one in Breckenridge, but they have been able to trade theirs for several weeks in Breckenridge over the years. They also apparently a great deal on a property just about to undergo extensive renovation, so the trade value is well over what they paid. They seem to love it, but haven't been using it much lately.

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Eubank31@reddit

Skiing does sound like a good use case for it tbh

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sabatoa@reddit

Yeah that’s gotta be the best base case for a time share

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QueenieofWonderland@reddit

I’m 99% sure that my grandparents did, but I’m not totally sure what happened with it. I heard when I was younger that they were trying to sell it but I was pretty young when I heard that and we haven’t been back since 2009 or so, so I’m not totally sure what became of that situation

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Ok-Bus1716@reddit

Had a fuck buddy who sold them. She made baaaaaank. They definitely still sell them but mostly in tourist towns that attract a lot of idiots, like Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.

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eac555@reddit

Had a friend that had one. Seemed to work for her and her family. It was in the Reno area. They could swap days for Lake Tahoe and other places with it. Have no idea what the costs were. I didn't sound appealing to me.

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CurrencyCapital8882@reddit

We have been members of the Disney Vacation Club for years. We just bought another contract last year. There is an active secondary market if you want to sell.

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trashlikeyourmom@reddit

My bff's grandma had a couple of them scattered around the country, which was nice bc we were able to use them bc her gran didn't really travel much anymore.

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Lee_Bv@reddit

Every single person I know, even just as acquaintances rather than friends, who bought into a timeshare has regretted it.

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Hardpo@reddit

I bought one in st martin years ago. Never went back but traded for different areas of the country. At the time it was $3500. It was good for us while the kids were young. Used it probably 10-15x. Then the maintenance fees grew and it got harder and harder to find a place To trade to. So we just walked away.

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Menadgerie@reddit

My grandparents had a time share at a cozy locally owned motel in Tahoe. I have no clue whether or not it was a good deal, but they seemed happy to go a couple times a year.

The time share rooms weren’t available for regular motel goers, and while they were just ordinary rooms, they were well stocked with VHS, cocoa packets, and board games. The motel had a heated pool and jacuzzi that were open even when it was snowing, and it was close to the casinos (which had massive arcades for kids.) Many happy memories there.

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OSKImyFriend@reddit

My in laws bought into one, then got divorced, and my mother in law now owns one. It’s ridiculous. They have had it for 40 years and stayed in it for less than 3 days. It’s in San Diego, so could be worse.

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TheBimpo@reddit

I think younger generations have figured out that they're a scam and limit your options for travel.

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KoalaGrunt0311@reddit

Not just that, but it's effectively paying annually for a resort unit you don't actually own. My uncle is cheap as could be, and an accountant, so sat in for a seminar in Orlando. Afterwards, he did the math and came to the conclusion that it was cheaper to use a booking service to schedule a normal rental than to be beholden to the annual maintenance fees and other costs involved in the time share.

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wastedpixls@reddit

My younger brother bought into one, as did my folks. I'm just sitting here not paying maintenance fees (and every so often using their points because they can't).

Guess I'm the sucker who hates going to fun places. /s

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busted_rucker@reddit

I worked with a going woman whose parents had a timeshare at a place only like a hour from where we lived/ worked. That's the part I thought was wild, aren't timeshares for like going AWAY somewhere? But she explained that because they had the timeshare they could go and use the pool and amenities anytime they wanted, and she has like 9 siblings. So they go out periodically for day trips, there's a big outlet mall near it, so they go shopping, a movie, etc. then all go to the pool before going home.

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martlet1@reddit

We had an old time share which was pretty cool actually. 2 times a year we just picked online and reserved it for our use. If we wanted more anywhere else we just grabbed it online if it wasn’t taken. Well worth the money.

Now it’s pretty toxic.

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Puzzleheaded_Lie6786@reddit

We have an older time share and it works out well for us. Every few years, the management (Spinnaker) reaches out to see if we’d like to convert to their newer version for the “upgrades” and we kindly say no.

We get 210,000 points to stay anywhere they have a timeshare location. It costs us $800 a year in maintenance + $229 to reserve a place for a week.

In March, we stayed right at the base of the mountain in Breckenridge for 30,000 points. No sales pitch. No fuss. Just a nice week in a wonderful community that likely would have cost us $1,400 minimum without the timeshare…. And we still have 180,000 points to use (or bank) for the rest of the year.

Works for us… but only because we have an older version. We chat with newer timeshare owners when we are at different locations and we know our grandfathered options are what makes it worth continuing to pay the maintenance fee every year.

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FlippingPossum@reddit

My husband has a friend with one. I don't know how he got it, but he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed.

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rawbface@reddit

My parents have a timeshare in Orlando. It seems like a waste, but they go down there for 2-3 weeks every year, they take a road trip and stop at Myrtle Beach on the way, and they love golfing. So I don't bother them about it since they're happy.

My mom keeps jokingly referring to the timeshare as my "inheritance" though, and I want NOTHING to do with it.

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itsjustmo_@reddit

I'm a probate paralegal. Do not let them leave you with that hot mess!!! Most of the people I've worked with who expected to leave them were doing so because they wanted to ensure their kids and grandkids had a way to spend time together as a family even once the grandparents pass on. Often the adult kids can get the grandparents to ease up on this idea by emphasizing that there are all sorts of ways to maintain the family bond without long-term financial obligations. I've seen quite a bit of success in getting the grandparents to transfer that spending to something like season tickets to sports and theater, college funds, etc. A lot of the time they're intending to set their family up for the future, and clarifying that another type of help would be better can get them to drop the timeshare fantasy.

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thetiredninja@reddit

My mom is dead set on including their timeshare for my brother and I to inherit, for exactly the reasons you listed. Do you have any resources on why exactly it's not a good idea? She's already going through the paperwork with an estate planning lawyer, and won't listen when we say we don't want it nor do we think we can afford it in the future.

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smarterthanyoda@reddit

In the end, you don’t have to take it. You don’t have to accept an inheritance.

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Tsquare43@reddit

Orange Lake?

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techtchotchke@reddit

My manager at my weekend job has a timeshare and she LOVES it. She's had it for like 30 or 40 years. She and her wife and a handful of friends all take turns using it during their allocated weeks. They seem pretty well-versed in the small print and limitations of timeshares but they use theirs to its fullest potential so more power to them, I guess!

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SirTwitchALot@reddit

Watch John Oliver's show about timeshares. You definitely don't want to inherit their share. Companies will often try to get you to take it and may even come after your parent's estate after they pass.

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New-Number-7810@reddit

My parents have a timeshare. Apparently it’s a decent one.

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Smart-Difficulty-454@reddit

I had one on the ocean front in Mexico. Great views, whale watching from the balcony, pristine beaches. It wasn't cheap but in a category by itself. I loved it. Wife hated it. Developer wanted it back because they had high rental demand for my time slot. We made a deal, I was free of obligation in the future, I got several free week anytime but my slot. I figured I was out about 4k when all was said and done but spread over the time I spent there it was only 50 or 60 $ a day

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00Lisa00@reddit

My sister had one but that was like 20 years ago. I did get a really nice weekend with an old boyfriend out of it

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Deshackled@reddit

My brother married into a family that has had one for 30+ years near (the resort borders the park) a national park in another country. They basically go there for the month of December every year. I went one year and it was pretty amazing.

I personally wouldn’t do it but here in the states because of price, but apparently it’s economically feasible in their country.

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Eagle_Fang135@reddit

It works if you get a good one and have a reason to get it.

Had an IL that bought one back in the 90s. They wanted to go back to the sand place at the same time every year and it worked. They did not try to go peak and the place did not oversell. Then they expanded and allowed points for other places so they started doing that. I used it last year and the “maintenance fee” just about equaled the cost of the place if you paid cash. Bug with the points availability was limited where the cash was open. So for me using it one time thumbs down.

I have another relative that bought into a very nice one near her hometown. They go every year at the same time (get the same room) as other relatives get together as well same time every year. It has a full kitchen so she does meals and invites people over (did I mention nice). They had a specific need (same place/time every year) and the place guaranteed it (you essentially paid for a specific room for a specific week).

I would never buy one as I find them overpriced, limited in availability, and you pay whether you use it or not. And locked in for like 20 years.

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elvensnowfae@reddit

My friends relative has one and somehow loves hers and talks about it all the time. I'd never do it, I heard it was a scam. Our taxi in hawaii told us immediately to shut down anyone who talks about it lol

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sgtm7@reddit

I got some free gifts by listening to some salesman trying to sell me one. I think I pissed them off, when I declined their offer, and told them that since I graduated high school in Las Vegas, and had family there, I can always just stay with family there.

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unique2alreadytakn@reddit

Its like anything, some are more valuable than others, and some people are a good fit. Either its the unhappy who are very loud or most people are not good fit. Some people do like them.

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GOTaSMALL1@reddit

"Hey y'all... I'm Chuck with Wesley financial and we can get you out of yer Timesher!"

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Oceanbreeze871@reddit

That guys voice is pure con artist.

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Red_Beard_Rising@reddit

Probably why he doesn't like lawyers.

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Oceanbreeze871@reddit

Yeah that’s the weirdest thing he does

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biinvegas@reddit

Worst financial mistake in my life was buying a timeshare.

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semisubterranean@reddit

My parents had one in Colorado when I was growing up. We stayed there a total of once. It did provide OK vacation rental income, but never quite enough to cover the mortgage after all the management fees. When they had tough financial times and tried to sell it, it was almost impossible to get anyone to buy. They ended up telling the bank to just foreclose on them because there was no way to get their equity out.

I would never get involved in one.

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Unlikely-Low-8132@reddit

I had a co-worker who has one and she was always using it.

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PeorgieT75@reddit

A friend’s parents had one. He couldn’t get rid of it when they passed, last I heard he just stopped playing the maintenance on it.

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sadhandjobs@reddit

I know of people who tanked their credit by buying into one and forgetting about it because they were drunk and on vacation.

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BankManager69420@reddit

My Aunt and Uncle have one and they love it. That being said, they went out of their way to buy one and weren’t scammed into it.

Timeshares in theory aren’t bad, it’s just very common for them to be used as scams.

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BungalowHole@reddit

My uncle has one, his family pretty much forces themselves to make Florida a vacation stop

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DesertWanderlust@reddit

I bought a hotel package that was cheap but required you to attend a timeshare presentation. They had you put down a deposit to make sure you went. After the presentation, the salesman tried a little, but I think he felt sorry for me and conceded. I booked another for this summer.

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Intelligent_Ebb4887@reddit

I know a few people that have/had them and enjoyed them.

My uncle had one in Hawaii for maybe 20 years. They went every year. Then when my cousin got married he was able to get everyone else discounted rooms because of his timeshare. I don't know what he paid for his timeshare, but we got 1 bedroom apartments that only cost like $1000 for a week.

I'm not a person to go to the same place over and over, so it's not for me. But there are timeshares that have reciprocal locations, where you can trade your week in a location to another location.

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asoep44@reddit

Yes. My best friend's parents got one a few years ago. It was one of those things where they offer you a free/discounted vacation in exchange for one of the days you sit and listen to the sales pitch.

They were super kind in letting each of their kids bring a friend on the trip. I actually distinctly remember being in the pool with my friend and his sister's friend while they were in the sales meeting and talking about how we all agreed the parents were too smart to buy into it. Then maybe 10 minutes later they came out and told us they had bought into it.

Fwiw the company they are with has several different resorts and you can go to any of them it's not just that one location and they did use it to give my friend and his wife a free(ish) honeymoon.

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shotsallover@reddit

Yes. Don’t do it.

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On_my_last_spoon@reddit

My Dad was part of one. They liked it, but then the management company was caught up in a scandal where instead of paying back the timeshare owners when they rented their week out of they didn’t use is they were pocketing the money. It took a lawsuit and then the whole thing folded for them to get out of it.

Don’t do it!

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G00dSh0tJans0n@reddit

I feel like a lot of them have rebranded to vacation groups and such. If you go into any Cabela's or Bass Pro Shops you'll see a booth for Bluegreen Vacations which is a rebranded timeshare.

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TerriblePokemon@reddit

Disney Vacation Club. They started it not long before I worked at the Yacht and Beach hotel in 2010. We were doing the training and my only question was "so, it's a time share?" And the answer was it's not a time share because you buy points and based off the season and the location certain number of points get you blah blah blah.

It's a time share where you can spend even more money to stay at different Disney properties and the cruise line.

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Crissup@reddit

DVC started in 1991, but the first contracts weren’t valid until 1992 when the Disney Vacation Club Resort opened (later renamed to Old Key West). I believe the Beach Club Villas opened around 2003/2004.

It is a timeshare, but Disney didn’t want to call it that because it worked differently than the traditional timeshares.

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chicagotim1@reddit

My friends grandparents were part of one of these timeshares and I have no idea how much money they spent on it over the years, but their grandchildren now have a nearly infinite amount of "points" with the Vacation company they rebranded into from it to stay for free somewhere whenever they go on vacation

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JaiBoltage@reddit

I knew a fellow who bought three separate time shares. He bought them on the secondary market. Desperate sellers were willing to take about 15% of what they had originally paid.

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CarbonInTheWind@reddit

My friend owns one in Florida. It's a resort right on the beach and is owned and run by all of the individual owners. They vote every year for owners who will run the HOA which handles day to day operations. All major decisions have to be approved by a majority of owners.

We've stayed there several times and really enjoyed it.

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Playful_Dust9381@reddit

I have one. I bought it in Las Vegas nearly 20 years ago when I was 26. I use it all the time but I’ve never been back to Vegas. I learned that there’s a lot of mid-range timeshares outside of national parks. I love using them for a cheap vacation. I buy groceries at the beginning of the week, eat eggs/yogurt/toast for breakfast, hike all day with healthy snacks, come back and take a hot shower, drink some wine, play games, cook a pizza or other easy dinner, and sleep in a comfy bed. Cheaper than camping supplies and better on my back.

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plantsandpizza@reddit

My friend’s elderly parents who live in Canada have a shared one in Palm Springs (we live in California). I don’t know too much about it. They do seem like they’re pretty responsible with their money from what I know. They’re retired school teachers, maybe have some family money. I know they loaned my friend 150k for school so he didn’t have to take loans so there is money somewhere.. I never thought about it but it’s certainly intriguing now that I think about it.

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Carrotcake1988@reddit

I’ve had two experiences with time shares.

When I’ve been to Vegas or other high traffic tourist destinations. “Come watch this pitch and you will get free tickets to XYZ show or attraction.

There was a couple in my then husbands unit who had one who were always trying to sell their week below cost.

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North_Artichoke_6721@reddit

My friend owned one in Orlando. She went a lot and on the years when she didn’t go, she rented her time out to a friend.

I don’t know if she still has it, but she definitely had and used it for over a decade.

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theeggplant42@reddit

My parents have one at a ski place and go every year. It's not so bad, not scam my, and they set out to get it, didn't get roped into it.

Kinda like how Tupperware could be an MLM or just something you store your leftovers in.

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Ok-Equivalent8260@reddit

My parents had one back in the day. It was fun 🤷🏻‍♀️

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Accomplished_Day2384@reddit

My husband inherited a beach timeshare with multiple locations in Mexico. It's lovely. His parents were some of the initial investors back in the 70s so got some nice things in their contract. The 2 best are 1. No maintenance fee if we don't use it, and 2. No maintenance fee at all once the owner hits 77 yo. Every time we use it they aggressively try to get us to 'upgrade' our contract so they can remove those perks.

We're all set, thanks.

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smartfbrankings@reddit

These things are for suckers. Absolutely horrible to get involved in them. Reasonably common because they will offer you tons of potentially free shit to sit through their high pressure pitches.

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TexanInExile@reddit

Pretty sure my father in law inherited one from his mom in Hershey, PA. They never use it and can't get out of the contract, but if you love cheap chocolate and a pretty decent amusement park then I guess it's okay.

I'd never get one though.

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Content-Elk-2037@reddit

I feel like “vacation clubs” are the new timeshare. It’s more of a brand thing instead of being stuck with one location and having to trade. We got suckered into the Unlimited Vacation club. Super high pressure sales, just like time shares

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steampunkpiratesboat@reddit

My grandparents have one for suckered into it but it worked cause our family of at least 9 people per Disney trip but those trips ended a while back. Their health is declining but we can not convince my grandfather to freaking cancel they spend like $800 a month on it but haven’t used it in 8 years because the place is kinda terrible and ends up being more expensive then just staying at a Disney hotel

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hedcannon@reddit

I’ve had one for 25 years and my experience has been beneficial. You have to accept what you’re getting.

First, take all your days for the whole year and book them with RCI. Then you can use them all over the world. I’ve never visited my deeded time share.

Buy your timeshare from a Wyndham Destinations because they own RCI.

Buy a timeshare in a destination city. A place other people will want to go to.

Don’t take the first or third offer. Wait until the very end of the sale when they are about to walk you out to get their best offer.

Understand the “maintenance fees”. This is money you’ll pay every year whether you use the timeshare or not. They are almost as keen to have you paying maintenance fees as having you buy the timeshare. Lower ranked timeshares will essentially GIVE you a place so they they can get your fees (don’t buy those).

My wife likes our timeshare because we stay at nicer places than we would otherwise. And since much of the money is already spent and she can be sure I’ll TAKE a vacation. So we’ll spend $400 for an entire week at a place where the regular rate is $400/night.

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Suerose0423@reddit

My sister has had one for decades. There are limited places to use it. We stayed in one, had to strip the beds and clean out the fridge before leaving. I think she got it as an investment for her kids who I think aren’t all that interested in it.

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Tabitheriel@reddit

Nope.

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ReadingAfraid5539@reddit

My aunt had one that she and her husband actually used frequently

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bazilbt@reddit

My parents have bought several 'credits'. They buy them used, sometimes they have only paid the price of the transfer fee because people want out of them. They love going to the place that they use them at, and it ends up costing them $75 or $80 a night for rooms that would usually be around $200.

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Ecstatic_Dream_750@reddit

I have two; both for over 10 years. They are in an area of MX that is stunningly beautiful. Friends and family look forward to enjoying them each year. One costs significantly more than the other; as far as if they have saved me money, I used to think I got more value from the cheaper one, but over the past few years, I started thinking that the other was actually the better value given the the location and property.

Anyhow, it’s not an investment, just a lot of fun.

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bananapanqueques@reddit

A friend’s parents had one. They never could get the weeks they wanted, so they sold it.

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deignguy1989@reddit

We own one, but it’s not your typical timeshare situation. We own 1/52 of a 2nd/2batj condo Hilton Head Island, SC. We have use of our condo the 26th week of every year. We paid almost nothing for it ( $2000 plus a couple hundred in legal fees) and a yearly maintenance fee of $950. We usually travel with an other couple and split the fee, so $475/ couple for a week at a beach town resort.

If we can’t make a year, we can rent it out- the going rate for our condo is $1,800 for the week.

These are on in demand and we could easily sell for 5k.

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SillyScarcity700@reddit

One of my brothers has one. It allows him to use his credit or points or whatever at properties all over the place. I don't think he has stayed at the actual property he put money into for maybe 7 or 8 years.

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mauser98k1998@reddit

My aunt and uncle have one but there fucking morons.

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Sweet_Cinnabonn@reddit

I have one.

It's a special kind where you aren't locked in to one single time or location. But it's still a timeshare.

We went to Orlando for a week in January, and my kids used it for a couple of days in Gatlinburg TN last week. I have enough points still left for a week somewhere later this year.

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geri73@reddit

My dad and stepmother had one but sold it.

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Aspy17@reddit

We bought into a timeshare close to 30 years ago. Maintenance fees rise yearly. Our needs have changed but we're stuck with owning this timeshare. The companies that advertise helping you get out of your timeshare are just as crooked as the timeshare sellers. I 100% would not recommend buying a timeshare.

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SouxsieBanshee@reddit

I have one and I know a good amount of people that have one too. The one I have is based purely on credit system so I’m not tied down to one location or have to trade for another location. It works for us because it makes it easier for us as a family to afford to travel. We bought it also with the intention that our kids can inherit it. Those timeshare salespeople are very predatory so you have to be very careful about knowing what you’re getting into

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Elixabef@reddit

I definitely have some acquaintances who have or have had timeshares.

About 5 years ago, I had to talk an elderly acquaintance out of getting a timeshare. It was shockingly difficult to talk her out of, but I had to remind her that she was on a fixed income and couldn’t even afford to go to a dentist (she was having some dental issues at the time), and that a timeshare would not be a good investment (for anyone!) She later thanked me for preventing her from making that mistake, and admitted

There are truly a lot of people out there just waiting to be conned. They desperately want to believe that whatever fantasy that’s being pitched to them is within their reach. Which is understandable, but always remember: IF IT SOUNDS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, IT PROBABLY IS!

The companies that “help” people get out of timeshares are frequently scams themselves. They’re taking advantage of people who tend to be gullible to begin with.

N.B. There are some people who are able to make timeshares work for them, but they’re the exception, not the rule.

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Glad_Position3592@reddit

My former father in law had one. He liked it and used it every year. They’re typically pushed on people as a scam, but there’s nothing inherently bad about the concept. A good rule of thumb is just don’t let random people out of nowhere sell you expensive shit or anything that requires a contract

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SCCock@reddit

My FIL is a sucker for time shares. Every time he goes for his stay he gets himself stuck in a sales office and winds up paying for some sort of new and improved plan with the company.

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According-Drawing-32@reddit

I have one, for about 30 years now. It is points based and I can use any of the locations. Use up all of my points every year. Love it

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Affectionate-Set-350@reddit

My grandparents had two. One in Orlando and another in Williamsburg. They used the Orlando one every year. My grandfather’s brother was a snowbird, so my grandparents would go down for a month or so every February/March. They’d spend a couple weeks in their time share and the rest of the time at his brother’s. They got rid of the Williamsburg one years before the Orlando one.

My husband’s best friend’s family has one. They invite us every year to join them in Jensen Beach.

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Help1Ted@reddit

I have some friends who are Disney vacation club members. Basically Disney’s timeshare. They use their points for cruises or stay at the Disney resorts.

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Whizbang35@reddit

Can you elaborate on this? Do they pay an annual fee, do the points roll over each year, etc? I'm curious because I have a couple of friends that do Disney vacations damn near every year.

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Kindsquirrel629@reddit

You purchase into a “home” resort. That is your initial investment. Ours is The Boardwalk Villas. Then you pay yearly maintenance dues. Each home resort has a different amount. For the boardwalk yearly dues a little over $9 per point. We have 190 points so it’s about $2k per year. That gets us a 1 bedroom for 8 or 9 nights a year depending on time of year. Every year we get 190 points to spend. We can bank any or all of those points to the following year to have a longer vacation, or bigger room or more expensive resort. We can also borrow points from the next year if we are short on points. HTH!

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DemanoRock@reddit

The big groups have Vacation Clubs now and they all work the same way. You buy a set amount of 'points' to be used each year. You would buy a set based on anticipated usage. For Hilton, maybe I sign up at one of the Club Properties in Daytona Beach. That is say 1000 points. Then each year I pick when to use those points. But, other properties m a y be available. I wanna go to Las Vegas, and those are 1200 for a week. So I just a pay the delta diff in cash. Or I can pick a cruise.
For most of the Timeshare it is forever. Clubs tend to have a limit like 20 years.

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Beth_Pleasant@reddit

My parents just joined Hilton Grand Vacations. Their annual fee is locked in forever. They get a million points a year (I do not know what they are paying for it), that they can basically use at any property. They plan to use the points to supplement cruises they take and for family vacations, where we all meet up somewhere. It sounds pretty great if you have the money!

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stellalunawitchbaby2@reddit

Yeah they pay maintenance fees. You have a “home resort” where you get priority booking, but you can use the points to book any other spot (or a cruise), not limited to a particular time frame. The points can be used at any of the Disney vacation club properties, so a bunch of spots at Disney world or Disneyland, a spot on Hilton head, another beach somewhere on the east coast that I don’t remember, and Hawaii.

Now, a fun thing for other people, is that the vacation club members don’t always wanna use their yearly allotted points so they’ll sell their lil vacations to others, and the price comes out to less $ per than paying outright. So someone could stay at a deluxe spot in Disney world for a lot less by “renting” someone’s vacation points.

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Help1Ted@reddit

To be completely honest I’m not really sure. But I believe they do roll over. I know they’ve saved the points and gone to Hawaii. And have done multiple Disney cruises in a year. I’ve seen posts on the Walt Disney world subreddit about how they can also sell their points. So I guess you can just buy someone’s points to use instead of paying full rate. Not sure if it saves any money, but you have a bigger selection of rooms with a full kitchen, washer/dryer without paying through the roof.

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Believe_In_Magic@reddit

My parents and grandparents bought them in the 70s/80s. It worked for us growing up because we could make full use of them and we loved the resort, but eventually they became burdensome. When my grandma was getting older, it was actually a serious concern about what to do with the timeshare when she passed because nobody wanted to take it on. My parents were also stressed because they didn't want my siblings and me to have to be responsible for theirs after they were gone.

As it turns out, both timeshares had enough people in the groups default payment and they couldn't get more people to buy so the HOAs went bankrupt around 2020. The people who didn't default, had the option to voluntarily surrender their timeshare or take on the burden of all the back costs or something, I just remember it was a ton of money ($1m+) without any guarantee that the other owners would take that option and split it, and there was still an issue with the vacant timeshares. My family surrendered their timeshares and that solved their problems.

Even before they gave theirs up, my mom advised us to never get a timeshare, no matter how much we loved the resort theirs had been at. That being said, my cousin bought a timeshare a few years ago so they're still a thing, just less common because more people know what a pain in on the ass they are.

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RogerMoore2011@reddit

I have a friend who purchased one 25+ years ago. We don’t talk about it because he and his wife are mortified that he got suckered into buying it.

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bdrwr@reddit

I own one with my mom that I'm actually kinda happy with.

The trick is that it's only worth it if (1) it's a part of a timeshare network with enough travel options, (2) you travel often enough, and (3) your "home location" has enough demand for it.

The scheme usually allows you to "trade" your timeshare with other people in the network, and that's how you're able to travel to other places besides the one you own. But if nobody else wants yours, you're stuck with it. The one I have is near Disney World in July, so I've never had any issues trading it. As a result, I've used it for $200 week-long stays in Japan, Indonesia, Las Vegas, and Ireland.

To be clear, all these people saying it's a scam aren't necessarily wrong; for many people it does turn out to be a big waste of money. And the salespeople you deal with are extremely aggressive. But I've been able to make it worth it for myself.

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InevitableCup5909@reddit

I haven’t actually heard of those in decades tbh. Used to get constant ads for them. I don’t know of anybody who has actually joined on, though I know one guy who used their ‘seminar’ to try and get a free vacation. (He doesn’t recommend it.)

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mossryder@reddit

Parents had one. It was great. Cost them $8k down, then maintenance fees every year. 2 weeks in Aruba every April. Family stupidly sold it when they died, although we profited WAY more than $8k.

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Decent-Bear334@reddit

We've had ours for 20 years. We aren't tied to any one destination or specific weeks of the year as many time shares are. We've used ours in different states around the USA and four different counties. Bit of a learning curve in the beginning but we have done well with using it and providing vacation spots for family. In short, yes, I would buy again.

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mrpointyhorns@reddit

My dad had one. He bought into the upgrade pitches. So eventually, they let him walk away

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Material-Ambition-18@reddit

Lots of people especially in 80/90 bought into time shares. It was a less expensive way to have a vacation home. The contracts are pretty ridiculous is the problem

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Berniesgirl2024@reddit

Yes, lots of people actually. My inlaws as well.

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Tsquare43@reddit

Parents had it. Was pretty good, used it for several trips. We had a plan that let us go to any of their resorts around the world.

But the cost always went up. Mom unloaded it.

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CommercialWorried319@reddit

My mom (RIP) and her last husband had a time share thing where they had a couple of options of where to go each year although they almost always chose the Caribbean.

It was a decent deal for them and gave them some memories before she passed

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emmasdad01@reddit

They are still very much a thing. My grandparents did one way back when. I don’t know anyone of my generation that would even consider it.

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Old_Promise2077@reddit

I know some of my employees do it in Cancun/PDC, Tulum, and Cozumel

Even they say that you have to navigate the scams,but they all talk highly of their experiences and they do get good deals. But while I like all those places and go to Mexico frequently, I don't want to be tied to a single vacation destination

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Pleasant_Studio9690@reddit

25 years ago, my first boss at my first job had a timeshare in Cozumel where he liked to scuba dive. The company went bankrupt and he lost all of his money. He was in his mid-20’s and had only bought it 4 years before at a selling price of around $15k USD. Never buy a foreign timeshare. He had no viable legal recourse to recoup any of the money he gave them.

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MyUsername2459@reddit

The very fact there's a booming industry around helping people get out of timeshares should tell you plenty.

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Oceanbreeze871@reddit

Do they really help people, or just profit off of going through the motions of trying to help people?

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MyUsername2459@reddit

I honestly don't know. I'm lucky enough to never have had to use their services, or know anyone close to me that had to.

. . .but simply hearing about their existence on its own, and that people are desperate enough to pay them for that service, says enough about timeshares on their own.

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Sleepygirl57@reddit

My friend has one with I believe holiday inn. They travel all the time all over the country using their points. They have a million points. Literally a million points. They’ve even met an older lady with the same status and she travels from resort to resort and doesn’t even have a home anymore. Just travels. They often just in a whim pick up and go away for a few days.

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DetroitsGoingToWin@reddit

Run!!!

Don’t do it!!!

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Dramatic-Blueberry98@reddit

They’re a nightmare. It used to be a big thing back in the 80’s, 90’s, and early 00’s.

However, they’re little more than costly annoyances these days, especially if you have parents or grandparents (like mine) who bought into a couple of them. My Dad and my aunt are having to deal with the garbage company that owns it all now and is still insisting on trying to collect from my grandparents.

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TheLovelyLorelei@reddit

I have some older relatives who have (and enjoy) their timeshares. I personally don't see myself ever getting one but I don't think all of them are scams either. Like, the companies who will hunt you down at tourist traps and offer you a free something if you sit through their 6 hour timeshare pitch are definitely scammy.

But I do think there are some more legit options out there if you are the type of person who wants some property in a location that you can have more ownership over than a hotel, but also do not have the money to actually own a full on summer home. It does seem like a pretty specific niche that would find it worthwhile though.

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unluckie-13@reddit

There a fucking pain. Thank God I didn't take a lifetime and only a 5 year plan. It can be nice. But you are paying for access and maintenance fees. But God they are difficult to get out of it you want out. I got laid off work and was getting railroad unemployment, which is substantially less than state unemployment, at the time, we asked for a delay in payments and the yearly fee. They refused to negotiate. Just, when we finally paid it off and got out they were life what's wrong why do you want to leave..... When I was out of work you threatened us with collections.... Have a good day

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wawa2022@reddit

I have a relative who was a real estate attorney. He had a time share. Even I knew not to get involved w timeshares. He eventually somehow unloaded it.

He just bought a fractional ownership. He loves it so far. But he’s much older now and likes to get away a lot.

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emmettfitz@reddit

It's a love it or hate it situation. We used it for about 2 years, but we could never get a slot for where and when we wanted to go. We sold it, a lot of people wanted it and a lot of people wanted out.

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JennItalia269@reddit

People swear by the Disney one. Think it’s Disney vacation Club.

There’s plenty for sale on the secondary market, some as low as $1 because people don’t want to pay the annual maintenance fees anymore.

If there’s any interest at all, see what the secondary market is first. https://www.sellmytimesharenow.com/timeshare/All+Timeshare/vacation/buy-timeshare/sale-price-low-high/sortBy/?resorts-tab

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twowrist@reddit

The ones that are actually at Disney-owned properties are not going for $1. My understanding is that Disney keeps a right of first refusal, so if you were willing to sell for just $1, you’d easily be able to get Disney to buy it off you and you wouldn’t need to go to a third party listing site.

I searched that website for Disney and skimmed the ones that were actual Disney (as opposed to matching because they’re near Disneyworld) and the cheapest I saw before giving up was $15K.

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JennItalia269@reddit

Sorry it wasn’t clear. It was a transition from the fact that people love the Disney ones to the fact that many other properties are available as low as $1

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Artemis1982_@reddit

I've had a lot of experience with them. My mom was a timeshare salesperson in the 80s and 90s, and while I wouldn't own one now, I am very grateful for the money she was able to earn as a single mother to put me through college (especially since my dad wasn't very consistent with his child support). We also owned one, and traded it through RCI to go on so many amazing vacations all over the US, Canada and the Caribbean. And since we lived in the same town as the timeshare, I got to go to the resort whenever I wanted to use the pool or the tennis courts. My mom truly believed in the idea of timeshares, which was why she was so good at selling them. That said, I'm very glad she sold hers before she died.

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paka96819@reddit

Yes. My uncle and nephew. Both have gotten good use of their timeshares. But I would be ef get one. Just not what I want.

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KCalifornia19@reddit

We were having a discussion about this at my office the other day.

Two out of five of us had a timeshare. One was an older partner, and one was millennial staff. Both said that they were great in the early years that they owned them but that they genuinely don't use them as the entire deal was slowly changed over the years.

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ZaphodG@reddit

My mother owned a month of a large 2 bedroom 3 bath condo at Christmas on Grand Cayman on Seven Mile Beach. I went there for a week a couple of times. I have no sense for the economics of it but it was a really nice place. My mother’s husband died after I was there those two Christmas periods and my mother sold the place. I imagine it was a financial bloodbath.

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PymsPublicityLtd@reddit

Have a friend who is a lawyer that bought one on Ebay for a pittance. She spends her alloted time in aruba every year and loves it.

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twowrist@reddit

I’ve rented a Disney timeshare, which worked out quite well. I had to learn a bit about how they operate, and still went through a broker to do that rental.

What makes Disney different from most timeshares is that they work on a point system instead of fixed weeks (though perhaps more newer ones use the point system), plus they allow people to effectively bundle three years worth of points to one stay. Plus there’s a vibrant rental market and a functional resale market.

Because of the bundling, people can buy into it, go down every three years, and still feel like they’re getting their money’s worth. So it’s not the case that they’re stuck going to the same place every year. Because of the point system, they can choose between, say, 7 nights during the off season or 3 nights during the busy season. (I don’t know the exact tradeoff numbers but that’s the idea.) Because of the rental market, they can rent out their points in an off year and get their annual fees paid for. The resale market has some gotchas, but for most people, it means they’re not stuck with it at all tiny fraction of what they paid. They’d might still lose money, but not so much as to feel devastated about it.

As a renter, it meant we could get a room in one of their high end hotels at a much more reasonable price, along with a kitchenette that allowed us to eat in the room every day instead of the high priced and crowded breakfast restaurants.

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WaltKerman@reddit

My sister has a Disney timeshare. Uses it all the time with her kids.

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killer_sheltie@reddit

I had an employee with one in Mexico. They loved it and spent all their PTO there each year.

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Forward-Wear7913@reddit

I have friends and family who have had them. Very few get a real benefit and they are extremely hard to sell.

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Itchy_Pillows@reddit

Those should be a HARD NO

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therlwl@reddit

Yes and yes it's a pain to get out of.

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Unhappy-Fox1017@reddit

My moms had one for years and years. We went at least once a year for a week long vacation at random places, mostly Florida though. I guess they sold it or something bc we haven’t been in like 10 years now. My wife and I also have a couple of friends(husband/wife) and they also had one for a few years. We went to theirs in East Tx a couple of times too. They’re cool I guess, the accommodations are nice, but it’s not something my wife or I would ever consider buying into. Our friends said it felt like a waste of money to them and they regretted it, but made use of it since they couldn’t get rid of it.

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workerscompbarbie@reddit

lmao, my parents have been trying to get rid of theirs for like 15 years. My mom is shocked I don't want her to transfer ownership to me, lmao.

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kimmycorn1969@reddit

My niece sells them at Tahiti village in Las Vegas so yep they still exist I don't know anyone who bought one though!

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my_metrocard@reddit

My ex husband bought one when he was 20. He didn’t know better. I was 17. We were staying at a hotel in Mexico that was also a timeshare, and we stupidly sat through a presentation…well…the salesman just showed up while we were having lunch.

The timeshare itself cost $8,000, and we paid $500 a year for five years. Then we just abandoned it since our financial obligations were over. We made good use of the timeshare through their points system though. It gave us access to very expensive resorts we would otherwise not be able to afford.

It’s basically a scam, but also not if you utilize it maximally.

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LadySiren@reddit

Late to the party, but...me!

I used to have a timeshare through Hilton that my asshole ex-husband and I bought when we were first married in the 1990s. We got it at a decent price because, asshole. My ex basically badgered the sales guy into the best possible terms for us and got us a bunch of freebies. We used it occasionally but not enough IMO, to make up for the stupid maintenance fees.

When my now-husband and I got together, we did use it to our advantage. We had a 12-person family reunion at Disney World and the timeshare was a lifesaver. I also used it repeatedly when my daughter was still part of an All-Star cheer team and we traveled like crazy.

The maintenance fees SUCKED. I eventually let it go as part of bankruptcy proceedings with ex-Mr. LadySiren #2 (also an asshole, but at least not physically abusive like #1 was). It worked for us while we had five kids and the economy and ex #2 weren't both doing a number on my pocketbook. Today though? I would never buy into one again.

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Huskerschu@reddit

My grandparents.

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kingchik@reddit

My in-laws have one. They seem to still think it’s great, but I think they’re just the kind of people who don’t admit their mistakes.

Apparently when they bought it, the idea was to use it for family beach vacations with grandkids, etc. Too bad they raised kids who don’t like the beach, who married people who don’t like the beach. Whoops.

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Drew707@reddit

My dad has had one in PV for \~20 years. Kinda pointless now since he also has a condo there, but he said my sister and I can use it whenever we want. However he still won't let his 30+ yo children use the condo due to some shit my sister did when she was 16.

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McFreezerBurn@reddit

My sister and her ex husband had a timeshare together. Thankfully, she left the timeshare with him in the divorce so it’s his problem now! She’s totally free from it.

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3mta3jvq@reddit

Not only is the timeshare industry still a thing, the getting legally out of a timeshare industry is also a thing.

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CupBeEmpty@reddit

My ex MIL did one. I don’t know if she got her moneys worth or not but we got to stay is some pretty awesome places “for free.”

We’d just buy the tickets and she’d book the place.

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TheHarlemHellfighter@reddit

My parents, when I was younger. But, they got out of that scam.

I had a girlfriend later who’s mother had a time share in Orlando because my girlfriend used to to work of Disney world so it would be good for her mother whenever she would visit, having her own little spot.

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Ok-Entertainment5045@reddit

We owned one for a few days until the official contract came and they didn’t put us in an area we wanted to be. Cancelled immediately, which isn’t the easiest thing to do.

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Lovely_FISH_34@reddit

My grandparents have one with the Marriott Hotel. They never had an issue and really only use it to go to Hawaii and Utah. On occasions they have to attend a meeting but that’s about it. But iv heard they are scams from others

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IthurielSpear@reddit

My sister has one. She takes trips at least 3x a year, and it really helps them when they go to visit family in another state

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Connect_Read6782@reddit

They are bad. My MIL and FIL bought two of them. They only had rights to 2 weeks a year. They bought one later at the beach and it only had 10 weeks left for sale. In winter..

The other one I’m not sure when their week was assigned.

Sold both for a huge loss.

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lisasimpsonfan@reddit

My SIL has one. Not something I would invest in personally because for what she pays you could get a nice hotel.

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-Boston-Terrier-@reddit

We have Disney Vacation Club and are happy with it.

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Mushrooming247@reddit

My family recently got a free week at a nice resort in Orlando just to attend a timeshare presentation, and it was just an hour one on one with a nice dude, super chill and they were not pushy.

We agreed to come back for another free week and sit through another presentation, so we can do Universal and Epcot again, but have been pushing our return date out due to a boycott of the US economy for the next four years.

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qu33nof5pad35@reddit

Yeah, I used to work with someone who had a timeshare in Florida, I think. I don’t know much about it, but I remember her saying, ‘Whatever you do, don’t ever get a timeshare.’

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Trick_Photograph9758@reddit

I know a guy who has one where he can stay in places all over the country. I have no idea how it works, and I personally would never do it, but he seems very happy with it.

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blipsman@reddit

My parents had one, but it worked differently than the scammy ones. It was a defined term contract in a specific condo unit for specific weeks each year.

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OldBat001@reddit

My BIL has one. I would never own one in a million years, but his is nice and in a highly sought-after property, so they could get out of it easily.

Paying all those monthly fees is absurd, though, considering they get to use the place only one week per year.

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Girlwithnoprez@reddit

My aunt and uncle have 1 and love to act like it’s a gift to the family. Andas if we are vacationing at their spot and on their dime.

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anclwar@reddit

My husband and I were duped into a sales pitch for one during our honeymoon. We didn't know what was going on until we were being led to a cubicle. The sales guy was insanely aggressive about it and we couldn't get away fast enough. He was actually angry that he couldn't convince two broke 20-somethings to buy a $2000/year time share.

We don't go to popular resort areas anymore because of that experience.

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IwannaAskSomeStuff@reddit

One side of my family has a classic style of timeshare, so a house in a large resort ranch. They use it all the time, I think they get weeks there 3 or 4 times a year. It was nice for our family when I was younger because it is a large house that sleeps 10+, and in easy driving distance of where we lived, so we could go on cheap vacations in a nice place without paying for lodging.

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Far_Winner5508@reddit

My mom got caught up in some time share scheme in the '80s. Seemed like a real hastle and never really used much; costed her $$.

Mom is one of those folks who think they can find hacks in how things work or are done and make $$$ (I still have some Shaklee spray bottles under the kitchen sink).

In '70s he tried buying a new starter home and then fixing it up nice: replace shag with tile, some cool frosted glass accent windows, nicer counter tops. Turns out no one wants to spend extra on a 2 year old 1250' sq foot starter home when they were still building new homes just down the road.

Time Share was another thing where she thought she'd be able to rent out her 2 weeks but turns out that never worked. The idea of Air BnB hadn't hit yet and short house/apartment rentals were pretty much controlled by weird travel companies. They didn't make it easy for private folk to do it.

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zealot_ratio@reddit

If you really want to go to the same spot year after year to make it worthwhile (it usually still isn't) and be legally and financially bound to that arrangement, it can make sense. Honestly, I've never seen a deal where you wouldn't make out better with less stress just booking an airbnb, hotel, etc.

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BrainDad-208@reddit

It’s usually a deeded piece of a property that you and your heirs are responsible for. Until you find another fool to take it off your hands.

In theory, not a bad idea. But it’s relentless with increasing annual costs. The sum of the owners cost and expenses is several times the actual value

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spam__likely@reddit

nope. You can refuse an inheritance.

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BrainDad-208@reddit

Yes you can renounce. At a cost or hassle. Who would want to do that? Rhetoric question

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frank-sarno@reddit

My friend got conned into buying one. It cost them about $10k to get out of it after using it for a couple years.

I got conned into attending one of the presentations after purchasing Disney tickets and saying OK to a satisfaction survey. "As a thank-you for purchasing, we have complimentary breakfast at the hotel," was the line they used and didn't mention that it was a sales pitch. The people were hard, hard sell. Even after saying multiple times that we weren't interested, they kept on pushing. When we were getting frustrated, the sales guy even said, "I get that you can't afford it. Luxury vacations are not for everyone."

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SignificanceFun265@reddit

My father in law gifted a timeshare to me and my wife.

That might be the worse gift I have ever received. I had to pay the timeshare company $1000 to literally give them their property back. So they could resell it.

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chicagotim1@reddit

The only family I know that has a timeshare has multiple and they're pretty happy with it despite the stigma. But they view it as just what they spend vacation money on. It's not any form of investment to them, but they seem to think they're getting their money's worth and go on nice vacations

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CaptainAwesome06@reddit

My parents had 2 timeshares. Their idea was that they would use them now to have family vacations, family reunions, etc. What my dad didn't bank on is that nobody wanted to vacation in Williamsburg, Virginia every year. Luckily, they can still book in other locations.

My dad wanted to gift them to my sister and I in their will. My sister moved out of the country so they ended up getting rid of one of the timeshares.

They like their timeshare. I think timeshares are fine if you actually use it and it's available in places you want to visit. The maintenance cost is still less than what you'd pay for a week at a resort.

There are a lot of scummy ones out there. I have friends that got scammed. They went to Florida, sat through the presentation, bought a timeshare, and it turns out they took their money and my friends were left with nothing. It also can be difficult getting rid of a timeshare. But like HOAs, you often hear about the bad ones and never hear about the good ones. That leaves people hating timeshares (and HOAs) without ever having any actual experience with them.

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PartyLikeaPirate@reddit

Yup! My grandparents had one at the beach with extended family so it was much easier for paying/planning.

I think it was worth it while kids and grandkids were growing up, it got a ton of use.

Then once all the little ones got outta hs, they sold it off

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Real-Psychology-4261@reddit

My in-laws own a timeshare. I hate it. They always want us to go to it with them. When they die, my wife and her brother will inherit it and we'll have to figure out how to get rid of that albatross.

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davidm2232@reddit

My stepmom has several of them. It works really well for her. Her and my dad go for at least 4 weeks per year to the Caribbean. She has a lot of extra points/time so she will give me a week every other year or so. Her friends and family will also go on trips with her every year. Overall, just really great

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GenericUsername19892@reddit

Yeah, my family has one that was very poorly written that my grandparents purchased in the late 70s/early 80s or so. The fee never increases and you maintain the right to use one of the lake cabins for a week a year as long as payment is made. It’s like stupidly cheap as the contract has no provisions for increases so it’s the same price as it was in the 70/80s. Don’t know specific amounts.

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lacaras21@reddit

I have a friend who has one, and yeah it wasn't very smart, but he bought it from someone else, not the timeshare company itself, so he got it at a fraction of the price, but he still has to pay the fees associated with it. He does use it, and I've stayed with him at the resort and it is nice, it's just not worth the price, commitment, and hassle.

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No-Diet-4797@reddit

My parents bought 3 of them. They have 3 kids, so one for each of us. They're all paid off and from what I've seen they've got great travel options. We've taken so very nice vacations. I understand the basics on how it works but couldn't really explain it in detail.

However, there are a lot of scam ones out there too and their sales pitch is so aggressive and its hard to think straight to spot a scam.

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HippoProject@reddit

Every now and then I get flyers in the mail promising a free fancy dinner at an upscale restaurant. The only catch is that you have to listen to a timeshare spiel. From what I understand is they can work out great if you really enjoy the spot where your timeshare is located and plan on going every year. Otherwise they’re kinda a scam and a waste of money.

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blondechick80@reddit

We have one through hilton and use it. We bought in before the system changed, but we llike the program because you aren't tied into one property during a shitty specific week. There is lots of flexibility and locations you can choose...

That being said I do think we could still do the same vacations without it, and this was more my husband's purchase than mine

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NCC1701-Enterprise@reddit

There are some legit ones out there, but most are at best poorly run and at worst an out right scam. They have been fading over time and younger generations aren't falling for it as easy.

My sister in law has one with a vacation group, it isn't a traditional time share where they have to go to the same place everytime, they have 6 or 7 different resorts that they can book a room at so it gives them flexibiilty for vacations.

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BunnyBree22@reddit

My parents never had excess money like that. If they did I still don’t think they would get one

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MossAvenger@reddit

Yes, they ended up hardly using it. Now it’s a lot to unload and no one wants to buy it. I think it’s $10-15k to transfer and then a ton in regular payments. I think it’s a bullshit scam.

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BunnyBree22@reddit

Wow so you can’t even cancel like a subscription it’s on you to sell it if you want out? And you have to hire like a real estate agent?

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ConcertTop7903@reddit

Scam, avoid at all costs

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Nofanta@reddit

I was duped into going to a sales pitch for one once while on vacation in Mexico. The hotel told me they were building a new resort and they were hosting a free breakfast over there and we were invited. The guy trying to convince us to buy seemed like a methed out gang member and he started raging when I told him there was absolutely no chance we’d buy into it and we only came for breakfast.

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Adorable_Dust3799@reddit

My bro has one, it allows him to use hotels in a certain chain, and he uses it every year

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Adorable-Growth-6551@reddit

My aunt and Uncle have one, well just Uncle now their divorced. I have went with them twice. I went once to this Lake at Texas that was within an hours drive of Galveston and we used it once to go to Orlando. Both we at these resorts the TX one was three bedrooms two bath, full kitchen.

However they did send their daughter on one of those vacations where you listen to the advertisement spiel, and you get a reduced rate. They told her repeatedly, do not sign up, just go enjoy the vacation and sit through their spiel. Unfortunately she got suckered in. They did manage to get her out, she never could afford that, but I have no idea what hoops they had to go through to get her out.

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Head_Razzmatazz7174@reddit

My mom loved getting time share invites. She would go and sit through the presentations, let the individual 'sales' people sit down and talk to her and proceed to successfully dispute every single point they tried to make about how good a deal it was. She also got louder the longer they sat there, and nearby 'customers' would realize this was a scam and leave.

Most of them cut her off about halfway through their failed sales pitch and almost threw her 'consolation' prize at her to get her out of the building. She had at least a dozen really good steak knife sets, and one time got a Commodore 16 (this was long after the 128 was out).

She knew they were scams and enjoyed getting the best of the sales people (and saving a few other people from getting fleeced.)

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jessek@reddit

My parents thought the idea was dumb, thankfully. I remember some neighbors having one but that’s the closest I got.

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D-ouble-D-utch@reddit

It's a scam

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BoSKnight87@reddit

It’s not worth it (for me). Get stuck paying for one place for so many years. I like trying to hotels/resorts and destinations all the time. Timeshares are definitely less popular then they were 10-20 years ago

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Random-OldGuy@reddit

I've known three people that had timeshares: two hated it and one still loves his. In the presentation they make good selling points, but there is always a catch...99% of the time the catch is the monthly/yearly maintenance and other fees. Initial cost is usually fairly reasonable, but the recurring ones are a killer. Also, the sales pitch of being able to reserve spots in other locations is misleading. Unless a person has lots of credit built up getting a good week or so in a desirable location is next to impossible. They make it sound easy, but it is not.

So these are the two things a person has to watch out for. Oh, you also have to like the type of stay in one place and use the resort type of vacation for the most part because that is what they cater to. Since I don't vacation like that it is a third turnoff.

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Outrageous-Power5046@reddit

My elderly parents have had the same timeshare for about 20 years. It basically give the option to use a condo in Cabo San Lucas or go on a cruise ship. I have no idea how much it costs, but they seem somewhat satisfied with it.

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Elegant_Bluebird_460@reddit

My MIL somehow got talked into buying 2 timeshares. One in Arizona (but she can use it in some other places too) and one in the Disney Vacation Club. She wanted to leave it to us when she passed before we went no contact. We got a stern letter from her threatening that if my husband didn't renew his relationship with her then our inheritance of these would be given to someone else. Yet another reason to celebrate her not in our lives!

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kit0000033@reddit

My BF in my early twenties had one. It was set up so that you could trade your weeks to any other timeshare in the company... So like his actual timeshare was some condo in Florida, but we used his weeks to stay in Spain for two weeks... Still don't think it's worth it.

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bangbangracer@reddit

When I was a kid, my parents got invited to a time share sales presentation. They would invite you and your family up to a resort for a weekend under the pretense that all you have to do is sit through a sales pitch before you can enjoy the amenities. Turns out that sales pitch can go upwards of an entire Saturday.

They were invited to a sale pitch for a time share in the Wisconsin Dells. We all went, and my dad regretted it immediately. Nothing was bought thankfully.

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Cheap_Coffee@reddit

My sister's family had one in Mexico they used for years. They liked it and had no real complaints. I think they took a bath when they sold their share, however.

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punkwalrus@reddit

Yes, and it's never been good. The **best case** (and that's putting it lightly) was a friend of a friend (FOAF) of a wedding party, who used her mother's timeshare in some Disney resort near Orlando so we could all stay in a "family suite" and save on hotel. This place was supposed to be the best of the best, and frankly, it was middling.

Florida air is brutal on infrastructure: humid, salty, and stagnant.

We had to drive past a gate, enter in some codes, go to the main office, and sign in our car license plate numbers. This was arranged by the FOAF, all of whom we knew in name only, and had wondered if she existed at all (she did, but she did not stay with us). The wedding hotel didn't have enough rooms, and there was an "overflow hotel" which was having some kind of fumigation going on. So this time share was actually a great alternative.

There were like condos, and we had the bottom floor. There were two main bedrooms, a main living area, a large kitchen, and the living area sofas pulled out for more beds. It was clean-ish. Part of the fees one pays for these time shares is a cleaning fee, and did did "okay," but you could tell it was some kind of highway motel level of quality. A quick sweep around the room, and it looked passable, but there was obvious water damage, some grimy corners and joinery, just a C- job of cleaning.

Some outlets didn't work. Some faucets didn't work. There were areas of the carpets that were threadbare. The cleanest parts were the kitchen, which looked recently remodeled. The outer doors were heavy "crash poof" and stuck (hard to open).

The central AC struggled. It was always 78-80, humid, and stagnant. Most of us were from the DC area, so we knew this kind of heat and humidity. Some guests who came down for the wedding were NOT used to this kind of weather, and boy, were they struggling. I hope their hotels had decent AC.

The general gist was even the TOP time shares are really just like any hotel room at a 2-star resort. The operation is more about making money than upkeep of the properties.

As a side note: the wedding was fabulous. It was "sylvan dragon" themed, and the bride (a good friend of ours) looked amazing, the church was like out of some Christian romance fanfic: Rollins College Knowles Chapel.

Also, two friends of ours we stayed with in this time share (a married couple like us), this was their only chance to ever hope to afford a Disney vacation, and they had an amazing time, because the wife was a huge Disney nerd.

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combabulated@reddit

My folks bought a timeshare in Puerto Vallarta the early ’80s, for about 24 hours. They were smart enough to bail within the 3 day (I believe) grace period. They’re both gone now, and I’m so thankful I did not inherit an albatross. An expensive albatross.

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Forward-Repeat-2507@reddit

Best friend had one. They really used it tho. Many people get into it in the idea that they will but then don’t.

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nerdburg@reddit

My parents (Boomers) fell for this. They had a timeshare in Florida for a couple years. It was not a good experience for them. The monthly maintenance fees were high and they had a hard time getting out of it. My dad says he threw away about $35k on the deal.

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PriorSecurity9784@reddit

They are selling the idea of leisure second home ownership to people who can’t afford a second home, but are seduced by the “easy” payments at a time when they are happy to be on vacation and imagine doing it every year.

They continue because they’re very profitable for the organizers. Imagine a condo might cost $500,000 to buy. Divide that by 52, and 52 people could own a share worth of ”one week” that would be $9615 each and they would own it outright.

Well they sell it for double or triple that amount, plus layer on all of the monthly fees. It’s a cash cow for the sellers.

You would think they have a bad enough reputation that no one would buy, but there is always a new generation coming up

And as soon as those folks get a little money, there will be someone offering to take their money in exchange for selling the dream of “making it”.

Maybe that’s a $900 truck payment, or maybe it’s an “investment” in a vacation timeshare that so that they can post pictures of their cocktails at the beach on Instagram.

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sureasyoureborn@reddit

I think it was mostly boomers and gen x that got into them. I know a lot of people whose parents (in the 90’s) got them. Everyone I know who had them have gotten out of them by now.

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Humbler-Mumbler@reddit

My ex wife’s parents had one in Hilton Head for 30 years. They got it when it was first being built up as a tourist destination and actually got a good price. Went there for a week every August while the kids were growing up and they’re now retired there and Hilton Head is a very special place to their family. Only time I’ve heard of a timeshare working well, but it definitely did for them. They forged many happy family memories there.

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hindsight5050@reddit

My parents have had one for 40+ years

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malex84@reddit

My parents have one at orange lake outside of Disney…

They end up using the “points” to travel around a lot of places . So they aren’t locked into that one resort.

I stayed once as an adult guest and there was a crazy high pressure sales team to get me to buy one… I kept repeating that I was broke and couldn’t afford it but they were annoying as hell…

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durmNC@reddit

My in-laws have one at a beach they like. They are retired and so it's just another week they travel.

I wish I'd bought a Disney one years ago when the kids were little. We've been to Disney enough times now that having a paid for timeshare that we just use would been handy.

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Upstairs-Storm1006@reddit

My parents bought several, starting in the late 70's and until the 90's

The first one worked out great, it was a cabin in northern lower Michigan that we got for four weeks per year. Usually spent two weeks there each summer and traded two other weeks for tropical destinations. When I was an adult I traded it a few times for units in the Vail CO base village during ski season.

The others they bought were bad. One in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico & two in Hawaii. Those were hard to trade and often my parents ended up giving them away to relatives for wedding gifts or just to be nice.

However with all of them the fees started getting out of control and they somehow got out of them via a lawyer. Financially, they would've been better off just buying a second home in MX or Hawaii.

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Avasia1717@reddit

my aunt and uncle had one in the 80s and 90s, then my parents got into it in the 2000s. they used it enough so it seemed like it was worth it to them. when my mom died my dad wanted to get out of it and it was a huge pain for him. when he finally got out he was angry and relieved.

i think i’ll pass on the whole idea.

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HippieJed@reddit

I worked in the industry for a couple months. It was interesting to say the least

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baalroo@reddit

My grandparents had one.

I personally don't really understand the appeal of taking the same vacation at the same time each year, but they loved it and never felt they were being scammed or ripped off.

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GhostOfJamesStrang@reddit

I know half a dozen people who have them. All of them seem to love them.

Go figure.

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Tommy_Wisseau_burner@reddit

My parents have one for Marriott and maybe Disney. Marriott one works out pretty well. We can use it pretty much anywhere in the world. We might be using it for our Hawaii vacation

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AwesomeHorses@reddit

No. I think that most people who haven’t heard that they are a scam yet are elderly people who don’t know how to use the internet.

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lyrasorial@reddit

No, I don't hang out with people who are gullible and lack spines/ critical thinking.

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PPKA2757@reddit

I know a few (former) coworkers with a timeshare, and I have a family member with one. Personally I would never get one because they don’t fit the vacation lifestyle I enjoy (different trips/vacation plans year in and year out) plus there are many, many alternatives now a days (Air BnB being a big one, they’re a bit scummy in their own right and I don’t use them either).

On paper, they’re exactly as advertised - you get X number of days at Y number of locations for set price Z. However a key thing is that people don’t read the fine print. Black out days, termination requirements, minimum contractual amount of nights you need to use per annum, etc.

If a person likes the consistency of going on a set vacation to a set destination(s) year in and year out for a set price, they’re great. The issue is, people think “I’m totally cool with going to Cabo every year for two weeks!” When in reality, they’re not. Or at least they aren’t after a few years, and it’s only then (after they’ve decided they no longer want it) that they bother to read the fine print and find out what exactly it is they signed up for.

Yes many time share companies can be scummy, and they hide certain things in jargon or brush things off when a person makes an inquiry (before the sale is complete) and often use incredibly aggressive sales tactics in person. However In this day and age (the era of extensive TOS for every little thing, and the power of google to read reviews and find answers to every question you have outside of the vendor) if you as the consumer don’t understand what exactly it is you’re paying for/signing up for, there’s little in the way of sympathy I have for you.

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