Original Message:
Is there any EFFECTIVE way to dump a wyndham timeshare...??? (by Irene P.):
Having heard from 831 families, I have learned it's easy to say "don't pay anyone upfront," but what about the Alzheimer's diagnosed buyer not capable of filing complaints on their own? I have heard from more dementia diagnosed patients listening to timeshare members than I did when I served on an Ombudsman Advisory Board, advocates for patients in nursing home. The busy surgeon doesn't have time to put the necessary time in to dispute a timeshare. It takes regulatory filings and endless rebuttals. It works but it is often a marathon, not a sprint.
I am no fan of exit companies, but if two of them had not spent the money to send attorneys to the March 12 Florida legislative workshop to defeat a very bad anti-timeshare consumer bill, this bill would have passed. One of them put me up in a hotel so I could report on the fiasco. The bill died in Florida so ARDA introduced it in Nevada, the identical bill. After many timeshare members opposed the bill (unless timeshare buyer were offered 24 hours to review a contract), it mercifully was taken off the docket. Jason Gamel, the Sr VP legal from Wyndham testified at the workshop. He said members don't need to contact exit providers because Wyndham has a hardship department he made sound benevolent. Gamel is the new president of ARDA, replacing Howard Nusbaum. Ken McKelvey, of Defender Resorts, and Chairman of ARDA ROC testified that he has been a developer for 30 years and all resorts "and I've worked with many," he said, have a dissolution policy. Fortunately, the Florida state representatives saw through these guys. Representative Newton said he had to file for bankruptcy in the 90s to get out of his timeshare.
This is a new website launched by Laura Crow. She has gathered Wyndham members in dispute. https://www.facebook.com/groups/376743609795740/
Gamel and McKelvey (MeKelvey recently absorbed into Diamond Resorts via Apollo's $200 million infusion to acquire National Hospitality Group), said they were concerned about timeshare members experiencing unfair and deceptive sales practices from exit providers. The bill asked for a 24 hour cooling off period before signing a timeshare exit contract. The exit companies said great! But timeshare buyers should be offered 24 hours before signing a timeshare contract. Given this would probably destroy the timeshare industry if same day sales went away, both the bill in Nevada and Florida went nowhere. ARDA vigorously opposed the AZ pro-consumer bill offering timeshare buyers the 24 hours. It was a wash so both sides with be back to the drawing board for 2021.
Due to the enemy of my enemy is my friend concerning this legislation, I have gotten to know four of the exit companies. AARP is allowing a full page add for one of them. I've learned the exit companies don't like each other, they all criticize the others, feeling their way is the best way. We are a small group of capable volunteers that can answer questions for about 30 callers a month. Two of the exit companies receive 3,000 to 3,500 callers a month. They both each accept less than 200 as clients. I am working with the Straight-A Guide nonprofit to provide free content or a self-help Free at Last Timeshare Member Support Manual for $1,495 (which will include podcasts and webinars) to offer a self-advocacy guide. All proceeds will benefit the 501c3 formed ten years ago to help those imprisoned transition back to society. We just had to switch the word prison with timeshare. The content was quite similar. We (our volunteers and me) can't keep up with our volume of callers. I am 40 to 50 volunteer hours per week. My husband is 81 years old. He would like to spend more time with me.