Original Message:
My timeshare is paid in full, but I just don't want it anymore (by Brett A.):
Stay away from any business with Marriott. I was offered a deal on a timeshare Gold week in St. Thomas (Frenchman’s Cove). If I bought within 24 hours they would give me a 20% discount. This would reduce the price from $40,000 to $32,000 dollars. Jeff the salesman said Marriott would support the value for my purchase by using their “right of first refusal” (RFO) fo prevent their timeshare from selling below the price I paid. I signed the contract and then exercised my right of recission to exit the contract within the grace period. I calculated the break even point on my investment plus maintenance fees as longer than my own life expectancy. And I saw the same timeshare at Marriott’s Frenchman’s Cove for sale on E-Bay for $8,000. I fully expected Marriott to exercise their RFO and prevent me from buying the property at a 75% discount. That never happened. I completed the purchase transaction, buying the property from the owner. I paid for Title insurance and transaction fees which brought my cost basis up to almost $10,000. Later II learned that Marriott considered this is “Gray” market transaction. The right of the prior owner to exchange his week within Marriott MVC system did not transfer with the sale. During original sales presentation by Jeff, I was told I could sell my property with full rights and privileges.. I was paying about $1500/ yr in maintenance fees (MF). After three years of using the property each December, I was again scheduled to use the property in Dec until the property was closed for repairs from hurricane damage. I had paid my maintanence fees in January. Marriott made no effort to compensate or reimburse me for my maintenance fees since I did not have access to the resort. The costs of lost use should have been fairly distributed among all the owners. Marriott made no effort to do so. I lost a year of use, arguing with Marriott MVC customer service about my loss of use and refused to pay the next years fees until it was resolved. MVC hired an attorney and threatened me with default. Legal defense would have exceeded the fees owed. I lost a year of use to Marriotts closure and another year seeking a just resolution. The maintenance fees have jumped to nearly $2500 which were paid this year. I called in May 2019 to book my December 2019 vacation slot. I was told all the available spaces were booked. Marriott Vacation Club (MVC) told me to trade my time to Interval. I called Interval, which required an approximately $100 membership fee and reservation slot confirmation number at Marriott to trade. Since I could not make a reservation at Marriott, I had nothing to trade. I can rent the rooms at Frenchman’s Cove for the same week they will not let me reserve. MVC customer service reps claim those weeks are from other owners who have turned in their weeks for Marriott to rent.weeks to non-owners. It is opaque which weeks offered for rent are owned by deeded owners and which are owned by Marriott and. maximize their profit at timeshare owners’ expense. Granted, I should have called anheduled my earlier. Likewise as a courtesy to owners, our management team should have sent a notice out, informing owners that a deadline was approaching after which Marriott was going to confiscate the owners right to use their week. I will ask our Board for a report from management on the weekly number and which weeks Marriott rented vacation residents to non-owners. Buyer beware of sharing bed rights with an owner unfriendly multi-national corporation.