1) If you have you payments set up on a debit or credit card, they can legally continue to take money off that card. What you can do is call your bank and request a new card, with a new number. If the resort has your checking account info-you need to close your account.
2)Prepare for neverending phone calls. You might as well change your number after changing your banking info. They will call and try to scare you into paying. 99% of the time it is not even a real person-but a robot saying "please call us back" hahaha yeah right!
3)Continue to ignore the calls for a while so they know you are not going to pay them. I know what you are thinking-but dont worry-they DO NOT report to any form of credit bureau.
4)Once they know you are serious-then you can "get rid of it." Here is the bad news. Your money is gone. You will never be able to sell it. Period. You litterally give it back. There are agencies that offer to sell it for you. These companies allow you to post your timeshare for a fee. Nobody buys a "used" timshare. If they did companies wouldn't have to trick you into a 3 hour brain washing session to buy a new one.
They way you "give it back" is you ask for a WDIL form (stands for Warrany Deed In Lieu of Foreclosure). It sounds bad-but is the only option. They will send you the form, but you must be firm! Mention that you want a WDIL form or they will hear from a lawyer. They will send the form (which you must get notarized), and ask for a $250 processing fee. DO NOT PAY IT. Chances are, you spent enough, and didn't get your money back in the slightest. Send the form back with no money, and eventually they will process it for free.
http://deerkram.blogspot.com/
Sounds like trial and error was the only way to learn this much! Strangely, you just made me understand how to get rid of a time share, which is awesome..but I still don't "get" what one actually is. OR, if there are "good" ones. Care to expound? If not, I look forward to more insight of yours!
ReplyDeleteYou should have donated it. It gets you out of your contract. I cant believe how many timeshare relief scams there are out there.
ReplyDeleteGood luck to all timeshare owners!
please elaborate on how to donate? who would want to pay all those fee and hidden costs?
Deleteplease elaborate on how to donate? who would want to pay all those fee and hidden costs?
DeleteI tried to donate it...company wanted $1500 to sign over the deed to them. Im guessing closing costs etc.
DeleteA great way to get rid of this particular timeshare is the use of timeshare relief
ReplyDeleteWe have a timeshare for 2 and half years now and still haven't gotten the chance to use it. I finally decided this month i'm not paying for anything anymore. My problem is we are buying a house in june and we want to know if this will affect our credit score at all? Is it better to just donate our timeshare? we have it with Westgate Resort.
ReplyDeleteWestgate won't process anything until almost 1 year after non-payment. And they will offer you the Warranty Deed In Lieu of Forclosure (WDIL) prior to forclosure status. Go enjoy your home purchasing process and let them go. I will inform you that they will harrass you every moment of the day and night via phone, letters, emails. I would change your banking information as well.
DeleteZoeliscious did you end up purchasing a home? did you donate your timeshare? i am in the same boat. Same timeshare in Las Vegas though. We are looking to buy a home this year. We have just paid the maintenance fee on the timeshare ugh.. but anyway we want to make sure it doesnt affect our credit. Please share. THank you
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteIn 2004 I went on a trip with my sister and brother in law to Orlando, Florida and like most people by brother in law ended up signing up for a timeshare with Westgate Resort. Being an anesthesiologist he figured he could pay $25,000 in one shot which he did.
In 2007, he passed away and all of a sudden my sister is stuck with this timeshare which she cannot afford. She has been trying to pay yearly $800 but haven't used it since 2006. She tried to transfer the ownership to me, but as per my investigation its a big scam. She is afraid that her credit rating will be effected, we live in Canada and wondering if this is true. After reading your post, I am thinking there is no other way. She has lost $25,000 but cannot continue to make $800 yearly maintenance fee. This could have been her son's college tuition.
Did they eventually process it for free? Did it end up affecting your credit, as in did they reoprt it?
ReplyDeleteHello and thank you for posting this. I am trying to unload the Westgate timeshare I have and was also looking at the WDIL form. No mortgage (it's all paid) but I'm not going to use it. This really seems the only option and I also would like to know what your final outcome was. Did they finally accept? Was your credit score affected? Did you need an attorney? Thanks again for the blog. :)
ReplyDeleteHi, is there an up to date response for the post from roperman ??
ReplyDeleteFhanks
I stopped paying my westgate dues. And yes they reported it to my credit. My score went down 100 points. I'm living with it. I still will not pay them any more
ReplyDeleteCraig you obviously posted this a few years ago. But if your still having these problems I would highly recommend checking out some timeshare cancellation lawyers. I used Aaronson Law Group. They worked wonders for me. But there are others if if dont like what they have to say! This whole timeshare thing can be a major nightmare and I feel bad for anyone who has gotten trapped with the bad timeshares. Ive been there and it was horrible. I now have a timeshare through Marriott Vacation Club and it is wonderful. FYI. Hope you get your situation handled. Good Luck!!
Deletetelling people that they won't report to credit is irresponsible. Are you in law or real estate or finance? Unbeleivable how people think they're experts just because they have a blog. I AM in the industry, they WILL go after your credit and we've even dealt with people who've had wage garnishments AND leans on their homes and estate.
ReplyDeleteWe constantly recommend agencies like timeshare releif, apex and groupwise inc. (GW is the best, cheapest and fastest in our opinion) when you do the math, paying one of these companies makes much more sense than paying for the rest of your life and leaving it to your kids to be burdened with.
ReplyDeleteI did everything as RJ suggested and guess what, it didn't show up on my credit report. They sent me the deed letter, I signed it and had it notarized and DID NOT send the fee. Never got a call back from them, it has been well over 4 months now. Thank you RJ.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment on his process.
DeleteThis was very helpful. How long did it take?
Has it showed up on your credit report as of now?
DeleteHas it showed up on your credit report as of now?
Deletehas it shown up on your credit report?
DeleteMy sister owns Westgate timeshare and is trying to get rid of it. She has paid it off but continues to pay $900 year in maintenance fees - that she can't afford to keep paying. She is a senior now retired, has one child that doesn't want it - and she can't figure out how to get rid of it. I am trying to help her find out what to do. Thanks for this blog about it!! I am going to check into getting the WDIL for her and go from there. If that doesn't seem to work, then I'll figure out the next step. I also readonline posts that Groupwise is also ripping people off in the process of "helping" them. Just don't know who to trust these days.
ReplyDeleteDid you find out anything ???? I really want out!
DeleteWestgate wants to send me a Warranty of Deeds letter and also they want me to pay $2,500. What does this sound like and is it legal to pay $2,500?
ReplyDeletewe also want to get rid of our westgate share but we do not own it..... we leave in Belgium. Do you believe we can proceed as described?
ReplyDeleteHello. Were you able to get out of the timeshare? I am in a similar position to you only that I live in the Caribbean. I would really appreciate your feedback.
DeleteI also want to get rid of my westgate timeshare but i don't want to mess up my credit. Has this worked for anyone?
ReplyDeleteDon’t jeopardize your financial future
ReplyDeleteIn conclusion, what occurs if I discontinue paying my ownership? Your credit score will be seriously damaged, affecting your financial future.
Timeshare resorts are like casinos: The house never loses, and they will certainly not allow you to stop doing your annual payments. The only possible way to get rid of your timeshare is by cancelling your contract. http://www.timesharescam.com/
It is always best to hire someone skilled to do so, unfortunately in most cases these companies dedicated to cancel timeshares usually cheat for the second time to their customers since they are vulnerable and desperate. If you are thinking of hiring them you just have to make sure you do not have to make any payment upfront ... I found these articles that speak precisely about this, you should read them, that might help you to resolve many doubts:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.timesharescam.com/blog/46-timeshare-cancellation-or-donation-should-not-cost-you-anything-upfront/
http://www.timesharescam.com/blog/158-how-to-cancel-a-timeshare/
There is going to a seminar held on September 4th about timeshare cancellation. If your interested please look at this link http://aaronsonlawgroup.com/seminar-2/
ReplyDeleteI too have a westgate timeshare and would like to get rid of it without ruining my credit report. They are forcing me to reinstate or they will report to my credit report. I have ask for other resolutions because I can't afford the payments and they said I have no other choice
ReplyDeleteIt is very difficult to get out of a timeshare contract and I definitely dont think there is a good way to get out of it for free. There has to be some kind of neglect or something that your able to document and prove because you have signed a contract. Then you will have to do your research and hire a lawyer who specializes in timeshare cancellation! They got my parents sit through their Westgate presentation while vacation and convinced them to buy into a timeshare. Im sure it wasnst that difficult because my parents are pretty naive and are not hurting for money. To make a long story short they bought into the sales pitch. There first trip was to Harbour Beach Resort which was not there first pick but apparently there where no availabilties for there top selections. They room was outdated and there were bugs all over the place, trash under the bed, and the sheets had stains. They ended up moving to a different room that was not ocean front caused they were booked. It was not much better but atleast there where no bugs! They left the next day and just went and got a good hotel! They ended up getting lied to about places they could use and ended up paying all kinds of extra fees. It was basically just a money trap for them. So I did what I could to help them get there timeshare cancelled with emailing, calling, and whatever I could do. I was not getting anywhere so we decided to look for lawyers that could possibly help them. After a lot of research and talking to different law firms we narrowed it down to Aaronson Law Group and Finn Law Group! My parents liked Aaronsons plan to take care of it and that they specialize in timeshare cancellation so thats who they went with! They took care of there case in just over 2 months which included the documentation, rescission, and credit restoration which was very important to them. Of course it was not free but my parents said it was worth every penny to get rid of this nightmare! I know there are people in similar situations so if you are I recommend you check some timeshare cancellation lawyers. Just make sure you do your research. I hope this information can help someone in need! These timeshare scams are absolute nightmares and i would not wish that on even my worst enemy!
ReplyDeleteWhat was the law group's fee?
DeleteHas anyone out there heard of the Time Share Exit Team? I've checked into it and they seem legit. They have good reports and the Dave Ramsey talk show recommends them for sure. I've seen the comments about paying for services up front and I don't have money to give away. That's why I'm trying to get out of my timeshare because of financial crisis. Can anyone help by commenting on this post. Everyone wants money and a lot of it. I'm just wandering with the credit report and all of it to just look into bankruptcy it's just that stressful.
ReplyDeleteIve dealt with them and they couldnt get me out of my timeshare. But on the flip side they helped my aunt get out of her timeshare which didnt make sense. But i think it is case by case with them. I completely understand that you dont want to spend any money upfront and neither did I. You can try these guys and see what they can do for your case. But I can personally vouch for a law group called Aaronson Law Group which we used to get our timeshare cancelled. Its not free but its definitely something to look into if the timeshare exit team cant help you!
DeleteGood luck with your cancellation. Please let me know if the exit team works for you if you decide that!
If I may ask, what did the Aaronson Law Group charge them for their services?
DeleteHello o have recently purchase with west gate I have only given a deposit no payments yet. I purchased December 21,2015. I don't want this timeshare.. Anyone that has had this situation of you can help please. Thanks alot
ReplyDeleteJoss,
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I also just purchased on December 30, 2015. Upon returning home I ran the numbers carefully and it just doesn't make sense. Can anyone please offer a real solution that they've tried and actually worked for them? please help.
If you just got it you should have a cancellation period. Not sure exactly but I would definitely call them and find out. Im thinking like 60-90 days!
DeleteI purchased my timeshare in July. I only made the deposit I didn't make any payments. They keep sending me emails about reinstating my account but I don't want too. I told them I wanted to cancel in August they told me I couldn't. I'm scared it may effect my credit. I don't have money to pay for a lawyer. Any advice?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThomas V. I contacted Aaronson law group and they are telling me the fee is almost 5,000. I purchased 20 days ago, haven't made any payments I dont know why their fee is so high
ReplyDeleteQueen Bee
DeleteWOW REALLY!!! That sounds crazy. We had two timeshares and got rid of them both for under $3500 total. So it makes no sense that you would be told it would cost $5000. All I know is what they did for us. Im sure most cases are different, but $5000 is outrageous. I’m sure you have not spent close to that much on your timeshare, YET! I would double check with them again because that does not sound legitimate! Hope you get it figured out!
I've spent a lot of money and i was scammed by other companies trying to cancel my timeshare. My advice is that if you're going to hire a company to help you with the problem, DO NOT PAY ANYTHING UPFRONT, because it use to be a fraud. I did a research on internet and i found some interesting articles, i recommend you to read this one:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.timesharescam.com/blog/206-how-to-get-out-of-a-timeshare/
I am still paying on my down payment for my westgate timeshare if I quit paying it will it affect my credit bc I want out but we are trying to buy a house within the next 6 months any ideas
ReplyDeleteWOW! so many of the same issues. I purchased in 2014, used it in 2015 and it was not the property shown to us. then they tried to upgrade us. purchased a home in late 2015. don't want to afford the TS. I stopped paying in March of 2016, they continue to call and leave No message. We are concerned about our credit, however I am more concerned about sending money for an Item that I no longer want or need. The Orlando location made promises of property completion and it hasn't happened yet. I will see how this all plays out..
ReplyDeleteride the wave
I would check out timeshare cancellation attorneys. There are a couple good ones but we used Aaronson LAw Group and they are actually located in Orlando. But please do some research. There are definitely people who can help. I hate seeing people deal with these timeshare nightmares. Ive been there and i know how stressful it can be.
DeleteWe purchased in 2013, used in 2014, stopped paying June 2015, got the WDIL in the mail last month; I just stopped answering them altogether and they sent the WDIL on their own. No changes/reporting on my credit report at all.
DeleteAdministrator -- which Westgate property it is you had WDIL?
DeleteTo date, no changes/reporting on your credit report
Very interesting article and informative as well thanks.
ReplyDeletetimeshare lawsuit
Does anyone know if there is a time limit to cancelling your contract on time shares
ReplyDelete60-90 days for most of them. Not 100% sure about all.
DeleteI just read on my contract 5 days from when u signed your contract. That's with Westgate.
DeleteI want out of my westgate timeshare and I just read that they are being sued and investigated for sale tactics. Once (if I can) get out of this mess I will never do this again. Alwaysmona
ReplyDeleteOmg... this is truly by far the biggest mistake of my life... I bought with Westgate in Las Vegas, I own a home in Las Vegas, and I swear they suckered me into buying, and after I did the math it made no good sense at all to me... It will be cheaper for you to pay for your vacation at the time you take your vacation then to buy a timeshare that you can't use but one week out of the year... If you do the math, which I didn't at the time, cause I was irritated by the guy that was doing the brainwashing on me... You will pay a lot more then if you just paid at time of your stay.... I want OUT like a bad marriage and I found this blog, and read every single post, and my nightmare is now even more of a nightmare... we can't win this battle... That Aaronson Law Group seems to making a lot of more money with our misfortunes... this really saddens me greatly... Have people all but forgotten about other people, do we only have people and businesses braying on people like us, that didn't know no better... HELP Please, I don't live in Florida, I live in Arizona... does anyone know of a good cheaper than a $5,000.00 fee.... my payments are 288.00 been paying since Feb of 2016 but I have never used it... part of the presentation was a three day stay for free, that prove to be impossible to get a straight answer on, but they never gave it us, we paid for the room... Never again!!! Help me please, share your recent experiences with all of us that are trying to get out... Rob
ReplyDeleteI followed the guy's post. I stopped paying for the timeshare, it never showed up on my credit report, and they eventually sent me a WDIL to return to them. I have to mail it off and be done with it. They are asking for a chunk of money to process it too, but I intend to follow this post and not send any cash with it. They have indeed taken a lot of my money for no good reason. I stopped paying around June of last year and got the WDIL last month. I may have gotten one earlier, not sure since I don't check all my mail in a timely fashion, but I didn't have to call them to request it--they just sent it outright.
DeleteHave you check your credit report recently??
DeleteDid you have a mortgage? How were you making payments? Via a credit card?
Deletei would be very appreciative of a response.
Omg... this is truly by far the biggest mistake of my life... I bought with Westgate in Las Vegas, I own a home in Las Vegas, and I swear they suckered me into buying, and after I did the math it made no good sense at all to me... It will be cheaper for you to pay for your vacation at the time you take your vacation then to buy a timeshare that you can't use but one week out of the year... If you do the math, which I didn't at the time, cause I was irritated by the guy that was doing the brainwashing on me... You will pay a lot more then if you just paid at time of your stay.... I want OUT like a bad marriage and I found this blog, and read every single post, and my nightmare is now even more of a nightmare... we can't win this battle... That Aaronson Law Group seems to making a lot of more money with our misfortunes... this really saddens me greatly... Have people all but forgotten about other people, do we only have people and businesses braying on people like us, that didn't know no better... HELP Please, I don't live in Florida, I live in Arizona... does anyone know of a good cheaper than a $5,000.00 fee.... my payments are 288.00 been paying since Feb of 2016 but I have never used it... part of the presentation was a three day stay for free, that prove to be impossible to get a straight answer on, but they never gave it us, we paid for the room... Never again!!! Help me please, share your recent experiences with all of us that are trying to get out... Rob
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteHi my husband and i bought the time share last yr .. we dont want it no more and this is becoming a nightmare..we are buying are 1 home next yr what should we do ..we can't let are credit score go down... we dont known what to do we need help pls..
ReplyDeleteDonate timeshare to an IRS sponsored veterans charity. Support veterans by donating timeshares to charity. Donate timeshares now - maketimeshare donations.
ReplyDeleteanyone happen to have a copy of the WDIL form they sent you?
ReplyDeleteFor those who said it didn't report to credit..was it for westgate? Will westgate send you the WDIL
ReplyDeleteFor those who said it didn't report to credit..was it for westgate? Will westgate send you the WDIL
ReplyDeleteWestgate sent us the WDIL and our credit was not affected. I did not pay the fee to process the WDIL.
DeleteWe stopped paying our maintenance in january 2015 and they have hounded us non stop multiple times a day. Our timeshare is paid off and has been for 10 years. They want us to pay they want us utd and they will consider a warranty deed back ...yeah right.... no guarantee...no payment from me. Interested to hear from anyone else who successfully got away from these vultures.
ReplyDeletehas anyone considered selling their timeshare for $0 to an elderly person, who will eventually die and that will be the end of the timeshare altogether? I would just use some sort real estate closing/title agent and pay $500-$1000. Would that work?
ReplyDeleteWe live in the Caribbean we we visited Orlando last year and after they promised us the discounted tickets, we went on the tour and signed a timeshare mortgage contract paying a $300 US deposit. When we returned home we realized we couldn't afford it and didn't make any more downpayments. Even though I told them that I did not want to make any payments from my credit card, they deducted the first one two weeks ago and the next one is scheduled for next month. We really cannot afford to pay and feel so helpless here as we don't know anyone overseas or have money for attorneys overseas. Can someone please please please advise us if there is anything here in the Caribbean we can do to get out of this timeshare. I tried calling their contact center and it was no help at all.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your time and thank you in advance.
Cancel your credit card immediately. Don't pay them another cent. They will try to contact you through whatever means they can. Ignore it. Eventually they will offer you an deed in lieu of foreclosure but will ask for a $1500 fee to process it. Sign the deed, have it notarized, and mail it in without the fee. They will tell you they couldn't process the deed, but most likely, they already have. We went through this process last year. So far, so good.
DeleteRachel, was this after you paid of the mortgage?
DeleteWe just signed up last month and paid a down payment and then one monthly payment was deducted from our card. Will this process still work if we haven’t paid off the whole amount?
Are you confused in buying and selling timeshare? Contact US Consumer Attorneys for complete solution. Visit https://usconsumerattorneys.com/
ReplyDeleteHaven't paid in over a year. Sent the WDIL back with a letter saying I'm not paying the fee because I was scammed. They said they would buy the timeshare back. Big lie. Then I got a couple phone calls saying the form wasn't correct. I assume because I didn't pay the fee. No calls again for a while now. NEVER EVER BUY A TIMESHARE.
ReplyDeleteOk, I am having some financial difficulties and I did stop paying my timeshare with WESTGATE for about 4 months now. I did lots of phone calls. I did try to work with them and requested an application for hardship but THEY NEVER EMAILED TO ME OR SENT BY MAIL like they said they would. Now I am getting COLLECTIONS letters in the MAIL! I am nervous! I can’t afford anymore. I know the person that started this blog said he stopped paying and later they sent a did for him to sign. Well, I don’t think this happens with everyone. I don’t know if I should call or not. I don’t have money for lawyers! Please someone give me advise here!
ReplyDeleteDid you get out from west gate?
DeleteI found on a site that someone had luck with Westgate Legacy program, which appears to have been created to let you "give back" your westgate timeshare for $1000. Has anyone had any experience with this program?
ReplyDeleteI have not but since I see a new comment I wanted to update. We starting just ignoring the calls from west gate and stopped paying the fees. We took the calls for maybe a year and begged them to let us give it back. It was less than 6 months after we stopped taking the calls that we got a paper in the mail asking us to sign it back over to them. I believe they asked for a fee (cant recall) but we signed it and returned it without paying anything. I called them a few months later and they said we were no longer owners and it has never showed up on our credit report.
ReplyDeleteI got duped in July 2019. I paid the down payment in 3 installments and stated making mortgage payments in November. My first maintenance fees were due in January 2020. I paid half and agreed to pay the other half within a month. I started talking about booking and that's when I realized the lies they told me to get me to purchase. There are so many I won't list them but I am already fed up. I don't intend to give them another dime but I am concerned about the consequences. What can they do to me other than cause my credit score to go down? I regret that that might happen but it is not enough of a deterrent to cause me to continue to pay them! If that is their only weapon to use against me they can forget it!!! The method in this blog sounds like music to my ears but is it real? I have high blood pressure and high anxiety and I have literally been chewing my nails completely to the quick since I realized that they scammed me!!! Can it be this simple??? Really???
ReplyDeleteMine and my husband's credit score was not affected. My advice is to not pay another dime.
DeleteI have a timeshare at the elara HGVC in las vegas. It was owned by westgate the property was sold to HGVC. Upon talking to both entities, noone is claiming ownership! Can someone tell me who owns my timeshare? Thank you
ReplyDeletetimeshare cancellation I would like to say that this blog really convinced me to do it! Thanks, very good post.
ReplyDelete