Wyndham Timeshare??

[twhitaker]

Does anybody own a timeshare through Wyndham?? My husband and I recently just got back from a time share tour in Pigeon Forge, TN and we are interested in purchasing one in the next few years. We thought it looked like a good deal, just curious to see what owners really think?? (The one we looked at was $20,000 for 2 weeks of vacation rentals a year with a deed to the property that we would be buying) Anyways, I would appreciate all the advice and information that you have. Also, do you have any favorite resorts that you like to travel to? Thanks!

 

[spatenfloot]

Sounds like you visited the former Fairfield (now Wyndham). You can buy the same thing for MUCH less resale. You might want to visit http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/ and do some reading before making any decisions.

 

[Muushka]

I agree, do a lot of research before you buy. My understanding is that you can be resales for pennies on the dollar (well that is what they say).

There are a lot of knowledgeable people over on the DVC boards on this site (post this question over there) and the Tug boards (above) are great also.

 

[nelson84]

Check ebay timeshares go for as little as $99 for a week in florida, usually a one bedroom. We bought one on ebay for a few hundred dollars and it is a 2 bedroom and sleeps 8, it has 2 living rooms 4 tvs, 2 washrooms, the works and it is just across the freeway from DW.

You can also just be a RCI member and not have maintenace fees and just pay for a week, in any RCI properties. Probably cost about the same as the fees without the initial cost of owning.

 

[decaff38]

We rented a timeshare off of Tug2.com for 325.00 a week. It was a great way to get a full timeshare without all the fees and you can check out some different areas and types. Look in the classifieds. Good luck.

 

[dmensing]

I agree with the advice to visit the TUG website and do a lot of reading and research.

We purchased our Wyndham (at the time, Fairfield) timeshare through Angel Bittle at RPMI. Angel is active on the TUG message boards and was highly recommended by many of the "tuggers". I was very pleased with her work. Buying resale is the only way to go unless you really want to own at a new resort that hasn't been around long enough to have inventory in the resale market.

Just remember, any hot deal they offer will still be around next week, next month, etc.. no matter what they say. Just resist!

HTH,
Dan.

 

[Stein]

Personally, I would not buy when I can rent for much less and not have the commitment of annual dues for 50 years or however long. If you buy and decide it was a bad idea, you will likely be out a ton of money.

 

[Dreaming of Disney]

If we only knew then what we know now!

We purchased our Wyndham(Fairfield) timeshare 2 years ago in Pigeon Forge. We purchased from the developer and if I was smarter (I am now) we would have purchased resale. It's much cheaper and we would have gotten the same benefits since we are not VIP anyway. I try not to think about it too much or it will make me sick, but overall we are extremely pleased we did it.

I know many people will say that timeshares don't make financial sense and they probably don't, but we have been on 2 awesome vacations in the last year that we would have never gone on if we hadn't done it.

In October we spent the week at Bonnet Creek in Disney and this was a spectacular resort. We were also able to bring our friends along at no extra cost because we went during "value" time and it cost so few points.

We just got back last week from Ocean Walk in Daytona and it was another great resort. Our kids are getting to see the country (ok, Florida ) and build great memories and we get to cherish those moments too.

My DH did not grow up ever going on vacation and he didn't realize the importance of devoting that time away from life to our family. We both work full time and it does give me peace of mind that at least I know we will be going somewhere as a family every year.

We almost have ours paid off and then I will feel much better, but I don't regret the purchase. The bottom line is if you are going to do it, buy resale.

 

[GlennBenscoter]

I am a DVC and a Wyndham owner. Wyndham is a flexible and complex system to use if you want to maximize you points. I recommend if anyone is interested in Wyndham they come to our web site http://forums.WyndhamOwners.org. Then you will find about 2600 members from 20 countrys sharing info on Wyndham. I recommend reading the Wyndham Primer as an excellant starting point to learn the basics of Wyndham. Resale of Wyndham is at about a 90% discount to retail - a lot different than DVC. Reading and learning about Wyndham could save you thousands.

I love my DVC and I love my Wyndham (VIP Plantinum Member 1,300,000 pts,)

Glenn Benscoter

 

[mzlee]

I tried the Wyndham/Fairfield Discovery program. It was a kind of try before you buy program. We paid about $2000 for 300,000 points and we had VIP status and had a year and a half to use the points. We had some pretty nice vacations during that period like Disney and Honolulu. I like the idea of the timeshare but refuse to pay a small fortune for one. When we got into the Discovery program they were trying to sell us the new Bonnett Creek property for about $45,000. I would like to purchase one because I like the point system because your not locked into a specific week and you don't have to always stay at your home resort.

 

[dsanner106]

I am a wyndham owner, and have learned to make the best of my ownership. Research is the key and don't feel like you need to buy from the developer, points are points. Look for people selling on TUG and other places. Do buy at a location you would want to return to, as the one and only advantage to your home resort is you can book it a few months before anyone else can. My mother just finished 13 straight weeks in Orlando using points and worked at Disney for the winter. I do like Wyndham, just do your research, make a smart purchase and maximize your points.

D

 

[klawso@att.net]

Does anybody own a timeshare through Wyndham?? My husband and I recently just got back from a time share tour in Pigeon Forge, TN and we are interested in purchasing one in the next few years. We thought it looked like a good deal, just curious to see what owners really think?? (The one we looked at was $20,000 for 2 weeks of vacation rentals a year with a deed to the property that we would be buying) Anyways, I would appreciate all the advice and information that you have. Also, do you have any favorite resorts that you like to travel to? Thanks!

Don't do it without a ton of research...we agreed to by Wyndham Discovery and are finding out we can't really do anything with it. What we were told we can do we can't because it is booked so far in advance. Think hard before making such a commitment!

 

[MillauFr]

Why would you buy a timeshare when you can rent and not be locked into every increasing maintenance fees?

 

[a742246]

Definitely, read www.tugbbs.com and ask questions there, then reseach the timeshare you are considering buying. You will probably find it on ebay, tug marketplace, and numerous other places for 10% or less of the retail price. Do not pay retail!

 

[staceyeileen]

I am a Wyndham points owner, and I love my ownership... but I didn't pay $20,000 for it. I'd probably feel differently if I had. I purchase about 250,000 annual points for $1200 out of pocket (including transfer fees and closing costs) on eBay. All the information you need can be found on the TUG boards.

 

[texasrachel]

Yeah, We're Wyndham owners. Don't do it. I can't express how much I regret it. We're going to need to have it for years and years before we break even. Buy resale if you feel like you want a time share, but definitely don't buy from Wyndham. The forums linked to are great to offer more detail.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

If we only knew then what we know now!

We purchased our Wyndham(Fairfield) timeshare 2 years ago in Pigeon Forge. We purchased from the developer and if I was smarter (I am now) we would have purchased resale. It's much cheaper and we would have gotten the same benefits since we are not VIP anyway. I try not to think about it too much or it will make me sick, but overall we are extremely pleased we did it.

I know many people will say that timeshares don't make financial sense and they probably don't, but we have been on 2 awesome vacations in the last year that we would have never gone on if we hadn't done it.

In October we spent the week at Bonnet Creek in Disney and this was a spectacular resort. We were also able to bring our friends along at no extra cost because we went during "value" time and it cost so few points.

We just got back last week from Ocean Walk in Daytona and it was another great resort. Our kids are getting to see the country (ok, Florida ) and build great memories and we get to cherish those moments too.

My DH did not grow up ever going on vacation and he didn't realize the importance of devoting that time away from life to our family. We both work full time and it does give me peace of mind that at least I know we will be going somewhere as a family every year.

We almost have ours paid off and then I will feel much better, but I don't regret the purchase. The bottom line is if you are going to do it, buy resale.

This! My parents bought my sister and me a week at Fairfield (now Wyndham) Patriot's Place in Williamsburg Virginia when I was a Freshman at William & Mary. It was very cheap back then. My sister ended up deeding the whole thing over to me years ago. My unit is a lock-off so I deposit it as two weeks into RCI, getting two weeks (or more now that RCI does TPUs* for weeks) of vacation out of my yearly maintenance fee. I still have "weeks", not points. Wyndham wanted me to convert to points but the cost was so high, it was like buying my week all over again so I never did it. I like my weeks; they work for me! There is no way I could have stayed for a week at all the fabulous places I've stayed over the past 30 years for half of the yearly maintenance fee I pay.

If you purchase a lock off unit on the resale market, you can really make it a cost effective way to vacation!

*TPUs = Trading Power Units, sort of like points lite for weeks. I've figured out how to work my TPUs to get more vacations.

 

[jaybirdsmommy]

We own Wyndham and are relatively satisfied with it. I do wish that we'd done some research before buying it. As others have said, we could have gotten it much cheaper by buying resale.

With that said, be very careful with Wyndham sales people. If their lips are moving, they are lying to you. The high pressure sales never end. Every time we check in somewhere my husband gets talked into going to an "owners meeting" that ends up being a huge sales pitch (they usually offer some kind of freebie to do so). Last time we went to one, they seriously tried to resell us the same points we already had (and had paid off) because, and I quote "your current maintenance fees are going to double next year. If you buy this new package, we'll lock in your maintenance costs for the next five years, all for only $15,000." We laughed at him and walked out. Our fees went up a grand total of $5 this year.

Also, and this goes without saying but I've seen so many complaints on the web over the years - DON"T SIGN ANYTHING THEY GIVE YOU WITHOUT READING IT FIRST!!!!!!!!, Even if they tell you it's just an evaluation of their sales people. We caught them giving us a form to open up a credit card account with a $5000 balance (prepayment towards a purchase of more points) and telling us it was just to confirm that we'd been offered that "deal" and were refusing it. That's not what the form said.

One final thing, definitely buy into a system with points, not a fixed week. The point system is so much more flexible and can be used at any of the Wyndham properties. Exchanging weeks with RCI is a pain.

 

[*pixie*dust*]

Check ebay timeshares go for as little as $99 for a week in florida, usually a one bedroom. We bought one on ebay for a few hundred dollars and it is a 2 bedroom and sleeps 8, it has 2 living rooms 4 tvs, 2 washrooms, the works and it is just across the freeway from DW.

You can also just be a RCI member and not have maintenace fees and just pay for a week, in any RCI properties. Probably cost about the same as the fees without the initial cost of owning.

I thought you had to own a timeshare to be an RCI member? Is that not the case?

 

[staceyeileen]

I thought you had to own a timeshare to be an RCI member? Is that not the case?

You're correct, I'm not sure what the PP was talking about.