How to get rid of a timeshare you no longer want ....

In response to Lance C., as long as there is nothing in the agreement that you signed when you purchased your timeshare that says you cannot deed to a corporation, there is really not much the Timeshare Owners Association can do to block you from Deeding your timeshare to CHT. I tried very hard to work with my HOA, I even let their arms length real estate agent try and sell it for a tiny price for a year. I had a number of conversations with them to see how I could fairly transfer my deed back to them, but they refused to consider anything. There is nothing illegal about what Dr. Ken (retired Chiropractor) at CHT is doing. And if you want to talk unethical, the whole timeshare industry used very unethical practices to rook people into signing up for these locked in payments for decades. In response to Don P., CHT does what it says it will do, unlike many other donation scams.

When they take your money and don't transfer the deed out of your name don't come back in here crying about it. These companies are SCAMS !!!

cheryld279 wrote:

...as long as there is nothing in the agreement that you signed when you purchased your timeshare that says you cannot deed to a corporation, there is really not much the Timeshare Owners Association can do to block you from Deeding your timeshare to CHT....There is nothing illegal about what Dr. Ken (retired Chiropractor) at CHT is doing. And if you want to talk unethical, the whole timeshare industry used very unethical practices to rook people into signing up for these locked in payments for decades.

Okay, maybe I'll rephrase this. Resort HOAs are now refusing to acknowledge transfers to certain entities mainly because of some of these schemes that are being run. Like it or not, the HOA has that right and a number of HOAs have been doing this since that time. But like I said, you did that transfer two years ago and HOAs have been taking action since that time.

And since CHT intends to purposely default on the maintenance fees and let it go into foreclosure, why should an owner pay CHT $500 plus closing costs to do that when an owner can do that himself for free?

And I know many people have qualms against what resorts are doing when trying to sell units but keep in mind that these sales people work for the developers and not the resorts' HOAs. They are two different entities. Many people mistakenly think that they are "sticking it to the resort" for rooking them into buying such a worthless, overpriced product by defaulting and causing foreclosure. But the resort did not sell the unit to you. It was the developer (or, if you wish, the salespeople who work for the developer). Unfortunately, when owners such as CHT default on maintenance fees, it's not the evil developer who pays the price but rather all the remaining owners at the resort.

But, if someone wants to use the "services" of CHT, then I say do so at your own risk.

Please spread the word. If you have paid a company to "relieve you of your interest and responsibilities associated with your timeshare and implement a guaranteed timeshare solution within 6 - 9 months otherwise they will refund your money" and they do not do this you CAN have a billing dispute put through your credit card company and get ALL of your money back that you paid that company. If they do not transfer your ownership during this period or state the 3rd party did not file the paperwork (you can check the county court house documents on line to see who they transferred your property to - it might be to a company that is no longer even in business, etc.) or they say the 3rd party did not complete the paperwork, your resort is fighting it, they are hiring lawyers to fight the resort, etc. you can and SHOULD set up a billing dispute. It does not matter if it is past the credit card company's 3 or 6 month policy to dispute (state that it was to take 6-9 months to transfer so how could you dispute before this time period) and they should open a dispute for you; this dispute can be for charges over a year or more. You can get a conditional credit and then there is paperwork sent to the "timeshare relief" company by your credit card company and in most cases they don't even reply to your credit card company as they can't even defend themselves because what they have done is either nothing or they have been lying to you anyhow so at least you can get the fee that you paid to them back. Research the timeshare relief company you paid money to and if you are finding they are disreputable and are owned by people who have many such companies (closing them and opening them under different names) this is important information to send in to the credit card company to prove how you have been scammed.

donp196 wrote:

It's a SCAM !!! They only want your upfront money. NEVER pay anyone money upfront that offers to take your timeshare. This is one of the oldest scams in the business. I'm surprised people are still falling for it. Check out where they claim their office is located and you will find out it's just a postal drop box. Once they get your money then they avoid you and wait until you go away or claim there is an additional " fee " that has to be paid. Don't fall for one of the oldest scams running.

To absolutely guarantee that you won't lose your money NEVER pay anyone money upfront that claims they can get you out of your contract. Not by credit card, cash or any other means........... NEVER pay them upfront !!!

Does anyone have current information on a "charity" called Florida Veterans Assistance Association? They are willing to accept our timeshare as a donation. But they are asking for more than $3,000 up front and guaranteeing to provide the paperwork for a tax deduction of $5,000. I know, I know, I know . . . DON'T PAY ANTHING UPFRONT to get rid of a timeshare, but we are anxious to get out of the timeshare business. We can't find any current information about this establishment. Has anyone had an experience (good or bad) with these people. Thanks.

These phony charity scams have been going around for quite a while now. It's a SCAM !!! You cannot take a $ 5,000.00 tax deduction for something that has no value. If they tell you anything else they are lying. The IRS is cracking down on these charity scams. Donate for a cause is under federal charges as we speak. Anyone who claimed a tax deduction will be audited and face fines and penalties.

Try calling your home resort and let them know your circumstances and that you can't afford to pay the maintenance fees anymore. Make sure you get ahold of someone who handles the titles . It might take quite a few phone calls but it's worth it. I got rid of two timeshares in 2011 that way. I simply explained to them that I was going to get rid of them with or without their cooperation and that it was in their best interest to work with me.

Do it yourself and you won't have to worry about losing your hard earned money to scammers.

NEVER pay anyone money upfront that claims they can get you out of your contract .

Besides Don P's suggestion, you can try giving it away yourself. Advertise on reputable timeshare websites such as here on RedWeek, My resort Network, Craigslist, E-Bay, or Timeshare Users Group (aka "TUG"). Advertise that you are willing to give it away to any taker. Maybe even offer to pay the closing costs (about $200) and the next maintenance fee.

With a little time and effort, it could work and definitely work out to be a lot cheaper than paying a charity (or any entity for that matter) $3000 to possibly take it off your hands.

TUG has a Bargain Deals section that allows you, for free, to advertise that you want to give your unit away to a willing taker.

This particular outfit got itself into trouble with a lot of very disappointed people a few years ago by failing to successfully get "donated" timeshare ownerships changed into new names. They blamed a transfer company with which they had supposedly been working, thereby seeming to deflect their own responsibility and accountability. Whether or not FVA cleaned up that mess since then, I cannot and do not claim to know, but I'd still recommend looking at other avenues that DON'T involve ponying up $3,000.

marjoriem12 wrote:

Does anyone have current information on a "charity" called Florida Veterans Assistance Association? They are willing to accept our timeshare as a donation. But they are asking for more than $3,000 up front and guaranteeing to provide the paperwork for a tax deduction of $5,000. I know, I know, I know . . . DON'T PAY ANTHING UPFRONT to get rid of a timeshare, but we are anxious to get out of the timeshare business. We can't find any current information about this establishment. Has anyone had an experience (good or bad) with these people. Thanks.

I realize this is two years late, but it is an answer for those wondering about FVAA. The man in charge of it, Travis, was placed under investigation about mid-2018 by the FCC. Since then nothing's been heard from them.

As for some of the other posts, "EVERYTHING'S A SCAM!!!" at least as far as fools are concerned.

Always check with the resort to try to give it back to them. Jump through hoops if necessary. Some resorts will take it back, but most just grin all the way to the bank every year with your maintenance fees. Offer it FREE or for $1 everywhere you can. Give it to Don P. If you decide to use some service that guarantees to get you out for a fee, do your due diligence to find out how they will do it. Make sure you use some escrow company or licensed professional to hold the money to control who gets the money when the time is up based on a contract.

As for who pays the cost? How much profit can a resort make if they sell a timeshare a second time AFTER they've already been paid ALL cost of construction and set up of the resort initially. Do they have to discount it as a "used" timeshare? It seems to me it's a great profitable idea for the resort to get such a freebie to sell for full price again. How about the HOA taking it back and putting it on the sales table at the resort? They should have some pull with that process unless they're simply window dressing for the developer.

As for blocking a real estate transfer, the resort has no legal right unless stated within their original contract for such things as "first Right of Refusal" or "No Corporation". The only legal right the resort has is to refuse use of the timeshare to the new owner. Real estate law has been around for almost 1000 years, is fundamentally the same in all states and most English speaking countries because of "common law" (look it up). Resorts can't arbitrarily ignore it and ignore the legal transfer of title which only requires agreement between the buyer and seller. *What about the bank? They can't stop a transfer, just mess with the financing and foreclosure if the financing contract isn't satisfied.

When all else fail, ask someone who's done it, not the screamer who admits ignorance.