Maintenance Fee went to collections

petulap4 wrote:

So what can we do in a case like this, there must be a some kind of loophole.

Rest assured that there are NO "loopholes". Wastegate has a very active and reasonably competent cadre of attorneys --- and a long established and well deserved reputation for having a genuine fondness for litigation.

Some years ago, Wastegate established a "deedback" program which they call "Legacy" ("Larceny" might have been a more appropriate program name, but I digress). The fee that you cite in an earlier post is almost certainly the cost to utilize that "deedback" program.

That said, the good news is that you are apparently located outside of the U.S. (since you have quoted their "deedback" fee in a currency other that USD). Wastegate is not going to undertake the expense, time and inconvenience to initiate legal action against anyone in any country other than the U.S.; it's quite simply not worth their time or expense or bother to do so. They will simply foreclose at some point, taking the ownership back through that legal avenue.

In short, pay them NOTHING and just walk away --- and try to forget that you have ever even heard the word "Westgate". This recommendation would not necessarily apply if you were a U.S. resident and therefore much more vulnerable to legal action(s) that Wastegate could (and might very well choose to) initiate here in the U.S.

Just read through all the previous responses and didn’t see anything about Hilton Grand Vacations TS. Does anyone have experience or know about HGV resorts?

My TS has been paid off for years but I stopped paying maintenance fees 3 years ago. I got plenty of reminders about that and recently received a collection letter. I was advised not to pay a single penny or contact the collection agency and it would likely “go away” after some years. It’s not on my credit report so I’m not too worried about it.

priscillaf31 wrote:

I was advised not to pay a single penny or contact the collection agency and it would likely “go away” after some years. It’s not on my credit report so I’m not too worried about it.

My question: Who advised you to do this?

Do you have any update on how this went for you?

This happened to me- in fact I posted in this very thread about it back in 2018. Nothing has ever come of it. It has never shown up on my credit report, and I have received nothing about it from Westgate. Your mileage may vary, but this has been my experience.

I'm trying to understand why you would care about what they do with the timeshare if they are willing take it off your hands. Your obligation only grows while you are sitting on your hands. I suggest you offer them $2,000, hope they take it, and walk away.

I was just informed that I will not be approved for a home equity loan or refinance because of the collections on my credit report from Aspen (timeshare is through vacation village, Cliffs at Peace Canyon in Vegas). I paid off the property over 15 years ago and was religiously paying the OUTRAGEOUS maintenance fees but not using it. I tried several times to bargain with them during covid, financial hardship, everything. They wouldn't budge so I stopped paying. it went to collection and now they just keep adding to the collection amount. Is there any way to stop them? I offered to give it back, donate it, etc.

petulap4 wrote:

So what can we do in a case like this, there must be a some kind of loophole.

Rest assured that there are no “loopholes”; slimy Wastegate has very capable lawyers and you voluntary signed a valid contract. There are no "easy exits".

No developer or resort is ever actually obligated to accept a “deedback”. If they do offer a deedback option, they have the right to charge money for doing so, despite it obviously being greedy to demand that people pay serious money to return something they already bought for serious money. That's just plain greedy --- but it is unfortunately also legal.

The fact that you have citied a currency other than dollars (in a separate post here) suggests that you are somewhere outside of the U.S. If so, Wastegate is certainly not going to bother with you further, beyond some temporary (and completely toothless) collection efforts, if you should decide to pay them absolutely nothing more and just let them go right ahead foreclose at some point — which they inevitably will.

My timeshare is through Vacation Village at Parkway. It has been paid for years ago and I am a new widow. My income is restricted and I cannot afford the ever increasing maintenance fees. What would happen if I just stopped paying the maintenance fees? We have never gotten our use out of it and have always paid our fees and I’m really getting tired of it with especially my new limited income.

pamh411 wrote:

My income is restricted and I cannot afford the ever increasing maintenance fees. What would happen if I just stopped paying the maintenance fees? We have never gotten our use out of it and have always paid our fees and I’m really getting tired of it with especially my new limited income.

If you stop paying maintenance fees, the worst that would happen is that you will face a barrage of annoying collection calls and letters. In rare cases, a person who stops paying maintenance fees might face a bad mark on his credit score or rating. If those don't bother you, then just stopping payments might be an option.

However, since it is paid for and the maintenance fees are up to date, you can try a couple of other options:

1) Try giving it away. Advertise it here on RedWeek's Bargain Basement or other reputable timeshare resale sites such as E-bay, Craigslist, or Timeshare Users Group (aka "TUG"; tugbbs.com) where you can advertise for free that you want to give your unit away.

2) Ask the resort's Homeowners' Association (HOA) if it will take your unit back. It might ask you to pay closing costs and maybe even the next maintenance fee. But it will be a clean, legal, certain, and easy transfer without worrying about collection calls or credit scores. if you try this, make it vary clear to the HOA that you will not be paying another penny in maintenance fees (unless it's for the transfer to the HOA) so it would be in everybody's best interest that the HOA take the unit back amicably.

The one big caution is to not go seeking the services of these many outfits out there that claim they can "cancel" your timeshare.

My TS maintenance fees just went to collections. I have already paid off the loan but I stopped paying maintenance fees as advised by my exit company I'm using. I made the mistake by not going straight to my resort and asked to cancel. My exit company and the resort have been go back and forth with no solution yet. My question is: Is it still possible for me to contact my resort to see if I can still cancel even though they know I have an exit company representing me?

Most resorts will have nothing to do with you once they learn that you are now involved with a so called “exit company”. It can’t hurt to ask, but be prepared to be told quite bluntly that “You should have contacted us FIRST; we can’t really work with you now at all since you have chosen to involve a third party to represent you”.

The truly sad part is that the so called “exit company” can / will do nothing for you. They will simply let your ownership go into to foreclosure; a result you could have achieved entirely on your own by simply not paying your fees —- without ever paying those thieving “exit” parasites even a single penny.

Here is where your problem lies: You did not cancel the timeshare. You still legally own it. It doesn't matter whether you are paid in full, you still own it and must pay maintenance fees until you cancel it. Since it is paid in full, you can easily cancel your timeshare without hiring anyone to do it for you. An unpaid maintenance fee is only a debt when you own it. You can learn how to cancel it on your own. Just do a google search for timeshare cancellation courses. Hope this helps!

I am truly sorry for your loss.

Ma'am. You can cancel it on your own without paying anyone including the timeshare company. There are timeshare cancellation courses as little as $20 that will guide you or your children on how to cancel without affecting your credit score. Search online. I wish you my best:)

pamh411 wrote:

My timeshare is through Vacation Village at Parkway. It has been paid for years ago and I am a new widow. My income is restricted and I cannot afford the ever increasing maintenance fees. What would happen if I just stopped paying the maintenance fees? We have never gotten our use out of it and have always paid our fees and I’m really getting tired of it with especially my new limited income.

Untrue. Lawyers are hired by West gate to scare people. Westgate is not going to use up their funds to take thousands of unhappy owners to court. You DO NOT need permission from the company to deed it back to the resort. You can learn how to deed it back on your own with a simple quitclaim deed or surrender deed. They know this. Just do an online search for timeshare cancellation courses. They will guide you through the entire process and will explain why you can legally cancel. People are cancelling everyday without hiring anyone to do it for them.

ken1193 wrote:

petulap4 wrote:

So what can we do in a case like this, there must be a some kind of loophole.

Rest assured that there are no “loopholes”; slimy Wastegate has very capable lawyers and you voluntary signed a valid contract. There are no "easy exits".

No developer or resort is ever actually obligated to accept a “deedback”. If they do offer a deedback option, they have the right to charge money for doing so, despite it obviously being greedy to demand that people pay serious money to return something they already bought for serious money. That's just plain greedy --- but it is unfortunately also legal.

The fact that you have citied a currency other than dollars (in a separate post here) suggests that you are somewhere outside of the U.S. If so, Wastegate is certainly not going to bother with you further, beyond some temporary (and completely toothless) collection efforts, if you should decide to pay them absolutely nothing more and just let them go right ahead foreclose at some point — which they inevitably will.

wayner158 wrote:

You DO NOT need permission from the company to deed it back to the resort. You can learn how to deed it back on your own with a simple quit claim deed or surrender deed.

This statement is completely false. I don’t know where (…or if) you attended law school, but it is a basic, fundamental fact that in order for any deed anywhere in the U.S.A. to be legally valid, there must be informed and willing acceptance by the “grantee”. No “grantor” can just unilaterally identify an unknowing and / or unwilling recipient (grantee), whether the unwilling grantee is a resort or a random name picked out of a phone book. Any such deed would clearly be legally void, by virtue of lacking any acceptance.

You plainly don’t know what you are talking about here. Please don’t mislead people with such grossly inaccurate claims. Doing so is a disservice to those who might believe your factually inaccurate statement to be true when it is actually completely wrong.

I own a timeshare in driftwood worldgate resort in kissimee fla paid of in 2013 just recently missed two maintenance payments 2021 2023 never received any communication from them to pay only just received a intent to forclose letter anything I can do legally They said I have to pay all lawyer fees Im willing to pay past fees just not lawyer fees Please if anyone can help I would really appreciate it

I've been in the same boat, own my timeshare but maintenance fees got crazy and I'm not paying money for someone to take back that I already own. I got served a summons that they were going to foreclose but nothing after. Today my credit score dropped by 25 points cause Pinnacle has it in collections. I'll take the hit as long as thats it from Westgate. I'm just curious if there is any further action that is taken or is the collection hit on my credit it? Any input is appreciated