Justfun
Syracuse,#2Author of original report
Thu, April 19, 2012
So after finally getting a sales person to help us exchange our time with a company called Interval International Exchange, this still is not working as promised in the sales pitch. It has been over a year since we banked our time with this company giving them a request for the Oregon coast and also the California coast resorts to exchange with. We gave them a wide span of time as well for when we wanted to exchange, June through September, and still nothing.
Also, when you bank your time, there is a fee of course, and then if Interval can't get you a time, there is another fee to switch your time back to Westgate Resorts. All I want is this to work like I was told when I purchase this awful thing. I have wasted so much money on this and I'm so frustrated, I can still not say a good thing about Westgate resorts. And it is impossible to sell to anyone. Is there anyone at Westgate Resorts that make this what it was suppose to be?
Justfun
Syracuse,#3Author of original report
Thu, May 14, 2009
Well, now after 3 years of this horrible experience with Westgate Resorts, it just keeps getting better. We have tried to use this awful timeshare as everyone has suggested and still are unable to use it. We have wasted over $8,000 to something we cannot use. We could have had some nice vacations with that money that we have paid to something that does not work! We finally did get Westgate to give us our 2007 time back with a two-year limit to be used at any of their resorts. We tried to use that time during the year in 2008, but whenever we called to set up times that we wanted to use, there were no available rooms. I even went out 3 months ahead for other dates and still no rooms available. It is the most frustrating experience I have ever encounter. The people are rude and don't even try to accommodate your needs. I'm Glad that every phone conversation is recorded, not that it really matters to management at all. In December we did make reservations for July of this year, and was finally able to get the rooms we wanted at the time I had specified. The 2009 HOA and taxes are now due, and we are making monthly payments on these. We received our conformation for our time in July, but in order to stay at that time these HOA and taxes must be paid in full. Once again, another block in staying at this awful place. I understand that if I was using my 2009 time and the HOA and taxes had not been paid then I would expect not being able to use it. Not for the 2007 time that was paid in full. I can't even rate what my experience could actually be bought staying there for a week. It must be as much fun as it has just getting the time to stay there. Maybe better off not ever using it! We cannot even sell this awful timeshare for what we paid at the original purchase price 3 years ago. It's not even worth the balance of what we owe. I have finally come to my last resort and just giving the timeshare back to Westgate and foreclosing on the mortgage. We simply have tried over and over to use this timeshare and it is almost impossible. We where lied to during the sales process and how easy it is to use by just calling 30 days in advanced to use the bonus weekends. We have never been able to get these because all the rooms are full. I guess they are all full trying to get other suckers to purchase this awful scam. We can't afford to just keep throwing our family vacation money away to something that is unusable. In all the Westgate promotions, they promote how wonderful the Westgate Resorts are and how they give families such fond memories. More like nightmares!!!!!! WESTGATE IS A RIPOFF!!!! Just read all the posts on this site.
Nikki
Coconut Creek,#4Consumer Suggestion
Mon, April 07, 2008
First, you said you did not use your week in 2007. Since you did not turn your week from 2007 into Interval, your week was not used and remained unused by you or anyone else. No one else could use it because you did not deposit it with II. Therefore your entire 2 bedroom unit was forfeited by you. Technically, you own a 2 bedroom unit for 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, etc., but can use it in the off years if you did not use your entire unit during your ownership year. Now, you want to vacation in 2008. Unfortunately, they will not even give you even the 1 bedroom unit because you did not allow them your 2007 usage. II is an exchange company. They will not give you a week unless you exchanged something for it. Say you and a friend share a condo. You were supposed to use it in 2007, but did not. Then you call your friend in 2008 and tell them you want to use it because you did not use it in 2007. Since you did not let them know you weren't going to use it in 2007 so they could, they're not about to let you use it in 2008. Think of II as a large friend database. Instead of you finding a friend to trade your week with, they find one for you, hence the fee. Same thing applies to where you want to vacation. II cannot give you the week when and where you want to go unless a "friend" has turned in their week to II. When I state "week" I mean a week during the time that you own. Don't forget to deposit your 2009 week so you can either vacation in a 2 bedroom during 2009 or a 1 bedroom in 2009 and a 1 bedroom in 2010. If you know you are not going to use it at Westgate, deposit it with II, then call II periodically to see if they have availability when and where you want to go.
Lois
Orlando,#5REBUTTAL Owner of company
Sun, April 06, 2008
it is not difficult to exchange your week, depending on what you own. If you purchased something in park city that is not a ski week, then you probably do not own a high season week. you call the resort reservation, ask them for a week to be pulled then exchange it through interval. you can do this every january. your maintenance must be paid and not past due. you can also exchange your week online with interval. keep in mind, as i have no idea what you purchased, if you do not own a red week, floating or not, you can not exchange to alot of places and you CAN NOT exchange for high demand times of years, like spring break, holidays, schools out calendar...etc..if you are willing to be flexible, you can do a flex change through interval, whereby you book and travel in 59 days or less, that may be a better option for you, especially if you purchased an off season (yellow or green) time of year hope that helps, i know it is frustrating but it is not difficult once you understand it