Wyndham's new "Ovation" program offers exit solutions for their owners... interested?

I hadn't known that they might work only with certain properties; the fellow asked where my points were and I told him and we went from there. I was told to do the paperwork as quickly as possible because they would be eager to get the points back into inventory for another sale. I hope that is true. I am willing to just walk away without getting any money for my points because I have lost a total of nearly $5000 trying to sell through third-party companies and another $800 listing them on a rental/sales site with not even a nibble. I recently explored companies that claimed to get people out of their contracts "legally" which would have cost me $7000, $6000, $4000, and $3000 - respectively. Wyndham charges nothing for what I am doing and they will give me three years of points to use-or-lose at no expense to me. I realized recently that if my fees increase by the average of 10% a year, I will spend over $100,000 in 20 years if I live that long; I have to get out from under that!

I know that some are not in the same place; I wanted to make money a few years ago but my focus now is on what I can save by getting out of this!

Good luck with your points or weeks! I hope you find a plan that will work for you. Suzan

NEVER pay anyone money that claims they can get you out of your contract. As long as you work directly with Wyndham you can safely rid yourself of future maintenance fees. Unfortunately most people walk away with nothing but it's better than getting ripped off by a scammer or paying future increasing fees and assessments. I agree with Suzan that ridding yourself of future fees is a huge plus. I gave back two timeshares in 2011 through deed backs. I walked away with nothing from the resorts but since then my money market account has groan very large.

Besides the maintenance fees and assessments I don't feel the need to travel as much and now I save on airlines, food and all the costs that are related to traveling I don't want to lose the week and use it anyway.

Most people buy into vacation plans when they're in a phase of life where they like to travel. For a lot of people like myself that changes in time not to mention changes in ones life that happens. The problem lies in the fact that you signed a lifetime contract unless you can find someone else to take that commitment from you. Like myself most people think they will always want to travel as much as when they bought their property.

I can tell you from personal experience that your preferences change over time and unfortunately the timeshare industry hasn't come up with an exit strategy and that leaves people vulnerable to scammers preying on desperate victims. If anyone is serious about getting out of their contract they should utilize a safe way to exit through a safe program.

My father is 88 & just had a heart attack/stroke. His original plan was for 3 children to inherit his Worldmark shares. But the children can't afford the maintenance fees and don't want the gift. It will be so much easier to sell while he is still alive. We are exploring multiple options, but the Ovation definitely looks worth exploring.

If your father leaves the timeshare out of will then nobody will be responsible for ownership. Even if he includes it in his will nobody is obligated to accept it. Nobody can force anyone to take possession of something they never agreed to own. Developers use every tactic available to snag owners into a lifetime of ever increasing fees and assessments. You should avail yourself to every option to avoid future payments. I would discuss my option with other family members and possibly someone with legal knowledge. NEVER pay anyone money upfront that claims they can get you out of your contract.

We also bought back in 1996 when Wyndham was Fairfield. Were you able to give your points back to Wyndham? I would like to get out from under a $350 a month maintanence fee. Thanks!

webro2 wrote:

We are exploring multiple options, but the Ovation definitely looks worth exploring.

Multiple options? You can BUY Wyndham points on TUG and Redweek for the price of a Snickers bar. They're all but worthless. Ovation is a fast and easy way out. If your resorts qualify and they're paid off, just DO it.

missyd13 wrote:

We also bought back in 1996 when Wyndham was Fairfield. Were you able to give your points back to Wyndham? I would like to get out from under a $350 a month maintanence fee. Thanks!

Ours were originally Fairfield points, too, and Wyndham DID take them back -- plus we got 3 years worth of "free" points. Contrary to some of the skeptics who have posted on this subject, we found the Ovation people to be straightforward, courteous and prompt.

donp196 wrote:

If your father leaves the timeshare out of will then nobody will be responsible for ownership..

How do you do that?

Contacted Wyndham Ovation program today regarding their deed back process for my Shawnee Ridge Top Summit timeshare (Pennsylvania). We have no unpaid balances or points to consider. They were clear, courteous, and informative. They explained the process and confirmed there would be no legal fees. I requested they send needed documents to begin the process. Hopefully there will be no surprises.

My paperwork arrived today to move me toward getting out of the Wyndham timeshares. The paperwork has nothing that I didn't expect. I will turn it around quickly. I agree with a few others in this discussion who say that if you want out and you are current in your maintenance fees and your contracts are paid in full, call Wyndham Ovation and start the process. Suzan

We also had a successful experience turning our timeshare back over to Wyndham, but, as i had posted in a previous message, Wyndham did try to tack on an extra monthly payment by changing our monthly maintenance fee date to a date before the date we closed. Wyndham then tacked on a late fee and collections fee. I had to have multiple conversations with them to get it fixed and had to find an old billing statement to prove I was correct. They then dropped the charges after I finally got them to send me to the Accout Resolutions Department. The Ovation reps were great, but billing and collections were a nightmare. After all this happened, I was satisfied with the rest of the experience. We also received 3 years of maintenance free points to use on one timeshare (it was bought back when they were Fairfield) and the other timeshare we just gave back with no compensation.

One suggestion to all those who opt out of their contracts. Please don't attend another timeshare presentation or owners update. Don't start the cycle all over.

We are interested in exploring our options

I own back to back weeks at Fairfield Glade, Oak Knoll. What are my exit options?

Your exit options are to try to sell yourself, or call the number on the first post and find out what Wyndham offers. Likely it will be that you can return the deeds to them without receiving compensation.

I did it! I actually succeeded in giving back this piece of garbage timeshare and no longer have to pay the annual maintenance fees! Ovation really did work for me. Call them if you are wanting out!

During a recent visit with my mother to a wydham property we went on the sales pitch walk through to get tickets. I was not in the pitch initially but got called in since the sales person was confusing her. When I went back the sales person explained to me that my mother owned 4 deeds with maintenance fees of $530 total but that was going up each year. She went on to say we needed to buy 300,000 more points in order to be allowed to roll these deeds into the trust. When I explained we do not need 1,300,000 points she said it was buy the extra points and do this or risk the monthly maintenance fees go up each year. When I asked if there was another way to walk away we were told no. Does this make sense as she had 2 more days to cancel.

markh975 wrote:

...the sales person explained to me that my mother owned 4 deeds with maintenance fees of $530 total but that was going up each year. She went on to say we needed to buy 300,000 more points in order to be allowed to roll these deeds into the trust. When I explained we do not need 1,300,000 points she said it was buy the extra points and do this or risk the monthly maintenance fees go up each year. When I asked if there was another way to walk away we were told no. Does this make sense as she had 2 more days to cancel.

Your mother has four deeds for a total of 1,000,000 points and pays only $530 total maintenance fees? Impossible.

I'm sure he means $530 per month.

Regardless, she should to rescind. Access will save her some money but not enough to offset the cost to buy 300,000 points she doesn;t need. Currently the difference in Mf per thousand points is 50 cents. Currently that translates to $500 per year. The MF on the extra 300,000 is an extra $1750 so her MF's will go up another $50 per month plus paying on the principle and interest on the new $50,000+ loan.

I just want to know the logic of paying $ 50,000.00 for promise of use of a luxury vacation room. You could buy a nice luxury car for that money. If you have to finance the money then you can't afford it. Over time your life will change and you will still be on the hook for the maintenance fees year after year. Read through the threads and see all the people trying to dump their timeshares.

Everyone's situation is different but I just can't find the logic in going deep into debt to finance luxury vacations.