Is TUG Helpful?

Well, there's more activity on TUG than any other timeshare forum . . . if quantity is a good measure.

It's not that they don't mean well, or have good intentions. Most of them.

Timeshares are a really tough topic since so many owners are dissatisfied. We just got rid of a boat that we've had for several years, and we didn't get much for it. I told my wife, "At least it was better than a timeshare. At least we could get rid of it, and at least we got something."

nooneyouknow wrote:

Timeshares are a really tough topic since so many owners are dissatisfied. We just got rid of a boat that we've had for several years, and we didn't get much for it. I told my wife, "At least it was better than a timeshare. At least we could get rid of it, and at least we got something."

We know exactly what you're saying; we have experienced the same anger as we have thinned our timeshare holdings. Happy to say, we bought them in eBay, so losses were tiny. Trouble with so many timeshare buyers/owners is that they do not realize they are buying/holding real estate mega-condos run by mostly nameless, faceless boards and holding companies who only want HOA cash flow. Like boats and cars and what-have-you, a timeshare (fractional ownership) is worth only what someone will pay ... if there's actually a "someone" out there who wants it. Location, season and whether fixed or floating seem to me to be the features that make the most difference when I've hoped and prayed for buyers of our timeshares.

nooneyouknow wrote:

It's not that they don't mean well, or have good intentions. Most of them.

Be prepared for a bit of judgmental personal criticisms, and holier-than-thou attitudes, even though they are supposedly not allowed:

"It seems the term "ethics" has been lost, as you can see.

We each must determine how we're going to lead our lives. Do we take on obligations and then one day wake up and say you know, I simply don't want that anymore so, toss it away. Why should I pay for that obligation even though I agreed to pay for it? It's not that I can't, but I simply don't want to, end of story.

Let each choose how they wish to lead their lives. Blowing off some commitment, some agreement, just to be doing so, speaks volumes. The main issue here is clearly how can one do this without causing harm to one's accountableness."

I was an early member of tug and received valuable information from many of its members and especially gathered great vacation information from the review postings. There are many different boards some are not related to timeshares. TUG members are very helpful. I became inactive for some period of time and then wanted to post my timeshare to rent. My experience was not a good one it was very upsetting. . I was asked to provide copies of personal information relating to my timeshare which was I was uncomfortable doing and was refused to post a week after submitting some documents to prove ownership several times. The person refused to allow me to post a Marriott week to rent which I had owned for over 10 years and would not identify themselves even when I asked and had treated me badly. I had posted weeks for sale some years earlier with ease and had not had this experience. I was insulted and upset at how I was treated and challenged about owning a Marriott week that I simply wanted to post to rent. I have also posted this week on RedWeek and was never asked to prove ownership. It’s simply left me frustrated and disappointed. I do understand there are many scammers and and this was the reason I was giving for asking for a copy of my deed and other personal documents. I still never knew who I was communicating with at Tug who controlled rentals posted and could clearly see from my info that I had been a member since 2000.

janes635 wrote:

Has anyone used TUG? It’s the Timeshare Users Group. Is is helpful? I’ve been reading it but I see a lot of people arguing with each other so I am not sure if I can trust it. Is it reputable?

Most Internet forums have a small group of users who monopolize and control the discussion. New people are highly scrutinized, so if the current monopolizers do not recognize someone as being part of their inner circle, it can seem harsh.

The inner circle in 2000 has come and gone, and there is a new, know-it-all inner circle now, one that has all the answers, disregarding the fact that all the answers the inner circle had in 2000 no longer hold true. Many of the "you gotta have" advice of 2000 are now "how do I get rid of".

I've been on more than a dozen forums since Mr. Gore started his Internet, and most of them are exactly that way, with a small group insisting that you be like them and do things the way they want.

But, then, real life can be that way, too, if you wanna be a part of something someone else controls. If and when you feel others don;t really have your interest at heart, don't hang out with them.

I've always attributed it to loneliness or underachievement. People with real achievement typically are not that way.

JMHO

Thanks for doing my home work for me. I will not waste my time on TUG. Will stick with Redweek. Thanks again.

Rick R: I had to chuckle when I read "I will not waste my time on TUG".

TUG is now 26 years old and now has nearly 104,000 members. There is no question that there is infinitely more timeshare knowledge and experience found (and shared) on TUG than will ever exist in these RedWeek forums. That view is based upon personal observation (and active participation) in the forums of both sites for some years now.

I have also noted over the years that certain people who go out of their way to disparage the TUG site may have actually been booted off TUG. Whether "getting the big toe" from TUG might taint their objectivity and perspective is for you to decide. As always, to each their own.

You have the wisdom of a THEOlogian.

There are not many forums that are not a waste of time.

I am not sure.

Yes, TUG and TUG2 is very helpful. I have learned so much reading various posts and searching on a specific topic. People in the forums are very helpful and share a lot of their experience and knowledge on timeshare topics and timeshare resort locations. You can go down many a rabbit hole on a single topic. I personally, highly recommend it.

I would avoid TUG.NET. Brian Rogers and the people who run his site(s) are extremely rude. If you have a question or comment Brian Rogers does not appreciate, he'll react inappropriately and unprofessionally. We paid for a membership, however, his site is not user-friendly and I personally do not care to support a site or person who is so rude and undeserving. I'd rather post my units for rent, gain knowledge and rent elsewhere.

Like Father , like Son.

vied wrote:

I would avoid TUG.NET. Brian Rogers and the people who run his site(s) are extremely rude. If you have a question or comment Brian Rogers does not appreciate, he'll react inappropriately and unprofessionally. We paid for a membership, however, his site is not user-friendly and I personally do not care to support a site or person who is so rude and undeserving. I'd rather post my units for rent, gain knowledge and rent elsewhere.

I've not previously heard of anyone having a personal "beef" with Brian Rogers, the guy in Florida who owns and administers the Timeshare Users Group site. Moderators for the site's forum content are all unpaid volunteers. I have no idea what your particular experience may have been, but you are certainly entitled to harbor and express your opinion. I know of two people "booted off" TUG over the years; I believe that one of them now posts in these RedWeek forums.

There is a truly vast wealth of shared timeshare knowledge and experience to be found on the TUG site. There are also biases, personal opinions and subjective viewpoints often reflected in those forums as well. Personally, I'm grateful to be able to tap into such a vast wealth of knowledge; I can separate facts from personal opinions. More important, I am unaware of any better (or equal) source of timeshare information and knowledge and experience than TUG to be found anywhere on Planet Earth. If you are aware of any such other sources, please do share that information with us.

That said, I think RedWeek (this site) is a far superior site on which to rent timeshares, as either an owner or a renter. Quality of RedWeek's forum content however ........not so much.

Viv, if you paid the amazing price of $15 to join Tug, and found yourself upset with the service or the value that you received, you are more than welcome to request a refund. The management at Tug has no desire to alienate their customer base. Brian has given refunds to those who made the mistake of thinking the platform would be perfect for their needs. Tug has helped educate millions of consumers, and saved millions of dollars in timeshare purchases. I like it. Sorry you didn't.

johni116 wrote:

Tug has helped educate millions of consumers, and saved millions of dollars in timeshare purchases. I like it. Sorry you didn't.

...and has helped many people avoid losing money in many of these timeshare resale, rental, and cancellation scams.

I'm glad to see Al Gore's Internet has not changed.

My interest in timesharing goes way back before the glut of places like Orlando, Branson, and Williamsburg:

But, not many are interested in matters such as history, and it really doesn't matter, does it? Besides, many of the people involved in the information-sharing of 20 years ago are dead now.

What really mattered to me in the last 15 years is Exit Strategy, and I found there's not an easy exit. You just have to agitate resorts to get it done. Our first exits were from our first Wastegate weeks, purchased in 1989, at a WasteGate resort that no longer exists. Since then we have downsized from 10+ weeks, to 2, both of which we own for amenity rights, not timesharing.

Besides, timesharing is just a phase people go through, and most people snap out of it.

"The way I see it, simply because someone no longer wants a product does not mean that it’s a flawed product. It could mean their lifestyle has changed, or their financial position has changed and the lifestyle purchase no longer works. Ironically, the inability to divest from timeshare is what makes this otherwise fun product an ultimately flawed product. And that perception resonates louder today than the joys that timeshare ownership can bring."

Tug is definitely helpful in many ways for timeshare concerns. Other than timeshare concerns it's more of a retirement center for bored old people. Probably the same can be said for Redweek. Younger timeshare owners gravitate to social media with owner groups popping up all over facebook and the likes.

JoAnn?

You are familiar to me.

The era you're talking about 1999-2005-ish, it was a great place for timeshare owners to share and learn from each other, especially by doing things such as Trading Power tests, to learn things the exchange companies held to be proprietary.

We comforted each other when Christel DeHaan sold RCI to Cendant, and they raided the exchange pool to rent weeks to non-timeshare owners. In my daily online searches, I saw exchange inventory in SW FL in January go from a selection of 15-20 resorts to absolutely nothing at all.

We struggled together through the Class-action lawsuit, which only served to legitimize the owner-unfriendly policies of the exchange companies.

Timeshare-wise, it was a simpler time.

Things turned on TUG, precisely in 2004, about the time Bill Rogers turned over the reins. I call it the Brouhaha of Ought 4, and only those involved truly understand it. Several very active TUGgers from the old days left at that time.

There, politely, I have waited 18 years to say anything like this.

Timeshare-wise, we no longer own them to "timeshare". We own one for year-round golf rights and we own one as a year-round beach club. I rent them out to break even, so we get those privileges for free.

I still use RCI to get discounted vacations for others via Extra Vacations and Last Calls, both for one time use and on 5 year Guest Passes. I'm up to about 175 with RCI.

It took 30-some years, but now we get good value from our timeshares.

The need to share timeshare information with strangers on the Internet ended quite some time ago, a stage I went through, about when I was able to get rid of our excess weeks on my own, with persistence and annoyance.