Time Share Experiance

[old tup]

There is an old saying [You pay to learn]and I can vouch for that!.Around the 90s my wife and I went on a sponsered trip to Tenerife-Los Cristianos to be exact,the complex Hollywood Mirage was almost finished.It was something else,the deal was you had to attend a seminar on one day,we were shown around the complex.We fell for an apartment inThe White House it had two double bedrooms,two bathrooms with marble tiles,jacuzi baths,lovely step down lounge,dining area ,breakfast bar,satellite tv.Anyway the price £6,300 per week and maintenance fee £89 per year,we signed up,we had a few holidays the first few years.Each year you were pestered by the resales dept.who told every lie in the book to hook you for more weeks,also the maintenance crept up and up until it reached around £400.We decided to get rid ,not a hope!They offered to buy it back but all they wanted was to sell more weeks to us,in the end I sold it to a relation for next to nothing to get away.So be warned dont ever get involved with timeshare they are all sharks out to screw you!

[911wasalie]

I lived i Benelmadena for 11 years and I got to know a few time share people and I used to take the tour because I got a free trip to Gibraltar.

 

One day I did ask how much an apartment cost, the reps. usually never ever gave a straight answer, it was always " depends " etc. but on this occasion he said 1 million pasetas ( 5000 quid ) per week but I said I can by it for 4 million outright.

 

A woman I knew was a builders rep. She organised flights from U.K. to Spain to view properties and each one was displayed in a glossy brochure.

 

She said they would put a deposit down there and then on the 'plane sight unseen.

 

So you can see why there are so many sharks about with such a vast number of gullible people about.

[alex3659]

I lived i Benelmadena for 11 years and I got to know a few time share people and I used to take the tour because I got a free trip to Gibraltar.

 

One day I did ask how much an apartment cost, the reps. usually never ever gave a straight answer, it was always " depends " etc. but on this occasion he said 1 million pasetas ( 5000 quid ) per week but I said I can by it for 4 million outright.

 

A woman I knew was a builders rep. She organised flights from U.K. to Spain to view properties and each one was displayed in a glossy brochure.

 

She said they would put a deposit down there and then on the 'plane sight unseen.

 

So you can see why there are so many sharks about with such a vast number of gullible people about.

 

I lived in Benalmadena and knew most of them, most famous was Fast Eddie.

[OwlsChick]

There is an old saying [You pay to learn]and I can vouch for that!.Around the 90s my wife and I went on a sponsered trip to Tenerife-Los Cristianos to be exact,the complex Hollywood Mirage was almost finished.It was something else,the deal was you had to attend a seminar on one day,we were shown around the complex.We fell for an apartment inThe White House it had two double bedrooms,two bathrooms with marble tiles,jacuzi baths,lovely step down lounge,dining area ,breakfast bar,satellite tv.Anyway the price £6,300 per week and maintenance fee £89 per year,we signed up,we had a few holidays the first few years.Each year you were pestered by the resales dept.who told every lie in the book to hook you for more weeks,also the maintenance crept up and up until it reached around £400.We decided to get rid ,not a hope!They offered to buy it back but all they wanted was to sell more weeks to us,in the end I sold it to a relation for next to nothing to get away.So be warned dont ever get involved with timeshare they are all sharks out to screw you!

 

Sounds like my in-laws,they purchased a time share,sorry (holliday clubs,as they are now known) in Gran Can.Although the standard of apartments are high,the resort is remote with nowhere to walk out to by day or night.You have to get a taxi to get to any where with life.They still are members but have tried to sell it on and only other time shares will touch it so there just swapping one for another.They are in their 70s and were railroaded into thinking it was a jolly for life on the cheap....Its far from that

[crookesey]

Well we have two weeks Gold Crown timeshare in Spain, the complex is superb and we could wish for nothing better. We bought 10 years ago and picked up two weeks re-sales for £2K inclusive, the service charge was £200 p/w when we bought and has doubled in our 10 years of ownership, however the apartments have been totally refurbished.

 

We are off this Saturday and can't wait, we have written the £2K off, and have noted that the apartments rent for £550 p/w. Had we been able to buy an apartment for £50K we would have snatched their hands off, I note that the few re-sales that happen go for circa 180,000 Euros.

 

So it's horses for courses.

[Ann]

We bought our timeshare about 20 years ago. We worked out the cost of a family holiday for 4, and decided that if we went to our own apartment for the following 5 years, after that we would be saving money on holidays.

 

Within the first 5 years, we had a "bonus week" 2 week holiday where we only had to pay for flights, went to our own apartment - twice, and went to Florida twice.

 

We've been all over in our timeshare and although we don't go to our own resort now (it's a 2 bedroomed apartment, in the middle of August), we go to many other 5 star gold crown resorts.

 

We wouldn't sell ours for anything!!

[alex3659]

I have friends who have timeshares and are more than happy with them and that's all that matters, if people are happy with what they have got for their money.

Personally it's not something I would want but it doesn't mean it wouldn't suit others.

[911wasalie]

I lived in Benalmadena and knew most of them, most famous was Fast Eddie.

 

I lived there from 1985 to 1996, I had a flat in Aguila and also a boat in the marina. When were you there.

[alex3659]

I lived there from 1985 to 1996, I had a flat in Aguila and also a boat in the marina. When were you there.

 

I was a neighbour of yours in the Minerva then, the Marina was built in 1982, My pal Bob Jepson bought one of the first two penthouses in phase one round about 1986.

Another Sheffield bloke had one in the Aguila his name is Henry Hopkins.

I used to go in the Shire Horse up in Arroyo then and also the Brass Bell oposite the Minerva, the Brass Bell is still there.

Was Dave Dunford there when you was?

[chimay]

Friends of mine have got a time share in a hotel in Funchal, Madeira. They have 2 weeks in February and love it. We've used it a few times when they were unable to use it themselves. It's great.