Timeshares aren't bad

[timeshareowner]

I know this post will probably get me into a lot of trouble in this forum, but I think it's important. Timeshares do have value and they can be good. If you find yourself in a timeshare trap, it's probably because you didn't do your homework. Granted, timeshare salespeople may have lied to you or made promises or told you one thing that didn't turn out to be true, but you probably also didn't do your due diligence.

Timeshares are like anything else. If you don't understand how they work, you are going to get burned, but if you do understand how they work, they can be wonderful. I have a timeshare that I love, but I also spent a year researching timeshares finding exactly what I wanted and needed before buying it.

I don't want to lessen the financial hardship that some of you here find yourself in, but I wanted to point out that if you know the thing that you are buying well, it can be positive.

[timesharejunkie]

My main issue with timeshares is that payments are for life and since there is no easy way to get rid of one once you own one, that's a lifetime cost that the average consumer can't expect to know.

[jeffrey]

Timeshares aren't inherently bad, but they are set up in such a way that the chances are that the owners are going to get burned and be out a lot of money sometime while they own them. Yes, you can find timeshare deals that make travel a good deal if you spend a lot of time studying them and become an expert. That just doesn't apply to 99% of people. And the fact remains that you can rent the same timeshare in the same resort for the same week for less than you can buy one.

[timeshareowner]

I think it's important that people know that timeshares can be good if you really do your research. It's like anything you buy. If you do your research and understand exactly what you are buying, then you won't regret it. If you buy it and were expecting something that it's not, then you likely won't be happy with the purchase.

[Gillbug]

The moral of the story is definitely DON'T sign up to anything without checking the company and the deal out. Any 'must buy now' scenarios you should just walk away from. I got caught out like that, plus the falsehood which were told, but I'm going through the cancellation route now.

These holiday schemes may work for some, but I'm not getting saddled with the continual costs for life just for a holiday in who-knows-what's-available destinations and with no guarantee of the weeks...