Starwood Timeshares: The Rumors are True

6/3/2012

Starwood Timeshare Reviews Expose the Truth Behind the Hotel Giant

Starwood Timeshares

Starwood timeshare reviews are overwhelmingly negative, much like most large timeshare companies, but these reviews are especially visceral. timeshare reviews are posted every day across the internet, and those who are thinking of purchasing a timeshare have an unlimited resource for researching a potential company. However, it seems as though timeshare owners do not take advantage of this resource, as more and more owners report misrepresentation and fraud committed by the Starwood Timeshare Company. If only these victims would investigate the many timeshare forums across the internet, they would learn that Starwood Timeshare reviews expose a dark truth.

Starwood is notorious for outrageous rate hikes and hidden fees. All timeshare companies have the legal right to increase their fees due to inflation and rising maintenance costs. However, Starwood timeshares have the reputation of using this excuse to raise their payment levels every year, to the point where most timeshare owners are paying more than twice the amount that was originally agreed upon.

Starwood is a global timeshare company in the mold of Hilton and Marriott timeshares in that they are all also global hotel giants. Starwood timeshares is under the same umbrella corporation as such renowned hotels as Westin and Sheraton, which are fantastic resorts located in pristine locations.

Much like Marriott and Hilton timeshares, Starwood reaps the benefits of the grand reputation and position these companies enjoy in the hotel business. This is often a very dangerous combination, as consumers are misled by the incorrect notion that because these companies are so well-respected in the hotel industry, their timeshares must be legitimate. The level of public trust in these companies is soon betrayed as customers realize that the timeshare business is completely different than the hotel industry.

The very nature of the timeshare industry breeds fraud and misrepresentation, and success in the hotel business means very little compared to the timeshare side of the company. Starwood timeshare reviews are plagued with the same complaints as these other timeshare companies as well.

Starwood Timeshares: The Never-Ending Rate Hike

While Marriott and Hilton are notorious in the timeshare industry for outrageous pricing and an inability to book a reservation months in advance, Starwood timeshare reviews focus on rate hikes and hidden fees more than anything else. While all timeshare companies raise their rates, Starwood does this nearly every year and uses low initial prices to lure potential owners into buying a timeshare. The rates can be raised immediately, and the timeshare owners is already too late. Many Starwood timeshare reviews complain of an aggressive payment policy that becomes increasingly expensive every single year. The longer a consumer has a contract with Starwood timeshares, the more devastating the hidden fees and maintenance costs become. Timeshare owners sign up with Starwood believing they will be paying a reasonable amount for their resort destination. Nothing is further from the truth.

One particularly angry Starwood timeshare owner posted in his review that he had signed a contract where fees were originally $1,300 per year. Starwood timeshares has raised his fees to over $2,500 a year, and have no intention of slowing down. Doubling the annual fee for a timeshare is a brazen move that even Marriott and Hilton do not commit often. Starwood uses their low initial price to bring customers into a trap, and many remain in financial chains for years. Starwood timeshare reviews paint a disturbing picture for any timeshare owner, and these stories should serve as a major warning to potential victims.

69 Comments

Amanda Blue link

10/23/2013 07:36:42 am

The truth is that the cost of owning a timeshare doesn’t just stop by paying the total purchase price. There are other timeshare fees that must be taken into consideration. By the time you pay the maintenance fees on your timeshare, plus the other fees and expenses, you’ll realize that you’ve paid as much, if not more, that the total cost to stay it a good and nice hotel.

Dr. Peter Tomasello

7/18/2016 01:05:01 pm

I was hoping to get a class-action lawsuit with an attorney but no one seems to want to be bothered there's not enough money in for them what about just doing the right thing Starwood is a fraud they're screwing over the consumer

Robert Lee

9/19/2016 05:55:06 am

Dear Dr. Tomasello. If you are able to organize a class action suit against Vistana Signature Experiences (formerly Starwood), I would like to participate. For over 18 years, my experience with Starwood was very good. However, recently I purchased the FLEX program in exchange for 2 of my properties and a fee. Over five months after signing the paperwork and paying the fee, I still don't have the FLEX property I paid for. The resolution department continues to say "just another 48 hours" until everything is complete. At this point, they have not delivered a product that I have paid for.

Tammy

10/10/2016 01:44:29 pm

We also purchased a FLEX ownership and would love to get out of it since it is the worst ripoff we have ever seen...

John Lehman

1/5/2017 03:41:59 am

I am having problems with availabilities.... Starwood/Vistana claimed when they sold me, access to the properties if I bought prime season was easy for xmas... each time I go on the web site at midnight there are no availabilities for holiday 51-52 week.... I own 5 at LaGuna Mar...

Pissed off yes..... lied to each time I speak to them.... Enough

Mr Hraless link

4/10/2017 06:10:41 pm

we will and can get your timeshare cancelled

Joy

4/19/2017 04:26:57 pm

I will support a class action suit 100%. These people are professional crooks. We were tricked into signing a contract, too late to find about misreps and lies. They refuse to cancel.

Christopher LeMaire

6/23/2017 09:03:59 am

June 16th-24th, 2017.
I also want to ask how do I get my money back?I think I purchased around 2005 for a timeshare every other year for $12,000.
I put $6,000 down and financed $ 6,000. I thought this was a good deal at the time. My wife and I don't make a whole lot of money, especially raising 2 kids. I have been downsized twice in my career. Thank God my wife works as well!
I recently tried to book Vistana Beach Club in Jensen Beach about 10 weeks before we went on vacation. I wasn't sure we could afford it, but I knew my family and I needed some time away to recharge and spend some quality time with each other.

I was told when I called Vistana Owner Experiences that Vistana Beach Club in Jensen Beach had no availability. Owner services booked me @ the Sheraton PGA Resort in Port St. Lucie instead and told me that this resort was only minutes from the beach.
PGA resort was nice and clean, but when we got there it took 40 minutes to an hour to get to Jensen Beach.
My family went to the beach on a Saturday and used the boardwalk at Vistana Beach Club in Jensen Beach for the beach access. During the drive to the beach I called the Sheraton PGA ,and asked if we could use the Vistana Beach Club pool and bathrooms, etc while on the Beach and they told me I was not allowed to use these facilities-they do not allow this anymore.

While on the beach near Vistana Beach Club, I met a woman who told me she was from Ohio, and booked VBC for less than $100.00 per night through Hotels.com. After she told me this, I became so angry that I was totally lied to about the availability at this resort.
When we got back to PGA resort (which took almost an hour!), I looked online and they had availability for a week on Bookit.com.
I called VBC Resort and complained how I was told there was no availability and told them about the Hotels.com woman on the beach and the Bookit.com Availability. I even went to the VBC Resort in person and complained about not getting 1st preference since I am an owner and probably have almost paid $30,000! The front desk lady said that ILG are the new owners since 2016 and they are a business. They want all their inventory full, some are for owners and some are for wholesale. I then said to her - you guys are double dipping, and she agreed this was not fair to the owners.
(Also Thinking to myself) As an owner, I did not know this was the protocol for timeshares, and why did I purchase this for my family to be denied access when it seems like Bookit.com, Hotels.com, or VRBO have more booking power than I do. I felt like I had been denied my vacation that I have been paying for Approx. - $700.00/year - year after year for nothing.
Have I also been denied access to other resorts that I wanted to book in order for these timeshare companies to make more money at the owner's expense? Has the Starwood Timeshare Business sold me a false narrative?
After not backing down, the main company in Orlando changed my ownership week on Monday morning.
Even though I was thankful this happened, we should not have had to deal with this on our vacation that we only get 1 time per year.
This was so ridiculous! My wife and I then had to repack our villa into the car with kids and groceries and transfer to Vistana Beach Club.
My family and I are now enjoying having easy beach access, pool, and other amenities we were initially denied. but during our stay here, I have met 2 family reunions who also have booked through third party online websites like what I have mentioned before.
My question is, how is this possible for this company to deny the rightful owners to access whom have paid large sums of money upfront for these resorts without being penalized for these practices, when anyone off the street can book online for very cheap and get prime access?

Christopher LeMaire

Steve Saba

1/6/2018 01:54:17 pm

I want out of my Vistana time share. It has been the biggest ripoff!
Annual fees keep going up and it is almost impossible to get what we want.

Steve S

2/25/2018 07:10:34 am

Dr Tomasello, I would definitely jump into a class action lawsuit against this unscrupulous company.

Ali

3/30/2018 12:54:33 pm

Since Starwood has switched to Vistana, I feel that the customer service has decreased in quality. I found out today that there is a fee for having one of my family members check in because my flight was coming in a few hours later than theirs. I find this absurd. This doesn't happen when you check into a hotel, so why should it be with the time share? The Vistana club seems to just be like the rest of the time share groups out there. I did not get this feeling when it was Starwood Inc.

Has anyone been successful at selling back their time share?

JIM Graham

8/23/2018 06:06:44 pm

We have been scammed by vistana interested in a class action suit. 520 350 1171. Call me

Patricia

1/3/2017 09:15:29 am

Agree 100%. Our annual fee, including the mid year supplement they required, are now close to $3000 for our 1 week ownership. We could stay in many NICE hotels for that amount and still have our $80k investment. Worst financial decision we ever made

charles harless

4/10/2017 06:13:50 pm

we can and will get your timeshare cancelled
resortexitgroup.com
843-231-0717

resort exit group

4/10/2017 06:15:15 pm

we will get you clear of your timeshare nightmare
resortexitgroup.com

843-231-0717

charles harless link

4/10/2017 06:09:27 pm

we can and will get your timeshare cancelled

EMANUEL FITTIPALDI

12/2/2018 06:29:42 am

I want sell my p.o.s. flex spg timeshare and be free asap.How can i find someone legal to help me on this matter? Thank you.

Sophia Johnson link

1/9/2014 07:12:26 am

The first thing you need to watch out is the sales pitch. If the timeshare salespeople are overly aggressive, they are probably trying to scam you. They might also give you many promises, but without any written confirmation, therefore, do not believe everything you hear. Also, keep in mind that purchasing timeshares under construction might be a risky business. Before you buy, you need to be sure you are going to be able to use your timeshare every year. It is also very important that you take your time to do a thorough research on the company.

Denisse Smith|Timeshare Properties link

3/24/2014 07:55:04 am

Timeshare industry is known for being very susceptible to scams; however, timeshare properties are still a successful business for most resorts. In these times of rough economy, it is important to take care of our money, and timeshares are not in the way to achieve the financial security that we are all looking for.

Nate

6/3/2014 06:39:45 am

It's great. Love the space and extra room. It's worth it!

Peter

6/24/2014 04:43:00 am

I agree it's a big scam there should be some legal recourse as these units are worth anything for resale and that's not what we were promised

Sophia Johnson link

7/31/2014 03:27:05 am

Thousands of International travelers, particularly from the US and Canada, have fallen victims of timeshare fraud while vacationing. Resort developers hire skilled salesmen to represent their timeshares as many different attractive packages, such as financial investments, deeded properties, or vacation clubs, just to increase their sales.

Mark

9/18/2014 02:10:37 am

Had a SVN ownership for 10 years now, have not experienced any major maintenance fee rate hikes as others are reporting. Also, we use ours every year, and have upgraded to bigger rooms twice since our original purchase as our family has grown and enjoy the amenities. Nothing in life is free, but be advised do pay your maintenance fees or they take your week hostage and won't let you travel until you true up. That's my only complaint so far with SVN.

MILES link

5/7/2015 03:16:31 pm

It seems like the body of this "report" is basically an angry, unsubstantiated DIATRIBE against SPG Vacations Ownership! But, with little/no substantiating supportive evidence. Does the author have a hard-on against SPG, er what? Personally, we have been satisfied SPG Vacation owners for 18 years, and our annual Maintenance fee has risen only $225 every 4 years. We LOVE LOVE LOVE these villas! My suggestion: take a CHILL PILL, DUDE, and get a good night's rest on the HEAVENLY BED, and life is once again a bowl of mofo red cherries! BIP on it, Frill!

Phil

8/15/2016 07:59:52 pm

My SVO property at Sheraton Mountain Vista was purchased in 2004 with promise of $700 annual maintenance fee, which was very appealing and affordable for an annual trip. This WAS less than paying for even a hotel for a week anywhere when exchanged. Now at 12 years it has gone up almost without fail $100+ each year. I am now paying $1600+ for annual maintenance fees. That is No Where Near what I was promised and I am stuck with it after paying the $34,000 for it in the first place. I cannot sell it for $1 today!!

Let that be just one voice and more than my $.02 worth of supportive evidence.

Stuck,
Phil

resort exit group

4/10/2017 06:17:14 pm

we will get you out of your timeshare
resortexitgroup.com

843-231-0717

Steve

4/11/2019 06:11:31 am

Looks like you are doing job in SPG and risking your commission!!

Robin

5/28/2015 02:27:13 am

Miles - it's interesting how you said you "have been satisfied SPG Vacation owners for 18 years", and your "annual maintenance fee has risen only $225 every 4 years." So, in 18 years your maintenance has risen $1012?! That does not sound like a small amount to me, and if you didn't agree, you would probably not have broken it down into 4 year increments. (P.S. - You sound pretty angry yourself, actually.)

Vicky

3/15/2016 11:40:02 am

Wow, Robin, do you know how to do you math? $1012 total increase in 18 years? That's an average of 4-5 bucks increase per month or 56 dollars per year. My insurance rates on anything, car, house, life, accident etc. increase at a much faster rate than that. I am an owner and I don't get it that these people do not know all these fees. Are they really owners? Because it is all laid out in your contract BEFORE YOU SIGNED IT! I love my timeshare and my maintenance fees have not increased that much at all each year. But everyone knows that we do HAVE INFLATION and of course maintenance costs of the resorts will also increase and therefore, it only makes sense for Starwood to increase their fees as well. I make money out of my timeshare when it is not being used more than enough to pay the capital gains earned on it as well as maintenance fee (this is all the fee that I pay every year and it is pretty much close to the same amount each year or perhaps addition of inflation to it which is around 2-3 percent). I bet a lot of these negative remarks are coming from those who has no other agenda but to put the Starwood reputation in a very bad view. For those who are open minded, let not these people deprive you of the chance to own a very well maintained, very nice customer service folks and all the experience of a top notch resort. See it for yourself. I did and I have no regrets so far.

Joe

7/18/2016 09:47:38 am

What's the name of your accountant that gets you capital gains on your rent income?

Liz

6/3/2015 02:16:17 am

We have had one of these timeshares for 12 years. this has been the biggest disappointment ever!! Aside from the fees increasing, which they do, we are never able to book our home resort!! I do it exactly 8 months ahead and somehow it is always booked!! This is the worst timeshare ever and it was not cheap. Very sorry that we purchased it. You also can't sell it for anywhere near what you paid for it. Don't buy one!!!

Sue

9/14/2015 04:46:58 pm

Which Starwood location did you purchase your ownership interest at?

Pen15

10/23/2015 09:37:36 pm

Sue, not to be too sarcastic here, but I'd say the answer you're looking for is "a bad one." I mean look, does it matter where? So many owners are selling their weeks it should be an indicator that buying one is a poor financial decision. I mean let's look at it. If it costs $20k base cost (rough estimate) + $1,300 annually and you're 30-years old, you're looking at a lifetime cost of ~$60k. If you rented the week at $1,300 a year, it would take you about 46-years to absorb that cost. By that time, you'd be 76 and in diapers. Based on that quick analysis, keeping the annual maintenance fees static - we can see this is a bad idea.

Steve

1/6/2018 01:57:41 pm

Liz, we are in the same exact situation that you have described. I call 8 months in advance and they have no inventory.
Have you had any luck getting out of this?

rosemary

12/28/2018 06:48:05 am

Hi Steve.. not sure what's going on with your reservations but I can reassure you that I have booked Orlando Vistana Villages in aug & sept and been able to reserve Christmas week (dec-23-jan-10) 2 years in a row, it was also available other years but we choose November and had no problems able to get a unit and early january or other months is real easy .. I usually book online as it is so easy

Steve S

2/25/2018 07:08:45 am

Liz, We are in the same position. We purchased at Vistana in Orlando about 14 years ago and have called exactly 8 months in advance only to be told that there is no inventory. I then see that they have plenty of inventory for renters who are not trading.
They keep selling but don't open additional inventory for owners.
I would do anything to get out of this but don't want to hear from the predators who will respond to this post by offering to get us out of our timeshare.

Greg47 link

7/1/2015 02:49:16 am

I had a timeshare with this company and it was absolutely one of the stressful situations ive ever dealt with. I was about to give up because i kept trying to cancel and it just wasn't working. I was doing some searching on the internet and some places i read said get an attorney. So i found Aaronson Law Group. One of the best decisions of my life. They handled everything and got my timeshare cancelled. No more stress at night over that crap. I highly recommend you checkout www.Aaronsonlawgroup.com if you need to get you out of your timeshare!!!

suri

12/21/2017 12:47:09 am

how much did u pay ... did u still have a mortgage

Carrie Smith

7/10/2015 06:33:00 pm

Can anyone help? does anyone know an email or address of who to complain to for Starwood Vacation Ownership. I have tried to find a name of the CEO or anyone senior or even an email address for complaints but haven't had any luck. We have been owners for over 10 years and this year even though we have paid our fees, made a new reservation, received confirmation emails for our reservation, 'they' cannot find our reservation and the villas we are booked in don't have our reservation. We go in less than 2 weeks so this is urgent. Thanks

Mark

7/11/2015 02:47:54 am

We've had quite a different more positive experience with our Starwood Vacation Ownership over the past 10+ years. It's been strait-forward, to the point. Maintenance fees have only increased slightly. We aren't experiencing the same challenges you all have posted in this forum. We have, however, had challenges booking at other resorts on short notice, and have never had a problem booking at our home resort even with only 3 months in advance. The only complaint I have is their Owner Update sessions are more like Owner Upgrade sessions in that they pressure you to trade up into the 'next level' or next new resort network. We were just told that as current owners in the current Startwood Vacation Network that to participate in the new Vistana Signature Experiences network (with access to new resorts and higher booking priority) that we must 'trade-up' paying an additional $12k+. As owners we should automatically be enrolled in the new company network, even if it costs a small nominal fee. We are very disappointed owners from that perspective, but otherwise very satisfied customers so far.

Leilani

1/4/2018 09:14:38 am

I agree about the new program. I love my starwood weeks, but was extremely disappointed that they would not just trade them for their FLEX program, but wanted more money for the exact same thing... promising that everybody would be able to get the weeks they wanted when they wanted. Now, how is that even possible? My fees are minimal, and haven't risen but a few dollars each year. I can always book my home resort. They are in Orlando, and I love Orlando. I can book easily to Mexico (Cancun), have a hard time getting to the Bahamas (but I own a week there, so if I want to go there I go during the week I own).

Charles

7/30/2018 08:59:09 am

I just went through the wonderful scam pitch at Vistana Villages in Orlando this AM. They wanted me to pay $59k which amounted to one week at peak time, but they were going to give me $24k for my Premium Starwood’s package (so generous)... so I get access to more resorts (oh btw the general public does too) for a $35k loan and $2,400 in annual maintainance fees. Nearly 5x what I pay now! They back peddled very quickly on their approach and “investment” when I unwound their deceptive math. They are trying to get people into points to in-deed their properties (for those that have the old time share purchase structure). My wife and I walked out!!! The MUST be legislation and laws put in place to stop these deceptive and predatory practices. They lie, they lie, then lie some more.... but they have good lawyers that write some good contracts and then buy air cover from your state representatives and local courts.

Janice

7/30/2015 05:00:16 am

I have been an SVO owner since 2010. I am trying to make a reservation at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas for the Thanksgiving timeframe. I have been checking availability using the 'Reserve On-line' feature in mystarcentral.com. Up until yesterday morning the 'Reserve On-line' was sporadic availability for the rest of 2015, however, when I check yesterday evening and this morning it is now showing absolutely NO availability for the entire rest of 2015.

Out of curiosity, I checked the other hotel websites like westinkaanapali.com, starwood.com, travelocity.com, hotels.com and they are showing plenty of availability.

This is a scam that inventory is being blocked from the SVO owners who purchased SVO unit(s) and pay the yearly maintenance fee but is widely available to people who want to book through a hotel web-site. This is fraudulant and SVO should not be able to get away with this type of practice/policy.

Josh10

8/18/2015 11:23:04 am

There is going to be a seminar held on September 4th about timeshare cancellation. If this is something that you me be interested in please check out the link http://aaronsonlawgroup.com/seminar-2/.

Pen15

10/23/2015 09:25:19 pm

My wife and I had coitus on the heavenly bed, and it was awesome! I'm just saying, money comes and money goes - but a night of awesome love making cant have a price put on it.

Laura72

11/3/2015 09:24:55 am

One thing ive learned over the years is you have to always be careful with timeshares most of them are scamming people in one way or the other. They got my parents sit through their presentation while on vacation and convinced them to buy into a timeshare. Im sure it wasnst that difficult because my parents are pretty naive and are not hurting for money. To make a long story short they bought into the sales pitch. They ended up getting lied to about places they could use and ended up paying all kinds of fees. It was basically just a money trap for them. So I did what I could to help them get there timeshare cancelled with emailing, calling, and whatever I could do. I was not getting anywhere so we decided to look for lawyers that could possibly help them. After a lot of research and talking to different law firms we narrowed it down to Aaronson Law Group and Finn Law Group! My parents liked Aaronsons plan to take care of it and that they specialize in timeshare cancellation so thats who they went with! They took care of there case in just over 2 months which included the documentation, rescission, and credit restoration which was very important to them. Of course it was not free but my parents said it was worth every penny to get rid of this nightmare! I know there are people in similar situations so if you are I recommend you check some timeshare cancellation lawyers. Just make sure you do your research. I hope this information can help someone in need! Any questions about our experienced are welcome. These timeshare scams are absolute nightmares and i would not wish this crap on even my worst enemy!

suri

12/21/2017 12:49:28 am

how much did u pay im really dying to get out i still have a mortgage

delbert yocum

12/16/2015 06:47:35 pm

The worst part of it is that your overall credit score is vulnerable if, for some reason, you don't pay the outrageous maintenance fees. My yearly fee has soared 80% since I signed on. Dumbest mistake in my life. Plan to move to a different vacation group with low fees that only get assessed when you take the week - and, they will buy me out (although I take a loss on what I paid for my original Westin timeshare. But considering that the market value is basically 0, I'm ahead of the game in 5 years. If anyone from Westin is reading this, phuck you, bigtime.

Andre Jessamy

1/20/2016 03:28:32 pm

Been an owner for nine years.The maintenance fees have doubled. Forgot to bank or deposit my 2015 week. Svn has pocketed my maintenance fees of $1,600 for 2015.Just today told me tough.Rip off

Traveler4720

4/29/2016 05:09:19 am

IT'S A SCAM!! We purchased under pressure, asked all the right questions, were promised that by purchasing another unit we would be ELITE SVN for life with no additional fees. Then the fees started coming. We inquired and tried to get resolution. We were even shown the paper at the resort where they had written that the SVN membership was "Included" with no additional fees, and when asked for a copy were told that it was "illegal to give you a copy". While trying to resolve the issue, they canceled our SVN membership and that was the end of it. We now have 3 timeshares we aren't able to use every year- had purchased for the flexibility to trade to Starpoints and use them that way. It's a SCAM and they just outright lie and then ignore you and go on to the next victim. DON'T DO IT no matter what they tell you or write on paper!!!!!!!!

Mike

9/18/2016 07:33:15 pm

Starwood ownership is a complete ripoff. It is true that the Westin brand lured me into this deal, along with a slick sales pitch. I bought a week in two units of the Westin Kaanapali North, and the fees were $1700 per unit at the beginning of my ownership. Now they are about $3,800 per unit. I could get a much better deal spending this money directly on a vacation, and not being bound to spend about $7,500 a year on Starwood maintenance fees. Apparently many other owners feel the same way! The foreclosure listing i received for October has over 50 owners on it!!!!

Julie

4/5/2017 06:24:51 am

Hi Mike,
Will you please let me know where you got the foreclosure list for Starwood. We are going to retain an attorney and sue Starwood to get out of our timeshare. Like everyone else, the fees, misrepresentation of restaurants, etc that were going to be built into the resort were never built. We are collecting all complaints to help us with our case.

Thank you.

Julie

Fran

5/3/2017 07:48:41 am

I have the same issue with the ridiculous maintenance fees like everyone else. Can't find a way to get out of this mess. Would be interested to know how your situation pans out.

Alisa

7/8/2017 09:42:00 am

Hi Julie,

Who are you going with? We just had a meeting with a few lawyer groups and wanted to share notes. Starwood now Vistana is big lie. Check out my post on Redweek. Give your two cents if you can on my post. We need to buddy up because Vistana will bully nice trusting individuals like us. Strength in numbers

https://www.redweek.com/forums/messages?thread_id=21805

Michelle

10/12/2017 04:21:56 am

We would love to start a lawsuit against them!! We paid 23k to purchase in 2008 and fees have gone up from $600 to over $900. Everytime we call they tell us there is no availability yet when I go to the websire there are places available. They also tell us they are holding rooms for a wedding. What?? We have the Broadway Plantation in Myrtle Beach. It seems it I am the OWNER I should get first priority. Please let me know how I can help. Our fees are due and I do not want to pay them. They have ripped us off enough!!

Maria

2/24/2018 01:03:18 am

Did you have any luck with your lawsuit and exciting out of your timeshare?

alisa

7/8/2017 09:51:12 am

Hey Mike,

Just like Julie, can you share your list? We just 1/1 Westin Nanea and it was a high pressure tactic sale. Sales Rep told us it was worth 60-70K and great source of income. She has a numerous amount of clients that buy them just to make a living off them, also the biggest lie was she told us Westin would always buy them back and to please "promise" her to give them the opportunity to buy back and the list goes on. Nope all of it was a lie. Hinky the sales rep in Westin Maui is a stink and liar. Theyre all liars. Moon walk out of the sales office as fast as you can. For your "Update" meeting which is really not even an update, say NO thank you. Its another sales meeting to make you buy another unit. If you do go, please open a can of their free Guava Juice drink and throw it back in their face. They're evil people prying on the good knowing its a bad thing. Its like the movie "It Follows"...Everything bad just follows until your able to shake it off or find a new owner to deal with what ever bad follows.

Starwood Owner

12/27/2016 02:50:38 pm

I would like to get out of my Starwood Timeshare. If anyone has been able to sell/transfer/cancel their Starwood Timeshare please let me know. Thank you

sara link

6/23/2017 11:31:12 am

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/brinkmann-on-business/os-bz-timeshare-cancellation-fraud-20170618-story.html

We helped
Call 704-800-6742

Deborah Mitchell

9/21/2017 09:26:02 am

Are there any legitimate websites to sell the timeshare?

Alisa

9/21/2017 09:10:27 pm

You can go on Redweek and Tugg to sell.

suri

12/21/2017 12:54:18 am

hi i have a starwood timeshare im dying to get of it i still have a mortgage ive been finding solutions can anyone advise how to get out of if i hire a lawyer how much would it be has anyonr experience it with vistana pls i cannot afford it anymore

cliff frydenberg

12/28/2017 03:35:23 pm

My personal bias and belief is that Starwood/Vistana has an agenda and pattern of behavior which benefits their economic interests at the expense of the time share owners as follows:

Highest dues and fees in the industry
Ever-increasing rules and regulations which diminish the time share owner right to use and economic value of our units
Priority use for their below market promotional sales activity at expense of owners . Not to mention the indirect impact of operating costs and revenue.

Has anyone ever experienced a buy-back... ? I suspect their frustrated members forfeit their units to avoid the fees... In other words why buy them back for resale when you can create an environment where owners simply want out from their dues and restricted booking rules.

Am surprised a law firm has not take them on... I've asked for them to offer a buy back, conversion to condo or even to rent my unused time....

Feed up with Starwood/Vistana

cliff link

2/24/2018 07:59:04 am

The high dues compared to other time share operators and resorts unfairly and significantly undermines the economic value of our ownership.

Equally, if not more egrecious, is the ever-increasing booking/reservation restrictions that negative impact our use and enjoyment of our ownership, as well as more subtle and hidden charge against the value of our units.

My belief is that the Hotel and Time Share Group is receiving unjust enrichment by forfeited weeks, and special and preferential bookings for their higher paying hotel guests and below market promotional rates for the new time share victims,

If the Westin/Starwood/Vistana Group was smart they would have buy back program at 50% of our paid price, which would offset some of the owners negativity and provide new inventory at below the cost of new construction. I would gladly sell and would be also be willing to support or participate in a class action suit against them. My belief is that a full discovery action would reveal how they have been playing fast and loose at our expense and their economic benefit,

CAROL s VELASCO

7/8/2018 01:30:16 pm

If they offered a buy back program after 10 years of.ownership they would sell more units and make even more money. We have 3 weeks of svn abd have used them and enjoyed having it. We are in a different phase of life now and would be willing to give them back at this point.

Leon DiJusticia

4/26/2018 04:29:01 am

I have a friend who is now widowed and rarely wants to use her Wyndham timeshare. Not counting her $300.00 monthly maintenance fees (which she has been paying for 12 years), she and her husband plopped down a whopping $40,000. For this exorbitant sum, she gets to stay pretty much wherever she chooses for at least 7 days.

Her lodging points do NOT carryover if she fails to use them (which is criminal since she paid for them) but are either use them or lose them.

For three years she has talked us into using her points; but I would much rather pay for my own lodging when and where I choose. First, while staying with Wyndham, on every stay they are insistence that you have to attend one of their (marketing) meetings. The first two visits I managed not to go; but finally caved on my third visit. I find the intrusions of their calls not only to detract significantly from my pursuit of peace and quiet, but their meetings to be a TOTAL waste of my time.

Sure, they promise 'free lodging' for a week at some promising locations IF you attend with no obligation; but wait until you get a load of what you get for 'free' (which isn't free because it costs me my valuable time, and just try getting out of one of their 'meetings' in less than three hours without having to be rude and just walk out).

The room in this case was a single level motel in Daytona Beach where all units had a great view of the packing lot. The rooms were only 8' x 14', so we're talking about two people in a room slightly more than 100 sq. ft.

The smell in all the rooms was horrible, it was a musty odor which practically knocked you down as soon as you walked in.

The room didn't even have a real bed. It had a Murphy bed which folded out from the wall and which doubled as a dining table from underneath when the bed was closed.

I could go on ranting about this farce, but you get the picture.

To add insult to injury, I did succumb to buying Wyndham's 'try out' package for this privilege of 'free'. Another major mistake. It seems that Wyndham has several levels of 'service' they provide whereby, regardless of the number points purchased, there are completely different catalogs of properties to choose from on visits. 'Free' gets the dumps, paying lookers get a little better set, and those who are willing to 'buy' (pay through the nose) get their best selection. This is something they do not disclose during their 'sales' meetings.

The lodgings for my paid package were acceptable; but hardly worth the $2,500 I paid for it. In fact, I could have bought THREE weeks of vacation at similar facilities for the ONE week my purchase provided. So basically, I threw away nearly $1,600; but at least now I can give anyone an ear full on why NEVER to buy a timeshare (especially time share sales people).

Oh, and BTW, Wyndham called me constantly for months following my stay wanting my to 'upgrade'. I suppose that since I was dumb enough to nibble on one of their deals, Wyndham felt I should be classed in their category of 'complete moron who is likely to buy anything'.

I cannot believe that someone hasn't written a comedy about these fiascos, except that probably the real tragedy of the experience leaves most people too embittered and angry to clearly see the comedy of the ordeal as it is an experience too many people would really like to forget.

G. Hebert

5/1/2018 06:53:37 am

I have spent a fortune on Vistana and Flex, and my fees are through the roof. Like everyone else, it would be great to sell back the contract (there is no property).

Erica K

2/7/2019 01:15:04 pm

This is a scam! You do not get what you pay for. They lie. I would be interested in a class action lawsuit. I have read about two lawsuits against major timeshare companie where the owners won. They got out of their timeshare and were paid restitution and their credit was not affected. I believe timeshare employees come on these forums and try to get people to feel they have no grounds to sue...again, these people lie!

Steve S

2/7/2019 01:40:20 pm

Erica, Do you have any information regarding those class action lawsuits that were won? It would be helpful to this group. There has to be something that we can do.