Anyone sold their week lately

[retailman]

Just wondering if anyone has sold there SA week lately. Also were you satisfied with the price.

[Carolinian]

I gave away a SA week a couple of months ago. Of course, I got in free myself, so it was a wash. An employee of mine who had been on a DAE exchange to Thailand on a guest certificate was very happy to get it, and will be trading it through DAE.

[PStreet1]

I, too, gave mine away, back to the resorts. I was afraid the time would come when it wasn't possible to unload them.

[Carolinian]

Originally Posted by PStreet1

I, too, gave mine away, back to the resorts. I was afraid the time would come when it wasn't possible to unload them.

Having served on an HOA board, I always try to avoid doing that and never have, even with a resort that is willing. It is much better to find a new member for them.

This is the first week I have given away, but since it was given to me free, it was not a loss.

[dundey]

I know Glenmore Sands takes weeks back, but they are a small resort and do not have too much of an issue with unpaid levies. I sold one several years ago for 3 times more than I paid (mainly due to exchange rate fluctuation).

Recently I contacted Knysna Chalets to see if they would take my week back. (it only gets 10 TPU's so is not worth keeping even at decent levy). They said they would not, but recommended Quantum Marketing, a reseller in SA.
I have sold through Cape Escapes before (they charge a small upfront fee to market it) successfully, but decided to give Quantum a shot, since there was no initial charge.

They sold my week in less than 2 weeks for about what I paid. Shareblock certificate is now in their hands and I'm just waiting on my funds.

[Carolinian]

Quantum Marketing is part of the Club Leisure Group of Bullfrog Lamont. I would avoid them. Cape Escape is independent and a much better bet.

You might also try the SA online auction www.bidorbuy.co.za

Is First Resorts also you management company? If so, just sit back and wait until they get to your resort, as they seem to be crashing all of the resorts they control.

[dundey]

Originally Posted by Carolinian

Quantum Marketing is part of the Club Leisure Group of Bullfrog Lamont. I would avoid them. Cape Escape is independent and a much better bet.

While that may be true, I would disagree that Cape Escape is better simply because they are independent. If a reseller arranges a purchaser at an acceptable price to the seller, it really does not matter who they are affiliated with.

As I said previously though - I have also had great success with Cape Escape. It should be noted however that they do charge a marketing fee upfront (R350 - less than $50) and it also took them about 6 months to sell my unit.

Quantum had it sold in 2 weeks. Did it go to a Club Leisure company? Don't know at this point. But again I will get what I paid for it, so I really don't care who buys it. And I assume since the resort would not just take the unit back there are no plans to convert the property currently. Why buy when you could just take back!

[randkb]

We sold all our 8 SA weeks last year and although we didn't receive much for them we are glad that we no longer own as their TPU dropped so much. They were great for many years!

[Carolinian]

Personally, after what that slug The Bullfrog has done to a series of resorts starting with The Seapointer and their members, many of whom were Tuggers, I would not want to direct as much as a nickle in profit to any entity connected to The Bullfrog. It is as simple as that.

Originally Posted by dundey

While that may be true, I would disagree that Cape Escape is better simply because they are independent. If a reseller arranges a purchaser at an acceptable price to the seller, it really does not matter who they are affiliated with.

As I said previously though - I have also had great success with Cape Escape. It should be noted however that they do charge a marketing fee upfront (R350 - less than $50) and it also took them about 6 months to sell my unit.

Quantum had it sold in 2 weeks. Did it go to a Club Leisure company? Don't know at this point. But again I will get what I paid for it, so I really don't care who buys it. And I assume since the resort would not just take the unit back there are no plans to convert the property currently. Why buy when you could just take back!

[Reggie_Hammonds]

Filled out some paperwork and that was that.

[dundey]

Originally Posted by Reggie_Hammonds

Filled out some paperwork and that was that.

Just did the same with my last SA week at Glenmore Sands. It has actually been a great 11 or 12 years owning there. Well managed small resort, so they have no issue at all taking weeks back.
I'm somewhat sad to let it go but at 11 TPU's its just not worth it anymore.

At one time we had 5 SA weeks, now its none!

[Reggie_Hammonds]

If anyone figures out who still has a $300 MF that gets 24+ TPUs like the good ol' days I'm in for another run. They finally caught on, I can't blame RCI. Trading a week that would normally run $250+ per night for $500 all-in was a deal!!

[Carolinian]

Originally Posted by Reggie_Hammonds

If anyone figures out who still has a $300 MF that gets 24+ TPUs like the good ol' days I'm in for another run. They finally caught on, I can't blame RCI. Trading a week that would normally run $250+ per night for $500 all-in was a deal!!

Well when will they catch on to the fact that certain locations that are overbuilt are overpointed in their system? Trade value should be all about supply and demand in the timeshare system, and typically one overbuilt resort in overbuilt Orlando has about as much inventory in the RCI system as all ~200 resorts in SA together, yet that Orlando resort is overpointed and SA is underpointed.

SA was a deal because it was a currency play, banking off of an undervalued Rand. What a week costs to buy or costs to rent or has as its m/f is really irrelevent. It is all about supply and demand, or at least it was until RCI went big time into the rental business.

And what is interesting is that RCI apparently did not screw South Africans who own timeshare in South Africa. They still are given good value for their deposits. It is only the SA timeshare owners living outside SA that RCI is arbitrarily screwing.

The answer? take your SA weeks and every other timeshare you have to the independent exchange companies. Tell RCI to get stuffed!

[martyap]

I sold two Durban Sands weeks last year. The first was back to Club Leisure
Aletta Nortje <alettan@clubleisure.co.za>

The second was put up for auction on the South African version of eBay.....Bid or Buy. Got more from the auction but was happy to get rid of the weeks in both cases.

[Carolinian]

I would certainly try www.bidorbuy.co.za before giving them back to the resort. That helps your fellow owners and will likely get you a bit more money, too.

[martyap]

Originally Posted by Carolinian

I would certainly try www.bidorbuy.co.za before giving them back to the resort. That helps your fellow owners and will likely get you a bit more money, too.

It required patience. I described the property as well as all the costs the winning bidder would incur (auction price; levy to the resort) as well as those the seller would take care of (resort transfer fee; moneygram fee). The first two winning bidders bailed on me after the auction......a lot different from selling on eBay! Third time went well....... I put it on for a low starting price and ended up getting about double the week I sold to Club Leisure.

[Tomg]

I sold my Sanboanni week through Cape Escape last year. Took several months but price was about what I paid 10 years ago.

[blueparrot]

We are seriously thinking of giving our Dik week back. From what I read it seems to be simple. It is also good to see that most South African resorts, unlike many US resorts, seem to accept their weeks back.

[retailman]

Still waiting for funds to come through.

[Dori]

I am in a quandry as to what i should do about my Lowveld. I can't use it or trade it- but I am allowed to pay MF's in the hopes that my week gets rented. Fat chance of that! I am stuck with a week that is totally useless to me.

Dori

[muranojo]

Dori,
Will they take it back? When I have seen this before, it seems what they were trying to do was pressure owners into forfeiting their weeks. (Not sure your resort is a Bullfrog victim.)

I'd probably try to get rid of it one way or another vs. holding out hope you'll get rental income.

[Dori]

I don't want to keep it at all now that the weasel Bullfrog has muscled his way into Lowveld. I will contact the resort and see what they say. I am paid up until the end of April of next year. Would I need to use up any deposits in the RCI bank before doing getting rid of it??

Dori

[AwayWeGo]

No communications have come from Lowveld Lodge after we received notification saying they voted to quit being a timeshare & change to some other system.

No statement. No bill. No invoice. No information. No nothing.

No E-Mail. No snail-mail. No smoke signals. Zippity-doodah.

By us, the ball is still in their court.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

[Dori]

Alan, that is just what I was thinking. If they keeping ignoring us, maybe they will think we have forgotten all about them. I am assuming they are merrily renting our units and keeping the proceeds for themselves.

Zippity doodah! I love it!

Dori

[muranojo]

Originally Posted by Dori

Would I need to use up any deposits in the RCI bank before doing getting rid of it??

Dori

Dori,
To answer your question above, once your deposits are in RCI, you can hang on to them and use them as you normally would. Even if you got rid of your unit today, you could use your RCI deposits up until their expiration.

Sorry to hear Bullfrog took your t/s down, too. Wow, I have to wonder how many SA t/s are still out there that haven't fallen to the Frog?

I own Sudwala, and so far think we're ok, but who knows.