Just ignore them. There is nothing you can do about your timeshare, nor do you need to keep on paying if you do not intend to use it anymore.
To all fellow timeshare victimes:
Whatever the case, we, timeshare holders, must
stop believing that timeshares can be terminated by other party because it simply cannot be done so through a 3rd party (unless you sign off authorizing a lawyer or arbitrator to act on your behalf - in which case will cause you lots of legal fees). Anyway, the timeshare contract is biased and there is no exit clause, so may not be valid in court. I have heard from lawyers that a good valid contract always comes with termination clauses. For e.g. see your telco contracts for mobile phone subscription. If any term is unclear in a contract, it is subject to negotiation between the parties in the contract.
We must also
stop believing that timeshares can be sold/transferred because this industry is not regulated. Why would anyone buy over something that is deem no good by so many of us, unless that someone is a person who truly appreciate timeshare and doesn't mind paying for it (see Tuesday Straits Times Life), or that someone is just like us when we first buy it, succumbing to hard sell or con technique. In such case, by your conscience, would you still want to transfer your liability to another potential victim?
On the same note about selling/transferring timeshare, nobody would help you sell/transfer your timeshare unless the deal maker (I call it broker) gets benefit out of the deal. Industry names this benefit as "commission" or "broker fee". If you choose to seek this path, you can offer to
pay the broker whenever the deal is done, not pay him in advance for any administration fee. Just like when you sell a house, the agent only get paid when the deal is completed. However, I won't even consider selling an "apple" that I bought especially since I know the "apple" is bad inside. In addition, the timeshare companies would never help you sell/transfer timeshare because it is not in their interest to do so. If there is a willing buyer, they might as well sell a new timeshare, getting a new person to pay additional maintenance fee (note that there is no limit to the timeshares, unlike company shares which is regulated). Why would the companies compromise their existing revenue?
Then do you continue paying the maintenance fee for your timeshare? Ask yourself, do you believe in paying for something that you do not want anymore? There are sure ways to terminate it yourself, at least on your own wishful thinking. For me, it is as simplier as
not continuing to paying for my timeshare. If the company sue me, I will be happy to challenge them in Court and let the Judge decides who is right or wrong. I have confident in my case, some facts such as "pressure selling", misrepresentations, skewed contract, sure can win over the jury. I know they won't take legal action because this will make those timeshare or marketing companies look worst.
I give you examples of common contracts that terminate naturally in this way. E.g. telco, utilities contract. Usually, the service provider will revoke the service and refuse dealing with you until you pay up what you had used. The service provider can sue you for the arrears of what you had used, not what you are supposed to pay under the contract but didn't use. An e.g. closer to timeshare is the membership fees that members are paying for using the clubs, say a country club. Even if you don't pay the monthly subscription fee, a club will just refuse service to you, void your membership and bar you from the club.
An even closer e.g. but not so applicable (because Timeshare is a membership of owning vacation, not owning holiday properties); the monthly maintenance fee for condominum. It is true that you have to pay the maintenance fee as long as you own the strata title and the Strata Management Committee has the right to recover arrears from owners even if they don't stay in the property. But hey, strata title is limited and owner physically own a property. How is Timeshare comparable? Definitely no. Not even certificates, like company shares, are issued, only paper contract. Nor does it really have an intrinsic value (this being derive from something that has abundance supply, thus has limited value) to be resold. Landbanking is better because at least they issue title deeds, just not sure how valid it is when things happen.
Hope this gives you light. Anyway, money lost is lost, just stop it from losing more and don't dwell over it. Find peace within yourself and move on.
