Westgate Lakes Resort timeshare recently told timeshare owner Ray Nix that his shirt had to go. Nix, in an interview with WFTV News Orlando, said that he had paid $15,000 for a Westgate timeshare and that the company had failed to make good on a promise of timeshare exchange at a Park City, Utah Westgate timeshare resort.

As a way of venting his displeasure with Westgate timeshares, Nix had a T-shirt made to read, “Westgate ripped me off,” which he then wore to breakfast at one of the company’s Orlando timeshares.

In a post on the Sun Sentinel’s blog, “Floriduh,” author Barbara Hijek wrote:

“The security surrounded me (Ray Nix) when they saw me with my T-shirt on at the pool. They told me they could charge me $1,000 a day for wearing my T-shirt on the property,” Nix said. Nix took off his shirt and moved his protest to the street corner. But he says the resort still hit him with a $4,000 fine for the violation.”

Is This a Matter for Westgate Timeshare or for the Homeowners Association?

While some say that Westgate timeshare impinged on the timeshare owner’s right to free speech, others point out that free speech protects you from interference by the US government, but doesn’t ensure that any of us can stand at a place of business and say (or exhibit) whatever message we choose to put out there. Whether or not Westgate timeshares as a company had the right to squelch what Nix was communicating, or whether this falls under an issue of the timeshare management or even the homeowners association is something beyond my knowledge of the law. I do question who has the authority to levy fines for such action, unless Nix had previously signed a contractual agreement stating that he understood he could be fined in the event he ever wore an unacceptable T-shirt on the resort property.

But all of those details aside, here’s what jumps out at me. Westgate timeshare had an unhappy client. Instead of seeing the opportunity this holds, they turned the event into bad press and a polarizing situation. This could have been a time for Westgate timeshare to engage with the their dissatisfied client, work with him to resolve the issues, offer solutions or even compromises that he might not have considered, and find a way to turn a very dissatisfied client into a happy customer for life. And in deference to the fact that every story has two sides, none of us knows what, if any, measures Westgate timeshare had gone (prior to this event) in an effort to resolve the dispute.

Marriott Timeshare has made it clear; while they are temporarily changing the way they market their Marco, Island, Florida timeshare resort, they haven’t stopped marketing it, nor do they intend to stop marketing this fabulous beachside resort.

Earlier this month, Marriott Timeshare closed their sales gallery for the Crystal Shores resort, but they certainly haven’t stopped marketing these luxurious timeshares through other channels.

According to quotes in MarcoIslandFlorida.com, Marriott Vacation Club International sees Crystal Shores as filling a need in Naples, Florida/Marco Island vacation accommodations, offering luxury combined with spaciousness. The online publication quoted Ed Kinney, vice president of corporate affairs and brand awareness for Marriott Vacation Club International, as saying, “The property is fantastic, and a lot of owners and visitors are there now enjoying it.”

Construction Continues at Marriott’s Crystal Shores Timeshare

Marriott’s Crystal Shores timeshare is a showpiece resort located on a primo 3-mile strip of beach on Florida’s Gulf Coast. Upon build-out, this timeshare resort will feature four towers, consisting of 219 timeshare villas. Marriott Timeshare believes that this resort appeals to people interested in buying a second home. Kinney said, “Buying a timeshare opens other opportunities for you. You own versus pay the nightly room rate. It is just a completely different vacation experience.”

The company attributes the changes and cutbacks in their marketing approach for this resort to lagging sales numbers for the property and an economy they describe as being in a “bizarre mode.”

When the developer of Westgate timeshare resorts, David Siegel, realized that the restructuring going on at one of his Florida timeshares could yield recyclable materials, he contacted a nearby recycling company to assist him.

The resort, a Haines City, Florida timeshare, is eliminating its banquet facilities and kitchens, while reconfiguring and renovating other areas of the property. So Westgate resorts timeshares began working with Robert Wallick of Winter Garden, Florida, who not only took on the job, but added a humanitarian twist.

In addition to the piles of electrical wire, aluminum and other recyclable materials that he will process at his recycling plant, Wallick also loaded up kitchen items, floor lamps, light fixtures, books, and over 300 telephones (many equipped for the hearing impaired). He is making the home furnishing items available to the public to purchase, with proceeds from the sales going to benefit the Russell Home for Atypical Children.

As Wallick explained, “There’s so much stuff; it hurts me to see it being thrown away.”

Thanks to a little extra effort by Westgate timeshare resorts and by Robert Wallick and Associates, Inc., tons of metal, wire, and other materials are being recycled, saving our natural resources and reducing the load on the environment. In addition, furnishings from the timeshare units, which could have wound up in a landfill, are being purchased and put to use by thrifty consumers, benefitting a home for special needs children in the process.

Timeshare exchange is one of the reasons timeshare owners love their vacation properties. It’s hassle-free vacation ownership with the opportunity to enjoy a different location every time you travel.

Trading Places International is a timeshare exchange company with over 35 years of experience in helping timeshare owners just like you. Best of all, you don’t have to pay an annual membership fee to take advantage of many of the timeshare exchange opportunities they provide.

With hundreds of timeshare resort destinations in their inventory, Trading Places International offers an easy way for you to exchange your timeshare, paying only an internal exchange fee (swapping timeshare at your own resort) or an external exchange fee when you want to vacation at a different resort. Fees range from approximately $109 to $159, depending on location and the type of exchange. You can also bank your timeshare through Trading Places International, meaning that you can “turn in” your timeshare now and enjoy a different timeshare resort in the future, up to three years from the date you make your deposit.

If you have more specific timeshare exchange needs, Trading Places International offers paid membership benefits, further expanding your timeshare exchange opportunities.

Timeshare Owners Have Choices When it Comes to Timeshare Exchange

In addition to Trading Places International timeshare exchange, there are other companies, including the two largest, RCI (Resort Condominium International) and II (Interval International). There are also timeshare exchange companies that specialize in properties in a certain region as well as several companies that, like Trading Places International, offer a no annual fee option.

With so many choices available to you, anyone interested in timeshare exchange should be able to find a company that fits his or her needs and vacation desires. As a timeshare owner (or prospective timeshare buyer), remember that timeshare exchange is a benefit of ownership you can really make work to your advantage; it is flexible and available in a variety of formats to fit every vacation need.