Ripoff - Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Program - New Point System

I am not going to respond to your concerns (which are valid). I used to own KoOlina, Maui (both towers), and Kaui.

I do not own any longer. I exited on my terms. Just understand you are locked into a lifetime commitment where you have little control.

I use Redweek etc and have no problem getting what I want FOR LESS than ownership. I do not have almost 10k in maintenance fees any longer.

Good luck

Rescind now and look at your alternatives. Point purchases are forever with no recovery.

1. You need a minimum of 5,000 points to do anything. Don't buy points now in your inexperienced state and don't buy 2,000.

2. I suggest you start out by buying a prime week resort at a location you will use. I suspect you bought about 2,000 points for about $25,000. For example, you could buy 1 Newport Beach (NC), Platinum weeks for about $10,000. You can use it, rent it out, exchange through Interval, etc. but not exchange for points. If you found you didn't like this, you could sell the week what you paid for it. And, maintenance fees are about $1,500 for a NC week - about half the maintenance fees you would pay on enough points to get an equivalent use.

After you have done the above, you can explore the points option. Please know there is very little residual value in selling the points you buy and maintenance fees are about double for an equivalent use through points. If I sold my resale weeks, I would expect a full recovery of my cost.

2. Go to Redweek rentals and rent for a year or two to decide if you want the ongoing commitment, maintenance fees, etc. Most timeshares rent for about twice the maintenance fees.

Love your researched message. Hope you didn’t go forward. I bought points at other family’s raving about them…..at onset. Useless unless you know ages ahead what you want. They also expire which seems ludicrous since you paid for them. I bought and info I got was not “in writing” e.g. could book ahead by adding points ahead of weekend arrivals. Not true! Marriott said was agents mistake and did I have it in writing. Love the weeks we bought but even then Marriott says the 2 weeks ( Christmas and New Years) are. NOT guaranteed consecutively! We paid a premium for them and have to go in 12-13 months ahead to hope we get them consecutively as nowhere to stay for a one night gap at that time. Again, Marriott through the “customers” agent said do you have it in writing. Be wary

Cancel your purchase. You can buy on Redweek or TUG for a frication of the Marriott price

I am always checking back to try to get Thanksgiving week for using my points at Crystal Shores. Immediately the first day I can use the system all dates around the holidays, and in fact, almost the entire calendar is booked. I settled for another date but have kept trying to get Thanksgiving 2023. I looked at the Crystal Shores calendar yesterday and most dates, including Thanksgiving were open. It would not let me book because it stated my points were already used. For some reason you cannot cancel timeshare reservations even 10 months out. I called a representative and after being ready to switch my points use to Thanksgiving I was told those dates open that I see are not open. It's some kind of a glitch with the Marriott web site. To me it seems like Marriott saves some points opening reservations for whom I don't know. The Marriott Crystal Shores is hot seller and in fact there have been recent resales there at almost any price and few resales ever available. To me there are only two Marriott timeshare properties ever going to and they are Aruba and Marco Island. Almost all the other locations can be rented by anyone for less than the annual maintenance and dues fees.

Question - Annual dues All are the levels paying the same annual dues? How much would Executive level be for 2023? and Presidential? Thank you for your help.

So ridiculous I don't know where to start. I am an extremely happy owner. There are over 600,000 of us. I can spend a night in a two bedroom villa for $35 in maintenance fees. Beat that? I don't think so!

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Aruba is probably the most popular Caribbean Island. To me it's at the bottom of the list. Getting up at 5AM to get a spot at the pool or a shady spot at the beach is not my cup of tea, Marco Island is nice but I don't care for the beach as it's mostly crushed shells and it's hard on you feet without sandals. As far as pricing of resales or rental weeks you have to understand the the various ownership categories of the Marriott system. Everyone does not pay the same MF for the same week. I own 7 weeks in the system and rent them out on Redweek. Rarely do I see anyone renting for less than the MF at any beach resort anywhere in the system. In fact most weeks are renting for 50-150 % more than my MF. The Marriott system is complicated but for those who understand it there are tremendous deals to be had.

I own a week ocean front platinum week which is June July or August. I can easily get $700/ nt and my mf is $1680. Such a great profit for absolutely no work. I pay for Red week full service

where on earth do you have a Marriott time share for 35 dollar maintenance fee?????

why did you buy if renting it out. In Hawaii you have to pay the government another fee for secondary rent......even though you've already paid the fee!!

am intrigued to see several people, such as yourself, writing about owning weeks but RENTING them out to make money? Most people that are commenting are trying to use their points or weeks to GET a unit not rent one out.

I have several issues with the points program. First, the points are terribly overpriced - $65,000+ to get enough points to get one 5,000-point week reservation. Second, you buy the points and suffer an immediate devaluation in value - don't try to sell them. Third, there is insufficient good inventory to meet the demands of those holding points - getting good reservations is very tough. Fourth, MVC has not added enough good inventory over the 12-year life of the Destinations Program.

Incidentally, the lack of available inventory is only getting worse. Many of us are reconsidering depositing our weeks for points because we can't get the reservations we want with points. Next time you have a sales presentation, ask the salesperson to do a search for a reservation at a beach location for the next summer and show you the result.

The answer to this - buy good resale weeks that you would use. They are low priced, and you can get your money back through a resale if you become dissatisfied with the program.

Good luck.

Trying to make money renting out timeshares must be one of the dumbest "for profit" schemes out there. An occasional rental of an extra week may make sense but a job at Wendy's might be better for most people.

Oh, there is another one. That's trying to game the sales presentation incentives. Sure, give up 3 hours for 2 people (that's 6 hours) during an expensive vacation to submit yourselves to the whims of very good sales people. Sure, you're not going to buy? It reminds me of my old farm dog chasing cars and biting at the wheels.

If you are having problems renting beach destinations in the summer contact me right away. So far I have Crystal Shores, Ocean Pointe and Maui rented by using points. I can still get you some as they are still available. I also have Caribbean weeks in the winter months. MVC's website for reservations is terrible but if you are persistent it has worked OK so far for me.

Just checked on MVC website. Full weeks available at Ocean Pointe, Oceana Palms, Beachplace Towers and South Beach for July 2023. Contact me and I'll book you one, WITH POINTS.

Incidentally, the lack of available inventory is only getting worse. Many of us are reconsidering depositing our weeks for points because we can't get the reservations we want with points. Next time you have a sales presentation, ask the salesperson to do a search for a reservation at a beach location for the next summer and show you the result.

The answer to this - buy good resale weeks that you would use. They are low priced, and you can get your money back through a resale if you become dissatisfied with the program.

Good luck.

Jim

Available point reservations for beach locations - I just did two searches, 5- and 7-night reservations, for Newport Coast, Ocean Watch, Grand Ocean, and SurfWatch for the months of May, June, July and August. For 5- and 7-night reservations for these resorts for months May thru August, there were no reservations available for Ocean Watch, Grand Ocean, and SurfWatch. But, there were 5 and 7 night reservations available for May, June, and August for Newport Coast.

This picture would change for other times but it depends on where you want to go. Also, points inventory relies heavily on deposits of weeks by owners. I suspect, the trust does include some weeks for these prime resorts but not many as these resorts (except NC) were sold out at the beginning of the points program in 2010. I'm just hoping MVC will start buying up resale weeks at high demand prime resorts rather than buying less desirable properties.

It's sad we felt compelled to buy multiple resale weeks at Newport Coast and Ocean Watch to meet our needs because reservations for points are scarce. Why buy points if reservations are not available.

Den,

Just reserved 3 weeks in FEB 24 at a Marriott Caribbean resort. I called at 9AM exactly. If you call 15 minutes later you'll find nothing available. If you want a good week at a good resort you have to call in advance to find the 13 month and 12 month inventory release dates. Then you have be on the phone at exactly 9 AM. Yes it's a real hassle and it's a bit nerve wracking but it works. Trying to get what you want 6 months out is pointless. You'll be picking from what every one else didn't want. You have to plan 12-13 months out.

Ocean Pointe in West Palm is a good example. The Platinum season there runs from DEC 15 to APR 30. Nobody wants to go in April, everybody wants to go in JAN-FEB. Most Plat owners own multiple weeks and snowbird there. I know a few who own 4 or more. Those owners can split their weeks into 1bdrm and lockouts and book 8 weeks in advance. A one week owner has little if any chance getting a week in JAN-FEB there. That said every week owner will get a week sometime in Plat season as long as it's booked before the season starts. Points owners don't have a good chance because this resort is mostly owned by weeks owners and unless they turn in their weeks for points there won't be any reservations available for points users.

In order to get what you want in the Marriott system you have understand the system and how it works. All the resorts you mentioned are not that difficult to get, you just have to book them at least a year out. Some folks can't plan that far ahead and the Marriott system just won't work as well for them.

davidp1360 wrote:

So ridiculous I don't know where to start. I am an extremely happy owner. There are over 600,000 of us. I can spend a night in a two bedroom villa for $35 in maintenance fees. Beat that? I don't think so!

Hi, I would love to know how you can get a 2 bedroom anywhere for $35 in fees? My fees for the 1500 points I own are over $1,200.00 and the fees for my 2 bedroom at Timber Lodge are about $1,900.00 a year? Nick

I checked the destinations escape page on MVC's website.The lowest per night on a 2bdrm is $97.20. I think it was a typo and he meant $350 a night.

Hi, I would love to know how you can get a 2 bedroom anywhere for $35 in fees? My fees for the 1500 points I own are over $1,200.00 and the fees for my 2 bedroom at Timber Lodge are about $1,900.00 a year? Nick

jimf41 wrote:

Den,

Just reserved 3 weeks in FEB 24 at a Marriott Caribbean resort. I called at 9AM exactly. If you call 15 minutes later you'll find nothing available. If you want a good week at a good resort you have to call in advance to find the 13 month and 12 month inventory release dates. Then you have be on the phone at exactly 9 AM. Yes it's a real hassle and it's a bit nerve wracking but it works. Trying to get what you want 6 months out is pointless. You'll be picking from what every one else didn't want. You have to plan 12-13 months out.

Ocean Pointe in West Palm is a good example. The Platinum season there runs from DEC 15 to APR 30. Nobody wants to go in April, everybody wants to go in JAN-FEB. Most Plat owners own multiple weeks and snowbird there. I know a few who own 4 or more. Those owners can split their weeks into 1bdrm and lockouts and book 8 weeks in advance. A one week owner has little if any chance getting a week in JAN-FEB there. That said every week owner will get a week sometime in Plat season as long as it's booked before the season starts. Points owners don't have a good chance because this resort is mostly owned by weeks owners and unless they turn in their weeks for points there won't be any reservations available for points users.

In order to get what you want in the Marriott system you have understand the system and how it works. All the resorts you mentioned are not that difficult to get, you just have to book them at least a year out. Some folks can't plan that far ahead and the Marriott system just won't work as well for them.

=== I don't agree with you, but a salesperson would.

One must distinguish between reservations for owned weeks and point reservations. For weeks, I own the week in the season and can book 13 mos out - I get what I want for great beach locations.

For points, I find it difficult to book reservations at the better resorts for summer high demand weeks (weeks or shorter stays) at about any time, even 13 mos out. Certainly, this focuses many requests on a few reservations coming from the Trust coupled with week deposits from week owners. My point is that MVC is motivated to exercise ROFR's for the lower cost weeks (cheap inventory) and add other weeks on the cheap end - it's where the profit is. As point owners, we want better weeks at great resorts and think we paid for this by paying $16 per point for enough points to get a beach location for 4,500 points - an upfront investment of $72,000 plus pay annual maintenance fees.

So, what do we do? Some of us out bid MVC by buying an OceanWatch for $15,000 or so in a perfect season with a perfect view. And we use these weeks or rent them out when we can't use them because simply put, we can get what we want, when we want it, at a deep discount (compared to using points).

MVC is conflicted, they can enrich the shareholders, or they can take care of the customer - it's hard and it doesn't work very well for the customer. But, customers can benefit from this by playing the game to their advantage.

Some may say the flexibility of the points system compensates for all this. But, if you can't get the points reservation "you want," who cares?

What if MVC and the Trust committed to buy up 25% of the weeks at each of the resorts or to disclose their percentage ownership for each resort? I think the MVC points program would look pretty naked.