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Is Wyndham taking owners' rights away?

Ask RedWeek / July, 2021

Is Wyndham taking owners' rights away?

I can't travel right now, so I changed my Wyndham Bonnet Creek reservation to send my kids and grandkids. Wyndham canceled their reservation the day before they were scheduled to arrive! Yes, I got my points back, but what consolation is that when they left my family with plane and Disney tickets and NO accommodations? I am furious. How can they do this?

Yes, we would be furious, too. Wyndham's new guest policies are vague and poorly executed, resulting in guest reservations being confirmed, then canceled last minute.

How It Started

Wyndham created a problem for themselves during the pandemic when most of their resorts were closed for an extended period. With more owners than any other chain, most of whom couldn't use their points, reservations after re-opening were limited and competitive. Wyndham decided to make sure their owners could use their time by limiting reservations for non-owners. On the surface, that seemed like a reasonable plan: let owners use the time that they've paid for and been unable to use. The policy was originally presented as a response to the company's extensive COVID closures, and temporary, to allow for owners to catch up on their vacations.

However, the company has continued to evolve the policy in a way that is NOT in owners' best interest. Restricted dates moved from one or two holiday weeks at a few resorts to EVERY summer weekend and ALL holidays through New Years 2023 (updated Oct 2021) - at their most popular resort options. Many Wyndham owners aren't ready to travel yet. Wyndham's new guest policy, though claiming to be only at peak times in peak resorts, essentially makes it impossible for owners who are not traveling to do much of anything with their ownership. If you own a vacation home, you can let your grown kids and grandkids use it. If you own Wyndham points, Wyndham has taken away your ownership rights - you do not have the ability to use your ownership as you wish.

Confusing Mixed Messages

To make it worse, Wyndham's own website claims, though there are restricted periods, owners can still travel with guests OR use two guest reservations during the restricted time periods when not traveling with guests. However, communication with both Owner Care and Wyndham's corporate communications employees make it clear that the policy is intentionally vague, and not as user-friendly. In fact, the actual policy they are operating under says that, if you make a new reservation for a "restricted period" that's not in your name, they can cancel it at any time, up to 24 hours before your guest checks in.

The real frustration for owners is: you can actually make a guest reservation for these times... they will only cancel it "if they reach 100% owner occupancy at the resort"... at any future date, they determine they want more rooms for owners... they will cancel your guest's reservation to make the room. Sure, you get your points and housekeeping credits returned, but yes, that's little consolation when your guests have flights and tickets booked, and are stranded without a place to stay.

And, don't trust what the resorts themselves tell you about your guest reservations - corporate representatives made it clear that the resort staff will not know. The corporate office is cancelling reservations after they've been confirmed. Even Owner Care is confused and offering different answers depending on who you talk to.

We believe Wyndham's policy started from a place of wanting to help their owners, but they have gone about it all wrong. What they forgot, is that OWNERSHIP implies a level of control over how their purchase is used. If an owner wishes to gift their week to a friend, or even recover their maintenance fees for the year they aren't traveling by renting it out, that is an essential owner right. Wyndham claims they are "cracking down" on owners using their weeks for profit, so this is an attempt to shut this down. Their website-stated policy to allow two guest certificates would have been a reasonable middle ground. The fact that they have plainly stated they will not honor guest certificates means they are simply cutting owner rights. Owners will need to fight back against any policy that restricts how they are able to use their ownership, or companies will continue to reduce benefits and raise costs without consequence.

What Can Wyndham Owners Do?

For now, be very careful with guest reservations on Wyndham's restricted list. Don't send anyone to use a reservation unless they're flexible with last minute cancellations.

Not sure how Wyndham has the ability to change your ownership rights after selling you the timeshare? Check your ownership documents carefully. If you can forward them on to us, we would like to better understand the legal implications of this as well.

Please let us know what you think — positive or negative — in the comments below. You can also let Wyndham's Owner Care department know by calling 855-287-3856 (or 833-624-0346 for VIP owners).

Comments (64)

Jason Z.
Jul 27, 2021

Wyndham's Owner Care department couldn't care less about keeping owners happy and treating them fairly under their ownership
I hope someone class action sues - I'm in
Diane & John P.
Jul 27, 2021

is Marriott doing this?
John M.
Jul 27, 2021

As a Marriott owner, I am frustrated at the number of times I seem to be competing with robo callers or some other means of getting in very quickly for desirable times. Within seconds (it seems) I have been denied reservations and then have seen a rental available that very same day for the time that I wanted as an owner. In other words, owners have no desire to stay at their own resorts. Is Wyndham trying to honourably address this with some unintended consequences. This issue seems easy to resolve…
Ronald R.
Jul 27, 2021

Take a look at the program benefits and see how they fit with your vacation style.
VIP BRONZE 300,000 - 499,999 points 15% discount on new reservations within 2 months of check-in Receive 3 guest confirmations per year to share with family and friends VIP SILVER 500,000 - 799,999 points 25% discount on new reservations within 2 months of check-in Receive 5 guest confirmations per year to share with family and friends VIP GOLD 800,000 – 1,099,999 points 35% discount on new reservations within 2 months of check-in Access to Reciprocal Advance Priority 3 times per year Access to vacation benefits of Club Wyndham and more... VIP PLATINUM 1,100,000 - 1,399,999 points 50% discount on new reservations within 2 months of check-in Access to Reciprocal Advance Priority 4 times per year Free reservation transactions and so much more... VIP FOUNDERS 1,400,000+ points 60% discount on new reservations within 2 months of check-in Access to Reciprocal Advance Priority 5 times per year Early access to book Margaritaville Vacation Club by Wyndham reservations Free reservation transactions and so much more...
Ronald R.
Jul 27, 2021

https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/owner-guide/resources/reservations/owner-priority-reservations
Craig H.
Jul 27, 2021

This policy and the decisions corporate makes once again gives a bad name to the time share industry. It’s like Government “ Bait and Switch”. One gets fed up with making a decision on what Sales tells you then to find out the facts care not really the facts any more. I would think a good harsh “ Class Action” might nip this horrible action in the bud or is it butt !
Patricia F.
Jul 27, 2021 (edited)

How dare Redweek! You did this to us at the beginning of COVID. Our resort was open and you took our money and refunded it to the people that rented our week and we got screwed! Shame on Redweek.
Barb Z.
Jul 27, 2021

Unbelievable and scary that they will take away owners rights. I hope other Time Share companies do not start this policy as it might start a mass exit from owning a Time Share.
Deanna S.
Jul 27, 2021

It stinks like pig poop!!!
Eugene K.
Jul 27, 2021

Crooks!
Barbara H.
Jul 27, 2021

When I called I was told any illegal guest reservation would be cancelled within 24 to 48 hours of the reservation and I’m ok with that IF is truly is in the restricted dates. Depending upon where you read the website has conflicting information for sure. One place says one thing and another place says something different. I’ve printed out and saved what the website said the day I made a guest reservation although I doubt it would carry much weight if they decided last minute to cancel my reservation. It would take days or weeks to prove I was right. And as you said that doesn’t help the person with plane and Disney tickets and no place to stay.
Harbaksh A.
Jul 27, 2021

Being able to rent out units to help cover maintenance fees was one of the major selling points in the last presentation that got us to upgrade to Platinum VIP. If we can’t do this, that would not be good for us or anyone we’ve decided to rent or give a reservation to AND we might end up getting stuck with points we can’t use. That’s not fair! It’s our points. What difference does it make if we’re using the unit or giving them away? We’re still using OUR points to reserve the unit. We should be able to use them any way we like! Not being able to reserve a unit is a common complaint with people who have fewer points. What ever happened to the “privileges” that are supposed to come with VIP ownership? They should have thought about that BEFORE they pushed the ability to rent out units to cover Maintenance fees.
Barbara W.
Jul 27, 2021

I was threatened in a Owner's Update meeting which tried to upgrade me to their "points" system (for $14,000 and uptick of my maintenance fees to $3000 from $1090) that Marriott may restrict my floating weeks to fixed weeks in the next 2 years. It is no longer about keeping clients of many years happy but money, money, money.
M O.
Jul 27, 2021

Wow. Absolutely ridiculous. Potentially illegal & fraudulent. Is it explained at sales presentations & in ownership documents that you don’t actually “own” anything? That the week/point(s) you’ve purchased & paid maintenance fees for are not yours to do with as you please? Why on earth would ANYONE buy into this program? The real reason behind this is to shut down published owner rentals which prove that there is no advantage to owning. Lawyers & class action suits are unfortunately necessary at this point.
Ben B.
Jul 27, 2021

Marriott legacy weeks are better than points. You know you can use the week. Points does not guarantee you any reservation unless you want to go to a location you may not desire.
Ann G
Jul 27, 2021 (edited)

I want to thank Redweek for posting this article. I am a Wyndham VIP owner and wasn't aware of the extent of the restrictions on my ownership. I called owner care and on my third call was transferred to "'Owner Care" and spoke to someone who explained the "policy" not fully in writing, but still somewhat fluid. I understood having to cancel a reservation that I intended for a guest this summer. When I purchased, I was told I could recuperate some of my $2000/mo carrying costs by renting some of my ownership. I understood that some fellow owners were unable to get reservations for this opening of the travel/vacation period after Covid. I willingly sacrificed my reservation and potential income that would have slightly offset my costs of ownership. I learned that these restrictions have been extended and expanded going forward. This tells me that perhaps this timeshare giant I loved may have oversold itself and now owners are paying a price. I suggested to Owner Care that in addition to restrictions on owners, they suspend sales until they can truly accommodate all owner usage.
Robert M.
Jul 27, 2021

Without the ability to rent out my weeks in some years to cover maintenance costs, I'd be calling a time share exit service, and I'd certainly jump into a class action suit against the company. I also own at Welk properties, where they run an in-house rental service, which dependably returns more rental income than the maintenance fees.
Mary B.
Jul 27, 2021

I am so happy not to be a Wyndham owner after reading this post.
Susan F.
Jul 27, 2021

Does this affect Marriott owners as well?
John R.
Jul 27, 2021

Thanks greatly for this timely article. We are legacy week ( not points) owners in Kona Coast 2 in Hawaii. We have fixed weeks 52 and 1 and a floating week. Does any of this new policy really affect these weeks? Thanks for your help. John Rogerson
David B.
Jul 27, 2021

They are making the owners with deeded weeks (not points) hard to book their room type in the summer.
K S.
Jul 27, 2021

Very strange. We've stayed at Bonnet Creek several times now. Each was by renting from individuals that apparently bought points and use them specifically to rent to others. They don't appear to use them as "owners" but clearly as a source of income to themselves. If Wyndham does not want this to be going on then they needed to have made it a condition of the original purchase. And going forward they'd need to see a way to undo what clearly has been going on for since it opened and probably longer at other similar facilities. Further, if they have so many "owners" that they were cancelling reservations that appeared not to involve the actual owners of said weeks then I have to wonder if they over sold their resort and would have to be canceling owners instead.
Michele S.
Jul 27, 2021

Sounds like a class action suit may be in their future.
Thomas C.
Jul 27, 2021

Is WorldMark by Wyndham affected?
Sandra N.
Jul 27, 2021

Class action lawsuit? I’m in too! Anyone know a class action attorney?
Probably most Wyndham owners who use Redweek or other platforms book within their points discount/free upgrade window to maximize the value of their points. Wyndham does have its own rental company – Extra Holidays – but EH will not accept reservations made in the discount window, they take an exhorbitant percentage of the rental amount, owners cannot specify a minimum rental amount, and EH will not notify an owner whether the reservation has been rented or for what amount. So, owners rent points themselves on Redweek.com or elsewhere.
There really is not an inventory shortage for owners desiring to travel if they book well in advance of the discount window. This costs the owner “full points,” but at least the owner gets a reservation for themselves, and they can always re-book during their discount window (and cancel the original reservation) if there is still inventory available. Owners are able to cancel up to 15 days prior to the check-in date and receive refund of points. So, there really is no inventory problem if owners who themselves want to travel plan ahead and make reservations well in advance.
This is a fiasco of Wyndham’s own making. They allowed owners to “roll over” unused 2020 points to 2021 or 2022 for no fee. Right thing to do in the pandemic? Sure, but better to have refunded maintenance fees on unused points rather than create this debacle by cancelling guest reservations already on the books. Or, Wyndham could have warned owners in advance of a future change coming, rather than cancelling existing guest reservations. Or, the website could provide a pop-up message on the guest confirmation page for any potential guest reservation that might be affected BEFORE the guest confirmation is actually added – at least that way, the owner could notify the potential guest immediately and refund their money before the guest purchases air fare, Disney tickets, etc. only to have their accommodations cancelled by Wyndham later.
At my level, Wyndham provides 30 guest confirmations per year. Now, they are upset that I am using GCs to recoup maintenance fees and are limiting how GCs can be used.
The problem goes way beyond the new guest policy, though. Whether intentionally or through ignorance, Wyndham sales reps have consistently misrepresented how the timeshare is to work -- in our experience 6 different encounters/purchases from 2005 to 2016 totalling nearly $180K (not including annual maintenance fees that go up every year), with each new incremental purchase intended to fix some problem with the previous purchase, only to create another unforeseen problem. Most people do not read the 2” thick stack of legal documents provided at the time of purchase.
Without going into too much detail, I originally bought in early 2005 in St. Thomas. When I went to make our first reservation a couple months later, I was told that I could not do so because I had purchased “fixed weeks.” To fix this problem, I purchased some “UDI” points at Bonnet Creek in May 2005. Then we learned we were being separately billed for real estate taxes at St. Thomas, in addition to timeshare maintenance fees. We had no representative assigned to help at that point, so at a third “owner update” at Wyndham Smoky Mountains in spring 2006, we were told all this would be remedied if we would convert all prior points (and purchase a few more) by trading to Smoky Mountains. Also, we were told we could use the points for airfare, and were presented a chart that showed the amount of points required for domestic/international flights. The points required on the chart were competitive with paying cash, so we “upgraded.” When I went to make the first airline reservation using points through Wyndham’s travel agency (this was the only way to use points for airfare), not only were the points required exponentially higher than the numbers shown on the chart from the sales presentation, there was also a $60 fee per ticket fee charged by Wyndham to use the points. This made using points for airfare economically infeasible. When I tried to reach the salesperson who sold us the Smoky Mountain points, I was told she was no longer there.
In early 2009 we used Wyndham points to travel to an El Cid resort in Mazatlan, Mexico, where we were promised that, if we bought into El Cid, they would sell our Wyndham timeshare. We were presented a computer printout showing recent sales of Wyndham points. It appeared we could recoup our Wyndham costs, so we signed on. Not only did El Cid not sell our Wyndham timeshare, we were scammed out of $27K five years later by a legitimate looking title company who said they had a buyer for the El Cid timeshare.
We met with a fourth Wyndham rep in spring 2011 in Branson who told us we needed to convert our points to the new “Club Pass” program (requiring still another points purchase) in order to be able to book reservations at over two dozen resorts (not just our home resort) more than 10 months in advance. A new owner rep would be assigned. We signed on, but this time I read all the legal documents and cancelled the purchase within the short 5-day cancellation window when it was obvious from the documents that Wyndham could change the rules at any time.
In February 2012 on a ski trip to Lake Tahoe, we met with a fifth Wyndham rep who told us we needed a few more Lake Tahoe points with a staggered use year, so that we could perpetually roll over unused points each year for no fee and get him assigned to our account as the Wyndham rep going forward. He claimed he was there to assist owners, not sell points, and that he could help with rentals to recoup some of our maintenance fees. So, we bought more points. This worked out okay (he actually did facilitate some rentals) until Wyndham changed the rules and consolidated all points into one use year. The Lake Tahoe rep who had been with Wyndham for over 20 years left the company in early 2013 within a year after this purchase. He did introduce us to another Wyndham owner who helped us rent points for the next few years, but took a 35% commission.
On another ski trip in early 2016, we met with a sixth Wyndham rep at Park City who sold us more points and converted existing points to the “Presidential Reserve” program. This gave us a new rep who had also been with the company for 20+ years, and provided a 50% discount/free upgrade window and 30 guest confirmations per year. While the legal documents specified that the purchase was not being made for the purpose of renting points, there is nothing that prohibits rentals – how else would one use 30 guest confirmations per year!? We also were led to believe that a Park City home resort would eventually sell more easily on the resale market in the future than a Smoky Mountains home resort. However, Wyndham has a right of first refusal, and any resale by us to a third party will cause the points to lose all the Presidential Reserve benefits otherwise afforded to points purchased directly fromWyndham.
So, there is no way that we will ever recoup the $180,000 we dumped into these purchases or the ongoing annual maintenance fees that Wyndham increases every year, regardless of need. This timeshare bleeds cash every year, and with this new guest policy Wyndham has now made it even more difficult for owners to recoup costs.
I tell everyone who will listen NEVER to buy a timeshare from Wyndham.
Ronald A
Jul 27, 2021

The super salesman sold us unneeded points because a purchase was "necessary" for us to "qualify" for Ovation (Wyndham's simple exit program). We are in our 70's now and were concerned about what to do with the timeshare when we were no longer able to travel. We told him we could hardly use the points we already had so we could not possibly use any more points . Quickly, he showed us his own posting to rent one of his weeks through Vacation Candy rentals. Renting would take care of the extra points plus help pay for maintenance fees he said! First of all, a purchase was not necessary to "qualify" for Ovation. The only requirement to "qualify" was to not have an unpaid contract and to have all maintenance fees up to date. Lies on top of lies! We fell for this and found out six months after the purchase (ironically at another Wyndham location) that all we had done was buy more points!! A purchase was NOT necessary to qualify for the exit program!!! So renting was the only option to pay the extra maintenance fees and use the extra points. Now we are told there are restrictions on when we can send a guest ???? This is hurting many owners and also Redweek! Redweek is so affordable and so easy to post a rental. Not only is Redweek perfect for timeshare owners but perfect also for renters who need a reputable, safe agency to look for vacation rentals! Twice this year alone we have had to cancel good rental weeks because Wyndham says no! Sandra A 07/27/21
William M.
Jul 27, 2021

I totally agree that this policy is not helping owners. I should be able to use my points how I see fit and they should not be changing the rules. I have filed a formal complaint with Owner Care and hope many other owners will as well.
Sandra N.
Jul 28, 2021

Owners can/should also file complaints with the Florida Attorney General. If enough people do this, maybe the Fla. AG will do something. Go to myfloridalegal.com, then click "general complaints." You can file the complaint form online or download an Adobe Acrobat version and mail it in to the address on the website.
Sherry C.
Jul 28, 2021

I think I am ready to leave Wyndham. In fact I felt this way before Covid.
Fred F.
Jul 29, 2021

This is HORRIBLE!!! I can't believe they are getting away with this!!!!
Brenda P.
Jul 29, 2021

Wyndham needs to have to QUIT renting out Wyndham Units THEMSELVES. Owners ARE NOT allowed these times YET Wyndham constantly advertises units available fir Rental. What's Good for the Goose IS Good for the Gander 🤷‍♀️
Walter E.
Aug 01, 2021

Wyndham's new policy is ridiculous, especially with no advance notice. I would not consider acquiring Wyndham ownership. If you pay for usage, it should not be restricted. Doing it after it has been approved is even worse. They should be held responsible for any additional expenses..
Marcia M.
Aug 04, 2021 (edited)

This is totally unacceptable and ridiculous! There are some of us (not me) who have millions of points for guest reservations. If they have been purchased they should be able to use them in the manner that was intended. To say that there are no guest reservations is stupid! The sales people who are selling those millions of points NEVER tell you that!
Bryan B.
Aug 04, 2021

I just got screwed out of a Wyndam property as described above in Austin. Actually had the balls to ask if I would like to rebook...for next year? This cancellation came WEEKS after the owner accepted the reservation. Pissed.
Richard B.
Aug 04, 2021

There should be a LAW, or Hire a Company to assist Timeshare Owners in all Legal matters, and I for one will appreciate now and in the FUTURE any way I can. The sooner the better, Sounds like a very Promising Business due to the amount of Owners NOW and in the near FUTURE... IT is a Shame that Timeshare Owners have no such REPRESENTATION what so ever !!!!!!!!!!!
Barbara P.
Aug 07, 2021 (edited)

In the past few months, I made several reservations that I was planning to sell on RedWeek.com. Fortunately, I found out from RedWeek (not from Wyndham) that Wyndham is limiting guest reservations to 2 during the restricted periods. I was able to list 2 of the reservations, and I now have 2 additional reservations that I can't sell nor can I give them to family or friends unless we travel with them. Wyndham claimed that they sent a couple of emails with this information, but I never received an email about this new policy. It is buried somewhere on their website and no owner is going to know to search for the information, which I did to no avail. Once again, I am furious with Wyndham and their changing policies. Once again owners are screwed! I wonder if Wyndham can still list & sell your reservation on their Extra Holidays website, even though we can't do that on sites like RedWeek. When I contacted various people at Owner Care, they were all very confused and couldn't give me a straight. One lady was even quite rude to me, saying I should understand what the website means, even if what it means is not what it said. I could go on and on! Maybe we should file a class-action lawsuit!.
Kathy S.
Aug 21, 2021

I own and rent at Costa Linda Aruba. I noticed that other postings are not putting their unit numbers on the listing. It would help if this requirement was enforced, since location, location, location, helps greatly determine the rental price.
Scott M.
Aug 28, 2021

I don't like the new policy either. They have taken away our Rights of Ownership. We need to get this changed. I've filled out many Feedback surveys and none of them were nice.
Joyce P.
Sep 24, 2021

As a Member of RedWeek When I book a Trip And Buy Air Fare and clear my work Schedule I expect that trip to Happen …..I consider this A BIG PROBLEM ✅ September 2021 I went to a Wyndham Timeshare meeting and didn’t Buy…NOW I’m GLAD 😀 In the room were lots of Folks ..that they where trying to get to buy MORE POINTS So I Guess if You have More Points you can bump others out of that week you want They Talked about renting out your weeks for Maintenance Wow…Time for a Class Action Lawsuit..but I’m sure they probably wrote something in small print to keep there Company Safe… Now as a RedWeek Member…Will I keep trying to buy Folks Weeks?? Knowing it COULD BE CANCELED Will I still Refer Folks to Join RedWeek if this Could Happen to them… NOT GOOD Not Feeling Good about WYNDHAM TIMESHARE PROPERTIES for Vacation Picks YIKES 😳 THIS IS NOT GOOD Will Marriott Timeshares ….BE NEXT ??
Marie
Sep 26, 2021

I don't like what Wyndham has done. They certainly didn't send information out to owners to let us know that their policies were changing and it is absolutely wrong of them to just cancel guests without any warning! That said, now that you've shared this information, I've reviewed their website and talked with member services and I don't find their posted information confusing. Have there been violations on what this says: https://clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com/us/en/owner-guide/resources/reservations/owner-priority-reservations ?
Paul J.
Oct 05, 2021

I am pleased with this policy. It enables us, as owners, to use the units during busy times, instead of the units being rented by mega-renters. Wyndham does make an exception for up to two guest reservations during those restricted times, so we can send family twice. That should be enough for those who are not doing this for a business.
Madelyn CS
Oct 06, 2021

Does this apply to units rented thru RCI?
Phyllis B.
Oct 11, 2021 (edited)

Before reading the above message about Wyndham, I thought WYNDHAM was Superior to other time share companies...BUT now I'm ashamed to say I'm a Wyndham owner. What a terrible thing to do to un-expecting travelers who in good faith purchased my Timeshare just to have it taken away. They wind up with no vacation and extra money spent to get there....SHAME ON ALL THE BIG WIGS AT WYNDHAM** Phyllis Bain** EMBARRASSED OWNER
Monique W.
Oct 24, 2021

I’m so down for a class action. We paid to use our timeshare are we want to. Why give us guest confirmations we cannot use or charge us for guest confirmations if we cannot use them. If we cancel less that 15 day we forfeit our points but if Wyndham cancel with there is no penalty has is that fair. Also Changing developer and resale points when there was never anything saying you’d be penalized for points.
Vacation Travel
Oct 26, 2021

Could this be a breach of contract?
Could owners bring a Class Action Law Suit against Wyndham and get their money back?
I paid over $30,000 for my Wyndham Timeshare.
Brent B.
Oct 26, 2021

The truth is Wyndham makes more profits when an owner uses their timeshare and they then have the opportunity to make another sale by upgrading them while they are there. Neither COVID nor the lack of availability due to MEGA Renters has anything to do with this. It was mandated by the Senior VP of Sales after he did a study on profit based on which type of guests stays on property and which type generates the most revenue for the company, and it's not guests or renters: OWNERS Win every time. They are greedy and their only interests lie in their pay checks and stock prices. It's time for owners to put their foot down with these people NOW!!! We won't even get into Extra Holidays and them allowing rentals there, but nowhere else!
Bruce K.
Oct 26, 2021

I don’t think Wyndham is a good buy. You need huge amounts of points to get family size accommodations and huge amounts of points means huge maintenance fees.
Susan D.
Oct 26, 2021

Wyndham is merely a ponzi pyramid scheme.
Barbara P.
Oct 26, 2021

Wyndham has continued to do everything they can to make things worse for owners. Since we couldn't use all of our points because of Covid, I booked several reservations (we are entitled to 30 guest certificates) to rent out on RedWeek. I have been constantly changing reservations to accommodate Wyndham's restrictions. Even when I have booked a reservation which was not on their restricted list, I was told that was a mistake on Wyndham's part and the date should have been on the restricted list. I can't win. It's been very confusing, and Wyndham has made it difficult for owners to access the information about the restrictions. I wish there was something owners could do; it seems like they promised owners "rights" and take them away at their discretion. I'm also in for a class action lawsuit. I'm so disgusted with Wyndham! Who wants to start this class action lawsuit? Anyone know how it works?
Joe D.
Oct 27, 2021 (edited)

I am interested in informing other owners of the Wyndham integrity problem since the furthest I get is owner care that keeps repeating ridiculous talking points. I own over 2 million company purchased Wyndham Points (not resale). When I would tell the sales person I did not want to upgrade because I could not travel that much they always said you could rent units to help cover maintenance fees. Now Wyndham is changing all that. I called owner care very upset as I saw a few weeks booked as rentals falling into the no guest period. I made the adjustments to the reservation. Yesterday I realized Wyndham blocked off another set of dates for Guests. I was on the phone with owner care for an hour and all they would continually say is "we are looking out for our owners". Told them I paid premium money for my ownership and all reservations should be respected. There is availability for bookings in March that have been blocked for guests. There is no recourse as owner care says they are the end of the line. The Wyndham updates for blocking guests look like something a 3rd grader would put together, often duplicative. The new Wyndham rules make me appreciate my elite HGVC membership. With my extensive timeshare points I have a lot of contacts in the timeshare world. I will advise all present Wyndham owners not to upgrade and future timeshare people to go somewhere else. This was poor planning on Wyndham's part. Although it would still be wrong they could have made a simple reservation rule such as no guest reservations would be honored unless made within 8 months of stay. The only other possibility is Wyndham has over sold their membership. Owners with points they can not use will just lose them. Wyndham has just withdrawn itself from the honesty and integrity rank of timeshares such as Hilton. Mike Brown should know better. I remember him when he was CEO of HGVC. Does the Guest block apply to Wyndham's Extra Holiday rental program? Most of the people complaining about owners renting units are those that wait until 4 months out to book. I believe the real problem here is Wyndham's overselling of points is outpacing Wyndham adding inventory or they want owners who are easier to upgrade than guests buying into Wyndham. Very happy with my HGVC ownership.
Ann G
Oct 27, 2021

This is a very frustrating time for Wyndham timeshare owners. I truly wonder if the timeshare giant is going to go out of business. So many owners, especially the VIP owners who own more than they occupy, and also the ones who make repeat purchases are the most unhappy with Wyndham's onerous new random policy changes. I'm afraid they are under new management (CEO) and that he or other administrators is leading the company in the wrong direction. I feel somewhat stuck at present, but will keep watch on further developments.
Paul E.
Oct 27, 2021 (edited)

We had this experience and I actually had to go to Bonnet Creek to sign my son and his family in at the resort. They had cancelled prior reservations in his (guest) name. This happened 3 times in the process. It was a real mess and at minimum cost me a round trip airfare to Orlando to execute their Disney vacation staying at Bonnet Creek. Frustrated and concerned about a future reservation that I plan to convert to a Guest Reservation at Wyndham Clearwater Beach for next spring.
Alan P.
Oct 28, 2021

I think there should be a class action Law Suit. If in New York contact the attorney general
Joe D.
Nov 01, 2021 (edited)

It seems as those who were encouraged to buy excessive points through Wyndham Developer sites (option to rent unused points) are disadvantaged by those who purchased cheap Wyndham Points on EBAY. Lesson learned the hard way. It would be nice if they could list a comprehensive Resorts and guest blackout dates. Blackout dates listed for each Resort. The current listing of Resort black out dates is extremely unprofessional.
Curtis S.
Nov 03, 2021

I never purchased from Wyndham, but am now captive to their terrible owner care. My timeshare week has been sold to a new management company, twice, with the current owner being Wyndham. I enjoyed my timeshare ownership prior to Wyndham taking over, but I've been treated as a "second class citizen" by Wyndham from day one since I have never purchased any points from them and never intend to. Renting it through them was a rip-off with their huge percentage and not renting it out for the entire week. Maybe after the pandemic winds down I can finally sell it.
Marc E.
Nov 12, 2021

Is anyone aware of a class action lawsuit being filed and how someone can become a member of the class
Megan C.
Nov 15, 2021

We are platinum owners. We were sold on getting more points so we can rent out units to cover our maintenance fees. The sales people actually sat there and told us what units would rent for and what locations would be the best to rent from. This sales pitch was given to us over and over and over and over and over. Years of hearing this sales tactic we are in well over 1 million points and we can't do what they sold us on being able to do. WE ARE 100% IN ON A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT!!!
Joe D.
Nov 25, 2021 (edited)

Anyone interested in pursuing the Wyndham guest policy please send an email to wyndhamguest@protonmail.com
Reply will come back as "Wyndham Guest Block"
Joe D.
Dec 27, 2021

Sandra, tried to contact you through Redweek but they said they needed your user nae or ore identifiable information. Thanks for the FL AG information - 7033284403
sandran38 wrote:
Owners can/should also file complaints with the Florida Attorney General. If enough people do this, maybe the Fla. AG will do something. Go to myfloridalegal.com, then click "general complaints." You can file the complaint form online or download an Adobe Acrobat version and mail it in to the address on the website.
Wendy V.
Mar 04, 2022

Another wrinkle. Recently arrived for my vacation, having booked a 1 bedroom unit 20 months ago, only to be told that no 1-bedroom was available and my reset would be downgraded. In fact, I wasn’t even informed at check-in — they just sent me to the alternate unit. When I returned to reception to correct the “mistake” they told me it was no mistake - the resort was at capacity and my reservation was “impacted.” I am a Silver VIP owner. So what ! Very poor policy and procedures.
James F.
Oct 08, 2022 (edited)

Let me get this straight. Wyndham initiates these rental restrictions under the pretense that they are helping the owners reserve the prime time for the owners use, so no rentals. Meanwhile, isn't it strange that at the same time, they promote their own new rental business, "Extra Holidays"? They offer to take your, now unusable, “developer” points so they can use them to rent to the same renters that you would have rented to. IF they do rent them, no guaranty, they will split any proceeds, which I’m sure would be a SMALL portion of your fees. If you haven’t yet learned, Wyndham has NEVER made a change to their policies to benefit the owners, EVER. Their new slogan, “Wyndham Cares”, means Wyndham cares for Wyndham. They want you to become “VIP” with all the wonderful benefits. Then they begin to reduce and eliminate those benefits. It’s just the same old “bait & switch” that we’ve endured for decades. And, this is all legal??
James F.
Oct 08, 2022

Let me get this straight. Wyndham initiates these rental restrictions under the pretense that they are helping the owners reserve the prime time for the owners use, so no rentals. Meanwhile, isn't it strange that at the same time, they promote their own new rental business, "Extra Holidays"? They offer to take your, now unusable, “developer” points so they can use them to rent to the same renters that you would have rented to. IF they do rent them, no guaranty, they will split any proceeds, which I’m sure would be a SMALL portion of your fees. If you haven’t yet learned, Wyndham has NEVER made a change to their policies to benefit the owners, EVER. Their new slogan, “Wyndham Cares”, means Wyndham cares for Wyndham. They want you to become “VIP” with all the wonderful benefits. Then they begin to reduce and eliminate those benefits. It’s just the same old “bait & switch” that we’ve endured for decades. And, this is all legal??
Rhonda A.
Mar 11, 2023

My brother and I both spent a significant amount of time on the phone with Wyndham two separate days this week trying to fight this battle. We are VIP Platinum owners who have always had 15 guest reservations per year allotted to us, until this year. This week we were forced to cancel vacations for family and friends due to Wyndham's implementation of this policy. When are family purchased Platinum points, we were told we had 15 guest reservations per year whereas entry level had 2. This week we were told that all tier levels were treated equal. If that is the case, we would never have bothered purchasing so many points. I will continue to press this issue especially after years of sitting in high pressure sales meetings being told of the benefits of owning more points, becoming accustomed to utilizing said points for our family, then suddenly having the privileges and promises that came with those points stripped away.
Paul P.
Apr 12, 2024 (edited)

I had the same experience as many of those listed in the comments. My wife and I are elderly (81 and 76) so we bought a "Legacy Program" so that when we pass away our children will not be burdened with the extremely high maintenance costs ($3,400 yearly and rising). We were told by at least three sales people we could buy ghost points we would not use and have these for rental purposes. One sales person even showed us her list of clients she was helping to offset maintenance fees by renting out their ghost points and how much they had received. The recommendation was that we buy into Bonnet Creek since we could easily use these as rentals because the place was so popular. We bought and now we are stuck with extra points (we can't travel much now) with no way out except to use Wyndham's rental program that takes the majority of the rental returns. Our problem is that we trusted Wyndham and took their word. It looks like we got took. I am going to send my comments to the Florida state Attorney General so she will at least know what is going on. For others with the Wyndham problem go to: myfloridalegal.com, then click "general complaints." If a class action suit develops, and we are still around, count us in. All the best.

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