Marriott Vacation Club International review: service 13

Hi Don, thank you for your feedback on your ownership with Marriott Vacation Club. We are sorry to hear you are not finding the selling price you were expecting for your owner week. Marriott Vacation Club no longer offers week-based ownership. The selling price may fluctuate depending on demand for your week on the open market. We do advise Owners when purchasing that Marriott Vacation Club is not an investment opportunity given we are unable to predict the secondary market selling price at the time of sell. We would be happy to speak with you further and invite you to contact us at customer.care@vacationclub.com or by phone at [protected]. We do hope you have enjoyed your vacations while being an Owner and that you have been able to create many memories with your family.

I agree with the majority of the negative comments about Marriott Vacation Club ownership. I am also puzzled at the 'logic' presented through the positive comments. I have one question for the people in the latter category; if the investment is so worthwhile, why am I unable to sell a Platinum Shadow Ridge Enclave unit in Palm Desert, CA, at a price that is ONE-HALF what I paid for it? To my knowledge, Marriott is still selling these units for what I originally paid.

I live in Hawaii and am very familiar with Marriott timeshare or MVC. I have successfully invested in Hawaii real estate since 1986. The fact is that your investment in a fractional ownership (timeshare), no matter how luxurious or expensive it is when you buy it will never appreciate in value. (Investment in any other form of real estate ownership usually does appreciate in value, especially in Hawaii). What will always appreciate however are the maintenance fees. And that's normal, since what properties you buy get older and will require more maintenance (especially in Hawaii). I have never nor will I ever consider making the mistake of investing in timeshare. It simply makes no sense at all. I'd rather apply any "maintenance fees" towards my future travel accommodations. Traveling as an FIT (free and independent traveler) still has more appeal than joining (at great expense) some exclusive club of maintenance fees owners.

Marriott Timeshare resorts are nice, especially if you are rich. The point system is flexible enough for you to visit any of the 50 locations in the world, all day by day point calculations. The 2015 and 2016 point charts average a new increase of 23% its despicable. It will be endless to think you will ever own it truly and that's not even addressing the annual maintenance fees which are increasing roughly 18% but its all ties to how many points you have. It gets a little complicated but the pricing is always increasing as its been roughly five years since they switched to the points system. Prior to that, owners just bought into one resort and received a deeded week for one resort and then had options to trade weeks through Interval International however there is limited inventory. My advice if you just bought is to cancel as you have a one week to cancel. Take a look on ebay! Although the inventory changes all the time, you can pick up deeded weeks for $3-$6000 where these days the points equivalent is roughly $30, 000 depending on the resort. If you purchase a resale week on ebay, shop for a good deal, and during the closing Marriott might pursue their "ROR" right of first refusal so protect yourself with the seller. If you get one you will still have annual maint fees but atleast you will always have a deeded week to the one resort you selected. Sometimes there are deeded "every other year" weeks which might suit you better. Make sure that you know the unit size and also ocean or mountain view, depending on the property. Save yourself $20, 000 and shop on ebay.

Any time you convert your legacy week to points and attempt to go to the same destination at the same time for which you made your original purchase, you will come up short. We own in AZ and on Hilton Head Island, and if we don't snag a week as soon as inventory is available, it's either impossible to get one or we get four or five nights instead of seven if we convert our legacy week to points. We bought Platinum time in AZ for one reason only--to be there during spring training; NOW we've learned that people who bought cheap weeks elsewhere can combine the point values of those weeks and reserve Platinum time for multiple weeks. An onsite agent told us it's not uncommon for people to spend 2-4 weeks at this relatively small property Feb. & March since the point system was instituted. The "be flexible" admonition doesn't apply if you're locked into a school schedule that allows for only one week of travel in the spring. Furthermore, points owners who book 3, 5, 10-day vacations, diminish the number of units available to those trading weeks through Interval.

PS We've heard that even Newport owners have a difficult time booking that property--true?

4 star Hotels ... regardless if Marriott, Hilton or Westin ... will always find a way to "scam" the public ... and being a Marriott Owner doesn't put you on the same ball field as the Marriott business or credit card member. Get used to it. I've been a Marriott Newport Coast (Laguna Beach, CA) owner for 12 years, and while I love the property there (although having stayed in my two bedroom 2 bath (with Jacuzzi), kitchen, dining room, living room "condo" unit overlooking the Pacific JUST ONCE) ... I have never had any difficulty exchanging to a Marriott property such as Kauai or Maui (I plan ahead). But for Marriott to unveil a program that would benefit someone like me to exchange for a large city property (say in London or Rome), requiring points that translate into 1 1/2 weeks at my large Newport Coast property value, IN EXCHANGE FOR A (one) HOTEL ROOM ... that's a slap in the face to us owners and Marriott ought to be ashamed for rolling out such a scam, which even a significant number of sales people are laughing about.

Just yesterday we found out that the 800 points we were coaxed into purchasing last summer to avoid Interval will vaporize at the end of this year! Too many point systems, no single statement and the rules for the MVC were not clear. Use them or Loose them! What kind of program is that, except like the banks having to find ways of creating an income when they are not building new properties and deeding them out as before. We've come to the end of the rainbow . . . I'm afraid the best package is to keep or rent (on your own) your home resort or work through Interval, at least that way you can bank the week if you can't use it. Very disappointed. I will say however, that I still prefer Marriott properties over others. At least I know what to expect if only they MVC was held to the same high standard.

I agree about the points program it stinks for the majority of Marriott Owners, the owners who benefit are the owners who own expensive locations. This has always been a complaint to Marriott; when I first visited Hawaii and I was about 42, all the owners in Hawaii were about 65 and older, they looked at me at the owners breakfast like how did you get here. When I told Marriott I transferred from the cheapest resort they have in Florida (Horizon) at the time they looked at me like I did something wrong and told me I was just lucky. If you ignore making phone calls and or just place a reservation chances are you will get what you want. If you expect to find a reservation when you call, good luck.

To: Timeshare Man - I'm not sure how much Marriott pays you, but you are not being factual!
To: Everyone Else - I was a huge Marriott Vacation fan! I never had a problem trading my week, and though difficult, was able to navigate the many timeshare restrictions and rules to make the system work for me. However OSU fan is correct - the MVC system is horrible! 1) The program was rolled out without customer care or the website being ready (my rep confirmed this recently - Marriott was totally caught off guard by the simplest of questions); 2) A year later their website still cannot tell me how many points I have, nor can I book my own reservations from the site. I don't have time nor do I want to spend 20 minutes on hold waiting for someone to help me with a simple question like, "how many points do I have left?"; and, 3) The Explorer vacations are a joke. No one can tell me exactly how many points it will take for a trip (I was told by customer care today, that what was on the site is incorrect), and dates are not listed. Everything about their MVC program is inconvenient, and almost a year after the launch, it's very disappointing that Marriott still hasn't got their crap together about the points program that they are pushing everyone toward.

Hi EDatdcs, did you get a refund when you resigned?

Here is the issue: No inventory. I was flexible to use a two bedroom for a one bedroom. I called this march 2011 for next march 2012 for week of march 9th specifically to use my Aruba points for a ski vacation: Anywhere...Utah, Colorado ...nothing. I can't even go on a waitlist unless I also turn in the 2012 year since i am short 400 points for the 7 days. I wanted to pay the difference of the 7 days upfront...nope. I wanted to use my 800 points since I am short 400 points to get on the waitlist...nope since those expire end of 2011. So Risk and No Reward. I can chose to use two years and risk not even getting that week, but I have no confidence that it will ever open up. Adds up to Limited Flexibility, Limited Availability and Lousy Customer Experience.

I have discovered that the points awarded the weeks of MVC I currently own are not enough to duplicate next year the vacations we're taking this year. For example, this year we're staying at our home resort, Canyon Villas, the last week of March in a two-bedroom unit. That unit is valued at 2950 points; however, to book the same unit for the same week at the same resort in 2012 using points, I need 4125! I'd have to forfeit the use of the Master Suite of a different week just to make up the difference. How is that fair!?! Samemath holds true for all our other units; in total, to continue vacationing as we have for the past five years, we'd have to purchase 2500 points at a cost of $24, 500 PLUS pay $1000 annually for maintenance. We believe Marriott has seriously devalued our ownership.

My question is why arent you doing your research ahead of time? If I was going to pay 700 dollars to join I would make sure I knew every little thing about the program first. The rules and regulations are are posted on their website. Also you are free to call owner services and ask a Advisor about everything, even the so called restrictions. They arent hiding anything you are just not asking questions.
With the destinations program you have year to use your points, if you cannot use them within that year you can bank them and carry them over for another year. Marriott gives you two years to use these points to make an exchange to go to another Marriott resort. As for your Advisor they have over 1400 owners they are in charge of, also they handle other Advisors owners phone calls. Not to mention you are calling during the busiest time of the year. Yes its difficult to reach your specific Advisor but that doesnt mean you cant speak to another Advisor. They all do the same job.