“The management fee had been static for many years and was significantly below the industry standard rate.”
What is this mumbo jumbo speak for DRI can manage that resort much worse than it is being done as Sunterra (2008 less than 1M) for much more money Under DRI management (2009 2.3M) and of course some of those additional management costs will include the damage control management because everybody will start complaining.
Well guess what buddy, were complaining!
I’m guessing you have moved up the DRI/Timeshare food chain from the bottom perhaps as some successful sales [censored] in some resort town preying on willing travelers to where you are now Chief “Experience” Officer. Your mother is probably very proud. You are quite eloquent and proper in your responses almost as though the responses are being “composed by committee” or “council” (just an observation).
You are good at telling the truth, but the devil is in the details most of which are missing from your almost canned like responses.
As a KBC weeks owner (original purchased Embassy Suite Vac Club 2000) it was part of a collection of TS ownerships my wife and I have had over the years. We watched this happen over a period of 10 years. We never updated with the Sunterra or DRI point BS. We are ban from the DRI network we only own our allotted share at our home resort. I am ok with that we bought in Hawaii to visit again, but I can book a room at KBC through Expedia ™ for cheaper than my annual Maintenance / management fee and I don’t have to do the DRI points dance.
Since your so good at the truth and being all upfront, please enlighten us concerned KBC owners (64% of the power if you break it down by ownership) So we can all “experience” it together instead of just 1-on-1 like you so often invite us to do. I say no, put it out where everybody can see!
What part of the 8% of DRI ownership in KBC was obtained by default of maintenance fees or imposed late charges for late mailings. On the same subject How many properties so foreclosed (not necessarily now or ever owned by DRI) have been resold at the resort providing a hearty income stream to some DRI marketing department, if you dare to be so transparent.
Of the huge costs of operating such a resort as KBC how much of the “Management” costs are in the way of gross executive salaries, specifically the DRI “Management” of KBC. I’m not looking for specifics but you threw a bunch of summary numbers out there and hope we are just going to read the words and then just go away.
You say KBC was being managed at below industry standard cost “what industry are you specifically speaking” TS management industry with it’s fat executive salaries or Hawaiian Resort Management. I would be willing to bet we KBC owners are funding some very extravagant lifestyles of DRI executive and CEO’s not you Patrick I meant real CEO’s in the self proclaim TS Management Industry Owned and Operated by a bunch of has been TS hacks now looking to retire on all those TS they sold to us oh so many years ago. Let’s see how open their books on that subject.
Concerned Embassy Suites Vacation Owner
dri.wtf@gmail
Wow, and on a saturday night, must be good pay to have to stay up late on a saturday night answering questions from concerned vacation owners. Oh excuse me or not answering because you felt that I was a bit harsh. Hope DRI has your back when it all starts to cave in, I don't think your high enough up the food chain to float this one out... Hope you put some of it away somewhere good you know for your retirement.
Concerned Vacation Owner
On another note your answers reminds me of some artificial inteligence autoanswer email system I worked on back in the late 90's during the dot com boom. "Your rudeness, and lack of decent manner" who says that?
lol Vacation Owner
Well did you Get the Refund Yet
They will probably also make you sign some kind of no negative comments in order to get your refund.
Good luck
CVO
These crooks are not just in Santa Fe they are ripping folks off globally
Vacation Owner...
DRI is a big company and is operated by "LEGAL Thugs" basically they have their legal dept figure out how they can rob and steal legally from thier members. If you look at you annual fees you will find one is called maintenance and the rest are assesments, taxes and owners association fees. Their legal Dept is good at finding the loopholes in your contracts so your vacation ownership is worthless (when they are done with it) and then thye get to "Leagally" cheat you out of your hard earned $$$ and make it impossible to sell. If you default they will gladly steal your deeded property (which you paid in full) and resell it to some other poor smuck at some "6 hour long" 90 minute presentation.
This member robbery has worked well for them for the past few years and they have damage control being handled by a very pleasant Mr. Duffy oh I mean customer service, sorry Patrick. If you have not been asked yet to respond offline directly to Patrick, you are not making enough noise or give it a little time he will invite you to contact him directly. Drop him a note he does seem to be a nice guy, even though he won't talk to me anymore, as I have anger issues.
patrick.duffy@diamondresorts.com
DRI is TOP HEAVY and that is why your fees are so much... Personal opion, but very plausable as they lump those heavty salaries in to their "MANAGEMENT FEES". The resort where I own a deeded week (did not sign up for DRI Points) went from around 950, 000 dallar management cost in 2008 to 2, 500, 000 in 2009. DRI's response to the 150% hike in cost was that the resort was paying well under Industry standard managment fees. no real justification, spin it anyway you like DRI is ripping you off...
Vacation Owner
Keep posting complaints about DRI someone is listening...
Hey Bakers
It's my personal oppinion, but I think the ludicrus fees are funding some DRI executives exit strategy and we the abused members (not by choice) will be left footing the bailout... again...
Vacation Owner
Robin
I did not see Mr. Duffy's response to your inquery, I too asked him to provide a little more concrete info regarding their sky rocketing m-fees. I was not as nice as you when I asked, but I too was shunned by Mr. Duffy for my prying inquery, it is my personal opinion that the 450, 000 DRI members are funding some very wealthy executive salieries and pensions.
450, 000 X $1, 000 = $450, 000, 000 per year in FEES. Maintenance fees were originally meant to offset the normal costs of operating, not as a money grab from members to line greedy pockets.
Vacation Owner
Patrick,
Whether your are sincere in your efforts to help "Members" of DRI is between you and God. I do commend your efforts to put a nice face on the front of DRI. You have handled yourself in a professional manner. You have a lot of work to do and you keep you cool. I do apologize for the personal attack I do not know you. My anger at DRI however still stands.
Unfortunatly there is nothing you can do for me because I do not belong to DRI Points of any kind (personal choice made back when DRI was Suntera February 2006 to be exact during an Resort Owner "UPDATE" ) so while you have been able to help complaints that have been posted, my personal beef is with DRI as a corporate entity and how they have destroyed any value I had in deeded resort property now under "management" control of DRI. So even though I choose not to go DRI points I get to fund their operation with my Maintenance fees anyway. WOW thank you very much DRI, so even after I said no they got my $$$ anyway and so far it appears they have done it "Legally".
While everything might be "Legal" that DRI does it does not mean they have done what is in the best interest of the industry they claim to serve. Their mission is to make as much money as they can regardless of the ethics of how they obtain that money (legally of course), much like the TimeShare industry as a whole. The whole science/psychology of the TS presentation is designed to make certain the "CORPORATION" has taken every avenue possible to part the traveler with their travel dollars. Tell me am I wrong. I could not in good conscience even donate my property, knowing I was going to burden some other person with such a company.
So I personally wish to warn everybody and anybody out their that has a choice to stir clear of Diamond Resorts Intl. (DRI). Don't purchase, cancel if you can, get out, run as far and as fast as you can. This does not mean you will get away but run... Do not take my word for it do the research, google it...
Concerned Vacation Owner
Bakersdozen
If your interested,
The political gain regarding DRI CEO Stephen J. Cloobeck has just been named Chairman of the newly formed Corporation for Travel Promotion. CTP was formed out of the Travel and Promotion Act of 2009 and they will be responsible for promoting America as a travel destination, much like other countries have a travel and tourism board. WOW imagine having that power to write policy of how the travel industry promote America. ( I see a shiny new mansion in his future) This all just occured Nov 1st 2010.
Now DRI will try and down play this as CTP is a non profit corporation funded by private donations (and fees charge to foreign travelers), sounds all warm and fuzzy now doesn't it?
Look under those covers my friend, "Non Profit" does not mean "NO $$$" while I am sure much good can come from promoting and inviting people to visit this great country. Think about the power and responsibility that board will have on the Travel Industry as a whole...
Now look at what DRI has done to your deeded resort property and at the same time has heavily funded their operation by TAXING members to the maximum the law will allow. That is what all these fees equate to, Taxes imposed by DRI on all of their members without any way of getting out from under their oppressive reign. My maintenance fee is only around 700 to 800 dollars, but all the other fees put it near 1500. Look at your bill they break it all out (seems to me many of these new fees were once part of the base M-fee) at least as a deeded only owner they do. I'm not sure what anyone else s bill looks like.
I will leave you with this last thought
"A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business."
Henry Ford
Concerned Vacation Owner
I am not sure what it will take to wake people up to the reality, I'm not even sure if more than a handful of people even are aware of DRI's true agenda. One thing is for certain in my mind, they are not doing it to help the traveler have a safe and enjoyable vacation.
People do the math...
Pay DRI 25, 000 to own some points + 1.5k per year to to vacation at a DRI resort (1 of about "24, 000 beds" they claim your points are good for). When you could book the same resort through Expedia, Orbits, Travelocity or any number of other travel websites for less than you pay in maintenance fees.
1500/7 nights = about $215/night, using that as a budget go to one of the travel sites listed and see what type of resort you could get. (BTW most of the DRI "REsorts you can get with points you can also get with $$$ sometime for less $$$ than Points Value it will cost you)
Now lets look at what you paid for the privilege of giving up your deed (irrevocable trust) the average update to points runs about 10, 000 and for that you get nothing but mystical points that can fluctuate in value based on the whims of the points provider and not as a fair market value. There is no Market except that which is created by DRI, so they are in control.
Now you take the 25k + the 10k update plus the 1.5k/yr in fees and carry that out over 30 years (approximate amount of time the average person will be able to use their travel investment)
1.5k x 30 years (assuming the fees never go up, ha like that would happen) = 45, 000
add the original investment of 25k + 10K upgrade and your at 80, 000 (are you still with me?)
(Sorry this sound a bit like a backwards timeshare presentation)
Bottom line----
$80, 000 for 30 years of travel works out to about 2600 a week for Lodging or 371/night. Take a look at where you can stay for that kind of money...
Bottom line DRI in my opinion is gouging their members / affiliates huge FEES/"TAXES" and they feel they do not need to explain themselves (except for the babble they spout when a member complains). If you do ask them to explain, they open up the book of canned responses and hope you go away. Well guess what, I have nothing better to do with my time then inform others of DRI's evil ways. Hopefully they will not make the same mistake 450, 000 DRI members have made.
RUN do not walk, cancel if you can, get out now while you still have money to take a vacation. If you do not take my warning seriously you will regret it for a long time to come.
Concerned Vacation Owner
Don't buy, rent it a week at a time... It is a whole lot cheaper in the long run.
Kevin,
That is exactly what Diamond wants you to do, they do not give a cr@p about your Credit rating, your deeded vacation that many have put in to an irrevocable trust. They will gladly take it off your hands for free. They will forclose and resell it to some other traveler and before they let you completely off the hook they will hit you with a closing fee or tell you your maint. fees must be paid in order for the foreclosure to close (I read it on one of the other posts). Oh and there will be late fees, you will go through collections hell and they will continue to ruin your life for as long as they legally can harass you. After you finally get cr@pped out the other end of that pooper they still win, they got your money and the other travelers money, your deed the original maint fees which you protested, oh and the late fees at upwards of 30% yup you showed them! As DRI laughs all the way to the bank.
What has our country really become, the rich corporations have the freedom to steal and cheat the consumer as long as they do so "within the boundries of the law" it is all fair game.
How many yachts and mansions are needed for one to be truely happy?
Henry Ford said it best "A business that makes nothing but money is a poor business."
Concerned Vacation Owner
It is good to see there are others concerned (Globally) with the current tactics being used to extort/Tax/Fee owners in to giving up their property. It is beyond the grasp of just a hand full of people to put a stop to these thieves. I believe there is sufficient cause to at least open an outside (Governmental) investigation in to the practices of some large TS "exchange programs". The consumers get it in the end again...
Concerned Vacation Owner
Unfortunately we the existing owners of resorts (not magic points or what ever they are selling these days) will fund the opposition by some "Legal FEE" they tack on to our Maint Fees / Invoice.
Concerned Vacation Owner
No TS
Go peddle your TS after wares on google not here.
Patty Duffrick,
I always have a great vacation, that has little or nothing to do with how DRI has f---ked us with the MANAGEMENT FEES which went from $700.00 to $1200.00 in a matter 3 years. Which for your information I do pay, but I do so to protect my vacation ownership (a real deed in my name) not the pool of magic mystery points DRI is using to swindle thousands of vacationers out of millions of dollars for something they can get on Expedia, Orbits, Travelocity or any other travel site on the net. Do the math Patty it don't add up. Where can I stay on Hawaii for 171.00 per night (1200 / 7 nights=171.43) how about Aston Maui Kaanapali 182 night right on the beach and no 10k mortgage or points system that ties me to one greedy a$$ company. The only reason you continue to defend these liars and thieves is because you are one too.
I like my resort in Hawaii, I hate Diamond Resorts International and their "legal"/scam operation that came along and F--ed up what I bought 10 years ago. How you gonna help me patty you gonna give me a discount if I go to some 90 minute presentation about your fake points system? One day I assure you it will be exposed for what it really is a black hole for vacation dollars and real deeds to be stolen by slick used car salesmen promising you the moon and give you just a picture...
Concerned Vacation Owner.
Perhaps Patty,
Perhaps you are right, not everyone feels like us. But if there is any doubt that there is more than the voice of three, simply scroll to the top of this page and type Diamond Resorts International in the search box and click search and the truth will set you free... The list goes on and on, how pi$$ed off many people are, these are not just a few sour grapes, this is your customer base telling you DRI sucks in many areas. That is why Patty is around on these Complaint Boards to try and extinguish any potential fires. All in all he is doing a good job with most of the sheep, but their are a few of us (black sheep) gifted with the ability to smell the bull yard DRI is pitching.
Just because you show us a few euphoric vacationers letters to patty. You think this is going to go away because someone had a good vacation. News Flash patty lots of people have great vacations, which has little if any thing to do with DRI. If DRI was dead and gone they probably would have still had a great vacation (they could book it on Expedia and $aved). DRI is not the greatest thing since sliced bread, they are nothing more than a bunch of used car salesmen grabbing as much vacation cash from any sucker willing to part with some.
You have killed the Timeshare industry which already sucked, you made it even worse great job dutrick puffy and DRI.
Concerned Vacation Owner
NO TS
Just goes to show, you do not even read the boards you post on. I have nothing but crap to give DRI and other [censored]head$ of similar ilk that prey on jet lagged vacationers or feed up vacation owners who were scammed. You are a bottom feeder, you take advantage of desperate people willing to hand over their deed because they can no longer afford it and you probably charge them some fee or closing cost or legal filing fee. Oh but you are doing them such a favor relieving them of their burden, well guess what I am sure there will be a special place in Hell for you too...
Concerned Vacation Owner
Bakers,
Unfortunately because they can place whatever value they want on their bucket of available point and just as with Traditional (REAL DEEDed) Timeshares they can inflate the price (to cover marketing costs) to what ever they want. Are they over sold no they just change their value and like magic they have more points to sell and it's all legal because no one has stopped them yet. Would DRI dare to publish their failure rate on bookings dates requested vs dates available. Probably not because it would reveal how bad DRI POINTS SUCK as do most of the points systems RCI and a few of the other vaction resort chains trying to get in on the money printing business. I am just trying to deal with keeping my deeded week and hoping DRI drops dead like Suntera due to legal issues.
CVO
Patty O'l Boy
Your as transparent as mud, you load the cr@pwagon higher than most PR spokes holes. Still trying to sell the fluffy white clouds to the naive consumers, keep telling them that all is happy and financially swell back at base camp DRI. And oh we helped another vacationer find a more expensive holiday than they could have received from some online service without all the upfront thousands to play in the DRI fish tank Keep up the fantastic job.
Answer this Patty O'l Boy What can I get with DRI magic fluffy points that i could not get from Expedia, Travelocity, Orbits... Currently it looks like DRI is spending lots of time/money fighting battles with unhappy customers. In fact I'll bet your ashamed of how much they pay you to try and fight back this growing wave of people $crewed by DRI. Hope you brought your surf board Patty O'l Boy...
CVO
Patty O'l Boy
as to your earlier comment to Mr X69;
You honestly expect us to believe that you a paid spokes hole for DRI would be the honest one and none of those bad things that Mr. X69 said about DRI shenanigans are true. Well buddy I did not buy in to the DRI magic point system and I do not think I am buying your side of the story either. I can however easily imagine the employee lounge at a used car lot and the shenanigans that go on behind those closed doors, DRI can not be much different than that...
CVO
Why is it that on all these complaint threads Datrick O' Puffy keeps insisting it is only two people making all the noise, Datrick can you count? Datrick the number of complaints against DRI goes on for pages, just on this board alone there are 65 different threads loaded with folks $crewed by DRI and some of those threads go on for pages. I think you are being dishonest about how bad it really is there at the office... Your transparent attempt at trying to down play the fact that DRI $crews it's members annually to pay for a bunch of has-been TS / Used car salesmen to be able to retire very comfortably, shows your true colors. I hope they packed a parachute for you too, cuz I think it will be a long way down and your doing a bang-up job, it only fair you should get to bail out too when this wretched company goes down in flames...
CVO
addendum to previous post,
I do not want to misrepresent (DRI might sue me) so I am appending my statement above there are 65 different threads if you search Diamond Resorts International, but over 180 threads if you only search diamond resorts and that is just on Complaint boards. Datrick you are a busy person that a lot of fires to extinguish...
CVO
AMEN... Preach it BD
I am sure my Hawaiian deal was not the best in the world, but it was nice and I had access to several other properties on other Islands and even state side. These were some of the reasons for which we did make a decision to purchase a slice of paradise from a Reputable company (Embassy Suites Vacation Resorts at that time). Then along came Suntera which was short lived as they ran in to some LEGAL ISSUES with their POINTS system which devalued their share price and DRI took advantage and bought Suntera at around $14.00/share. This on its own was a good business decision instantly giving them a huge market share. The problem is DRI treats its members as nothing more than a revenue stream and you better not be late with their revenue or you get to pay more...
Within one or two years our FEES began to rise sharply, The Duffy speak they give for this is that the fees we were paying were not in line with industry standards. I can only guess that they were referring to the DRI industry standards they have been setting for themselves and we just needed to be brought up to those standards. So I guess if you are the one regulating the industry then you can charge whatever you want, right.
I'll keep telling those looking in to a life with any time share or exchange company, RUN do not drink the cool-aid, it is 2nd grade math and it does not take 90 minutes to explain
$15, 000/week owned (or more) for your points
$ 1, 200/year/week owned (and more guaranteed as time goes on)
20 years @ $1200.00 is another $24, 000.00 ( most people will only be able to vacation for about 20 to 25 years and not necessarily consecutively)
so now you take your total investment in your vacation ownership
15, 000
24, 000
39, 000 or about $2000.00/week (Just for your accomodations)
or $285.00 a night
Now go to Expedia, Travelocity or whatever your favorite travel site and see what you can book and some of those properties you can book online are the same ones that DRI manages along with RCI and other exchange companies and you wont be beholden to just one company for you vacation needs. Example we just recently stayed in Sedona, Az at a nice place for 150.00/night. I have always been able to get a room from one of the online travel sites previously mentioned.
The Timeshare Industry has begun to self implode, people are giving away their timeshares because they do not work the way the 90 minute presentation sells it. Save yourself and your family the money and misery of being stuck with one company and their limited (and often not available) choices.
My two cents
CVO
I'll keep telling those looking in to a life with any time share or exchange company, RUN do not drink the cool-aid, it is 2nd grade math and it does not take 90 minutes to explain
$15, 000/week owned (or more) for your points
$ 1, 200/year/week owned (and more guaranteed as time goes on)
20 years @ $1200.00 is another $24, 000.00 ( most people will only be able to vacation for about 20 to 25 years and not necessarily consecutively)
so now you take your total investment in your vacation ownership
15, 000
24, 000
39, 000 or about $2000.00/week (Just for your accomodations)
or $285.00 a night
Now go to Expedia, Travelocity or whatever your favorite travel site and see what you can book and some of those properties you can book online are the same ones that DRI manages along with RCI and other exchange companies and you wont be beholden to just one company for you vacation needs. Example we just recently stayed in Sedona, Az at a nice place for 150.00/night. I have always been able to get a room from one of the online travel sites previously mentioned.
The Timeshare Industry has begun to self implode, people are giving away their timeshares because they do not work the way the 90 minute presentation sells it. Save yourself and your family the money and misery of being stuck with one company and their limited (and often not available) choices.
My two cents
CVO
