Unit I rented does not have promised view [Marriott Grande Ocean]

[famy27]

Just to clarify, I agree that OP was probably scammed. I even agree that OP should try to get some money back from seller.

I also agree that the OP should not be afraid to rent in the future, to use PayPal and to get those confirmations right away.

But, I do disagree that the OP did an appropriate amount of due diligence. After all, the OP says:



It seems to me that this key piece of information could have been easily obtained by OP prior to sending the check. I'm not blaming the victim, but I also do not see the point of rushing to conclude that the Seller is 100% wrong. The seller could just have been honestly confused. Hey, it happens. And hopefully, because of this forum, it will happen to fewer people.

I've rented hundreds of hotel rooms from a variety of sources and it has never occurred to me to call a resort and verify if a view offered actually exists. The OP did more due diligence than I think the average renter would do. If we create an unrealistic standard of research/diligence for private rentals, that hurts everyone. It makes potential renters skittish and may discourage rentals. It increases work in the amount of hand-holding owners have to do. The onus of making sure a rental ad is correct should fall on the owner.

 

[DeniseM]

dominidude - The owner had a confirmation that said "Pool View" and, would not send it to the renter. You cannot explain that away as confusion.

 

[dominidude]

dominidude - The owner had a confirmation that said "Pool View" and, would not send it to the renter. You cannot explain that away as confusion.

I missed that. As usual, you are all right
But for point of reference, I once arrived at a resort and was surprised that I got a 1bdr sleep six, instead of a 2bdr. I huffed and puffed, but when I eventually looked up the confirmation email, I got exactly what i booked.
So, unlike the OP, I didnt realize what i booked until I actually stepped in to the unit. At least the OP found out that he is not getting the unit he thought 2 days before hand.
In another occasion I got a 2bdr sleep 6 when I thought I was getting a 2bdr sleep 8. Again, my fault, I didnt pay close attention.
The point is that I could totally see a rookie owner realizing too late that he advertised his unit wrong, and then doing what he could to not have to give any money back. I'm not saying the owner didnt anything wrong, just that I could see the crime being committed with minimal criminally intent.

 

[echino]

Could it be that the owner rented an II exchange and that was the reason he did not want to send the confirmation to the renter?

 

[DeniseM]

It's possible - the renter has never see the confirmation.

 

[DeniseM]

The point is that I could totally see a rookie owner realizing too late that he advertised his unit wrong, and then doing what he could to not have to give any money back. I'm not saying the owner didnt anything wrong, just that I could see the crime being committed with minimal criminally intent.

It's never "too late". As soon as the owner received the "Pool View" reservation in April, he should have offered the renter a full refund or a discount. Instead, he chose not to send the renter the confirmation so that he could hide the real view and keep the money. That's fraud - pure and simple.

Anyone who does a lot of rentals makes a mistake now and then - the difference is whether you make it right for the renter, or you hide it. If you make it right, you will have a happy renter who will come back to you again. If you don't, you are just another scammer.

 

[davidvel]

No - it should have been labeled with the view that was on the confirmation - POOL VIEW.

Since the owner refused to come clean about the view when questioned multiple times, or to send them the Marriott confirmation which said Pool View, they were clearly trying to mislead an inexperienced renter.

An HONEST owner who made an honest mistake would have sent them the confirmation showing it was a pool view, and reduced the price in compensation.

Let's not blame the victim - K?

Brian - When questioned about the view - he never committed - he just talked in circles.

It's possible - the renter has never see the confirmation.

It's never "too late". As soon as the owner received the "Pool View" reservation in April, he should have offered the renter a full refund or a discount. Instead, he chose not to send the renter the confirmation so that he could hide the real view and keep the money. That's fraud - pure and simple.

dominidude - The owner had a confirmation that said "Pool View" and, would not send it to the renter. You cannot explain that away as confusion.

Ok, I'm really confused. SUEDON said the owner designations are OceanFront and OceanSide. And the current marriott.com designations (which I see there) are "Close to beach" and "Courtyard View" respectively, for these units.

Where is the confirmation of pool view coming from? If the OP hasn't seen the confirmation, how do "we" know that "The owner had a confirmation that said "Pool View"?

It seems the OP got a bad room (although we don't know the building or unit), but it seems a lot of ASSuptions are being made.

 

[tschwa2]

Did The OP every come back and report what building and floor they were on and what the actual perceived view was? It would also be helpful to know what the rental price was.

 

[Talent312]

Did The OP every [sp] come back and report...

Try reading DeniseM's post from yesterday --
"I heard from the OP and she reports that they are on the first floor, overlooking the sauna and pool, with no ocean view at all..."

 

[tschwa2]

Thanks. Missed that.

 

[RLS50]

Some of the posts here confuse me. There seems to be some confusion on how the process at MGO actually works? I am a relatively new owner at MGO. But as an owner of an Oceanside unit, it is possible to get an ocean view, possibly even a great ocean view if on a high floor in the South courtyard. But you don't know if you will get that and can never guarantee it to yourself, let alone try and guarantee that to someone renting from you. Because it is also possible you will get a 1st floor room in the North courtyard like the OP did.

But about 2 weeks or so before check-in, an owner gets an email from MGO that allows you to request your view. An owner can also call the Front Desk in addition to the email view request and let them know what specifically you are hoping to get. As I mentioned in a previous post I submitted my MGO request email and I called the Front Desk at MGO multiple times to try and secure a high floor / ocean view in the South courtyard for my renter.

MGO staff also claim to have a system where they try to fairly rotate the best views so all owners get a fair chance at the Oceanside units with the best views. For example an owner in 2017 might get 1st floor. In 2018 they may give him 3rd floor. In 2019 they may give him 5th floor in South courtyard with an outstanding view. In 2020 the owner may start back on the 1st floor again in the North courtyard. Etc, etc.

It sounds to me that in addition to not accurately describing the view possibilities to the OP, I question if the owner did any real follow up with Marriott via email or by phone to the Front Desk to even try and influence what unit assignment the OP ultimately received.

At best the owner in this story sounds inexperienced, disorganized, and careless.

 

[RX8]

Could it be that the owner rented an II exchange and that was the reason he did not want to send the confirmation to the renter?

On July 6th the OP posted that she was told by the resort that the unit was transferred to her name and that the renter owned a pool/lagoon view unit.

 

[RLS50]

On July 6th the OP posted that she was told by the resort that the unit was transferred to her name and that the renter owned a pool/lagoon view unit.

I saw that post, but that is one example of what I mean by confusing. Personally I have no clue where that so called "official" view type came from. If MGO has changed view types after 25+ years from what I purchased (Oceanside) I have never received any communications from Marriott announcing this. In my MVCI account my unit is labeled Oceanside. Which means I could be on any floor of multiple buildings and our actual view could vary significantly depending on the building and floor.

 

[DeniseM]

The unit was never advertised as OceanSIDE - it was advertised as OceanVIEW.

This is the quote about the name change:

Marriott sold Grande Ocean as Ocean Front and Ocean Side. Some units do have better ocean views than others I believe, but on the Marriott.com site they changed the name a few years back to lagoon view or courtyard view or some such because enough renters from Marriott.com complained.

In March the owner responded to the renter, claiming it was an ocean view:

You are renting my specific unit type, it doesn't work the way you would think...NO ONE owns a specific unit number...we each own a unit type...this one is ocean view, but the exact unit isn't determined until that week by Marriott...but you are worrying about nothing...it doesn't matter..but I completely understand the confusion...you will have an ocean view condo

But after the renter called the front desk (recently) and found out it was actually a Pool/Lagoon View, the owner back pedaled on the view (revealing that he knew it all along) and she did indeed end up with a pool view:

"Oh well, I think the resort changed the name of the view to lagoon or pool. It will still be great. Have fun!"

RLS50 - when you receive a confirmation from Marriott for a specific reservation, how is the view listed on your actual confirmation? (Not on your account - on your confirmation.)

 

[SueDonJ]

Like I said I'll be surprised if "Lagoon/Pool View" is being used formally on any Marriott platforms. It's possible, but there's been no talk about it until now. I think it's more likely that IF this is an Owner's Week rental the reservation confirmation says, "courtyard view" which at Grande Ocean might give you a view of the ocean but only from a select few Oceanside units. I think the "pool or lagoon view" language comes from resort or Owner Services personnel who tried to give this OP realistic expectations when s/he was forced to call with questions that the Owner seemed hellbent on not answering. Anyway, there's this to see if we can at least get to the bottom of what Marriott is doing lately: Question for Grande Ocean "Oceanside" Weeks Owners

Aside from that, I think that even if the OP had been placed by some luck of the draw in the best-possible-view of all Oceanside units on property, the owner still should be brought to task if s/he charged more for her Redweek rental with the stated promise of an "ocean view" than the average "Grande Ocean Oceanside" ad was asking. Owners have no way of knowing ahead of check-in, do not learn until the moment of check-in, into which unit they or their guests will be placed. That's true with every floating interval across the entire Marriott portfolio.

As for owners who play fast and loose with misleading information in the Rental Game (which in my opinion is what this owner did,) there is simply no excuse for not being able to explain as clearly as possible what expectations a renter should have. In this case I don't place one bit of blame on the OP, not one bit.

 

[DeniseM]

*Yesderday, I sent a message to the renter and suggested that she ask the front desk for a copy of her confirmation/reservation to see what view is listed and for documentation, if she decides to pursue this with the owner.

 

[silentg]

Hopefully, the OP had a good time anyway? Please follow up for us?
Silentg

 

[SueDonJ]

Something else worth considering, now that we know the OP was placed into a low-floor unit at the back of the resort, is that by being so difficult the owner may have inadvertently had a hand in the resort not prioritizing this OP's placement.

Generally when renting a reservation from a Marriott Weeks Owner or Points Member using their owned Weeks/Points (i.e. not II exchanges,) the front desk personnel consider those reservations to be "Owner usage." Within the Marriott system the individual resorts use separate and distinct priority placement metrics but Weeks Owners Usage is at the top of any of those lists. If the Owner had been forthcoming about the actual unit/view type and what that means as far as placement (ranging from best scenario/high-floor unit with an expansive view of the ocean to worst scenario/low-floor in a building at the back with no chance of an ocean view) then the OP wouldn't have had to chase down any info from the resort or Owner Services. But s/he did, which alerted the resort staff to the fact that the owner would not be using the unit and thus, perhaps dropping the OP's rightful place in the placement hierarchy.

It's true there's no way for even an owner staying on an owned Week to know placement in advance, so even if the OP hadn't had to announce his/her status as a renter s/he may have ended up in the same unit. But the owner certainly didn't help the situation, and may have compounded the problem of stating an "ocean view" in the ad, by not being as forthright as possible.

 

[sjsharkie]

I've looked back through the thread and I can't find where the actual confirmation was received/viewed.

Since this is Marriott, I assume you already have a confirmation number. You can use this to look it up online and verify what view is listed in the confirmation.

Go here --http://www.marriott.com/online-hotel-booking.mi
and then go up to Reservation - View and Manage.

This way you have proof if you want to follow up later that the view was not per the contract. Since you paid check, your options are limited if you can't work it out with the owner -- you can take the legal/small claims court route but probably not worth the time and effort unless you want to prove a point.

Good luck.

 

[DeniseM]

sjsharkie - She never received a confirmation, so she may or may not have a reservation number. Yesterday, I pm'd her and suggested that she ask the front desk for a print out of her reservation.

 

[VacationForever]

I still do not see any confirmation one way or the other as to whether it was actually an II exchange, given a ground floor unit that was assigned, I have my suspicion.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am with VacationForever. I believe this is an exchange because the unit is on the main floor and not on an upper floor.

 

[SueDonJ]

I am with VacationForever. I believe this is an exchange because the unit is on the main floor and not on an upper floor.

Could be but I don't think a low-floor placement automatically equates to an II exchange in this case. Grande Ocean is among the Hilton Head Island Marriott resorts that follow a rotational system as part of their placement hierarchy. As RLS50 explained in post #113 above, if one year you're placed into the "best" among all units of your owned type, the following year you may be placed into the "worst" or an "in-between, etc. Each year they consider your prior placements in order to do their best to ensure that every owner has a fair shot of eventually being placed in the "best" as often as possible. The occupancy rate for owners is also an issue because there are generally very few high-season HHI weeks that become available in II. The whole month of July has a high-90% owner occupancy rate which practically guarantees that at least some owners will still get low-floor placements. So II could be in play here, but I don't think the OP's placement itself is proof of that.