The DRI Acquisition of my resorts last year has impacted my timeshare happiness
This has to be the MOST disorganized timeshare management company I've ever seen. What's sad is it's also one of the most expensive companies to do business with when it comes to MF's and membership fee's.
I am SO glad we decided it was time to get out of our DRI ownership.
I have been a timeshare owner since the early 80's. I have been an enthusiastic and happy timeshare owner throughout that time.
However, in less than a year's time, DRI changed everything for me. I guess I had my "head in the sand". I never envisioned the acquisition of the Gold Key Resorts properties.
It has to be the MOST disorganized timeshare management company. How could anyone be any worse, from what I've experienced. I have many contracts that are now DRI-affiliated. I have had an ongoing, unpaid part-time job since the acquisition. I have never worked so hard in trying to fight for what is mine.
Dealing with DRI so far has been pretty shocking to me. In the respect that it was a publically traded company so I expected more actual organization and professionalism.
I have been in corporate America most of my career, and whatever you might say bad about them, I am used to tightly run organizations focused on quality and customer service. There are failures, but those are usually the exception, not the rule, and those failures are quickly addressed and analyzed to prevent repeats.
As a family we enjoy Virginia Beach very much, and DRI is unfortunately the only real game in town right now. Since the senior executives got their cash out payday I am hoping that Apollo eventually sells DRI and the next company to manage our properties in VB is a step up from DRI.
For the third time since May (for a total of five different contracts), I have had to fight to get credit for maintenance fees that were paid for 2016. Right now I am working on three maintenance fees that were paid and are now due again by October 1.
"Stay happy. Stay healthy. Stay vacationed." How????????????? What BS! You have to listen to that crap every time that you have to call in to try to clean up the ongoing DRI messes. "We love to say Yes" is another one of their favorites. Seriously???? :annoyed:
While on vacation last week, at my DRI timeshare, I spent time sending emails, speaking to different DRI members, locating supporting documentation and contacting the previous owners for these double-billed maintenance fees. I wasn't "happy" expending all this energy on what should be non-issues. The stress that they have caused me over the last 10 months is not "healthy". "Stay vacationed" is impossible when you're fighting for what's rightfully hours. The part about "we love to say yes," hasn't been a part of my DRI experience.
I spoke to an arrogant Team Member in the Financial Dept. last week regarding these most recent maintenance fee billings. She was rude, condescending and kept telling me that maintenance fees, although paid, do not transfer from the old contract to the new contract. So unless you fight, fight, fight for what's yours; DRI will do its best to get more cash out of you. She told me it's DRI policy over and over. When I asked twice to be transferred to a supervisor, she rebuffed me and told me that just because I'm transferred, it won't change anything. It's DRI policy not to transfer the paid maintenance fees. I have been told that these phone conversations are recorded and this will be addressed with that team member. Oh, yeah, sure it will. She might get a good talking to for letting an owner know that all this is well planned and orchestrated in attempting to collect double maintenance fees vs. the "glitch" in the computer system. It's not a glitch. I have heard this same thing happening to others and it has nothing to do with the Gold Key Resorts acquisition.
It's also DRI policy not to transfer reservations. I have fought that fight repeatedly this past year.
This month, I called in to submit my usage for my week that just passed. What a nightmare. I still can't complete my usage online for my former Gold Key Resorts contracts. I called in and the team member screwed up the usage. It took 10 days, several emails and another phone call to get the usage corrected.
Every time I get a contact that is helpful to me, it seems they get moved to another department. I was told last week that my most recent email regarding the maintenance fees was being forwarded to the Financial Department and I would receive a call within 24-48 hours. So far, no call and no changes on my account.
One of the resorts in the acquisition, Beachwoods, has a large percentage of owners that have/had their weeks in RCI Points. I am one of those owners. Even though I was utilizing my deeded weeks this past Summer (which have to be reserved 12-13 months in advance), I or my guests were responsible for paying a $25/daily amenity fee. (When Gold Key Resorts acquired this resort the year previous, owners were told that they would not have to pay any fees for the amenities during their owned week. That didn't hold up for the owners in RCI Points with the DRI takeover.) Now, I feel my only option is to pull all of these contracts out of RCI Points that I have at this resort so that I can avoid the daily amenity fees ($25
) and RCI guest certificate fees. All these extra fees add up to $345 per week.
DRI is obnoxious and arrogant, at the very least; and possibly crooks in the double charging of maintenance fees when a transfer takes place.
From the DRI person on the phone last week; this isn't a glitch, it's DRI policy.
I believe that to be true. It doesn't make sense that paid maintenance fees and reservations do not transfer with the DRI ownership transfer.
I have never experienced this previously and I have owned a lot of different timeshares over the years.
RLS50, I do hope this Apollo acquisition improves the state of things and DRI ceases to exist in "my world."