Starwood Has Won [Unilateral II Changes] [merged]

barndweller · Aug 25, 2009

I just spent 90 minutes on the phone. I worked my way from Veronica to Nicki and then up to a problem resolution guy Nick. He says they have implimented a new system that will make the process easier and smoother. What it really does is guarantee that Starwood controls all deposits at II. Here's the bottom line for non-network owners...

In order to search beyond 12 months you must call Starwood and tell them you want to search with your unit. They will assign you a code that represents your reserved week and you then have the ability to search for 2 years out. You have released your assigned week to Starwood. He assured me that if you don't exchange then you can take your week back at any time. (Do we believe that?)He also said that trade power will not be affected. I told him that I believe that Starwood has taken over my weeks without my permission and that this is a legal issue. I will be writing to the attorney general of Arizona.

Twinkstarr · Aug 25, 2009

barndweller said:
I just spent 90 minutes on the phone. I worked my way from Veronica to Nicki and then up to a problem resolution guy Nick. He says they have implimented a new system that will make the process easier and smoother. What it really does is guarantee that Starwood controls all deposits at II. Here's the bottom line for non-network owners...

In order to search beyond 12 months you must call Starwood and tell them you want to search with your unit. They will assign you a code that represents your reserved week and you then have the ability to search for 2 years out. You have released your assigned week to Starwood. He assured me that if you don't exchange then you can take your week back at any time. (Do we believe that?)He also said that trade power will not be affected. I told him that I believe that Starwood has taken over my weeks without my permission and that this is a legal issue. I will be writing to the attorney general of Arizona.

Okay what's the deal if you want to deposit your week for a given use year?

I know a lot of non-SVN owners use to trade, so we'll probably deposit anyway.

Are we back to begging for a good week?

barndweller · Aug 25, 2009

He said you must call Starwood to deposit and they will do it for you with a value equivalent to your unit (?). You do not choose a week. If you have a reserved week already, you must call to get that code thing and relinquish your week to Starwood in order to deposit.

If you want to deposit or search with next years week (2010) you can search with the 2009 week listed. If you exchange online, Starwood will use your next year week as your exchange (which they will pick) even though it isn't showing in your account. Or if you want to search with next year's week beyond 12 months you must call & get that code thingie in order to do so. Sure sounds a lot simpler than before, huh?!!

Any way you look at it, Starwood now controls what is deposited at II by non-Starwood Network owners. They didn't do this to make it easier for us, that is for sure. They did it to have full control.

So far trade power doesn't seem to be an issue but I am unsure how it will all shake out. It appears that your reserved week will have little to no bearing on future exchanges at II. We are back to square one since Starwood is now in full control.

Twinkstarr · Aug 25, 2009

barndweller said:
He said you must call Starwood to deposit and they will do it for you with a value equivalent to your unit (?). You do not choose a week. If you have a reserved week already, you must call to get that code thing and relinquish your week to Starwood in order to deposit.

If you want to deposit or search with next years week (2010) you can search with the 2009 week listed. If you exchange online, Starwood will use your next year week as your exchange (which they will pick) even though it isn't showing in your account. Or if you want to search with next year's week beyond 12 months you must call & get that code thingie in order to do so. Sure sounds a lot simpler than before, huh?!!

Any way you look at it, Starwood now controls what is deposited at II by non-Starwood Network owners. They didn't do this to make it easier for us, that is for sure. They did it to have full control.

So far trade power doesn't seem to be an issue but I am unsure how it will all shake out. It appears that your reserved week will have little to no bearing on future exchanges at II. We are back to square one since Starwood is now in full control.

Well do you know what we shoud do?

Form our own private exchange group, like Ownertrades(Marriott) owners have.

DeniseM will jump in and remind us of the TUG direct trade site.

Or they are going to let all of us join SVN. HA-HA

ginsun88 · Aug 25, 2009

What if we want to 'Request First?'

barndweller · Aug 25, 2009

Request first is easy...just hit the request button that is there. All 3 people I talked to kept referring to points. I kept saying I don't own points. I think Starwood has actually assigned us a value in points somehow. Your ownership has a point value and that determines what you can pull. When your request is matched, Starwood gives II a week of appropriate value, I think.

A lot of what I'm saying is speculation. Although, Nick tried to reassure me that it was a much easier system, I am not convinced.

barndweller · Aug 25, 2009

Or they are going to let all of us join SVN. HA-HA

I was asked several times during the 90 minutes if I wanted to join the network.

I also got "I'm sorry" about 12 times. Starwood doesn't care what we non-network owners want, they wanted control of our deposits and they now have it.

I'm taking my units to SFX and TPI. If I can get a guarantee in writing that my reserved week is still mine, I may try the search code thingy and see what I can see before I abandon all hope.

Twinkstarr · Aug 25, 2009

barndweller said:
I was asked several times during the 90 minutes if I wanted to join the network.

Really?
Without having to buy a direct unit?

rickandcindy23 · Aug 25, 2009

Julie, this is very concerning. I hope they don't really just randomly give us a week that is going to be a poor trader.

It isn't as much an issue with SBP as SDO, because our SBP weeks are 9-43 float, and I can push to get our owned weeks, which are 19 and 41 (not that either one is summer). The problems will arise when they try to give us week 9 or 10 for deposit. I won't want either of those weeks because I have seen those in action, and they just don't pull well.

SDKath · Aug 25, 2009

I thought it is in the old bylaws of certain units (SDO...) that we can have right to deposit the exact week we own. They can't just change that. Where is Pat when we need her?

DeniseM · Aug 25, 2009

Twinkstarr said:
DeniseM will jump in and remind us of the TUG direct trade site.

Actually, I won't!

However, we had a direct trade site that a Tugger set up for private trades and over a period of 2 years - it did not result in a single trade.

What did happen is that the less expensive resorts all put in requests for the more expensive resorts and no one made any exchanges.

I don't even know what to think about Starwood's new plan! Obviously NOT GOOD! :annoyed: :annoyed: :annoyed:

Twinkstarr · Aug 25, 2009

SDKath said:
I thought it is in the old bylaws of certain units (SDO...) that we can have right to deposit the exact week we own. They can't just change that. Where is Pat when we need her?

In my HOA documents with Lakeside Terrace, it says absolutely nothing about Starwood. On depositing, it's make a reservation and then deposit your unit.

Twinkstarr · Aug 25, 2009

DeniseM said:
Actually, I won't!

However, we had a direct trade site that a Tugger set up for private trades and over a period of 2 years - it did not result in a single trade.

What did happen is that the less expensive resorts all put in requests for the more expensive resorts and no one made any exchanges.

I don't even know what to think about Starwood's new plan! Obviously NOT GOOD! :annoyed: :annoyed: :annoyed:

I tried the TUG site, sorry but I had to :hysterical: . Yes I want to give this person my 2br ski week for a week 34 at Christie Lodge(I think I can throw a stone and hit it from LT).

ginsun88 · Aug 25, 2009

barndweller said:
Request first is easy...just hit the request button that is there. All 3 people I talked to kept referring to points. I kept saying I don't own points. I think Starwood has actually assigned us a value in points somehow. Your ownership has a point value and that determines what you can pull. When your request is matched, Starwood gives II a week of appropriate value, I think.

A lot of what I'm saying is speculation. Although, Nick tried to reassure me that it was a much easier system, I am not convinced.

I only see the 2009 deposited weeks I have and, therefore, the only options are to place request (for unredeemed deposit) or review request (for pending request).

Since I own EOY, I'd make my 2011 reservations for the best possible week and only Request First (which I haven't tried):

Request First Exchange Method
1. With the Request First exchange method, Members do not give up the
right to occupy the Home Resort accommodations until an exchange
has been confirmed. Upon Confirmation, however, all rights to the use
of the Home Resort accommodations for the relinquished week(s) are
immediately assigned to II.

2. Exchange requests using the Request First method may be placed up
to 12 months prior to the commencement date of the week(s) being
relinquished for exchange. The requested travel dates must be prior
to or the same as the dates of the week(s) being relinquished.

3. Generally, owners of Floating Time Vacation Interests must first secure a
specific unit and time period at their Home Resort prior to submitting
an exchange request. The reservation information supplied by the Home
Resort must then be submitted to II.

Snorkey · Aug 25, 2009

Starwood going down?

I just heard that Non-SVN owner can't pick the week they can deposit into II or RCI, meaning you won't have power trader in II or RCI.
Do you think Starwood TS will lose more money by doing this? I was bidding on Starwood last weekend but now I am considering different TS like Marriott.
I think more people will be turned away by this action.

Twinkstarr · Aug 25, 2009

rickandcindy23 said:
Julie, this is very concerning. I hope they don't really just randomly give us a week that is going to be a poor trader.

What do you think Cindy? They want to keep those better weeks for the internal trades(SVN). Too many voluntary resorts are being resold and declining the # available in SVN. Okay going conspiracy theory here.

Or the more common explanation, keep all the good weeks for owners who will actually use them.

Gosh I'm going off on a rant.:rofl:

James1975NY · Aug 25, 2009

barndweller said:
I just spent 90 minutes on the phone. I worked my way from Veronica to Nicki and then up to a problem resolution guy Nick. He says they have implimented a new system that will make the process easier and smoother. What it really does is guarantee that Starwood controls all deposits at II. Here's the bottom line for non-network owners...

In order to search beyond 12 months you must call Starwood and tell them you want to search with your unit. They will assign you a code that represents your reserved week and you then have the ability to search for 2 years out. You have released your assigned week to Starwood. He assured me that if you don't exchange then you can take your week back at any time. (Do we believe that?)He also said that trade power will not be affected. I told him that I believe that Starwood has taken over my weeks without my permission and that this is a legal issue. I will be writing to the attorney general of Arizona.

Barndweller. Did you call Starwood directly to make a transaction or just to discuss deposit process for non-SVN members? If so, were you trying to deposit a week and request an exchange? Can you describe specifically what you were trying to do?

I may ask more questions on the situation as I try to understand where they are coming from with their "improved process". I think that I can explain in better terms what the enhancements may or may not be.

James1975NY · Aug 25, 2009

Snorkey said:
I just heard that Non-SVN owner can't pick the week they can deposit into II or RCI, meaning you won't have power trader in II or RCI.
Do you think Starwood TS will lose more money by doing this? I was bidding on Starwood last weekend but now I am considering different TS like Marriott.
I think more people will be turned away by this action.

I would hold tight until we all know better what is going on with the new process and how it really affects the owner base and trading. At this stage in the game, it is too early to tell whether or not any changes have a negative impact or otherwise.

rickandcindy23 · Aug 25, 2009

How many people are as knowedgeable as TUG members, and how few of us there are, compared to the number of owners? I would bet we make up < 1% of the total ownership. Why can't they just leave things alone. :annoyed:

chalee94 · Aug 25, 2009

Snorkey said:
Do you think Starwood TS will lose more money by doing this? I was bidding on Starwood last weekend but now I am considering different TS like Marriott.

if you check out the long thread on the marriott board, they have their own (potential) problems.

Twinkstarr · Aug 25, 2009

rickandcindy23 said:
How many people are as knowedgeable as TUG members, and how few of us there are, compared to the number of owners? I would bet we make up < 1% of the total ownership. Why can't they just leave things alone. :annoyed:

Because they are trying to make it easy for the other 99%, or take advantage of them, which ever way you want to look at it.

James1975NY · Aug 25, 2009

The population here is easily less than 1% of the owner base. Process improvement will always target the masses as this is where you will see your greatest return on capital spent for the improvement. The question is did they really eliminate a non-SVN member's ability to deposit a specific week and we do not clearly know the answer to that yet....

Denise L · Aug 25, 2009

Ugh, this whole thing makes me sick :annoyed: . Legally, there must be something written somewhere that prohibits them from doing this to us.

In the meantime...

So if we want to deposit into another exchange company besides II, how does that work? Can we reserve the week we want first, then tell the other exchange company which week?

My weeks can use RCI (is that worse?!) also. Is that opening up a bigger can of worms?

:annoyed:

Denise L · Aug 25, 2009

barndweller said:
I was asked several times during the 90 minutes if I wanted to join the network.

Interesting. Did he tell you a price?

rickandcindy23 · Aug 25, 2009

James is right, we don't really know if this is bad for us or not.

I suppose we need to wait a while and see what happens.

Starwood Has Won [Unilateral II Changes] [merged]

barndweller

Twinkstarr

barndweller

Twinkstarr

ginsun88

barndweller

barndweller

Twinkstarr

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite

SDKath

DeniseM

Twinkstarr

Twinkstarr

ginsun88

Snorkey

Twinkstarr

James1975NY

James1975NY

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite

chalee94

Twinkstarr

James1975NY

Denise L

Tug Review Crew: Veteran

Denise L

Tug Review Crew: Veteran

rickandcindy23

TUG Review Crew: Elite