Interval Gloom and Doom

I have owned Marriott for a decade now and typically have good experiences with Interval. Yesterday's phone call truly irritated me. I deposited a Holiday 2 BD week in Marbella. (With Kauai, I usually deposit week 52). I made a request for Ko Olina, Ocean Club, Frenchman's and St. Kitts. The call went something like this:

II: Did you know that Frenchman and St. Kitts are new? That will be unlikely to match.

Me: Yes, I did know they were new. There will also be developer inventory. In fact, you had a Frenchman just listed as an exchange. Also, I am requesting a year out.

II: You have a 2 BD request down. That will never happen.

Me: Did you know those two resorts only have 2 and 3 BDs? There are no other units?

Silence.........

II: Well, you also have Ko Olina and Ocean Club for 2 BD.

Me: That is b/c when I put 1 BD, II kept offering me a studio which I repeatedly told you I didn't want.

II: Well, we call to offer whatever we have.

Me: Then you will call if you have a 1 BD, right?

II: Not necessarily.

Me: If you can't match my requests and want me to trade for something smaller and less desirable, I doubt I will give you any more weeks. I can direct trade them or rent them. This is exactly why I will never you give you my Harborside week.




This was my courtesy call from the Marriott desk after I placed my on line exchange request. Has anyone else received calls from II telling you that your requests won't match and trying to talk you out of your exchange requests? I can understand if you have a weak trader. But if you put in a top Marriott trader Holiday week, you should be able to trade like for like. It's always worked in the past for me. Do you think everyone is sick of II and their inventory is down??

You can go directly to the MCVI site go to contacts and leave a message for CCO Pete Watzka,one can send email from there. Although it is to praise an employee I would also want to know about poor customer service. I would also call Marriott/II desk and speak to the supervisor's boss. Did you get the rep's name? To say a resort or a 2BD is a difficult trade in a top location or season is understandable but this sounds different. Sorry you encountered someone with an attitude.


Contact Pete Watzka,
Chief Customer Officer

You've just run into II SOP. Whenever I put in a trade request I also go to the profile and change my phone number. Once my trade comes through I then go and change it back. It sure saves me a lot of time in dealing with II phone calls trying to switch me a another trade.

You guys really make me glad I utilize online trading rather than deposit/request. Seems to be less stress but, I'm sure that the tougher exchanges would be best accomplished by on ongoing search rather than going online a couple times a day to look.

SOP is exactly right. The Westgate of exchange co's

EZ-ED said:

You've just run into II SOP. Whenever I put in a trade request I also go to the profile and change my phone number. Once my trade comes through I then go and change it back. It sure saves me a lot of time in dealing with II phone calls trying to switch me a another trade.

Click to expand...

You have it right. II makes it a policy to bug you to change resorts/times/units sizes - always down from what you request. NEVER deposit with II if you must use them as an individual. Only offer them your time as a request first unless you want a trade to off season or a smaller unit than you deposit/request.

I'm not sure that it's as much a policy to call and bug people, but the folks get commission for matching your trade requests. They are incented to get you to take something less.

I'm actually not against this practice if they wouldn't be so brazen in what they try to get you to take:

"I see you have an ongoing request for three Orlando Disney properties. We have a 1BR available at dumpy resort xyz. Would you like that instead? It's a five star property."

Tell me that you have an exchange similar or better than what I requested, and maybe I'll be happy you called.

My solution is simple - I have caller ID and unless it is someone calling that I want to talk to - I don't answer it. If it is something important, they leave a message & I call back.

I look at the phone as something for my convenience not everyone else's.

I have always gotten what I wanted from interval from an ongoing search and gotten good service from the reps when I call.

timeos2 said:

You have it right. II makes it a policy to bug you to change resorts/times/units sizes - always down from what you request. NEVER deposit with II if you must use them as an individual. Only offer them your time as a request first unless you want a trade to off season or a smaller unit than you deposit/request.

Click to expand...

LOL - from the avowed II hater himself - for me, I will continue to use II. I get the trades I want because I plan well in advance. I have found them easy to use and I have not found them all that restrictive when upgrading a studio deposit for a 1 or even two bedroom. My only problem with them is the phone calls, which I've taken care of.

timeos2 said:

You have it right. II makes it a policy to bug you to change resorts/times/units sizes - always down from what you request. NEVER deposit with II if you must use them as an individual. Only offer them your time as a request first unless you want a trade to off season or a smaller unit than you deposit/request.

Click to expand...

I never get bugged by II with pending requests. All you have to do to avoid this is ask that II not call you unless they have an exact match for your request. This has worked for me since 1994.

I have gotten 21 out of 22 requests. Atlantis twice in peak season and same size unit. DVC multiple times, two bedroom units during requested season. My list would go on and on. If you deposit a quality resort in advance you can get just about anything you want.

On the flip side, if you deposit a mediocre resort and request a high end resort, you may not be happy with your results.

i have been using II for approx. 6 years and have only had 1 problem with them. after i got marriott corporate involved. the problem was IMMEDIATELY taken care of (a 3 way conference call to II)to my complete satisfaction. i don't very often make a request first unless i really really need specific area and time frame and then i plan AT LEAST a year out if not longer. i generally just search on line and grab what i want with my reserved week.

tsl,
I have had many experiences similar to yours with II.
Every time I put in an ongoing request, I ask what chance I have for a confirmation. Years ago, the VCs would give me honest answers and if my chances were slim and none, I would change the request then and there. But no more. Now they always tell me that my chances are excellent. Then a few months later (after I've waited and waited and they've had my money all that time), someone will call and tell me my request is impossible and I should take a converted motel in Death Valley in August. Eventually my request usually comes through in spite of what II told me.
I have to give them credit in one case several years ago, a competent VC called me to offer an alternative. She actually figured out what kind of vacation I was looking for and found me something better than I'd requested that I'd simply never thought of.

gmarine said:

I never get bugged by II with pending requests. All you have to do to avoid this is ask that II not call you unless they have an exact match for your request. This has worked for me since 1994.

I have gotten 21 out of 22 requests. Atlantis twice in peak season and same size unit. DVC multiple times, two bedroom units during requested season. My list would go on and on. If you deposit a quality resort in advance you can get just about anything you want.

On the flip side, if you deposit a mediocre resort and request a high end resort, you may not be happy with your results.

Click to expand...

Can you tell me how you got Harborside at Atlantis - what weeks of what resorts did you use for exchange? What weeks did you ask for? Did you use the "request first" method for exchanging?

I have a Marriott Surf Club Platinum Plus Spring Break week (I can therefore also book a Platinum week, free of charge), and a (floating) Week at Palm Springs CA resort (non-Marriott) - for which I get an AC offer for a deposited winter or spring week each year.

No doubt II has it's flaws and idiosycracies. They also have their share of difficult and poorly trained advisors. But overall I have been happy with them and feel they fit my current needs far more than RCI does though I have had my share of horror stories in the past. If Marriott pulls out that may change, we'll see.

I have belonged to RCI for 24 years and II about 4 years and I don't care much for either one, but I've got to say that II makes RCI look great.

I can truthfully say that I have never had one experience with II that has not had problems. Some of the time it has just been mistakes and a few times I think it was deliberate lies.

I am new to II, and have dealt with RCI for 6 years. So far the II counsellors I have spoken with seem terribly unprepared and uninterested. The boredom in their voices comes through loud and clear. I hoped that by explaining that I was a newbie, I would at least get some interest out of them. Nope, enthusiasm was out of the question.:annoyed:

Yep, I had a long rant on this board about two weeks ago about II's incompetence. Since then, they've cancelled an ongoing search, just cancelled it. When I phoned in, I was given some cock and bull story about my resort cancelling it. My MF are paid up to date, the unit isn't even deposited, it had not matched to where II would have contacted the resort, so it sounded strange to me. I phoned my resort - they have absolutely no record of anything to do with this particular week, so an out and out lie. Now I'll have to make absolutely sure my exchange fee was reimbursed.

I'm almost to the point where I'm just going to ask for a supervisor, since every single transaction with a VC I've had to do in the last few weeks has been botched or I've been given information I know is either totally in error or completely untrue.

Good experience with II

Having complained about my experiences with II guides, I must offer an alternate view. I spoke with a guide today who was extremely helpful, friendly, bright and motivated. What a pleasant surprise!

BevL said:

Yep, I had a long rant on this board about two weeks ago about II's incompetence. Since then, they've cancelled an ongoing search, just cancelled it. When I phoned in, I was given some cock and bull story about my resort cancelling it. My MF are paid up to date, the unit isn't even deposited, it had not matched to where II would have contacted the resort, so it sounded strange to me. I phoned my resort - they have absolutely no record of anything to do with this particular week, so an out and out lie. Now I'll have to make absolutely sure my exchange fee was reimbursed.

Click to expand...

They do confirm the week for request first, they don't wait until you match to do so. When I've done request first using Marriott they move it to exchange status in their system but you don't actually give up the week unless they hear from II to do so. To be honest, I actually think they go ahead and give it to II who holds it undeposited unless a match is found and then give it back to Marriott if it's cancelled at any time. Maybe someone else knows for certain the inner workings of the request first.

No doubt either system works much better for those that learn how to use it to their advantage and each has it's advantages and disadvantages.