# Shell Vacation Club



## llum_99

I am in negotiations with a family member to 'take over' a Shell Vacation Club points program.  Total Shell points in a year is 12,000.  Annual costs are fairly high- almost $2k.

From my investigation so far, it appears that the 12,000 points is quite a bit, when comparing the Shell grids on what it takes to go on vacation, etc.

Can anyone comment on Shell Vacation Club?  How easy is it to trade? How 'powerful' are the Shell points?   How is the 'short-notice' success rate w/in Shell?

I get very confused when looking at the RCI points grid as they're on a different scale than the Shell points.

Just trying to make sure I don't get into something that is so restrictive that I cannot use.

Thank you for your input.


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## Bill4728

llum_99 said:
			
		

> I am in negotiations with a family member to 'take over' a Shell Vacation Club points program.  Total Shell points in a year is 12,000.  Annual costs are fairly high- almost $2k.From my investigation so far, it appears that the 12,000 points is quite a bit, when comparing the Shell grids on what it takes to go on vacation, etc.


Good - 12K pts is enough to do 2 weeks at most all Shell resorts during platinum season. 
Bad- 2K MF is a huge amount for 2 week vacationing a year. This is the main bad point of shell vacations "High MF" their fees are twice similar TS companies MF and twice the MF of the non-shell units in shell managed locations.


> Can anyone comment on Shell Vacation Club?  How easy is it to trade? How 'powerful' are the Shell points?


You can use your shell point to reserve at all the many shell locations, which makes Shell points very good. I'm not sure how long before check-in you're allowed to make reservations. or how hard it is to make these reservations.


> I get very confused when looking at the RCI points grid as they're on a different scale than the Shell points.


 Shell points and RCI points have nothing to do with one another. The RCI points needed are not relevant, Shell charges you Shell points to access all RCI locations outside of the shell network. 

Good Luck

PS shell points are generally considered to be a good price at $1.00 /point so this package is worth about $12K.


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## JanB

IMHO - Shell Vacation Club has some beautiful properties in desireable locations.  I have no personal experience as a SVC owner, but, from what I've read here on TUG, many SVC owners are very happy with their ability to access SVC resorts, air travel, car rentals, hotels, etc., without having to trade through RCI.  I believe Shell maintenance fees are on the same scale as Marriott, Hilton, and Westin and the quality of most their resorts are also.  Not sure of their trading power with RCI, but would think they would be good.  

That said, I HATE THEIR PRESENTATIONS and avoid them like the plague (they want me to turn over my deed and pay them to do it!)  Also, I am very skeptical of owning "a piece of the Club" rather than a deed.  If the club goes under, you have nothing!......But, if I could buy resale at a bargain basement price - "who knows what lurkes in the hearts of men (and women)


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## rbrougham

I own SVC and have been very pleased with the resorts.  I own other fixed weeks and floating weeks as well, but greatly prefer the points system.  Being semi-retired, I have the option of traveling during mid-week (lower point cost) and like taking three and four day trips.

The reservation window varies depending on your "home resort."  You can book more than a year in advance at the home or nine months in advance for other resorts.  

Shell negotiates the conversion of SVC points into RCI through the 800 number.  I've not used that service, so I can't tell you how well it works.


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## oulmanpe

*Membership Termination*

Can anyone tell me if there is any legal way to terminate a Shell Vacations Club membership? We have a deeded membership in one of the S.F., CA clubs. We only have 1500 points per year and I feel were given a huge misrepresentation of what we could expect to get for our points. Now we pay more in annual maintenance fees then we have ever gotten out of the club. Our original 'mortgage' loan payment is paid off so I am willing to give the thing away, I just want out!! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.


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## Hoc

oulmanpe said:


> I just want out!! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.



List it for sale on ebay for a dollar.  Someone will bid, and you'll get something near fair market value for it.


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## oulmanpe

Hoc said:


> List it for sale on ebay for a dollar.  Someone will bid, and you'll get something near fair market value for it.



Thanks Hoc. I've contemplated the Ebay route as well. I would rather find a legal way to just cancel my membership agreement and quit claim my deed, but I'm sure it is near impossible.


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## nightnurse613

Not sure but, I think when you sell it your membership is terminated???


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## rickandcindy23

oulmanpe said:


> Thanks Hoc. I've contemplated the Ebay route as well. I would rather find a legal way to just cancel my membership agreement and quit claim my deed, but I'm sure it is near impossible.



Sell it on ebay and have the bidder choose a closing company at their own cost.  Timeshare Transfer is just $300 for the complete closing, including escrow.  Definitely don't pay someone to take it off your hands because there is value.


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## rbrougham

Might be possible to add your ownership to an existing member at minimum cost.  Understand about how hard it is to get value from minor point totals.  What is the MF on your points?  

_Advertising of any kind is not permitted on these boards.   Please refrain from doing so in the future._


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## Bill4728

oulmanpe said:


> Can anyone tell me if there is any legal way to terminate a Shell Vacations Club membership? We have a deeded membership in one of the S.F., CA clubs. We only have 1500 points per year and I feel were given a huge misrepresentation of what we could expect to get for our points. Now we pay more in annual maintenance fees then we have ever gotten out of the club. Our original 'mortgage' loan payment is paid off so I am willing to give the thing away, I just want out!! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.




Shell memberships sell all the time for $1/point on Ebay. So I would expect that your membership is worth ~$1,500. There is a TS resale company in AZ which sells lots of Shell www.timeshareaz.com I'd talk to them.


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## DeniseM

Bill4728 said:


> Shell memberships sell all the time for $1/point on Ebay. So I would expect that your membership is worth ~$1,500. There is a TS resale company in AZ which sells lots of Shell www.timeshareaz.com I'd talk to them.



I talked to this poster and 1,500 points won't even get you a weekend in San Francisco and his MF is over $400.  When you average it out, that's more than I pay for my Starwood MF for a 2 bdm. on Maui!


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## Bill4728

DeniseM said:


> I talked to this poster and 1,500 points won't even get you a weekend in San Francisco and his MF is over $400.  When you average it out, that's more than I pay for my Starwood MF for a 2 bdm. on Maui!


Shell has very high MFs. It is one of the worst features of the shell memberships. My MFs at a Shell managed TS in BC is very reasonable but the MFs for the same TS in Shell points would be amost double what I currently pay.


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## oulmanpe

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. There were a couple of questions regarding the MF. Mine are approx. $400/yr. I am in the CA home club region which includes S.F. and Anaheim. Best regards, Pete


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## ShellGame2

*Shell Vacations Club - Ripp-Off Scam Warning*

As a current Shell Vacations Club member, I am going to explain why you SHOULD NOT own a Shell Vacations Club membership. The program is riddled with ways to steal your hard earned vacation money.

http://shellvacationsclub.blogspot.com/

_Removed Ad solicitation.   
ouaifer, Moderator_


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## Bill4728

Shell Vacations is no more of a rip off than any TS developer which sells their TS for 2 - 10 times more than they can be purchased via resale. 

You said in your blog that 1,500 points sell for $9,000. But today there are many offers to sell shell points at <$1/pt. (or $1500). 

Why are people paying SVC 6 times more than resale?  People just will not research their TS purchases like they will research other big ticket purchases. 
They will go into a TS presenation without any idea that they can buy the same thing for much less.


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## CatLovers

*The Shell Vacation club is great, it's how you got your points that's the problem*

Gotta agree with you Bill.  I'm a very happy SVC owner but .... I bought resale (just like I bought all my other timeshares) at <$1 per point, and I love what it gets me.  Sorry, ShellGame, I think you're upset because you got suckered into a slick timeshare presentation, and quite honestly, every single timeshare sales company is known for their slick timeshare salespeople.  

It sounds like you've made the big mistake that brought lots of people to this board in the first place - they got caught up in the hype and glitz of the sales presentation.  Since you're stuck with your purchase now, why don't you hang out a little bit longer and learn more about how to make the best use of what you've got.  There are lots of great insights available from the people who frequent this board.

Btw ShellGame, if you really hate your SVC membership, you can sell it on E-bay, but you will get less than $1 per point for it.  I still recommend that you figure out how to make it work for you instead!


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## re991

llum_99 said:


> From my investigation so far, it appears that the 12,000 points is quite a bit, when comparing the Shell grids on what it takes to go on vacation, etc.
> 
> Can anyone comment on Shell Vacation Club?  How easy is it to trade? How 'powerful' are the Shell points?   How is the 'short-notice' success rate w/in Shell?



I've had great success trading with Shell.  My understanding is that they pull in everything in the RCI inventory.  I've gotten three trades considered difficult and one along the coast over a holiday week.  I've got another timeshare that is rated RID.  I dumped my RCI membership because I only got bad trades with my other timeshare and RCI.

For RCI Exchanges 12,000 points can get you about two and a half weeks red season in a two bedroom each year, OR 3 weeks in a one bedroom red season and 5 nights Sunday-Thurdsay in a studio in red season, OR two weeks in a red season two bedroom and one week in a red season studio and $60 in gift cards.

Although the dues are expensive it includes the RCI membership.  The RCI membership only works with Shell points and you will have to pay for an RCI membership for any other timeshare.  I've called Shell many times and rarely have to wait on hold.  Shell does both the internal reservation and RCI exchange reservations so it only takes one call to shop for an internal reservation or an RCI exchange.  RCI points partners is another department and requires a separate phone call.

There is a $129 annual club fee in the dues that includes the RCI membership.  This makes the small accounts more expensive per night.  It's best to go over 6,000 annual points because that increases the housekeepings from 2 to 4.  Because the club fee is fixed the larger the account the less impact the club fee has on the per night cost. 

Although the Shell dues are high and the points for the new Napa peoperty are high my cost for a week as a Shell member is 40-55% lower than the price on Expedia without including the taxes on Expedia.  On average about half the price of Expedia.  That's my goal for using my timeshare.  About half price.


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## kvp

re991 said:


> There is a $129 annual club fee in the dues that includes the RCI membership.  This makes the small accounts more expensive per night.  It's best to go over 6,000 annual points because that increases the housekeepings from 2 to 4.  Because the club fee is fixed the larger the account the less impact the club fee has on the per night cost.



What do you mean by "increased the housekeepings from 2 to 4"?

We bought 1,250 points in March 2006 from Shell (before I knew about TUG) for about $8,000! Way too much money!  We have the worst buyer's remorse from this purchase. We were on vacation in SF when we did the presentation. Don't even recall them going over the Right of Rescission. I looked for it when we got home, but by that time it was too late.

Just last week somebody bought 1,250 points on eBay for less than $200; and somebody got 2,500 points for about $500. I’m considering adding to my points, just trying to decide if I want to spend the money on maintenance fees. If I get 2,500 more points, with the 1,250 we already have; we’ll be paying a little over $1,000 MF for 3,750 points. 
Being a Shell member makes it easier to get into their resort, obviously. I have been searching for Kona in Hawaii and Vino Bello in Napa. Couldn’t find anything through RCI; but the resorts were available through Shell. We love staying at the Shell Kauai Coast at the Beach Boy too.

Kathy


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## CatLovers

kvp said:


> What do you mean by "increased the housekeepings from 2 to 4"?



Depending on the number of points you own, you are entitled to a certain number of housekeepings a year.  If you go to the Members Only section of the SVC website and look under Club Fees, you can find out more.  Essentially, you get two free housekeepings per year if you own less than 6,000 points - so if you vacation for two weeks, you'll get one housekeeping mid-week for each week.  At 6,000 you bump up to 4, and at 12,000 you bump up to 6.  Additional housekeepings cost more depending on where you vacation and what size unit you are in.

Sorry to hear that you bought your points from the developer.  It makes the MF hit feel worse.   The MF hit per point does go down after you own more than 2000 because anything above that is on a per point rate.  So actually the more points you own, the cheaper it is per point.  I know that a lot of people on TUG feel that the MFs are too high.  I am in the minority in that I think they're actually very reasonable for what you get in terms of locations and quality of the resorts.  I guess part of it comes from the fact that we own quite a few points, bought earlier this year, and so our MFs per point are lower.  

PM me if you want more clarity on the MFs.


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## mepiccolo

I may be a little late posting here since I just got back from vacation, one week at the Shell Kauai Coast Resort at the Beach Boy and one week at the Westin Kaanapali Ocean Resort Villas.  We own 2 bdrm OF at both resorts (or I should say for SVC we own enough points to get this once a year in Hawaii at any resort).

I will say this:  My MF for Shell are lower than my Westin MF and believe it or not it seemed to me like we got more for SVC than we did for WKORV.  I mean if you just compare Islands I would say Kauai is much prettier, if you compare the beaches it seems Maui is far superior for snorkeling, calm warm water, but I'm comparing resorts here.  The SVC Beach Boy in Kauai is in excellent condition.  The Hawaiian style furniture is exquisitely beautiful and in excellent condition and the kitchen was better stocked at the Beach Boy.  There was even a pancake griddle!  We were given coffee, plenty of paper towels, tp, windex and a couple of boxes of detergent (1 load).  The plates were beautiful-Hawaiian themed, I believe every time I walked I saw housecleaning, maintenance or the gardeners working away keeping this place immaculate.  Every day we stayed at the Beach Boy we loved it even more.  We are even thinking of adding more points.  The one time we called maintenance they were there within 2 minutes! (our sons played with the safe and messed up the code to open it).  We could not say enough pleasant things about that resort-it so far surpassed our expectations as we had bought on the resale market sight unseen.  There was always plenty of lounges right by the pool and they allowed you to move the lounges near your rooms (we were on the first floor) or down to the beach area.  I don't think you could get any closer to the beach than this resort is.  Anyway I'm getting a little carried away here but I will happily hand my check over for MF to SVC because I know that they use it wisely and maintain our home resort top notch.  Oh yeah, and at mid-week cleaning they gave me more laundry detergent, more paper towels and even more coffee!  Westin on the other hand....hmmm....no Windex, one box of laundry detergent, one thing of regular coffee and one thing of decaf.  Mid-week cleaning NOTHING was replenished-not even tp.  And the condition of the furniture is like the condition of furniture at a 2 star hotel-really in bad condition.  What genius decided to put that kind of furniture at a beach resort???  The couches and chairs were stained.  The can opener was broken.  My sister was in the lock-off unit and all week long her door did not shut right-it was off the hinges and maintenance did not/could not fix it right so we just lived with it like that all week.  The condition of WKORV has worsened so much in just the one year since we went last year we're bummed to think of what condition it will be in next year.  I mean the place is only a few years old!  So I also would like to complain about MF but not for our SVC timeshare-you come away from your vacation feeling that your MF dollar was well spent there.


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## kvp

CatLovers said:


> PM me if you want more clarity on the MFs.



I was going to PM you, but I thought perhaps other people would be interested in more info since this is a SVC thread.

I probably could use more points as I borrowed points from this year last year; and if I want to use points today, I'll have to borrow from next year. I'm still watching resale points; so maybe I'll add more points to bring down the MF per point. 

Thanks for the info!

Kathy


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## CatLovers

kvp said:


> I was going to PM you, but I thought perhaps other people would be interested in more info since this is a SVC thread.



What questions can I try and answer?  I certainly don't know it all, but I'm learning, and others on the BBS will chime in, I'm sure, as needed.


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## myip

How many points do you need to book Kauai Coast Resort at the Beach Boy Ocean Front unit?


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## blr666

See the following points for Beachboy:

Platinum 01-Jan - 07-Jan
29-Jan - 29-Apr
02-Jul - 14-Oct
12-Nov - 02-Dec
17-Dec - 31-Dec
Studio 700 600 450 3950
1BR 750 700 550 4550
1BR View 950 850 650 5550
2BR 1050 950 750 6250
2BR View 1100 100 0 850 6750
Gold 08-Jan - 28-Jan
30-Apr - 01-Jul
15-Oct - 11-Nov
03-Dec - 16-Dec
Studio 650 600 400 3700
1BR 700 650 500 4200
1BR View 850 800 600 5100
2BR 1000 850 700 5800
2BR View 1050 95 0 750 6250


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## Jennie

Once you confirm a week using your Shell Points, are you permitted to rent it to someone? If so, are there any extra fees (e.g. guest certificates?).

If you confirm a week and are unable to use it, do you have the option to cancel and request another week? If so, any fees charged?

I am trying to assist an elderly woman who owns 2 separate "contracts" (is that the correct term?)a total of 20,000 points (unfortunately bought from the developer at full price--ouch!). Her husband made the purchases two years apart, and died suddenly after the second purchase. The widow has no clue what to do with the Points, except to pay the hefty maintenance fees each year. She has no desire to travel anymore. I am thinking of helping her reserve some good weeks to rent out (if that is permitted) until she is able to sell them. 

If she wishes to sell all or 1/2 of her Points to a trusted friend, could the transaction be handled through Shell, without using a closing company? It's paid in full and the maintenance fees are up-to-date.

Does Shell have a ROFR? If so, do they tend to exercise it? 

Thank you so much for any help or advice you can offer re: any of the above questions.


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## Bill4728

Jennie said:


> I am trying to assist an elderly woman who owns 2 separate "contracts" (is that the correct term?)a total of 20,000 points (unfortunately bought from the developer at full price--ouch!). Her husband made the purchases two years apart, and died suddenly after the second purchase. The widow has no clue what to do with the Points, except to pay the hefty maintenance fees each year. She has no desire to travel anymore. I am thinking of helping her reserve some good weeks to rent out (if that is permitted) until she is able to sell them.


  Renting them to recover the MF is a great idea. 



> If she wishes to sell all or 1/2 of her Points to a trusted friend, could the transaction be handled through Shell, without using a closing company? It's paid in full and the maintenance fees are up-to-date.


If she owns two 10K contracts, that what she owns and she should sell them seperately. Shell points sell for about $1 /pt so she should hope for about $10K each. I believe that Shell like to close the sales of their resorts, so Shell can do the closings. Just be sure there is a clearly written sales agreement which states what everyone is expected to get and pay. 



> Does Shell have a ROFR? If so, do they tend to exercise it?


If shell has ROFR ( i don't know), either they will take the unit or not, either way she sold it. So it doesn't matter to the seller.


There is a TS sales company in AZ which has lots of shell point for sale. They may be a good place to star asking questions.  www.timeshareaz.com


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## kvp

Just don’t sell the points on eBay. eBay is great for buying points though. I just won a bid on eBay for 1,250 Shell points (West) for $100 plus closing costs, resort transfer fee, and the 2007 maintenance fee. Last year I paid Shell $8,000 for 1,500 points . This still doesn't give me enough points for a 1 BD in Kauai in the summer. I think my maintenance fees will be around $900 for the 2,750 points. Of course, if I spend Monday thru Wednesday, the points are much less than staying over a weekend. Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Kathy


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## CatLovers

May I also suggest that you read thru the SVC points knowledge thread in the Sticky section on this forum.



Jennie said:


> Once you confirm a week using your Shell Points, are you permitted to rent it to someone? If so, are there any extra fees (e.g. guest certificates?).


Yes, you can rent your week to someone else.  You simply put the reservation in the other person's name.  There is no additional guest certificate fee, but you are only permitted a certain number of transactions per year (2 for most people) with Shell, and if this exceeds that number, then you pay a $25 transaction fee.  If you put the reservation in the other person's name at the same time that you make it, it is considered a single transaction.



Jennie said:


> If you confirm a week and are unable to use it, do you have the option to cancel and request another week? If so, any fees charged?


Yes you can cancel (and request another week) as long as it is not within the 60 day window.  A transaction fee (as explained above) may apply.  Within the 60-day window, there are penalties.



Jennie said:


> I am thinking of helping her reserve some good weeks to rent out (if that is permitted) until she is able to sell them.


Good idea!



Jennie said:


> If she wishes to sell all or 1/2 of her Points to a trusted friend, could the transaction be handled through Shell, without using a closing company? It's paid in full and the maintenance fees are up-to-date.


Yes.



Jennie said:


> Does Shell have a ROFR?


I am almost certain they do not.  We recently purchased points very inexpensively off E-bay, and there was no ROFR that came into play.


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## CatLovers

kvp said:


> I just won a bid on eBay for 1,250 Shell points (West) for $100 plus closing costs, resort transfer fee, and the 2007 maintenance fee.



Be aware that SVC operates on a "home club" system i.e. Hawaii, West, etc.  IMO, it is to your advantage to buy all your points within the same home club.  Two reasons.  One, you can take advantage of a lower MF per point since they are calculated by home clubs and anything over 2,000 points within one home club is charged at a MF per point.  Two, in order to take advantage of the 12-month booking window, your points must be within the home club of the area that you are trying to book into.  Otherwise, the 9-month rule applies.

Kathy, as I suggested to the previous poster, and if you haven't already, may I also recommend that you read thru the SVC points knowledge thread in the Sticky section on this forum.  It may help clarify some of the bigger things.


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## Jennie

Hi CatLovers,

The info in the "sticky" has been a Godsend to me and many other TUG members. I found it right after I became aware of my friend Linda's plight a couple of weeks ago. I was dreading all the research I was going to have to do to help her. And voile! it was all there "sitting on a silver platter." Can't thank you enough for taking the time to post it. People like you make TUG the great caring sharing community it is.


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## kvp

CatLovers said:


> Be aware that SVC operates on a "home club" system i.e. Hawaii, West, etc.  IMO, it is to your advantage to buy all your points within the same home club.



Our home club points we bought from the developer are West; and the eBay points are West. I'll make sure to confirm when I get the contract.


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## Kona Lovers

When we originally bought our SVC points we were in Hawaii and they sold us on the "buy West coast points, and trade into Hawaii".  We were very new to TS then and bought that line, quickly finding out that we didn't buy near enough to trade into Hawaii.  We had to buy more points, so we ended up with enough, and have traded into Hawaii, but not with Shell.  We've gotten some other excellent trades accessing RCI.  I say that to caution anyone that Shell West points CAN trade into Hawaii, but don't necessarily expect Shell properties, due to only having the 9 month window.
As a side note, we looked into our "home club"-West, and found that the resorts  largely do not suit us for our vacationing needs.  What we've discovered through this, though, is that when you come to what appears to be a dead end, using some imagination and flexibility, you can usually make it work for you.

Marty


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## Andar

We really want to thank the posters on this thread for their feedback and knowledge re: Shell Vacation Club.   
We were in S.F. and paused on Fisherman's Wharf.  Immediately, we were approached and invited to a sales presentation for SVC.   I have wanted to learn more about the points system since we only own a deeded week TS.   So we agreed to go in two days which gave us time to log into TUG..  Of course because of TUG we knew better than to buy from the developer,  but the information on this site really helped us know more than the sales rep about the vacation club.  He didn't know how far ahead you could reserve. Stated that you could use your points the same all over the world and it didn't matter in which was your home club. The first person was suppose to only sell us on vacationing according to the third person that was doing a the survey/evaluation of our experience during the presentation.   The first guy's  job wasn't hard as we are newly retired and will vacation whenever we have the opportunity.   

 The second person, the "closer"  was pretty offensive.   When asked what we thought about paying $60,000 for elite status and 15,000 points,  we told her it was very high since we could buy points for between .25 and .50 each.  She said "I don't think " and  then preceded to go  into how many "white glove" services we would lose.  She even said we could have a private plane for our points and book any time anywhere.   We pointed out that that was not how we vacationed.  We stay a week and make our own arrangements.  The other thing that really bugged me was they kept saying,  " wouldn't you rather use free points for a vacation than your hard earn cash?"   They  charge between 4.25 and 5.15 per point (fuzzy math); I just don't see how that is free. 

So the third person, the evaluator,  finally accepted  that we were not going to buy from the developer so we left with our free lunch, $100 in gas cards and a Macy's gift card.      
The people on this board are great.   If we do decide to buy another TS you can bet we will research it thoroughly here first.  Thanks for every one's posts


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## Liz Wolf-Spada

Just came back from a timshare SVC presentation at Kona Coast in Hawaii. The salesman was very knowledgeable, even knew a lot from TUG and not high pressure at all. It was very informative. He definitely validated the general Tug feeling that RCI is not a good place for week owners and was able to explain to me why that is so. (Not sure I can reexplain correctly).

We didn't buy, but we did buy the $2000 Explorer package that gives us 6,000 points to use in 2 years, plus another 1500 points to use in one year and if we can arrange it, a $299 6 nights in Hawaii at one of Shell's resorts in exchange for an opportunity for them to try to sell us again.

I love being in Hawaii and I really like Paniolo Green which is less points than Kona Coast. I also saw that Inn at the Opera is less points than Donnatello and we do go see my son in San Francisco, so that may work for us.

No way I am going to be paying $10,000 for 1500 points and an additional $500 MF, but when we were on a cocktail boat trip in Kona I was speaking with a couple who were there with extended family and their parents had originally spent $80,000 on a points club (Worldmark) and had just spent another $48,000 to add more points. 

Liz


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## kvp

Liz Wolf-Spada said:


> We didn't buy, but we did buy the $2000 Explorer package that gives us 6,000 points to use in 2 years, plus another 1500 points to use in one year and if we can arrange it, a $299 6 nights in Hawaii at one of Shell's resorts in exchange for an opportunity for them to try to sell us again.



Wow. I wish they had offered me 6,000 points for $2,000. I paid $8,000 for 1,500 points 

I almost bought 1,250 points on eBay for a good price; but some personal problems got in the way. Perhaps if things get better, I'll have the opportunity to add to my Shell points with an eBay purchase.

Kathy


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## Liz Wolf-Spada

I know, exactly. I was happy with the 30 cents a point try out offer but then to buy points (this is just a one time use), it goes up to $5.70 or something a point. Ouch. That's plus mfees. I figure this try out program is probably the price of mfees.
Liz


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## Picker57

oulmanpe said:


> Thanks Hoc. I've contemplated the Ebay route as well. I would rather find a legal way to just cancel my membership agreement and quit claim my deed, but I'm sure it is near impossible.



I've browsed, and used, Timesharestogo.com.  They seem like a pretty stand-up brokerage. Interesting site, too.


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## Picker57

*Bringing in resale points*

New question:  If/when you buy resale points, how do you go about registering them with SVC?  Does the seller sign off on a Shell form? How do you make the point with SVC that these are to be added into an existing account, etc.?  
      Thanks,
                  ----Zach


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## THECAT

*Just say "No, thanks!"*

I have not been happy with Shell Points since I purchased 4,000 at a dollar per two weeks after the cost (unbeknownst to me) doubled.  The $500.00 annual fee gets me a 1 BR annually if I want something on the west coast or Arizona if anything decent is available.

Find a friend who has an RCI membership and ask them to book Extra vacations for you and pay them an extra $50.00 and you will save lots of money and can go many more great locations.


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## Bill4728

THECAT said:


> I have not been happy with Shell Points since I purchased 4,000 at a dollar per two weeks after the cost (unbeknownst to me) doubled.  The $500.00 annual fee gets me a 1 BR annually if I want something on the west coast or Arizona if anything decent is available.



What?  Are you unhappy because because you're not getting the vacations you wanted or because you paid too much ( I can't figure out what you paid) ?

_At most of the shell resorts which I've seen, 4000 pts will not get me a 2 bedroom during the prime travel times.  One of the things I don't like about Shell is that they make it seem that 1500 pts is a good starter amount of points and 4000 will be a great amount to start with. I don't think that is true. 1500 is not enough  points for anythink but a blue week studio and 4000 points is a shoulder season 2 bedroom. IMHO, ~6000 pts is a good 1 week a year starting point into Shell Vacations. Another TS I own does this and it stinks. They sell starter memberships of 4-5 days, EOY which means every 24 months you can stay for 4-5 days.(ugh)_


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## mepiccolo

Picker57 said:


> New question:  If/when you buy resale points, how do you go about registering them with SVC?  Does the seller sign off on a Shell form? How do you make the point with SVC that these are to be added into an existing account, etc.?
> Thanks,
> ----Zach



Normally a closing company is used who takes care of it all.  They give the paperwork to SVC and it takes SVC several weeks (about 2-3 months) to get the transfer done over.  If you want a reservation made in the meanwhile there is a way for the current owner/seller to make the reservation for you and then you get a paper you take with you on your trip.  Make sure to handwrite in on the SVC contract you get that you want these points combined with the account you already have (give the account number) because when we bought additional points we were told all along it wouldn't be a problem and then on the day the transfer was done a gung ho SVC employee was insistent that I could not combine the accounts.  It did get done but I sometimes wonder if it was because we had handwritten into the paperwork that we wanted this done.  (An SVC employee had told me to be sure to do this in fact).  I believe they combine always into the older original account (which was a bummer for us because we wanted the newer account's year useage dates).  But they do combine them, they do combine mf and in fact the new account will no longer exist once they combine the two.  Hope this helps.


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## Picker57

Ah, the fog is lifting. That makes sense. Thank you.

     ------Zach


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## JudyS

THECAT said:


> I have not been happy with Shell Points since I purchased 4,000 at a dollar per two weeks after the cost (unbeknownst to me) doubled. ...


Well, I found that hard to interpret, but it sounds like you are saying that you purchased 4,000 Shell Points at $1 per point, so you paid $4000 for 4000 points.  But, I don't get the part about the  cost doubling, unbeknownst to you, two weeks before buying.  I also don't get why you are unhappy, since $1 a point seem to be the going rate.


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## Picker57

Not sure if this is the appropriate spot for this question, but I'm trying to learn something about Shell's Starr Pass resort in Tucson.  I've seen some varied reviews in Tripadvisor, and I'm wondering if there are two different sections (like Plaza Pelicanos in P.V.).  Any experiences there? 

              -------Zach

GO ROCKIES !!


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## rbrougham

I'm an SVC member and have stayed at Starr Pass several times.  The units are two-bedroom lock offs and very nice.  Project is west of Tucson and some folks find that too isolated for them.

The front desk for the units is at the golf club house, then  a short drive to the units.  Golf course is terrific, club house is nice.  But the shutttle to the JW Marriott is truly great amenity.  Drinks on the patio there is a great end to a day.

Happy to answer any questions that you have.

Go Rockies also.


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## CodyY

Liz Wolf-Spada said:


> Just came back from a timshare SVC presentation at Kona Coast in Hawaii. The salesman was very knowledgeable, even knew a lot from TUG and not high pressure at all. It was very informative. He definitely validated the general Tug feeling that RCI is not a good place for week owners and was able to explain to me why that is so. (Not sure I can reexplain correctly).
> 
> We didn't buy, but we did buy the $2000 Explorer package that gives us 6,000 points to use in 2 years, plus another 1500 points to use in one year and if we can arrange it, a $299 6 nights in Hawaii at one of Shell's resorts in exchange for an opportunity for them to try to sell us again.
> 
> No way I am going to be paying $10,000 for 1500 points and an additional $500 MF, but when we were on a cocktail boat trip in Kona I was speaking with a couple who were there with extended family and their parents had originally spent $80,000 on a points club (Worldmark) and had just spent another $48,000 to add more points.
> 
> Liz



BUMP from way back.

Currently staying at the Kona Coast Resort, and had the presentation yesterday. They seem to be making deals these days.  My Wife and I are only 31 & 29, so I feel like we'll be making use of the point system over the course of our lifetime.

Current deal is:

California Deed gets you 5 for 3 on points (till Nov 1st)
I'm at "owner" pricing for my points
the base 1250pt program usually $9950, now $7800 (roughly)
EXTRA WEEKS program usually only for ELITE members.  Gets me anything in the RCI book worldwide for a flat fee or 700pts.


The thing that really intrigues us is the ability to use the ExtraWeeks program as we don't care about using the same property every vacation.
At this point i'm pretty well sold, but needed time to research SVC and be sure.  So, I got in the EXPLORER program at $1599, this locks my deal in above and gets me 6000 points good for two years, plus my 6000 points goes into my kitty if I have not used them.  It's kinda like going to the car dealer on labor day weekend and they make you a deal you can't refuse.

Our problem is the researching time, and the fact that we're on our honeymoon and trying to buy a house, her new job, my slow season..... yadda yadda.  It's just bad timing, so for $116 deposit I locked us in with what I think is a good package for our future needs. Oh, and got another week in Hawaii voucher for $299  

Thoughts?  Have they sweetened the pot enough? I figure I'll always be able to buy more points on the secondary market, and the major selling point for us is the ability to go get a studio or 1br (or my parents, her parents, etc) anywhere in the world on the cheap, we can plan our vacations around the availability.  We're adventurous and not "touristy".


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## aliikai2

*Well, you have bought the mini farm so to speak*

You paid $1600 to use some surplus space that they normally use for ad promotions. The basic SVC program is ok, except their annual fees are brutal. 

The idea that you are going to get all these great 700 point trades is more timeshare weasel speak, which needs to be taken with a truck load of salt. 

You can't get hurt too bad for $1600, but paying $7850 for 1250 points when you can get 6500 for free on ebay with this years use, is insane.

If you are still there, see if you can get out of this package, for $1600 you can own a really nice prime week or a large point package that would be more usable . 

Then take your time and learn about timeshare, then and only then make your 1st purchase.

jmho,

Greg



CodyY said:


> BUMP from way back.
> 
> Currently staying at the Kona Coast Resort, and had the presentation yesterday. They seem to be making deals these days.  My Wife and I are only 31 & 29, so I feel like we'll be making use of the point system over the course of our lifetime.
> 
> Current deal is:
> 
> California Deed gets you 5 for 3 on points (till Nov 1st)
> I'm at "owner" pricing for my points
> the base 1250pt program usually $9950, now $7800 (roughly)
> EXTRA WEEKS program usually only for ELITE members.  Gets me anything in the RCI book worldwide for a flat fee or 700pts.
> 
> 
> The thing that really intrigues us is the ability to use the ExtraWeeks program as we don't care about using the same property every vacation.
> At this point i'm pretty well sold, but needed time to research SVC and be sure.  So, I got in the EXPLORER program at $1599, this locks my deal in above and gets me 6000 points good for two years, plus my 6000 points goes into my kitty if I have not used them.  It's kinda like going to the car dealer on labor day weekend and they make you a deal you can't refuse.
> 
> Our problem is the researching time, and the fact that we're on our honeymoon and trying to buy a house, her new job, my slow season..... yadda yadda.  It's just bad timing, so for $116 deposit I locked us in with what I think is a good package for our future needs. Oh, and got another week in Hawaii for $299
> 
> Thoughts?  Have they sweetened the pot enough? I figure I'll always be able to buy more points on the secondary market, and the major selling point for us is the ability to go get a studio anywhere in the world on the cheap.


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## chellej

I bought reasale (6750points for ~$300 including closing & first years use).

I have use of the extra weeks in RCI 700 points for anything 45days out.  Keep in mind that as of Jan 2012, RCI will no longer be the exchange company... it will be interval international and they may or may not have that perk.

The things I do not get by buying resale  are not worth the thousands of dollars it costs to get them.  You can get shell points for next to nothing on ebay right now.

I would recind now and figure out if buying through the developeris worth it.....get that info here not from the salesman because if their lips are moving.....


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## CodyY

aliikai2 said:


> You paid $1600 to use some surplus space that they normally use for ad promotions. The basic SVC program is ok, except their annual fees are brutal.
> 
> The idea that you are going to get all these great 700 point trades is more timeshare weasel speak, which needs to be taken with a truck load of salt.
> 
> You can't get hurt too bad for $1600, but paying $7850 for 1250 points when you can get 6500 for free on ebay with this years use, is insane.
> 
> If you are still there, see if you can get out of this package, for $1600 you can own a really nice prime week or a large point package that would be more usable .
> 
> Then take your time and learn about timeshare, then and only then make your 1st purchase.
> 
> jmho,
> 
> Greg



Hawaii ensures you 3 days to recind, so no worries there.

I realize they have to make a living (and a profit), but if we plan to do one week-long trip a year annually, for the next 30 years; $8000 to get in now doesn't seem like a bad idea to swallow. Then i can buy points on the secondary market if it suits me. Mind you, with Shell the points are acquired annually and not one-time. 

I see lots of people discussing the cost of points from Shell, but theyre not a one shot deal, the points are added annually for the one-time price. From what I've been reading all the points on the secondary market are a one-shot deal.

Like i said above, if you like to go one place every year this may not be for you, gowever the incentive of a $275 (off-season studio) to $950/wk (peak seaso  2br) nearly anywhere id ever want to go is incredibly appealing, however im still cautious.

Thanks for the insight, keep em comin.


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## CodyY

chellej said:


> I bought reasale (6750points for ~$300 including closing & first years use).
> 
> I have use of the extra weeks in RCI 700 points for anything 45days out.  Keep in mind that as of Jan 2012, RCI will no longer be the exchange company... it will be interval international and they may or may not have that perk



Noted. Thanks.


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## JROBIN

CodyY said:


> Hawaii ensures you 3 days to recind, so no worries there.
> 
> I realize they have to make a living (and a profit), but if we plan to do one week-long trip a year annually, for the next 30 years; $8000 to get in now doesn't seem like a bad idea to swallow. Then i can buy points on the secondary market if it suits me. Mind you, with Shell the points are acquired annually and not one-time.
> 
> I see lots of people discussing the cost of points from Shell, but theyre not a one shot deal, the points are added annually for the one-time price. From what I've been reading all the points on the secondary market are a one-shot deal.
> 
> Like i said above, if you like to go one place every year this may not be for you, gowever the incentive of a $275 (off-season studio) to $950/wk (peak seaso  2br) nearly anywhere id ever want to go is incredibly appealing, however im still cautious.
> 
> Thanks for the insight, keep em comin.




I think there is a misunderstanding that the points being offered on E-Bay for free are only a 1 time use. The Shell point packages are for the total amount of points *each year*. I do not know if they even offer EOY point packages, but the E-bay descriptions are usually very clear that the points are awarded annually and they are being given away with no closing or transfer costs at all. Here is an auction for 6,650 annual points from a well known postcard reseller:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/6-650-Point...50917230885?pt=Timeshares&hash=item3a6bd51925

This auction is not only giving away the points for free (7,500 annual points), but offering a $50 gift card to take them off of their hands:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/7-500-SHELL...50680516715?pt=Timeshares&hash=item231542386b

Please take some time to investigate this further and if you are still convinced that Shell is a good fit for you, the same deal will be available later, but your clock is ticking on your right to rescind on your current deal.

I actually own 2 units at the Kona Coast Resort, which is managed by Shell, but I do not own points and pay a lower maintenance fee because I do not own points. I use my units annually, so I do not have any interest in converting my deeds to the Shell points plan.


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## aliikai2

*If you have 8k to flush down the toilet*

Go ahead, just remember that 1250 points won't get you more than 2 days in Hawaii, so you will be paying for 2 annual fees to get about 5 days, on top of that $8000  will be gone the minute the rescind period ends as you can't give away that ownership. 

The Ebay units are ownerships, not rentals of one use year, these sold by Shell for Big Bucks and now are being given away to get away from the excessively high annual fees. 

I realize that you are still basking in the warm glow of all the manure the timeshare weasel feed you, but in the cold light of reality this is a terrible deal from a so-so company that will haunt you and your wallet for many years.

 Mark my words, RESCIND your deal now, then research and you will see that we here do in fact know what we are taking about. 

I have turned down several 7500,12000,20000 Shell point packages for free with the seller paying all costs and this years fees because next year and forever after I would be losing money as I can't rent these out for more than the annual fee.

jmho,

Greg




CodyY said:


> Hawaii ensures you 3 days to recind, so no worries there.
> 
> I realize they have to make a living (and a profit), but if we plan to do one week-long trip a year annually, for the next 30 years; $8000 to get in now doesn't seem like a bad idea to swallow. Then i can buy points on the secondary market if it suits me. Mind you, with Shell the points are acquired annually and not one-time.
> 
> I see lots of people discussing the cost of points from Shell, but theyre not a one shot deal, the points are added annually for the one-time price. From what I've been reading all the points on the secondary market are a one-shot deal.
> 
> Like i said above, if you like to go one place every year this may not be for you, gowever the incentive of a $275 (off-season studio) to $950/wk (peak seaso  2br) nearly anywhere id ever want to go is incredibly appealing, however im still cautious.
> 
> Thanks for the insight, keep em comin.


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## CatLovers

Cody, I was one of the original authors of this thread:
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=44941

Read through it (if you haven't already) to get a better insight into how Shell works.  There have been a few changes since it was first written, the most notable being the upcoming switch from RCI to II on January 1, 2012, but for the most part, it will give you some good perspectives on the program.

We are HUGE Shell fans!  We love their properties and the service from their staff, particularly at their Hawaii properties.  BUT ... we purchased all our points on the resale market.  There are some benefits that you get from purchasing directly from Shell, but IMO, they are definitely not worth the differential you pay by going direct versus resale.  We definitely don't think their annual maintenance fees are expensive for what you get, compared to similar properties, but again, it makes sense for us because we paid pennies on the dollar for the original purchase.  

So I'm not sure if you understand fully, so I'll just lay out how the payments work.  You have to purchase points first, and that's just to get the rights to use them every year; sort of equivalent to buying the deed (but not really, it's a trust).  So for example, let's say you bought 5,000 points for X dollars (we paid almost nothing for the original purchase on the resale market).  Then EVERY year, you have to pay a maintenance fee on those 5,000 points.  Your total bill will vary because you pay a club fee of $150 PLUS a base fee for a certain first number of points PLUS a per point fee for every point over the base.  So, the more points you have, the less expensive the per point fee becomes because you are spreading the club fee and the base fee over a larger denominator.  We have enough points to give us 2 weeks in a 2-bedroom at the Kona Coast in high season, or almost 3 weeks in a 1-bedroom in the same timeframe.  With this number of points, we pay roughly 19 cents per point.  If you do the math, you'll see that this is a great price for what we get (you're at the Kona Coast, so you know how lovely it is) BUT only because we're not factoring in a large purchase price at the front end.

Good luck, and please do re-think your decision while you still can and you're in the recission period.  Feel free to PM me if you have any further questions.


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## CodyY

Thanks guys, I was unclear on the annual/one-time.

I sabe now, that's why I'm here.  I'm very active on several motorcycle forums and gun forums and know the depth of knowledge that exists.


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## Bill4728

Discussion of this company is in the "Other TS" board so I'm moving this thread there.


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