# HCC - Family & Friends Upgrade



## Troopers (Jul 23, 2008)

Per the website, "High Country Club is pleased to announce that it has waived the $10,000 Family and Friends upgrade fee for all membership types. Family and friends can accompany the member or member's spouse to Club residences at any time. Now, Members can upgrade their membership to allow unaccompanied guests to use the Club residences for a 20 percent increase in annual dues."

Why did HCC charge $10k to allow family and friends to accompany the member?  Or am I interpreting this wrong?


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## LisaH (Jul 23, 2008)

Does sound curious...


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## capjak (Jul 23, 2008)

R Chen said:


> Per the website, "High Country Club is pleased to announce that it has waived the $10,000 Family and Friends upgrade fee for all membership types. Family and friends can accompany the member or member's spouse to Club residences at any time. Now, Members can upgrade their membership to allow unaccompanied guests to use the Club residences for a 20 percent increase in annual dues."
> 
> Why did HCC charge $10k to allow family and friends to accompany the member?  Or am I interpreting this wrong?



It used to be an extra charge to allow family members to go on vacation without the member being present (like a guest certificate).  They waived the fee but still charge extra dues if you want that option.


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## Steamboat Bill (Jul 23, 2008)

HCC is a destination club and unlike a timeshare, you have to be a member to use their properties. They used to have a $10,000 (one time fee) that allowed friends and families to visit and they used to have a corporate membership plan.

Now they have a simplified membership plan with 1, 2, 3, 5 week options. They have deleted the extra one time fee, but have added an annual dues surcharge for the family and friends option.

Members can not rent a destination club reservation and there is no banking allowed. Destination clubs are like private golf clubs and are not deeded real estate.


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## pwrshift (Jul 23, 2008)

In a way, a DC is somewhat like a RTU timeshare, where member don't have equity but a right to use their units until some time in the future unless they stop paying their annual dues.

I thiought HCC's change was to put in a 20% increase in annual fees for those who want to let friends use their properties, which I think is an unfair penalty if the friend only uses 7 nights of their total, and think it would be fairer if they simply charges the fee only for the nights used, not the entire annual dues.  JMHO


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## caribbeansun (Jul 23, 2008)

I tend to agree.



pwrshift said:


> I thiought HCC's change was to put in a 20% increase in annual fees for those who want to let friends use their properties, which I think is an unfair penalty if the friend only uses 7 nights of their total, and think it would be fairer if they simply charges the fee only for the nights used, not the entire annual dues.  JMHO


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## Troopers (Jul 23, 2008)

capjak said:


> It used to be an extra charge to allow family members to go on vacation without the member being present (like a guest certificate).  They waived the fee but still charge extra dues if you want that option.



I see.  The website is poorly written.  The website sounds like they previously charged $10k for family and guests to accompany the member but it's now waived.  The $10k fee was for family and guests to visit WITHOUT the member present.  Instead, they charge 20% of the annual dues for this benefit.


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## Steamboat Bill (Jul 23, 2008)

Most destination clubs have extra charges for non-members and I have no problem with that as we are joining a private club. For example, I can't play golf at several high end private courses without a member present.


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## TarheelTraveler (Jul 23, 2008)

Steamboat Bill said:


> Most destination clubs have extra charges for non-members and I have no problem with that as we are joining a private club. For example, I can't play golf at several high end private courses without a member present.



Just to clarify for the non-DC members out there, this again is if the member is NOT accompanying the guests.  I don't think any of the DCs charge for use when the member is on the trip.  With respect to unaccompanied use, it varies tremendously from DC to DC, some charge extra, some don't, some allow a certain number of days for no charge (for example, I've got 7 days I can give away for no additional fees).


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## DCTraveler (Jul 24, 2008)

*Abaco Club, Bahamas*



TarheelTraveler said:


> I don't think any of the DCs charge for use when the member is on the trip.


Not directly, but for the DCs that have bought into the Abaco Club, Bahamas then there is a crazy daily charge for all guests besides your immediate family, which kind of negates the benefits of having a large house there.


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## caribbeansun (Jul 24, 2008)

HCC does because the fee is a flat 20% across all weeks regardless of who is traveling.



TarheelTraveler said:


> I don't think any of the DCs charge for use when the member is on the trip.


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## Bourne (Jul 24, 2008)

Just to clarify, no DC has a "pay as you go" friends and family plan. 

You either have it or you don't. And I have not heard of any DC allowing a rollback once you sign up for the F&F plan.


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## pwrshift (Jul 24, 2008)

If my DC had a $14,000 for 14 nights dues and a friend used 7 of those nights without me there, I would not argue with a 20% increase on the $7,000 for that portion of the dues ... but I have an issue with any DC then charging me an extra 20% of the 7 nights I do use.  It's a simple process to calculate what the 20% would be for the 'friends without me' time and that charge is fair IMO.


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## Bourne (Jul 24, 2008)

DCs and timeshares are apples and oranges. 

DCs do not want "pay as you go" freinds and family upgrades as it opens up the door to *soft rentals *a.k.a. abuse of the system.


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## caribbeansun (Jul 25, 2008)

Your argument doesn't really hold up because if you subscribe to the plan you could do exactly this.  "Abusing they system" is okay as long as you pay for it apparently.



Bourne said:


> DCs do not want "pay as you go" freinds and family upgrades as it opens up the door to *soft rentals *a.k.a. abuse of the system.


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## Steamboat Bill (Jul 25, 2008)

This is going to be an oil and water comparioson, DCs are restrictive and expensive by nature and they offer a great product for a small number of people. 

Yes, there are restrictions, but most people join a DC for themselves and their immediate family and they don't want other people to rent weeks, bank weeks, sell weeks, or non-DC members to use them.

PRCs, fractionals, and timeshares allow the things a DC resrticts.


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## Bourne (Jul 25, 2008)

caribbeansun said:


> Your argument doesn't really hold up because if you subscribe to the plan you could do exactly this.  "Abusing they system" is okay as long as you pay for it apparently.



Maybe I was not clear. 

My argument was that a "pay as you go" F&F upgrade usage will open the doors to a lot of "soft rentals" a.k.a abuse of the system. If a member knows that they will have to pay 20% extra dues going forward all the time, there is a very high chance they will only do it if they actually want to "share" it with friends and family. 

That said, some members to "soft rentals". But you are playing with fire. This is not a II/RCI exchange that you are trying to rent out for extra bucks with the risk of account being closed. No one buys a F&F to "rent out"' knowing perfectly well that they choose to lose *40% of deposit* if the club chooses to impose the rules.


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