# Diamond - please answer some questions



## GetawaysRus (Sep 29, 2009)

We sat through a sales presentation with Diamond.  We've elected to join, but are having the next day jitters.  We can still rescind if we wish.  

Here's the deal:  we currenly own an EOY Sedona Summit 2BR lockoff purchased on eBay for $500 last year.  We like Sedona, and like this resort, but would not return every year, so we would need to do some trading.  Usually it is just my wife and I traveling, so we lock off the unit.  Diamond maintenance fees are pretty high - it's currently costing us $940 EOY, which means $470 yearly.  On top of that I add the cost of any trades we will make.

Diamond's deal is as follows:  we give them back our EOY week and they give us 5000 annual points.  We also pay $5500 for an additional 2000 points (this also covers membership into THE Club).  So we would have 7000 points annually at a maintenance fee of $1118 yearly.  There is no cost to exchange within the Diamond network of resorts.

I have several questions for Diamond Club owners:
(1) I'm having the greatest trouble figuring out how easy or hard it will be to make exchanges within the Diamond network.  We generally exchange well in advance because of my work schedule.  Since we travel without kids, we often travel in non-peak times (such as the spring or early fall, when the kids are in school).  I know that I would have some difficulty trading my Sedona Summit weeks with other exchange companies (DAE, SFX, Platinum, TPI) as well as exchange fees, and (very importantly) it would require my time (time is precious) to hunt and then wait for exchanges.  If exchanging within Diamond's network is fairly easy, saves me time, and allows me to lock in exchanges and complete my vacation plans well in advance, that may tip the scale in favor of giving Diamond a go.  The sales people of course claim that exchanging is a piece of cake - do you find that to be true?
(2) Historically, how quickly have your maintenance fees been rising?  This is already a pretty hefty annual fee, and it is far greater than the (current) $940 EOY that we were paying for our week (but which is likely to rise in the future as well).
(3) Do you think I'm getting reasonable value?  7000 points isn't a lot, but we're OK with the idea of 1 week of timeshare per year and a $5500 cost to get started isn't a gigantic sum.  (I own a Marriott lockoff as well, so that gets us more vacation time.)

Thanks in advance for any comments.


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## dougp26364 (Sep 29, 2009)

GetawaysRus said:


> We sat through a sales presentation with Diamond.  We've elected to join, but are having the next day jitters.  We can still rescind if we wish.
> 
> Here's the deal:  we currenly own an EOY Sedona Summit 2BR lockoff purchased on eBay for $500 last year.  We like Sedona, and like this resort, but would not return every year, so we would need to do some trading.  Usually it is just my wife and I traveling, so we lock off the unit.  Diamond maintenance fees are pretty high - it's currently costing us $940 EOY, which means $470 yearly.  On top of that I add the cost of any trades we will make.
> 
> ...



1. Exchanging within the DRI system is very easy and can be done online. Keep in mind that not all resorts within DRI's system are DRI managed. Many are affiliates and have limited availability. 

2. Since DRI purchased Sunterra, MF's have skyrocketed. At some resorts they were up 30% in one year. At the two DRI resorts I own, MF's increased 13% last year and over 9% this year. However, IMHO Sunterra, the company DRI purchased when it failed, was keeping MF's artificially low. DRI has elected to increase MF's rapidly in order to update resorts and complete needed maintence rather than go with a one time special assessment. They are increasing cash reserve funding and making up deficits from lack of funding under Sunterra. Essentially, Sunterra was a house of cards that eventually fell on top of all it's owners. DRI might look like the bad guy with these hefty MF increases but, from what I can tell, they are necessary if you want great resorts. The question of course is, how high will they go and how long will owners have to put up with large yearly increases? Right now I have no idea if there's a light at the end of the tunnel or if it's a train. 

3. I'd go back and request a rider be attached to allow you to add resale weeks to the purchase to increase you points total. 7,000 points won't get you a 2 bedroom exchange in high season if you exchange through I.I. Paying over $1,000 in yearly fee's to not even get a two bedroom exchange through I.I. is far to high IMHO. If they don't want to allow you to add a resale unit and convert it to THE Club points to your deal, I'd rescind the deal or buy more points. IMO 15,000 is the minimum number of points necessary to make the best use of DRI. If all you want is to make exchanges through I.I., then 7,500 points would be the minimum. Since you already own a Marriott Lock-off week, the 7,500 point minimum may be fine for you. It's possible you can call your salesman back and increase you purchase by that amount without to much hassle.


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## pgnewarkboy (Sep 29, 2009)

You should be able to deposit your Marriott week into DRI for points when you want to.  I have a friend who owns Marriott and DRI and does exactly that.  Check with DRI to be sure that can still be done and the amount of points you would get.  That was my friends deal when bought DRI about 2 or 3 years ago.


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## GetawaysRus (Sep 29, 2009)

pgnewarkboy said:


> You should be able to deposit your Marriott week into DRI for points when you want to.  I have a friend who owns Marriott and DRI and does exactly that.  Check with DRI to be sure that can still be done and the amount of points you would get.  That was my friends deal when bought DRI about 2 or 3 years ago.



Yes, Diamond calls that Club Select, and I was offered that.  If I deposit my entire Marriott 2BR, that would be worth 7500 points.  If I lock off my Marriott unit, I was told that the Master unit would be worth 5000 points and the studio lockoff would be worth 3000 Diamond points.

So this would increase the number of Diamond points I could control.  I'm just not sure at this point if I'd want to do this or how often.  My Marriott week seems to have excellent trading power, and I enjoy my stays at Marriott resorts very much.  (Even my lowly Marriott studio has often pulled a very nice exchange.)  Of course, this could all change come next year, because there are numerous rumors that Marriott will go to some sort of internal exchange or points system in the future.  If Marriott changes the rules of the game, I'd have to rethink how to best use that unit.


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## nightnurse613 (Sep 29, 2009)

I agree, you need more points and the best way to get them is to add resorts into the Club. I thought I saw a post that DRI wasn't going to do that anymore??  Maybe a scare tactic??  I was surprised to find out a 2 br unit at San Luis Bay was 13,000 points.  I haven't checked around but one common complaint I hear is I didn't get enough points to even get back into my unit!  That means you need to look at a 2009 DRI exchange catalog and see what your unit would cost for you to get back in it and decide if you want to deposit your week or rent it out.  My experience is, you won't get the Prime Season points.  As Doug points out, MF have been rising steadily.  At one of the resorts they raised the fees significantly and then told the management that they were looking for 15 percent and that they weren't there yet so, I am looking for more fees this year. Trading seems to be pretty easy. After three years of bellyaching they actually improved their main site so you could see resort availability in a monthly window but still can't see all availability for the year. I think you are doing the right thing by thinking this through.  He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day! :whoopie:


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## csalter2 (Sep 30, 2009)

*DRI is Expensive but Ok*

GetawayRus,

I own with DRI and with Marriott too. I have 30,000 DRI points and it does offer lots of flexibility. I must share with you that your exchange with I.I. can be an asset using DRI points. Sometimes I am able to exchange into nice resorts cheaper going with I.I. I have seen resorts on ClubSelect that DRI uses for member exchanges and then saw the same resort on I.I. and I.I. requires less points. The same thing with DRI resorts. Sometimes it will cost you less points to go through I.I. than to go through DRI's reservation system. However, you will have to pay the exchange fee too.

The maintenance fees have increased substantially over the last two years. The Club was $0.104/point last year plus Club fee. 

I like DRI because there are lots of resorts all over the world. I have been to quite a few. I have also used them as a back up when I cannot reserve the exchange week I want for a Marriott in Hawaii. For example, I own in Ko Olina. However, I will often want to go to another island. I cannot always know when I will get the exchange for the additional week  before or after Ko Olina so I make a DRI reservation for the week before and after. To cover my bases. 

I love DRI. It's expensive but I do like the flexibility it offers.


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## dougp26364 (Sep 30, 2009)

Greensprings owners are reporting an 18% MF increase this year on the back of a 25% increase last year. 

As a Polo Towers owner, we are seeing a 9% increase this year following a 13% increase from last year.

IMHO, depositing a Marriott week into Club Select for 7,500 or 8,000 points is a horrible waste of a Marriott week.


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## post-it (Sep 30, 2009)

dougp26364 said:


> IMHO, depositing a Marriott week into Club Select for 7,500 or 8,000 points is a horrible waste of a Marriott week.



I think this depends on what you're needing the points for.  

I have always been able to get the resorts I've wanted with DRI and not only is there no exchange fee with Club Select but DRI doesn't charge for a quest certificate either.

At this present time, we're happy with DRI system.


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## dougp26364 (Oct 1, 2009)

post-it said:


> I think this depends on what you're needing the points for.
> 
> I have always been able to get the resorts I've wanted with DRI and not only is there no exchange fee with Club Select but DRI doesn't charge for a quest certificate either.
> 
> At this present time, we're happy with DRI system.



I didin't say the DRI system was bad. I just said depositing a lock-off Marriott with DRI for only 7,500 ro 8,000 points was a waste of a perfectly good Marriott week. 

We own a silver season Marriott lock-off the routinely can pull high season 2 bedroom unit and 1 bedroom units with either half. If I can pull two 2 bedroom units in what Interval has determined as "high" season, that's equal to 15,000 DRI points rather than 8,000 points. If all I can pull is a 2 bedroom and a 1 bedroom unit in high season, something that's not at all difficult to do, then that would be equal to 13,000 DRI points. 

Our Platinum Marriott lock-out has been exchanged for a 2 bedroom March Hawaiian week on Kauai and a 2 bedroom May week on Hilton Head. 8,000 DRI points won't come close to making those two exchanges. 

IMO, DRI is getting a deal if the max they give up for a lock-off Marriott is 8,000 points and, those 8,000 points really won't go that far doing an internal exchange with DRI.


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