# Marriott Not Exercising ROFR ANYMORE!



## saturn28 (Sep 24, 2008)

I was just told by Marriott Modifications that they are no longer buying back any weeks from any properties. This has caused a huge back up in getting Marriott to do their internal transfer. That is what I was told because I contacted them to see why after 2 months they havn't transferred a week I purchased. The person told me she still can't give me a date.


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## TheTimeTraveler (Sep 24, 2008)

I wouldn't count on that being totally accurate, but I could be wrong.   It is my understanding that Marriott has 30 days max. to exercise the ROFR, and if that time passes then they don't want it.   If you've waited 2 months then something just doesn't seem to be right somewhere.

It's my opinion that if the price is right then they will in fact buy back the unit.

If they have a chance to make a huge buck on a resale then I bet they will; once again only if the price is right.


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## KathyPet (Sep 24, 2008)

I am not sure that a clerk who works in the dept that handles ownership modifications would have some deep insight into whether Marriott is or is not exercising any ROFR contracts.  i don't think that is a area that she would know enough about to make that kind of blanket statement.  instead it sounds as if she was busy making up an excuse as to why your ownership transfer on the week you bought has not been processed yet.


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## VacationPro (Sep 24, 2008)

Based on postings here, it is apparent that Marriott has at least reduced the price they exercise ROFR.  They may have even suspended it for a while.  Presumably, this is because the direct Sales have slowed.  I would think that the volume going through ownership department if anything is less than a few months ago, not greater.   If you are talking about two months since the deed has been recorded, this is an issue.  If you are talking about two months since you purchased the week, that isn't too bad.


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## saturn28 (Sep 24, 2008)

I am talking about 2 months since Marriott received the copy of the deed as well as the transfer fees in their office. I confirmed back in August that they had recieved these Items on July 21st.


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## VacationPro (Sep 24, 2008)

saturn28 said:


> I am talking about 2 months since Marriott received the copy of the deed as well as the transfer fees in their office. I confirmed back in August that they had recieved these Items on July 21st.



To me, this is unacceptable.  I would call them every day until you got your owner number.  It shouldn't take that much time.  I did hear that Marriott is now requiring passports or other documentation (don't know if this is true or not), but maybe they need additional paperwork?


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## beanie (Sep 24, 2008)

we are in the process of selling our surf club unit . marriott came back within a week about rofr ( it passed ). they are asking for either a drivers lic. or passport from the new owners . I hope mine doesn't take 2 months .


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## dwmantz (Sep 24, 2008)

I also have been waiting well over two months for response from Marriott for a non-ROFR transfer.

What is the number to daily call at Marriott to inquire as to this delay???


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## dioxide45 (Sep 24, 2008)

It wouldn't surprise me if Marriott is behind two months in ownership transfers. Though I wouldn't attribute it to more resales. I would think that resales are actually down. They probably had someone leave the department and have not replaced them yet or to save costs have chosen not to replace them at all. JMHO.


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## VacationPro (Sep 24, 2008)

dwmantz said:


> I also have been waiting well over two months for response from Marriott for a non-ROFR transfer.
> 
> What is the number to daily call at Marriott to inquire as to this delay???



Start with owner services and ask--I believe they term it the deeding department.  Tell them that you are a resale purchaser and would like to know if your ownership status is recognized since it's been 2 months.  They will forward you to the right department--get a name and number.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 24, 2008)

I beleive the department is actually called Owner Modifications.


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## richardm (Sep 25, 2008)

*Personnel changes in Owner Mod...*

Marriott has been very active in personnel reductions across the board. Since owner modifications is such a small group to begin with- changes there can have a big impact on transfer timeframes. Also, remember that all the international resorts were added to Lakeland's workload a few months ago.. Marriott has finally centralized everything with one group. It will be better in the long run- but it certainly makes for an uncomfortable situation now! 

More work + less people = longer waits..

If you call in, try to remember that the owner mod rep that answers the phone isn't the real cause of the delay- and that the time they spend on the phone with you is time they are not processing transfers! 

If you are in a real hurry- I've found that a thank you card addressed to the rep that handles your resort can sometimes help you get to the top of the stack.... (And not that I would ever recommend it- but most of the reps are big fans of Darden restaurants!).....


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## LSUtiger (Sep 25, 2008)

*Long Wait for Transfer*

My resale was deeded in July. The owner modifications department has told me on multiple occasions that it now will take 4 months to process the transfers of resales. 
You can scream about it being unacceptable, but in the end we bought resale and that is our penalty for not paying Marriott developer prices. The good thing is that it will only affect us the first year. 
My broker is working with the old owner to reserve a date for 2009, which the owner modification department suggested.


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## ricki999 (Sep 25, 2008)

Does anyone know what owner modifications actually does to recognize a new owner?  Does it really take 4 months to accomplish this process or is Marriott just dragging their feet?


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## richardm (Sep 25, 2008)

*Owner modification current process....*

Owner Modifications has been through some major changes recently.  Personnel has been cut by 50%, and management of the department has also been changed. There are now new personnel that are involved in transfers- so there are quite a few bumps in the road they will have to overcome. Also, as I stated earlier the international transfers have also been added to the workload.

Marriott is trying to implement a new process with transfers which hopefully will expedite things in the future. All payments that are sent are now going to the Financial Department to be processed. Then the transfer request is reviewed to ensure that that all necessary information in included and the correct procedures have been followed by the seller (such as the ROFR process). If anything is missing, a letter will go out at that time to request the needed info.

If everything is included and the proper selling process completed, the request will only then go to Owner Mods to complete the transfer. In the past, if a problem file was received, it could tie up an Owner Mod rep as they personally tried to help walk the seller through the process. 

I'm hopeful these changes will eventually streamline the system, but there may be many uncomfortable delays in the near future.


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## KathyPet (Sep 25, 2008)

RichardM,  Do you work for Marriott Vacation Club?  Your phraseology sounds as if you do.


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## Jeffrey (Sep 25, 2008)

*60 business days?*

I`m in the same position...
Closing went through Orange County Comptroller on July 23rd.
Marriott received the paperwork 1 week later.

I called late August and was told it could take up to 60 business days.

Does anyone have a good direct dial number?  I have already made 2009 reservations with my two Marriott developer weeks and need this resale week to get registered a.s.a.p. to make sure I get the consecutive 2009 week.


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## richardm (Sep 25, 2008)

No, but our office is in touch with them on a daily basis.. I'm an agent with International Properties/GMAC Real Estate. Currently- the OM reps are catching up on a backlog due to the changes and downsizing (they are currently working on requests sent to them in August). As of today, our current estimate to clients for internal processing at Marriott is approx 8-10 weeks for domestic transfers. 

Please be assured the individual reps still there are trying to correct this as quickly as possible, but it will take them probably at least another month or two to get caught up. They are good people in that department with the best intentions- they've just been placed in a very tough spot for the time being due to the reorganization.


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## gregloucks (Sep 25, 2008)

We just closed on a NCV week. The recorded deed will go to Marriott next week. Here is an email that i just received from my broker that is consistent with what RichardM is hearing from MVCI.  Bummer...

Hi Greg,
Everything seems to be coming together for you, I'm very pleased....I just wanted to give you this bit of info we received here at the office:
Due to the recent downsizing and restructuring at Marriott Owner Modifications in Lakeland, we have been asked to extend our transfer completion estimates for the next two months. Please advise all clients that currently, we are estimating it will take 8 to 10 weeks for domestic ownership transfers to be completed by Marriott once they have received the recorded deed. Estimate 12-14 weeks for international ownership transfers. 

Owner mods just started working on transfer requests from August. They don't expect to catch up for approximately another two months or so.


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## applegirl (Sep 25, 2008)

richardm,

Thanks for your insight!  It is appreciated here at the board.

Cheers,
Janna


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## MOXJO7282 (Sep 25, 2008)

This is why when I try to refuse a week if possible because in the first year of resale ownership the new owner usually gets screwed with a bad week. I just experienced this with one NVC I purchased and I thought I had plenty of time to make things happen,but sure enough it got delayed and I ended up with a less desireable June week. The next week I bought started with 2010 week so that gives me 9-10 months before I have to worry about securing a week.  

Regards.
Joe


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## VacationPro (Sep 25, 2008)

gregloucks said:


> We just closed on a NCV week. The recorded deed will go to Marriott next week. Here is an email that i just received from my broker that is consistent with what RichardM is hearing from MVCI.  Bummer...
> 
> Hi Greg,
> Everything seems to be coming together for you, I'm very pleased....I just wanted to give you this bit of info we received here at the office:
> ...



This really blows me away that a corporation of Marriott's status would allow this to happen.  Corporations have layoffs and reorganizations quite frequently, and sometimes there are a few hickups along the way, but come on, 2+ months is absurd.  Maybe they should hire back a few workers they let go as contract employees until the backlog is cleared, or pay some overtime.  Isn't Marriott a service organization, and is customer service part of that?


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## rthib (Sep 25, 2008)

*How does this hurt Marriott?*

I can see why Marriott may be reluctant to fix this.
Who is this hurting at Marriott?

Right now this is a big inconvenience for resales, 
something that does not generate any new revenue for Marriott.


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## NJN2Mom (Sep 25, 2008)

*waiting game...*

We recently closed on our MMC week. The recorded deed will go to Marriott next week with complete transfer paperwork and copies of our D.L.'s (passports were also an option, but I did not feel like getting them out.)  So now we wait to see how long the process will take. Our broker did not indicate that things were slow, but I did not ask either.  If I get a chance, I will give her a call.


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## dioxide45 (Sep 25, 2008)

rthib said:


> I can see why Marriott may be reluctant to fix this.
> Who is this hurting at Marriott?
> 
> Right now this is a big inconvenience for resales,
> something that does not generate any new revenue for Marriott.



It was my understanding that the same department that transferres ownership on resales also processes the developer purchases also.


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## VacationPro (Sep 25, 2008)

dioxide45 said:


> It was my understanding that the same department that transferres ownership on resales also processes the developer purchases also.



This is my understanding as well.  I imagine that developer purchasers might get some preferential treatment.


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## SDKath (Sep 25, 2008)

Oh my!  I am so glad I found this thread.  I closed on my MSR in June I believe and I still don't have the week in my name!  UGH.

Is there anyone I can call to find out if they even have my paperwork???

Katherine


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## Icarus (Sep 26, 2008)

rthib said:


> I can see why Marriott may be reluctant to fix this.
> Who is this hurting at Marriott?
> 
> Right now this is a big inconvenience for resales,
> something that does not generate any new revenue for Marriott.



The get fee income for the ROFR process and for recording owner changes.

They should be able to use that fee income to fund these departments to respond in a timely manner.

But you're correct. They don't really have any incentive to do that, other than keeping their current owner base satisfied.

-David


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## bogeygolf (Sep 26, 2008)

SDKath said:


> Oh my!  I am so glad I found this thread.  I closed on my MSR in June I believe and I still don't have the week in my name!  UGH.
> 
> Is there anyone I can call to find out if they even have my paperwork???
> 
> Katherine



Katherine,

You can call marriott owners services and ask for owner modifications dept.  They should be able to tell you what the status is.  You need to give them the unit & week number on the deed.  I called yesterday and confirm they received all the paperwork for my purchase.  They are telling me that will be take 8-9 weeks from the date they received it to process the transfer of ownership.


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## bookworm (Sep 26, 2008)

I completed a transfer with Owner Services this summer. They lost the deed and I needed to have the closing company resend it. I would not have known about the loss if I had not called owner services to check on things. Ultimately I had the closing company fax a copy of the cancelled transfer fee check which was apparently processed in another department to prove Marriott had actually received the deed. It took several phone calls to get it sorted out and several weeks later I called again and actually spoke to someone who does the transfers. She told me she would complete it that day which she did. I was pleasantly surprised after all the hassle - I think she was trying to move it along for me. All in all, I'm guessing about 10 weeks or so from the time it should have first been received.

I say this to recommend that you keep an eye on the process. They must be severely overworked there and a phone call with a bit of kindness goes a long way. Also - make sure you find out what the necessary forms are and copies of ID they need. Apparently the closing company I used didn't know all this and so that slowed things down as well. I had to do my own homework to get it done right.


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## dlpearson (Sep 26, 2008)

Icarus said:


> The get fee income for the ROFR process and for recording owner changes.
> 
> They should be able to use that fee income to fund these departments to respond in a timely manner.
> 
> ...



Exactly!  Marriott charges for the ROFR _and_ the transfer, so they DO get something out of it.  This is inexcusable customer service in my opinion.

David


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## jdetar (Sep 26, 2008)

Yeah they are slow. I've been bugging them bigtime on my cypress harbour sport week I picked up last month. They have the deed and asked for an additional 30 days. I told them that's all they get. :rofl: 

I just bid and won on another week at cypress harbour, special season for $6K!  and am waiting for that to pass ROFR. They've had it a week now and still no answer.


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## KathyPet (Sep 26, 2008)

So if they take longer than the additional 30 days that you have given them to process your paperwork what action will you then take?


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## jdetar (Sep 26, 2008)

That depends. If they're polite about it and explain why that's happening, maybe nothing more than a complaint up the ladder to supervisor's, office of the CEO, etc. However if it gets too ridiculous complaints can be made to various gov't agencies who oversee timeshare's, state attorney general's office, etc. Obviously I don't want it to go this far, but I'm already losing any good weeks to be able to reserve next year.


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## chuckles (Sep 26, 2008)

I currently have a deal pending, but my closing agent mentioned that it's not uncommon for Marriott to take a couple of months to "recognize" the new owner.   I'm not sure that this is a recent development.  It would be interesting to know what resale buyers experiences were in the past.   

I think we're getting off-topic a bit.  Is Marriott REALLY waiving all ROFR, causing a backup, or is that just an excuse for delays in ownership transfers?


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## Travelmom64 (Sep 29, 2008)

*In the same Boat!!*

*


Jeffrey said:



			I`m in the same position...
Closing went through Orange County Comptroller on July 23rd.
Marriott received the paperwork 1 week later.

I called late August and was told it could take up to 60 business days.

Does anyone have a good direct dial number?  I have already made 2009 reservations with my two Marriott developer weeks and need this resale week to get registered a.s.a.p. to make sure I get the consecutive 2009 week.
		
Click to expand...

*Purchased MGO on Ebay June 18th, Beaufort County recorded deed July 8th, and I was able to pull an electronic copy online; however my closing company said they did not receive actual deed until July 24th.  Marriott shows they received my paper work on August 24th and I was told 30 business days for ownership transfer to be recorded, which was last week, so I called and was told "any day now!".   After reading these posts, I am not hopeful.   I actually have 2008 useage, so this is frustrating.


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## jdetar (Sep 29, 2008)

Just got word my Cypress Harbour Special season for $6,000 failed ROFR, as well as someone else's purchase for $6,500. There was one that just happened at $7,000 I'm not sure if that one passed ROFR or not. I'll update the DB so they are definitely buying some back if they just bought these two. I'm just glad my Sport passed at $4,000 last month!


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## VacationPro (Sep 29, 2008)

jdetar said:


> Just got word my Cypress Harbour Special season for $6,000 failed ROFR, as well as someone else's purchase for $6,500. There was one that just happened at $7,000 I'm not sure if that one passed ROFR or not. I'll update the DB so they are definitely buying some back if they just bought these two. I'm just glad my Sport passed at $4,000 last month!



I'm sorry to hear you failed ROFR.  Obviously Marriott is still exercising it for certain properties and seasons.

Don't give up, they now have 2 more in their inventory, so they waive it the next time.


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## TMVANEK (Oct 4, 2008)

*Cypress Harbour*

My Cypress Harbour special season passed ROFR for $6800.00 in August.  Just fyi so you can update your database.


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## dioxide45 (Oct 5, 2008)

TMVANEK said:


> My Cypress Harbour special season passed ROFR for $6800.00 in August.  Just fyi so you can update your database.



Do you mean the ROFR database?


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