# End of Owner Update Soliciting???



## Explorer7 (Jul 22, 2011)

During an owners update at Gov Green yesterday the manager informed us that effective July 25th 2011 Wyndham will no longer solicit for owner updates when owner's are checking in. 

He indicated that there have been too many complaints from owners and that Wyndham finds that they are not getting a good return on their investment when they pressure individuals to an update the owner would rather not attend

He said that parking passes and welcome information will still be passed out at check in but updates will only be offered to those who specifically request one. 
I’ll be back in August and will see what happens when we check in…


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## vacationhopeful (Jul 22, 2011)

Amazing! Esp since all the checkins from Fri (today), Sat and Sun will be moving on out for the new crop of guests arriving after Mon 7/25.:hysterical: 

I think that sales manager came up with a new storyline.


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## rrlongwell (Jul 22, 2011)

Explorer7 said:


> During an owners update at Gov Green yesterday the manager informed us that effective July 25th 2011 Wyndham will no longer solicit for owner updates when owner's are checking in.
> 
> He indicated that there have been too many complaints from owners and that Wyndham finds that they are not getting a good return on their investment when they pressure individuals to an update the owner would rather not attend
> 
> ...



Is anyone singing "Times are a changin yet"


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## pedro47 (Jul 22, 2011)

Is this new policy in written and if this is "true":  maybe all the t/s developer will follow this policy?  RIGHT !!


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## ronparise (Jul 22, 2011)

As any salesman knows its easier to sell to an existing customer than it is to find and close a new one

When Wyndham makes presentations to investors they always stress the number of sales to existing customers. While they may back off the sales pressure at "owner updates" (I doubt that they will) you can bet they will find a way to sell to their "loyal customer base"

Also interesting to note, when you read Wyndham's investor presentations  is how they intend to make money without developing any new properties. They will manage properties for others, but not spend the money (or take the risk) to develop any more themselves.  WAAM is Wyndhams future


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## rrlongwell (Jul 22, 2011)

ronparise said:


> As any salesman knows its easier to sell to an existing customer than it is to find and close a new one
> 
> When Wyndham makes presentations to investors they always stress the number of sales to existing customers. While they may back off the sales pressure at "owner updates" (I doubt that they will) you can bet they will find a way to sell to their "loyal customer base"
> 
> Also interesting to note, when you read Wyndham's investor presentations  is how they intend to make money without developing any new properties. They will manage properties for others, but not spend the money (or take the risk) to develop any more themselves.  WAAM is Wyndhams future



A extension of the WAAM concept or a new initiative under this concept is what I bump into at Old Alexanderia last weekend.  Specifically, if a 200,000 plus point contract is purchased then the Sales Rep becomes my Account Manager getting me the best value possable for my points on the rental market, according to him.  I do not know if this offer is being made to just people with the mega-renter classification or not.


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## e.bram (Jul 22, 2011)

Wyndham in Newport RI closed their sales offices last year. I guess the sales didn't cover the cost of the freebies .  Too bad.
    signed A. Moocher(and proud if it)


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## rrlongwell (Jul 22, 2011)

e.bram said:


> Wyndham in Newport RI closed their sales offices last year. I guess the sales didn't cover the cost of the freebies .  Too bad.
> signed A. Moocher(and proud if it)



Let's all have a moment of morning for the Newport RI office, I hear they may be 10 positions available in Myrtle Beach.


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## tschwa2 (Jul 22, 2011)

I complained about it during my email surveey after my stay at Governor's  Green in June.  I didn't mind them asking as I got my car pass.  I even said that my plans weren't set and they could call once during the week to see if we would be available for a "breakfast and tour".  I said no when they called the next day.  I said no and please don't call again when they called the second time.  I said no, I'm not changing my mind so I don't need to be called again when they called the third time.  I said no thank you and hung up on the 4th call and was left alone after that.


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## Rent_Share (Jul 22, 2011)

On the Worldmark side I ask politely for my parking pass at check in, if they refuse I congratulate them on earning solid ones on the owner survey

You finish how you start, if check in is a bad experience , the whole stay is a bad experience


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## BellaWyn (Jul 22, 2011)

ronparise said:


> When Wyndham makes presentations to investors they always stress the number of sales to existing customers. While they may back off the sales pressure at "owner updates" (I doubt that they will) you can bet they will find a way to sell to their "loyal customer base"


The two Arizona properties have the same sales manager who oversees sales at both locations.  Both Flagstaff and Sedona are very low-key when it comes to sales.  Guests and owners don't get harangued with high-pressure parking pass / in-room phone calls, etc.  

The most we've gotten at those locations is the occasional notice attached to our front entry.  Although, DH golfed with two WYN sales guys last week -- pretty funny actually.  Two sentences in one of the sales guys said "there is nothing we can sell you, let's golf!"  :whoopie: So, he either wasn't that hungry or he really wanted to golf!

The two properties sell themselves however.  Sedona is all UDI and Flag is a mix of converted and FW.  Owners with decent weeks in Flag can still flip them for an acceptable price.  I even had a WYN salesperson email me personally less than a year ago asking if I knew of where to purchase available Sedona UDI contracts.  You can find them but they don't bubble up nearly as often as the east coast properties.

It would a nice change to not get harassed by sales when visiting other locations, or have to be concerned when we send guests that they are going to have to bump up against that annoyance while they are on vacation.  

One can only hope with WYN. :rofl: 
--
Caite


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## timeos2 (Jul 22, 2011)

Explorer7 said:


> During an owners update at Gov Green yesterday the manager informed us that effective July 25th 2011 Wyndham will no longer solicit for owner updates when owner's are checking in.
> 
> He indicated that there have been too many complaints from owners and that Wyndham finds that they are not getting a good return on their investment when they pressure individuals to an update the owner would rather not attend
> 
> ...



We just checked in at Grand Desert today & I was amazed when we were sent to get our parking pass we got a couple pleasantries, shuttle passes & the parking pass - and an "enjoy your stay".  That was it! What a pleasant change - hope it sticks.


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## BellaWyn (Jul 23, 2011)

timeos2 said:


> We just checked in at Grand Desert today & I was amazed when we were sent to get our parking pass we got a couple pleasantries, shuttle passes & the parking pass - and an "enjoy your stay".  That was it! *What a pleasant change - hope it sticks.*



WOW!  Even GD!??  That is new!  Love it there, hate the sales.  Ditto on the sticking!  Have a great time!!


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## jjmanthei05 (Jul 23, 2011)

Explorer7 said:


> During an owners update at Gov Green yesterday the manager informed us that effective July 25th 2011 Wyndham will no longer solicit for owner updates when owner's are checking in.
> 
> He indicated that there have been too many complaints from owners and that Wyndham finds that they are not getting a good return on their investment when they pressure individuals to an update the owner would rather not attend
> 
> ...



We are checking in to Glacier Canyon on Wed. If I don't get asked for an owners update I may fall over from shock. It would ruin all the fun when checking in. How are you now suppose to let other owners know about resale with out being able to say it in a loud voice at the parking pass desk... 

Jason


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## cbm32 (Jul 23, 2011)

I have stayed at the Wyndham Grand Desert many many times and have never had a bad experience with anyone there.  I do the presentations and ask my questions and get my "gifts" no hassles at all.

When "stranded" in Vegas after being rear ended by an 18 wheeler the manager bent over backwards to do everything in his power to maker our stay pleasant and pulled some strings to get us rooms when there was nothing available online or via RCI or when I called the VIP number.  Even managed to keep us in the same room the entire stay (our four night stay turned into 5 weeks).


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## theo (Jul 23, 2011)

*Color me dubious...*



Explorer7 said:


> ....updates will only be offered to those who specifically request one. I’ll be back in August and will see what happens when we check in…



I'll certainly watch for your first hand report in August, but I frankly find this assertion *very* difficult to believe (...unless perhaps it's just a single resort decision / policy, not a Wyndham-wide decision).

"offered to those who specifically *request* one"? :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: Now _that_ will be a *very* short list...


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## Don (Jul 23, 2011)

I thought something strange was going on.  We got back from two weeks in San Antonio last week.  We attended an owners update at La Casada and they never tried to sell us anything.


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## rrlongwell (Jul 23, 2011)

Don said:


> I thought something strange was going on.  We got back from two weeks in San Antonio last week.  We attended an owners update at La Casada and they never tried to sell us anything.



What did they talk about?


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## rrlongwell (Jul 23, 2011)

theo said:


> I'll certainly watch for your first hand report in August, but I frankly find this assertion *very* difficult to believe (...unless perhaps it's just a single resort decision / policy, not a Wyndham-wide decision).
> 
> "offered to those who specifically *request* one"? :hysterical: :hysterical: :hysterical: Now _that_ will be a *very* short list...



Just called Governors Green, they say the Wyndham Owners Update System has not changed and that Wyndham wants the owners in the program to go to the Owners update and that this will continue to be done at check-in.  He indicated that this is not a resort call, it is a Wyndham call.


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## Explorer7 (Jul 23, 2011)

rrlongwell said:


> Just called Governors Green, they say the Wyndham Owners Update System has not changed and that Wyndham wants the owners in the program to go to the Owners update and that this will continue to be done at check-in.  He indicated that this is not a resort call, it is a Wyndham call.



I will definitely follow-up on this thread after I return to Gov Green and see what happens.

Since the owner update I attended this week was painless and a very easy going short meeting in the comfort of one of the manager’s offices, I did not push it into anything more than that by asking too many questions about the change he articulated, especially since I would be returning shortly in August and could see for myself.

I do need to emphasize the point that He did not say that they were not interested in continuing updating and working with current owners but he did say they would be more selective in that they only wanted to meet with people that had an interest in the meeting not those hounded into a miserable experience.

He did not say how Wyndham would get this objective done and I did not ask. I have some thoughts but do not want to speculate too much until I see if there is any change what so ever.

The only speculation that I will make if I get a “free pass”  is that perhaps they do place notes on individuals accounts and may see that the five hundred  to seven hundred dollars or so  that they have paid me in updates so far this year in my 17 stays does not appear to be trending towards a developer sale in the near future.

They may indeed make a good business decision to flag me in some form so I just get my parking pass and in some cases wrist bands (as in Nat Harbor and Crestview) rather than gift me the hundred bucks.

With the hundred bucks this week my stay was literally free as I  got my 3BR for 3 days at 17K points with my maint fees avg at $5.09/K translating to $85 in maint fees more than paid for by the (this time) painless $100 gift


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## rrlongwell (Jul 23, 2011)

Thanks.  It would be an interesting update, either way.  Per the Head of Member Services for all three Wyndam Resorts in Williamsport, there are no changes that are scheduled for Monday for Owners Updates that that person is aware of.


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## bnoble (Jul 23, 2011)

I certainly hope this is true, but I am incredibly skeptical.  I have to apologize in advance every time I send someone to a Wyndham resort, and give them survival strategies for getting their parking passes.


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## JimMIA (Jul 23, 2011)

bnoble said:


> I certainly hope this is true, but I am incredibly skeptical.  I have to apologize in advance every time I send someone to a Wyndham resort, and give them survival strategies for getting their parking passes.


Me too.

And doesn't it get nuts over on the DIS offsite board telling people, "Bonnet Creek is really GREAT...but listen up!"


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## Don (Jul 24, 2011)

rrlongwell said:


> What did they talk about?



They were pushing the Wyndham Rewards card.


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## rrlongwell (Jul 24, 2011)

Don said:


> They were pushing the Wyndham Rewards card.



Thanks for the update.


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## Kozman (Jul 25, 2011)

I've noticed the new tactic in the past couple of years is to try and get someone into your room to deliver the 'free' gift.  Once in the room they try to discuss your contracts and push for you to buy into a new program.  They are trying to get by on the cheap rather than tantalize you with $$$ and gc's at the parking pass desk.


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## belfry (Jul 26, 2011)

As crazy as this may sound, I reuse my parking passes.  I currently have two that I keep in the glove compartment box of my SUV. Yes, I am that crazy or that organized that after reading some of the post on this forum that I decided to do just that... save the parking passes.  Wyndham only looks for the light blue tag hanging on the rear view mirror and does not pay attention to the dates.  When I drive into and out of the resort, I make sure that the dated side of the tag faces the inside of the car.   Now, I usually only go to the 4 resorts that are in driving  distance from where I live.  All 4 resorts use the same light blue/white parking pass.   If that did not scare you, then this will.  I also filled out the Pre Registration - Check In Form with all the information requested such as - address, owner's name, make & model of car, license plate #, emergency contact, ect... I Xeroxed the form, made several copies so when I make my usual 4 - 6 vacations
a year the forms are already partially filled out. The only things remaining on the form to fill - in are the names of the people staying in the room ( which changes) and my signature (has to be signed in front of Wyndham staff ).  My friends this is true.
Belfry


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## vacationhopeful (Jul 26, 2011)

belfry said:


> As crazy as this may sound, I reuse my parking passes.



I was told years ago, the only purpose of the hangtag at that hangtag girl's resort was to sign you up to do the sales presentation. I personally have noticed only interest in those hangtags at resorts where a security gate is present ...I believe the "reused" tags would work as well there too - as long as the "Blue" part is visible as you drive thru.


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## chapjim (Jul 30, 2011)

*Wyndham's "Owner Updates"*



Explorer7 said:


> During an owners update at Gov Green yesterday the manager informed us that effective July 25th 2011 Wyndham will no longer solicit for owner updates when owner's are checking in.
> 
> He indicated that there have been too many complaints from owners and that Wyndham finds that they are not getting a good return on their investment when they pressure individuals to an update the owner would rather not attend
> 
> ...



Last time I stayed at a Wyndham resort, it was a "survey," not an "update."  Other than that, it seemed the same.


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## lprstn (Jul 30, 2011)

That was a bold faced lie. :hysterical:


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## JimMIA (Jul 30, 2011)

vacationhopeful said:


> I was told years ago, the only purpose of the hangtag at that hangtag girl's resort was to sign you up to do the sales presentation.


No!  Say it isn't so!!!:hysterical: 





> I personally have noticed only interest in those hangtags at resorts where a security gate is present ...


On our recent trip to Wyndham Bonnet Creek, I was pretty amused -- not only by the twinkie who tried to sign us up for the sales presentation (No???  Oh...that's so SAD!), but also by the security gate.

If I recall correctly, the security gate was closed during the daytime.  Hang tag meant nothing -- you had to swipe your room key.  At night -- when you might think security might be a little heightened -- the gate was open and you could just drive through.  

The gate-shack was manned 24 hours, as far as I could tell, but I'm still trying to figure out what the dudes in the gate shack actually do.


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## cbm32 (Jul 30, 2011)

I am thinking I dont really want to know what they are doing in the gate shack


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## vacationhopeful (Jul 30, 2011)

JimMIA said:


> ...The gate-shack was manned 24 hours, as far as I could tell, but I'm still trying to figure out what the dudes in the gate shack actually do.



At Star Island which has some Wyndham units, the guard shack is manned 24/7 and actively LOOKs at the hang tag, opens the gate, and waves at you. No Hang Tag? You have to stop and talk to them; they direct you to checkin which is a good tennis ball throw and roll from the guard shack. And they watch you go and park there. There are at least 2 guards on and they have a golf cart to ride the resort - looking at who is around when they are driving. I have never seen any interest at Bonnet Creek by their on-duty security staff.


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## bnoble (Jul 31, 2011)

> I'm still trying to figure out what the dudes in the gate shack actually do.


At one time there was a lovely woman, with some great music playing in the shack, who was having a grand ol' time and happy to welcome you back.  She was great!  I hear she's no longer there though, which is too bad.


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## UWSurfer (Jul 31, 2011)

At the Worldmark in Indio (Palm Springs) the guards come out for nearly every car and all but take your room key and work the card reader, partly as a service and partly because they are so bored.

I drove in and out of that place several times without my parking permit displayed and they didn't seem to care.   They did however direct me to the front desk upon arrival, again a tennis ball's throw away.

I also arrived (a few weeks ago) tired after 9 pm and got to stand and listen to this older couple ahead of me being given the full court press on activities and update tours.  When someone finally came to help and see me I told the guy that I was here using the week as corporate housing (I WAS!) and wasn't at all interested in touring the resort, doing activities or any of the pitch...I just needed the parking pass and to go to bed.   He was thrown a bit, made sure that we knew we were welcome to tour anytime and then gave us the parking permit. 

Maybe I've been doing this enough now to know how to short circuit some of the process!?   It's always interesting to me how the various systems and resorts approach their update solicitations, more so when I'm in the mood.  I just wish there was a lane or something that we could check-in without the BS.


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## jjmanthei05 (Jul 31, 2011)

chapjim said:


> Last time I stayed at a Wyndham resort, it was a "survey," not an "update."  Other than that, it seemed the same.



We got a "Don't call it an Owners Update" Owners update on thursday. They still live on just called a "survey".

Jason


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## Explorer7 (Aug 4, 2011)

Explorer7 said:


> During an owners update at Gov Green yesterday the manager informed us that effective July 25th 2011 Wyndham will no longer solicit for owner updates when owner's are checking in.
> 
> He indicated that there have been too many complaints from owners and that Wyndham finds that they are not getting a good return on their investment when they pressure individuals to an update the owner would rather not attend
> 
> ...



Just got back from my follow-up visit to Gov Green and the parking pass lady was just as aggressive as ever.
 Business as usual as many anticipated. 
This time she used the angle that it’s customer appreciation month now and that even though we had a recent stay  that they are still accountable for our satisfaction and want our feedback.

We respectively declined.
 No phone harassments, however we did receive a follow-up call  the next day   to ask if our accommodations were OK.
So much for the corporate change the nice sales manager said was coming effective July 25th.


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## puppymommo (Aug 4, 2011)

chapjim said:


> Last time I stayed at a Wyndham resort, it was a "survey," not an "update."  Other than that, it seemed the same.



Same for me last week at the Canterbury in San Francisco.  Instead of the parking pass lady (who parks in San Francisco?), we were sent to the "concierge".   She was actually quite helpful; gave us a ton of information about the area, transportation, information about tours, etc. But she did strongly advocate for the "survey".  I was surprised they would offer it to me since I was traveling without my spouse. (It was a girls' trip with my sister, DD and myself.)

Much to my suprise there was an actual survey, given by a very green saleswoman.  After some chatting, she passed me on to the "closer".  He immediately pulled the "there is a problem with your account".  Not only is one of my contracts EOY, they are both ... RESALE!

He drew an interesting set of stairs with "resale" and "EOY" at the bottom and VIP platinum at the top.  He told me that this is the priority for reservations, and that as long as I was resale I would never get the reservations I want.  DUH.  How did he think I got to Canterbury in the first place?  With my dreaded resale points.

It didn't take long for him to figure out I wasn't interested in "upgrading", and before long I had my $100 gift card in hand, which was helpful when DD went shopping at Union Square!  She found a backpack for school and a new purse.  Thanks, Wyndham!


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## rrlongwell (Aug 4, 2011)

puppymommo said:


> ... He drew an interesting set of stairs with "resale" and "EOY" at the bottom and VIP platinum at the top.  He told me that this is the priority for reservations, and that as long as I was resale I would never get the reservations I want ...
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## timeos2 (Aug 5, 2011)

puppymommo said:


> Same for me last week at the Canterbury in San Francisco.  Instead of the parking pass lady (who parks in San Francisco?), we were sent to the "concierge".   She was actually quite helpful; gave us a ton of information about the area, transportation, information about tours, etc. But she did strongly advocate for the "survey".  I was surprised they would offer it to me since I was traveling without my spouse. (It was a girls' trip with my sister, DD and myself.)
> 
> Much to my suprise there was an actual survey, given by a very green saleswoman.  After some chatting, she passed me on to the "closer".  He immediately pulled the "there is a problem with your account".  Not only is one of my contracts EOY, they are both ... RESALE!
> 
> ...



I have enjoyed the irony of the "you'll never get in here as you only own resale" forever. We owned for over 15 years, went to every resort on the prime dates (we were tied to school schedules just like so many others) never had VIP - it just isn't needed.  We also paid zero housekeeping fees and I think only one guest certificate.  I really got a kick out of the "you'll never get in here" when we went back to a few of our favorite resorts/locations not one or twice but a half dozen times or more.  It is all BS. Now that we sold our Wyndham time I'm finding it even easier to get EXACTLY what we want by renting. And it is considerably cheaper than owning with no risk of future fee increases or SAm's.  

I still feel Wyndham may be one of the best values (at resale of course) in all of timeshare. But even that great system still turns out to be an even better rental value.


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## Free2Roam (Aug 8, 2011)

*Just returned from Palm-Aire*

The parking pass vultures did hound me about doing an owner's update. I declined no less than 5 times... the only civil way to get them to release my parking pass was by saying I'll think about it. Of course that gave them more reasons to call the room...which they did a few times..until I remembered to unplug all phones.

Now, my sister - who bought resale about 2 yrs ago - checked into her unit at the same time. She was told that her paperwork indicates that they don't need to ask her to do an update/survey.

I called Wyndham owner services to explain the situation (leaving out the resale aspect) and asked how I go about getting my account flagged.  The rep checked with a supervisor and came back to tell me they don't have a way to do that.   That tells me that the flags are put on by local sales staff because of resale purchases...they assume that retail owners are easy targets still?  (My first two contracts were retail... I have others that I picked up resale.)  The rep went on to say that she's also an owner....and she gets hounded as well...and hates it. 

I recall others saying they have asked to have their accounts flagged as "do not update/bug me".  Has this actually worked? If so, how did you get it done?


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## 2tall (Aug 8, 2011)

*Ready for an unnamed meeting at Ocean Blvd*

I thought it would be fun to read the BBS to see if I could arm myself with some knowledge before my Tuesday morning session at Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle. I declined the owner's breakfast or lunch three, maybe four times before she finally wore me down (this is how we got into this time-sharing predicament in the first place 11 years ago  )

While I am interested in learning about the WAAM program I heard her mention and have seen listed a few times on this BBS, it wasn't necessarily during this short week when we're at the beach with friends (four adults and four kids under the age of 8, what were we thinking!). But it was promised to be 45 minutes (as always) over coffee and muffins, and we got a $75 AMEX gift card, so hopefully it won't be too painful.

I'll post an update tomorrow!


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## learnalot (Aug 8, 2011)

2tall said:


> I thought it would be fun to read the BBS to see if I could arm myself with some knowledge before my Tuesday morning session at Ocean Boulevard in North Myrtle. I declined the owner's breakfast or lunch three, maybe four times before she finally wore me down (this is how we got into this time-sharing predicament in the first place 11 years ago  )
> 
> While I am interested in learning about the WAAM program I heard her mention and have seen listed a few times on this BBS, it wasn't necessarily during this short week when we're at the beach with friends (four adults and four kids under the age of 8, what were we thinking!). But it was promised to be 45 minutes (as always) over coffee and muffins, and we got a $75 AMEX gift card, so hopefully it won't be too painful.
> 
> I'll post an update tomorrow!



FYI, although I am sure sales will talk about the WAAM program as if it is somehow pertinent to what you own, the WAAM program is nothing more than a business model wyndham has adopted for acquiring inventory by assuming properties or portions of  properties that have already been developed but are struggling with unsold inventory.  They started doing this a couple years ago when the real estate bubble burst.  All the properties they acquired under this model are available for ALL owners to book.  

Properties that have become part of the wyndham timeshares portfolio under WAAM  (stands for something like wyndham asset and acquisition management) include towers on the grove in myrtle beach, smuggs, reunion in orlando and emerald grande in destin.  But there is nothing restrictive about one's ability to book them using our regular wyndham points.  There is no such thing as a WAAM ownership (not that deeds or contracts can't be written  for resorts acquired through the WAAM model).  They will probably try to make a big deal about ROFR (right of first refusal).  This is sales mumbo jumbo that means nothing since wyndham does not exercise ROFR.  Even if they did, it doesn't guarantee that they will buy it back (as sales likes to imply) - it just means that if and when you ever found another buyer who wanted your ownership, wyndham would have the right to deny the sale and purchase it back themselves at the price the buyer had submitted.


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## msutton33 (Aug 8, 2011)

*Wyndham in Scottsdale AZ*

Is anyone aware of Wyndham owning or managing a resort in Scottsdale AZ?


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## jdunn1 (Aug 8, 2011)

I just got back from Ocean Boulevard.  I own WM and traded in via RCI it was a July 31st check-in.  I had to get my parking passes through the sales department.  It was very annoying but thanks to TUG, I was well prepared.  The rep knew I had exchanged in and started signing me up for an update.  When I told her I was not interested, she was shocked.  She said that Wyndham now owns RCI and that RCI is now called Wyndham exchange company or something like that.  She tried to tell me something about how exchanging was going to be different and that I must attend the update (which was 45 minutes).  I still declined and and said I get all my infromation from TUG.  She acted like she didn't know what TUG was and then she seemed to get nervous.  She gave me the parking passes without a problem but what a hassel for me and for her, for that matter.  She seemed like a nice enough person but no means NO and she just didn't get it.

On a different note, I liked Ocean Boulevard.  Even though we were in tower four, we had the better pool (with sun) and we had a great ocean view (even if it was through towers two and three).  The 2 bedroom was a great size and very well stocked.  My only complaint about the unit was that the carpet was so dirty, it turned our feet dark just by walking on it and they don't give you a vacume, just a manual sweeper.   There was also no good way (other than going to the pool, which is four levels up from the ground) to get sand off your beach gear and you.  We used a cooler to wash our feet before getting in the unit.  Loved the location, right by a carnival and a nice downtown area within easy walking distance.  Very nice location.


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## vckempson (Aug 8, 2011)

Has anyone just asked/demanded to get the parking pass at the check-in desk?  I thought I saw someone say they always did that.  I sure hate having to go through the "No means No" stuff.  It just sets the mood on a negative course from the get go.


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## ronandjoan (Aug 8, 2011)

belfry said:


> As crazy as this may sound, I reuse my parking passes.  Belfry



Amen to that!


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## ronandjoan (Aug 8, 2011)

jdunn1 said:


> She seemed like a nice enough person but no means NO and she just didn't get it.
> 
> .



My husband always seems to bond with the parking pass girl- are they always rather young and attractive? -- and if he is in charge of "talking" with them that time, he is so tentative in saying no, that they call everyday.  He's so friendly.  Then he says he thinks we ought to go...because [she] is so nice.

I have to tell him that he does not have a relationship with this person and that she does really not CARE for him!  She is just interested in $$.


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## 2tall (Aug 9, 2011)

*Survived the OB update*

A few notes in response to previous posts:

-- For the most part, we like the parking pass folks (they do mostly seem to be attractive women, don't they?!!?). In past visits to Ocean Boulevard, they've given us great recommendations on activities and restaurants, and one time we mentioned that we were there on our anniversary, they sent up a Harry and David's gift box a few minutes after check-in (a mere "here you go, happy anniversary" -- it was no strings attached!).

-- The update today took 70 minutes instead of 45, and we didn't ask many questions. Our sales rep threw a totally new one at us toward the end of the presentation by telling us our "Wyndham rating" was a D -- like a credit rating for the company. He was shocked that no one had ever updated this for us, and said our rating in the system was preventing us from getting the best offers for new inventory (please!). Luckily, he squared that all away for us, but remarkably, the new offer just wasn't a winner!

In the end, they spent most of the time throwing the "you won't be able to book at Myrtle Beach because of the new summer blackout starting next year" as the reason for why we needed to switch our Williamsburg deed to MB (for offers ranging from $12,000 to $55,000!). We heard this same pitch two years ago, had a salesperson last year tell us it was totally false, and now here it is again -- I guess we'll take our chances.

At least we got $75 and good coffee for our hour. My wife and I are teachers, so our hourly rate is somewhat low


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## timeos2 (Aug 9, 2011)

We had zero issues getting our most recent Parking Pass at one at one of our favorite resorts - Grand Desert.  They just asked for the license plates, filled it in & wished us a good day.  A great experience & rare not to be bugged there. They never called except to ask about a towel request we'd made. Big improvement not to have to deal with any sales BS.


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## rrlongwell (Aug 9, 2011)

2tall said:


> A few notes in response to previous posts:



Thanks for the update, it is always a benifit to hear what sales staff are saying.  I have not heard of the grading system for owners before.  You are teachers so I think you knew how to deal with your D grade.  I would have done like you, just ignored it (but then I was never a great student).


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## rrlongwell (Aug 10, 2011)

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=152869

The above has a very interesting posting that I think is very valuable addition to this thread pertaining to Glacier Canyon.  This is an extract of a very interesting point.  "Ernie explained to me all the joys of CWA -- he also explained how CWA was EXCLUSIVE to VIP Gold and Platinum members -- I pressed the issue of inventory availability, since I have read many issues on this -- Ernie explained they have 200 units at GC and 160 were exclusively reserved for CWA ..."


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## chapjim (Oct 16, 2011)

*Governor's Green Check-in*

Checked in at GG yesterday PM.  The only difference was they let us say "No."  

They did ask if someone could visit our unit (NO!  NO! and a thousand times NO!).  We did that once, waited for two hours for the guy to show up, then couldn't get him to leave.  Totally annoying experience.


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