# Loss Mitigation is a mess



## dougp26364 (Sep 25, 2016)

In December of 2015 Loss Mitigation completed our deed back of our DRI ownership. They apparently FAILED to close our THE Club membership, which had NO DEEDS available for points in it. As a result I'm now having a past due issue with DRI on an account that was supposedly closed in 2015. 

So glad I no longer own with this company. I anticipate eventually getting this cleaned up but what a PIA they've become.


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## RLS50 (Sep 25, 2016)

dougp26364 said:


> In December of 2015 Loss Mitigation completed our deed back of our DRI ownership. They apparently FAILED to close our THE Club membership, which had NO DEEDS available for points in it. As a result I'm now having a past due issue with DRI on an account that was supposedly closed in 2015.
> 
> So glad I no longer own with this company. I anticipate eventually getting this cleaned up but what a PIA they've become.


I am not sure exactly what you mean when you say "past due issue," and I am sure this isn't exactly the same experience...but myself and other Gold Key owners have had multiple experiences where we have been billed for maintenance fees that were already paid at the end of 2015.

The worst part about the experience is that when you call DRI to tell them their systems are screwed up, and the bill they sent is bogus, they basically make you prove it that it is their mistake.   Then when you prove it they blame the transition from Gold Key computer systems to DRI computer systems.

At this point I am just hopeful that DRI ceases to exist someday and fades into history as a distant memory when Apollo (possibly) sells them to somebody else.   And then I have to hope that whoever Apollo sells them to is better managed and better run than DRI.


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## pedro47 (Sep 26, 2016)

Doug is saying he does not owe any DRI fees for the year 2016.


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## RLS50 (Sep 26, 2016)

pedro47 said:


> Doug is saying he does not owe any DRI fees for the year 2016.


Yes, I figured that.  But I guess what I was speaking to was DRI's seeming propensity to bill owners in error for fees they do not owe or already paid.

The frequency of these issues (in our experience) almost makes me seriously pause and question whether this really is just a result of complete disorganization and repeated internal failures in their systems and processes, or something more sinister.  Either way you go it isn't a positive reflection on the company or the brand.

I have bought, been billed, and paid for a lot of stuff in my lifetime.  I have never previously dealt with a company like DRI...a "management" company no less...that makes as many mistakes and errors as they have with our accounts (and many others).


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## dougp26364 (Sep 26, 2016)

RLS50 said:


> I am not sure exactly what you mean when you say "past due issue," and I am sure this isn't exactly the same experience...but myself and other Gold Key owners have had multiple experiences where we have been billed for maintenance fees that were already paid at the end of 2015.
> 
> The worst part about the experience is that when you call DRI to tell them their systems are screwed up, and the bill they sent is bogus, they basically make you prove it that it is their mistake.   Then when you prove it they blame the transition from Gold Key computer systems to DRI computer systems.
> 
> At this point I am just hopeful that DRI ceases to exist someday and fades into history as a distant memory when Apollo (possibly) sells them to somebody else.   And then I have to hope that whoever Apollo sells them to is better managed and better run than DRI.



ALL of our accounts were supposed to be closed at the end of 2015. DRI accepted the deeds back but, never closed our THE Club account. I assumed because we still had a little over 2,000 points from 2015 remaining. 

I had watched this account online over the months to see if/when it would finally be closed out. I had been satisfied that it always showed a zero balance, even though it remained open and showed I had those points remaining. 

I let a couple of months pass without checking because, well, nothing had changed in the first half of the year. Since it's getting close to the end of 2016, I thought I'd check and see if they'd figured out how to close it. That and the fact that our home resort had us arriving for our home week the first part of December (it was a fixed week deed). I had called to tell them I no longer owned the week but, they couldn't figure out how to cancel the reservation, which NEVER should have existed in the first place. 

When I checked the account, all of the sudden it was showing a bill from Feb. saying I owned $275 in THE Club dues and shows a couple of past due billings, none of which I've ever received. 

This has to be the MOST disorganized timeshare management company I've ever seen. What's sad is it's also one of the most expensive companies to do business with when it comes to MF's and membership fee's. 

I am SO glad we decided it was time to get out of our DRI ownership.


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## RLS50 (Sep 26, 2016)

dougp26364 said:


> This has to be the MOST disorganized timeshare management company I've ever seen. What's sad is it's also one of the most expensive companies to do business with when it comes to MF's and membership fee's.
> 
> I am SO glad we decided it was time to get out of our DRI ownership.


Dealing with DRI so far has been pretty shocking to me.  In the respect that it was a publically traded company so I expected more actual organization and professionalism.

I have been in corporate America most of my career, and whatever you might say bad about them, I am used to tightly run organizations focused on quality and customer service.  There are failures, but those are usually the exception, not the rule, and those failures are quickly addressed and analyzed to prevent repeats.

As a family we enjoy Virginia Beach very much, and DRI is unfortunately the only real game in town right now. Since the senior executives got their cash out payday I am hoping that Apollo eventually sells DRI and the next company to manage our properties in VB is a step up from DRI.


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## Egret1986 (Sep 26, 2016)

*The DRI Acquisition of my resorts last year has impacted my timeshare happiness*



dougp26364 said:


> This has to be the MOST disorganized timeshare management company I've ever seen. What's sad is it's also one of the most expensive companies to do business with when it comes to MF's and membership fee's.
> 
> I am SO glad we decided it was time to get out of our DRI ownership.



I have been a timeshare owner since the early 80's.  I have been an enthusiastic and happy timeshare owner throughout that time.

However, in less than a year's time, DRI changed everything for me.  I guess I had my "head in the sand".  I never envisioned the acquisition of the Gold Key Resorts properties.

It has to be the MOST disorganized timeshare management company.  How could anyone be any worse, from what I've experienced.  I have many contracts that are now DRI-affiliated.  I have had an ongoing, unpaid part-time job since the acquisition.  I have never worked so hard in trying to fight for what is mine.



RLS50 said:


> Dealing with DRI so far has been pretty shocking to me.  In the respect that it was a publically traded company so I expected more actual organization and professionalism.
> 
> I have been in corporate America most of my career, and whatever you might say bad about them, I am used to tightly run organizations focused on quality and customer service.  There are failures, but those are usually the exception, not the rule, and those failures are quickly addressed and analyzed to prevent repeats.
> 
> As a family we enjoy Virginia Beach very much, and DRI is unfortunately the only real game in town right now. Since the senior executives got their cash out payday I am hoping that Apollo eventually sells DRI and the next company to manage our properties in VB is a step up from DRI.



For the third time since May (for a total of five different contracts), I have had to fight to get credit for maintenance fees that were paid for 2016.  Right now I am working on three maintenance fees that were paid and are now due again by October 1.

"Stay happy.  Stay healthy. Stay vacationed."  How?????????????  What BS!  You have to listen to that crap every time that you have to call in to try to clean up the ongoing DRI messes.  "We love to say Yes" is another one of their favorites.  Seriously???? :annoyed:

While on vacation last week, at my DRI timeshare, I spent time sending emails, speaking to different DRI members, locating supporting documentation and contacting the previous owners for these double-billed maintenance fees.  I wasn't "happy" expending all this energy on what should be non-issues.  The stress that they have caused me over the last 10 months is not "healthy".  "Stay vacationed" is impossible when you're fighting for what's rightfully hours.  The part about "we love to say yes," hasn't been a part of my DRI experience.

I spoke to an arrogant Team Member in the Financial Dept. last week regarding these most recent maintenance fee billings.  She was rude, condescending and kept telling me that maintenance fees, although paid, do not transfer from the old contract to the new contract.  So unless you fight, fight, fight for what's yours; DRI will do its best to get more cash out of you.  She told me it's DRI policy over and over.  When I asked twice to be transferred to a supervisor, she rebuffed me and told me that just because I'm transferred, it won't change anything.  It's DRI policy not to transfer the paid maintenance fees.  I have been told that these phone conversations are recorded and this will be addressed with that team member.  Oh, yeah, sure it will.  She might get a good talking to for letting an owner know that all this is well planned and orchestrated in attempting to collect double maintenance fees vs. the "glitch" in the computer system.  It's not a glitch.  I have heard this same thing happening to others and it has nothing to do with the Gold Key Resorts acquisition.  

It's also DRI policy not to transfer reservations.  I have fought that fight repeatedly this past year.

This month, I called in to submit my usage for my week that just passed.  What a nightmare.  I still can't complete my usage online for my former Gold Key Resorts contracts.  I called in and the team member screwed up the usage.  It took 10 days, several emails and another phone call to get the usage corrected.

Every time I get a contact that is helpful to me, it seems they get moved to another department.  I was told last week that my most recent email regarding the maintenance fees was being forwarded to the Financial Department and I would receive a call within 24-48 hours.  So far, no call and no changes on my account.

One of the resorts in the acquisition, Beachwoods, has a large percentage of owners that have/had their weeks in RCI Points.  I am one of those owners.  Even though I was utilizing my deeded weeks this past Summer (which have to be reserved 12-13 months in advance), I or my guests were responsible for paying a $25/daily amenity fee.  (When Gold Key Resorts acquired this resort the year previous, owners were told that they would not have to pay any fees for the amenities during their owned week.  That didn't hold up for the owners in RCI Points with the DRI takeover.)  Now, I feel my only option is to pull all of these contracts out of RCI Points that I have at this resort so that I can avoid the daily amenity fees ($25 ) and RCI guest certificate fees.  All these extra fees add up to $345 per week.  

DRI is obnoxious and arrogant, at the very least; and possibly crooks in the double charging of maintenance fees when a transfer takes place.

From the DRI person on the phone last week; this isn't a glitch, it's DRI policy.   I believe that to be true.  It doesn't make sense that paid maintenance fees and reservations do not transfer with the DRI ownership transfer.  

I have never experienced this previously and I have owned a lot of different timeshares over the years.

RLS50, I do hope this Apollo acquisition improves the state of things and DRI ceases to exist in "my world."


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## Egret1986 (Sep 26, 2016)

A better title, for me, would be DRI is a mess.  I haven't found one area of DRI that isn't a mess.  Perhaps it's not a mess.  Perhaps everything is well orchestrated and planned.  Perhaps it just appears to be a mess from the outside looking in.  Perhaps they know exactly what they're doing.

Hope you can get this "monkey off your back", Doug.


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## RLS50 (Sep 26, 2016)

Based on our experience so far, the individual people at DRI are a mixed bag.  

Most are really nice, some are nice but don't know anything, some are nice and are able to help, and occasionally I have gotten a person who doesn't know anything, and doesn't seem to care to know anything, and certainly doesn't seem to want or be able to help.   I'll ask them a question they should know the answer to, they just say they don't know, and then there is awkward silence.  No follow up, no offer to find out, no offer to forward me to another department, nothing.   Just I don't know.  I assume at this point I am supposed to just hang up?

I mean it is almost comical in a dark humor kind of way, except as you are highlighted, it really isn't funny.   Like I said, I have never experienced anything like it before in my life.

It's a real shame, because Virginia Beach is a beautiful vacation spot.


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## nightnurse613 (Sep 27, 2016)

Thanks, guys.  I am in "the middle" of a deed back transaction-MOSTLY going ok for the present but you've reminded me that the financial team at DRI is hardly what I'd call professional. As we are in month three, I am starting to get M/F statements for the upcoming year and can't see why they would want to hurry this transaction along faster.  I remember one year I got one of their annual maintenance fee statements with my name on it for a resort I didn't even own!  I do agree that they are still suffering from Mr. Cloobeck's closely held management style - you did watch Undercover Boss, I trust- even though he is gone.  Your experience can vary greatly depending on whom you are talking to.


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## dougp26364 (Sep 27, 2016)

Apparently the E-mail I sent via the DRI website got to the right person quickly. I attempted to log on tonight to see if any changes had been made and found our account had been closed. 

Hopefully this is the last I'll hear of our former DRI ownership.


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## Kozman (Oct 2, 2016)

I was so glad to deed back two of my Diamond TS properties in 2015. It may have cost me almost 3 thousand in maintenance fees but gave me a lifetime of freedom from Diamond.


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## nightnurse613 (Feb 13, 2017)

Well, my deed back went remarkably well-or so I thought. I got copies of certified deed transfers back in December and put the file in suspense in order to make sure their were no problems. End of December I got maintenance fee notices from two of the the transferred properties. I forwarded the notice as FYI to DRI in early January. They said "no problem". Today is early February and the notices from the HOA arrived adding delinquent and attorney fees! I don't know if DRI failed to notify the HOA or the HOA refused to take the deeds or ????


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## TUGBrian (Feb 13, 2017)

id certainly contact the Loss mitigation department and mention this.

id also respond to the HOA letter with the information about the deedback acceptance from loss mitigation.  just sounds like the left hand isnt talking to the right hand sometimes!


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## Larry (Sep 17, 2017)

My friend passed away recently and he and wife owned 4 timeshares including one in St. Marteen At Royal Palm. He took care of all timeshare matters and his wife does not know what to do so I
am working with her son to help him show his mother how to use there weeks but she wants to get rid of her St. Marteen property and deed it back. Does anyone have information and phone numbers for Loss Mitigation department so that I can help her with the process.


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## nuwermj (Sep 17, 2017)

The first message in this thread has the information you need.
http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/sticky-dri-now-accepting-deedbacks.224859/


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