# Fairfield Equivest



## rkd (Jan 12, 2007)

What is Fairfield Equivest?  

Regina


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## EAM (Jan 12, 2007)

*The result of a merger*

Equivest Finance www.equivest.com was a company that developed, managed, financed, and sold timeshares.  Cendant purchased Equivest several years ago with the intention of merging the Equivest managed resorts into Fairfield Resorts.  Equivest is now part of WVO, I think.

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9404EFD9143EF93BA25751C1A9679C8B63

Some resorts were merged into Fairfield's FairShare Plus system, probably by giving owners at those resorts the opportunity to convert their fixed weeks to FSP points.   Examples would be Bentley Brook and the Newport resorts.

At other resorts, Fairfield simply assumed management of the resorts, e.g. Blue Ridge Village.  

And at at least one resort in the Virgin Islands (Bluebeard's Castle), there were some significant conflicts between the owners and Fairfield.  I am not sure if or how these conflicts were resolved.


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## somerville (Jan 12, 2007)

Fairfield is the first timeshare developer/management company that Cendant bought.  Then Cendant bought Equivest, another developer/management company.  Equivest was merged into Fairfield.  However, only a few of the Equivest resorts actually became a part of the Fairfield resort network.  The rest are managed separately.  Equivest also had created one of the first points systems, Equivest Vacation and Travel Club (EVTC).  Despite representations at the time of the merger that Equivest would be integrated into Fairfield, this never happened, and EVTC is the unwanted step child of Fairfield.

Cendant spun on its timeshare and lodging business last year under the Wyndham label.  You will often see people referring to Wyndham, Fairfield, Fairfield, Equivest, and Worldmark/Trendwest using a combination of the names.  I assume they think that people will have a favorable association with one of the names.  Maybe they think that people will assume Equivest is the same as Fairfield.  With few exceptions, it most assuredly is not.

I am an EVTC owner.  If you have specific questions regarding this system, please ask.


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## Bill4728 (Jan 13, 2007)

How does Peppertree fit into this?

 I thought Equivest bought peppertree and it also has been abandoned by wyndham.


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## EAM (Jan 13, 2007)

Bill4728 said:


> How does Peppertree fit into this?
> 
> I thought Equivest bought peppertree and it also has been abandoned by wyndham.



Equivest had purchased Peppertree not long before Cendant purchased Equivest.  According to the RCI directory, Peppertree at Tamarack (WI Dells) is being managed by WVO.  I don't know the status of the other Peppertree resorts.


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## somerville (Jan 13, 2007)

Bill4728 said:


> How does Peppertree fit into this?
> 
> I thought Equivest bought Peppertree and it also has been abandoned by wyndham.


Equivest was previouly Eastern Resorts.  Equivest purchased some of the Kosmas Group resorts, including Bluebeard's Castle, and then purchased Peppertree.  Some of the former Peppertree resorts still operate under the Peppertree name, and some operate under Fairfield (and now maybe Wyndham).  Some are managed by Wyndham/Fairfield, and some are managed by others.  Equivest Vacation and Travel Club (EVTC), which was formerly Peppertree Vacation Club is managed (or maybe more appropriately mismanaged) by Wyndham/Fairfield.  Only part of the Equivest family was in EVTC.  It is mainly some of the old Peppertree resorts.  None of the former Eastern or Kosmas resorts are part of EVTC, despite what some eBay resellers would have you believe.


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## Tia (Jan 21, 2007)

The original Equivest was a finance company I thought who turned developer. Yes Equivest purchased our Bluebeards Castle not long before FF bought Equivest. Equivest had the Castle just a couple years, long enought to raise our maint. fees to more than double while doing nothing to maintain the assocation bldgs! Equivest then conveniently sold to FF right as owners were starting to vote owners on the association boards, and FF has fought owners on our boards ever since, it's ongoing.





somerville said:


> Equivest was previouly Eastern Resorts.  Equivest purchased some of the Kosmas Group resorts, including Bluebeard's Castle, and then purchased Peppertree.  .................


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## johnmfaeth (Jan 21, 2007)

To expand on Tia's posting...

Wyndham/Fairfield has pretty much abandoned Bluebeards Castle at this point. Another management company (SPM) has been engaged by 3 of the 4 HOA's (last is still FF) and also maintains the common areas. All FF management staff have been relocated to Bluebeards Beach Club and The Elysian.

I must point out that Bluebeards Beach Club is a different resort with a nice beach just east of Marriott Frenchman's Reef. It is a thriving resort with a brand new pool and tennis court, nicely maintained. Affordable MF's too and a happy owners collection, over 520 of which are members of a very active Yahoo discussion group. 

The Castle is in downtown Charlotte Amalie with a few miles drive to the nearest beach. It is in bad shape after years of poor maintenance and has a BIG delinquency problem. Donate for a Cause has it's units on their "do not accept" list. They go unsold for $1 on Ebay every day.

My sympathies are with the Castle owners as victims (for many years now) of the worst of the timeshare industry. They have a huge lawsuit which starts this spring, we'll see if they get some financial relief.


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## Tia (Jan 21, 2007)

Actually all 4 Castle associations are now managed by SPM, since ~Sept when the last association Pirates Pension managed by FF needed a special assessment this past August. Plus two PP board members resigned with one posting to a yahoo group he didn't want to be associated with what had happened under FF . 

Your correct John that FF seems to have left the Castle as it is not maintaining the common area so the associations are right now, anything to make it harder imo. FF still $upported an effort to get a couple known FF friendly owners onto Castle boards this past Oct., and it is in the court.

The last time we were at the Castle and the Beach Club, 3 years ago, I'd say the Castle was doing better than the Beach Club room management wise from what we had happen,  FF was managing both then for a couple years.


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## johnmfaeth (Feb 3, 2007)

Hi Tia,

You should go back to the Beach Club, you would be amazed at how things have upgraded. Lots of work on the landscaping, brand new pool, new tennis court. food much better to.

Not perfect but heading in the right direction.

John


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## mishugana (Jun 28, 2007)

Are equivest point usable at ff?



somerville said:


> Fairfield is the first timeshare developer/management company that Cendant bought.  Then Cendant bought Equivest, another developer/management company.  Equivest was merged into Fairfield.  However, only a few of the Equivest resorts actually became a part of the Fairfield resort network.  The rest are managed separately.  Equivest also had created one of the first points systems, Equivest Vacation and Travel Club (EVTC).  Despite representations at the time of the merger that Equivest would be integrated into Fairfield, this never happened, and EVTC is the unwanted step child of Fairfield.
> 
> Cendant spun on its timeshare and lodging business last year under the Wyndham label.  You will often see people referring to Wyndham, Fairfield, Fairfield, Equivest, and Worldmark/Trendwest using a combination of the names.  I assume they think that people will have a favorable association with one of the names.  Maybe they think that people will assume Equivest is the same as Fairfield.  With few exceptions, it most assuredly is not.
> 
> I am an EVTC owner.  If you have specific questions regarding this system, please ask.


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## somerville (Jun 28, 2007)

mishugana said:


> Are equivest point usable at ff?



------NO-----


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## johnmfaeth (Jun 29, 2007)

FF has really neglected the Equivest Point Owners. Unlike the Ebay adds which incorrectly show Wyndham's (former equivest) two St. Thomas Resorts (The Wyndham Bluebeard's Beach Club and the Wyndham Elysian), Equivest Points owners have not be allowed their in years.

They are also very pricey from as fees perspective. Thus the $1 they occasionally fetch on EBay.


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