# Daimond Resorts Intl - Advice Requested



## sftballer1 (Jul 9, 2009)

Hello Again:

I cancelled my purchase in the Hawaii Collection.  I just got a call and another offer.  This is the offer.

Offer:  3000 pts/yr in the US Collection, Membership into "The Club", Membership into "The Club Select", Membership into II, $119/ea to get 8500 pts/ea for my Morritt's Tortuga Club (MTC) Weeks or $238/ea to get 12000 pts/ea for my MTC Weeks (Split 2bd to Studio an 1 Bd).  No trade fee (ha ha) for the Club or Club Select, Regular Fee with II.
Cost:  $8200; Yearly Maintenance Fees are $716 (II membership included)

My Situation:  I have two floating weeks and two bonus weeks at Morritt's Tortuga Club (1- 2bd Oceanfront (Seaside Bldg) and 1 - 2Bd Poolside).  We normally trade these floating weeks through RCI or our resorts trading company Global.  We are looking for some versitility in our trading (ie. short vacations, not always F-F, S-S, Su-Su, maybe getting to some resorts that we could not get to with just weeks.  We like to go to different places and cannot travel last minute do to the fact that we have a 6 and 9 yr old.  We have Spring Break, Summer Months, Thanksgiving and Christmas Breaks.  Really just Spring Break and Summer Months.  Our MF's are currently $1970/yr.

Please give me your honest opinion on this offer and suggestions on things we could do to open up our versitility to go where we want to go and get into the nicest of places.

Thanks
Gary


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## csalter2 (Jul 9, 2009)

sftballer1 said:


> Hello Again:
> 
> I cancelled my purchase in the Hawaii Collection.  I just got a call and another offer.  This is the offer.
> 
> ...



Gary, 

I am not sure if it's such a good deal. First, 3000 points is not a lot of points. I know that you are looking at the Club Select addition of 8500 to 12000 points. That would give you 15000 points. However, look at the cost for it. You still have to pay your maintenance fees for your MTC properties of 1970 plus the 3000 DRI points $716 plus 238 for 12000 points for Club Select. That's $2924 for a 15000 points. Now I love Club Select, but realize that you can only use properties that are available and if you don't have flexibility you may not be able to go where you want to go when you want to. They do have a nice choice but understand that you must have flexibility. 

Also, I do use my points for II and many times it is cheaper using points than using DRI properties. However understand that you will have to pay an additional $139/149 depending on if you make your reservation online or not. 

Also remember if you are looking at prime seasons such as summer when the kids don't have school, you will need to book in advance and it usually will cost you more points. In addition, shorter stays cost more points than week long stays. If you can make under 60 day reservations, then that will be good because you will only use half the points. It's the same with Club Select.  

Just some food for thought. However, I want you to know that I love DRI and have 30,000 of those points that I use and am able to get a lot of mileage out of them. I have lots of resorts within driving distance to me that help me to get that mileage too. 

You have to make that decision. Also, take I out of the equation. It's too inexpensive to think it's some sort of a deal.


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## Bill4728 (Jul 10, 2009)

Gary, 

IMHO, I'd only buy direct from DRI after you first have purchased resell points in the US trust. Then you can get 5000 pts resale for $1000 and another 3000 pts from DRI and as part of the deal insist that the resale pts also go into the "club" 

So you'd end up with 8000 pts ( all US collection/trust) and they all be in the club. 

And any "club" member should be able to use club select for your other TSs.


BUT  even though DRI "club" has some really nice feature and resorts, why buy from a company which treats it's resale owners so badly?


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## csalter2 (Jul 10, 2009)

Bill4728 said:


> Gary,
> 
> IMHO, I'd only buy direct from DRI after you first have purchased resell points in the US trust. Then you can get 5000 pts resale for $1000 and another 3000 pts from DRI and as part of the deal insist that the resale pts also go into the "club"
> 
> ...



Bill,

I would have made the same suggestion about buying the points resale and bringing them over to the Club, but there seems to be some inconsisitency in if DRI will let you bring them over into the Club or not. I would hate for someone buy them with that intention and then get stuck with them and paying maintenance fees but not being able to do with them what they really want to do. It seems to be a gamble right now.


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## Bill4728 (Jul 10, 2009)

csalter2 said:


> I would have made the same suggestion about buying the points resale and bringing them over to the Club, but there seems to be some inconsisitency in if DRI will let you bring them over into the Club or not.
> ....
> 
> It seems to be a gamble right now.



Why do all you DRI owners put up with this??   

I wouldn't buy DRI when they pull this stuff.


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## csalter2 (Jul 10, 2009)

*Different Folks Have Different Experiences*



Bill4728 said:


> Why do all you DRI owners put up with this??
> 
> I wouldn't buy DRI when they pull this stuff.



This has not been my experience, but from reading the posts on this board that is the experience of many. Except for maintenance fees increases, DRI has enhanced my experience. I bought another company and then Sunterra took over. 

I must say that whenever I have had an issue, they have handled it to my satisfaction. I do know that others have not had such an experience.

I do read on various boards that some owners are very happy with DRI. Unfortunately, they do not post very often, but those who are unhappy post loud and clear. I honestly believe if those MF did not rise so quickly and drastically there would not be the discontent that people have for DRI.


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## dougp26364 (Jul 10, 2009)

Bill4728 said:


> Why do all you DRI owners put up with this??
> 
> I wouldn't buy DRI when they pull this stuff.



DRI is not the only company to put restrictions on resale purchases when they have an internal exchange program. In fact, it seems to be more the norm than the exception. 

As to the original question. If I didn't own DRI already, I woudln't be buying into it. True they have made signifcant strides in improving owner satisfaction with their product but, they are very restricitive with their resale buyers and they do seem to be one of the most fee heavy clubs in all of timeshare land. THE Club fee's have increased from around $150/year to $255/year since DRI took over and, if you're a member of a DRI trust, there's yet another $205 fee purely for the management of that trust. Before you pay you're first penny for MF's you've already been billed $460 in management fee's. This, IMHO, if far to much. 

For me the math doesn't add up unless you're going to make at least 3 internal exchanges per year. That would be $139 X 3 = $417 in savings on exchange fee's plus $89 for the Interval membership thrown in with THE Club. Yes, I know they "give" you Interval Gold but, since most members don't actually benefit from Interval Gold, that extra cost is wasted on many members including myself.  At 8,000 points, you won't have enough points to pull off 3 exchanges per year. In order to make THE Club work you need more points than the few thousand you seem to be talking about. 

In my case I remain a DRI customer only because we have just under 30,000 points and, I can make the math work out where I find value in being a member. For us THE Club provides those short stay exchanges I use to pay Interval a full exchange fee to do for a full weeks vacation. DRI has resorts within driving diestance that we use for this purpose and, it puts our LO units with other companies to use. But like I said, if I wasn't already an owner, it's not a system I'd be buying into. The cost/return ration is just to high.


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## Golden Moments (Jul 20, 2009)

We belong to Diamond Resorts point system and have found them to be way less responsive than even RCI.  At least with RCI we could have taken our own vacation place on our own week.  With Diamond Resorts points, we have nowhere to even call home and have really gotten no exchanges even though their maintenance fee is now over $1500 a year for us.  I desperately want to sell this whole nightmare but don't even know how to begin.  Can anyone help us?  Thanks, Pam


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## csalter2 (Jul 20, 2009)

*Exchange/Sell*



Golden Moments said:


> We belong to Diamond Resorts point system and have found them to be way less responsive than even RCI.  At least with RCI we could have taken our own vacation place on our own week.  With Diamond Resorts points, we have nowhere to even call home and have really gotten no exchanges even though their maintenance fee is now over $1500 a year for us.  I desperately want to sell this whole nightmare but don't even know how to begin.  Can anyone help us?  Thanks, Pam



I am not sure why you are having a problem if you have points. Usually, it is pretty easy to see what is available with II if go through their reservation system online and put in the week you want and then various properties appear. I have stayed in many very nice properties using my DRI points. In fact this year alone I am staying at Marriott's Grand Vista in Orlando and Marriott's Beachplace Towers through II with my DRI points. You should be able to just put in the week you would like to travel. You may find difficulty if if you wait until late during a prime week and not be able to find something. 

I don't know much about selling your points except in order to do so I understand that you must have entirely paid for them and DRI will buy them back from you for a fee. I don't believe the fee was high either. If not you can try to sell them or ebay or something but I don't think you will have a lot of luck at this time.


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## timeos2 (Jul 20, 2009)

*Not one to jump at*



Golden Moments said:


> We belong to Diamond Resorts point system and have found them to be way less responsive than even RCI.  At least with RCI we could have taken our own vacation place on our own week.  With Diamond Resorts points, we have nowhere to even call home and have really gotten no exchanges even though their maintenance fee is now over $1500 a year for us.  I desperately want to sell this whole nightmare but don't even know how to begin.  Can anyone help us?  Thanks, Pam



This seems to be the general feeling of those that have opted into the undeeded trust(s) while those that have held on to their deeded week(s) at Diamond resorts, with or without the voluntary participation in Club thus keeping a vote for operations and a true home resort, seem to be much more satisfied.  The fees and the games about ever changing resale rules makes the undeeded system a nightmare IMO.  Add in that 3000 points won't get you a lounge chair by a pool for a week and it is a horrible "deal".


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