ARDA fees seem to be not voluntary on all of my statements. Let's do a letter-writing campaign via email to Vistana about it. Join me, please!

[TUGBrian]

just to be clear, marriott is well aware of the differences in how that fee is collected and that its automatically applied. they indicated as mentioned above, that it wasnt worth their time/money or effort to make said change in the Vistara system, and felt the disclaimer on the maint fee bill was more than enough.

I found that to be a complete load of horseshit TBH, the argument in that it would be too cumbersome or difficult to change the dollar amount charged for a particular line item (or remove it completely) is absurd.

 

[tamu_bu]

It's not really a solution, but at this point maybe just list a rental at a rate that's $5 higher than you might normally?? Ie $2,000 instead of $1,995?

I don't advocate feeding the arda monster if you don't want to but it could be worth it in avoided frustration and sunk time.

 

[dioxide45]

I am never going to get my weeks booked, unless I fork over the $5.00. It hangs over my head. Convincing the people at Vistana that there is a problem is difficult because they say the $5.00 fee gets zeroed out at some point. Well, this is getting to be something I don't want to explain to the nice people who answer the phones and are basically unable to help or understand the issue.

When you pay the 2024 maintenance fee balance (difference of actual fee and projected fee paid) in January and they have undoubtedly go up by $5, can you not just subtract the $5 from the balance you have to pay?

 

[Ken555]

No, I don't defend Marriott regardless. But I don't blindly look for reasons to shower hate on them like some people, which seems to now include you.

I've had my issues with MVC, especially how they've handled adding additional resale purchases on the VSN side lately, and I've posted them publicly here. But I am fair enough to give credit and blame where they are due. They may not have fixed Cindy's issue, but they are not the cause of it. It's not like pre-merger Vistana was all perfect sunshine and roses that could do no wrong and then MVC came along and ruined paradise. Overall, I think MVC's IT/website management is horrible, but at the same time I actually like the MVC website's reservation search function MUCH more than Vistana's.

Great job discounting my justified opinion due to multiple factual reasons posted in multiple threads on TUG. Don’t blame the root cause of the complaints, blame the person mentioning them! How very typically TUG.

There is a lot I like about Marriott, but that isn’t stopping me from pointing out where they go wrong. And they inherited Vistana’s problems and it’s been YEARS… so they had time to not just fix issues, but also improve them. And what have they done? They’ve made things worse.

Cindy’s problem is just one example of this issue, and it’s beginning to feel like dozens of small paper cuts.

I don’t use Marriott’s reservation system, so that has absolutely no bearing on my appreciation on them as a company. The reservation system formerly known as SVN/VSN is what I use, and clearly that’s having problems. And, they’re charging people voluntary contributions for certain ownership weeks and preventing them from using their deeded rights unless they pay that voluntary contribution… and you excuse this behavior and blame me for complaining about Marriott? Amazing.


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[sponger76]

and you excuse this behavior and blame me for complaining about Marriott? Amazing.

I don't excuse the issues, I just pointed out the knee-jerk reaction to blast MVC for an issue they did not create. At the same time, you get to paint me as just defending MVC regardless when, as I pointed out, I do criticeze them when justified? Amazing. Hypocritical much?

 

[Ken555]

I don't excuse the issues, I just pointed out the knee-jerk reaction to blast MVC for an issue they did not create. At the same time, you get to paint me as just defending MVC regardless when, as I pointed out, I do criticeze them when justified? Amazing. Hypocritical much?

Time to lighten up. I don’t have a knee jerk reaction. I have facts on my side…which you seem to ignore.

I don’t always post positive comments about vendors. I’ve had good experiences at Marriott this year, and I have many more weeks reserved for later in the year. This doesn’t mean I can’t justifiably criticize them. I also consider any Vistana failure to be a Marriott failure at this point - when you buy/merge with another company you inherit everything from them. It’s now a Marriott responsibly to fix these issues. /eom


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[sponger76]

Time to lighten up. I don’t have a knee jerk reaction. I have facts on my side…which you seem to ignore.

I don't lighten up when you try to criticize me for making a comment taking MVC's side on this issue by unfairly saying I would just automatically defend MVC, but you can't take criticism yourself saying that you just automatically attack them. That's what I mean by hypocrisy.

 

[sponger76]

when you buy/merge with another company you inherit everything from them. It’s now a Marriott responsibly to fix these issues. /eom

I do agree that they should fix them, but I still blame Vistana/Starwood for the problem. You came into the conversation guns blasting at MVC as if they created the whole mess and there weren't any issues with Vistana beforehand.

 

[VacationForever]

Cindy, Is this happening to only one of your SBP weeks, every SBP weeks or every Vistana weeks?... Or is it only for SBP weeks which you can reserve 2 years in advance?

 

[rickandcindy23]

This happens with any weeks I pay ahead. My future payment credits $5.00 of the estimated maintenance fee to ARDA.

We own a lot of SBP weeks. I have been told via email that I must pay the $5.00 to make reservations. I never get to speak to anyone above the regular people who answer the phones, all of whom are unable to help and just say I have to pay it to make reservations for 2024. I guess I will just pay the $5.00 for every week. I don't get anywhere with this.

Dear _____________,

Thank you for your email. I will be happy to further assist you.

I am sorry to learn about your frustration regarding the ARDA contribution.

Unfortunately, I do not have the tools to delete the ARDA contribution or request for a refund. I apologize for the inconvenience that this may cause.

To escalate your concerns, please call us at 888-786-3548. Representatives are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern Time. We will gladly assist.

If you wish to know any additional information, feel free to contact us and we will be happy to further assist you.

Sincerely,

Oswaldo S.
Vacation Ownership Specialist

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am paying all of the $5.00 ARDA fees to book my weeks. I pay the $5.00 and then call to book my weeks, because booking online has never been a possibility for my weeks.

To avoid aggravation on my part, while I explain to every person who answers the phone that I should not have to pay the fee and getting no help from anyone higher up AT ALL, I have decided to acquiesce and pay the stupid fee for my weeks.

I don't know of anything else I can do. The lack of basic math skills is part of the problem. Even if they look at the statements and see that the $5.00 fee was subtracted from the 2024 fees that I paid ahead, they tell me I have to pay it.

 

[dioxide45]

I think what you need to do is pay the full projected next year fees and then when you get the bill for 2024 (for the difference), just subtract the $5 from the balance due at that time. That of course being that the fees actually went up more than $5.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I think what you need to do is pay the full projected next year fees and then when you get the bill for 2024 (for the difference), just subtract the $5 from the balance due at that time. That of course being that the fees actually went up more than $5.

Since Marriott is doing some updates on the units' interiors and the check-in area at Sheraton Broadway, I am sure there will be some increase in fees, and maybe big increases for 2024.

I should wait until the $5.00 falls off before I pay ahead.

I need to pay fees ahead to get that 85,000 bonus night for our stay in Europe next year. I am going to start as soon as the MF bills arrive. My credit card renewal is November.

I don't have these issues with ANY other company, not even Marriott. It's been this way for years, but I didn't always pay ahead. I like paying ahead, and you would think they would be happy that I pay ahead, owning a lot of weeks. I am a guarantee of a dues-paying owner. But they act like it's my fault that I pay ahead.

 

[VacationForever]

All that I can say is that there is something wrong with your account, @rickandcindy23. Since we have been paying ahead since 1997, we have never had to pay the ARDA fee.

 

[rickandcindy23]

All that I can say is that there is something wrong with your account, @rickandcindy23. Since we have been paying ahead since 1997, we have never had to pay the ARDA fee.

Do you own Sheraton Broadway Resort? Why do you keep insisting that there is something wrong with me or my account, or that I am shorting my fees by $5.00. It's really mind boggling. This is so simple to explain, and my statements that I have copied and pasted here on TUG clearly show that when I pay ahead, and the $5.00 has not fallen off of the total, $5.00 of my estimated 2024 fees are taken to pay the ARDA fee. It doesn't matter that I didn't pay it with the 2023 fees. The $5.00 is still showing as an amount due in my account.

I cannot be more clear, but if you keep insisting that this is me, then I cannot stop you. I think you and I agree on just about everything else, but I am not a person who doesn't understand math. Admittedly, it's been a long time since college algebra, in which I received an "A," but this is simple addition/ subtraction, not algebra.

As I said, you and I are always in agreement on about everything timeshare. The people at Vistana don't get it either, but I am talking to people at Vistana who are math-challenged. These are the same people that deny there was something wrong with the online booking system, too. Same people who argue when I want to book my deeded week over a year out. There is major turnover at Vistana, that's all I can say. How many people answer the phone, because I have a list of about 15 people I have talked to over the last six months. Such a turnover...

 

[VacationForever]

Do you own Sheraton Broadway Resort? Why do you keep insisting that there is something wrong with me or my account, or that I am shorting my fees by $5.00. It's really mind boggling. This is so simple to explain, and my statements that I have copied and pasted here on TUG clearly show that when I pay ahead, and the $5.00 has not fallen off of the total, $5.00 of my estimated 2024 fees are taken to pay the ARDA fee. It doesn't matter that I didn't pay it with the 2023 fees. The $5.00 is still showing as an amount due in my account.

I cannot be more clear, but if you keep insisting that this is me, then I cannot stop you. I think you and I agree on just about everything else, but I am not a person who doesn't understand math. Admittedly, it's been a long time since college algebra, in which I received an "A," but this is simple addition/ subtraction, not algebra.

As I said, you and I are always in agreement on about everything timeshare. The people at Vistana don't get it either, but I am talking to people at Vistana who are math-challenged. These are the same people that deny there was something wrong with the online booking system, too. Same people who argue when I want to book my deeded week over a year out. There is major turnover at Vistana, that's all I can say. How many people answer the phone, because I have a list of about 15 people I have talked to over the last six months. Such a turnover...

You said on all of your ownership when you pay ahead, see my question on post #184 and your reply on #185.

 

[dioxide45]

Since Marriott is doing some updates on the units' interiors and the check-in area at Sheraton Broadway, I am sure there will be some increase in fees, and maybe big increases for 2024.

I should wait until the $5.00 falls off before I pay ahead.

I need to pay fees ahead to get that 85,000 bonus night for our stay in Europe next year. I am going to start as soon as the MF bills arrive. My credit card renewal is November.

I don't have these issues with ANY other company, not even Marriott. It's been this way for years, but I didn't always pay ahead. I like paying ahead, and you would think they would be happy that I pay ahead, owning a lot of weeks. I am a guarantee of a dues-paying owner. But they act like it's my fault that I pay ahead.

When you pay ahead, I don't beleive that money actually goes anywhere. It doesn't get passed on to the association, does it? The ARDA fee probably doesn't get sent to ARDA until 2024 bills and payments are finalized. Vistana just sits on that money and floats it for the interest. Perhaps I am wrong. I am just saying, drop the $5 from your payment when you pay the balance for the 2024 fees when they are due. That should "reset" things. This is all just speculation, but so far, nothing else is really working. This issue only seems to be happening with your account. No one else is jumping in and reporting this as an issue. I suspect the complexity of your ownership doesn't make things easier are you are likely in the top .01% of ownerships at the resort and perhaps in the system.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I don't pay ahead on my Westin. I don't have to pay ahead to book a week. I don't pay ahead on my SDO because again, I don't have to pay ahead to book a week, but Sheraton Broadway, that is where we own dozens of weeks, which our daughter rents for us.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I closed the BBB complaint on this issue. I am just done arguing with people who do not understand the issue to resolve it.

The communication I received this morning was that I need to call in person when I want to pay the fees ahead, so that the person answering the phone will subtract the $5.00 each time. I can try to do that, but that won't happen. I will still be short $5.00. This is going on too long, and I am just sick of fighting Vistana over it. That's a waste of manpower, don't you think? When hold times are hours long, I should call and pay?

When I call to book my SBR weeks for the next year, which I HAVE TO DO because the system times out on me while booking online, I am forced to pay the $5.00 due. The people who answer the phone have no power to take the $5.00 off.

Again, not an issue will my Desert Willow, Westin Ka'anapali and SDO, only Sheraton Broadway Resort.

 

[TUGBrian]

as a nice update to this, wins for owners come so rarely in this industry...no problem celebrating even the small ones!

Are you contributing to a timeshare developer lobbying organization without knowing it?

American Resort Development Association–Resort Owners’ Coalition (ARDA–ROC) is an organization that does lobbying to benefit timeshare developers. Sometimes their lobbying also benefits timeshare owners, but it's the developers that help fund ARDA–ROC. How do they fund it? Check the statement...

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