hassle depositing my non svn sdo week

[DeniseM]

I think everyone is getting too excited about all this. I have not once had to fight with anyone or ask for any legal department!

I think I am going to start a new business for you all. Here is the deal:

1) You and I set up mutually agreed upon conference call with Starwood desk.
2) I do all the talking for you and request your reserved or deeded week to be deposited.
3) Starwood acts all nice to me and deposits the week you want.
4) I get paid by 1 free week by you per every successful II deposit.

Sound ok? I think it's a sound business plan. What do you think?

Katherine

Kath - you KNOW soliciting is not allowed here!

 

[SDKath]

Aaaaaah darn. Did you catch me?? I wish our MOD would not be so responsive.... :zzz:

 

[Denise L]

I think everyone is getting too excited about all this. I have not once had to fight with anyone or ask for any legal department!

I think I am going to start a new business for you all. Here is the deal:

1) You and I set up mutually agreed upon conference call with Starwood desk.
2) I do all the talking for you and request your reserved or deeded week to be deposited.
3) Starwood acts all nice to me and deposits the week you want.
4) I get paid by 1 free week by you per every successful II deposit.

Sound ok? I think it's a sound business plan. What do you think?

Katherine

Hey, I thought you just wanted me to buy you a Mocha?!?! :hysterical:

 

[SDKath]

Hey, I thought you just wanted me to buy you a Mocha?!?! :hysterical:

Inflation.

 

[jerseygirl]

I think everyone is getting too excited about all this. I have not once had to fight with anyone or ask for any legal department!

Just wait! You've owned for less than a year, right? If it continues to be this easy for you, then you can thank those of us who have been fighting about it and contacting the legal department for the past 8 years or so!

 

[dr.debs]

Just to clarify, if you own an original BP week (pre-Starwood) that is not in the network (i.e., you've never agreed to the SVN membership terms), you have the legal right to reserve and deposit any available week within your season. This is almost assuredly true for the original SDO and SVV weeks as well, but I've never seen the documentation so I can't swear by it.

Starwood attempts to enforce the SVN rules, which allow them to deposit a week of their choice, but they CANNOT force you to agree. Tell them you wish to speak to the legal department. Do a google search -- contact their General Counsel. They will back down and allow you to deposit the week you reserved (not just your deeded week) because you have the legal right to do so.

Do not let them get away with having their cake (blocking you from joining the network) and eating it too (trying to enforce network rules).

Ok Next time I am not going to back down. I spoke to two supervisors and still ended up with shoulder weeks deposited. Next time (2009) I am going to call 12 months in advance and reserve my spring break week (if I can).

 

[James1975NY]

Ok Next time I am not going to back down. I spoke to two supervisors and still ended up with shoulder weeks deposited. Next time (2009) I am going to call 12 months in advance and reserve my spring break week (if I can).

What supervisors did you speak to?

 

[esk444]

Not always true - with my SBP week, I can reserve my deeded week and unit from 24 to 12 month 1 day before use.
If I don't reserve it by the 12 month mark, it becomes available to other owners.
SBP was previously an "Embassy???" resort - as was SDO - so they might have similar T&Cs.
I know that SDO in RCI has priority trading into other Embassy resorts -'chemteach' Edye has more info about this - as I have never traded in RCI.

Can you deposit your deeded week 24 months in advance in to II too?

 

[GrayFal]

Can you deposit your deeded week 24 months in advance in to II too?

I have not asked to be honest.....but I betcha RCI would take it 2 years out.

 

[dr.debs]

What supervisors did you speak to?

I won't name names, but they were both supervisors at SVN. They were very nice on the phone, but told me in no uncertain terms that as I was a 1-52 float (company 47) my week was cheaper than the "true platinum" season weeks, and I had no right to any specific week. It was starwoods choice of which bulk banked week was deposited for me. One got me on the phone with a conference call to II, who agreed with this statement. This same supervisor deposited two studios, instead of the 1 br and a LO. The II rep said nothing. I found out when I logged onto II the next day. I called SVN back, and another supervisor changed one lock off to a 1 br, but reiterated the same sentiment. I was perplexed given SDKath's success at prior deposits. I accepted what I was given as it was late in the year, and the SVN rep told me that if I had called after Sept 1 "there might not be any weeks left to deposit for you" (my week in an EOY even).

 

[SDKath]

II cannot "echo this sentiment". They are just a clearninghouse of weeks. It is not their policies that matter but Starwood's.

I PM'd you the person you should contact at Starwood. I would not give up the fight!

Katherine

 

[nodge]

I won't name names, but they were both supervisors at SVN. They were very nice on the phone, but told me in no uncertain terms that as I was a 1-52 float (company 47) my week was cheaper than the "true platinum" season weeks, and I had no right to any specific week. It was starwoods choice of which bulk banked week was deposited for me.

dr.debs,

The only place where SVO establishes the right to pick the resort and week to deposit into II for you is in the SVN enrollment paperwork, which SVO has expressly excluded you from signing.

You can call random people at SVO regarding this injustice until you are blue in the face, and you may or may not succeed in getting someone to agree with you . . . . this time. But, you'll likely face this battle each and every time you seek to deposit into II unless something more is done to force SVO to understand and honor its own policies and paperwork.

I suggest that you fill out and mail this complaint form to the Florida Dept. of Business Regulation. If you do, someone at SVO will be forced to respond to it, in writing no less, or it risks losing its license to sell timeshares in Florida. Dollars to donuts, SVO's written response (if it’s smart at least) will be a formal apology coupled with a promise to do the right thing by you in the future. You can post that writing here on TUG, and we'll all be able to shove it under SVO's nose when needed in the future.

If SVO has pulled this nonsense with anyone else reading this message, please do the same thing!

Good Luck!

-nodge

 

[SDKath]

Ooooh, Nodge, thanks for this. I bet this same form will work when I complain about the 5* SOs changing without notice and yet their website showing the wrong SO value until yesterday. Does the BBB in FL have a similar form?

K

 

[nodge]

Ooooh, Nodge, thanks for this. I bet this same form will work when I complain about the 5* SOs changing without notice and yet their website showing the wrong SO value until yesterday. Does the BBB in FL have a similar form?

K

SDKath,

I think in your case, you should file a complaint in Florida, but since you live in California (and possibly even purchased some or all of your developer units while in California), I would also fill out and file this Complaint form too. Here is info about SVO’s corporate real estate license in California.

It’s just a hunch, but I bet California has much tougher timeshare / consumer protection laws, and it is more likely to enforce them against developers than Florida. Moreover, SVO is currently selling the Westin Desert Willow in California, and it would have a really hard time continuing to do that if its California real estate license were suspended or revoked for violating California’s consumer protection laws, like say, for using deceptive advertising and false promises as an inducement to trick owners into making a new developer purchase or two.

I think filing complaints with the BBB and/or ARDA will not likely lead to meaningful resolution in your case. Neither entity has any teeth to use against SVO, so they can only work if SVO were a responsible entity that had an interest in doing the right thing for its victims/owners without being forced to by an external regulating authority.

Good Luck!
-nodge

 

[bccash63]

As a new owner at SDO I made my first reservation in a 2 br LO for week 52 09'. I waited 3 days then called to say I would only be using the larger 1 br and wanted the smaller 1 br deposited for the week I had reserved. I told the agent that I was not an SVN member and therefore could choose the week I wanted deposited and also as a platinum owner I wanted a week depsited that I actually own---- 1-21, 51-52. Checked RCI this am and I have an Oct 09' week deposited?????????????: What do I say to Starwood when I call them back? thanx, Dawn

 

[Politico]

As a new owner at SDO I made my first reservation in a 2 br LO for week 52 09'. I waited 3 days then called to say I would only be using the larger 1 br and wanted the smaller 1 br deposited for the week I had reserved. I told the agent that I was not an SVN member and therefore could choose the week I wanted deposited and also as a platinum owner I wanted a week depsited that I actually own---- 1-21, 51-52. Checked RCI this am and I have an Oct 09' week deposited?????????????: What do I say to Starwood when I call them back? thanx, Dawn

I thought people had success with this problem by using II to make an online deposit. I won't have to go through this until a couple more months, but I'm equally concerned.

 

[bccash63]

Starwood RCI EXPERTS ADVICE NEEDED

Called Starwood and requested my reserved week/52 to be deposited not the Oct week. The agent had to check with her 'support services' and put me on hold--when she came back she said that HOLIDAY WEEKS are never deposited??? and assured me that Oct was a high demand week in Scottsdale:annoyed: I told her from my experience Oct was a low demand/shoulder season wk in Scottsdale and I did not own an Oct week--I own 1-21, 51-52 and wanted a week I own deposited. She called her 'support services' again and came back with a week 12 deposit for 09'/spring training. However, at this late date I may have been better off with the Oct wk I just acquired this deed in Nov so I will plan ahead for a March week at 12 months out(my underlying wk on the deed is week 10--odd yr) next time. Does anyone know if its true a HOLIDAY WEEK can NOT be deposited or should I have asked for a supervisor?? Thanks for any info you can give as this is my first experience with starwood. I did read the sticky--but mostly refers to II. I also did an 'advance search' option for starwood/rci deposits. Thanks again, Dawn

 

[jerseygirl]

Technically, you had a right to deposit the holiday week and probably could have forced the issue. But, the spring training week they gave you will probably trade equally well. It was probably deposited 9-10 months ago, and if so, your trading power won't be hurt by a late deposit. The only downside is that you'll only have until week 12 2011 to trade, whereas you would have had until week 12 2001 to trade if they had deposited your week 52. My advice would be to check the trading power (by searching to see what you can see). If it's strong, let it go. If it's weak, you can escalate at Starwood by contacting the legal department and asserting your right to deposit what you booked.

 

[DeniseM]

March is a very strong week - MLB Spring Training is in March.

I think that it will always be a hassle to deposit through Starwood - owners who are doing it successfully are doing it themselves, online.

 

[bccash63]

Denise, I had read it is possible to deposit online with II--do you know how to do that with RCI? thanx, Dawn

 

[Twinkstarr]

March is a very strong week - MLB Spring Training is in March.

I think that it will always be a hassle to deposit through Starwood - owners who are doing it successfully are doing it themselves, online.

Why call Starwood to deposit, if you can deposit your non-svn unit online successfully?

 

[DeniseM]

Denis, I had read it is possible to deposit online with II--do you know how to do that with RCI? thanx, Dawn

I'm not sure what you mean by "impossible," but,

Starwood reserves the right to deposit weeks that are in the SVN.

However, if your week is not in the SVN, you have the right to deposit the week of your choice, yourself, online. A week that is not in the SVN, is a resale that is from a voluntary resort, like SDO.

For lots of info. about how Starwood works, see the FAQ at the top of the board and the earlier posts in this thread.

 

[twz]

I own a couple of SDO units for trading and I haven't been able to successfully deposit them online with II. I was, however, able to make reservations and then have Starwood deposit what I had reserved (with no hassle, actually). I think it just depends upon who you get on the phone that day.

 

[Politico]

I own a couple of SDO units for trading and I haven't been able to successfully deposit them online with II. I was, however, able to make reservations and then have Starwood deposit what I had reserved (with no hassle, actually). I think it just depends upon who you get on the phone that day.

What problem did you encounter trying to deposit online through II?

 

[twz]

What problem did you encounter trying to deposit online through II?

When I get past the screen where it asks for your reservation date I get a message telling me to call owner services, that they (II) are unable to complete the transaction.