• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

No Star Options For You!

suzanna945

Guest
Joined
Jul 15, 2017
Messages
20
Reaction score
13
Points
63
Resorts Owned
Westin St John
We are brand new timeshare owners, and we are apparently off to a bad start. We purchased a Westin Virgin Grand Villa timeshare by resale recently. Although we were fully aware that we couldn't vacation at our home resort in 2018 (due to the hurricanes and rebuilding), we went through with the sale with 2018 as our first year of use, assuming that we could use the 2018 Star Options to vacation somewhere else this year. We paid the 2018 maintenance fees and taxes through the Vistana website.

Now that we're looking into using our 2018 Star Options to vacation somewhere else in Vistana's network this year, there are none associated with our account. I called Vistana; after an hour on the phone and being transferred 5 times to different reps, we still have no Star Options....they say that according to them, our first year of use is 2019. They acknowledge receipt of our payment for the 2018 maintenance fees and taxes, but still say our first year of use in the Vistana system is 2019.

Did we totally screw up in thinking if we paid the maintenance fees and taxes for 2018 we would have Star Options to use the same year?
 

cubigbird

Tug Review Crew Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Apr 9, 2013
Messages
1,725
Reaction score
634
Points
323
Location
Western US
Resorts Owned
Westin Lagunamar, Westin Kierland X2, Westin St John-Sunset Bay X2, Westin Desert Willow, Westin Aventuras
Did you get a estoppel as part of the purchase to confirm what you were buying? It is possible you purchased an every other year, in which case 1/2 is due each year. How much is your yearly maintenance fee?
 

Caligirlfrtx

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 8, 2017
Messages
302
Reaction score
85
Points
139
Resorts Owned
HICV, SHERATON BROADWAY PLANTATION, GRAND PACIFIC PALISADES, SHERATON DESERT OASIS, HYATT COCONUT PLANTATION, RIVERVIEW RESORT
Did you get a estoppel as part of the purchase to confirm what you were buying? It is possible you purchased an every other year, in which case 1/2 is due each year. How much is your yearly maintenance fee?
Is it a mandatory or voluntary resort? it matters
 

suzanna945

Guest
Joined
Jul 15, 2017
Messages
20
Reaction score
13
Points
63
Resorts Owned
Westin St John
Did you get a estoppel as part of the purchase to confirm what you were buying? It is possible you purchased an every other year, in which case 1/2 is due each year. How much is your yearly maintenance fee?
No, it's a yearly.
 

VacationForever

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
16,198
Reaction score
10,607
Points
1,048
Location
Somewhere Out There
Virgin Grand (Hillside) is mandatory. I wonder if SOs are forfeited because the resort is closed even though owners had to pay much discounted MF for 2018.
 

GrayFal

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
10,051
Reaction score
2,099
Points
699
Location
The Hamptons, NY
Resorts Owned
Marriott Bluegreen SVV Morritt's Seaside Former WSJx5
I think you need to call back. If your first year of ownership is 2018 in VGV you can bank your SO until 2021 snd you can purchase SP at a deep discount.

They (Vistana) just keep f@@@@@@ up. You need to stay on top of this.
 

bizaro86

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2008
Messages
3,664
Reaction score
2,489
Points
598
Location
Calgary, AB, Canada
I think it's worth checking whether the prior owner used them early (borowed )
 

GrayFal

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
10,051
Reaction score
2,099
Points
699
Location
The Hamptons, NY
Resorts Owned
Marriott Bluegreen SVV Morritt's Seaside Former WSJx5
Wow! I stand corrected! The sales folks always make it sound like you have to buy from the developer to buy the SPs at their great rate. I will correct my post. Thank you!
This was an exception due to the circumstances. We normally can not as resale owners convert to SP or get offers to buy SP.

This was a compensation offer made to WSJ owners. Only one SP package per owner not Numbet of units owned
 

LisaRex

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2007
Messages
6,792
Reaction score
317
Points
518
Location
'burbs of Cincinnati, OH
Resorts Owned
Used to own: WKORV-N; SVV - Bella
Check your contract. It should have made crystal clear what year first usage was and who was responsible for paying 2018 MFs.
 

jabberwocky

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
2,829
Reaction score
2,583
Points
348
Resorts Owned
SVR, SDO, WKORV-N, Westin Flex, HGVC (BLVD)
I think it's worth checking whether the prior owner used them early (borowed )

The 2018 estimated MFs would have to be paid before they could be borrowed - so I don't think this would be possible.
 

dioxide45

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
47,369
Reaction score
18,931
Points
1,299
Location
NE Florida
Resorts Owned
Marriott Grande Vista
Marriott Harbour Lake
Sheraton Vistana Villages
Club Wyndham CWA
@rickandcindy23 was reporting a similar problem regarding getting first usage in this thread. Though hers was with a voluntary resort and it wasn't transferred in to their name yet. I sure hope this isn't a new trend or policy with Vistana as she mentioned in that thread. We picked up another mandatory week that is supposed to come with 2018 usage, fingers crossed it goes smoothly.
 

dioxide45

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
47,369
Reaction score
18,931
Points
1,299
Location
NE Florida
Resorts Owned
Marriott Grande Vista
Marriott Harbour Lake
Sheraton Vistana Villages
Club Wyndham CWA
Check your contract. It should have made crystal clear what year first usage was and who was responsible for paying 2018 MFs.
The problem is that I don't think Vistana cares what the contract says. They just do the transfer at a given time and at that time all usage rights transfer to the new owner. If the prior owner didn't own any other weeks, their VSN account is closed. If they do have other weeks and they banked the points, then the new owner doesn't get them. If they didn't bank the points, then the new owner should end up with them. I don't think that Vistana can cleanly separate use years in their system. If first use really isn't until 2019, Vistana just absconds with the StarOptions if the prior owner didn't otherwise use or bank them.

Is it possible that the prior owner didn't call up and bank the points between the time the estoppel was written and the transfer happened? You can bank SOs without prepaying the MFs.
 

jabberwocky

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2016
Messages
2,829
Reaction score
2,583
Points
348
Resorts Owned
SVR, SDO, WKORV-N, Westin Flex, HGVC (BLVD)
Is it possible that the prior owner didn't call up and bank the points between the time the estoppel was written and the transfer happened? You can bank SOs without prepaying the MFs.

That would be my guess. The 2018 SO could have been banked as early as October 2017. Banking is supposedly irreversible, so they would stay with the former owner.
 

canesfan

TUG Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2012
Messages
576
Reaction score
130
Points
254
Location
Chicago Suburbs & Tucson
Resorts Owned
WKORVN x2
WSJ-BV
WLR
Vistana has been encouraging banking of WSJ too. Before it was sold, they could have banked it knowing it wasn’t going to be used in 2018.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

kcgriffin

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
151
Reaction score
16
Points
379
Location
Romeoville, Il
I have a new twist on this issue. We owned at the hillside villas and planned to visit week 52 2BR unit in 2017, which we have owned since the Starwood takeover of the resort in 1998. We also transferred ownership to our son, to take over in 2018. The hurricane forced the resort to close and we were each told we would each be credited the 176700 points the unit was worth for the two years 2017 and 2018 the resort was closed. We were Ok with that outcome. Starwood has just informed us that because we are no longer owners we forfeit our 2017 staroptions (176700). I’m still negotiating with them for a satisfactory resolution, so far they will not let us give them to our son, and are holding firm. They closed the resort, that is why we could not use our week in 2017, and now refuse to give us the 2017 points due us. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We tried to hold up the transfer, but Starwood said it was too late.
 

Helios

TUG Member
Joined
Jan 3, 2015
Messages
2,297
Reaction score
134
Points
173
I have a new twist on this issue. We owned at the hillside villas and planned to visit week 52 2BR unit in 2017, which we have owned since the Starwood takeover of the resort in 1998. We also transferred ownership to our son, to take over in 2018. The hurricane forced the resort to close and we were each told we would each be credited the 176700 points the unit was worth for the two years 2017 and 2018 the resort was closed. We were Ok with that outcome. Starwood has just informed us that because we are no longer owners we forfeit our 2017 staroptions (176700). I’m still negotiating with them for a satisfactory resolution, so far they will not let us give them to our son, and are holding firm. They closed the resort, that is why we could not use our week in 2017, and now refuse to give us the 2017 points due us. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We tried to hold up the transfer, but Starwood said it was too late.
Wow, this is horrible. Did you pay MF with CC? If so, I would decline the charge. At a minimum you recover your MF...
 

VacationForever

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
16,198
Reaction score
10,607
Points
1,048
Location
Somewhere Out There
Just when there were posts that said Vistana was better than Marriott in handling the Irma hurricane cancellations. I guess this is worse and outright deceitful to owners.
 

dioxide45

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
47,369
Reaction score
18,931
Points
1,299
Location
NE Florida
Resorts Owned
Marriott Grande Vista
Marriott Harbour Lake
Sheraton Vistana Villages
Club Wyndham CWA
I have a new twist on this issue. We owned at the hillside villas and planned to visit week 52 2BR unit in 2017, which we have owned since the Starwood takeover of the resort in 1998. We also transferred ownership to our son, to take over in 2018. The hurricane forced the resort to close and we were each told we would each be credited the 176700 points the unit was worth for the two years 2017 and 2018 the resort was closed. We were Ok with that outcome. Starwood has just informed us that because we are no longer owners we forfeit our 2017 staroptions (176700). I’m still negotiating with them for a satisfactory resolution, so far they will not let us give them to our son, and are holding firm. They closed the resort, that is why we could not use our week in 2017, and now refuse to give us the 2017 points due us. Any suggestions would be appreciated. We tried to hold up the transfer, but Starwood said it was too late.
This goes along the lines of what I posted about in post #18. Once they do the transfer, the old owner has nothing. I don't agree with it and Vistana seems to be very sloppy in how they handle transfers and first/last usage.
 

VacationForever

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 5, 2010
Messages
16,198
Reaction score
10,607
Points
1,048
Location
Somewhere Out There
This goes along the lines of what I posted about in post #18. Once they do the transfer, the old owner has nothing. I don't agree with it and Vistana seems to be very sloppy in how they handle transfers and first/last usage.
But kcgriffin's son is not getting the SOs for 2018 either. It feels like Vistana is cheating owners out of the SOs if they can. If kcgriffin has other VSN timeshare/membership, then the 2017 SOs could have been deposited by Vistana if Vistana really wants to.
 
Top