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Owners update late June 2019 Frenchman's Cove

Bunk

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I had an owner's update at Frenchman's Cove. We own a week which gives us about 2,800 destination points and are happy using that week. I signed up for the owners talk after telling the concierge to make a note that I had no intention of buying.

The thrust of the argument was two fold:

1. First, prices are only going to go up. I told them that the more units they sold, the happier I was, because it produces more owners who want to rent points because they can't use them.

2. Second point, was that it is very important to buy more points in order to get to the 4,000 level. The new system will be structured so that regular owners who own under 4,000 points will only have access to any Vistana, Sheraton, Westin and Hyatt product through Interval while Select Owners and above will have access directly through the Trust. They said that Hyatt timeshares will be definitely part of this new system that is being developed.

3. The representative with whom we first met was very nice. The Closer was abrasive. He asked why I had come, and I said for the reward, but would listen to and consider his best offer. He asked what I wanted from him, and said that I was waiting for him to make his best offer and would let him know promptly whether I would accept it. He said prices were going up. He said we would have a lot of problems having access to existing Destination Club facilities in the future and even more having access to the other timeshare systems that the Trust would acquire. I said if I wanted to buy Destination points, I would buy from a current owner and it would cost less even if Marriott adds the junk fees to the price. He told me "Good luck with that" and said that I didn't have to speak with the third person who was supposed to meet with me.

4. Meeting with the first representative was about an hour, most of which was spent talking about places to visit. Meeting with the Closer was about 5 minutes.
 

GregT

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I had an owner's update at Frenchman's Cove. We own a week which gives us about 2,800 destination points and are happy using that week. I signed up for the owners talk after telling the concierge to make a note that I had no intention of buying.

The thrust of the argument was two fold:

1. First, prices are only going to go up. I told them that the more units they sold, the happier I was, because it produces more owners who want to rent points because they can't use them.

2. Second point, was that it is very important to buy more points in order to get to the 4,000 level. The new system will be structured so that regular owners who own under 4,000 points will only have access to any Vistana, Sheraton, Westin and Hyatt product through Interval while Select Owners and above will have access directly through the Trust. They said that Hyatt timeshares will be definitely part of this new system that is being developed.

3. The representative with whom we first met was very nice. The Closer was abrasive. He asked why I had come, and I said for the reward, but would listen to and consider his best offer. He asked what I wanted from him, and said that I was waiting for him to make his best offer and would let him know promptly whether I would accept it. He said prices were going up. He said we would have a lot of problems having access to existing Destination Club facilities in the future and even more having access to the other timeshare systems that the Trust would acquire. I said if I wanted to buy Destination points, I would buy from a current owner and it would cost less even if Marriott adds the junk fees to the price. He told me "Good luck with that" and said that I didn't have to speak with the third person who was supposed to meet with me.

4. Meeting with the first representative was about an hour, most of which was spent talking about places to visit. Meeting with the Closer was about 5 minutes.

Bunk,

Thanks for the comments and always interesting to see what the latest Sales pitch is.

How was the property? Did you see residual damage from the hurricane(s)? When we were at Ritz STT, they were telling us the hotel would be closed for "awhile" because of an insurance dispute. Any news on the hotel re-opening? I love St. Thomas and we really enjoyed our trip, I hope your trip was great too.

Best,

Greg
 

CPNY

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I had an owner's update at Frenchman's Cove. We own a week which gives us about 2,800 destination points and are happy using that week. I signed up for the owners talk after telling the concierge to make a note that I had no intention of buying.

The thrust of the argument was two fold:

1. First, prices are only going to go up. I told them that the more units they sold, the happier I was, because it produces more owners who want to rent points because they can't use them.

2. Second point, was that it is very important to buy more points in order to get to the 4,000 level. The new system will be structured so that regular owners who own under 4,000 points will only have access to any Vistana, Sheraton, Westin and Hyatt product through Interval while Select Owners and above will have access directly through the Trust. They said that Hyatt timeshares will be definitely part of this new system that is being developed.

3. The representative with whom we first met was very nice. The Closer was abrasive. He asked why I had come, and I said for the reward, but would listen to and consider his best offer. He asked what I wanted from him, and said that I was waiting for him to make his best offer and would let him know promptly whether I would accept it. He said prices were going up. He said we would have a lot of problems having access to existing Destination Club facilities in the future and even more having access to the other timeshare systems that the Trust would acquire. I said if I wanted to buy Destination points, I would buy from a current owner and it would cost less even if Marriott adds the junk fees to the price. He told me "Good luck with that" and said that I didn't have to speak with the third person who was supposed to meet with me.

4. Meeting with the first representative was about an hour, most of which was spent talking about places to visit. Meeting with the Closer was about 5 minutes.

So let me get this correctly. If you don’t buy more now you’ll have problems accessing existing DC facilities?! My God, MVC is the pits. Essentially he’s saying, we don’t care about our existing owners unless they buy more. Yeah, I’m good with my existing Vistana properties and sticking with those. You’ll see more people trading in II for access. The Vistana sales rep told me prices were going to go up as well and to get in NOW! No gracias
 

bazzap

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So let me get this correctly. If you don’t buy more now you’ll have problems accessing existing DC facilities?! My God, MVC is the pits. Essentially he’s saying, we don’t care about our existing owners unless they buy more. Yeah, I’m good with my existing Vistana properties and sticking with those. You’ll see more people trading in II for access. The Vistana sales rep told me prices were going to go up as well and to get in NOW! No gracias
There are unfortunately rogue sales people in all organisations, there may well be more of them now but that in itself does not make the whole organisation and its offering bad.
 

CPNY

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There are unfortunately rogue sales people in all organisations, there may well be more of them now but that in itself does not make the whole organisation and its offering bad.
It actually seems like a trend from what I’ve been reading on people’s sales updates. It sounds like the same story. Even I got it on the other side In Vistana. So either prices are going up or they are being pressured into selling more now so people have to pay more later. Double dipping
 

Luvtoride

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I had an owner's update at Frenchman's Cove. We own a week which gives us about 2,800 destination points and are happy using that week. I signed up for the owners talk after telling the concierge to make a note that I had no intention of buying.

The thrust of the argument was two fold:

1. First, prices are only going to go up. I told them that the more units they sold, the happier I was, because it produces more owners who want to rent points because they can't use them.

2. Second point, was that it is very important to buy more points in order to get to the 4,000 level. The new system will be structured so that regular owners who own under 4,000 points will only have access to any Vistana, Sheraton, Westin and Hyatt product through Interval while Select Owners and above will have access directly through the Trust. They said that Hyatt timeshares will be definitely part of this new system that is being developed.

3. The representative with whom we first met was very nice. The Closer was abrasive. He asked why I had come, and I said for the reward, but would listen to and consider his best offer. He asked what I wanted from him, and said that I was waiting for him to make his best offer and would let him know promptly whether I would accept it. He said prices were going up. He said we would have a lot of problems having access to existing Destination Club facilities in the future and even more having access to the other timeshare systems that the Trust would acquire. I said if I wanted to buy Destination points, I would buy from a current owner and it would cost less even if Marriott adds the junk fees to the price. He told me "Good luck with that" and said that I didn't have to speak with the third person who was supposed to meet with me.

4. Meeting with the first representative was about an hour, most of which was spent talking about places to visit. Meeting with the Closer was about 5 minutes.

Bunk, I hope the reward was worth it. We've decided its not worth wasting our time or getting aggravated during our vacations to go to "owners updates" unless it is really a significant offer above the usual levels (or if its raining out and we can make a last minute appointment...LOL).
 

bazzap

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It actually seems like a trend from what I’ve been reading on people’s sales updates. It sounds like the same story. Even I got it on the other side In Vistana. So either prices are going up or they are being pressured into selling more now so people have to pay more later. Double dipping
I suspect the sales people have become under increasing pressure to hit sales targets, which may well have encouraged some to become over pushy and economic with the truth at times.
I must have been lucky, as I have only had one bad experience in what must by now have been double figures worth of Owner updates over all the years.
 

CPNY

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I suspect the sales people have become under increasing pressure to hit sales targets, which may well have encouraged some to become over pushy and economic with the truth at times.
I must have been lucky, as I have only had one bad experience in what must by now have been double figures worth of Owner updates over all the years.
I completely agree they must be aggressive for some reason.
 

klpca

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Thanks for the real time update. It sounded familiar to our last and final update which for me, sealed the deal on selling our last MVC week. The sales guy and especially the closer seemed personally offended that we weren't buying. The closer was rude enough that it spoiled the remainder of the stay. It wasn't pressure or guilt (those are easy enough to ignore) it was the attitude. We were told that if we bought points we would be guaranteed to be able to take tours and stay in resorts with other "Marriott People". The term "Marriot People" was used more than once and meant point owners vs week or resale owners who somehow, despite paying maintenance fees to MVC, were not "Marriott People". Hopefully it's just the sales staff who feel that way about non-point owners because if the resort staff starts acting that way toward owners it would be disappointing. After that I took a hard look at how we were using our weeks. We originally bought to use but at DSVII it was cheaper to trade in and I could frequently trade in with a non Marriott. It seemed stupid to hang on to those expensive weeks, especially if (as sales said) Marriott trades would dry up in II. We readjusted the weeks we own and bought HGVC in Hawaii so that we owned where we wanted to go, but had ample options to go elsewhere.
 

PcflEZFlng

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Wow. Thanks for the warning, Katherine. I'm going to be at Marriott DSVI soon and was considering going to a presentation if they offer one and if the attendance incentive was good enough ('good enough' for me likely being much more than they will offer). Now I'm going to refuse it outright.
 
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klpca

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Wow. Thanks for the warning, Katherine. I'm going to be at Marriott DSVI soon and was considering going to a presentation if they offer one and if the attendance incentive was good enough ('good enough' for me likely being much more than they will offer). Now I'm going to refuse it outright.
My less than fun experience was at Newport Coast. We never went to one at DSV. I usually won't go - I know that I'm wasting their time as well as mine - but we did the 3night 4 day deal at NCV so it was mandatory.
 

JIMinNC

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I suspect the sales people have become under increasing pressure to hit sales targets, which may well have encouraged some to become over pushy and economic with the truth at times.
I must have been lucky, as I have only had one bad experience in what must by now have been double figures worth of Owner updates over all the years.

I completely agree they must be aggressive for some reason.

As I mentioned just now in another thread, another factor may be the same uncertainty we owners are dealing with regarding what changes are forthcoming as a result of the merger. While for us it just impacts our vacations, for Marriott and Vistana sales people, it's their livelihood; it puts food on the table and pays the rent/mortgage. Both systems still have to meet sales goals during this transition, so I'm sure that adds pressure and stress to what they do every day.
 

PcflEZFlng

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My less than fun experience was at Newport Coast. We never went to one at DSV. I usually won't go - I know that I'm wasting their time as well as mine - but we did the 3night 4 day deal at NCV so it was mandatory.
Right, I knew yours wasn't at DSV. I haven't gone to any updates for the last couple of years, but was considering making an exception if the incentive was enough (not likely). Your post simply reminded me that they're a waste of time and just not worth it.
 

Bunk

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Bunk,

Thanks for the comments and always interesting to see what the latest Sales pitch is.

How was the property? Did you see residual damage from the hurricane(s)? When we were at Ritz STT, they were telling us the hotel would be closed for "awhile" because of an insurance dispute. Any news on the hotel re-opening? I love St. Thomas and we really enjoyed our trip, I hope your trip was great too.

Best,

Greg

Greg: Frenchman's Cove was great. No complaints. We had a great room and views at St John Building. I saw no residual damage from the hurricanes Irmaria. The beach was very nice. We spent a lot of time snorkeling at the beach. Coral seems in decent shape and no hurricanes damage to coral like we' ve seen on other islands. In a lot of ways, I enjoyed snorkeling at Frenchman's Cove more than Lindquist and Magen's Bay. Night kayaking was worth while. Location is really good. Had no problems with parking. I don't think people know what is going on with the hotel. One salesperson said it would reopen as an Autograph Collection. Another guest said he was told it would be a JW Marriott.

A lot of owners we met say they always use their week to stay at Frenchman's Cove and I can see why they feel that way. It's a really nice place.
 

TheTimeTraveler

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I had an owner's update at Frenchman's Cove. We own a week which gives us about 2,800 destination points and are happy using that week. I signed up for the owners talk after telling the concierge to make a note that I had no intention of buying.

The thrust of the argument was two fold:

1. First, prices are only going to go up. I told them that the more units they sold, the happier I was, because it produces more owners who want to rent points because they can't use them.

2. Second point, was that it is very important to buy more points in order to get to the 4,000 level. The new system will be structured so that regular owners who own under 4,000 points will only have access to any Vistana, Sheraton, Westin and Hyatt product through Interval while Select Owners and above will have access directly through the Trust. They said that Hyatt timeshares will be definitely part of this new system that is being developed.

3. The representative with whom we first met was very nice. The Closer was abrasive. He asked why I had come, and I said for the reward, but would listen to and consider his best offer. He asked what I wanted from him, and said that I was waiting for him to make his best offer and would let him know promptly whether I would accept it. He said prices were going up. He said we would have a lot of problems having access to existing Destination Club facilities in the future and even more having access to the other timeshare systems that the Trust would acquire. I said if I wanted to buy Destination points, I would buy from a current owner and it would cost less even if Marriott adds the junk fees to the price. He told me "Good luck with that" and said that I didn't have to speak with the third person who was supposed to meet with me.

4. Meeting with the first representative was about an hour, most of which was spent talking about places to visit. Meeting with the Closer was about 5 minutes.




Reading things like this make me want to plunk a lot of money down, make them go thru all the paperwork, and then drive over to the Post Office and mail them a Certified Rescission letter.....





.
 

StevenTing

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I love going to updates. I usually get straight talkers because once they look at my portfolio, they know they can’t fool me. I’ve purchased both direct from the developer and resale for both weeks and points. And I bought resale points to get to the next level.

And when I let them know I run VPE, that just blows there mind. And then I show them my resale calculator and they usually don’t have much else to say.

When I go to an update, it’s game on.
 

klpca

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I love going to updates. I usually get straight talkers because once they look at my portfolio, they know they can’t fool me. I’ve purchased both direct from the developer and resale for both weeks and points. And I bought resale points to get to the next level.

And when I let them know I run VPE, that just blows there mind. And then I show them my resale calculator and they usually don’t have much else to say.

When I go to an update, it’s game on.
I bet that they rochambeau to see who has to meet with you. :D
 

GregT

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I love going to updates. I usually get straight talkers because once they look at my portfolio, they know they can’t fool me. I’ve purchased both direct from the developer and resale for both weeks and points. And I bought resale points to get to the next level.

And when I let them know I run VPE, that just blows there mind. And then I show them my resale calculator and they usually don’t have much else to say.

When I go to an update, it’s game on.

Steven, that's brilliant -- I usually avoid the presentations but will now embrace them (plus I want to ask what's going on with the system). I love the VPE angle too -- great work!

Best,

Greg
 

mjm1

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I love going to updates. I usually get straight talkers because once they look at my portfolio, they know they can’t fool me. I’ve purchased both direct from the developer and resale for both weeks and points. And I bought resale points to get to the next level.

And when I let them know I run VPE, that just blows there mind. And then I show them my resale calculator and they usually don’t have much else to say.

When I go to an update, it’s game on.

I love it! I like going to updates too and usually have very good conversations. They see our portfolio and compliment us even though they can see that almost all of our acquisitions have been resale. They still try to find a reason for us to buy more points. Our main goal for going now is to see if they will share any updates on the system, including any overlay program or new resorts.

Best regards.

Mike
 

mbstn6254

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Reading things like this make me want to plunk a lot of money down, make them go thru all the paperwork, and then drive over to the Post Office and mail them a Certified Rescission letter.....





.
That is so funny. I was thinking of doing the same thing. Make them go through the whole routine and just rescind at the first chance I get. Time, however, is too precious to waste. it takes about two hours.
 

MOXJO7282

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We're going to do a presentation in Maui in August for a few DC points we need and also to get their best points deal on the lowest points to enroll my 5 HHI post 2010 weeks but otherwise we've lost my appetite for the small amount of points they offer for the 2 hours it usually takes. Plus my wife who doesn't know the difference between a reward point and a DC point is totally bored to tears from the process so we tend to avoid.
 

chemteach

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I love going to updates. I usually get straight talkers because once they look at my portfolio, they know they can’t fool me. I’ve purchased both direct from the developer and resale for both weeks and points. And I bought resale points to get to the next level.

And when I let them know I run VPE, that just blows there mind. And then I show them my resale calculator and they usually don’t have much else to say.

When I go to an update, it’s game on.

Showing my ignorance here... What's VPE??
 
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