MROP (ORE/VRI)Special Assessment!

[Carlsbadguy]

Paying assesment

Does anyone know when the assesment is now going to be due. Since the website isn't up how to pay the assesment.

 

[CharlesS]

Vri Ok

I The fact that the website just went away with no warning and the rep tells me there is no one that can give me an explanation makes me wonder about the stability of VRI/MROP. What is your take on it? Ron

All the data I have indicates that VRI is quite stable. Don't know about MROP. Could you give us the URL of the web site you found.

Charles

 

[w879jr1]

Vri/ore/mrop/rci?

Now that the SA has been approved it is inconvenient, to say the least, that the satisfactory way I have had to make my MROP payments in the past (on the ORE web site) has disappeared. It doesn't seem to be a very professional approach to remove an old web site before a new one is developed!

The ORE/MROP relationship has never been too easy to understand. I doubt that VRI understood it when they bought ORE.

There is a promise that VRI will enable ORE (MROP?) owners to access a greater number of timeshare properties. However I have read that RCI are to be involved in the new arrangements. I joined the low cost (non-profit) operation of ORE/MROP to avoid the likes of RCI!!

 

[Carlsbadguy]

paying assesment

I was wondering when the assesment will be due now that it has passed and also how to pay since the website is not working. Do you think they will send another bill. I own a MRop week and also a fixed Sweetwater LIft Lodge week that changed management companies to Trading Places. Trading places has been great to work with- have gotten exchanges I asked for. Eveng ot a bonus week for depositing my week this year. Reps have been very friendly and helpful on the phone. I am going to have to see how the relationship with VRI pans put and maybe sell that week.

 

[w879jr1]

Due by date

I think that a new due by date has been set at March 15th. Without web access I guess that mail and phone will be the payment options. Our last letter from Noel Hyde said that new bills would be sent out after the assessment was approved, so that should give details.

I am wondering just how much of the ORE computer system has been disabled by the development of a new system. Will the annual scheduling system be operational this spring? How will the input of my preferences be handled? It will be much less convenient if I have to phone or mail my requirements.

 

[rkconnor]

Web site

I was told by a VRI rep that they are planning on opening new website during 1st quarter of 2009. She said that since they were adding so many new properties that they wanted to wait until that was done so they didn't have to keep having the web site up and down during the process. I know nothing about web site design but isn't it possible to add to a web site without shutting it down? Ron

 

[w879jr1]

ORE web site

The ORE web site was not a great one from a web design perspective but, within the limited requirements of it, it functioned very well. I worry that if that VRI hope to use the same software to handle a much larger number of resorts then they are likely to encounter many problems and may end up with a site which performs poorly.

It would seem a better bet to design new software (or buy a product) which would handle the larger requirement and offer capacity for expansion. If this were done the existing software could be left in place until the new system is ready for a "switch-over".

I fear that we are in for a very long wait before ORE/MROP members will be online again.

 

[brg850]

MROP Web Site Payment / Annual Meeting Notice

I noticed that the MROP payment portion of the Web site is back up again just to accept the special assessments. But the exchange and other functions are all gone.

I also just received a post card for the 2008 annual meeting on April 19, 2008. The time, four board positions will be elected.. Since the resumes must be received no later than March 5 (short notice again), so they have to be mailed out by early next week. Anyone on TUG interested in participating?

 

[w879jr1]

I noticed that the MROP payment portion of the Web site is back up again just to accept the special assessments. But the exchange and other functions are all gone.

Although I have already phoned VRI to pay the special assessment, thanks for this information. (The required link is at the bottom of the page displayed by http://slcmembers.vriresorts.com/ ).

This indicates that it is possible to keep sub-functions of the old VRI/ORE website active. I hope that a similar link will be provided for input of preferences for annual scheduling.

 

[brg850]

MROP Board Election

Today is the last day for submission. I e-mailed my statement to MROP yesterday. But they require it be in a 200-word paragraphed format. So I re-submitted it again in the paragraphed format in exactly 200 words.

Stay tuned.....

 

[Passepartout]

I just called VRI*ety to deposit a week into RCI Points. Was told to call SLC to get 'er done. I asked the nice person if they had heard that others were miffed about the recent events surrounding the SA, the disappearance of the MROP website, the apparent inability of owners to express dissatisfaction with management. She let me rant and I feel better, thanks. She didn't acknowledge that anyone had expressed frustration, and said that by year's end the new website with new resorts would be up and running and that i would like it a lot. I hope! MROP had just the right mix of resorts and locations that worked for me.

Anyhoo, Out of frustration and inability to see what is available, I placed my trust in the planner to reserve the best available week/resort and deposit it into my RCI Points account. Now watch their hot red week be worth less than the SA!

I can hardly wait.

Jim Ricks

 

[gravityrules]

My understanding is that VRI*ety is 'serviced by RCI', so I believe you are talking to an RCI employee when you call VRI*ety.

I called VRI*ety and was told I had to have a specific MROP week reserved ( I just bought this MROP week and no week had been reserved in annual scheduling) before I could participate in the VRI*ety exchange program with a $99 exchange fee. Any other MROP owners out there who have used the new VRI*ety internal exchange?

 

[bogey21]

You bet I'm glad I jumped ship. Didn't get much for my Week (but I didn't pay much for it either) but did avoid all this stuff!

GEORGE

 

[brg850]

MROP Week

If the MROP week is not scheduled yet, you can still make one interval reservation without the MROP exchange fee.

With the exchange site been removed, there is no way to tell what resort weeks are available. You can try looking up the owners handbook and see if you are ok with the resorts with standard 2-bedroom like Fishermen's Village, Kissimmee or Corpus Christi, these may still be available near the end of this year.

With that in mind, You have to call the MROP reservation line to check and confirm it. If you want to use VRI*ety exchange later on, been 2-bedroom and 9-month out, this should get you some trading priority.

You might also want to check what weeks they have available in VRI*ety. Given the fact it is still under development, unless they really have what you are look for at the end of the year, you do not want to pay them another exchange fee again and ended up with a similar MROP week.

In that case, you will probably be better off just use the 2-bedroom or deposit it into other exchange system and get another bonus week.

 

[gravityrules]

I did reserve a July Kissimmee week via a call to the VRI Salt Lake City number. There was a $69 charge for that particular resort (Vacation Villas at Fantasy World). There was decent availability in July on into August at several locations including New Orleans, Branson, Kissimmee, Titusville, Palm Springs, several Utah resorts, Mississippi, and even a 1 BR Myrtle Beach week.

What is currently available through VRI*ety? I may have to check that out. With VRI*ety's exchange fee at $99 it may be better to think about one of the independents. Platinum Interchange's fee is $109 for example.

Since the MROP website is down and the VRI*ety website is not yet on-line all this is done through phone calls.

 

[chemteach]

I hope that a similar link will be provided for input of preferences for annual scheduling.

I just phoned VRI. Annual Scheduling appears to be no longer, so they don't need to make the online system work. Apparently, we'll be getting information about this at the end of the month. (??)

 

[w879jr1]

It will be very interesting to find out what system will replace the annual scheduling. I will keep watching the tug forum (and others) and hope that this will give me some of the information in advance of receiving it by mail delivery to here in the UK.

 

[kpal]

Behind The Curve

All of your outrage at the managements decision on the 250 SA was just what I was feeling at that time. I did not know about you I wanted to find the folks I was with back in the 70's who suffered throug the horrible 80's and we survived through a bankrupcy I believe at that time we were LRI
Then we went to ORE for Management at some point later and eventually THEY pulled the wool over my groups eyes and here we are again being taken over by a bunch of greedy bullies painting this blue sky picture. I want to see some change come out of this. I was ready to just OPT OUT but now , seeing there are more than just me knowing what a bunch of untrustworthy persons are at the wheel for this group I want in the action.
I have my OFFICIAL PROXY in hand and see that Brian Gore has my vote for sure. Where are the rest of us that were in the HORSESHOE BAY, Puente VISTA, bonaparts retreat, and others who sacrificed and endured to keep our timeshare concept going. AND I was pleased and satisfied up to ORE.
I need some help on this.

 

[rbphoto]

Special Assesssment and Management

I am confused about the SA as well. I do not feel I should have to finance some project in Utah when I was not informed about the project and assessment. From everything I have read it is illegal. MROP is now sending me for collection even though I have paid my dues??? I originally bought thru Resiort West many years ago and the management problems seem to get worse and the service is no better. Does anyone have a final answer on the SA???? and dues???

 

[brg850]

MROP Rip-Off Report

Just saw this link, MROP in the Rip-off Report site.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/searchr...7=&searchtype=0&submit2=Search!&Search=Search

 

[gravityrules]

Nothing new there, just sour grapes about the $250 SA. Why should we keep beating a dead horse? What can we hope to gain at this point? We did point out the issues when there was the opportunity to vote those responsible off the board. BUT, enough of the membership voted to keep most of the board members responsible for these decisions in office; perhaps it really wasn't a 'big deal' for many members (although I'm sure nobody liked it). Compared to many of the horror stories you can find here on TUG, MROP doesn't come close to rating as a 'rip-off' IMHO.

 

[JudyS]

.... There's another almost $20 per interval week for 'WA State Taxes' and then another $8 or so for 'Reserve for Potential State Regulatory Costs'; Explanations for these are needed....

I just saw this thread, and thought there was another MROP special assessment!

I re-read the thread and was relieved. Re-reading this, though, the fee for 'WA State Taxes' stood out. I recently booked several weeks in resorts in Washington, using my Resorts West points. (I own several MROPs with Resorts West priority.) About a week after I booked these weeks I got a call telling me I would have to pony up another $33 per week to pay the 'WA State Taxes'. The VRI rep said that the state tax fee was new and that she hadn't been aware of it when I initially booked. But, it looks like not only has MROP known about this tax for a while, we've already paid it as part of annual dues or the special assessment.

Also, back in early June, I also booked a 2009 week at the Embarcadero, which has both Resorts West inventory, and "regular" MROP inventory. Today, I got a call telling me that I owed another $69 as a use fee for the 2009 Embarcadero week. I pointed out that the use fee wasn't supposed to apply to Resorts West bookings, only regular bookings. (Before you decide that's unfair, let me point out that as a Resorts West owner, I pay a considerably higher annual fee -- owners of red MROPs with Resorts West priority pay $595 a year in annual fees, rather than $480 or so for "regular" MROPs.) The VRI rep told me that it's true I shouldn't have to pay a use fee for anything in Resorts West inventory, but that I had been given an Embarcadero week that was in regular MROP inventory, not Resorts West inventory. If this week was really part of regular MROP inventory, I don't think they should have let me book it back in early June, during the priority scheduling window. If it wasn't part of the Resorts West inventory, then I didn't have priority into it and it shouldn't have been available to me until regular MROP scheduling opened about a week ago.

So, to get a one-bedroom at the Embaracadero, I just paid $914 in MFs: $595 in regular annual fees, a $250 special assessment, plus a $69 booking fee. I should be getting a Marriott for that money!

OK, to sum up, this is why MROP members should care about this, even if you don't have Resorts West priority:
1) It looks like MROP is either charging use fees when they shouldn't, or is making available regular inventory prior to the opening of the regular scheduling window
2) It looks like MROP is charging the WA State taxes twice - once as part of the special assessment, and then again if you book a week in Washington state

By the way, as far as beating a "dead horse" goes, I agree that MROP isn't a rip-off the way true timeshare scams are. There is decent value in MROP if you know how to maximize your ownership (and possibly very good value, depending on what you own.) However, I don't agree that owners voted for the special assessment or to keep the current board in place. Didn't the board get the proxies from the new St George project? I assume they used these proxies to vote for themselves. At the very least, the voting was confusing and seemed deliberately designed to disenfranchise the members.

 

[EJC]

Judy--I own with Vacation Internationale. I know when I stay at V.I.'s Point Brown Resort at Ocean Shores, WA, I have to pay an occupancy tax. It does feel like double taxation because our mtnc fee would cover the resort's property taxes. I don't really get why TS owner's have to pay an occupancy tax on something they own and for which their mtnc fees pay property taxes each year. Perhaps in the eyes of lawmakers it is like hotels that pay property taxes and have guests who must pay occupancy taxes. Whatever!

 

[JudyS]

Judy--I own with Vacation Internationale. I know when I stay at V.I.'s Point Brown Resort at Ocean Shores, WA, I have to pay an occupancy tax. It does feel like double taxation because our mtnc fee would cover the resort's property taxes. I don't really get why TS owner's have to pay an occupancy tax on something they own and for which their mtnc fees pay property taxes each year. Perhaps in the eyes of lawmakers it is like hotels that pay property taxes and have guests who must pay occupancy taxes. Whatever!

EJC, the issue of timeshare owners in general paying occupancy taxes is really a different issue than the issue I'm raising here. With Resorts West, I'm not concerned about double taxing, I'm concerned with triple taxing.

In other words, I already pay property taxes as part of my MFs; that's the first tax. Then, I get charged Washington sales/occupancy tax if I book a Resorts West unit in Washington. That's the second tax, and one can argue that it's unfair, but if it is, the state of Washington is to blame and not VRI. However, VRI not only is charging for occupancy tax when I book a Resorts West unit in Washington, they also already charged for Washington State occupancy tax as part of the membership dues/special assessment.

I understand why there is a charge both for property taxes and for occupancy tax, but why is VRI charging for occupancy tax twice? (Once as part of the dues/special assessment, and then again when members book a unit?)

In an unrelated issue -- does anyone know the password for the MROP official website? I've misplaced it. If you know it, please email/PM it to me. Thanks!

 

[EJC]

Judy--I think you lost me. In a normal year (non-special assessment year), do you pay mtnc fees to Resorts West, and then, on top of that, pay another fee to VRI? With my VI ownership, I pay mtnc fees to VI. VRI manages the resorts now, but I don't pay them any separate fees. Are you absolutely certain that the VRI special assessment included occupancy taxes? That just doesn't make sense to me, but it could well be true, I suppose. If, in fact, you are payng the occupancy tax twice, you need to bring that to management's attention. If you are paying the occupancy taxes twice, you have every right to be upset.