[2/10/17 UPDATE] VSE charging for 3rd party reservation changes! [+Contact Info. for complaints]

[rickandcindy23]

The email I used was suzanne.clark@vistana.com It didn't come back as undeliverable.

 

[DeniseM]

Yes - some people have already emailed her.

 

[Denise L]

I also think it is the ILG relationship that is starting this. They do it, why shouldn't VSE do it.

Does anyone know if Hyatt charges as well? If they do, did they charge before they were bought?

Hyatt charges for a guest certificate, yes. It can be done online, and costs slightly more if you call and use an agent. It's $39 or $41 or something like that. Used to be $29 maybe? My sister uses my nights in Carmel often and it is unfortunate that we have to pay the fee for the computer to type in her name. My MIL will join us at Hyatt Incline Village, and if they get there before us (they live two hours away and we live four hours away), I would have to pay the fee. Hyatt also charges to reserve and to cancel and to reserve again. For this year, I had a conflict with two nights in Carmel, so I had to pay 3 fees. My sister will probably use it again, so that will be 4 fees. Not to mention my crazy MFs that used to be $800 and are now about $1600.

We love our DVC. No reservation fees, no cancellation fees, no guest name fees, no split week housekeeping fees, etc. I hope they never start charging them.

 

[PamMo]

Yes, the suzanne.clark@vistana.com is correct. Here is her response to my email:

Dear Mr and Mrs.....

Thank you for your feedback. I’m sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction with our company’s decision to implement a guest fee.

The decision to begin charging this type of fee is a result of the high demand we receive for third party reservation changes. While we work to develop the online capabilities for owners electing the online self-service channel, our intention will be to potentially offer a discount for transacting online. Regardless of the use of the online tool there are still costs to service and support all transactions. The development of servicing systems, the reservation confirmations, changes to guest names, cancellations all require funding and overhead to support.


Please know, that a guest fee is quite common within the vacation ownership industry. This fee only applies to an individual reservation for those owners who have a third party guest checking in. In addition it is critical the resort front desks know who is occupying the villa in the event of an emergency.


Thank you again for reaching out to me. I appreciate you as a valued owner and welcome all owner feedback.


Sincerely Suzanne Clark​

 

[PamMo]

...our intention will be to potentially offer a discount for transacting online. Regardless of the use of the online tool there are still costs to service and support all transactions. The development of servicing systems, the reservation confirmations, changes to guest names, cancellations all require funding and overhead to support.

This is disingenuous. I used to be able to easily change the guest names online, and email my guest a copy of the reservation - without ever bothering a human at VSE. What about all the VSE fees I pay now (on multiple weeks), in addition to management fees included in my annual MF's?

...Please know, that a guest fee is quite common within the vacation ownership industry.

So, I guess you're saying, if someone else charges junk fees, we are going to add them, too. We don't care how owners feel about it. We can, and just did, do it.

...Thank you again for reaching out to me. I appreciate you as a valued owner and welcome all owner feedback.

I hope her email box is FLOODED with owner feedback on this!

 

[SMHarman]

Yes, the suzanne.clark@vistana.com is correct. Here is her response to my email:

Dear Mr and Mrs.....

Thank you for your feedback. I’m sorry to hear of your dissatisfaction with our company’s decision to implement a guest fee.

The decision to begin charging this type of fee is a result of the high demand we receive for third party reservation changes. While we work to develop the online capabilities for owners electing the online self-service channel, our intention will be to potentially offer a discount for transacting online. Regardless of the use of the online tool there are still costs to service and support all transactions. The development of servicing systems, the reservation confirmations, changes to guest names, cancellations all require funding and overhead to support.


Please know, that a guest fee is quite common within the vacation ownership industry. This fee only applies to an individual reservation for those owners who have a third party guest checking in. In addition it is critical the resort front desks know who is occupying the villa in the event of an emergency.


Thank you again for reaching out to me. I appreciate you as a valued owner and welcome all owner feedback.


Sincerely Suzanne Clark​

Disingenuous. Making a reservation and adding a name at that time has a marginal cost of near zero. Another 30 seconds of time on the phone or another field to populate in a form.

Changes further on in the process have an additional few cents of electricity and engineering salary for the code, or a call center call.

 

[ragdoll]

I'm a little confused about this issue. Does it apply to people we are traveling with to our HOME resort? We never have others use our weeks unless we are going with them. This year we have reserved two 2-bedroom units for 6 adults. Both of these are our home resort reservations. Will we have to pay the fee for the second unit where our friends are staying?

 

[DeniseM]

It only applies if you are going to put the confirmation in someone else's name.

If you have two units in your name, and you can check your guests in at the front desk, you don't need a confirmation in their name - you can simply add their names at the front desk.

However, if they are going to check in before you, you will need a Guest Confirmation.

 

[ragdoll]

It only applies if you are going to put the confirmation in someone else's name. [/QUOTE

Both reservations are in my name and I was planning to leave it that way until we all check in together. At that time I would add their name to their unit. So, it seems like, if I don't require a confirmation in their name, I won't be charged the fee. Is this correct?

 

[DeniseM]

Yes - it only applies if you are going to put the actual confirmation in someone else's name.

 

[ragdoll]

Yes - it only applies if you are going to put the actual confirmation in someone else's name.

Thank you, Denise.

 

[r1lee]

The fee is paid at the time of the name change - it is not retroactive.

Awesome but not really. I still think it's BS.

 

[chemteach]

Did anyone get the "Reminder: Don't Delay, Share the Fun Today" email today? (The day following the email about charging for guest names to be added to a reservation...). I just sent the following to Suzanne.

"I find it counter-intuitive that Vistana would send an email saying they are charging for guest names to be put on reservations (in other words, charging Vistana owners to allow our friends/family to use one of our weeks) and then the very next day send this email about referring friends and family to the Vistana Signature Experience. Members are "referring" their friends and family to Vistana by letting them stay in their units. Perhaps Vistana should consider paying members to have guests stay in their units as a referral bonus rather than charging members for adding a name to an owner's reservation.


I understand that if some members are creating a very large number of guest reservations, that Vistana might have a reason to charge for that (although even then - Vistana is getting a larger number of people exposed to the Vistana Signature Experience product). However, if a member has one or two guest reservations a year, I find it member-unfriendly for Vistana to charge for these, particularly to charge elite members who own several units with Vistana and are more likely to let friends and family use their weeks. Diamond Resorts gives all their members between 1 and 5 complementary guest reservations, depending on the level of ownership. I am dismayed at Vistana's treatment of their members with this new policy."

 

[kcole5]

Given that most people probably bought timeshares with the expectation that they could share the use with their families, this is particularly egregious. We bought ours with the expectation that our parents would use them without us being there and have been for several years. Also when you buy any form of real estate it is highly unusual to put multiple people on titles. Generally you keep them simple, such as a married couple. Perhaps the answer is we go to Vistana and have them retitle our timeshares with our extended families. That seems like it would be cost effective for Vistana... (Sarcasm intended).

 

[VacationForever]

What about multiple changes in names, is the charge each time it is changed or just charged once?

 

[DeniseM]

Perhaps the answer is we go to Vistana and have them retitle our timeshares with our extended families.

Vistana doesn't do title work - you would have to use an outside title company and it would cost you in the range of $150-$200 per deed. Also - anyone you put on the deed assumes full financial responsibility.

 

[AlanYS]

I wrote the following to Vistana (both via the online Vistana "Contact Us" page as was as direct email to Susanne Clark:

I am extremely angry regarding your recent policy change regarding charges for reservations made in the name of a guest of the owner. This is not, nor ever has been, the policy regarding reservations. We bought our 5 weeks of ownership with the intent of sharing their use with our children and their family and have done so over the course of several years. To be told that to provide a week of use for one of our children would now cost me $40 is absurd and a violation of our original contract. I demand that you reconsider this policy and, at the very least, allow for reservations made to family members be excluded from this policy. We own those weeks and should be able to use them in any manner we see fit that does not otherwise violate usage policy. Certainly this should be true within my immediate family regardless of what names are on the contracts.

 

[AlanYS]

I suspect that this is in response to people using their ownership as a profit-making rental (ala AirB&B). The simple solution is to allow owners to input a list of names that are their children, relatives, etc. that they intend to share usage with in the future. Then, if the name is on that list, there should be no additional fee.

 

[bankr63]

I'm interested in seeing if we eventually get this message from Vistana as well, considering today is the effective date. Nothing has been relayed to us yet, perhaps because we own a straight deeded week at SVR (not actually in the VSE system). Perhaps this fee doesn't apply to straight ownerships as we do most of our transacting directly with the resort (we have never called Vistana's call centre). Then again, they can't rent out my unit if I don't use it, so I guess I'm not in competition with them?

 

[frandmg]

The email I used was suzanne.clark@vistana.com It didn't come back as undeliverable.

 

[frandmg]

I called and emailed thru the owners web site today letting Vistana know I wasn't happy about this new 3rd party booking fee. We bought with the idea anyone in our family or friends could use our time share, this fee is a penalty. I hope that more owners complain and Vistana changes the policy.

 

[beachlynn]

I am outraged. As someone said, the cost to make a name change is outrageous in terms of cost per hour. When we bought our 2 units we were told that renting out one of them if we couldn't use our villas was a great option. If only I could go back to 2006 and undo this nightmare we find ourselves in. At least in Maui, it has been the epitome of the nightmare of ever-increasing MFs. Also, the sales wizards in Princeville didn't elaborate on the fact that a resale in the future would be a bust because the benefits won't transfer to new owners.
How would they feel if owners spent a little time outside of the sales offices discouraging people from buying new units? Vistana sees us as cash cows.

 

[tammymacb]

I still haven't gotten the email.
I find this change ridiculous too. I'm going to be in Europe next summer, so my oldest DD and her husband and kids are using our WSJ VG 2 bedroom unit. I'm glad I'd already changed the reservation to her name. When I bought, I considered that I probably wouldn't use it every year, but I have kids that would. Now they're going to charge me to let my kids use my unit.
Money grab.

 

[DeniseM]

Update: Someone contacted me privately, and when the got a Guest Confirmation today for a reservation that they made in the past, they were charged the GC fee, so apparently the phone Rep. gave me the wrong info.

 

[tammymacb]

Update: Someone contacted me privately, and when the got a Guest Confirmation today for a reservation that they made in the past, they were charged the GC fee, so apparently the phone Rep. gave me the wrong info.

So should I expect a bill for putting our villa in my daughter's name? I changed the name a couple weeks ago. As far as I know, they don't have a CC# to charge me.