Any Cypress Pointe Grande Villas Owners here?

[janej]

I purchased an unit last summer, paid MF and reserved 2012 week in August. They transferred management to Diamond right after that. I found out today that there is no record for my payment or reservation. They also said now we can only reserve 1 year in advance.

I am digging through my record to find proof of payment. I already deposited my week to RCI. They also told me my RCI account number is not valid I did not receive the bill for 2012 either. Anyone else own there?

 

[timeos2]

No more CPGV just CPR

Can't help with the changeover issue (although I'd bet if you ask DRI they will go to VRI and figure out what happened). I will note that also as of 9/1/11 there is no longer any resort called Cypress Pointe Grande Villas aka Phase 2 - it is now Grande Villas Resort.

There was a reason for that change. Both resorts - the other being Cypress Pointe Resort aka Phase 1- decided that the confusion of having two independent resorts with what appeared to be the same name was not beneficial to either one. So now there are two different names, management, Associations & owner controlled homeowner Board of Directors running the two resorts. They will continue to share all common areas but should now have a distinct identity as a separate resorts that just happen to be next door to each other.

 

[janej]

I was not aware of the name change The website still says Cypress Pointe Grande Villas

Is there an owner's mailing list for the Grande Villas Resort?

I called VRI and was told they can't access any old record. There is nothing they can do. Diamond asked me for credit card statement. I am still looking for it. Does VRI accept Amex? I usually charge Amex but could not find the charge on my Amex card.

What about the reservation rule change? Is it official that we can not book 2 years in advance now when we prepay MF?

Thanks a lot,

Jane

 

[AwayWeGo]

Goodbye Cypress Pointe Grande Villas. Hello Grande Villas Resort.

Is there an owner's mailing list for the Grande Villas Resort?

I doubt that the list of owners is ever made available, even to other owners.

However that may be, there is a Yahoo "group" specially for owners at Grande Villas Resort. Click here for that.

The "group" was set up to facilitate communications among owners & between owners & management. Unfortunately, it did not lead to much of either kind of communication (unlike the Cypress Pointe Resort "group" on Yahoo, which is going gangbusters).

Full Disclosure: The Chief Of Staff & I were resale owners 2003-2010 at Grande Villas Resort (formerly Cypress Pointe Grande Villas). We bought our floating diamond-season 3BR lock-off unit via eBay & gave it away el freebo via TUG-BBS bargain giveaway notice. I am still a member of the Yahoo "group" for Grande Villas Resort -- only because with so little activity on the "group" it isn't worth taking the trouble to kick me off. Meanwhile, The Chief Of Staff & I are still owners (resale, EEY) at Cypress Pointe Resort, right across the street from Grande Villas Resort.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[timeos2]

I was not aware of the name change The website still says Cypress Pointe Grande Villas

The changes are pending on the DRI site but, so far, have not been made. You should have received a letter with your 2012 billing that outlined the name change, the new Clubhouse plans (now under construction) and the change in management. There was a copy posted here awhile back - I'll see if I can find that link again. Yup - here it is!

 

[janej]

Thanks Alan for the link to the Yahoo group. I applied for membership. I was able to find my credit card statement including the charge for 2012 MF. I faxed it in to the lady I spoke with. She gave me a direct fax number. When I called back after finding my CC statement, I spoke to a man who could not do anything but provide me a main fax number. However, he said we still could book 2 years in advance. Two totally difference experience with two difference reps.

 

[AKE]

You can book 2 years in advance as long as you pay your maintenance fees. If they tell you that their (i.e. DRI) computer system can't handle it then tell them that this is their problem (and not yours) as according to the deed that you have (as long as you bought a traditional floating week), you have the right to do this.

 

[janej]

Called Diamond to follow up today. I was given another fax number. So I faxed my credit card statement to the third department. The good news is that this VC also said I can book 2 years in advance.

 

[jlwquilter]

I took Alan's unit It's working fine for what I need it to do.

Here's something you need to know/understand as well when 'booking a reservation': you can book 2 years in advance if you are NOT depositing into RCI. If you are, then you have to wait until the resort bulk banks weeks into RCI and then you get to 'reserve' one of those weeks (ie: DRI 'moves' one of the weeks into your RCI account). They do not bulk bank 2 years in advance.

I also have a small issue due to the changeover from VRI to DRI - I had deposited the 1 bed locked off unit in SFX and DRI has no record of it. SFX has the unit though and once someone taks it and a name is associated with the unit, DRI thinks they'll be able to fix their/my record to match reality. I am not worried about it but it's something that's 'hang out the there'.

As an aside, I have another resort ownership where I paid and they did the deposit and they are now telling me they have no record of the payment. So I now have to dig back and see if I can find proof. It makes me angry that their incompetence creates work for me - I have enough to do already, thank you very much. So it's not just DRI that screws up.

 

[AwayWeGo]

Thanks For The Memories.

I took Alan's unit

B36A10B -- an outstanding 3BR-3BA lock-off unit.

The ownership is floating, so I have never been inside that actual unit. But I've stood in the exterior hallway eyeballing the outside of the front doors. However, it was not during Week 10 when I stood there looking, so at that time the unit belonged to somebody else.

By contrast, I would not even know where to look for my deeded units at the timeshares we still own.

So it goes.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[janej]

jlwquilter,

Which department did you deal with to straighten out your issue? My problem with DRI is that no one seems to take ownership of the problem. I had to fax my statement to different fax numbers without knowing who to follow up with. With RCI, I can at least speak to a supervisor or the member relations department. My best experience is with WM, every WM rep I spoke to seemed to be able to solve my problems without referring me to others. For example, when I had problem with II credit deduction, they call II while I was on the phone and sort it out. When I had similar issues with Wyndham, I was told to call II and II would tell me to call Wyndham. I had to call multiple times before getting someone who knows what to do.

Jane

 

[AwayWeGo]

Yahoo "Group" For Cypress Pointe Resort Owners.

However that may be, there is a Yahoo "group" specially for owners at Grande Villas Resort. Click here for that.

The "group" was set up to facilitate communications among owners & between owners & management. Unfortunately, it did not lead to much of either kind of communication (unlike the Cypress Pointe Resort "group" on Yahoo, which is going gangbusters).

Even though the 1 that's going gangbusters is nominally for owners at the original (non-Grande Villas) Cypress Pointe Resort, that "group" has historically welcomed membership & participation by owners on both sides of the street.

Click here for the old original Cypress Pointe Yahoo "Group," which over the years has also been a source of information about Grande Villas Resort.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[jlwquilter]

jlwquilter,

Which department did you deal with to straighten out your issue? My problem with DRI is that no one seems to take ownership of the problem. I had to fax my statement to different fax numbers without knowing who to follow up with. With RCI, I can at least speak to a supervisor or the member relations department. My best experience is with WM, every WM rep I spoke to seemed to be able to solve my problems without referring me to others. For example, when I had problem with II credit deduction, they call II while I was on the phone and sort it out. When I had similar issues with Wyndham, I was told to call II and II would tell me to call Wyndham. I had to call multiple times before getting someone who knows what to do.

Jane

I talked to this person:
Maria Gross | Reservation Manager | Diamond Resorts International® | Tel: 407.597.1324 | Fax: 407.238.1990 | Toll Free: 800.350.3382

and her email:
Maria.Gross@diamondresorts.com

(pasted from an email exchange we had)

I found Maria to be helpful and service oriented. She didn't call back when she said she would - I had to call her for follow ups - but otherwise she was good.

** I did find my online credit card statement showing my MF payment (on a credit card we closed out 9 months ago!) for the other resort so will hopefully get that straightened out today. I strongly suggest you do search hard for your proof of payment - it'll be easier on you in the long run if you can find it. Good luck!

 

[janej]

Thanks for the information. I will give them a few more days before I try Maria. I did find my credit card payment information and faxed my proof of payment to three different numbers. But I still do not have a personal contact to follow up with.

 

[AKE]

Check your deed re when you can spacebank your unit. If your deed says that you can space bank 2 years in advance then that is your right, regardless of what Diamond may want to do re bulk space banking. My deed has no reference to bulk space banking, It states that I pay my maintenance fees, choose my week and then I deposit with whoever.

 

[janej]

I got my account fixed up. Now I am trying to prepay and deposit 2013 week. One rep insisted that I could not prepay. I got a different rep today saying I could prepay and reserve a week. But I can't deposit my reservation to RCI. Diamond will replace it with another week in "Diamond" season if I want to deposit. I also can not hold a week and wait until later to deposit. She said that is a change from VRI to Diamond. I did not receive any communication about it if that is true. I really don't like the change from VRI to Diamond. I kept got different answers from Diamond reps for everything I tried to do so far.

 

[jlwquilter]

Yes, Diamond does it differntly than VRI does and I am not happy with the changes. Still able to work it but not as easy to do it far in advance. It was the change in how they do deposits to RCI that messed me up. I had made the rezzie thru VRI over a year prior and Diamond told me it was 'too late' to depoiit my reserved weeks into RCI as all those space banked weeks were taken. Maria was able to help me out and I ended up with exactly what I wanted but it was stressful.

I had purposefully avoided Diamond managed resorts when buying and ended up with them anyway. Arghhhh!

 

[janej]

Do you end up finding out what exactly the rules are concerning deposit? The rep I spoke with today basically told me that you can't deposit your reservation no matter what. They will pick a week in the month of your reservation and deposit to RCI. She told me that I don't even own a December week, my deed is week 12. I checked and found week 12 not bad at all. If that is the rule, I would rather deposit week 12 instead of having them randomly pick a week in December for me. I need to see the rules in writing. What initiated the change to DRI? I own other VRI managed timeshares and I like VRI much better.

 

[jlwquilter]

You need to verify that you own a Diamond Float week - which I believe Week 12 is, but make sure. If it's a Diamond Float, then you have 'access' to ANY week of the year you want.

What has changed is how deposits into RCI will happen - this is the change/limiting to 'access'. Diamond now banks a slew of weeks at some point into RCI. Then as an owner, you call Diamond, tell them you want to deposit into RCI and they look at what bulk banked weeks are still not specifically assigned to an owner. You tell them what week you want. If it's there, and it's within your float ownership, then you get it. If it's not, then you have to chose another week that is available or see if you can get them to deposit whatever week it was for you out of the 'non RCI' inventory... the stuff held for owners actually planning on staying at the resort or going any other use route other than RCI depositing.

I questioned Diamond's 'right' to limiting my right to access ANY week for ANY purpose thru this bulk banking process (VRI didn't do it) and the rep (Maria) said they had that right and it was in the documents and would I like a copy. I said yes but then got sidetracked with my depositing issues and never got back to her providing me that copy. I need to get back on that but am swamped right now. And frankly, being a lazy owner, as long as I figure out how to work it, I am ok. Bad attitude and I'll get screwed at some point but there it is

I have no idea why the change was made. Money I suppose - isn't is always? Or some back deal between the HOA, Diamond and RCI or some combo of them having to do with... money.

 

[jlwquilter]

Do you end up finding out what exactly the rules are concerning deposit? The rep I spoke with today basically told me that you can't deposit your reservation no matter what. They will pick a week in the month of your reservation and deposit to RCI. She told me that I don't even own a December week, my deed is week 12. I checked and found week 12 not bad at all. If that is the rule, I would rather deposit week 12 instead of having them randomly pick a week in December for me. I need to see the rules in writing. What initiated the change to DRI? I own other VRI managed timeshares and I like VRI much better.

Yes, that is the change from VRI. You can not deposit a reservation TO RCI (you can to other exchange companies though). You can only pick from weeks that Diamond deposited into RCI on behalf of the owners who wish to deposit with RCI. I hate it. I wouldn't have got into CPGV if I had had any idea of this coming change. I purposefully did not buy at other resorts where they also do this - or a version of this. But I am in it now and focusing on making it work for me... and it did for this first year. It's not hard, you just have to learn the rules - which they weren't very good at communicating.

 

[AKE]

Bulk space banking is never to the owner`s advantage - even RCI will tell you that. In the best case it will make it easier for the management company to despoit weeks; in the worst case the management company skims off all of the best weeks for their own inventory and then leaves the owners with the remainder. I don`t know what DRI is doing in this regard but if I was you I would read your deed carefully to see what you can and can`t do and then make sure that DRI follows through. They may want to change how week depositing is done but they can`t go against your deed. As well, you may want to deposit outside of RCI (e.g. SFX) and DRI does not have any bulk space banking agreements with them so how will this be handled is not clear. It seems to me that RCI is also the culprit when it comes to bulk space banking because if they didn`t accept this method of depositing weeks, then management companies would not get away with it.

 

[AKE]

You tell them what week you want. If it's there, and it's within your float ownership, then you get it. If it's not, then you have to chose another week that is available or see if you can get them to deposit whatever week it was for you out of the 'non RCI' inventory... the stuff held for owners actually planning on staying at the resort or going any other use route other than RCI depositing.

According to my deed (and this is for a floating week in high season) it is FIRST COME FIRST SERVED... there is no RCI vs non-RCI inventory as to where I am forced to choose from. Diamond may want to change this process for their own advantage but they can`t change a deed.

 

[janej]

Here is what my deed states. Now where can I find the current Rules and Regulations? Should we at least be notified when the rules and regulations change?

(i) exclusive right every calendar year to reserve, use and occupy an Assigned Unit within Cypress Pointe Resort II, A Condominium (the "Project"); (ii) exclusive right to use and enjoy the Limited Common Elements and Common Furnishings located within or otherwise appurtenant to such Assigned Unit; and (iii) non exclusive right to use and enjoy the Common Elements of the Project, for their intended purposes, during the Vacation Week or one (1) or more Split Vacation Periods (up to a maximum of seven (7) days and nights) in the Designated Season identified below as shall properly have been reserved in accordance with the provisions of the then current Rules and Regulations promulgated by The Cypress Pointe Resort II Condominium Association, Inc.; all pursuant to the Declaration of Condominium for Cypress Pointe Resort II, A Condominium, duly recorded in the Public Records of Orange County, Florida, in Official Records Book 5044, At Page 3557, as amended from time to time (the "Declaration").