Anybody else fall for the "Resort Vacation Certificate"?

[carlbarry]

When I checked in at the Wyndham Poconos (New York) I was offered, if I took an owners update, a certificate for $75 that would allow me to stay in any Club Wyndham property in the US, for 1 week, in a 2 bedroom unit. And I fell for it, and paid for it, thinking I would stay in Bonnet Creek.
Well, when I got home I registered the certificate on-line, and looked at what was available. To make a long story short, at the locations available, there were various resorts available, most of them not Wyndham properties, and most of them inferior. Also, in the list of available units, only a few were no extra cost--most required an "upgrade" of a few hundred dollars! And even worse, the available dates were all within about three weeks---most of them, the next week.
So in other words, if I looked on April 1 to stay in Orlando, there could be 2 or 3 locations for no extra cost, and all (even the extra cost ones) for perhaps April 10-May 1! And of course, no Bonnet Creek. And certainly nothing when I want to go, early December.
Anybody else fall for this? It's pretty useless.

 

[geist1223]

This has been going on for years. I remember when we first join Worldmark Wyndumb gave us an II Certificate that was similar. But we lucked out. When I was on the Fone talking to II a 2 Bedroom week at the Marriott Newport Coast popped up on his screen. We grabbed it. The II guy said that had never happened to him before.

 

[Fido Chuckwagon]

as offered, if I took an owners update, a certificate for $75

Oof, they not only suckered you into the update, they actually got you to pay $75 for the certificate? Yeah, they’re pretty close to worthless, that stinks. Usually you’re at least offered them for free as an incentive to go to the update.

 

[carlbarry]

Oof, they not only suckered you into the update, they actually got you to pay $75 for the certificate? Yeah, they’re pretty close to worthless, that stinks. Usually you’re at least offered them for free as an incentive to go to the update.

I got a free one a few years ago. There were so many hoops to jump through to use it, I never did. In fact, when I was offered this one this time, the worker at the desk asked me if I had received the prior one. I said I did, and it was useless. He said yeah, they had complaints, and this one is much better . . . good at every Wyndham resort.

 

[AwayWeGo]

We got two -- 2 -- free Vacation Certificates, 1 as partial timeshare tour freebies & 1 more that came with an apology letter after we complained to management about the relentless & annoying repeat invitations to attend a sales presentation at another timeshare.

We used both certificates, which I registered through Armed Forces Vacation Club. (I'm an army band veteran.) One certificate was redeemed for a free 1BR unit at Club Wyndham Star Island (Kissimmee FL) that we reserved for our grand-niece & her husband. We checked in for them the day before they arrived & handed over the key-card to them when we picked them up at the airport the next day. Everything worked out great.

With the other certificate about to expire, I sprang $90 or so for an upgrade to a 2BR unit at Wyndham Cypress Palms (Kissimmee FL) for the week of the annual convention of the Association Of Concert Bands at the Wyndham convention center over on International Drive. (A 1BR Cypress Palms unit would have been free.) My son & I shared the Cypress Palms 2BR condo. We made the daily commute to the convention & back via rental car. For lots less than rooms at the convention hotel, we enjoyed deluxe digs at the timeshare.

More recently, for $409 + tax via Armed Forces Vacation Club -- no certificate, just $$$ -- I got a 1-week 2BR reservation for my daughter-in-law & 2 granddaughters at Star Island. They've been to the Orlando-Kissimmee resorts with us several times previously. Next month they'll be there for a week on their own at a nice 1 where we've taken them before.

BTW, when I tried registering the resort certificates at the website printed on the actual certificates. I was switched seamlessly instead fo Armed Forces Vacation Club.
Any time I tried logging on directly to the URL on the certificate, I likewise got changed over to AFVC. Even though the 2 websites are in cahoots, it's still surprising that joining AFVC shuts me out of the other website -- not that it matters 1 bit since AFVC works just as well if not better.

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

 

[carlbarry]

We got two -- 2 -- free Vacation Certificates, 1 as partial timeshare tour freebies & 1 more that came with an apology letter after we complained to management about the relentless & annoying repeat invitations to attend a sales presentation at another timeshare.

We used both certificates, which I registered through Armed Forces Vacation Club. (I'm an army band veteran.) One certificate was redeemed for a free 1BR unit at Club Wyndham Star Island (Kissimmee FL) that we reserved for our grand-niece & her husband. We checked in for them the day before they arrived & handed over the key-card to them when we picked them up at the airport the next day. Everything worked out great.

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

Thank you for your service. Unlike you, and my WWII veteran father, I'm a freeloader.
Star Island is my home resort. They have 2 types of lockout 1 bedrooms. The good one is big, full kitchen, balcony, washer/dryer. The cheaper one doesn't have that. For Star Island, the certificate I have wants an additional fee.

 

[TheHolleys87]

I’m so sorry that you paid for it! We got one several years ago for attending an “update.” I didn’t want to go and was suspicious of the value of the certificate, but DH did want to go, so ultimately the body snatcher gave us both the certificate and a gift card. The GC paid for dinner, the certificate was, as you found out, useless. The only benefit we received is that I think that experience may have cured DH from wanting to make the body snatchers happy by signing up with them. Fortunately or unfortunately, we’ve had to change our travel habits, and I haven’t been able to test my theory (or the TUG t-shirt I bought afterwards, which I’ll wear the next time we check into a non-DVC timeshare).

 

[carlbarry]

I’m so sorry that you paid for it! We got one several years ago for attending an “update.” I didn’t want to go and was suspicious of the value of the certificate, but DH did want to go, so ultimately the body snatcher gave us both the certificate and a gift card. The GC paid for dinner, the certificate was, as you found out, useless. The only benefit we received is that I think that experience may have cured DH from wanting to make the body snatchers happy by signing up with them. Fortunately or unfortunately, we’ve had to change our travel habits, and I haven’t been able to test my theory (or the TUG t-shirt I bought afterwards, which I’ll wear the next time we check into a non-DVC timeshare).

I had friends, a married couple, who stayed with me for 2 nights, and they were offered a choice of $75 gift card or pay $75 for the trip certificate. At least I was smart enough to tell them to take the $75, as I don't trust Wyndham about the trip certificate.

 

[kaljor]

These days if I'm going to a presentation just for the money I always insure that it's an Amex Gift (or Prepaid) card and nothing else. I did once accept a local restaurant coupon and it was only after the presentation that I discovered that the coupon had enough exclusions and conditions that I couldn't use it while I was there. And once, I think it was at Wyndham NYC, they offered a "$100 Gift Card". I asked if it was an Amex Gift Card and they hemmed and hawed and finally told me it was some other thing, that I don't even remember what they said it was, because if it's not Amex, I don't believe it would have any value to me.

One other thing on this topic, the Prepaid Amex Cards they issue these days have a monthly service charge of $3 or $4 per month that begins three months after you get the card. Use it as soon as you get it, certainly within 3 months. And probably not at restaurants. There they hold an additional 20% as "pending" for possible tips, but the pending period until it goes away can be 15 to 20 days regardless of what Amex says. If that pending charge persists into the period after three months, you can lose that value.

There's always a new scam to learn about. That's why forums like these are so valuable.

 

[carlbarry]

END OF STORY: I sent an email with my complaint to Michael Brown. I mentioned that my original intent was to stay at Bonnet Creek.
Shortly after I received an email from his assistant. She looked into it. And then offered me 105,000 points to apply either to my current use year or next use year.
I must say, after years of experience with Wyndham, that I am happily surprised at this quick and good resolution.

 

[rickandcindy23]

END OF STORY: I sent an email with my complaint to Michael Brown. I mentioned that my original intent was to stay at Bonnet Creek.
Shortly after I received an email from his assistant. She looked into it. And then offered me 105,000 points to apply either to my current use year or next use year.
I must say, after years of experience with Wyndham, that I am happily surprised at this quick and good resolution.

That is a great ending to the story!

 

[dioxide45]

We got one of these a few years ago from a tour at Club Wyndham Clearwater Beach. It seemed that it was an RCI based certificate that used RCI inventory to fulfill. ANything more than 45 days out required an additional fee. If it was larger than a studio, then the fee was higher. Certain inventory inside 45 days also had an additaionl fee, I think that was also for larger units. When we initially registered the certificate, it showed pretty good availability (during COVID), but then the post COVID travel kicked in and availability was awful. We finally found a studio at Kingstown Reef to use it at. We won't ever take another one of these again.

 

[carlbarry]

We got one of these a few years ago from a tour at Club Wyndham Clearwater Beach. It seemed that it was an RCI based certificate that used RCI inventory to fulfill. ANything more than 45 days out required an additional fee. If it was larger than a studio, then the fee was higher. Certain inventory inside 45 days also had an additaionl fee, I think that was also for larger units. When we initially registered the certificate, it showed pretty good availability (during COVID), but then the post COVID travel kicked in and availability was awful. We finally found a studio at Kingstown Reef to use it at. We won't ever take another one of these again.

That's just another rip off certificate. The one I paid for had all 1 bedrooms up to house rentals. I received a certificate a few years ago, for free, that required so many hoops to jump through that I never used it.

 

[weems637]

We got two of these as incentives to close the deal. After researching them back at the unit, we made paper airplanes out of them and tossed them off the balcony. (we did retreive them for proper disposal)

 

[carlbarry]

When Wyndham was owned by Cendant they had a division called "Get Up and Go." It sold booklets to companies to use as sales incentives, gifts, etc. Depending on the cost of the booklet, it could be for 2, 3, 4, 5 nights at a Wyndham timeshare property listed in the booklet, at no cost to the recipient.
I had been given a few of these but wasn't able to use them.
Eventually, I was able to use one. I called the listed number to make a reservation. This being Wyndham, I had a few problems. To make it as brief as possible: I made a reservation for my 3 night gift, it never went through. Made another one. Never went through. Tried a third time. I was told that to stay in the "resort," as opposed to a hotel (my choice was Wyndham Star Island in Orlando), I had to pay extra, and get a fourth night, get another vacation for 2 nights, and attend a 1.5 hour presentation about "vacation opportunities." I fell for all that. (At the presentation they tried to sell me points at Bonnet Creek for around $17,000 in 2006. I knew nothing about timeshares, but figured I could buy it for less by resale. When I got home I looked up sales on ebay and found that the same package cost about $1,000 resale. I eventually bought on ebay for $100 a 49,000 point contract at Star Island.)