ARDA fees seem to be not voluntary on all of my statements. Let's do a letter-writing campaign via email to Vistana about it. Join me, please!

[timsi]

I literally said, "I don't know" so you claiming that I'm speculating isn't exactly the bombshell you think it might be. I have no sources, nobody whose trustworthiness needs to be called into question. What is obvious is that most all of the big timeshare players have agreed with ARDA-ROC to make it easy for these annual "voluntary" ARDA-ROC dues to be collected, and it wouldn't come as a surprise if they protected themselves with some type of agreement, because we all know they protect their own interests in ways and with documents that most of us aren't even aware they exist.

Again, this thread is about Cindy's particularly unique MF's situation that existed long before Marriott acquired Vistana, so of course that makes it the perfect TUG thread to manufacture another criticism of Marriott out of thin air. Right?

You misinterpreted about everything I said. If they wanted to change it, they would have done it a long time ago. Enough said about this,
I will be their strongest voice the moment the sites work well, the client service is better than average, the maintenance fees do not go up above inflation, the title department transfers in time and without errors and they do not create products that seem to contradict existing rules. Not too much to ask, don’t you think?

 

[TUGBrian]

reached out again to lone Marriott Executive who responded to my original question on this matter (who is probably regretting answering my email now!)

said they had not yet gotten a reply from the financial services department regarding this inquiry on my behalf, but would reach out to that department again.

 

[rickandcindy23]

reached out again to lone Marriott Executive who responded to my original question on this matter (who is probably regretting answering my email now!)

said they had not yet gotten a reply from the financial services department regarding this inquiry on my behalf, but would reach out to that department again.

Thank you for following up. Hopefully we will get some changes to our billing.

 

[TUGBrian]

had to poke my fingers into a few more places to get any more traction on this topic, but did get a very positive response from a Marriott Executive that indicated they were not aware of the difficulty to decline payment for Vistana owners like there is for Marriott owners and that it would be investigated further!

Based on the number of folks that were cc'd on their response, vs just to me personally...I have hope that this seed bears fruit and that we will see an active change on this front, albeit perhaps a bit late for 2023 statements!

 

[pedro47]

Does the resort received any monetary funds back for every dollar collected from ARDA ?

 

[Sugarcubesea]

I have now called Hyatt twice, paid my HBH in July, got the special assessment invoice paid that checked the box that I did not want to pay the $5.00 arda, still on there, every year it's a battle royal to get this off my bill.

 

[timsi]

Does the resort received any monetary funds back for every dollar collected from ARDA ?

I doubt it but, depending on their contracts, the developers may have to contribute a certain minimum to the association, and if they collect it from owners all the better.

 

[TUGBrian]

I have now called Hyatt twice, paid my HBH in July, got the special assessment invoice paid that checked the box that I did not want to pay the $5.00 arda, still on there, every year it's a battle royal to get this off my bill.

will tackle hyatt next depending on how far we get with the vistana attempt! sadly I dont have any personal contacts at hyatt...will see what we can come up with!

 

[Sugarcubesea]

will tackle hyatt next depending on how far we get with the vistana attempt! sadly I don't have any personal contacts at hyatt...will see what we can come up with!

@TUGBrian , thanks so much... I feel that they hold me hostage, with this $5.00 charge on my account.

 

[rickandcindy23]

@TUGBrian , thanks so much... I feel that they hold me hostage, last year they said because I owed $5.00 on my account I could not use my week, so I had to pay it as I had family coming with me. I'm so tired of this madness. It should not be this hard and if its voluntary why do they say I still owe on my invoice page

This is exactly what happens to me with Vistana.

I paid my estimated maintenance fees for about 8 weeks yesterday, and it shows as $5.00 less than what I paid because the system automatically deducted the $5.00 from my prepayment toward the ARDA fee. Now when I call to book my Sheraton weeks, I will be told I have to pay $5.00. The person on the phone will say, "No, it's not an ARDA fee." My answer, "Then why is it $5.00?"

The system simply will not allow the Vistana person to book a week for me until I pay the $5.00. It's always been this way, and I have always complained. I even called once and asked them to never add the $5.00 per week owned on any of my invoices. Take it off completely. Doesn't happen.

 

[dioxide45]

will tackle hyatt next depending on how far we get with the vistana attempt! sadly I dont have any personal contacts at hyatt...will see what we can come up with!

Wouldn't the contacts for Hyatt be the same? I don't know what level of people you were talking with at Marriott, but Marriott Vacations Worldwide does also own Hyatt Residence Club. MVC and Vistana are still technically two different subsidiaries of Marriott Vacations.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

I own in Hawaii and see the $20 culture fee. Is ARDA hidden in this fee? or is it separate?

What if I want to support the culture fee and not ARDA?

 

[DRH90277]

ARDA - I pass on ARDA contributions every year after reading the self-serving letter. I might contribute if they would devote even one paragraph to showing what they have accomplished for timeshare owners. In the absence of something specific, I will continue to view ARDA as a trade organization devoted to serving the needs of Marriott and other timeshare companies.

If someone can share what ARDA has done for owners, please share it.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I own in Hawaii and see the $20 culture fee. Is ARDA hidden in this fee? or is it separate?

What if I want to support the culture fee and not ARDA?

Since it is my first year owning Westin Ka'anapali, I had no idea if this was a normal addition to the statement. I am always skeptical of any attempt by a developer to "help" the food banks, or whatever, because what is the red tape with that contribution?

The best thing to do is find a church with a food bank and donate canned goods. I know that Hono Koa always has recommendations, but they also urge us to leave canned goods for the housekeeping staff, who will absolutely take any non-perishables home.

Which reminds me that Rick and I need to get canned goods to the local food bank here in Thornton/ Northglenn. We are behind in doing that. Thanksgiving is this week! How did I lose track of the date. The kids were talking at the end of this last week at how quickly Thanksgiving is coming. That is so unlike me. I think it's being in Orlando from 10/7-11/4 that got me behind.

 

[dioxide45]

Since it is my first year owning Westin Ka'anapali, I had no idea if this was a normal addition to the statement. I am always skeptical of any attempt by a developer to "help" the food banks, or whatever, because what is the red tape with that contribution?

The best thing to do is find a church with a food bank and donate canned goods. I know that Hono Koa always has recommendations, but they also urge us to leave canned goods for the housekeeping staff, who will absolutely take any non-perishables home.

Which reminds me that Rick and I need to get canned goods to the local food bank here in Thornton/ Northglenn. We are behind in doing that. Thanksgiving is this week! How did I lose track of the date. The kids were talking at the end of this last week at how quickly Thanksgiving is coming. That is so unlike me. I think it's being in Orlando from 10/7-11/4 that got me behind.

I keep talking about how next week is Thanksgiving. It has crept up on us very fast. It almost seems like it is a week earlier than normal.

 

[TUGBrian]

Wouldn't the contacts for Hyatt be the same? I don't know what level of people you were talking with at Marriott, but Marriott Vacations Worldwide does also own Hyatt Residence Club. MVC and Vistana are still technically two different subsidiaries of Marriott Vacations.

ha, i clearly need more coffee and that didnt even register!

perhaps its best we see how far along we get with the vistana request, and then parlay that into doing the same for hyatt!

Will say that the response I got was pretty darn high up! Certainly many more branches up than any contact I had personal relationships with in the past!

 

[TUGBrian]

ARDA - I pass on ARDA contributions every year after reading the self-serving letter. I might contribute if they would devote even one paragraph to showing what they have accomplished for timeshare owners. In the absence of something specific, I will continue to view ARDA as a trade organization devoted to serving the needs of Marriott and other timeshare companies.

If someone can share what ARDA has done for owners, please share it.

are a number of threads on this specifically, but just to be clear the "voluntary donations" are for ARDA-ROC...which is claimed to be a subsidiary of ARDA itself to represent owners etc.

I am regularly guilty of using the terms interchangeably, as are most folks. That said, I dont find much realistic/ideological difference between the two entities.

one represents developers completely, the other represents owners when said interest also benefits developers and I have never seen any realistic example provided where owners interests were put before developers interests.

 

[YYJMSP]

They can defitely make the $5 fee go away - - they do for international owners, as it is illegal for them to receive those funds from NON-USA persons

Other than the first year of ownership back in 2005, we don't see that $5 nor do we have to play the pay $5 less and sort it out later game

 

[rickandcindy23]

Due Date N/A

Prior Balance Due
View Prior Year Balance Detail $ -2,906.10 (I paid my fees for 2024 to book my week 28 for 2024)

Current Year Charges

Maintenance Fee(s) $ 1,453.05 (THIS IS THE FEE WITHOUT ARDA)

Tax - If Applicable $ 0.00

Membership Fee - If Applicable $ 0.00

Other* $ 0.00

Interest $ 0.00

Late Fees $ 0.00

ARDA ROC PAC Contrib.** $ 5.00

Sub-Total
Current Year Charges $ 1,458.05
Less Payments*** $ 0.00

Total Due $ -1,448.05

Projected Fees for Next Year $ 1,453.05


This is messed up. I do not know how to explain the issue to anyone at Vistana. Looks like I am going to have to pay $10, two ARDA fees, to book my week. I am not a math person. I just know when I am being charged this $5.00.

 

[SueDonJ]

They can defitely make the $5 fee go away - - they do for international owners, as it is illegal for them to receive those funds from NON-USA persons

Other than the first year of ownership back in 2005, we don't see that $5 nor do we have to play the pay $5 less and sort it out later game

I'm pretty sure it's illegal for them to charge international owners because both ARDA and ARDA-ROC are registered PAC's (Political Action Committee) that make contributions to US political campaigns. It's not timeshare laws that are in play, it's campaign finance laws.

(Which is also probably why @TUGBrian got an apparently very concerned response from someone at Marriott's executive level.)

 

[SueDonJ]

are a number of threads on this specifically, but just to be clear the "voluntary donations" are for ARDA-ROC...which is claimed to be a subsidiary of ARDA itself to represent owners etc.

I am regularly guilty of using the terms interchangeably, as are most folks. That said, I dont find much realistic/ideological difference between the two entities.

one represents developers completely, the other represents owners when said interest also benefits developers and I have never seen any realistic example provided where owners interests were put before developers interests.

I've paid the donation during a few non-consecutive years when both ARDA and ARDA-ROC were lobbying against Hawaii-like tourism taxation being considered for Hilton Head Island. Even knowing that ARDA-ROC wouldn't have been lobbying if ARDA weren't, it was an important enough issue that I knew my $5 those years would be more valuable to their collective contribution than it was in my pocket.

 

[SueDonJ]

ARDA - I pass on ARDA contributions every year after reading the self-serving letter. I might contribute if they would devote even one paragraph to showing what they have accomplished for timeshare owners. In the absence of something specific, I will continue to view ARDA as a trade organization devoted to serving the needs of Marriott and other timeshare companies.

If someone can share what ARDA has done for owners, please share it.

arda-roc.org

You can check out the website without joining or subscribing. I think they do a good job summarizing recent issues on the first page so it's easy to just take a look every so often, and their search engine works really well IMO.

 

[TUGBrian]

and while that did indeed benefit owners, that fight was taken up because it impacted resort developers.

ironic there is a headline on that page about banning exit companies....yet I can recall when exit companies were legit members of ARDA and not a peep from arda-roc (or arda for that matter) when I fought that particular fight years ago....with the end result in me personally being banned from the timeshare resale forum at the annual ARDA convention.

good times! (full disclosure, arda used to provide TUG a free pass to attend the convention every year as "press", so they were within their rights to revoke that given they paid for it, I just felt it was a rather interesting response on their part for someone publicly pointing out they had businesses that violated their own code of ethics as members....and still do!)

However to be clear, im perfectly fine with owners knowingly contributing to arda/gop/dem/red cross whatever they see fit....voluntarily.

I am 110% against said contribution being applied by default, along with deliberate or accidental hurdles put in the way that otherwise make it cumbersome or even remotely difficult to "opt out" of said voluntary donation. having it applied automatically quite literally defies the definition of voluntary no matter how you slice it.

 

[timsi]

and while that did indeed benefit owners, that fight was taken up because it impacted resort developers.

ironic there is a headline on that page about banning exit companies....yet I can recall when exit companies were legit members of ARDA and not a peep from arda-roc (or arda for that matter) when I fought that particular fight years ago....with the end result in me personally being banned from the timeshare resale forum at the annual ARDA convention.

good times! (full disclosure, arda used to provide TUG a free pass to attend the convention every year as "press", so they were within their rights to revoke that given they paid for it, I just felt it was a rather interesting response on their part for someone publicly pointing out they had businesses that violated their own code of ethics as members....and still do!)

However to be clear, im perfectly fine with owners knowingly contributing to arda/gop/dem/red cross whatever they see fit....voluntarily.

I am 110% against said contribution being applied by default, along with deliberate or accidental hurdles put in the way that otherwise make it cumbersome or even remotely difficult to "opt out" of said voluntary donation. having it applied automatically quite literally defies the definition of voluntary no matter how you slice it.

For those who do not know, this is the board of directors for the ARDA-ROC. Does anyone believe they are going to push for any positive change for the owners that is against the interests of the developers? The developers should pay for this, giving this association any amount of money only gives them cover to claim they represent the common folks.

Directors

Travis Bary, RRP, Capital Vacations
Michael Brown, Travel + Leisure Co.
Janice Feirstein RRP, Daily Management, Inc.
Jason Gamel, ARDA
Ada Grzywna, Bluegreen Vacations
Don Harrill, RRP, Chair, AIF
Neil Hutchinson, RRP, Hilton Grand Vacations
Robert Miller, RRP, Global Alliance for Timeshare Excellence
Richard Muller, RRP, VRI Americas
Annie Roberts, Wyndham Destinations
Jared Saft, Westgate Resorts
Lisa Siegert-Free, RRP, Christie Lodge
Sverre Thomassen, Owner Representative
Kimberly Tramontana, RRP, Breckenridge Grand Vacations
Robert Webb Esq., RRP, Baker & Hostetler
Scott Weisz, Marriott Vacations Worldwide

 

[rickandcindy23]

Michael Brown of Travel and Leisure--AKA: Wyndham