Free Fixed Week Conversions?

[comicbookman]

I would have to say it smells more like jealousy.

Not jealousy, as not pissed at those who get it, pissed at wyndham for again devaluing something that was paid for.

 

[comicbookman]

What about resale converted weeks??
I have over 1mil points of Bali Hai and Shearwater resale converted weeks that don’t count towards VIP.
So do you think I can drop those weeks out of the points and re-enroll them back in counting as direct purchase?
I’ll believe it when I can actually do it, until then I think we’re all dreaming if anyone thinks this will become a reality of free points that count towards VIP levels.

Hadn't thought of that tactic. Seems equitable.

 

[dgalati]

Not jealousy, as not passed at those who get it, passed at wyndham for again devaluing something that was paid for.

That is totally understandable.

 

[Jan M.]

The Rep said they will call me back next week to tell me the exact point value of each of my weeks should I convert. They also confirmed that they would be considered 'developer' points and count towards a higher VIP level.

Guess those recent ebay $1.00 fixed weeks at Bali Hai might have been a good deal had I purchased one!

I will be very. very surprised if any resale Bali Hai weeks make it through the entire process to be counted as developer points. Wyndham cracked down hard on this several years back.

 

[dgalati]

For sale $30,000 converted week and I’ll drop it out of the points program ASAP ounce you pay in full. lol
I can guarantee it’s an annual contract!!
Mods please don’t delete, just making a point. It’s not a for sale listing or atleast until someone buys it! lol
View attachment 20805

Stanley I would pull this down. FYI your name and contract number is still visible.

 

[Richelle]

I was thinking about that just yesterday. I'd buy more points to get to the next level if I could use a 3rd PIC. They do need to set a rule, like 3rd PIC only good if it takes you above the 1.4MM point level. But, that could be very hard for them to manage.

For a 49,000 point purchase, I can enroll one additional PIC. So for about $12,000, I could get platinum (I'm gold now), assuming I do it before the change. Gold has cost me a total of $35k. One purchase in 2008 and another in 2018. So for a total of $47k, I have Platinum. Many newer platinum owners spent well over $100k for Platnium. If they allowed me to enroll a fourth (we are still dreaming right?), then I could get to Founders for less then $17k, with a total in cost of $52k. How many people do you think would that tick off?

 

[Richelle]

Stanley I would pull this down. FYI your name and contract number is still visible.

@Braindead If you look closely enough it is still visible. I can IM you an edited version that hides those numbers if you want it.

 

[dgalati]

For a 49,000 point purchase, I can enroll one additional PIC. So for about $12,000, I could get platinum (I'm gold now), assuming I do it before the change. Gold has cost me a total of $35k. One purchase in 2008 and another in 2018. So for a total of $47k, I have Platinum. Many newer platinum owners spent well over $100k for Platnium. If they allowed me to enroll a fourth (we are still dreaming right?), then I could get to Founders for less then $17k, with a total in cost of $52k. How many people do you think would that tick off?

I for one would be happy for you. If you do your due diligence and find a way to travel for less kudos to you. I say job well done.

 

[Braindead]

Stanley I would pull this down. FYI your name and contract number is still visible.

@Braindead If you look closely enough it is still visible. I can IM you an edited version that hides those numbers if you want it.

Thanks, I’ll make it darker! Better yet. Thanks Richelle!!

 

[Pathways]

This could be a sign of WYND taking some action to improve their cash flow; doing this would get them the $.64 in program fees for every 1,000 points they convert on an ongoing basis. They're only offering this through August, which is likely when they are estimating they will start getting sales revenue again.

I just don't see this as a grab for money. I don't believe there are enough fixed week owners out there to make a difference on the balance sheet that would justify the time and effort they will need to put into this.

Very few resorts even qualify (Pompano - 2 of them I think?, KBV - only eligible since Wyndham is now managing again, Riverside suites, and a few others.) All of them of course are older resorts.

At those resorts, many are already points, except for peak times (maybe KBV the exception)

What this will do is help the reservation system and the resort room assignment staff. These fixed weeks (and especially the fixed units) drive the resorts staff nuts since they have to assign incoming guests around these unicorn units.

They are probably doing this so they don’t have to compensate the fixed week owners that weren’t able to use the week due to virus. It also helps them since more club fees.

I can tell you there was/is no compensation to owners of fixed weeks. Never has been before (hurricane damage) and don't believe there will be in the future.

If they convert resale fixed weeks into VIP eligible points, there are going to be a lot of pissed off VIP owners. I would expect that might be corrected in the "Additional eligibility requirements and terms and conditions apply. " It is possible Hawaii might be an exception.

Most VIP owners are very happy with what they own and how much they spent, and have no idea of what is occurring. I would suggest unhappy owners will be a very small subset.

 

[kaljor]

Call me cynical but as for allowing any conversion of resale points or resale fixed weeks to developer qualified points, I'll believe it when I see it.

It wouldn't earn Wyndham any more sales, at least as the posted offer stands, and in fact the main result would be a huge increase in the price that current fixed week owners could get on the resale market. When has Wyndham ever tried to help resales?

On the other hand, one of my contracts is a converted fixed week, so if I can unconvert it and enroll it as developer points, count me in!

 

[paxsarah]

Does the conversion to points create UDI points, or does it create "Fix Weeks as Points" which Wyndham used to charge a fee for?
An owner I know with the Fix Weeks as Points told me they are not as desireable as UDI. Sort of a red headed stepchild.

This would create a converted fixed week. There's nothing inherently more or less desirable about a converted fixed week compared to UDI points - it completely depends on the underlying week. If the underlying week is desirable from an ARP perspective, the ability to convert it to points at no additional cost seems like a good option - you can still use, say, your summer week in Newport, but if there's a year that won't work for you, you've got all of the additional options points afford you. The drawback there is that you need to exercise your ARP right within the 13-10 month window, rather than just automatically having that week each year. If the underlying week is of no interest from an ARP perspective, then it all comes down to what the maintenance fee rate calculates out to be. In this sense, converted fixed weeks can have some of the best and some of the worst maintenance fee rates in the system. If you have a converted large prime season unit, you may have a very low MF rate, but if you own that same unit in value season, you may have one of the highest MF rates in terms of $/1,000.

 

[bnoble]

We just bought a couple of floating oceanfront 2BRs at KBV last Fall. I am interested, even if these are not VIP qualified points. The two things I would lose are (a) the 14-month booking period that floating owners currently have there and (b) the ability to deposit weeks directly to RCI. The latter is not particularly valuable--they aren't grade traders once you account for the underlying fees. The former might matter to us; I am not sure. The $/K ratio would be fairly good: less than $6/K including the program fee. My converted fixed week at Sea Gardens is better, but it is also one of the very best in-system. Assuming the conversion contract still works the same way, I'd also retain voting rights.

I suspect very strongly that they will only be VIP-qualified if you are the original owner, and maybe not even then. I certainly don't expect mine to be, but it might not matter in making a decision to take/not take them up on the offer.

 

[comicbookman]

Most VIP owners are very happy with what they own and how much they spent, and have no idea of what is occurring. I would suggest unhappy owners will be a very small subset.

You may be correct. It would dilute the remaining VIP advantages. That might eventually get noticed, even if those owners don't understand the cause.

 

[Pathways]

I believe the incremental purchase requirement waiver would mean no need to buy additional points.

Had a long conversation with the Wyndham rep today.

-The conversion should only take about 10-14 days.
-All weeks at an eligible resort are convertible.
-The points will be VIP eligible only if the week is coded as a developer sale/purchase.
-There is no cost to this conversion. Only additional annual cost will be the program fee.
-Once the contract is converted and is listed in your points account, you should be able to reserve the specific week and unit you own during the 10-13 month ARP period for the next year. (This was very important to me as the weeks I own are specific units with a floor and view I would not be willing to give up permanently).

It appears the conversions will be revenue neutral to Wyndham. The long term strategy looks to take owners who are 'weeks only' and gives them a entrance into the points program and they will then look to sell new points to those owners. And of course for developer points, the VIP levels will be the 'hook'.

Paperwork is being assembled using Docusign for the weeks I wanted to convert.

Remember, if you pay monthly, MF's for points are paid throughout the current year of the points. For converted weeks, they collect the MF's in advance for the next year. So even though I have paid this years MF's, I will expect to see an increase in my monthly payment right away to start collecting 2021 dollars now.

 

[bnoble]

I have a couple of reservations in the current year I would want to keep. Hopefully that can happen. Thanks a lot for the first-hand report!

Is there a list of eligible resorts anywhere? I poked around the Wyndham site but did not see it.

 

[Pathways]

Is there a list of eligible resorts anywhere?

No 'list' that I'm aware of. But it is all 'Wyndham managed" resorts.

I have a couple of reservations in the current year I would want to keep

Current reservations will not change. (I have a week in the middle of June that is affected by covid. They said I could keep it or change it to points and cancel it.)

That is one of their 'reasons' to convert, that all the weeks owners lost their usage due to the shutdown and the points people did not.

 

[Richelle]

I was considering picking up a fixed week at Bali hai with decent maintenance fees, but I don't expect the transfer would be done by August 31st.

 

[dgalati]

I was considering picking up a fixed week at Bali hai with decent maintenance fees, but I don't expect the transfer would be done by August 31st.

The points will be VIP eligible only if the week is coded as a developer sale/purchase.

 

[paxsarah]

The points will be VIP eligible only if the week is coded as a developer sale/purchase.

I think the goal was a low MF rate, not to add to VIP-eligible points.

 

[bnoble]

I called the number on the linked site; was told that it was a targeted offer--need an email from them about it. I will call back later and try again.

For reference: I have two floating KBV OF 2BR weeks, with a next booked stay in late December '20

 

[stevenh21]

I called this AM. Agent was very helpful in taking my info and said that someone from weeks conversion should call in a few days with an offer of how many points. I'm interested in converting 2 BRs at Flagstaff and Plantation, Villa Rica, GA. They are both prime summer weeks. We'll see how the units code and what they offer. We have a 3rd week at Harbortown Point, Ventura, CA. We have used it every summer except this one. We are trying out a trade with II, hoping for Marriott or Hyatt.
We made decision years ago not to convert. That was when it was about $695. We have never lost more than a few leftover TPUs on trades since purchases in 1983 and 1985. Right now we do have 90 TPU banked with RCI, expiring in about 2 years, so will need to travel some more.
We are a few years past retirement. Will converting make it more difficult to get rid of timeshares as we get older? Flagstaff HOA takes deed backs of weeks at no cost. Plantation, I doubt it. We hardly get any info from them. Mainly proxy for annual meeting, or concerning the the several years of special assessments. Newsletters are almost nonexistent. Is my frustration showing?
I don't know all the advantages of points. I believe this is with CWA. I have read advantages and disadvantages and will need to study these more. Any thoughts or guidance is appreciated.

 

[bnoble]

Will converting make it more difficult to get rid of timeshares as we get older?

Conversion is not permanent. You can undo it...at least that’s the way the contracts have been written in the past.

Did you receive an email invitation, or did you just call based on this thread?

 

[stevenh21]

I called based on thread. After agent understood what I was calling about, she started giving the positive points about converting.

 

[cbyrne1174]

I called this AM. Agent was very helpful in taking my info and said that someone from weeks conversion should call in a few days with an offer of how many points. I'm interested in converting 2 BRs at Flagstaff and Plantation, Villa Rica, GA. They are both prime summer weeks. We'll see how the units code and what they offer. We have a 3rd week at Harbortown Point, Ventura, CA. We have used it every summer except this one. We are trying out a trade with II, hoping for Marriott or Hyatt.
We made decision years ago not to convert. That was when it was about $695. We have never lost more than a few leftover TPUs on trades since purchases in 1983 and 1985. Right now we do have 90 TPU banked with RCI, expiring in about 2 years, so will need to travel some more.
We are a few years past retirement. Will converting make it more difficult to get rid of timeshares as we get older? Flagstaff HOA takes deed backs of weeks at no cost. Plantation, I doubt it. We hardly get any info from them. Mainly proxy for annual meeting, or concerning the the several years of special assessments. Newsletters are almost nonexistent. Is my frustration showing?
I don't know all the advantages of points. I believe this is with CWA. I have read advantages and disadvantages and will need to study these more. Any thoughts or guidance is appreciated.

I personally would never take a fixed week, even for free. I'm 30 years old.