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How Happy Are You With Your Diamond Ownership?

How Happy Are You With Your Diamond Ownership?

  • Very Happy - Currently a Point Collection Owner

    Votes: 7 13.0%
  • Very Happy - Legacy Owner e.g. Sunterra or Embarc owner

    Votes: 8 14.8%
  • Moderately Happy - Points Collection Owner

    Votes: 5 9.3%
  • Moderately Happy - Legacy e.g. Sunterra, Embarc Owner

    Votes: 5 9.3%
  • Neutral - Point Collection Owner

    Votes: 4 7.4%
  • Neutral - Legacy Owner e.g. Sunterra, Embarc Owner

    Votes: 3 5.6%
  • Moderately Unhappy - Point Collection Owner

    Votes: 5 9.3%
  • Moderately Unhappy - Legacy ownrt e.g. Sunterra, Embarc Owner

    Votes: 5 9.3%
  • Very Dissatisfied - Point Collection Owner

    Votes: 8 14.8%
  • Very Dissatisfied - Legacy e.g. Sunterra, Embarc Owner

    Votes: 7 13.0%

  • Total voters
    54

T_R_Oglodyte

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We own deeded weeks at Grande Villas (Lake Buena Vista), Polynesian Isles (Kissimmee), Coral Sands (now called Westgate South Beach, Miami) that were with Club Sunterra originally. Also own at Casa Del Mar (Ormond Beach) that is Amber Vacation Club, now owned by DRI and in our Club Combinations with DRI. The only TS we purchased from the developer was Cypress Pointe in '93 (upgraded to Grande Villas in '96, then to Club Sunterra in '99). The others were resale & CHEAP!

We have 17,500 legacy Club points, 6,000 Club Collection points, and 6,500 Casa Del Mar Club Combinations points. This makes us Gold Club members and it seems to be working really well for us. All of our TSs are deeded properties, owned since the 90's (except Casa Del Mar: owned since 2003), and the only U.S. Collection points we had to buy were those 6,000 points ($3.65/point), yet we are now Gold Members, which we like very much :)
FYI - we've been hearing that Club Combination can be used to reach gold status for only five years. I haven't checked our paperwork on that point yet.

But the thrust of all of our owner updates for the last several years have been how we need to by more points to bring us to permanent gold status. If we lose gold, so be it. We can live with the loss of gold status.
 
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geist1223

TUG Member
Joined
May 20, 2015
Messages
5,974
Reaction score
5,728
Points
499
Location
Salem Oregon
Resorts Owned
Worldmark 97,000 Credits
DRI Cabo Azul 50,500
Royal Solaris San Jose del Cabo
We own 18,500 DRI Hawaiian Collection Points but because of Club Combinations written into our Contracts (2) we are Platinum.
 

DianeNYS

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Messages
47
Reaction score
13
Points
368
Location
Upstate New York
Resorts Owned
Grande Villas; Polynesian Isles; Coral Sands (Westgate South Beach); Casa Del Mar
Our contract gives us Gold status for good, though I was told by someone in Hospitality Management Services that the whole CCOM program could someday be changed or scrapped (for some reason involving RCI or II, she said). My husband and I, like you, T_R_ Oglodyte, are okay with going back to Silver if need be. But not being able to convert our Casa Del Mar week into DRI points sometime in the future would be VERY annoying. We're hoping that IF that happens with CCOM, by then Diamond will not only own Amber Vacation Club (they purchased it in 2018), but will actually somehow own the Casa Del Mar Resort so that we can convert it to DRI points because of that.

She said she'll help us if any of that happens so we can somehow convert...She got my "case" from Mike Flaskey--I've emailed both of them (and talked to her on the phone several times)--since 2018 when I found out about their AVC purchase and started trying to get my ownership to convert to DRI points. We love our Diamond properties, and really are hoping to someday have Casa Del Mar be a "real" part of our DRI points and not just by CCOM. We'll see...
 

nuwermj

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Potsdam, NY
... We're hoping that IF that happens with CCOM, by then Diamond will not only own Amber Vacation Club (they purchased it in 2018), but will actually somehow own the Casa Del Mar Resort so that we can convert it to DRI points because of that.

.... We love our Diamond properties, and really are hoping to someday have Casa Del Mar be a "real" part of our DRI points and not just by CCOM. We'll see...

There are 119 units and 6,069 intervals at Casa Del Mar. The Bluegreen Vacation Club owns 3,411 intervals, or 56.2% of the total and therefore a majority vote in the HOA. Short of Diamond buying Bluegreen outright, I wouldn't hold my breath about a change in ownership at Casa Del Mar.

On the other hand, in addition to the Club Combo program, Diamond has a program whereby you can surrender your deed and get trust fund points in exchange. You might consider that option.
 

DianeNYS

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Messages
47
Reaction score
13
Points
368
Location
Upstate New York
Resorts Owned
Grande Villas; Polynesian Isles; Coral Sands (Westgate South Beach); Casa Del Mar
Thank you, nuwermj, for the information...I did always wonder how the Amber vs. Bluegreen ownerships mapped out. Doesn't look like I'll get my wish; when we signed up to get our Casa Del Mar week into CCOM we specifically did not want to have to give up our deed. And I think that would've increased our cost to do so? The first "deal" offered was one to transfer our deed to them, and the cost was very high to do so. Maybe the CCOM will last as long as we'll need it to (we are in our later 60's so we're HOPING for 20 more years of travel, but are realistic enough to know that's an outlier ;)). With the CCOM for our deeded Amber week we get 6,500 points per year when we give it up for Exchange into that program. We'll have to keep an eye on how this all works...I was just SO hoping that DRI owning Amber would give us a great deal (as in cheaper!) to have those Amber points become DRI points automatically. Oh well...
 

R.J.C.

unconfirmed
Joined
Oct 27, 2016
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207
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FYI - we've been hearing that Club Combination can be used to reach gold status for only five years. I haven't checked our paperwork on that point yet.

But the thrust of all of our owner updates for the last several years have been how we need to by more points to bring us to permanent gold status. If we lose gold, so be it. We can live with the loss of gold status.

Has someone showed you in writing that your Gold status due to Club Combo is temporary or is this just a sales person trying to use fear to get you to buy more points?
 

T_R_Oglodyte

TUG Lifetime Member
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Has someone showed you in writing that your Gold status due to Club Combo is temporary or is this just a sales person trying to use fear to get you to buy more points?
They've insisted that I have a piece of paper in my file. I'll go look right now.

And I'm back. and it appears that the salesman;s lips have been moving. The sheet we signed does not mention any time limit on the inclusion of Club Combinations to attain loyalty status.
 
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R.J.C.

unconfirmed
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They've insisted that I have a piece of paper in my file. I'll go look right now.

And I'm back. and it appears that the salesman;s lips have been moving. The sheet we signed does not mention any time limit on the inclusion of Club Combinations to attain loyalty status.

So don't believe it. Otherwise they would be able to show you something in writing from their end. It's just another sales tactic.
 

T_R_Oglodyte

TUG Lifetime Member
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So don't believe it. Otherwise they would be able to show you something in writing from their end. It's just another sales tactic.
Correct., Last summer I said that I didn't remember it that way, and I would check the paperwork. Your post gave me the impetus to actually pull the paperwork and see what was agreed to.
 

csalter2

TUG Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2008
Messages
1,968
Reaction score
554
Points
473
Location
Orange County, California
Resorts Owned
Marriott Ko Olina
Marriott Aruba Surf Club
Marriott Ocean Pointe
Diamond Resorts Gold
Remember, Diamond can giveth and Diamond can taketh away. Who could ever forget the unlimited FREE upgrades for platinum owners! They went POOF!
 

karibkeith

TUG Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2006
Messages
88
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34
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378
Location
North of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I wish I had never heard of Diamond. I bought more points on the promise that Embarc would be available to Club members. They Lied! Twice! As a platinum member I can choose my room. Last fall we went to Arizona and the unit clearly identified on the confirmation was not available. No apology, No compensation. Just got back from Florida where they said in an advance e-mail that my chosen room was reserved for me but that it was not renovated. They suggested a move and before agreeing to it, I was moved. Visited the original room, they lied again. The whole building has been renovated. I suspect they screwed up the reservation again and lied their way out of it..
Have previously tried for a unit in a particular building but was told it was being renovated. Visited this one and guess what? They lied again, there were no renovations. (You can tell when a Diamond rep is lying -- their lips are moving!)
They will simply not leave you alone until you attend an update which turns into a sales pitch. This time the gimmick was to call it an Apollo (owner of Diamond) special update with no sales pitch. More lies. They wanted more money. However, the rewards were worthwhile and as promised.
 

goaliedave

Guest
Joined
Jan 5, 2019
Messages
1,298
Reaction score
854
Points
123
Resorts Owned
Raintree, Diamond (bought by Hilton), Shell (bought by Wyndham), Sheraton (bought by Marriott), Palace Resorts, a few independants
Was allowed to make 2 changes yesterday free of fees, thank you Diamond!

Sent from my SM-A505G using Tapatalk
 

bfkeith

newbie
Joined
Nov 19, 2020
Messages
1
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0
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1
Resorts Owned
Diamond
I was a Monarch owner and was somewhat happy. Then in 2012 Diamond came along. I bought into Diamond and was told that my Monarch ownership was converted to Diamond when I upgraded to Diamond Silver. Recently, I attended an "owner update" sales presentation. I was presented an opportunity to move to gold. I was told I was paying too much in dues. My Monarch points were costing me a lot more than my Diamond points and it was costing me more to book. If I upgraded, I would pay less in dues and would be able to have all my points as Diamond points. Three different sales people: First: aprox. $57,000, aprox.$14,000, and then $3,999 for a 24 month temp Gold. I was told that I would pay less in dues and lower increases. Is this typical? I said No to all and was told I was making a big mistake and they were sorry for me. I feel bad....
 

csalter2

TUG Member
Joined
Sep 3, 2008
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1,968
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Location
Orange County, California
Resorts Owned
Marriott Ko Olina
Marriott Aruba Surf Club
Marriott Ocean Pointe
Diamond Resorts Gold
I was a Monarch owner and was somewhat happy. Then in 2012 Diamond came along. I bought into Diamond and was told that my Monarch ownership was converted to Diamond when I upgraded to Diamond Silver. Recently, I attended an "owner update" sales presentation. I was presented an opportunity to move to gold. I was told I was paying too much in dues. My Monarch points were costing me a lot more than my Diamond points and it was costing me more to book. If I upgraded, I would pay less in dues and would be able to have all my points as Diamond points. Three different sales people: First: aprox. $57,000, aprox.$14,000, and then $3,999 for a 24 month temp Gold. I was told that I would pay less in dues and lower increases. Is this typical? I said No to all and was told I was making a big mistake and they were sorry for me. I feel bad....

You have absolutely NOTHING to feel bad about. Believe me, you did yourself a favor. You would have paid LESS PER POINT, but you would have PAID MORE OVERALL in maintenance fees because you would have bought more points. That’s the part they don’t explain. Your club fees are a flat rate if you have 1000 points or 50,000 points. That’s why your per point fee is lower. However, you pay .18 -.19 per point in maintenance fees, so the more points you have the more money you’ll pay.

There’s nothing to feel bad about at all. They were doing you no favors. This is coming from someone who actually likes his Diamond ownership. However, you’ve got to watch them.
 

karibkeith

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North of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Many resorts will bug guests to attend presentations. Diamond goes one better, They phone you before you even leave home. I tell them that I would rather drill a hole in my head than to ever again attend an update /presentation session regardless of the reward. It is just not worth it to ruin a vacation at its start. With Diamond, the first lie is that it is an update, the second lie is that it will not involve any sales pitch, and after that the lies are random.
 

karibkeith

TUG Member
Joined
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Messages
88
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378
Location
North of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
I was a Monarch owner and was somewhat happy. Then in 2012 Diamond came along. I bought into Diamond and was told that my Monarch ownership was converted to Diamond when I upgraded to Diamond Silver. Recently, I attended an "owner update" sales presentation. I was presented an opportunity to move to gold. I was told I was paying too much in dues. My Monarch points were costing me a lot more than my Diamond points and it was costing me more to book. If I upgraded, I would pay less in dues and would be able to have all my points as Diamond points. Three different sales people: First: aprox. $57,000, aprox.$14,000, and then $3,999 for a 24 month temp Gold. I was told that I would pay less in dues and lower increases. Is this typical? I said No to all and was told I was making a big mistake and they were sorry for me. I feel bad....
They are not sorry for you, they are sorry for themselves not getting a commission. These idiots have even told people they are stupid to not buy more. What course did they take that advised that insulting a customer was the key to success?
 

winger

TUG Member
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Many resorts will bug guests to attend presentations. Diamond goes one better, They phone you before you even leave home. ..
Eh, Marriott had been doing this for years. No different than DRI.
 

winger

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They are not sorry for you, they are sorry for themselves not getting a commission. These idiots have even told people they are stupid to not buy more. What course did they take that advised that insulting a customer was the key to success?
This is taught in Timeshare Sales 001, make the customer feel they are in a bad position so they are grateful to you for helping them out
 

Grammarhero

Official TUGBBS Rescission Master
TUG Lifetime Member
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Jun 9, 2019
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Location
Washington, DC Area
Resorts Owned
Wyndham Grand Desert 77k, VV Williamsburg 4L/4 & 2/2
Former: Wyndham 276k, HGVC South Bend 1/1
I'm happy with my membership. Has saved me about $200/year compared to public rates. Sometimes, what I need in a certain city, certain bedroom size, and certain dates are not available in: Wyndham, II, RCI, or DRI. That's where DRI Xtra Destinations have come in handy.
 

Fried_shrimp

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I'm happy with my membership. Has saved me about $200/year compared to public rates. Sometimes, what I need in a certain city, certain bedroom size, and certain dates are not available in: Wyndham, II, RCI, or DRI. That's where DRI Xtra Destinations have come in handy.

From what I have seen, most people that plan their vacations with plenty of lead time are the happiest and those who always wait until the last minute to try and reserve something are always the unhappiest.
 

artringwald

TUG Review Crew
TUG Member
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Oakdale, MN
Resorts Owned
DRI: The Point at Poipu, 3 deeded weeks, 1 of which is in The Club.
From what I have seen, most people that plan their vacations with plenty of lead time are the happiest and those who always wait until the last minute to try and reserve something are always the unhappiest.
We knew when we first purchased in 2004, that we'd have to book as early as allowed to get what we wanted. We are happy with our ownership, and would not recommend a timeshare purchase to anyone that couldn't commit to dates far in advance of their trips.
 

Chika

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2021
Messages
35
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2
Points
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Location
Palm Desert, CA
Resorts Owned
Villa del Palmar, Hilton, Diamond, Worldmark, Vindanta
Would love to hear from Diamond Owners. If we are missing a major category, please let let me know.

Also please add in the comments what you own and why you voted the way you did.
came in from a gift with EPIC, then Sunterra etc. etc. Most times I could run the help line and should have gone into sales but have higher values. It has become a bucket with a hole of high fees, less options and now as a Hilton owner too not sure what to do with Diamond
 

Chika

TUG Member
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Messages
35
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Location
Palm Desert, CA
Resorts Owned
Villa del Palmar, Hilton, Diamond, Worldmark, Vindanta
I love my Diamond ownership. Originally purchased at Powhatan Plantation, resisted the urge to convert to points under Sunterra (just wouldn't work for me at the time), converted to Diamond points 2 days after they purchased Sunterra. Currently a Platinum owner and I love traveling with family and friends to different Diamond resorts throughout the US, Hawaii, and Europe without having to pay an ever increasing exchange fee with II/RCI. Sales dept and seemingly constant changes with benefits as of late are the only two sore spots I have with Diamond but at least I can get back at the sales side by constantly going to updates and taking the gifts while saying No. ;)
My husband will disown me for another invitation. Time better spent but we chose to consolidate 4 fees, extras and hopefully options with Hawaii Platinum. When the whales are breeching in your face its a hard one to let go of.
 

Chika

TUG Member
Joined
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Messages
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2
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Location
Palm Desert, CA
Resorts Owned
Villa del Palmar, Hilton, Diamond, Worldmark, Vindanta
I will go why I am neutral:
1) as a resale buyer, I can only go to my home resort. Also no breaking the week into two half-weeks. I did get a deeded week, which helps. To compare, wyndham resales lets me go to 27 states and 2 US protectorates.
2) bad exit strategy. Diamond transitions is $1k and supposedly only available for retail buyers. In comparison, Wyndham Ovations is free.

(Edited for clarity)
what do you mean for retail buyers?
 
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