HSI When you don't have to pay your maintenance fee

[kittimeow]

Hi.

We own 4 weeks, 2 with the Grupo Mayan at the Mayan Palaces, and 2 with the same group's Sea Garden resorts. We only pay our maintenance fees if we use the timeshare. As part of our purchase we were told all sorts of things we can do with an HSI membership. We were told that we could hand over our weeks to HSI for credit towards flights or vacation packages etc. I haven't gotten on the phone with HSI again to get clarification, but it looks like ALL the HSI exchange benefits are essentially exchanging the maintenance fee, plus it sounds like in some/most cases, HSI charges some fee. This might make sense if we were paying a maintenance fee, but we're not.

If anyone has a pay-as-you-use maintenance fee and an HSI membership, I'd love to hear ways you found it useful. Am I essentially getting nothing from my HSI membership except maybe discounts and the ability to exchange outside the Mayan Group? And are these discounts in any way exclusive or better than just shopping around?

 

[JudyS]

I'm not familiar with HSI, but most of these "exchange your week for a cruise" organizations offer terrible deals.

 

[Sunterra]

Shopping around is much better.
HSI is a $30,000 membership given to you for 'free' when you bought one of your Mexican timeshares. I've heard tell that they say they are the third largest exchange company with a unique way of offering 'request first.' They seed their exchange bank with HSI owned inventory in places like Maui so they populate the top of the exchange pyramid, if your TS has the power or close to it, you can get these seeded properties and then your good property becomes part of the pyramid.

 

[mossimo]

same boat

Hi there, We have a similar deal at the Grand Mayan. We bought a 2 bed/2bath for 4 weeks. Paid $70,000. We'd like to know, how badly did we get taken for? Any confessions? We are here now, and life is not as they described- it is still beautiful but it seems that things have changed in the last 6 months since we purchased our timeshare- things that they claim to have no control or answer to. I am trying to figure out the HSI program and yes I have the same questions as you. So far, the rentals do not pay more than the maintenance fee so why go through the phone calls/paper work to rent out your units. If you exchange or bank your units you are charged a fee so I figure it is best to do nothing unless you are using your timeshare. I have spent the last week talking to reps trying to learn what I should have learned before I handed over my credit card. Keep in touch and let's figure out how to use the system to our advantage so we don't feel too used or stupid. Still enjoying the beauty the earth has to offer but not willing to jump into a cold pool!