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Interval confirmed me to a Resort not on my Request First List

chalucky

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
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Location
Newport Coast, California
I submitted a Request First Exchange for Cabo San Lucas about three months ago; I included three resorts that I knew would be quality acceptable to me.

I was confirmed by email last week to a completely unrelated resort. I called and they rolled it back . However, I am trying to get to the bottom of whether this was underhanded and sneaky. Also I am trying to make sure it doesn't happen again so I am asking a lot of questions. No answers yet.

Has anyone had this happen to them with II ??
 
Nope, sorry it happened to you.
 
Computers are not infallible. Humans are not infallible. Things happen. That's why it's always best to monitor your account anytime you have an open OGS. I don't think there's anything nefarious going on.
 
Is the resort they confirmed you to part of the same resort group as one of the three that were in your search?

We see this happen a lot with Maui Ocean Club and Lahaina and Napili Villas in Maui. People will put MM1 (Lahaina and Napili Villas) in their search but will still confirm to MMO (Maui Ocean Club - old section). This is because they are both on the same property and share all the same amenities. Some like MM1 better because they are newer and have full kitchens and in unit laundry, but II treats them all the same.
 
Nope...not part of the group since I first looked for that as a possible reasonable explanation.

I was searching for Cabo Azul, Casa Dorado at Medano Beach and Grand Solmar; I was confirmed into Cabo Villas Beach Resort

The reason I was suspicious is this: they had been in the prior month relentless in calling me in the evenings to substitute into an alternate resort. Ok, I know this is standard operating procedure but I even got pushback when I told them I didn't want any calls about alternative options. One rep said that my turning off advisory calls was not even possible and another said it was against policy.

On this exchange what peeked my interest was that the rep seemed to suggest it was done manually and not by the computer. I asked to be transferred to find out more and the second rep mentioned maybe my code was too similar to one of my requests, Since I knew this was a crap answer I am now waiting to speak to a supervisor since they are doing everything in their power not to explain to me what happened here and I don't want this to happen again.
 
Don't expect to ever get an answer. While I like the ability to trade through II, their customer service sucks. Kinda like Verizon & Comcast....

While this has never happened to me, I typically PDF a screen shot of my request as soon as I do it so I have documentation of what I requested and when I requested it. Due to the nature of my business, I tend to document a lot.
 
Nope...not part of the group since I first looked for that as a possible reasonable explanation.

I was searching for Cabo Azul, Casa Dorado at Medano Beach and Grand Solmar; I was confirmed into Cabo Villas Beach Resort

The reason I was suspicious is this: they had been in the prior month relentless in calling me in the evenings to substitute into an alternate resort. Ok, I know this is standard operating procedure but I even got pushback when I told them I didn't want any calls about alternative options. One rep said that my turning off advisory calls was not even possible and another said it was against policy.

On this exchange what peeked my interest was that the rep seemed to suggest it was done manually and not by the computer. I asked to be transferred to find out more and the second rep mentioned maybe my code was too similar to one of my requests, Since I knew this was a crap answer I am now waiting to speak to a supervisor since they are doing everything in their power not to explain to me what happened here and I don't want this to happen again.

I'll be interested in hearing what they have to say. You clearly asked for three resorts on the beach and what they offered is a resort that is off the beach. What is the point of taking the time to research resorts if they are just going to confirm you in whatever resort they feel like confirming you in to?

As an aside, I like the in-town location of Cabo Beach Villas but I have seen multiple reviews that state that exchangers are not given decent room locations unless they agree to sit through a presentation. No big surprise there, but too bad as the views from that place can be stunning.
 
Ok, I know this is standard operating procedure but I even got pushback when I told them I didn't want any calls about alternative options. One rep said that my turning off advisory calls was not even possible and another said it was against policy.

This is not true. Whenever I have an OGS in II and they call (if they call) I tell them not to call me again with options, and they've always honored that request.
 
This is not true. Whenever I have an OGS in II and they call (if they call) I tell them not to call me again with options, and they've always honored that request.

It took them awhile to catch on, but the same now happens for me as well. I once spent 10 minutes explaining the whole procedure I used to deposit early, blah blah blah, and the Interval Rep understood. There is probably a note in my file: Don't call this cranky old coot. I don't care. It works!
 
I'll be interested in hearing what they have to say. You clearly asked for three resorts on the beach and what they offered is a resort that is off the beach.
Actually Cabo Beach Villas is on the beach just down from Casa Dorado on Medano Beach. It's easy walking distance into town. I've stayed there and it wasn't bad. It's not as large or luxurious as the other resorts the OP was asking for, but I thought it was nice.
 
Actually Cabo Beach Villas is on the beach just down from Casa Dorado on Medano Beach. It's easy walking distance into town. I've stayed there and it wasn't bad. It's not as large or luxurious as the other resorts the OP was asking for, but I thought it was nice.

I must be confusing it with another resort - the one with Baja Brewing upstairs. We didn't stay there - just walked through on our way upstairs. If it is the same location, I thought that their beach area was across the street. Sorry for the misinformation. :) And thanks for the correction.
 
Actually Cabo Beach Villas is on the beach just down from Casa Dorado on Medano Beach. It's easy walking distance into town. I've stayed there and it wasn't bad. It's not as large or luxurious as the other resorts the OP was asking for, but I thought it was nice.

Of course the specific resort they attempted to shove me into is hardly the point here. No II member using request first should ever be confirmed to a resort (not on their list )without a phone confirmation of its acceptability. Whether they substituted the Ritz or a dump hardly makes a difference.
 
This is not true. Whenever I have an OGS in II and they call (if they call) I tell them not to call me again with options, and they've always honored that request.

Actually, it is true.

In the past I specifically could ask them to turn off phone solicitation of
potential substitute resorts; I found it annoying as they suggested crappy properties in which I had no interest. Moreover, they wasted my time with repetitive calls several times a week.

Regrettably, something seems to have changed and the only explanation I can fathom is some reps are poorly trained. Indeed I have gotten pushback (it happened on two separate occasions) when I suggested that I preferred not to get these calls and have my account coded as such (ie. they suggested that this was impossible to do). Only the threat of elevating to a supervisor got them to acknowledge that this could be done.
 
I'll be interested in hearing what they have to say. You clearly asked for three resorts on the beach and what they offered is a resort that is off the beach. What is the point of taking the time to research resorts if they are just going to confirm you in whatever resort they feel like confirming you in to?

As an aside, I like the in-town location of Cabo Beach Villas but I have seen multiple reviews that state that exchangers are not given decent room locations unless they agree to sit through a presentation. No big surprise there, but too bad as the views from that place can be stunning.

The saga continues but this is what has happened so far:

I elevated this issue to a Customer Service Supervisor who was none too happy to have to deal with this issue. It took multiple calls to get them to respond; each time I had to go thru the introductory rep, explain the story ad nauseum, and wait on interminable holds.

I didn't have a supervisor call me back for 5 days . When I suggested I was promised a 24-48 hour return call, I was told that they were shorthanded and most supervisory personnel were sick or out of the country so the timing of this return call was the best she could do! I responded that II raises their membership and exchange fees like clockwork and since I pay "premium" prices I expect "premium" customer service. If II has a staffing problem they should rectify it internally but business is business and they should not be using it as an excuse for anything. As a previous poster suggested, the customer service at II leaves a lot to be desired.

The supervisor insisted on explaining how the "system" worked in excruciating detail; this despite the fact that I mentioned my ten year membership in II and my familiarity with the process. It was patronizing and I told her I needed to get to the issue: How this this happen and how could I be assured it would not happen again?

She did acknowledge that it was a manual confirmation which I suspected since there is no way the computer could have matched such disparate resort codes. I asked if she could see what happened (on their internal system) and she immediately fell back on the explanation that a) this was not her department; b) she had no access to the information I was seeking; and c) since the exchange was reversed, what was the point of all this?

My response was that I found the whole process very disturbing; what was the point of Request First if an employee could arbitrarily confirm me to an unwanted property. I wanted to know what happened and to be confident it had been addressed and could never happen again. I further added that II should have an overriding interest in getting to the bottom of this (even without my complaint) as this action was so clearly out of guidelines.

I was finally told that she would contact the appropriate department and attempt to speak to the supervisor. I wasn't promised any feedback until I insisted that I wanted some sort of explanation and closure; she suggested she would get back to me in a few days. This last part was done in a grudging manner.

Of course this has morphed into a matter of principle at this point. I will update if I find out any more.
 
The saga continues but this is what has happened so far:

I elevated this issue to a Customer Service Supervisor who was none too happy to have to deal with this issue. It took multiple calls to get them to respond; each time I had to go thru the introductory rep, explain the story ad nauseum, and wait on interminable holds.

I didn't have a supervisor call me back for 5 days . When I suggested I was promised a 24-48 hour return call, I was told that they were shorthanded and most supervisory personnel were sick or out of the country so the timing of this return call was the best she could do! I responded that II raises their membership and exchange fees like clockwork and since I pay "premium" prices I expect "premium" customer service. If II has a staffing problem they should rectify it internally but business is business and they should not be using it as an excuse for anything. As a previous poster suggested, the customer service at II leaves a lot to be desired.

The supervisor insisted on explaining how the "system" worked in excruciating detail; this despite the fact that I mentioned my ten year membership in II and my familiarity with the process. It was patronizing and I told her I needed to get to the issue: How this this happen and how could I be assured it would not happen again?

She did acknowledge that it was a manual confirmation which I suspected since there is no way the computer could have matched such disparate resort codes. I asked if she could see what happened (on their internal system) and she immediately fell back on the explanation that a) this was not her department; b) she had no access to the information I was seeking; and c) since the exchange was reversed, what was the point of all this?

My response was that I found the whole process very disturbing; what was the point of Request First if an employee could arbitrarily confirm me to an unwanted property. I wanted to know what happened and to be confident it had been addressed and could never happen again. I further added that II should have an overriding interest in getting to the bottom of this (even without my complaint) as this action was so clearly out of guidelines.

I was finally told that she would contact the appropriate department and attempt to speak to the supervisor. I wasn't promised any feedback until I insisted that I wanted some sort of explanation and closure; she suggested she would get back to me in a few days. This last part was done in a grudging manner.

Of course this has morphed into a matter of principle at this point. I will update if I find out any more.

I think that there is a thread with the number for someone at II who handles special situations/questions for Tug members. If you can't find it I'll do a search tomorrow. Seems like it would be a great time to ask them for help.

Btw, I never answer my calls from II. They never leave a message either. Works for me, lol. :D
 
Of course the specific resort they attempted to shove me into is hardly the point here. No II member using request first should ever be confirmed to a resort (not on their list )without a phone confirmation of its acceptability. Whether they substituted the Ritz or a dump hardly makes a difference.
I realize that--I was just responding to another post that the other resort was actually on the beach. I totally agree with you that II messed up.
 
II contact

This was the thread: http://tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=198023

I have used the email contact once and was satisfied with the outcome. I sent an email and it was followed up with a phone call, hence my recollection. Good luck.
 
I had seen that sticky and decided to hold off; I wanted to give the CSR supervisor a week to respond to my concerns.

Using this resource is my next step if I don't hear back. Thanks for forwarding and I will keep this thread updated.
 
I had seen that sticky and decided to hold off; I wanted to give the CSR supervisor a week to respond to my concerns.

Using this resource is my next step if I don't hear back. Thanks for forwarding and I will keep this thread updated.

You are generous and diplomatic to wait for a week.
 
I had the same thing happen also, here's what I posted in mid-October:

"I have a search in Interval for New Orleans. Any unit any size during Mardi Gras and Jazz weekends. Then Quarter house for any time between February and June.

For the second time in a week, I've woken up to find a confirmation for another New Orleans resort (other than Quarter House) for the end of May. When I called to cancel, the rep acknowledges that what they confirmed me for wasn't in my search, and apologizes, and returns my week to a pending search. But there goes 20 minutes of my time.

What if I didn't compulsively check my II account every day. If I had gone past the 24 hours I'm sure they wouldn't have acknowledged the mistake."
 
Really happy to post that my persistence has worked and the TUG community is, in good measure, responsible for this issue being taken seriously.

After giving the customer service supervisor almost a week to get back to me (which she promised), I alternatively reached out to our TUG connection, Mark Delcampo. His email is listed on a sticky post at the top of this forum and he was also suggested by a kind respondent to this thread.

After I emailed late Thursday night, Mark voice mailed me early Friday AM with his personal contact info. When I called back, suffice it to say he did everything right: apologizing for the problem, understanding my complaints,and promising to inquire how the match happened and how Customer Service was so inept prior to his entering the picture. He promised to give me some follow up when he could obtain it and I believe he has addressed my concerns perfectly.

Five stars. Thank you Mark for showing how Customer Service should be done!
 
This has happened to me a few times but none in the past year or so. I often request Four Seasons Aviara for an exchange and it is a difficult resort to confirm so I get lots of phone calls lso trying to convince me to take another nearby resort. A few times, I just received an email just like the OP for a confirmation of a different resort.
I was advised that if I am not at all flexible in terms of other nearby resorts, I should ask the II rep to include NO SUBSTITUTE on my request and this will eliminate phone calls or a substitution.
 
Colorado

I had a somewhat similar experience. Had set up a request for the Beaver Creek area of Colorado during ski season. I picked specific resorts I wanted. I called about a small problem on dates that the system wouldn't let me fix.

The agent took it upon herself to add a bunch more resorts without telling me. She did stick to Gold Crown resorts but it was still annoying.

To clarify, this was II through Shell Vacations Club.
 
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