Just signed a contract - have I been cheated?

[haveibeenhad]

Fortunately I'm within the 10 day window.

It's the same story as a lot of others here I've read - I'm vacationing in Maui, got dragged into a sales pitch along with the wife. We ended up signing a contract.

We ended up purchasing one of the new Marriott Vacation Club Destination Point packages (also called Abound). We were impressed because it seems like an extremely wide, global selection of destinations, and it seemed like we would save money in the long run (since points would cover the bulk of the daily expenses). We aren't attached to any particular resort, so the flexibility they were selling was appealing to us.

We were charged 50k (discount from 65 supposedly) for 4500 points, that renews every year and 300k in bonvoy points as a bonus.

However I became afraid that it seems too good to be true and that maybe it's not that easy to book within the resort network using points alone. It seems like that's the case? It's difficult to get the destinations and experiences you want? You probably do end up having to shell out from your pocket?

Many are suggesting to buy second hand instead. Is it possible to get similar benefits second hand? (4500 points per year, platinum status etc)

Basically have I made a huge mistake and should I cancel and if I do what are my options to get similar flexibility, global options etc.

 

[echino]

If you buy resale you save at least half of the cost.

 

[haveibeenhad]

Are similar plans (similar number of points, amenities, Marriott etc) typically available on resale?

 

[sponger76]

However I became afraid that it seems too good to be true and that maybe it's not that easy to book within the resort network using points alone. It seems like that's the case? It's difficult to get the destinations and experiences you want? You probably do end up having to shell out from your pocket?

If you are looking for a high demand resort in a high demand time, it can be difficult just because there will be more people wanting to reserve than there are units available. Basically, those who get there first will reserve them and if there are 100 units and you are 101 or later, you're out of luck, so be prepared to plan and try to reserve far out in advance for high demand reservations.

You don't shell out from your pocket in addition to points, unless:

• you're renting either a week or points from another owner; you would rent weeks on sites like the TUG Marketplace or Redweek if you were unable to reserve the specific resort and week you want, but someone else has it reserved and puts it up to rent (think sub-letting)
• you would rent points if the reservation you want is available via MVC but don't have enough points in your account to cover it
• you reserve via Interval International either by exchanging (exchange fee) or purchasing a Getaway, which doesn't use any points

Many are suggesting to buy second hand instead. Is it possible to get similar benefits second hand? (4500 points per year, platinum status etc)

For MVC points, yes the benefits are the same if you buy resale

Basically have I made a huge mistake and should I cancel and if I do what are my options to get similar flexibility, global options etc.

Pretty much everyone here will tell you to cancel and purchase the same amount of points resale to get the same bang for a lot less buck or to just buy weeks resale for lower maintenance fees and just learn to exchange via Interval International.

 

[sponger76]

Are similar plans (similar number of points, amenities, Marriott etc) typically available on resale?

Marriott points are Marriott points, although they were previously (currently?) called Destination Club points and are now going to be called Abound points. They all work the same, it's just a matter of how many you purchase in order to have more vacation time (or use more "expensive" resorts). You can buy a single large contract or several smaller contracts that add up to the same amount of points, and they'll behave the same way.

 

[haveibeenhad]

Thanks so much! At the very least I should spend some time getting educated on all this stuff.

From your description it does seem like we were sold an overly rosy picture (though shame on us for buying it, the sales people are just doing their jobs)

 

[davidvel]

Fortunately I'm within the 10 day window.

It's the same story as a lot of others here I've read - I'm vacationing in Maui, got dragged into a sales pitch along with the wife. We ended up signing a contract.

We ended up purchasing one of the new Marriott Vacation Club Destination Point packages (also called Abound). We were impressed because it seems like an extremely wide, global selection of destinations, and it seemed like we would save money in the long run (since points would cover the bulk of the daily expenses). We aren't attached to any particular resort, so the flexibility they were selling was appealing to us.

We were charged 50k (discount from 65 supposedly) for 4500 points, that renews every year and 300k in bonvoy points as a bonus.

However I became afraid that it seems too good to be true and that maybe it's not that easy to book within the resort network using points alone. It seems like that's the case? It's difficult to get the destinations and experiences you want? You probably do end up having to shell out from your pocket?

Many are suggesting to buy second hand instead. Is it possible to get similar benefits second hand? (4500 points per year, platinum status etc)

Basically have I made a huge mistake and should I cancel and if I do what are my options to get similar flexibility, global options etc.

Rescind NOW, you can always buy them again (but you won't once you understand how much you overpaid.) Once rescission period ends, it's too late to remedy.

If you are still on the fence, tell me this: Where do want to go, what season, and in what view category, and how many points will you need for the week (or how long you want to go)? This answer is necessary to know what you bought.

 

[haveibeenhad]

I've emailed a cancellation request (it's one of the methods they specify on the contract). Additionally I'm going to physically mail in the cancellation request as well, just to have all bases covered. Grateful to all of you for knocking some sense into me.

To answer your question, we were most excited about potentially having access to their resorts in Italy, using the African safari experience, etc (since they convinced us during the sales pitch that it would be significantly cheaper to do it with them). We aren't sure exactly when we'd travel, probably around this time, yearly. We basically believed this program would make such experiences affordable when we signed.

Basically we want to do international travel and they made a very convincing case that we'd save money in the long run.

 

[sponger76]

To answer your question, we were most excited about potentially having access to their resorts in Italy

Basically we want to do international travel and they made a very convincing case that we'd save money in the long run.

MVC doesn't have any resorts in Italy, unless you're thinking about using your Abound points for regular Marriott hotels, which is generally not a good value from what I understand.

In Europe there are 3 MVC resorts in Spain and one in France. Outside of MVC, not a lot of timeshares from companies you'd normally recognize in Europe, and they're generally not in the big tourist destination cities, more so out in the countryside. Even the MVC resort in France is not in Paris, it's like an hour away from the city center. It's main draw actually is that it's closer to the Disneyland there. The MVC resorts in Spain are not in places like Madrid or Barcelona.

In Asia, MVC does have Thailand and Indonesia. There's 1 in Australia. But the majority of timeshare locations (all companies, not just MVC) are in the Western Hemisphere. Most are in the U.S., but there are quite a few timeshares in Canada, Mexico, and also throughout the Caribbean. See https://www.marriottvacationclub.com/destinations/club-resorts/ for all the MVC locations. If you have access to Interval already you can look at the resort finder to see locations you *might* be able to trade into around the world.

 

[haveibeenhad]

I emailed them saying I wanted to cancel, and asking for a refund on the deposit I made -

They replied:

Aloha,


This has been received & will process your cancellation.


Mahalo,

Does this mean I'm protected or is anything else recommend?

Also they didn't mention the deposit at all, they legally need to return that, yes? Any idea how long it typically takes?

 

[Luanne]

I emailed them saying I wanted to cancel, and asking for a refund on the deposit I made -

They replied:



Does this mean I'm protected or is anything else recommend?

Also they didn't mention the deposit at all, they legally need to return that, yes? Any idea how long it typically takes?

I didn't think you could rescind simply by sending an email. Everything I've seen here says you need to send a letter, and it should be sent certified, or at least with tracking. There should have be information in the sales packet you received letting you know what the official process is to rescind.

 

[TheTimeTraveler]

Cover yourself and send it via Certified Mail and save the official Postmark on your mailing receipt. This is absolute proof in a Court of Law having that Government US Postal Service Postmark.

Email "may" prevail, but why chance it?

It's your money. Protect it!



.

 

[ScoopKona]

Whatever the terms are in the contract for rescission, follow them to the letter. If they say to write it with green ink on Hello Kitty stationary, that is what you do.

When you mail it, sent it return receipt. That way you have physical proof they received the letter. And it's only a couple of bucks. Treat this with the same gravitas you would give to an IRS auditor.

EDIT -- Unsolicited advice: Never take another timeshare tour. Was what they offered you in exchange for taking the tour worth it? That answer is always "no."

 

[goaliedave]

As above do the physical recission, the email is likely a trick.