John, OldPantry is correct. Marriott didn't give anyone the option of giving up their deeded Week(s) in exchange for Destination Club Points. The way it works is, if you own direct-purchased Week(s) or external-resales that were purchased prior to 6/20/10, you can pay the fee to enroll them and become an Exchange Member in the DC. Enrollment and payment of the annual Club Dues entitles a member to elect to EITHER use his/her Week(s) as they've always been used OR elect annually to convert his/her Week(s) to the allotted DC Points for use in the DC Exchange Company. Enrollment and payment of the annual Club Dues also entitles a member to II membership and the Marriott Rewards Points conversion option (which has always been available to direct purchasers, never before to external resales.) If an Exchange Member does not pay the annual Club Dues, his/her Week(s) ownership remains the same as it always was - s/he simply forfeits the option to convert Week(s) to Points for DC Exchange Company use.
What you're talking about, the impact on deeded rights, changes in only one manner for Exchange Members who have enrolled their Week(s.) You do give up your right to vote against Marriott's interests in any matters pertaining to the DC, which some consider a significant negative while others weigh the practicality of that right against the almost-insurmountable odds of gaining a majority vote against Marriott anyway, or can't envision a reason why a member would want to vote against the interests of the DC in which they're enrolled. Plus, if an Owner chooses to not remain with the DC (by not paying Club Dues) then the right to vote against Marriott's interests in the DC is re-instated. Those are a few reasons why some folks consider this a relatively insignificant matter, there may be others. (And of course, what's important to one may not be to another.)
Every exact-match interval is assessed the same m/f regardless of whether the Owner is enrolled or not. Each resort Board determines its own budget based on need with Marriott influencing the anticipated brand standard and scheduled refurbs. Marriott is responsible for the m/f of any intervals which they hold as owner or developer, including those that they may have conveyed to the underlying DC Trust. Each individual resort budget is subject to strict audits which are stipulated in the governing docs. Marriott's 10% management fee is also stipulated in the governing docs.
Purchasing DC Points is an entirely different animal than enrolling Weeks in the DC. Folks who buy DC Points are Trust Members and their purchase is deeded. But I think you're correct in that Marriott may have more leeway to adjust annual m/f and allow fluctuation of processing fees for Trust Members than they do for Exchange Members. At least, I don't see anything in the DC governing docs that holds Marriott to the need-based stipulations that are in the Week(s) governing docs. More importantly though, the limitation on voting rights is without question significant for every Trust Member because their ownership consists solely of DC Points, and is not afforded the protections stipulated by the governing docs of the Exchange Members' underlying Week(s.)
Folks who do both - purchase Points and enroll Week(s) - can use a combination of their purchased and allotted Points in the Exchange Company according to the parameters of each. All other rights and obligations are separate and distinct.
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