WESTIN FLEX
This is from an invoice dated August 26, 2019 and due September 27, 2019. Unfortunately, Westin Flex and Sheraton Flex MFs are sent out early and due earlier than the normal weeks-based MFs.
2020
257,700 options
VOI assessment - $5,210.69 (calculated MF/option = $0.02022)
2019
257,700 options
VOI assessment - $4,878.26 (calculated MF/option = $0.01893)
INCREASE - 6.8%
Thank you soooo much for this!!!
I just upgraded yesterday to the Sheraton Flex plan because the salesperson convinced me that if I stayed with my StarOptions plan (pre-Flex) not only would it be more difficult to secure a week I wanted in the near future, but the annual increase on the week based timeshares has been and would continue increasing 6-8% per year because as owners move over to Flex there is a smaller pool of owners with whom to split the maintenance fees. He then said the Flex fees had not gone up more than .25% annually since it first started in 2015.
Your letter proves otherwise - a 6.8% increase from last year to this!! I was thinking about cancelling and I probably will now. That is a blatant lie on his part (or at least a truth he managed to twist!).
Are you happy with your Flex plan? Of course, I think it showed somewhere that you own Hawaii (though how can that be if you have Flex (?) since I presume you needed to give up your "fixed" week with StarOptions).
He also told me that in January 2020, Westin and Sheraton would be connected to Mariott, Hilton and Ritz so that all their resorts could be used with the Star Options without paying an exchange fee (there was some exception or something different about Ritz but I would never stay there so it doesn't really matter to me). Were you informed of that?
I would really appreciate a reply to help me make a final decision before I leave the resort in a couple days.
Thanks!
Sher
He also said that was why it would be so difficult to get a desired week or weeks even at the resorts in the Sheraton and Westin resorts because the network will then have MANY more people in it.