here is my copied email I sent the guy today, as well as the main guy who ran their floor. Tell me if I'm on base with my concerns.
I wanted to get in touch with you both to express our thoughts.
We've been doing some thinking on what we purchased from you both the other day, and were having second thoughts. I've read thru a fair amount of the material that we were provided. I've also had a few conversation with friends who have also made purchases here at Smuggs, and other Wyndam properties to gauge their experiences going thru the process of purchasing, and then the management of their purchase.
Being in sales and being self-employed my whole life, I understand there are times when you represent certain features and or benefits that help in the closing process. However they may appear, they are not always "realistic expectations" that the client can expect to experience. Case in point. Its been conveyed to me that that availability in Wyndam units at Smuggs and other properties are not always available. For instance, I was told by numerous friends that are Wyndam, and Smuggs owners, to not expect a free upgrade to a 3 bedroom from our 2, because most likely the 3 bedrooms are not available because they already been booked by owners with more points to burn so to speak.
We were also made aware that many owners are also trying to book units for resale, and that the expectations presented to us both, like booking a presidents week at Smuggs, and booking a week in Avon Colorado, and selling them for a 60% profit to offset maintenance fees or other costs, are probably not a realistic expectation. After this was conveyed to us, I go back to our conversation with Corbett, where he was kind of steered us in the way to answer the questions for purchasing, as value, more options, and added benefits, not reselling for profit. I put allot of weight on the ability to profit from selling a booking, and having flexibility to have a potion of our costs offset. When I expressed this, Corbett steered me in the way, to not answer those questions with my desire to profit and offset costs by selling a booking. In hindsight now, and with friends opinions, I believe that the expectation that was presented to us, may not be realistic. And for that, I consider this strike 2, and continue to second guess our purchase.
We were also looking forward to new flexibility, with the new purchase in coming up various weekends thru-out the season. However, nobody explained anything to us about housekeeping credits I found on page 338. This seems to be another cost associated with our purchase that was not explained, and this concerns us again.
We were relatively comfortable with the monthly payment presented to us during the presentation process. However, we were taken aback during our time with the closing woman. The monthly cost of maintenance fees paid in a monthly fashion, was not explained to us in anyway until the end of closing. So a $362 monthly cost was increased by 41% for maintenance fees. In a flick of an eye, were find ourselves at a $450 new monthly payment. For the last 15 years we pay our maintenance fees in a lump sum when we check in for our week vacations at Smuggs. Paying monthly maintenance fees was not conveyed in anyway and does not fit with how we have managed our ownership. This could be strike 3.
I emailed Corbett with a request to get into a Owls unit this week before we left, to see if what was conveyed to us, is up to our expectations. Corbett did get back to us and said we can't get into until Saturday. We've been here 15 times and we know what the resort looks like during low, and high occupancy rates. With this being the last week of the season, and seeing the resort scaling back with services, we find it hard to believe that their is not one Wyndam unit that is vacant in Owls for us to look at. We know how empty the resort is. This made me question wether not getting into a unit until Saturday, may be a time where we have already left, was conveyed in that way as for us to not have the opportunity to not see a Wyndam unit in person this week.
In closing, one of our friends who are also recent purchasers here at Smuggs, received 300,000 bonus points per year, not the measly 128,000 we were offered. When I add everything up with what was conveyed by friends, it seems like not much will change other than we have a few more weeks, with a new $450 monthly payment. We'll never get a free upgrade, we won't be able to offset cost by selling a booking, we now have to pay maintenance fees monthly. On top of all that, nobody even asked if we wanted to have our monthly payments deducted from our checking account. You guys just put everything on my Amex card, and assumed this was fine for the next 10 years. As a salesman myself, this seems little more concern for your commissions, than whats best for your client.
These are the concerns were dealing with at the moment, and why were feeling the way we are about canceling our purchase. We have until Monday night at Midnight.