RCI just Cancelled my Grand Mayan NV trip next week!!!

[wheaties]

Just got a call from the RCI rep who told me the Grand Mayan just canceled our scheduled vacation for February 4th and are now putting us in the Mayan Palace next door -- of course a smaller 2 BD unit and now no access to the Grand Mayan amenities. How can they do this??? I am FLAMING! We've had this planned for 18 months and are taking two couples who I have touted timesharing to this entire time. Any recourse? Of course we all have Non-Ref airfare, so we're going. I am LIVID!!!

 

[Spence]

I can't understand how they do that. I would think that they should at least credit you with your deposit back and return the exchange fee.

 

[wheaties]

Yes, they did offer us our week back and will credit us with our fee, but when you've hyped up this place for 18 months now to non-timeshare people and talked about the lazy river and shown them pictures of the pool, etc., it's a little hard to stomach!

 

[CaliDave]

Wow.. what a bummer.

I would talk with an RCI supervisor. They must have some pull with the resort. You should at least get the Mayan Palace oceanview room AND your deposit back. Also, RCI should be able to negotiate use of the Grand Mayan facilities.

The other bummer is.. you won't be able to go back for another 4 years.

This seems to be happening with RCI quite a bit lately.
How do they get away with notifying you a week before?

If a hotel did this to you with confirmed reservations.. they would typically bend over backwards until you are happy. Seems like RCI has no repsonsibility and they make it pretty clear in thier terms.

 

[Carolinian]

Hmmm. Maybe RCI found they could make more money renting it to a non-member. Did you check all of the RCI rental sites to see if it was being offered for rent?

 

[grest]

I agree with Dave...I would definitely insist on at least having the GM amenities available to all of you. What a disappointment!
Connie

 

[iiderman]

Just got a call from the RCI rep who told me the Grand Mayan just canceled our scheduled vacation for February 4th and are now putting us in the Mayan Palace next door -- of course a smaller 2 BD unit and now no access to the Grand Mayan amenities. How can they do this??? I am FLAMING! We've had this planned for 18 months and are taking two couples who I have touted timesharing to this entire time. Any recourse? Of course we all have Non-Ref airfare, so we're going. I am LIVID!!!

Wheaties.. Did they give you a reason WHY they did this????

 

[Monica]

Did the...

1-in-4 rule apply? Had you gone to another GM in the past 4 years through RCI? If so, that could be the reason why. Even if it wasn't at the NV location, the 1-in-4 is collectively for GM, not just location with RCI.

 

[JEFF H]

Here is what RCI online says for GRand Mayan Riviera Mayan


Additional Information:
Hotel units occupancy: Max 2/Priv 2 have 1king size bed, 1 pull out sofa bed, bath- room, jacuzzi and terrace. 1BR units occu-pancy: Max 5/Priv 4 have 1 king size bed, 2 pull out sofa beds, bath, kitchenette with microwave oven, terrace and private pool. 2BR units occupancy: Max 8/Priv 6 have 2 king size beds, 3 pull out sofa beds, 2 baths, terrace with private pool, kitchenette with microwave oven and jacuzzi. All units have air-conditioning, television and telephone. Check-in 5:00 PM; Check-out 10:00 AM. Unitlocation will be assigned at check-in. There is an extra fee for tennis, golf, internet and valet parking. No pets are allowed. For more information visit: www.mayanresorts.com All visitors staying in a hotel in the State of Quintana Roo must pay a 2% lodging tax at check-out. Due to the nature of this offer this pro- perty allows only one single week stay perguest. Additional weeks booked will be cancelled and refunded.

Urgent Information:
ONLY 2 CONFS ALLOWED PER MBR ACCOUNT 2ND TRAVEL PARTY MUST HAVE A GUEST CERTIFICATE. ** NO EXCEPTIONS ** ESTABLISHED GUIDELINES FOR PASSPORT USE IS CHANGING, PLEASE VISIT HTTP://TRAVEL.STATE.GOV/PASSPORT FOR MORE INFO "CERTAIN ADJACENT ADDITIONAL UNITS AND AREAS ARE CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED"BEACH IS NOT SUITABLE FOR SWIMMING A NEARBY BEACH IS AVAILABLE AT 5 MIN.WALKING DISTANCE FOR A PERFECT SWIN.**RST.WILL NOT ACCEPT CLOSE DATE CONF.LESS THAN 48 HRS (2 DAYS) PRIOR TO CHECK IN DATE.** RESORT ENFORCES 1/4 RULE, MULTIPLE CONFIRMATIONS NOT ALLOWED***FOR MORE INFO PLEASE CHECK TO HELP YOU FURTHER SECTION***********IMPORTANT INFORMATION DUE TO WILMA HURRICANE********2 RESTAURANTS, SPA, GYM, AVL , PLAYA DEL CARMEN IS 20 MINS AAWAY MOST OF THE STABLISHMENTS ARE OPEN.


RCI and Mayan Palace resorts Need to get there information straight and then published so RCI Reps and members know what the rules are.
Members are getting there weeks cancelled after many months because of wrong information provided by RCI reps and information posted online.
Madge has said in the past that 1 in 4 At the Grand Mayan means you can't visit any Grand Mayan resort location more than 1 year in 4 but that is not what RCI online shows.
The above lisitng says you are allowed 2 CONFS per member account but the second must have a Guest Certificate.
Then it goes onto Say you can only stay 1 week and multiple confirmations will be cancelled.

 

[wheaties]

No, we have never stayed in a Mayan Palace resort before or any other Mexican resort other than the Royal Caribbean a few years ago. It has nothing to do with 1 in 4. The RCI rep told me that they Grand Mayan "banked more weeks than it had available" and therefore I'm being downgraded. She said I was one of many who was having their GM confirmation canceled and put in the Mayan Palace. I can't believe RCI lets them get away with this!

 

[Walt]

I had 2 weeks cancelled in the last 6 months.

I had 2 weeks cancelled in the last 6 months. With the help of a RCI Specialist I was able to get 2 exchanges that were as good as the ones cancelled. However, the cancellations were more than 6 months away.

I would call and ask to talk to a RCI Specialist. The VC and even the Supervisor seemed to have no Idea what the problem was all about. The Specialist has the ability to give your trade week the Maximum trade value when looking for a replacement.

Walt

 

[JEFF H]

It sounds like Mayan Palace is to blame for this.
Atleast RCI is trying to make the best of a Bad situation for members who get cancelled.
The real problem is RCI has no hammer to punish resorts when they pull this kind of stuff. Its not like RCI is going to cancel there affiliation contract and lose all the income Mayan Palace brings in for them.

 

[pittle]

Wheaties - call the Mayan Palace in Nuevo. Tell them what has happened and what you posted. Maybe you will get a sympathetic Concierge or Reservations person that can connect you with the proper person. They are always upgrading people to the Grand and maybe you will luck out. They may at least get you permission to use the pools at the Grand Mayan. It would be worth a try.

Go to the www.MayanPalace.com website to locate the number to call.

Good luck.

 

[CaliDave]

I'm sure if you offer to take the tour, they "magically" find a room avaliable at the Grand Mayan.

 

[wheaties]

Supposedly an RCI supervisor is now working on this.

I had requested from the initial VC who called me to tell me the bad news that we receive an additional room (studio, 1 BR) as my GM confirmation stated that "the resort reserves the right to assign a different unit of the same SIZE and occupancy as the unit confirmed above." The 2BR Mayan Palace units are significantly smaller than the Grand Mayan. I also asked for oceanview units and access to the Grand Mayan activities. She called this afternoon to tell me she was "unsuccessful" -- not quite the right answer!

I then spoke with her RCI supervisor, who is going to once again contact her Mexican office and see what can be done. I told her if they offer to upgrade me to the GM for attendance at a timeshare presentation, I'm gonna go postal! We'll see what happens. I really don't want to have to call Mexico, but, believe me, I will by next Monday if I don't have an answer from RCI! I just don't understand how these people can get away with this!

 

[pgnewarkboy]

Sorry about your crumby situation. I was at the GM in NV last week and they seemed to be totally booked. An owner was bitterly complaining at the front desk that she reserved 18 months ago and asked for ocean front. When she arrived she didn't get it - even though owners are supposed to get a preference. She was told they could do nothing to help her.

 

[iiderman]

Does this kind of thing only happen with RCI or has someone had their GM week cancelled by SFX as well???

We have two weeks booked back to back at the GM in Nuevo for July that we got through SFX.. now I'm starting to get nervous!

 

[pittle]

Wheaties - if you have to call the Mayan Palace, use a calling card from SAM'S or COSTCO. The price is much cheaper than your regular phone service.

 

[Pat H]

Sorry about your crumby situation. I was at the GM in NV last week and they seemed to be totally booked. An owner was bitterly complaining at the front desk that she reserved 18 months ago and asked for ocean front. When she arrived she didn't get it - even though owners are supposed to get a preference. She was told they could do nothing to help her.

No way that lady booked her week 18 months ago. MP only allows reservations 6 months in advance.

Just because RCI says it was the MP that screwed up doesn't make it so.

 

[Barbeque]

What a bunch of CRAP.
There used to be threads about people being downgraded from the Mayan Palace in Puerto Vallarta all the time to the Sea Garden across the street. It sounds like the same old game. Except for the newest player RCI who is renting the Grand Mayan Units on Extra Vacations for well over $ 1,000 per week, and they are on Snap Travel and who knows where else. Where do you think your unit went? More revenue for Cendant, or the Mayan organization. You have two companies involved that don't care about much more than their own revenue RCI and the Mayan. Which one was responsible for this you could flip a coin. This is the stuff that gives the timeshare industry a bad name.

 

[NTHC]

Let me try to bank more weeks than I have available and see what happens?!!!

Amazing how that never happens.

Cindy

 

[JLB]

Anymore I tend to avoid thread topics that could be provoking, but since this happened to us, and we did not even get a replacement resort or a refund, I feel compelled to comment. Our problem was seven years ago but it is, obviously, still going on.

It seems these are getting posted more often.

Perhaps the desire for better accomodations (at a stiffer price) through timesharing should be weighed against the fact that there are laws that govern compensation when traditional hotels, motels and resorts boot you, but not for timesharing.

Although it does not happen very frequently, it does happen and when it does no one is obligated to your other obligations, plane, etc. When it does happen it does without warning and it is a shock and stressful, as the OP alluded to. Normally when it happens the Guides are courteous, but sometimes they are rude, knowing they don't have to do anything for you.

 

[krisj]

Has this happened to others recently? We've got a Grand Mayan NV exchange coming up, and I'm certainly hoping this isn't the norm :-(

It wouldn't begin to excuse the situation, but would they be bringing in guests whose resorts were damaged by the hurricanes?

In any case, this is very wrong (classic bait-and-switch) and there should be some recourse.

Kris

 

[Escondito]

RCI cancellation of Grand Mayan NV trip

I just returned from the Mayan Palace last night and the same thing happened to us. We made reservations about a year ago at the Grand Mayan. We were having a family reunion. We had reserved six rooms total in the Grand Mayan. Two weeks before we were to go, we got a call from RCI telling us that the Grand Mayan had cancelled our reservations. All 2-bedroom reservations were moved to the Mayan Palace. This left 3 rooms at the Grand and 3 rooms at the Palace thus splitting up the family reunion. Mayan Palace guests could not use the facilities at the Grand Mayan. The family members that were left at the Grand Mayan could use the MP facilites but MP guests could NOT cross into their pool or restaurant territory. They even had people posted to make sure that didn't occur. MP guests had to pay for the spa and gym usage ($80 for the week) where it was free to GM guests. RCI members had to pay a daily fee for the safe. RCI guests were definitely treated second-class at the MP. Additionally, organization certainly was not their strong suit. We arrived at about 2:00 and didn't get a room until after 6:00. It wasn't all negative. There was a lot of good staff and the pool was just fine. We had looked forward to the wave pool and felt very cheated that we weren't able to enjoy that amenity. Overall the Mayan Palace wasn't horrible but certainly wasn't near the level of the Grand. I'm not sure if it was RCI's fault or the Mayan Resorts' fault but it left us with a very negative feeling about the Mayan Resorts and RCI's handling of the situation.

 

[BethH]

Is this happening only at NV?

Is this something that is happening mostly at the Grand Mayan/Mayan Palace N.V.? RCI exchanges only or other exchanges like SFX or owners?