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Redweek holding all payments regardless???

Saintsfanfl

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This is bizarre. Redweek appears to be holding all payments hostage even if the renter never requested a cancellation. I don’t get how that makes sense. I was wary of using Redweek payments but then I started using it exclusively. I am likely done with Redweek payments in the future as they are violating their own terms and conditions.

For the record I am not unreasonable. I even offered to split the loss with a Redweek payment renter that canceled the night before check in. They haven’t paid either of us. On another one there is no cancellation by the renter but they are not releasing payment.
 

needvaca

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This crisis has taught me that I am NEVER using a middleman again. Redweek is a mess. Expedia won’t answer phone or emails to return people’s money. VRBO and the like are a mess.

From now on, I’m only renting directly to individuals, and I’m only booking directly with the airline or hotel.
 

CPNY

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Agreed. I will use redweek verified but not their full service or lack thereof ever again. I will accept payment in my own terms with no refunds, I will allow changes based on availability and resort rules but that’s it. I will also allow it at my discretion. I don’t rent as a business i rent when I have excess to recoup so maint fee money. I moved a week out until August. After that if this is still going on I will not be honoring a refund as that week will then become useless to me.
 

TheTimeTraveler

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Agreed. I will use redweek verified but not their full service or lack thereof ever again. I will accept payment in my own terms with no refunds, I will allow changes based on availability and resort rules but that’s it. I will also allow it at my discretion. I don’t rent as a business i rent when I have excess to recoup so maint fee money. I moved a week out until August. After that if this is still going on I will not be honoring a refund as that week will then become useless to me.


Very smart.

I would also add that I always tell my renters that "Dates can not be altered or changed, and all sales are FINAL".

I also urge all my renters to "Purchase travel insurance" to cover themselves in case of unforeseen circumstances.




.
 

lds337

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HGVC Kings Land, HGVC Ocean 22, HGVC Sunrise Lodge, The Crane HGVC Sheraton Desert Oasis, Westin Kierland, and Wyndham Glacier Canyon
So I have two active reservations with Vistana right now that are being held.

Reservation 1 - At Sheraton Desert Oasis checked in on Saturday, 3/14 and checked out on Monday, 3/16 (No One has contacted me). Redweek shows that those funds are held even though the resort is open and the renter checked-out on their own without any notice.

Reservation 2 - At Westin Kierland Villas checked in on Saturday, 3/14 and still is on property as of today. Redweek shows those funds are held even though the renter is still on property.

I feel that Redweek is on the verge of Shutdown / Bankruptcy and we will never see our money. There's no way to contact them via phone, and they provide no information or responses to inquires. At this point for my Desert Oasis reservation I feel I'm going to be out both the Points and the MF for a total loss (No one has contacted me). For Kierland I feel I may have a chance of getting that money if the renter makes it through the week

So basically Redweek is ignoring the terms of the contracts and will never side with us the owner.

Good Luck to every owner and let me know if you have any contact with them.
 

TravelAmore

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Needvaca, I appreciate the need or want, as an owner, to cover MF by renting. I do the same thing when I am not trading through II or using the week myself. However, it seems a bit harsh not to offer fee free cancellations in the face of a national emergency and in the face of governmental advisories not to travel.

When timeshares are purchased it is clear there will be annual maintenance fees. We may mistakenly think these fees will not be indiscriminately increased at the whim of developers/vacation companies; however, we signed up to annually pay a fee for access to the option to use the time. Renters are looking to pay for a vacation - for some they have saved all year to afford and some may also purchase travel insurance to protect their investment. I advise all of my renters to obtain travel insurance because normally it covers the majority of unexpected trip cancellations/disruptions. However, in the current situation, travel insurance is not covering individuals and governments are making decisions and issuing advisories to protect us all.

One of our units is in Hawaii and I had a renter obtained through TripAdvisor Rentals who was committed to travel in the early days of this pandemic. Yesterday she contacted me and indicated she is concerned she and her husband would not be able to travel to HI for check-in on March 29. She did not specifically ask to have her money returned...interestingly, she asked if she could reschedule travel later in the year, assuming availability of my unit. With the late cancellation, MVC will only allow my week to be deposited with II. I will have to pay fees to use it and must comply with II’s less than admirable policies on late deposits related to the pandemic. Yet, I contacted TripAdvisor and advocated for the return of my renter’s payment in full. I called, the wait time was 5 minutes and the call was completed in less than 10 minutes.

It turns out TripAdvisor was also allowing cancellations without fees and since I was not requiring a penalty, TripAdvisor returned all of my renter’s funds to her account (processing still in progress). I notified my renter she will receive a full refund. 90 minutes later, the Governor of HI urged travelers not to travel to the islands for at least 30 days. My renter contacted me late last night to thank me for arranging for the full refund and vowing to contact me later this year or next to rent my unit.

I cannot speak to the processes with Redweek, VRBO, and others; however, I can rave about TripAdvisor Rentals given my experience. I hope other owners recognize these are unusual times. We help things improve by helping one another - not only in terms of using hand washing and social distancing or shelter in place to protect ourselves and one another, but to treat one another as we would want to be treated should the shoe be on the other foot.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 

lds337

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I cannot speak to the processes with Redweek, VRBO, and others; however, I can rave about TripAdvisor Rentals given my experience. I hope other owners recognize these are unusual times. We help things improve by helping one another - not only in terms of using hand washing and social distancing or shelter in place to protect ourselves and one another, but to treat one another as we would want to be treated should the shoe be on the other foot.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I would be more than accommodating to cancel a reservation if possible. In my case both of the renters are on Property this week. It's kind of late to cancel if you are already there, and want your money back. I'm not unreasonable and personally I have cancelled my trip for next month.

I think it's unreasonable to be holding my money even though I have completed every aspect of my contract. The resort is open and nothing more I can do. Redweek can't disregard the terms of the contract that has already been executed and terms clearly are in my favor at this point. I doubt any of it will work out in my favor because Redweek probably won't exist
 

CPNY

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So I have two active reservations with Vistana right now that are being held.

Reservation 1 - At Sheraton Desert Oasis checked in on Saturday, 3/14 and checked out on Monday, 3/16 (No One has contacted me). Redweek shows that those funds are held even though the resort is open and the renter checked-out on their own without any notice.

Reservation 2 - At Westin Kierland Villas checked in on Saturday, 3/14 and still is on property as of today. Redweek shows those funds are held even though the renter is still on property.

I feel that Redweek is on the verge of Shutdown / Bankruptcy and we will never see our money. There's no way to contact them via phone, and they provide no information or responses to inquires. At this point for my Desert Oasis reservation I feel I'm going to be out both the Points and the MF for a total loss (No one has contacted me). For Kierland I feel I may have a chance of getting that money if the renter makes it through the week

So basically Redweek is ignoring the terms of the contracts and will never side with us the owner.

Good Luck to every owner and let me know if you have any contact with them.

let’s hope not. They are a joke of a company. They make a ton of money there should be no reason to not pay out.
 

rickandcindy23

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I am going to be the devil's advocate here. Redweek is withholding payments until the end of March because the timeshare world is changing by the day, and they have to protect the renter. If your resort closes and a guest shows up to stay there, and they are denied use, you need to be aware that will happen.

Redweek is not a huge company. They are pretty small compared to VRBO. They are just a service for timeshare owners. That makes it tough. This is just all bad news right now. All bad news, and what a shame.
 

DannyTS

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I hope their rental business is not going to drag them down.
 

DannyTS

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I am going to be the devil's advocate here. Redweek is withholding payments until the end of March because the timeshare world is changing by the day, and they have to protect the renter. If your resort closes and a guest shows up to stay there, and they are denied use, you need to be aware that will happen.

Redweek is not a huge company. They are pretty small compared to VRBO. They are just a service for timeshare owners. That makes it tough. This is just all bad news right now. All bad news, and what a shame.
that may be the case but they should tell owners what is going on, when and how they should see their money
 

samara64

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As per this link, they will pay for change fee:


REDWEEK TRAVELERS AND COVID-19
This is a difficult time. We love to travel, and know if you're reading this, you do too. We understand that some of you are grappling with the difficult decision of whether to travel right now – we are doing the same. Even if you are not formally restricted from doing so, this is an important decision where benefits and risks need to be carefully weighed.

See current recommendations from the CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html

We are doing everything we can to assist during these uncertain times. RedWeek is a travel community that serves both timeshare owners and travelers. We are sympathetic to our members being impacted by the pandemic on both sides of this equation. It's important to understand that vacation rentals on RedWeek are quite different than booking directly with a resort or hotel. The individual owner of the timeshare books the unit being advertised. In most cases, the owner is not able to simply cancel the booking or change the dates. If a week goes unused, the owner loses both the use of the week for that year and whatever maintenance fees they paid as part of their ownership.

In online bookings, where we are intermediary between the owner and renter, we're obligated to follow the terms of the rental agreement that both parties signed. For every cancellation request, we are reaching out to the owner and asking them to please be as flexible as possible, given this unprecedented situation. Some owners may choose to waive or reduce the cancellation fee and some owners may be able to re-book a reservation for a later date. We greatly appreciate any flexibility our owners are able to extend.

Please know that we are actively monitoring the situation and working with all parties involved to reach a fair compromise. We ask that all owners and renters be as patient and as flexible as possible during this difficult time.

For owners using RedWeek’s online booking system:

  • If you are asked to cancel or change your reservation dates for a renter, RedWeek will gladly pay any change fees to accommodate this request.
  • If you need to cancel entirely, we will also give you an account credit for a new posting and verification.
  • If you are currently advertising a rental with March or April check-ins, we advise you to call your resort and attempt to reschedule your week. We will give you a free verification for the new dates.
 

vol_90

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As per this link, they will pay for change fee:


REDWEEK TRAVELERS AND COVID-19
This is a difficult time. We love to travel, and know if you're reading this, you do too. We understand that some of you are grappling with the difficult decision of whether to travel right now – we are doing the same. Even if you are not formally restricted from doing so, this is an important decision where benefits and risks need to be carefully weighed.

See current recommendations from the CDC: www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/summary.html

We are doing everything we can to assist during these uncertain times. RedWeek is a travel community that serves both timeshare owners and travelers. We are sympathetic to our members being impacted by the pandemic on both sides of this equation. It's important to understand that vacation rentals on RedWeek are quite different than booking directly with a resort or hotel. The individual owner of the timeshare books the unit being advertised. In most cases, the owner is not able to simply cancel the booking or change the dates. If a week goes unused, the owner loses both the use of the week for that year and whatever maintenance fees they paid as part of their ownership.

In online bookings, where we are intermediary between the owner and renter, we're obligated to follow the terms of the rental agreement that both parties signed. For every cancellation request, we are reaching out to the owner and asking them to please be as flexible as possible, given this unprecedented situation. Some owners may choose to waive or reduce the cancellation fee and some owners may be able to re-book a reservation for a later date. We greatly appreciate any flexibility our owners are able to extend.

Please know that we are actively monitoring the situation and working with all parties involved to reach a fair compromise. We ask that all owners and renters be as patient and as flexible as possible during this difficult time.

For owners using RedWeek’s online booking system:

  • If you are asked to cancel or change your reservation dates for a renter, RedWeek will gladly pay any change fees to accommodate this request.
  • If you need to cancel entirely, we will also give you an account credit for a new posting and verification.
  • If you are currently advertising a rental with March or April check-ins, we advise you to call your resort and attempt to reschedule your week. We will give you a free verification for the new dates.
I have 6 rentals (Marriott Palm Desert Resorts) for April on Redweek where the renters are requesting a refund. For those I am offering to refund 50% utilizing section 9 of the rental agreement eliminating the 60 days prior to check in clause which states no refund.

I had 3 Marriott Aruba rentals with check-ins between March 16th - 30th cancelled by Redweek and the renters fully refunded since Aruba is not allowing arrivals during this period.

In the end I will have over 27,000 points in the 120 day holding account and most with an expiration date of Dec. 31st, 2020. It will be challenging trying to use them all this year. 1st world problems I know.

Best of luck to all as we manage through this.
 

pacman777

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Redweek was better when they kept it simple by just charging a flat fee for posting a listing that an owner would be responsible for dealing with a renter rather than trying to raise listing fees and nickel and dime listers by offering "verified and protected" and "full service" listings and all the other BS that makes it more complicated. Their agents aren't even that responsive. I'm hoping this situation leads them to rethink this and hopefully revert back to keeping it simple like they were a few years ago.
 

lds337

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So I have two active reservations with Vistana right now that are being held.

Reservation 1 - At Sheraton Desert Oasis checked in on Saturday, 3/14 and checked out on Monday, 3/16 (No One has contacted me). Redweek shows that those funds are held even though the resort is open and the renter checked-out on their own without any notice.

Just got this message finally from Redweek Full Service regarding a reservation that started last Saturday. Sorry but I can't help you once you checked in and left. I replied that I can't help with a refund or a reschedule and they need to send me my money now. I feel I'm so screwed no matter what the contract says.


Hello Lee,

We hope this email finds you well.

We received an email from the renter inquiring on options to cancel due to the Corona Virus. We're reaching out to you because the COVID-19 Pandemic simply could not be planned for and we're doing all that we can to assist everyone in the RedWeek community. As you may know, the Center for Disease Control has issued a Level 2 alert for global travel, which includes the United States and the Department of Defense has banned travel for Active Duty Military personnel.

https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/alert/coronavirus-global

https://www.defense.gov/Explore/Spotlight/Coronavirus/

We are aware that most major timeshare companies are allowing their owners to cancel upcoming reservations or are allowing changes and we sincerely hope that you would be willing to waive your cancellation penalty or be able to rebook the stay for your renter. If your resort charges a fee to change or cancel the reservation, we are happy to reimburse you for that expense. For those owners who are helping their renters out by cancelling or changing the dates for their rental, we will add a credit to your RedWeek account for a future posting.

At RedWeek.com, the health and safety of our members and their families are our number-one priority and hope you'll let us know at your earliest convenience, how you may be able to accommodate your renter.

Thanks for being a part of RedWeek.com!
 

turkel

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Pretty silly to expect a refund after you checked in.
 

TheHolleys87

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Yep, I agree. I would reply to RedWeek that the renter checked in, at which time I lost all ability to reschedule or refund that stay because in the eyes of the timeshare system, the exchange has been used. I don't get anything back if I or a guest check out early. Sorry.
 

tink10

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Hi Tug!

Valerie from RedWeek.com here. So sorry that I haven't been able to visit before today.

We absolutely understand everyone's frustration. Believe me, we do. This is not an excuse, but we're a pretty small company and we're getting hundreds upon hundreds of emails every day. Hundreds of calls each day and we have our entire team working on this. Right up to our most upper management. We're in such a time of uncertainty, but we're getting through everything as best as we can.

We don't really think that think anyone could have ever predicted this emergency, so owners, renters and all of the travel companies were completely caught off guard. It's pretty tough because we're seeing border closures, lockdowns and resort closures changing many many times throughout the day.

Disputes are coming in from travelers faster than we can keep up with them and as much as we'd like things to be cut & dry, it's not that simple. *Each dispute has to be handled separately, based on its merit and we want to be fair to both the owner and the renter.* We're absolutely encouraging owners to be as flexible with their guests as humanely possible, but we're just asking for patience and empathy.

We're absolutely not ignoring anyone, we just simply have that much on our plate. If you've called or emailed, we definitely will get back to you.

Be Well. :)

Editing to say that the US State Department just issues a Global Level 4 advisory advising to not travel. Combined with the news, this really does panic people and any flexibility and patience you can offer in this difficult time is incredibly appreciated.
 
Last edited:

tink10

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Yep, I agree. I would reply to RedWeek that the renter checked in, at which time I lost all ability to reschedule or refund that stay because in the eyes of the timeshare system, the exchange has been used. I don't get anything back if I or a guest check out early. Sorry.

TheHollys87 - Thank you! If you do know that your guest checked in, definitely let us know. It can actually speed up the process. We will have to verify, but it lets us know an important piece of information. :)
 

lds337

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TheHollys87 - Thank you! If you do know that your guest checked in, definitely let us know. It can actually speed up the process. We will have to verify, but it lets us know an important piece of information. :)
I already did multiple times since Tuesday. Yet Redweek still reached out to me today to provide refund or reschedule for the same people. If I was contacted last week there may have been a solution. I can't give anyone a solution after they checked in and left on their own.

Thanks, Lee
 

bogey21

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Redweek was better when they kept it simple by just charging a flat fee for posting a listing that an owner would be responsible for dealing with a renter rather than trying to raise listing fees and nickel and dime listers by offering "verified and protected" and "full service" listings and all the other BS that makes it more complicated.

Agree...

George
 

TheHolleys87

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TheHollys87 - Thank you! If you do know that your guest checked in, definitely let us know. It can actually speed up the process. We will have to verify, but it lets us know an important piece of information. :)
Sorry, I wasn't the one with the renter - I was replying to @lds337, who replied to you above.
 

rickandcindy23

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Thank you for taking the time to respond, Redweek @tink10
 

DanCali

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So RedWeek urges renters to purchase travel insurance but are now holding money hostage for 7+ days regardless. Nice...

According to their own terms:

1) the contract is non refundable so close to checkin
2) they say they will pay "shortly after" checkin (the listing has a message that I should expect a check on the 3rd day after)
3) the renter is entitles to a pro-rata refund if evacuated

There is actually a loophole in their contract which I suspect is causing them to violate it and hold our money hostage. They say they will pay you 3 days (or "shortly") after checkin but that the renter is entitled to a refund in case of evacuation. Nevertheless, they should not be holding the money hostage just in case there is an evacuation. They should first and foremost honor their part of the contract. If there is an evacuation, I suspect the resort will compensate me so I will be happy to work with Redweek and fill my end of the deal by paying a pro rata refund. But holding the money hostage is unacceptable - it means they don't trust us.

(from contract) "For cancellations less than 60 days prior to check-in, the penalty is 100% less fees."

(from website) "If you choose an option that uses RedWeek's online booking system - such as our full-service option - RedWeek takes the renter's credit card payment and holds the funds until just after check-in, when they are disbursed to you."

(from contract) "If the Renter is required to evacuate the Unit at any point during the Term, the Renter is entitled to a pro-rated refund for unused nights from the point of evacuation order through the remainder of the Term"
 

echino

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I have a rental via Redweek Payments at Westin St.John for April 12. It used to say "Payment Scheduled for April 14", now its says "On hold, pending review". No correspondence from Redweek. Cancellation policy is strict. Resort is open. I need that rent payment to pay bills. I don't know what happens now.
 
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