Special "roll back" offer

[s1b000]

Team TUG -- I got this email today for a stay which starts tomorrow at Shadow Ridge. I thought that resale weeks acquired after June 2010 were not eligible for DC enrollment, but that seems to be what they're offering me... Feedback please, thanks!

We look forward to your arrival here at the Marriott’s Shadow Ridge Resort on March 13th, 2015. Unfortunately, I have been unable to reach you personally by phone to reconfirm your reservation, discuss the details of your stay and schedule your owner’s presentation while here at Shadow Ridge. We have some great news and incentive to share with you!

I see that you are one of our legacy owners, but have not opted to take part in the Destinations Club… We have several gift options to consider for attending your owner’s presentation noted below:

· $50 Experience Voucher (see attached participating merchant list)
· $50 Marriott Gift Card (no expiration)
· 1 Complimentary Green Fee at Shadow Ridge or Desert Springs (excludes $25.00 per person cart fee and tee off restrictions daily between 8 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. at Shadow Ridge and 8 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. on Saturday only at Desert Springs)
· 10,000 Marriott Reward Points
· Or Special Roll back Enrollment Offer for non-enrolled owners (see details below)


The current price for Enrollment is $2,395 and based on your personal portfolio we will determine the roll back price. This is a substantial savings of up to $1800 to you and your family and this is our gift for you to attend a 90 minute sales presentation at our Shadow Ridge resort. The special roll back special is a limited offer and will only be offered to March 25th, 2015!

Well, since you last saw us, we have learned a lot about the Destinations Club and how our owners use and enjoy it. Over 60% of our owners are now part of the program and they are enthusiastically traveling with Destination points, and they are loving it… The Owner Satisfaction Score is 97% and 94% of the Owners state that they get their first choice of vacations!

The special offer is this… In Palm Desert, this month, we are rolling back the Enrollment Fee to the introductory pricing when the Destination Club was launched in 2010!!!

In addition you will receive in-depth information regarding the NEW ENHANCED OWNER RECOGNITION LEVELS that you may already be eligible to receive!!!

It has never been more important for you to take advantage of this opportunity while you are here on property. The Company has set a specific timeline on when these Enhanced benefits will take affect and we don’t want you to miss out on any of the enhancements you may be entitled to this year!!!

During your Sales Presentation you will receive:

In-depth information regarding the NEW ENHANCED OWNER RECOGNITION LEVELS that you may already be eligible to receive.
Information regarding the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations™ Exchange Program and our Vacation Club Points-based Ownership Program.
Get all the details of our exciting new Explorer Collection including travel packages, cruises, golf-and-stay packages, adventure travel to places such as Africa, Tuscany, Ireland and so much more!
Discover why the Marriott Vacation Club Destinations program is experiencing exceptionally high owner satisfaction.
Learn how adding new points will enhance your existing portfolio.
Get pricing and incentives on our new Vacation Club Points-based ownership.

We have presentations daily and the times are 8:30, 9:30, 12:00, 12:30, 2:30 or 3:00pm.

If you have friends traveling with you, we welcome them too to come in and will be gifted for their attendance to the presentation.

If married or living together, couples must attend the presentation together to receive this offer.

Please call me at the number listed below or by email as soon as possible and prior to arrival as we are in high season and appointments are becoming limited.

 

[jimf41]

This was the offer to non-enrolled owners at MFC this year. I don't think it applies to those who bought weeks after the 2010 cut ff date. In the case that they made a mistake I would definitely bring my checkbook to the presentation.

 

[s1b000]

This was the offer to non-enrolled owners at MFC this year. I don't think it applies to those who bought weeks after the 2010 cut ff date. In the case that they made a mistake I would definitely bring my checkbook to the presentation.

LOL, that was exactly my question, should I consider bringing my checkbook. I only own one week which is serving me well. The DC appeal would be future flexibility so feedback on whether it is worthwhile to sit through the pres would be helpful, assuming they would apply to a post 2010 owner.

 

[mjm1]

I agree with Jim. The way I read it, and reading between the lines, it only applies to pre- June 20, 2010 weeks, but I would definitely be ready. It sounds like they may roll the price of enrollment back if they say you are eligible. My guess is they haven't looked deep enough at your ownership and will say it isn't eligible. But, print out your email and bring it with you. If you have the ability to enroll, I would do it, even at the current price. You should also receive Plus Points to use if you pay that price.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.

Mike

 

[bazzap]

Roll on roll back.
I would readily enrol my post deadline resale week to add to my existing enrolled weeks.

 

[JIMinNC]

If Marriott ever did do something where they would allow enrollment of a post June 2010 resale week purchased direct from Marriott resales - without the requirement of a matching points buy - I would be all over that.

I actually think that could be a good move for Marriott if such an offer were time limited or target audience-limited in some fashion so that it did not significantly cannibalize points sales. I think it could help them move a lot of the better resale weeks where the required hybrid points buy is huge and a deterrent to using that resale week as part of a hybrid purchase. That could help get more quality weeks enrolled in the DC as well. The key would be to limit the offer in such as way that it is targeted to folks who are unlikely to buy DC Points at the retail rate - like most Tuggers. Could be a win-win with some creative thinking by Marriott.

 

[dioxide45]

I suspect that this is simly a form e-mail that is sent out to all owners prearrrival. It doesn't take in to consideration the elligabilty of your week to be enrolled.

 

[ConejoRed]

We also would have jumped on a limited time offer of a post-2010 resale weeks special enrollment window (even at the current enrollment fee). We gave up waiting and sold an annual SR Gold post-2010 resale week to fund the purchase of a HGVC Platinum unit to have a points system available to us for short breaks. Marriott actually ended up with our SR unit through ROFR (and we made a nice profit over what we purchased it for in 2012) so they must need units for DC reservations so I am a bit surprised that they have not not tried a special deal to post-2010 owners to add additional inventory yet. Maybe they are going to start with trying to get pre-2010 holdout owners first with this rollback offer. Whenever we were offered presentation incentives, we always countered with "not interested unless you are now allowing post 2010 resale weeks in now"... and this always stopped them from trying to convince us to attend. Still have two Marriott EOY weeks that we will continue to use for weeks reservations.

 

[nanceetom]

OK, maybe, I'm not reading this correctly, but after our stay in Aruba, I wrote that people who had not enrolled in DC points, were being offered the $650 enrollement fee as of February 5,2015. Therefore, not making them pay the higher fee and rolling back the fee for those who enrolled earlier.
There were people during this time, that were offered this deal and did enroll for the same price offered to us, in 2010. Memory slips lately, but it was during the first year offered...think 2010 is correct.

 

[dioxide45]

OK, maybe, I'm not reading this correctly, but after our stay in Aruba, I wrote that people who had not enrolled in DC points, were being offered the $650 enrollement fee as of February 5,2015. Therefore, not making them pay the higher fee and rolling back the fee for those who enrolled earlier.
There were people during this time, that were offered this deal and did enroll for the same price offered to us, in 2010. Memory slips lately, but it was during the first year offered...think 2010 is correct.

The DC program rolled out in June 2010. The enrollment fee at that time was $595 for a single direct purchased week, or $695 for multiple weeks. For indirect weeks it was $1495 and $1995. The price of enrollment went up in June 2012 to the current levels. The price increase wasn't nearly as bad for resale purchases vs retail. However, the requirement that the resale weeks be purchased prior to June 20, 2010 has always remained the same. I suspect that isn't changing and the OP has just gotten a form e-mail and nothing targeted to their specific type of ownership.

 

[nakyak]

If you are interested in enrolling I would attend the presentation per their email and then at the end try to enroll.

If they refuse to enroll you at the introductory price produce the email and hold them to their promise.

 

[Okies]

I suspect that this is simly a form e-mail that is sent out to all owners prearrrival. It doesn't take in to consideration the elligabilty of your week to be enrolled.

I own two weeks at Shadow Ridge, bought resale 2014, and was just there last week. I didn't get the email. We did not attend a presentation, so I'm not sure if the offer would have been presented.

 

[s1b000]

I suspect that this is simly a form e-mail that is sent out to all owners prearrrival. It doesn't take in to consideration the elligabilty of your week to be enrolled.

You're spot on. I replied to their email and asked specifically about a post June 2010 resale week, They said no and did not pester me about a presentation any further.

 

[GetawaysRus]

I have a stay coming up at DSV2 later this week. Got a very similar offer to the OP (in italics):

If you schedule your presentation before you arrive, we would like to offer you one of the following gifts for attending a presentation:
2 Greens Fees at Shadow Ridge
$100 in Experience Vouchers
$100 Marriott Gift Card
Or
15,000 Marriott Rewards Points

In addition, you will also be offered the opportunity to enroll your current weeks into the Destinations Club at the 2010 Enrollment pricing – this is a savings of up to $1800 and is a limited time opportunity exclusive to Desert Springs and offered only until the launch of the new tier system at the end of April!

The presentation will be at Shadow Ridge. I sometimes find these presentations uncomfortable, but I've agreed to attend.

I'm still a traditional weeks owner. I did not sign up for DC when it was first offered. But it's been a few years, so now I'd look at it again.

The reason I did not sign up the first time is that we own only 1 Marriott week (at DSV2, white season, purchased in 2004) and the number of DC points we would get for that 1 week looked so small that I didn't think we'd be able to do much with those points if we were to give up our week.

However, in the intervening years, fees keep slowly creeping upwards. So there's the membership fee to use Interval. And we've got exchange fees that have risen over the years.

I'd like to understand things as best I can before I sit down with the sharks. It was so long ago that I don't remember all the details of the DC program. So can someone please answer a few questions:
1. Dioxide says (above) that the 2010 enrollment fee was $595. That sounds right.
2. Once you pay the enrollment fee to join DC, what are your ongoing (annual) fees?
3. Again, if I understand, being a member of DC covers your exchange fees whether you are trading points or weeks. Is that right? Is that for Marriott to Marriott exchanges only, or for any type of exchange?
4. We own a non-Marriott timeshare. Could that be a part of our DC account, or would I need to continue paying Interval for a separate account to trade those weeks?

Thanks. Any tips before I attend this presentation would be appreciated. Since we only own one Marriott week, and don't really intend to buy any more points or timeshare weeks, are there good reasons that I should jump at this offer?

 

[SueDonJ]

... I'd like to understand things as best I can before I sit down with the sharks. It was so long ago that I don't remember all the details of the DC program. So can someone please answer a few questions:
1. Dioxide says (above) that the 2010 enrollment fee was $595. That sounds right. ...

Yes. It was a sliding fee - $595 for a single direct-purchase Week, $695 for multiple direct-purchase Weeks; $1,495 for a single external-resale Week; and, $1,995 for multiple external-resale Weeks. (The current enrollment fee is a flat $2,395.)

2. Once you pay the enrollment fee to join DC, what are your ongoing (annual) fees? ...

Sliding annual fee based on the number of DC Points owned/for which enrolled Weeks are eligible: $175 for Members with up to 6,499 DC Points and $215 for Members with 6,500+ DC Points. (We haven't heard if the fees will be adjusted after the new status tiers are implemented on 4/30/15.)

3. Again, if I understand, being a member of DC covers your exchange fees whether you are trading points or weeks. Is that right? Is that for Marriott to Marriott exchanges only, or for any type of exchange? ...

Exchange transaction fees are covered so long as the exchanges are done through the new/corporate II account that you'll get when you enroll your Week, and so long as they involve ONLY Marriott resorts. You can exchange Marriott Weeks/Points through that account to non-Marriotts but you'll be charged an exchange fee; you'll also be charged the fee if you include non-Marriotts in your request (regardless of whether it's eventually matched to a Marriott resort.)

4. We own a non-Marriott timeshare. Could that be a part of our DC account, or would I need to continue paying Interval for a separate account to trade those weeks? ...

You'll have to maintain a separate II account for any owned non-Marriott Weeks.

Thanks. Any tips before I attend this presentation would be appreciated. Since we only own one Marriott week, and don't really intend to buy any more points or timeshare weeks, are there good reasons that I should jump at this offer?

Read the DC Points FAQ on TUG, as well as the "Should My Weeks Be Enrolled?" thread that's linked in the FAQ. That should prepare you.

*******

This doesn't apply to you but it's worth mentioning - like a few others in this thread I don't believe that this email makes clear that the offer will be on the table for post-6/20/10 external resales.

 

[SueDonJ]

OK, maybe, I'm not reading this correctly, but after our stay in Aruba, I wrote that people who had not enrolled in DC points, were being offered the $650 enrollement fee as of February 5,2015. Therefore, not making them pay the higher fee and rolling back the fee for those who enrolled earlier.
There were people during this time, that were offered this deal and did enroll for the same price offered to us, in 2010. Memory slips lately, but it was during the first year offered...think 2010 is correct.

I remember you and a few others mentioning a roll-back of the enrollment fees during recent (last six months or so) sales presentations. I haven't been clear about whether it would be offered only with a DC Points purchase but the OP's email here says it's a sales presentation gift, which leads to the expectation that a DC Points purchase isn't necessary to take advantage of the rollback price. Again, though, I don't see in any of these emails that the eligibility rules are changed with this offer.

 

[davidvel]

I remember you and a few others mentioning a roll-back of the enrollment fees during recent (last six months or so) sales presentations. I haven't been clear about whether it would be offered only with a DC Points purchase but the OP's email here says it's a sales presentation gift, which leads to the expectation that a DC Points purchase isn't necessary to take advantage of the rollback price. Again, though, I don't see in any of these emails that the eligibility rules are changed with this offer.

I believe you are correct based upon the wording of the email and a discussion I had with a salesperson.

Generally, they enroll your weeks for free if you make a DC points purchase.

 

[GetawaysRus]

Thanks, SueDonJ. Lots of homework....

I was a bit amused when I took that phone call from the rep at Shadow Ridge who was trying to set me up for a presentation.

She was quite surprised that I already knew that there were 3 planned resorts (San Diego, Miami, and Hawaii). And she was also surprised about some of the other DC details that I already had some knowledge of.

I didn't want to tell her that I follow the Marriott Forum on TUG.

 

[SeaDoc]

The DC program rolled out in June 2010. The enrollment fee at that time was $595 for a single direct purchased week, or $695 for multiple weeks. For indirect weeks it was $1495 and $1995. The price of enrollment went up in June 2012 to the current levels. The price increase wasn't nearly as bad for resale purchases vs retail. However, the requirement that the resale weeks be purchased prior to June 20, 2010 has always remained the same. I suspect that isn't changing and the OP has just gotten a form e-mail and nothing targeted to their specific type of ownership.

Totally agree with Dioxide - read the fine print on the email - you'll see that enrollment only applies prior to that 2010 date for US properties. I doubt that they will ever open it up for those after that date. MVC is purchasing these as they are sold using their FROR and incorporating them into the trust, given the ridiculously low sales prices of these weeks. Seller gets rid of their weeks and the buyer gets nothing (MVC becomes the buyer)... It is one significant reason that using points has given us owners amazing availability that I never had using my four weeks of ownership... Latest info says it is nearly 95% availability...

 

[SeaDoc]

I remember you and a few others mentioning a roll-back of the enrollment fees during recent (last six months or so) sales presentations. I haven't been clear about whether it would be offered only with a DC Points purchase but the OP's email here says it's a sales presentation gift, which leads to the expectation that a DC Points purchase isn't necessary to take advantage of the rollback price. Again, though, I don't see in any of these emails that the eligibility rules are changed with this offer.

It is the sole gift being given if you complete the 90 minute sales presentation. There are no additional plus points given, only the opportunity to set back the clock so you can enroll your weeks (if eligible) at the lowest price ever offered, back in the day. It is a short-term marketing option that is promoting weeks owners to at least get enrolled and test the waters of the new program. There is no obligation to purchase points to get this offer... Of course the sales personnel will show you how purchasing points in addition to your potential ownership might make sense to add, but again, you are under no obligation to do so...

 

[icydog]

So, the answer is they are not offering DC point status for weeks purchased after 2010.what they are offering is to enroll weeks at the former price. Does that mean that those weeks can be traded for DC points? I assume absolutely not!

 

[SueDonJ]

So, the answer is they are not offering DC point status for weeks purchased after 2010.what they are offering is to enroll weeks at the former price. Does that mean that those weeks can be traded for DC points? I assume absolutely not!

It seems to mean that if you have eligible resales - i.e. any purchased prior to 6/20/10 - that haven't been enrolled yet, you could choose as a sales presentation gift to enroll them now at the introductory enrollment fee. Once enrolled you'll be able to exchange them for DC Points, and take advantage of any other DC membership options, the same as any other enrolled Weeks. Also, it seems post-6/20/10 external resales are still not eligible for enrollment at any price.

 

[icydog]

It seems to mean that if you have eligible resales - i.e. any purchased prior to 6/20/10 - that haven't been enrolled yet, you could choose as a sales presentation gift to enroll them now at the introductory enrollment fee. Once enrolled you'll be able to exchange them for DC Points, and take advantage of any other DC membership options, the same as any other enrolled Weeks. Also, it seems post-6/20/10 external resales are still not eligible for enrollment at any price.

I understand. I am doubly screwed. I opted out of the plan when I had a lot of resale timeshares in 2009. I sold them subsequently. I bought into the new program with two enrolled developer weeks. I paid for points. I am an idiot.

(But to my defense, at least a little bit, my husband had just passed and I made a lot of mistakes like that)

 

[davidvel]

It is the sole gift being given if you complete the 90 minute sales presentation. There are no additional plus points given, only the opportunity to set back the clock so you can enroll your weeks (if eligible) at the lowest price ever offered, back in the day. It is a short-term marketing option that is promoting weeks owners to at least get enrolled and test the waters of the new program. There is no obligation to purchase points to get this offer... Of course the sales personnel will show you how purchasing points in addition to your potential ownership might make sense to add, but again, you are under no obligation to do so...

So, no plus points. Interesting. So it's not exactly a "roll back," as it does not include the 800 (unrestricted) PlusPoints that were originally offered.

For a resale owner, the question is whether:
$1495 (1 week) or $1995 (more weeks) WITH NO PLUS POINTS,

is such a better deal than:
$2395 with 3,500 (60-day window use) PlusPoints.

 

[dioxide45]

So, no plus points. Interesting. So it's not exactly a "roll back," as it does not include the 800 (unrestricted) PlusPoints that were originally offered.

For a resale owner, the question is whether:
$1495 (1 week) or $1995 (more weeks) WITH NO PLUS POINTS,

is such a better deal than:
$2495 with 3,500 (60-day window use) PlusPoints.

This is a good point. The OP posted:

· Or Special Roll back Enrollment Offer for non-enrolled owners (see details below)

The current price for Enrollment is $2,395 and based on your personal portfolio we will determine the roll back price. This is a substantial savings of up to $1800 to you and your family and this is our gift for you to attend a 90 minute sales presentation at our Shadow Ridge resort. The special roll back special is a limited offer and will only be offered to March 25th, 2015!

It seems that pricing is listed for original developer buyers. Do they extend the same price to pre 6/20/2010 of $1495/$1995 to resale buyers? That is really only a $400 savings for a multiple week pre 6/20/2010 resale buyer. $900 for a single week owner. A resale purchaser may be better to pay the full fee as I think it also comes with 3,500 PlusPoints as incentive.