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Wyndham Vacation Ownership - Too good to pass?

posteritas

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Hi All - I've read so many articles on whether I should do this or not but frankly I am confused! We went to the Wyndham vacation ownership presentation yesterday and we are going back tomorrow morning to sign the contract (so we have a little time to drop it).

Here is the deal that they are giving right now:
168,000 bi-annual points with 216,000 bonus points with VIP & Perks Plus Club for 2 years for $12,700 total with monthly fees of $45.

They also said that if we reserve under 45 days we can use no points and pay a flat $250/week to stay at any hotel in their chain. So, we get the points for life with no charges after we pay the $12k (other than $45/mo fee) and we can book for anyone and it passes on to our children when we pass. This seems a too good to be true deal or am I missing something? :ponder:
 

DeniseM

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Don't do it - you can buy the same thing resale for pennies on the dollar. The perks you get from the developer are not worth the thousands more you will spend. Take your time, and do some research about the resale market - don't rush into a developer purchase.
 

vacationhopeful

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Here is the deal that they are giving right now:
168,000 bi-annual points with 216,000 bonus points with VIP & Perks Plus Club for 2 years for $12,700 total with monthly fees of $45.

They also said that if we reserve under 45 days we can use no points and pay a flat $250/week to stay at any hotel in their chain. So, we get the points for life with no charges after we pay the $12k (other than $45/mo fee) and we can book for anyone and it passes on to our children when we pass. This seems a too good to be true deal or am I missing something? :ponder:

Okay, I own Wyndham. Have for years. Have VIP status. Have "MUCHO" experience. And I get NO COMMISSION CHECK if I bulls**t you or not.

You are buying bi-annual points where they are charging you the same program fees (63 cents per thousand (times 168) EVERY YEAR). That comes to $53 PER YEAR more than if you only owned a 83,000 every year contract - that administrative HOOK was changed in Wyndham's favor starting in January, 2011.

VIP - you have temporary VIP. Makes you feel special?? It is a HOOK (a marketing hook which they will play mental games with you for years). Regular VIP does not carry much weight as your will run out of Reservation Transaction, seldom can get an upgrade to a larger unit at the 30 day mark, and can usually get a better discount using the "Resort Specials" section of the online reservation system. And with your limited number of points will not need the "free extra guest certificates".


$45/month fee .... HA, HA, HA. That is a maintenance fee which will go up, up every year. The Home Owner Associations must raise the fees to pay increasing costs - property taxes, resort personnal, utilities, unit upgrades. Plus, sales tends to forget to add in the CWA fee and property taxes as those are separate line items on the maintenance bills.

Book anyone ... true, just remember to get and pay for a GUEST CERTIFICATE which is $99 online and $129 via 1-800 call center. By the way, that fee was raised from $29 just 3 years ago. And us owners are still asking WHAT FOR as it is done via the computer with us doing the typing... it is "profit" for Wyndham??? Oh, and buying resale allows you to do the exact same thing.

Inheritance for the kids? It is real property, just like your house back home. Resale is the same. And some kids love the free vacations but have no $$$ to pay the MFs as they increase.

As for the 168,000 every other year of points, YOU can get that for FREE (ok, $1) with the seller paying the closing costs. I know several people (and there are regular postings here on TUG for the same). Take the $12,000, invest in a CD, and leave that to your kids. :D
 

vacationhopeful

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They also said that if we reserve under 45 days we can use no points and pay a flat $250/week to stay at any hotel in their chain.

That is a new "whopper" of new sales malarkey to me. :hysterical:

$36/night in $400+ Wyndham (worldwide) hotel rooms?:rofl:

The simple answer is Wyndham Vacation Resorts corporation is NOT the Wyndham hotel corporation. Just like RCI (the exchange company) is NOT Wyndham Vacation Resorts corporation.

As a simple example (like Wyndham (the parent corporation)), Comcast who owns NBC (the TV corporation) and Comcast who owns your cable provider, the cable TV salesman who wants you to upgrade to a "package", can not promise or write an enforceabble contract that Willard Scott will come to your house and you all will appear on the TODAY show on live TV for your next birthday.

The real likely promise is something called Plus Partners program which can be brought for about $2500 (even a resale package of points) for a small discount at Wyndham properties. Costco might offer BETTER discounts to their members. And that $250 is a number pulled out of the air - might be a motel somewheres in off-off season where the rack rate with discounts is $36/ night.
 

rickandcindy23

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We are also VIP Platinum and never heard of the $250/ week in any of their hotels. That is a LIE. Call Wyndham's number and ask about that benefit, and tell the supervisor the name of the sleazy salesperson who tried to sell based on that huge lie! You can find the Wyndham Corporate number via a Google search, or go to the website: www.wyndhamvacationresorts.com

That just makes me angry!

We like Wyndham resorts, so nothing bad about them, but once you are done with the honeymoon period after the sale, you get no benefits. This was the same BS they told my aunt and uncle, and they bought 168K EOY from a salesperson in Branson, who also told them they could bank their points for the following year at any time. They had to fight with Wyndham corporate, when they got to the summer and wanted to bank their points and were told they couldn't. The salesperson lied to them, and they were sure disappointed when their 168K netted so few nights the second and subsequent years.

My aunt and uncle are only 3 years old than we are, but they were sure naive going into their first timeshare sales presentation at 55 years old.

Wyndham would be hard to sell with the truth of what you get. And the ebay prices just get lower and lower. You couldn't sell that ownership on ebay for $1.00, unless you offered to pay for the closing costs and tranfer fees.
 
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glypnirsgirl

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http://completed.shop.ebay.com/i.ht...SALE_CURRENCY=0&_sop=12&_dmd=1&_ipg=50&_rdc=1

These are completed listings - points that sold or did not sale. Of special interest is the fact that many did not sell, even for $1.

When you are making a purchase that requires on-going maintenanca fees, you want to minimize your maintenance fees per point and that will require a bit of research.

You were so smart to not sign at the time of presentation so that you could do your research.

elaine
 

siesta

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buy whatever you want for a $1 on ebay. unless it is bonnet creek and you get a bunch of newbies bidding it up, at which point you'd spend a few hundred bucks at most.
 

timeos2

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Good system but not at retail price

PLEASE read all the excellent advice in the replies & DO NOT sign up for this "deal"! It is outrageously over priced, as the replies point out, and you can get the same or much better value from a very inexpensive resale purchase of Wyndham Points.

Forget the hype about VIP (which is only temporary in the deal offered and is NEVER guaranteed no matter how you buy) and the nonsense about hotel savings - it is all sales BS. The base Wyndham Points product is an excellent value - perhaps one of the best in all of timeshare for the low cost resales go for - so if that (use of the Wyndham/RCI systems for vacations NOT discounts or rentals) then you should consider a resale purchase. But do not evr buy retail as you'll be paying 95-100% too much and will never get the value back.
 

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I just bought my first 182000 wyndham points for $1 on ebay and I was skeptical. I don't see how anyone could spend $12000 on a timeshare, for a little more you get a condo in Florida.
 

dumbydee

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Newby here looking at Wyndham points.....How much do you have to spend to get a 2br....like at bonnet creek.....if you have the points?

I am asking what do you have to spend, on top of the purchase price and MF every month, to be able to trade into a 2br at a wyndham resort?

If I own Wyndham points what would be the cost of a week in a 2br.
 

Ridewithme38

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When you are making a purchase that requires on-going maintenanca fees, you want to minimize your maintenance fees per point and that will require a bit of research.

elaine

Whats a good number to look for when it comes to MF...in my two years of searching i've been limiting to under $5 per 1000 points, because that's what i've seen points Renting for...but it seems thats very hard to find...beyond Kingsgate...am i setting my sights too low? Or am i overlooking alot of Resorts?
 

vacationhopeful

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Newby here looking at Wyndham points.....How much do you have to spend to get a 2br....like at bonnet creek.....if you have the points?

I am asking what do you have to spend, on top of the purchase price and MF every month, to be able to trade into a 2br at a wyndham resort?

If I own Wyndham points what would be the cost of a week in a 2br.

Been a busy newbie, looking at and/or making offers all over the place? Sloooow down! Timeshares, if brought with thought and understanding can be a great way to vacation. Brought using a shotgun approach or anything that looks cheap, will be "brought in haste, repent (and pay for) in leisure".

Please read the "stickies" at the top of the Wyndham forum. Rent a few timeshares and learn the differences in resorts, whereby you can ask questions. If you like Disney and you ever want to exchange into Disney, you must learn that Disney has a regional block on using Orlando area resorts to do that.

Also, it is very easy to exchange into the overbuilt Orlando area even during a holiday season. It will help if you figure out if you plan 10+ months out or last minute (30 days or less) for a vacation. What is your budget for lodging every year for vacations? What size unit would you reserve to meet your vacationing needs?

And there are many more questions, which would help you understand. And ask the questions of us Tuggers about resorts and timesharing in general....
 
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Ridewithme38

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Newby here looking at Wyndham points.....How much do you have to spend to get a 2br....like at bonnet creek.....if you have the points?

I am asking what do you have to spend, on top of the purchase price and MF every month, to be able to trade into a 2br at a wyndham resort?

If I own Wyndham points what would be the cost of a week in a 2br.

FROM MY RESEARCH(about a year and a half of straight studying)...It shouldn't cost you anything...some resorts have extra fees, i.e. you pay for wireless internet, parking, $5 for ammenities, housekeeping...but thats not across the board

But in most cases, if you are reserving from INSIDE the wyndham system AND you don't need a guest pass(i.e. the room is in your name) it should all be included in your MF costs
 

dumbydee

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FROM MY RESEARCH(about a year and a half of straight studying)...It shouldn't cost you anything...some resorts have extra fees, i.e. you pay for wireless internet, parking, $5 for ammenities, housekeeping...but thats not across the board

But in most cases, if you are reserving from INSIDE the wyndham system AND you don't need a guest pass(i.e. the room is in your name) it should all be included in your MF costs

Thank you for your straight forward answer. I have been reading the stickies and reading a lot here but when I ask a question I get some answers that are not very helpful. SO again thank you for taking the time to answer my question.

I bought at Summer Bay Villas in Orlando and will be playing with that for now. However, I have been looking at the Wyndham points avaliable on e-bay. I am trying to find out as much as possible before I buy into the Wyndham system.
 

ronparise

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The $250 cash reservation for any week in any resort is, I believe, the RCI last call vacations program. Of course not every resort has time available at the last minute. And remember Wyndham through their own Endless Vacations is trying to rent these weeks, rather than making them available through RCI

168000 points sounds like a lot, but its only 1 week in the prime season at Bonnet Creek, or 2 weeks in the off season

Lets see what that really costs.. $46/ months x 24 months = $1104 maintenance fees add to that your $12000 amortized over 20 years = $600 /year or $1200 every 2 years

So a 1 bedroom unit at Bonnet Creek will cost you $2300 a week for the next 20 years (10 prime time uses) or $1150 in the off season (20 uses)

Too good to be true...I dont think so

by the way I just bought 385000 points for a buck. seller paid closing costs, I paid Wyndhams transfer fee... My maintenance fees are high...and i wont make that mistake again...I was a little too eagar,

A week at Bonnett Creek 1 bed prime season, costs me $1000
 

brigian

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Newby here looking at Wyndham points.....How much do you have to spend to get a 2br....like at bonnet creek.....if you have the points?

I am asking what do you have to spend, on top of the purchase price and MF every month, to be able to trade into a 2br at a wyndham resort?

If I own Wyndham points what would be the cost of a week in a 2br.

There is currently 203000 points on ebay for $1 ( not bonnet creek ). The fees are $925. Bonnet creek 2 bedroom goes as low as 112000 - 224000. Keep in mind I have a family of 4 and a 1 bedroom deluxe is plenty which goes from 84000 - 166000 points, so it could cost you as low as $350/week to $950/week depending when you go and whether you go 1 bedroom or 2.
 

dumbydee

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Thanks for the info.

I probably will buy something closer to home maybe in Tennessee....still researching.

I have a family of 6 so have to have at least a 2br to be comfortable. We go to Orlando every other year so if I could get enough points for one year and combine two years I would be good.

Still lots of research before I actually buy though.
 

vacationhopeful

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The $250 cash reservation for any week in any resort is, I believe, the RCI last call vacations program.

Might be. But original statement was $250 in any Wyndham Hotel for a week, not any week in a vacation condo.
 

puppymommo

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Newby here looking at Wyndham points.....How much do you have to spend to get a 2br....like at bonnet creek.....if you have the points?

I am asking what do you have to spend, on top of the purchase price and MF every month, to be able to trade into a 2br at a wyndham resort?

If I own Wyndham points what would be the cost of a week in a 2br.

1: nothing extra as long as you have a remaining reservation transaction.

2: Again, nothing if you have a reservation transaction. If you don't have enough points to make the reservation, you can purchase them from Wyndham at $10/k, with some restrictions.

3: You asked what would the "cost" of a week in a 2 bedroom. If you mean cost in $, the cost is basically the maintenance fee. If you want to know how many points to get a 2 bedroom, that will vary by resort and time you want to go there.

Since you asked about Bonnet Creek, it would take 224k for a 2 bedroom deluxe during a prime summer week. During a "value" week (weeks 15-19) the cost for the same unit would be 112k.

Keep reading the forums and asking questions. We'll do our best to answer them. Most of us who own Wyndham really love the resorts!
 

glypnirsgirl

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Whats a good number to look for when it comes to MF...in my two years of searching i've been limiting to under $5 per 1000 points, because that's what i've seen points Renting for...but it seems thats very hard to find...beyond Kingsgate...am i setting my sights too low? Or am i overlooking alot of Resorts?

I am not a Wyndham owner. And I probably never will be. I like the system, though. It is similar to DVC points which I have owned a long time. (Similar in that the MFs vary according to home resort, there is a home resort preference period, then all points are treated the same).

If I were you, I would start an excel spreadsheet and follow ebay for a while to figure out which resorts have the lowest MFs. When I was looking at the system, I believe that the resort in Severierville TN or perhaps Fairfield Glade, TN had the lowest MFs/point.

In general, timeshares that are away from the coast have lower MFs than those that are on the coast. There is simply less wear and tear on the units. Which is where the beauty of a point system comes in. Buy low, book high --- but you might get shut out of the beach during the summer which is where you will probably want to go. So that should affect your decision, also.

Even in a point system, I believe in the "buy where you want to stay" philosophy.

elaine
 

theo

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No, no no....

Here is the deal that they are giving right now:
168,000 bi-annual points with 216,000 bonus points with VIP & Perks Plus Club for 2 years for $12,700 total with monthly fees of $45.

I have a Wyndham ownership with 182,000 biennial points (every other year, even years), which I would give to you for free. I mean that literally and sincerely.

No "bonus points", no "VIP status" and no "Perks Plus Club" nonsense included, but do you really believe those baubles are worth $12,700???. If so, best of luck to you. If not, send me a PM and save yourself $12,700 (...with lower monthly fees for more biennial points. :eek:
 

ronparise

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If you follow the advise regarding following ebay and keeping track of the resorts and associated maintenance fees, you will no doubt get confused. A real world example is from my own account. I have a 126000 point contract where the fees are exactly the same as my 154000 point contract from the same resort

The reason has to do with converted fixed weeks. Some of the resorts sold fixed week timeshares and then Wyndham convinced the owners to convert to points. every 2 bedroom week has exactly the same mf, but when converted to points the off season weeks generated fewer points than the prime season.

All Im saying is do the math, figure out the mf /1000 points that you are buying. let the higher contracts go and bid on the cheaper ones. but be aware that at the newer resorts Wyndham seems to be keeping the fee artificially low as a help to the sales staff (San Francisco and National Harbor for example)
 

theo

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Not just semantics, but an important distinction...

Here is the deal that they are giving right now:
168,000 bi-annual points with 216,000 bonus points with VIP & Perks Plus Club for 2 years for $12,700 total with monthly fees of $45.

The correct word here is biennial (which means "every other year").

Biannual means "twice per year" --- and that is not what you have been offered...
 

Jim McLaren

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Thanks for the info.

I probably will buy something closer to home maybe in Tennessee....still researching.

I have a family of 6 so have to have at least a 2br to be comfortable. We go to Orlando every other year so if I could get enough points for one year and combine two years I would be good.

Still lots of research before I actually buy though.
With Wyndham there is little advantage to buying in a particular location. Points are points. That being said, if you will go the the resort regularly there would be an advantage because you can book a little earlier during your home resort preference period. If you go to Orlando a lot you should get Bonnet Creek. Last I checked the MF was reasonably low and you would get preference there. You can go here and read an article on Wyndham MFs including a link to a spreadsheet with MFs for the entire system. Be aware that Florida resorts charge taxes separately from the MF.
 

got4boys

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I am not a Wyndham owner. And I probably never will be. I like the system, though. It is similar to DVC points which I have owned a long time. (Similar in that the MFs vary according to home resort, there is a home resort preference period, then all points are treated the same).

If I were you, I would start an excel spreadsheet and follow ebay for a while to figure out which resorts have the lowest MFs. When I was looking at the system, I believe that the resort in Severierville TN or perhaps Fairfield Glade, TN had the lowest MFs/point.

In general, timeshares that are away from the coast have lower MFs than those that are on the coast. There is simply less wear and tear on the units. Which is where the beauty of a point system comes in. Buy low, book high --- but you might get shut out of the beach during the summer which is where you will probably want to go. So that should affect your decision, also.

Even in a point system, I believe in the "buy where you want to stay" philosophy.

elaine



Wyndam Smoky Mountains is less expensive than Fairfield Glade.
 
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