How my exchange went

[WinniWoman]

So- as I mentioned on other threads- I was perusing Trading Places International inventory (as well as that on a few other independent exchange companies that I have free membership in).

I have a Smuggs week 42 2018 - a floater- I want to exchange. I happen to see a 9/7/18 week for the Cove at Yarmouth on Cape Cod. Although I never entertained the idea of visiting the Cape, I decided it would be nice to do something different (ocean) from what we usually do (mountains/lakes) and it is within driving distance and in our favorite region (New England). I try to do it on-line (for $149) but it won't let me because I have to deposit my week first on-line and then wait for it to be verified and then exchange. By then the week I want could be gone, so I decide to call and pay the extra $20 to take care of it.($169)

So I call Trading Places last Wednesday and explain I would like to do the trade. The rep- very nice- takes my week and then tells me he will put the week I want on hold until my deposit is confirmed with Smuggs. He said I should hear by Friday that everything is confirmed.

Being the paranoid person I am, on Friday I check TP on line and see the week I wanted at Yarmouth was showing as available again. I put it on a 20 minute hold several times (this by hitting the exchange button, which then puts it on hold since I couldn't exchange it without the deposit in and confirmed) and call TP. The rep tells me my deposited week was denied. To make a long story longer, the TP rep on Wed. put in the wrong names of my ownership. He put in Smugglers Cove in Florida instead of Smugglers Notch! (funny - it is a combination of both resort's names- "Cove" and "Smugglers"). So it was denied because I am not an owner at that resort!

So after being on the phone and hold for literally over a hour, then the rep tells me that our 2018 maintenance fees have to be paid for 2018 to exchange! I tell her that is ridiculous as we don't pay that far in advance and we wouldn't even know what the amount of that fee will be in 2018! I also tell her that Smuggs handles the maintenance fees a bit differently than some resorts. I want to exchange a 2018 week for a 2018 week not for a future year! If I wait to pay that maintenance fee in July/August when I get the bill I won't have a lot of time to get an exchange for Sept. Not to mention at work we have to put in for our time off in February!

I call Smuggs and the owner services person tells me to have them fax the form to her and she will verify. She will not deny the deposit. I call TP back and explain. They agree to go through with the exchange Before verifying the deposit and proceed to tell me about the season upgrade fee of $50. (Because I am exchanging a white week for a red (which to me is really a pink)). Here I am giving them a 2 bedroom, gold crown in Oct for a one bedroom, silver crown in Sept. I get her to take $20 off because of the prior mix up with the other rep. and all the time I have been on the phone. Exchange still comes to $199. She says I should get a confirmation of the week I deposited on Monday.


So Trading Places is closed for three days over the New Years weekend and by Monday Smuggs still hasn't gotten the form. I call TP- was on hold literally for over an hour (I put the phone down several times and would come back and was still on hold)- and give them an email address to send it to, as well as verify they have the correct fax number- which they did. Rep was very nice. Said he couldn't put it to the attention of the person at Smuggs I spoke to but will make sure the verification dept. has the email address.

Finally this morning I get an email from Smuggs that they got the verification form and confirmed the deposit. But I see it (the deposited week) online as showing up as available to exchange. I call TP and explain that that week is not available- it has to be applied to the Yarmouth week I just exchanged into on Friday. Rep tells me it is a done deal and I then get the email confirmation and now all is done.

Phew- took a lot of work! And time! And frustration! But the persistence paid off!

Still- glad I rarely exchange anymore. Though- I will be again for 2019........

 

[VacationForever]

Glad it is finally done right. This is too much work. We go through troubles like that regularly and we wonder whatever happened to good customer service anymore or was it a figment of our imagination and it had always been wishful thinking.

 

[WinniWoman]

Any sane person would have given up after the initial wrong deposit was denied. But not crazy me. I go into a relentless mode. It becomes a challenge, albeit a frustrating one. After being on the phone so long on Friday, I actually got sick- stomach, migraine, pain in my neck and shoulders; arms shaking. Never had anything like it. Not Kidding. It lasted about 40 minutes. I attributed it to stress.

 

[DeniseM]

Friendly request - in the future, please post updates in the original thread, instead of starting a new one.

 

[WinniWoman]

One nice thing is smuggs sent them a follow up email to make sure TP got the verification form ( which I didn't even know they did) and TP in turn sent smuggs a confirmation of that. Then smuggs just sent me a copy of that email to assure me it is all taken care of. Excellent customer service from Smuggs owner services dept.- one individual in particular that works there.

 

[GrayFal]

Any sane person would have given up after the initial wrong deposit was denied. But not crazy me. I go into a relentless mode. It becomes a challenge, albeit a frustrating one. After being on the phone so long on Friday, I actually got sick- stomach, migraine, pain in my neck and shoulders; arms shaking. Never had anything like it. Not Kidding. It lasted about 40 minutes. I attributed it to stress.

I am glad you preserved as I think you will enjoy the Cape in early September. There is so much to do and see in the area. Since you own at Smuggs I know you are a nature lover and this area is beautiful.

 

[WinniWoman]

I am glad you preserved as I think you will enjoy the Cape in early September. There is so much to do and see in the area. Since you own at Smuggs I know you are a nature lover and this area is beautiful.

Yes. Haven't been to the Cape since- are you ready?- like 35 years ago or something like that! We went up to Provincetown to go whale watching and to the National Seashore Dunes Beach for Labor Day weekend. I remember the traffic hell going there! We loved the whale watching and the beach. Don't remember much else. We stayed in a motel.

 

[silentg]

You should try doing a TUG exchange instead of dealing with all the red tape. I have started doing them and so far am pleased with the results.
Silentg

 

[WinniWoman]

You should try doing a TUG exchange instead of dealing with all the red tape. I have started doing them and so far am pleased with the results.
Silentg

The only reason I haven't tried it is because I generally only exchange my white and blue weeks for red/pink weeks and lets face it, not too many people want to exchange a red week for a white in New England, even if it is a bigger unit at a gold crown resort.

 

[MuranoJo]

What a stressful exchange! But you stuck to it and eventually got what you wanted.
I can relate to the initiative it takes to get all the plans in place. Exchanging and traveling are not for sissies!

 

[Bwolf]

mpumilia: We actually do pay our MFs that far in advance. In March of 2016 we paid the MF for our Pollard Brook 2018 to complete an exchange. They simply charge us the last known MF. Then, when it comes time to pay the 2018 MF, we are charged the difference between what we paid and the actual MF. It is usually around $20 or $40. For 2017 it came out of our positive balance (we were two years ahead, 2017 and 2018).

So, we actually carry a positive balance with PB by paying ahead. So, they get to use the money, not us, but we have a booked exchange and are happy with it.

That exchange was through II. We did the same with TPI so we could do a cruise. So, this past December, we paid one MF in full, wrote a check for $40 to complete payment of a second MF, and saw PB take the difference out of our positive balance. Works for us. YMMV.

Happy New Year, btw.

 

[WinniWoman]

mpumilia: We actually do pay our MFs that far in advance. In March of 2016 we paid the MF for our Pollard Brook 2018 to complete an exchange. They simply charge us the last known MF. Then, when it comes time to pay the 2018 MF, we are charged the difference between what we paid and the actual MF. It is usually around $20 or $40. For 2017 it came out of our positive balance (we were two years ahead, 2017 and 2018).

So, we actually carry a positive balance with PB by paying ahead. So, they get to use the money, not us, but we have a booked exchange and are happy with it.

That exchange was through II. We did the same with TPI so we could do a cruise. So, this past December, we paid one MF in full, wrote a check for $40 to complete payment of a second MF, and saw PB take the difference out of our positive balance. Works for us. YMMV.

Happy New Year, btw.

Yes- that is what Trading Places told me some resorts do. But Smuggs doesn't do that. We do not have to pay the fees ahead of time to make an exchange in the future. That was my point. Not every resort does it the same way.People should really check to see what their resorts' policy is I guess. TP issues a blanket statement that the fees have to be paid, but if your resort doesn't require it they will not deny the verification. They will just check off that maintenance fees are paid and the deposit will go through.

Also, I had to be persistent to get them to reserve the week I wanted and then get the deposit verification afterwards because I did not want to lose the Cape Cod week and I would not deposit my week without the Cape Cod reservation. If it didn't work out, they were going to charge me $50 to get my deposited week back, but I knew there would be no issues.

Anyway, I don't intend to exchange my Pollard Brook week, just an occasional Smuggs off season week. I honestly don't like the idea of paying maintenance fees way ahead of time. It's enough to pay the three weeks of fees we owe each year! Then to pay a fourth? Then they will be holding my money for over a year? No thanks. Plus you then have the exchange fee on top of it.Travel insurance in case we have to cancel on all of the weeks. Not to mention in our case we many times take another vacation via a rental and also have to rent a place for a few days in New Hampshire for the XMAS holiday! Yikes! Would be way over our budget for the year! LOL!

But glad it works for you. I know you always exchange your weeks so it works out great for you.

And- Happy New Year to you, too! My husband and I can't wait to retire and get up to New Hampshire permanently!

 

[Bwolf]

mpumilia: We prefer the Smuggs way, but work with what we have to work with.

 

[bobby]

It is a common requirement to have your maintenance fee paid for the time period you want to exchange. Our resort just adjusts what is owed when that year's maintenance comes out.

 

[funtime]

I just called my resort and gave them my 2018 fee with a credit card. so I could deposit into II. We have always done it this way. They charge me the 2017 fee and then when I get the bill they note the credit.

 

[elaine]

all of my resorts require prepayment of maintenance fee prior to deposit. They collect the prior year's amount and then bill for the difference at the regular time. So, I get a bill for $25 or so a year later usually.

 

[WinniWoman]

Well, you can tell I rarely exchange anymore, but years ago with RCI I exchanged every year for many years and never paid and in 2014 and 2015 I never paid. So again- with Smuggs it is a unique situation- they do not require it. They will verify the deposit with the exchange company and that's it.