Is it reasonable for Sheraton Vistana to charge $50 for 4 small Amazon parcel receive

YYJMSP · Aug 23, 2016

alexadeparis said:
Ok, read through this thread and understand the work packages, and maybe even the missing charge cord, but I personally have never had the need for a package to be delivered while on vacation, nor have I ever even thought about needing something delivered. I suppose a reasonable charge would be $5 per. They have to hold it securely until you get it, and there is some risk. But again, have never had the need, so I don't really get it.

I think we've done this once or twice, and gotten small things delivered to the property that a particular vendor wouldn't ship to us in Canada.

Even if we got charged a small fee ($10 or less) I'd be happy as that's still less than what shipping to us costs most of the time...

ocdb8r · Aug 23, 2016

Policy or no policy, it's precisely this sort of fee creep that is slowly putting me off timeshares. I fully understand someone's perspective that people who use "extra services" should pay extra fees...but this mentality is a slippery slope. Why not charge for access to the BBQs or access to the gym? How about a separate fee for wifi? We could make the TV's all pay-per-channel. I bet new smart meters could track our electricity usage and water usage in each of the rooms and we could be charged accordingly. Why should my maintenance fee be so high when I only bring a family of 4 to stay in my 2 bedroom but the people next door bring 8...all those people showering, cooking, doing their laundry?

Because it's a TIMESHARE. The whole point is for me to pay a single fee and know I have a place to go for at least a week each year and treat like my home. I'm fed up with the laundry list of "extra services" I have to pay for.

paluamalia · Aug 23, 2016

Charge for packages

We stayed at SVV for 3 months last year and had multiple Amazon deliveries. We had ALL our mail forwarded to the resort. Before we checked in I inquired about charges and I was told that I would be charged $11 for each package.
In most cases they did not charge that much because the packages were not large, so the charge was usually $4.00. The regular in the mailroom was Emily so if she was out the charges might be incorrect. They told us the $11 was for large packages, like strollers, car sears, etc.
they told us that many guests, usually international guests, had many packages delivered so they had to start charging. I believe that if you dispute this charge they will take it off

geekette · Aug 23, 2016

shamu88 said:
Greetings

We stayed at Sheraton Vistana Village for two weeks at end of June and upon check out, we were give an invoice of $50 for the front desk receiving a few small packages I ordered from Amazon. I picked up all the packages from front desk myself and wasn't told there was a charge by Sheraton for the benefit of receiving it for us. Considering one or two of these packages worth less than $5 each (travel pouch), I found this service charge a bit hard to swallow

In any case, I have done the same (order from Amazon and deliver to the TS we stay for things we forgot to bring) before and never was charged for it.

Is it expected for this service charge?

Thanks.

They're doing you a favor and keeping track of your stuff. I would expect to pay for that convenience and be happy when not charged.

It takes staff away from their normal duties and puts them responsible for guest belongings, something they would not normally have an obligation towards. If just half of the guests each week had stuff shipped in, would that not be a burden?

Frankly, I'd charge to discourage the practice.

LisaRex · Aug 23, 2016

Most of the resorts have their package policy (and mailing address) written on their FAQ section on the MSC (VSE) site. I wonder if SVV imposed fees because people were having discounted Disney tickets mailed to the resort (because they ordered them too late to get them mailed to their home). Not only is handling packages a no-win for the resort staff, but it also circumvents their strategy to lure people into attending a sales presentation by offering discounted tickets.

HRA says right on their confirmation that they won't accept grocery deliveries, period, and I'm sure that was added because they were getting so many requests. In a similar vein, not only does it add more work for the resort staff, but it circumvents their strategy to lure people into their overpriced restaurants.

(You can still get grocery delivery, but the firms deliver it to your villa, not the front desk.)

DeniseM · Aug 23, 2016

Those posters who want this to be free to all guests need to realize that nothing is free - either the individual who receives the pkg. pays for the service, or the MF increases for everyone, to cover staffing/space/liability.

It's probably getting to be a LOT of packages, because of Amazon Prime.

*We recently did the exact same thing on vacation. DH wished he had more of a certain kind of light SPF sports shirt with him, so we ordered some and had them in a few days. This was a non-Starwood resort in Hawaii, and the front desk had UPS deliver the pkg. to our unit.

blondietink · Aug 23, 2016

We have an Owners Locker in Florida we use for both our DVC and Vistana Villages timeshare. The box is delivered shortly before check-in time and we always pick it up from bell services directly and drop it off at bell services when we check out and it is then picked up by the Owners Locker people. We have never been charged for this at any resort.

However, I would think it is fair to charge for the resorts to accept packages sometimes days in advance of a person starting a reservation. The resort has to have some kind of system to keep the packages safe which requires some man power.

Ken555 · Aug 24, 2016

For some reason, I actually believe that receiving packages for a guest is part of the amenities provided by a decent hotel or resort. Maybe this resort found that they had to charge because guests were not tipping staff who helped out with the service...

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Larry M · Aug 27, 2016

...fee creep that is slowly putting me off timeshares.

ocdb8r said:
Policy or no policy, it's precisely this sort of fee creep that is slowly putting me off timeshares. I fully understand someone's perspective that people who use "extra services" should pay extra fees...but this mentality is a slippery slope. Why not charge for access to the BBQs or access to the gym? How about a separate fee for wifi?

Egrets Pointe (where I have a fixed week 33) seems to be sliding down this slippery slope. They are very rural and used to have no AT&T cellphone service. They would give you loaner phones and and Mi-Fi data devices for a refundable deposit. Then they dropped the phones and started charging for the data devices. Now I don't think they are even available any more.

Frustrating. I've been giving the unit to my son and family each year, and will probably sell it (on TUG) once he no longer wants it. Other than this, it's a very desirable unit. South Carolina schools start before week 33, so the island is not very crowded--you can ride a bicycle safely down the middle of the main street. But all the restaurants and services are still open. You could get a kayak rental or golf tee time with no problem at all. And the ocean and sound beaches are warm, clean, and uncrowded.

Now that I think about it, there aren't that many other fees--just some avoidable penalties: failure to strip beds or wash dishes, failure to take out garbage or return rollout bins to garage.

shamu88 · Aug 27, 2016

Greetings tuggers

Since I'm the OP, just a bit clarifications.

Sheraton Vistana charged me $50 for five packages not 4 as I originally wrote, as I miss counted an envelope. All five are less than 1 lb each and costed between $5 - $30 each from Amazon. All in small boxes or envelope or plastic shipping pouch.

I personally don't mind paying an extra service but I did ask at check in time if they would receive packages for guests, I didn't specially ask if they would charge for this service though. I would think it would be nice for the check in lady just to mention their parcel reciving and charging policy.

I would simply go to Walmart or have Amazon ship to local collection center instead if I would known this BH.

Nevertheless I didn't call them back. I don't know how many people would read the fine prints on each TS before they check, I don't as I'm on vacation and that's the last thing I want to do. But in this case, it was a costly mistake ....

bogey21 · Aug 28, 2016

shamu88 said:
Since I'm the OP, just a bit clarifications.

Sheraton Vistana charged me $50 for five packages not 4 as I originally wrote, as I miss counted an envelope. All five are less than 1 lb each and costed between $5 - $30 each from Amazon. All in small boxes or envelope or plastic shipping pouch.

The more I think about this the more I agree with the Resort. They are not set up to be a Post Office. Someone has to pay the people who handle the packages. Think about it. What if every guest had 5 packages delivered. Better the one using the service pays.

George

dioxide45 · Aug 28, 2016

shamu88 said:
Greetings tuggers

Since I'm the OP, just a bit clarifications.

Sheraton Vistana charged me $50 for five packages not 4 as I originally wrote, as I miss counted an envelope. All five are less than 1 lb each and costed between $5 - $30 each from Amazon. All in small boxes or envelope or plastic shipping pouch.

I personally don't mind paying an extra service but I did ask at check in time if they would receive packages for guests, I didn't specially ask if they would charge for this service though. I would think it would be nice for the check in lady just to mention their parcel reciving and charging policy.

I would simply go to Walmart or have Amazon ship to local collection center instead if I would known this BH.

Nevertheless I didn't call them back. I don't know how many people would read the fine prints on each TS before they check, I don't as I'm on vacation and that's the last thing I want to do. But in this case, it was a costly mistake ....

I do think that the person you asked about the service should have been more upfront about the fee. The problem is that they might not have even been aware that there is such a fee. I suspect that you didn't get all the packages on the same day. They could have put a letter on the first parcel indicating the fee so one might not order more.

canesfan · Aug 28, 2016

I think $10 for processing a package is steep. I also think that it's part of the amenities of the resort. We aren't staying at Motel 6 but somewhere that is supposed to be considered to be focusing on customer service. 5 packages is a little extreme but they were supposedly small packages. It would be a different if they were large boxes. Besides, they are not delivering this package to the door, you have to go to the desk to pick up the package. How much handling is really happening to warrant $10 when to ship it costs less?

bankr63 · Aug 28, 2016

Vistana Resort started charging a fee about 2 years ago, prior to this they handled packages for free. I suspect Vistana Villages started charging about the same time. The fee is well detailed in the resort information on the Vistana site; I was made aware as an owner when it went into effect.

As to the cost, I pay US$5 per package at a US mail drop in NYS to receive my Amazon packages. So $10 might be a little high, but the company I deal with is a receiving company Vistana is not in the business of running a mailroom.

I was perhaps a bit disappointed when Vistana effected this small fee, but I certainly understood the reasons. Considering how few extras Vistana charges for (no parking or resort fees in an area where these are now very common), it is not unreasonable. For those who read this in advance of ordering, always select "minimize number of packages" when ordering on Amazon to reduce your fees. That is what I always do with MyUSAddress.

geekette · Aug 29, 2016

bankr63 said:
... Vistana is not in the business of running a mailroom....

This is my point exactly. They don't run a mail cart up and down every hall as part of being a resort. There probably isn't a storage room all cubbied for easy tracking of incoming, since it's not what they do as a core business.

I don't think it matters how much was paid for the item inside the box nor how much it cost to ship it to the resort. Front desk doesn't know or have a need to care beyond Fragile or Perishable. This is extra effort for the resort. Those who choose to do this should pay for the extra service vs up the mf. I bring what I bring, I shop for what I missed. I have never had anything delivered to a resort and don't expect to.

Luanne · Aug 29, 2016

geekette said:
I have never had anything delivered to a resort and don't expect to.

Until you need something you can't get locally.

We had our portable GPS break down on us during a trip. Checked to see if there was someplace close by we could buy one. Nope. We needed the GPS so we ordered from Amazon. We were staying at a hotel, so there was no charge from them.

bastroum · Aug 29, 2016

bogey21 said:
The more I think about this the more I agree with the Resort. They are not set up to be a Post Office. Someone has to pay the people who handle the packages. Think about it. What if every guest had 5 packages delivered. Better the one using the service pays.

George

I receive FedEx envelopes and packages all the time at every resort I stay at. The resorts of this size all have mailrooms and/or shipping and receiving departments. Mail is received everyday and distributed around the resort to different departments. The mail for guests is delivered to the front desk where they secure the package and leave a message for the guests. Except at DSV-I and II where the mailroom leaves you a message and you pick up directly from them. I just don't see how this adds any expense to the resort that it doesn't already have. I have never received a charge for a package or FedEx letter delivered to me. That includes SVV which I last stayed at in 2014. I have received a charge, however, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Hotel where the mail is received by an independent mailroom running a separate business from the hotel. I did complain and they waived the fee. When receiving packages at the timeshare at HGVC they do not charge.

I think this is just another way to collect money from owners that already pay ever increasing maitenence fees. SVV is not in step with the rest of the timeshare resorts with this fee.

geekette · Aug 29, 2016

Luanne said:
Until you need something you can't get locally.

"Need" would be the key word. My needs are few and easy to contain in a carry on. GPS doesn't fit the bill as a need for me, I have carried a US atlas in my car since I was driving age, updating every 2-3 years.

I come from road trip people and from an early age, we packed for ourselves. Forgot socks? Go without. Forgot toothbrush? Use your finger. Since about age 6, it's been pretty easy to make do with what I brought.

Wants are a different matter and if I can't find it local, then I wasn't meant to have it. That's just me, going with the flow. I'm not concerned with what others feel they need on vacation, I just wouldn't want my fees going up to pay for the Amazon boxes flooding in.

Note, I am not a Vistana owner so the whole thing doesn't impact me, but, the trend of increased guest package delivery touches all resorts.

SueDonJ · Aug 29, 2016

This seems to me more a deterrent fee than a pay-for-service fee, and it's not surprising considering how much online retail business has grown over the last few years. I'd expect to see more of the same across all lodging facilities, rather than successful protests against the fees.

We sometimes have packages delivered and don't have a problem paying for the service. Where we've had to pay the fees have been disclosed upfront and appear reasonable. If/when they become unreasonable we'll start using providers' pick-up locations.

LisaRex · Aug 29, 2016

It's not just the cost of receiving, holding and delivering packages, but the liability if they lose it. Put me in the camp of people who say it's reasonable to charge a fee. (That's not to say that I think $50 is a reasonable fee.)

dsmrp · Aug 29, 2016

I'm in the group that thinks a resort fee for package handling is reasonable.
But think $10/pkg or envelope is really high, and is mainly a deterrent fee.

But I can understand the OP's frustration, in that she asked the Vistana check-in person about receiving packages, and the check-in person didn't know about a fee or didn't think to mention it. This points to need for better employee training. Or else each guest has to always be 'fee conscious' and ask questions to tease out the info from resort staff.

Ken555 · Aug 29, 2016

I searched around for package services at random hotel and resort web sites, and there seems to be no industry standard. Some charge, some don't. Some charge a small amount ($2.00), others charge by weight or size or number of packages during a stay, and others simply charge more than a small amount ($7-10 per item). And, of course, some (most?) hotels and resorts, in the unscientific survey I performed, don't even mention it on their web sites.

It used to be that this was simply a service that hotels and resorts offered to guests as a courtesy. As with most things, that seems to be changing. It would be appropriate for employees to be trained to present accurate info (but who are we kidding? some of these resorts can't even train them on the major issues). Anyway, it is what it is. I haven't had a delivery at a resort in a while, but I've had a few at several Westin timeshares and they have *never* charged me (to my recollection), though I'm sure I tipped.

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Robert D · Aug 29, 2016

I've had quite a few items and parcels delivered to TS's I stayed at, including Marriott's, and there was never a charge for it.

LisaRex · Aug 30, 2016

Robert D said:
I've had quite a few items and parcels delivered to TS's I stayed at, including Marriott's, and there was never a charge for it.

Well, when they do start charging, we'll know who to blame!

JudyS · Sep 1, 2016

blondietink said:
We have an Owners Locker in Florida we use for both our DVC and Vistana Villages timeshare. The box is delivered shortly before check-in time and we always pick it up from bell services directly and drop it off at bell services when we check out and it is then picked up by the Owners Locker people. We have never been charged for this at any resort....

I have never been charged by the resort for my Owner's Locker box, either.

Is it reasonable for Sheraton Vistana to charge $50 for 4 small Amazon parcel receive

YYJMSP

ocdb8r

paluamalia

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geekette

LisaRex

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DeniseM

blondietink

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Ken555

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