• The TUGBBS forums are completely free and open to the public and exist as the absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 30 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other Owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 30 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 30th anniversary: Happy 30th Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    Free memberships for every 50 subscribers!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $21,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $21 Million dollars
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    60,000+ subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

why the vacation village fee of $125?

lindner

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
87
Reaction score
1
Points
218
Location
charleston, sc
Does anyone know why it seems that only Platinum Interchange guests are charged a mandatory fee that is not charged to owners or to those exchanging with RCI, II, etc.? Here is the wording from the PI website for the Vacation Village at Parkway or at Weston:

Resort Fees:
This resort charges a resort fee, which is collected at the time of confirmation, in addition to the exchange fee.
This resort fee is determined by the suite size that you are confirming into.
1BDA Suite - $75 Resort Fee
1BDB Suite - $60 Resort Fee
2BD8 Suite - $125 Resort Fee

Is this the only way PI could gain access to all their Vacation Village inventory? Without that, perhaps half their Florida inventory would disappear?
 

Larry

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
1,343
Reaction score
16
Points
398
Location
Long Island NY
Does anyone know why it seems that only Platinum Interchange guests are charged a mandatory fee that is not charged to owners or to those exchanging with RCI, II, etc.? Here is the wording from the PI website for the Vacation Village at Parkway or at Weston:

Resort Fees:
This resort charges a resort fee, which is collected at the time of confirmation, in addition to the exchange fee.
This resort fee is determined by the suite size that you are confirming into.
1BDA Suite - $75 Resort Fee
1BDB Suite - $60 Resort Fee
2BD8 Suite - $125 Resort Fee

Is this the only way PI could gain access to all their Vacation Village inventory? Without that, perhaps half their Florida inventory would disappear?

this is a total rip off and i stated so in my RCI comment card. It is a fee imposed by VV resorts after you have already paid for your maintenance fee, exchange fee and RCI membership fee. I exchanged to VV at weston for spring break 2013 as I had in several previous years and they now charge mandatory fees for wifi,safe deposit box and "free morning coffee". Very bad precedent
 

lindner

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
87
Reaction score
1
Points
218
Location
charleston, sc
Platinum Interchange only fee

Larry, I agree that a $25 fee for wifi, etc. should not be charged to exchangers. However, that fee applies to all exchangers, including RCI. The $25 fee I understand and is not the fee I am asking about. The $125 fee I mention in post #1 applies ONLY to platinum interchange exchangers. To my knowledge, RCI, II and others are not required to pay this $125 'resort fee' that Platinum Interchange requires at time of booking. This fee only applies to Vacation Village (any of their resorts) and a few other resorts. For most resorts platinum interchange does not require this 'resort fee'. No mention is given of what this fee is for. I have a theory that perhaps Platinum Interchange noticed that they were strong on the west coast but weak on the east coast and struck a deal with Vacation Villages to offer a lot of their inventory on Platinum Interchange in exchange for an extra $125 under the table. I understand the logic as this will increase their presence and bring more exchangers into the system. I'm all in favor of doing things to turn platinum interchange into a bigger exchange system to rival II and RCI.

Don't get me wrong. I like platinum interchange and will continue to use it. Even with the $125 fee, it runs about the same price as RCI when one factors in all the various RCI fees. I just wish there were an explanation for why this $125 fee exists and why it seems that only platinum interchange exchangers pay it.
 

lindner

TUG Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2011
Messages
87
Reaction score
1
Points
218
Location
charleston, sc
Vacation Village does have an affiliation with Platinum Interchange of some kind. Could that somehow be related to these unusual fees?
 

MaryH

TUG Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2005
Messages
1,485
Reaction score
1
Points
398
Location
Ottawa, Canada
I think the management company of Vacation village is a sister company to PI. The ones you see load of inventory of are managed by the sister company..

I gave a bonus week to a friend last year and she was charged the fee for a 1bdrm.
 

tschwa2

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2008
Messages
16,002
Reaction score
4,676
Points
748
Location
Maryland
Resorts Owned
A few in S and VA, a single resort in NC, MD, PA, and UT, plus Jamaica and the Bahamas
My guess is that it is 90% developer inventory and instead of straight out giving it to Platinum Exchange, Vacation Village agrees to make it available for a $125 "resort fee" charged to "exchangers."
 

dioxide45

TUG Review Crew: Expert
TUG Member
Joined
May 20, 2006
Messages
47,354
Reaction score
18,913
Points
1,299
Location
NE Florida
Resorts Owned
Marriott Grande Vista
Marriott Harbour Lake
Sheraton Vistana Villages
Club Wyndham CWA
My guess is that it is 90% developer inventory and instead of straight out giving it to Platinum Exchange, Vacation Village agrees to make it available for a $125 "resort fee" charged to "exchangers."

And II and RCI won't go along with also charging the fee?
 

tschwa2

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2008
Messages
16,002
Reaction score
4,676
Points
748
Location
Maryland
Resorts Owned
A few in S and VA, a single resort in NC, MD, PA, and UT, plus Jamaica and the Bahamas
And II and RCI won't go along with also charging the fee?

I don't know about II, but I suspect RCI has its own "deal" to get the developer inventory plus gets a fair amount of owner deposits. I think the deal with RCI involves giving Vacation Village owners higher tpu's and points than it would otherwise get with more people wanting to exchange out and so many weeks that get traded into in the 5-10 range. Vacation Village backs up the boost by depositing extra units (the back room deal). Vacation Village can then talk about what a strong trader the 2 br l/o unit is and that if you like you could deposit your week and then stay 4 weeks most in a 2 br unit instead of 2 weeks in a one bedroom unit or 1 week in the two bedroom.

In other words I think Platinum Interchange needs Vacation Villages a lot more than RCI needs VV and Vacation Villages needs RCI to sell units more than it needs PI.
 
Last edited:

rapmarks

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
9,628
Reaction score
4,764
Points
649
I complained on this site a long time ago, and was told it was because VV gives the inventory to Platinum and it is to cover some cost for VV. It made no difference to me what the excuse was, I didn't give weeks to Platinum. Most of their inventory in Massachusetts and Florida is VV.
 

tschwa2

TUG Review Crew: Veteran
TUG Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2008
Messages
16,002
Reaction score
4,676
Points
748
Location
Maryland
Resorts Owned
A few in S and VA, a single resort in NC, MD, PA, and UT, plus Jamaica and the Bahamas
Same with the middle atlantic region. If Vacation Villages didn't deposit Williamsburg Plantation (and charge the additional "resort fee") there wouldn't be anything most of the year.
 

Crif

newbie
Joined
Oct 9, 2013
Messages
12
Reaction score
0
Points
0
Location
california
Hello,I think this fee only applies to Vacation Village any of their resorts and a few other resorts. For most resorts platinum interchange does not require this 'resort fee'. No mention is given of what this fee is for as well.
 

rapmarks

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2005
Messages
9,628
Reaction score
4,764
Points
649
yes we know it only apples to VV, but most of he inventory in certain states is VV and nothing else.
 
Top