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SVO email re: II and RCI Assignments

sail27bill

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Just received the following e-mail from SVO--I usually don't prepay my MF's before assigning to II, but it appears that this may be a thing of the past. Did anyone else receive the below e-mail?

External Exchange Assignment Requirements


Dear ANITA,

There is important new information regarding External Exchange that will affect your future requests through Interval International® and RCI®*.

Beginning March 21, 2012, your annual assessment must be paid in full when you request to assign your week for a current or future Use Year. This is part of an ongoing effort to maintain the financial health of your Owners' Association.

What you need to know:
Annual assessments must be paid in full to assign your week to your External Exchange company
If you have an available week assigned with Interval International prior to March 21, then your annual assessments must be paid in full at the time you begin a new exchange request
Any External Exchange requests that are in progress or confirmed vacations with either Interval International or RCI prior to March 21 are not affected
Should you have any questions, please call Owner Services toll free at 800-847-8262, or direct at 407-903-4640 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern time, or Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time.

Sincerely,

SVO Management, Inc.

*Only Sheraton Vistana Resort, Sheraton Broadway Plantation – Plantation phase, Sheraton Desert Oasis, Vistana's Beach Club and Lakeside Terrace are affiliated with RCI through agreements with the respective Association.
 

siesta

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Nope didn't get it. Glad I got my 2013 in week in :)
 

clsmit

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I got it too, with a strange subject line: *test 1819* Announcing new requirements for External Exchange

It didn't mention SFX for exchanges -- maybe if you use them you don't have to prepay? :p
 

daileyad

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I'm amazed they're allowed to change this on us. I thought such things had to be written in the contract?

I've assigned my unit and already requested an exchange. I'm not clear - does that mean I won't have to pay mf's for it since it already has a pending request? Or will they refuse to confirm my exchange when it comes through?
 

DeniseM

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Exchanging (of any kind) is not written in the contract. Starwood can and does change the rules. I am sure it's to keep deadbeats from exchanging their weeks, and then not paying the next year's MF. It's unfortunate for responsible owners, but on the other hand, it's prudent mangement.
 

jarta

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"I am sure it's to keep deadbeats from exchanging their weeks, and then not paying the next year's MF. It's unfortunate for responsible owners, but on the other hand, it's prudent mangement."

Agree, completely. Salty :D
 

grgs

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I've assigned my unit and already requested an exchange. I'm not clear - does that mean I won't have to pay mf's for it since it already has a pending request? Or will they refuse to confirm my exchange when it comes through?

From the OP:

Any External Exchange requests that are in progress or confirmed vacations with either Interval International or RCI prior to March 21 are not affected.

If you already have an exchange request in for a particular, I take the above sentence to mean that you will pay your mf at the usual time (i.e. end of Dec./early Jan.). You still have the rest of today to designate any 2013 weeks for exchange. : )

I agree with Denise (and Jarta) that it is a way to prevent owners from deposting a week and then defaulting on the mf. So while it's annoying, if it lowers the number of non-payers, I'm ok with it.

Glorian
 

Ken555

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It's about time SVN implemented this change. I haven't received the email yet, but I'm sure I will. Proper management, IMO, should have made this change years ago.
 

jjlovecub

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It's about time SVN implemented this change. I haven't received the email yet, but I'm sure I will. Proper management, IMO, should have made this change years ago.

I disagree. Why punish those of us who are responsible? I have never been late or not paid my MF in 12 years. Now I have to pay a full year out just to make a request. Glad my 2013 week was done already. I know many TS do this but to me it was a huge plus of Starwood that is now gone
 

DavidnRobin

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Exchanging (of any kind) is not written in the contract. Starwood can and does change the rules. I am sure it's to keep deadbeats from exchanging their weeks, and then not paying the next year's MF. It's unfortunate for responsible owners, but on the other hand, it's prudent mangement.

"Starwood can and does change their rules"
I wonder what this does to Pmuppet's biz plan? sorry... couldn't resist ;)

While I do not use II/RCI - I can certainly see why considering that it only takes a few rotten apples to spoil the bunch (so to speak). Like Ken - I am surprised this has not been implemented sooner.
 

sail27bill

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Thanks for the replies.:) I guess I will have to get used to paying my MFs almost a year in advance instead of paying monthly and accruing a credit.

Hopefully this will have the desired effect of ensuring that the proper money is collected and no 'deadbeats' will be able to take advantage of the system in the future. I do wonder though if the number of requests filled will be higher initially since people can't request an exchange without being fully paid up so the early bird ends up with the worm?

Anita
 

gcole

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I disagree. Why punish those of us who are responsible? I have never been late or not paid my MF in 12 years. Now I have to pay a full year out just to make a request. Glad my 2013 week was done already. I know many TS do this but to me it was a huge plus of Starwood that is now gone

I agree. I can see revoking the week if you are late and loosing the privledge. I will be able to pull the extra 1200 bucks togetheer, but I imagine this will be the end for many. I am afraid it will backfire and mean more uncollected fees.
 

scootr5

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I have not received the email yet I already had my SDO 2014 week designated but with no search in yet since I'm looking to use it for a summer 2014 trip, so I just put in a request for HRA for March 2014 (of course, I also plan on paying the MFs when they are due in January).

It will be interesting to see if they try to make you pay the fees if you add to or change the request in place.
 
Last edited:

siesta

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I have not received the emaile yet I already had my SDO 2014 week designated but with no search in yet since I'm looking to use it for a summer 2014 trip, so I just put in a request for HRA for March 2014 (of course, I also plan on paying the MFs when they are due in January).

It will be interesting to see if they try to make you pay the fees if you add to or change the request in place.
The soonest you can designate a 2014 unit for exchange would be Jan 1, 2013...?
 

DeniseM

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The soonest you can designate a 2014 unit for exchange would be Jan 1, 2013...?

Yes - if it is a 1-52 floating week. The first day you can reserve it, is also the first day you can deposit it.
 

scootr5

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The soonest you can designate a 2014 unit for exchange would be Jan 1, 2013...?

Sorry, I meant 2013 UY. That's what I get for browsing the boards as I'm falling asleep!:eek:
 

DavidnRobin

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I have not received the emaile yet

I received the email and do not even use the exchange systems - check your spam folder or check with SVO to make sure they have your correct email address.
 

scootr5

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It came through about 2:00 this morning.
 

LisaRex

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"Beginning March 21, 2012, your annual assessment must be paid in full when you request to assign your week for a current or future Use Year. This is part of an ongoing effort to maintain the financial health of your Owners' Association."

I'm not sure how to read this. Does this mean that in order to deposit my 2013 SVV week, I have to be current on my 2012 MFs? Or does that mean that I have to pre-pay my 2013 MFs?

I'm actually thinking it means the former only because "current" doesn't mean "pre-paid," though I'm good with it either way.
 

scootr5

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"Beginning March 21, 2012, your annual assessment must be paid in full when you request to assign your week for a current or future Use Year. This is part of an ongoing effort to maintain the financial health of your Owners' Association."

I'm not sure how to read this. Does this mean that in order to deposit my 2013 SVV week, I have to be current on my 2012 MFs? Or does that mean that I have to pre-pay my 2013 MFs?

I'm actually thinking it means the former only because "current" doesn't mean "pre-paid," though I'm good with it either way.

You'll need to have the week you are looking to assign for deposit paid in full, whether it's the current year or a future year. In other words, you'll have to prepay.
 

ValleyGirl

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WSJ-3BR WK #26 (Jul 4th)
Exchange NEWS

If you are exchanging a Single week - you will probably use a "Trader" and paying what is hopefully one of your lower MF's assuming one has more than one week!

So "Half Full and Half Empty" NEWS :( :)
 

VacationForever

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I second, third? :), this is a right move to get MF out of the deadbeats. It helps keep our MF down, at least on covering the delinquent portion.
 

krj9999

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Just got the email today.

I have no objection to SVO making this change for SVN resorts; it's their perogative. For non-SVN resorts, I'd be ok with it if the email indicated that the BOD from my resort had made this decision. But that was not the case.

Do I have to pre-pay 2013 fees to reserve a week at my home resort? Why should I have to prepay to "assign" my week to II (especially when Starwood gets involved if I try to actually confirm an exchange)?

And yes, this is Starwood where my FAQ's under reservation requests on mystarcentral still mention "depositing" and "no fee" (not to mention reserving a week before depositing). :hysterical: :hysterical:

<<Q: Do I have to request a vacation exchange at the same time I deposit the vacation time I own?
A: No, but the sooner you enter a request, the more time your exchange company has to match a request. Planning and requesting early is important! And remember, there is no fee to deposit your vacation time.>>




Exchanging (of any kind) is not written in the contract. Starwood can and does change the rules. I am sure it's to keep deadbeats from exchanging their weeks, and then not paying the next year's MF. It's unfortunate for responsible owners, but on the other hand, it's prudent mangement.
 

DeniseM

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I feel your pain, but we've been down this road before - in 2009, when Starwood changed the II rules the last time. Starwood still manages your resort, and they have tremendous influence over the boards. I don't like this decision either, but on the other hand, I understand the reasoning behind it.

You pay now, or you pay later - but you pay.
 
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