Marriott just kind of does what it wants and gets those increases.
I keep thinking how the sales' department hard-sells people on timeshare, and then when owners decided they made a mistake and walk away, Marriott is never hurt by it. It's the owners who are hurt. We pay for the people who don't pay. That is truth. And it's horrible because it's entirely the fault of the salespeople.
While I agree that the sales people never tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, I disagree that sales reps are to blame when owners walk away and saddle their fellow owners with MF's in default.
Timeshares are literally the ONLY thing that buyers are routinely given the benefit of the doubt when they don't take the responsibility for knowing what they're buying and what their ongoing financial commitment will be. The only thing! It makes no sense to me, and even less sense when you're talking about sales made by Marriott sales reps because when you buy direct from Marriott, you have to sign a checklist acknowledging that you understand the basics of ownership, you're told that there's a rescission period AND you're given the legal docs to peruse during that period. Docs that do explain that MF's in default are assumed by the other owners, by the way.
You never hear people say that a car dealership should take back a car when the new owner realizes the ongoing fees are a struggle, same with mortgage companies and homes, same with banks and credit cards. I just don't understand why timeshares are any different, at least the big-name timeshares who DO take care to make sure that all the legal mandates re consumer protections are followed. Why is "Buyer Beware" applied to every other thing on the planet BUT timeshares?!
I do have sympathy for the people who come up against unavoidable financial difficulties, wish it were easier for them to get out of timeshare ownership. But be honest - does anybody really think that if it were made easier to get out with just cause, immediately there wouldn't be a line of owners not suffering financial difficulties who figure out a loophole to make it happen for them? And that there wouldn't be TUGgers spreading the word like wildfire?