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Diamond Resorts reduces owner benefits again!

It's bad enough that DRI changed their buyback program. If you didn't know, DRI has a buyback program where (until mid 2008) an owner who paid $16,000 for a timeshare could sell it back to DRI for $800 to $2,000. That sounds pretty bad, especially since DRI re-packages the timeshare into its sales program and re-sells it effectively for $5,000 to $20,000. But since mid 2008 DRI now buys those units for $100 to $700 and charges the timeshare owner $300 to $600 to transfer the unit back to themselves! DRI often charges more to transfer a timeshare back to itself than timeshare closing companies do! Add to that a new policy in Jul-08 where DRI has decided to charge a $250 transfer fee for all sales and transfers (except in a few cases where legally they are not allow to: FL is $100 max by law, Powhatan and Greensprings are $50 due to HOA ByLaws, and I think there are one or two other exceptions), and their 2008 $70 assessment to Club owners (Club owners pay about $155 to $300 each year depending on ownership/membership type) which might be incorporated as a standard additional fee. But what really rips me today is what appears to be a new policy affecting Club owners with short term reservations made at their own resorts. Until June or July 2008, owners in Club were allowed to reserve at their resort anytime of the week without incurring a 10% point premium other Club owners would pay if they were not direct owners of the resort. This was true regardless of whether the reservation was made 60 days or more in advance, or during the discount window of less than 60 days in advance. For the past two months I have had to call central reservations becuase the DRI website has included the 10% premium. When I called in and explained I was an owner at the resort, the reservations people, after conferring with their supervisors, would properly adjust the reservation to remove the 10% premium. However, today I was told this had not been policy EVER. Even after providing dozens of examples and asking to elevate the issue to a lead, then a supervisor, DRI would not admit they implemented a policy change. After extensive review of documents and examples DRI finally admitted deeded owners were not subject to the 10% mid week premium at their resorts, but any discounts available for sub 60 day stays were based on "THE STANDARD POINTS RATE" for the reservation. As DRI sees it the standard rate for mid week checkin is 10% higher than checking in Fri/Sat/Sun and as such we now pay 10% more. They now view deeded owner rates during the week as a waiver of the standard rate rather than an exemption to the 10% premium. Clever of them, I must admit. Now if I just could contact a large enough group of owners to consider alternatives to DRI managing our Club membership, or other such actions to regain control of our benefits ... call me or comment!