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Re: Ripoff - Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Program - New Point System

g333s - You are NOT correct to think that the Points system did not change ANYTHING if you are just going to use your existing resort week in the "old" way of reserving a room. I have a ski season week in Park City - Platinum - Very desirable time. I have called twelve months out to reserve a room and have been told there was no rooms available the week I wanted. (The Sundance Film Festival is held in Park City every winter) So now "Points" users can make a reservation at my resort using points and reserve 13 months out from the week. Do You know the "Points" users can take away up to 50% of the available inventory at a resort each week? And that is a month before I can call to try to reserve a room. Perhaps you don't have such a difficult time getting the week you want at the timeshare resort that you bought into. But, at mine it can be difficult to get the week I want to reserve. The Points system has just made it more difficult to get a reservation at the timeshare I paid Marriott LOTS of money to own? So much for "owning" a week. That is Exactly the reason Marriott only gives you 6 nights of points for your timeshare week. Because if I got 7 nights worth of Points for my week, I would just convert to Points and get the extra month advantage on getting a reservation at my resort. I am not stupid - I get all the other blah, blah, blah about how it is better. I will certainly try to use the "Points" to my advantage. But, don't kid yourself. The "Points" system is for Marriott's advantage not the owner's advantage. Marriott instituted the "Points" system to make it harder for anyone who bought a timeshare week during a less desirable time of year or at a less desirable place to get a fabulous trade in the future into a more desirable resort than they own. (So if you own a crappy Silver week at a resort no one likes - than you won't get that fabulous trade to much better resort anymore unless you spend 3 weeks of points to go.) Of course, Marriott would be happy to sell you some more "Points" so you can go. See more money for Marriott? I am glad I only bought "Platinum" timeshares. [Q=g333s] You shouldn't be concerned with whether the amount of points is enough to stay at your home resort, because you won't use your points to stay at your home resort. You'd just book your weeks the same as always...enrolling into the points system doesn't change ANYTHING that you've been doing...the only thing it does is give you the option to elect for a particular year to use the points to go to OTHER marriott resorts. Each year you have that same option, so if one year you'd rather stay at your home resort, then don't elect for points that year...just book like you've always done. The points did not take away or change anything...all it did was give owners an option to take advantages of the flexibility of the points based system (any day check in, any size unit, no internal exchange fee, no needing to go through I.I. to go to another marriott resort) if they wanted to, instead of only allowing new point owners these options. They don't want to alienate their weeks owners by telling them they can't use their new program, and even give you the choice each year whether you want points for your week or if you'd like to use your week like you always have.[/Q]