Original Message:
Re: Diamond Resorts reduces owner benefits again! (by Richard S.):
We bought ILX in 2004. We had a paid week every other year ownership. This past year, after much complaining to Diamond management and me writing to all of the board members of the Diamond PVC prior to their annual meeting in 2015, my husband and I were finally given an offer that we were willing to accept. What I had been asking for was a reasonable amount of points in The Club in exchange for our deed. Of course they had offered to just take it-for NOTHING!! to which we had responded-DO you REALLY think we are that STUPID??? We were tired of the time consuming long drawn out sales pitches we were required to attend, and their attempts to get us to buy more points every time we went on vacation-kinda spoils the mood! We were being assessed on two memberships basically, the PVC and The Club for a couple of years and it was a very unfair practice. We were demeaned and treated like some 2nd class citizens by a sales manager at a Williamsburg, VA resort in October of 2014, while she tried to get us to buy $60,000 worth of more points!! We plan on using our timeshare-not giving it back or selling it back at a huge loss-that is just plain dumb. It is very possible to book vacations and get a good value for what we pay each year in maintenance fees-compared to what a stay at the same resort would cost on the open market-most resorts are not booked to capacity and are available out on sites like trip adviser and others for anyone to stay there-it's not just owners at these resorts. That is a misconception that people who own a timeshare and have never used it at all seem to have. If you book a stay 59 days or less before you stay-the discounts are substantial. My husband and I are taking my Mom with us next week and staying at the Mystic Dunes resort near Disney in FL. Our 3 night stay only cost us 638 points for a 2 bedroom unit! A full Luau with buffet and a show+ breakfast the following morning is costing us $25(total-not even per person). I would encourage owners to USE it or at least be smarter if you decide to DITCH it! and stick up for yourselves with Diamond or whomever your timeshare is with.