Original Message:
Anyone who has experience with Sapphire Holiday Collection weeks ? (by Bob P.):
My "VIP BENEFITS" are "managed" by a company in Panama called MARKETING TRAVEL SERVICES(MTS). From previous postings here and talking with both the sales people that sold me the SHC weeks, and SHC, there are apparently MANY "INDEPENDENT MANAGEMENT COMPANIES" that are used by SHC. My Sapphire Holiday Collection(SHC) membership was activated EXACTLY 30 days after I signed their contract which is EXACTLY what my contract said. I was relieved by that. But SHC said I couldn't buy anything from them with my weeks until MARKETING TRAVEL SERVICES(MTS) activated my account with them. SHC gave me MTS's phone number and I called them, and they sent me their agreement, which was pretty simple, to sign. I wasn't happy to sign YET AGAIN! ANOTHER contract/agreement, but as I said it was quite simple, certainly simpler than the SHC contract. I am not a lawyer so ANY contract/agreement gives me the willies! The MTS agreement said that my account would be activated NOT LATER THAN 125 days(~4 months) after the signed agreement was received by them. So, I am now waiting....until ~September. In NO other business transaction that I know of in this WORLD do you pay a substantial amount of your money up front, and have to wait up to a HALF YEAR LATER to actually get what you paid for!(I signed my contract with SHC 5 weeks ago. Five weeks PLUS the 125 days = 6 months!!!). I queried MTS WHY it took so long. Their only vague, completely unsatisfying answer was something like: "These things take time". We are the management company that has to keep track of your weeks and setting up that tracking system takes time." To me, 30 days should be an adequate amount of time to accomplish this. I could hire a programmer today to set up a computer system to keep account of the usage of weeks, and I suspect that it could be done in probably in the same day! I really don't understand why SHC even NEEDS "INDEPENDENT MANAGEMENT COMPANIES" to "manage" the weeks. I still don't know if SHC and MTS are a scam, but I guess I will find out in 125 days!?!
ANYONE that can shed light on these obscure companies and their workings, please chime in! It will be MOST appreciated!!!!