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Original Message:

Re: Ripoff - Marriott Vacation Club Destinations Program - New Point System (by G333 S.):

Availability is not controlled by Marriott or I.I., but rather by other Marriott owners. An owner who has what you want must deposit their unit to make it available to you, then you must request to have it and exchange your unit for it. This is the fundamental problem with exchange based systems...you are always waiting and hoping that the person who has what you want will give it up, and if they do, you then face the problem of competing with 2.5 million other members of I.I.

The unsold inventory at yours, or any of Marriott properties was never available for an exchange because no one owned it to deposit it into I.I. If it wasn't deposited, no one could take advantage of it's availability. The points system changed this availability issue for points owners as well as enrolled owners.

Now all UNSOLD inventory that used to only be available on Marriott.com for rentals, was put into the trust. Now it doesn't matter whether the unit is owned or not, because now it can be reserved straight through Marriott, without goinging through I.I. And competeing with other I.I members, which may not even be Marriott owners. This is the beauty of a reservation based system verses an exchange based system.

You are correct in saying that a large portion of your resort inventory is in the points system, but this was inventory you never had access to anyway. You only had access to the other owned inventory to do an exchange with another owner. However, if you enroll your week and elect points for that year, then you can exchange your week into the points system. Keep in mind that enrolling your week, you do not own points, you merely can use them. It is still like an exchange, except with Marriott, not I.I. But as least you do not have to deal with the competion of I.I. If you want direct access and the reservation benefits, you have to own into the Trust.

The reason it becomes a reservation based system is because all unsold, new, and future inventory is in the trust. It's like having multiple home resorts, a trust owner just need to reserve which 'home resort' they want to stay at.

Hope this clears us the available inventory perceptions some had.