WATCH OUT PREMIER MEMBERS

Just wondering.....Do you really save with having a TimeShare...I mean this will be our 4 or 5 time to Temptations and all of our trips we have booked have never been over $2000 for hotel, taxes and airfare for two people....I guess what I am asking is, what would a average one week stay at Temptations cost with Timeshare (including taxes and airfare for two people)?

 

If after reading thru this post you still wonder if thier time share package will save you money, they will be glad to see you. Unless you got in 5-6 years ago the answer is no!

 

It really depends on what Premier membership you have and what the current AI fees are for the time your traveling. Memberships have vary greatly through the years.

AI fees have increased alot during the last 5 years. Which has always got me hot as like yourselves you been able to go to Temptations for around 2k for the last 10+ years(are area of the country its been more like 2k a real good deal and about 2.2K to 2.4K with everything was an avg. deal for one week). During that time the airline fees have over doubled for each person (about an extra $120 or so for a couple from the old fees). Then you add in the economics of it all which have increased for sure. Yet the price of the trips have remained about the same!! I know the reason for it from the travel industry side of why it stayed about the same and that is why it kind peeves me off they pass the buck on to us.

Wasn't that long ago with my membership a couple could go in April for about $1500 to $1700 tops for a week or two weeks for about $2300-2500ish. This would be for everything, flying out of major or any decent size area airport in the US and adding some money in for your intial purchase of the membership. Now with the AI fees its hard to say as there not really set in stone as one guy can pay 90 a day per a person and the next guy pays 72 a day per a person for the same time.

For the memberships that where bought in the last few years most people save very little or actually end up paying a little more then booking it themselves. They do get a few extra perks though. But far from being worth putting the money up front. Alot of them got more screwed by the RCI point limits then anything.

Nick and Renee

 

Intially when we bought in we could save about $1500 per 10 day stay by using bonus weeks for the stay and use points for airfare with RCI. AI fees were in the $60 - $70 ppd day range for May and August. Wound up paying $1400 for the AI and any where from nothing to a couple hundred $ for airfare. The same 10 days through a travel agency etc was in the
+ $ 3K range at the time.

Our contract is for 1000 nights and 2.6 Million points with 3 bonus weeks per year. Was a good deal at the time...then RCI put a 60K limit on points (about $550) for airfare and Premier jacked the AI fees through the roof for members. Now we can get better deals through just about any on-line travel site for a deluxe ocean view room and airfare. SO not such a good deal now, still can potentially save a few $ (and I do mean just a few $) but not even close to what we used to save.

As an example for 10 days in May 2010; book through Premier for a deluxe ocean view ($2240) and airfare ($1200) less about $ 550 (60K point through RCI) = $ 2890 USD. Can get the same dates through Expedia.ca with air and deluxe ocean view room for just shy of $3K CDN. The one thing we can do is deduct the annual AI fee of $499 off the first vaca of the year but that is just reducing what we pay for that vaca so in the end it still costs the same. We look at it as a deposit.

SO we are pretty much screwed...except for member perks which are not much $ wise.

 

was curious if anyone has noticed on the points partner program that you can have points put on a visa card to be used anywhere visa is accepted, and if so how many points can be put on the card etc. if that is the case might be another way to utilize our points.

 

Not a bad idea, but I'm sure like most Visa rewards it takes many points/dollars/whatever to equal real money on the card. In other words chances are you'd be lucky to get any value off your points.

But it is something for people to look into.

 

this is alot of good ammo to use on the sales people i have to see when i get there!!!

 

Here is the reply we sent PROFECO regarding our hearing on the 18th:

We have reviewed the offer Profeco sent to us on behalf of Premier by Original. This offer has only addressed the RCI complaint we filed with Profeco and none of the other complaints were addressed or mentioned. These complaints referred to the following items in our Contract or agreements we made with Premier:
· Annex “B” Internal By-Laws:
· Seventh Clause
· Eighth Clause
· Tenth Clause
· Fifteenth Clause
· Nineteenth Clause
· Twenty fourth Clause
· Twenty Fifth Clause
· Membership Benefits
· Rental Program
· RCI Points - Offer proposed, Request changes to offer. See attached


Prior to accepting any offer from Premier we will need to have Premier address each of the complaints we filed and provide us with a written solution in the form of an addendum to our contract to ensure these omissions and errors do not continue in the future.

 

Just checked out Premier's site for member pricing and I see that they have tried a new tactic... lower prices but not including a 14% tax. SO the prices have not changed at all; just looks better up front until you read the fine print. I think they are hoping we won't notice :doh: All about marketing I guess. :banghead:

 

Stupid Americans :bootyshake:

They love to play a game.

It amazes me there as successful as they are in the hotel industry.