Shell Vacation Club

[Picker57 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Picker57]

We loved P.V. . . . the furnishings weren't very contemporary however we loved the 2-BR condo at the SVC resort which was very spacious with an ocean view. This was 6 years ago and the problems in Mexico weren't quite as bad. We stayed close to the resort.

I'm a newbie with the terms "borrow" and "deposit". Sadly, I only know how to "bank" points and book with the exchange company. My co-owner handled all the bookings for me and I'm only now perusing the SVC website myself and starting to read all the unopened mail SVC has mailed.

Thanks for the tip but I just checked the SFX site and looks like the resorts don't include Italy unfortunately where my co-owner has been wanting to visit for awhile. By depositing points, does this just mean booking with another exchange company's resorts? How does SFX figure into the equation when II is SVC's new exchange company?

Daisy

It's probably been almost that long since we've been in PV. Loved it then, and really enjoyed walking around the town....then. I know the SVC property is well-located. We were at the Golden Crown Paradise next to the marina; also a great location.

What we've done with SFX (and you can do the same with any exchange company - Trading Places, etc) is to RESERVE (book) a week at a Shell property that has reasonable points requirements. An example would be Holua on the Big Island, 3500 points for 1BR. You can use your next year's points allotment ("borrowing") to collect the necessary points. Once you have the confirmation from Shell, go into the SFX (or any) website and DEPOSIT it. Hawaii is a high trade value, so you'll likely get some bonus thingies back ("Lifestyle Week" or some such). You can browse different exchange company sites to see who gives the biggest bang for the buck.

Yeah, too bad about Italy.....or just about anywhere in Europe from what I'm seeing. You might try VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner).

Good luck, and have fun.

------------Zach

[Daisy33 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Daisy33]

New error messages on Shell Vacations site

Any Shell owners receiving error messages when clicking Point & Play and External Exchange for II?

This is the first time it's happened but yesterday and today, the error reads "There are no active memberships with this account . . . " or "At this time, there are Multiple Use Years associated with the account . . . " and both refer to SVC's toll-free number for assistance.

The strange part is that in between both occurrences, the site seemed to work fine but I tried in the wee hours of the morning. Hope SVC answers my email inquiries quickly as it is very frustrating.

[chellej Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close chellej]

The interface with interval has been pretty hit or miss but suspect they will get the kinks worked out soon. Just try again and sometimes it will work one minute and then not the next and so on.

[mickey moe Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mickey moe]

My Interval is ok but Point & play is down.

[Picker57 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Picker57]

My Interval is ok but Point & play is down.

Just checked Point 'n Play; it's still down. This seems to be the case a LOT. And it's a royal pain in the tush, because I'd much rather do all I can online than via phone (with a different agent) every time.

In my humble (yeah, right...) opinion, web services (site, connectivity, and email responses) continue to be SVC's biggest weakness.

--------Zach

[gandalf252002 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gandalf252002]

Some updates

Yes, online services remain to be a problem. I was unable to get in for almost 4 hours today. When I finally did, the resort I wanted to search for availablity on is not available online! DOH!

So add this to the list of my annoyances of the recent change to II. Now I am being told that II is the "exclusive" exchange company, and that I can not book a week with points and give it to another exchange company. This was not previously the case, as I gave a week to SFX and wanted to give one to DAE this time.

I can not get rid of my points quickly enough and any value they previously had to me are non-existant now. Surely they can be of value to someone else?

[Picker57 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Picker57]

That's not been our experience, with RCI OR I.I. We recently booked a week in Arizona and immediately banked it with SFX, and we have a large time window in which to use it.

We've enjoyed the Shell resorts, but have found that our best 'bang for the buck' is generally to "leverage" through SFX or other exchange companies (we're particularly fond of SFX).

At one time I spotted a response from a Shell rep - at least that's how he was represented. Does anyone know what happened to him? Among the annoyances with SVC is their lack of participation in timeshare discussion boards, such as this or TUG. Sure, I know we can call their "Shell10" desk, but it's a chore and primarily useful for reservations. We CAN do a "contact us" question through their website, they answer in a couple of days but often incompletely. Their website, in general, is pretty poor compared to the good ones.

----------Zach[/U][/U]

[Maple_Leaf Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Maple_Leaf]

That's not been our experience, with RCI OR I.I. We recently booked a week in Arizona and immediately banked it with SFX, and we have a large time window in which to use it.

Are you still able to book Shell weeks and bank with SFX?

[gandalf252002 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close gandalf252002]

Yes, this is still possible and in my opnion a good way to use Shell. Prior to selling my contracts for this year I was able to book several weeks and gave all of them to SFX. A few weeks at Peacock Suites, and a week at Lawaii Beach.

[Presley Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Presley]

Just noticed that Shell gives Gold II membership. It's a pretty nice feature because II weeks are available to rent on the cheap.
For Example a full week at Marriott's Desert Springs Villas I
Check in 12/16/2013
Studio $232.00
One bedroom $422.00
Two bedroom $482.00

In contrast, I could use my shell points to book that 2 bedroom. It would cost me all my points w/MFs about $700. + the exchange fee implemented by II. Pretty amazing that I could get the week for 1/2 price by not using my points, lol.