Why can't I use a MP week to get a MP week?

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

I am totally frustrated with SFX. I would appreciate suggestions from Mark or other members of this forum. I joined SFX in 2006 because of the positive comments from TUG & Timeshare Forums members. Now that I think about it, many of you who have such great things to say about it are trying to get into the Grand Mayan or Mayan Palace - where I own 6 weeks!

It took nearly a year, but I did get one exchange in 2007. Because 2 weeks that I have on deposit were going to expire in June 2008, I deposited a 2008 MP week with SFX in order to extend those 2 weeks one more year to try to get exchanges. I have tried to make exchanges with no success and today I called in to see if I could just book 2 MP weeks before June 2009 and was told that I could not - you cannot use a MP deposit for a MP exchange. I do remember reading that I could not book a MP week with the 2008 year week - something about trying new places, but did not understand that to be the case for the other 2 weeks that I deposited in 2006. I also understood that I could not exchange for a Grand Mayan with those deposits and was fine with that. I thought that I could get a MP week if needed. Here I am willing to spend extra money to basically get my weeks back to go to a Mayan Palace and am not allowed to do it. I can do that with RCI.

Now I am concerned that I am going to lose the cost of 3 weeks MF because I cannot get exchanges. I have not found another Mexico resort that I want to go to and have not been able to get and exchange in the USA. I guess this is just a $1900 learning experience!

The SFX system of requesting and waiting for months with no contact just doesn't get it for me. I don't want to have to call in all the time to check on what is available. I would be more flexible if I could see other options online. I can see what is available for exchange on RCI and check other options. Since I have been timesharing a long time, I generally have my vacation planned 9-12 months out and want to have a confirmation in my hand by 6 month before my trip if at all possible so that I can find the best airfare prices. I have not been able to do this with SFX. I had made requests for June, but in mid-March, I got an email that I should consider changing my request since nothing was available in the locations I had requested. I cancelled the request because I was able to find something on RCI. Now I have to start the search process all over.

As far as I am concerned, SFX will not get another MP or GM from me.

Thanks for letting me vent.

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

Mmm, I can understand your frustration and disappointment.

Have you tried emailing Mark or PMing him in private. Maybe he will be able to help you with alternatives or suggestions.

All the best. I hope something can be done to reach a satisfactory outcome for you. Otherwise, yes, this sucks big time.

Live and learn.

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

I just sent Mark a PM. Hopefully he will be able to help resolve this, but I'm not getting my hopes up. Thanks for responding.

[JWC Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close JWC]

I really do not understand your problem. We have exchanged into the Grand Mayans through SFX with no problems. We have stayed 6 weeks at the Grand Mayans at Riviera Maya and Nuevo Vallarta in the past 2 1/2 years. Four of those weeks were during prime time. Our last exchange was last month for 2 weeks at the Grand Mayan - Riviera Maya. We have always received a confirmation almost immediately. The last time we got the confirmation when I first called my SFX rep to request it. We always request 2 consecutive weeks.

I hate to say this but I wonder if the problem could be that the Mayan Palace doesn't have very much trade power. Based on the ease of getting Grand Mayan exchanges would be an indicator that they have a lot of weeks available which would lessen the trading power. That is just a guess on my part and you need to ask Mark directly in the "Ask SFX" forum.

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

JWC - the problem is that they will not let me trade into a MP because I am an owner. Now that we live in Phoenix, we would like to go to the MP in Puerto Penasco, or add an extra week or two to our already scheduled MP or GM weeks to save on airfare and extend our vacation. I just want to have the option to go to a MP. Since I have not found an acceptable trade, I would like to just pay exchange fees and go to a MP. I found the first few pages about SFX that I printed when joining SFX and it said that "As with other exchange companies, once your week is deposited, it is relinquished to SFX to be booked by other members, and cannot be taken back. A week is redeemed only by an exchange to either your home resort or another property."

Yes, they do have a lot of MP and GM weeks available as many of us owners receive emails asking us to give weeks to SFX for exchange with the promise of extra bonus weeks. I have not had any luck getting an exchange with MP weeks - I just get emails asking to expand my choices or dates. The one exchange that I did get was with a Hawaii week that I had deposited. I can't believe that it traded for a GM when it is not even a GC resort. I haven't even tried to use a bonus week. I wanted to use the ones that I paid MF for first.

Since MP & GM weeks do not provide a good trade option for me, I will just use them myself in the future. We have exchanged to other resorts for years, but now have decided that we prefer the MP & GM. We were lucky enough to discover ebay to get all but our first week there for great prices.

I started out trying to post in Ask SFX, but since I had too much personal information in the post, it was put here. I sent Mark a PM about my issues last night. I had to have his assistance to get the one trade that I did get. The system should work without having to email one specific person.