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This won't be popular, I know. But maybe if Bluegreen owners are having so much trouble getting into certain resorts during prime season, in fairness to all, they should allow each owner a limited number of units they can book at a resort during prime season? This would prevent Platinum owners from booking multiple units and then turning around and renting them out, at the expense of other owners that can't get anything for their use. Just a thought............I haven't seen any statistics - I have just read posts that indicate there are owners that book blocks of rooms and then rent them out.
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You are right, that won't be popular! It would take effect the very moment I get the next to last of my family reunion units booked ...
no, I don't like the idea at all. I far prefer the free-for-all which is already a level playing field.
far better for people to go ahead and rent via Craig's list. I feel very strongly that ALL OWNERS should not be subject to a restriction only because some fail to get their top choice. Pick a different time or different resort, probelm solved. Anything else is absolutely NOT fairness to all.Comment
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Boardgirl,
I have not had a real problem with this because we are generally flexible with when we travel and like to travel off season a lot to take advantage of lower points. We have only tried the waitlist a few times (can't say we have had success). However, I see many posts from others that are limited in when and where they can travel and are having a hard time getting in. Some probably don't book far enough ahead of time, but others - like the poster above - did everything they could to have the opportunity to book a unit. I don't know what the solution would be, but I do think it is a shame that they can't get into the resorts - just my opinion.
Apparently it is not a level playing field because we have folks on this board that keep saying they can't get even one unit at a resort of their choice for a whole season, yet they see multiple units being rented out. A level playing field would mean everyone gets a fair chance - this is not the case. This causes people to become frustrated with Bluegeen, and it doesn't help Bluegreen's reputation, and may lead to more defaults. There are complaints all over the web about people that bought from vacation clubs and couldn't ever get in during the time they needed. From what I can tell from reading posts and talking to other owners, the problem is not people booking multiple units for family (as you mention), or booking one or two to rent out - I have heard several times on these boards that there are some owners that have so many points that they can book many units at a time to rent out - in effect monopolizing the available units.
If people pay for Bluegreen points and maintenance fees each year, why should they be forced to pay again and rent from Craig's list because some owners are booking multiple units to rent? It is smart for them because they make money to pay off maintenance fees with the rentals. However, they are blocking other owners from getting a unit. You say to these people "pick a different time or different resort, problem solved". That seems a bit selfish. Just remember, some of these people may have paid top dollar for their points and should be entitled to time at their favorite resort during their favorite season too.Comment
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Maybe Bluegreen could do something similar to Marriott - Marriott allows only 50% of the units to be booked at the 13 month window (at least for weeks, don't know about the new points system), the other 50% at 12 months out. It is still hard to get in during prime time - even with them breaking the time/ownership into seasons. At Bluegreen, 50% of the available units (some are fixed week owners and wouldn't be available) could be given to wait list customers and 50% could be reserved for the 11 month booking window. That way the premieres (mainly Platinum) could still get their units booked ahead of time, but there would be some availability at the 11 month window which would be a free for all - premieres that didn't get confirmed with the wait list or who didn't get all the units they needed off the wait list, and the non-premieres (the little guy) that is trying to get a unit or two for his family at the 11 month mark. I would think this would be more fair. But, I already know there will be those that totally disagree - but this is a discussion forum for all types of owners, so thought I would mention.Comment
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Unfortunately, the VERY small window at Big Cedar that people find acceptable to travel - kids summer vacation - weeks 23-33 and the fact that there are people who OWN deeded summer weeks gives the appearance that it is hard to book vacations with BG points.
I have no interest in visiting this resort/area.
Our member Anita has posted availability at Big Cedar throughout the summer at the 11 month mark - so we KNOW there is availability for standard owners.
She has posted week by week availability at all the high demand resorts at high demand times - go to the BG HOA forum on this board to see the results.
Her information supports the fact that there actually is availability at these resorts during prime time.
If people are truly limited to a few weeks a year they can vacation and only one resort they want to go to, they need to purchase a fixed/float week at that resort in the season/weeks they need, a points system where everyone is allowed to book any resort is probably not going to work.
Example - friends are at Marriott Surfwatch this week - they love it and want to buy.
Marriott is trying to sell them 5,500 points (think $60,000+) so they can book this resort with destination points.
I advised them that they will NOT be able to get this resort with points during Platinum season because so many people own a week in that season - and they either use it or rent it for 2-3Xs the maint fee. Marriott would need an owner of a week to give their unit to the points system and it is just not going to happen.
I referred them to redweek & myresortnetwork to buy a platinum resale week that entitles them to a week every year when they want to do.
If going to Big Cedar is such a wish, it makes sense to find a deeded week/unit that you want and just go every year.Comment
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Thanks, Pat, my thoughts run along those lines, also. If you gotta be at Place X at Time Y, BUY IT.
Planning ahead is key, being flexible is important. It's ridiculous to buy into a mini-system if there is only one resort you want to visit. It wasn't so long ago that no one outside of BG knew about Big C and now it's all the rage!
Any person can buy a ton of points - Any Person - and have the earliest waitlist possible, but even then, only one person can be at the top of the list. People with lots of points can waitlist before the others. To me, it would be unfair to punish the high-pointed people (no, I am not one of those, I am merely bronze). I've never waitlisted, mostly because I've not had any "MUST BE THERE" situations. I apparently treat vacationing a lot more casually than many timesharers. But I have managed to get ressies at places/times that had been booked up, and managed to get in by way of someone's cancellation.
nobody is Forcing anyone to rent off Craig's list or anywhere else. That's adding drama where none exists. One of the nice things about BG is that you can rent out your reservations. I do not want to see that change, either.
If you can't be there any other way, why wouldn't you rent? It's not like you were going to use your points there, so use them somewhere else to book something to rent out to have the cash to rent from another owner. It's all playing within the rules. mega owners are not evil corporations trying to screw you out of a vacation.
My points weren't free, first purchase was from developer. It costs me money every year, too. And I know that if I have my heart set on a certain time and place that I need to plan ahead and get on it as early as possible and keep checking on it (people DO cancel). Or, I could check once, find it booked, and start posting complaints about "I never get a vacation" - same crap you hear about RCI - what, Not One Week available out of thousands of resorts? no, Not The One That Person Wanted That Week. not the same thing at all. And we see it all the time - "there was no vacation for me" means "I couldn't have exactly what I wanted at the first shot, so I decided to have no vacation rather than settle for anything other than my top choice or to keep checking, but this way, I can complain and make someone else the bad guy when it was really my inaction that cost me that reservation..."
A lot of the complaints are people that didn't plan ahead or don't understand what they bought or simply can't/won't change the plan they came up with too late to get their chosen resort.
You can call me selfish, but I prefer the term practical. If what you are doing isn't working, do something else. Can't get Big C in June or July? try May or August. Or try Falls Village. Some of my best vacations have been to places I booked simply because they were available.
Can't be flexible? Get a fixed week where no flex is required.
BG works great for me and I will never be in favor of taking away rights from the many to benefit the few.
Not trying to rag on you, Hac, just trying to fill in the larger picture. BG is a points system. that means a network of resorts. It's not the least bit feasible for all owners to visit Big C every summer. If a person cannot be flexible, BG may not be the system for them.Comment
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It used to be that you could only book full weeks at 11 months, partial weeks at 7 months. Problem was, people that didn't really want a full week would hog it at 11 months, then drop days at the 7 month mark.
There have been rule changes here and there when BG finds something isn't working.
I don't like holding back inventory, tho. If bookings are allowed, it should all be on the table.
Something that maybe you do not know - there are no pre-bookings, it all happens at 11 month window. Next time you are planning a vacation, start calling at 11 months TO THE DAY, the moment the call center opens, and keep calling. People DO cancel, not all waitlist requests are filled, etc etc. You can also score summer trips well beyond the 11 mo window. no reason to give up.
I would like to see you get a trip with the kiddoes. and keep bringing up ideas. doesn't matter if I'm in favor of them or not - I don't make the rules!!Comment
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First of all, I am not one of those that has been trying to get a prime week at Big Cedar with the kiddoes. I would love to get there one of these days, but have never been. It would be a long haul for us. I am one that uses Bonus Time as much as I use points, so I am flexible. I have just read quite a few posts amongst several forums indicating people were disappointed because they couldn't get into what they wanted, and I guess I am sympathetic. And yes, many of them don't plan ahead. But some do call first thing on the 11th month mark and can't get in. I would agree, a fixed week might be better if you have a certain resort and week you need to travel, but we all the know the sales people don't touch on that.
I am also aware that no pre-bookings are allowed. That nobody clears the wait list until 11 months out. But, of course Bluegreen takes off the waitlist before they open up the 11 month availability. It sounded to me as though a few people were taking the lion's share of prime weeks, based on compilations of posts I have read. I have also read in posts over the years that Bluegreen's wait list policy is supposed to only allow wait list reservations with "qualified points" - so if an owner has 150,000 points, but only 50,000 are qualified, they can only use those to get on the waitlist. Is this the case? Because I have read other posts that indicate Bluegreen is not really enforcing this policy. So, it would be interesting to know as this might shed some light on why the wait list doesn't work so well for lower tiers of premiere. We were told by one owner that there are not that many Platinum owners.
I had also heard that owners were booking whole weeks when they only wanted partial weeks - then they would drop the extra days. I assume this still goes on - if someone wants a prime weekend but not necessarily the week before, they can book the prior week and then drop the days they don't need?
Everyone's situation is different - what works for one might not work well for another (ex. those that are flexible vs. those that are not, those that rent vs. those that do not, those that have a lot of points vs. those that do not), and I know there is a lot of devil's advocate going on. I, for one, understand where some of these people are coming from - it might not be my situation, but I am from a family of teachers and heard the frustration when they couldn't get a vacation for the week they were off. So, I was brain storming for a way these types of owners might be able to have a fighting chance to get the specific week they need. Maybe their situation has changed and they can't afford to drive very far for a vacation, or maybe they wish they had purchased a fixed week now that they know what they know now - but can't sell or even give away the Bluegreen points to get something more suitable..............................
I guess the key to these discussion is we have to agree to disagree on some of this stuff, and respect each other's situations and opinions.Comment
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Well, I haven't been on this forum in a while. Last time I made everyone mad by saying something negative about "The Almighty Boca Bum". I have 36000 non-qualified points. I have tried to get hi use reservations for well over a year at big cedar, New Orleans, and several of the Atlantic Oceans locations at the 11 month mark. I have been absolutely unsuccessful. The problem is that until the last 2 or 3 years if you bought points from someone other than bluegreen or pinnacle, they would transfer as qualified points. Then bluegreen change that to requiring you to buy from them or pinnacle (also them) at a minimum of $1.25 per point. That's all good, but the problem with that is they grandfathered all of those that previously worked the system. Now many of those (non-legitimate) Platinums are buying 10s of 1000s of points at pennies on the dollar and using them to book prime weeks at prime locations and then they sell the bookings for profit. I doubt very seriously that more than just a very few actually paid the $75000 necessary now to become a Platinum member.
If you want fairness, lobby Bluegreen to take away premiere status on every point that was not purchased from them or pinnacle. This is causing the value of the points of the majority of owners to be nearly worthless, unless you want to stay at some obscure resort during the most undesirable time of year.
If you are going to tell me that anything I have just written is not true, you are either one of the Platinums that I refer to or you have never tried to book big cedar in the summer. (oh, exception - concierge or presidential 30,000 points a week for villa that is way too small for that many points.)
Bluegreen has some great resorts, and for the most part they are a good timeshare to own, but the bookings are getting harder and harder and if more people don't start speaking up, we are all going to be relegated to Falls Village or some other inadequate place. \
A thread a read a few minutes ago asked if it matters what resort you buy at.
Not only does it matter, but you better look at what unit they put you in and what week. 6000 of my point are at Big Cedar week 24 in a concierge villa, Tuesday and Wednesday only. Why would they sell someone 6000 points, while, I am certain, pointing out how that could be used to stay for a whole week, when they know the only way that person will be staying at Big Cedar is if he claims his Tuesday and Wednesday during the 13th month.Comment
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I hear you, but why should I be penalized for owning BG before you? I'm not Plat, merely Bronze, I didn't have the bucks to buy up cheap contracts (more than a couple years ago, I think the change was around 2006) and be stuck with maint, I only have 16000, over half from BG directly.
If you have gone around picking up contracts and finding it not working how you expected, blaming other owners isn't the answer. Go Legit and get some of the real owner perks that will allow you to get those elusive ressies with waitlist.
But don't start beating the drum for IT's NOT FAIR when you, me, and everyone else had the same opportunity to pick up cheap points that applied toward status. I don't feel that I should suddenly be penalized for having been an owner for over a decade just because your bag of aftermarket points won't get you what you want.
Do you really think that BG would penalize all the folks that did buy from them in favor of those of you who bought nothing from them? Nice thought, but I won't be joining that campaign and most likely, you will only have other resale buyers marching with you.Comment
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I am in favor of BG limiting the number of non-owner check-ins - especially during prime time. If the mega-owners want a rental business then they should buy some condos and rent them all year. It is completely unfair for owners that bought into the system so they can actually take vacations to have the units taken up because they are being rented out.Comment
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I should add I am perfectly fine with an owner reserving multiple units as long as they are going to be there to check in.Comment
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If they limit non-owner check-ins, that would also apply to my friends and family and your friends and family. That sweet honeymoon couple whose parents have been friends of yours for decades? out on their ear, also. That's not the way to do it.
You'd also get your own rentals sidelined.
Nothing stopping you from picking up a cheap rental as costwise it could be cheaper than using your points. If you can't beat them, why not take advantage of the opportunity to save your points and pay less?
BG has become popular, maybe too much so, but altho the network keeps expanding, it's not their fault that so many people only want to go to a few resorts during limited timeframes. No rule will solve that.
Easy to take potshots at mega owners, but are you SURE they are the ones holding the ressies you want? there are A Lot of owners now.Comment
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Better Yet, why should everyone else be penalized because you were grandfathered. This is an argument for everyone, not just you, not just me. I too have points directly from BG and like you they were not enough for premiere status. Not that that matters. One of the contracts that I bought for 10k points, the seller told me he was sick of not being able to use the points because everywhere he wanted to go was booked. Because of that, he was willing to sell me points that he paid $16K for $100. Great deal for me but pretty sad for him. How many other 10s or 100s or maybe 1000s of owners who also cannot afford to pay $90K for point have given up and decided to just unload. You think you will be penalized if you lose your Bronze status, but the truth is, you would likely have more booking opportunities at the 11mo point with my suggestion than you would with your bronze status. The losers in this proposition would be the (as someone else so appropriately called them) mega owners, who put themselves on the waitlist at 15 months and take all of the prime reservations so they can sell them.
As for limiting non-owner check-ins, my parents, before they passed, were owners at Silver Leaf (yuck) and they could not have anyone check in unless they were physically there and that was a fixed week plan. The two things that attracted me the most with bluegreen were the fact that I could have my in-laws or my kids or whoever I want use my points if I choose, and Big Cedar.
The solution (which would be better for most owners) is take away the grandfather clause. Stop allowing mega-owners, who paid pennies on the dollar for most if not all of their points, to make financial profit on the backs of the majority of owners who do not get a reasonable shot at bookings, but probably paid more for their points than the mega-owners did.Comment
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Originally posted by motomem View Post
It really bugs me when I go online at exactly midnight on the 11 month point and try to book something, unsuccessfully, and then a few weeks later go on craigs list and see the exact booking that I wanted being sold for $1,200 to $1,500. That devalues everyones points. If you ever want to sell your deed, it will be worthless because no one would want to buy something they can't use.Comment
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