Bluegreen Vacation Club Forum

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

Welcome to Bluegreen!

Bluegreen is a great system, once you know how it works. Knowledge is power. Don't worry, Dad will end up Happy, so will You.

Whatever amount of points you bought will always allow you to reserve that unit week. But each resort has their own points chart and seasons do vary. We originally bought 8000 EOY which was not enuf for a full week in most cases, but we were able to stretch our points by using points during the week, bonus time for weekends. Seems you have already caught on to that!

Planning ahead is key if you simply must be at Resort X at Date Y. If you are flexible on either place or time, preferably BOTH, you can take some great vacations. Some of the trips we've taken were because there was availability in the timeframe we wanted but we were flexible with where to go.

The other thing to keep in mind if you are seeking the X and Y is that people do cancel. There have been times I was trying to get a reservation for a friend or family member and found no availability, but by calling back every so often, I have been successful.

Availability is a tricky thing. Prime time in prime locations will almost always be snapped up very quickly. I've not had what I would call problems with availability, but do note, I am not tied to the school calendar and generally like to go in the shoulder seasons both for weather and crowd purposes. For us, Bluegreen has been a terrific system that just keeps getting better. I have no reason to own anything else.

Check out the Yahoo Group for Bluegreen also. You can learn a ton there from owners.

[bobd1075 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bobd1075]

Separate Deed Take-away?

In Jan 2008 we bought an 8000 point package from BB using Pinnacle to add to our 13,000 points. Through the Pinnacle Vacations Agreement we qualified for Silver Preferred and everything is in order.

Recently at Christmas Mountain, Wisconsin Dells, the Sales Manager told us that since we have two deeds and one was “aftermarket” there is risk in the future that BlueGreen will take away Silver status and treat them as two separate contracts with separate maintenance fees. He cited a corporate memo dated May 2009 warning about future situations.

Do you know more about the risk of this happening to past transactions? Also what is true going forward? I have a friend who is interested in adding points.

Of course, for a mere minimum purchase of 4000 more points ($8400 +$360 closing) they would combine everything into one new deed.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

In Jan 2008 we bought an 8000 point package from BB using Pinnacle to add to our 13,000 points. Through the Pinnacle Vacations Agreement we qualified for Silver Preferred and everything is in order.

Recently at Christmas Mountain, Wisconsin Dells, the Sales Manager told us that since we have two deeds and one was “aftermarket” there is risk in the future that BlueGreen will take away Silver status and treat them as two separate contracts with separate maintenance fees. He cited a corporate memo dated May 2009 warning about future situations.

Do you know more about the risk of this happening to past transactions? Also what is true going forward? I have a friend who is interested in adding points.

Of course, for a mere minimum purchase of 4000 more points ($8400 +$360 closing) they would combine everything into one new deed.

When evaluating such risks, you need to look at the history of Bluegreen Management and what they do to support their current customers.

First, when you sign an agreement with Pinnacle Vacations, it clearly states that you qualify for all the rights and privileges of the Bluegreen Premier program based on how many points you own at the time of purchase.

Second, Bluegreen has a history of grandfathering in owners who have achieved certain levels of ownership if they have achieved those levels by legitimate means. Bluegreen grandfathered all owners into Premier who purchased prior to Feb 21, 2007. And, they even allowed the grandfather for purchases made as late as Aug of that year. Whenever Bluegreen makes a contractual commitment and changes the rules, I have ALWAYS seen them honor the terms of the original agreement.

Third, the ire it would create from resale owners flooding call centers is probably not worth the potential gain from such a takeaway. Think about it. If you were granted Premier through a legitimate method and later they took it away. How likely would you be to purchase from the next sales guy who offered you the same program?

Very unlikely that the sales guy saw such a memo. First of all, management would NOT send such a memo to sales. If they did, they would be shooting themselves in the foot.

I would simply ask for the sales guy to put that statement in writing so that you could verify it with Bluegreen executive management. You will never see a more beautiful moon walk in your life.

[jepbwp49 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close jepbwp49]

Welcome to the new Bluegreen Vacation Club forum. My name is Jim and I will be your moderator. Since there are so many Jim's in timesharing, I go by Boca or BB. You can address me in anyway that makes you feel most comfortable.

This forum is all about educating people on one of the best kept secrets in timesharing....the Bluegreen Vacation Club (BVC). I first became aware of Bluegreen through my good friend Bruce CZ who gave me a true education on the finer points of Christmas Mountain Village UDIs. In those discussions, Bruce introduced me to Bonus time. Living in Florida, where Bluegreen Corporation (NYSE: BXG) is headquartered, I found that I would have access to bonus time at dozens of resorts within driving distance for a really low fee. I became a member and got hooked.

There is a really good Yahoo Group for Bluegreen owners. If you become really interested in Bluegreen, I highly recommend joining.

In any event, I'll be compiling information on the Bluegreen Vacation Club in this forum for anyone interested in learning more about it.

If you have any specific questions that you feel better asking privately, please feel free to send me an email or private message. I'd be delighted to help you out.

Enjoy.

I just discovered this forum and have already learned a lot. I currently am a bronze member and am interested in upgrading to silver. Can you guide me as to the best way to do this? Currently I earn 32,000 points bi-annually.

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

i want out

brand new here. i really want out and don't know how to sell. own Bluegreen. found a company called pinnacle and ready to try them. anyone have a better idea or a reason not to mess w/ them?

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

brand new here. i really want out and don't know how to sell. own Bluegreen. found a company called pinnacle and ready to try them. anyone have a better idea or a reason not to mess w/ them?

Kenny,

Yes. Pinnacle is legitimate and a good place to sell your Bluegreen points. It costs $39 to list. They charge a hefty commission to sell, but since they are the only authorized reseller for Bluegreen points, people who buy there get the Premier and VIP features. Since I am a referral agent for Pinnacle, I can help you sell it. Let me know via private message your listing ID and I'll do my best to help you out with it.

Jim

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

Boca,
- what is a listing id?
- how do i go about reaching you w/ privat message?

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

Boca,
- what is a listing id?
- how do i go about reaching you w/ private message?

Kenny,

When you go to Pinnacle's Web site and search for units for sale, there is an ID number in the upper right of the unit's listing.

To PM anyone in the group, just click on their name and it is a menu option.

Charles

PS Boca is the real deal. I have worked with him on two sales and I have nothing but the best to say about him. He knows BG, he is fair, and he is helpful.

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

My wife and I are in Branson, MO and bought the one year sampler package from Bluegreen. We also locked in 18,000 points at $25,000 if we exercise in one year. I have a basic understanding of how the program works and felt the sampler package would give us a chance to take if for a drive before we committed the larger dollars. I would like to know where we go from here and if we should buy from Bluegreen, an authorized resell agent or from the resale market. Prices seem to be all over the map. I am also going to educate myself over the next few months on how the program works. It is my intention of using the program and making the most of it. Any help would be appreciated.

Ron Prater
Nashville, TN

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

The guy at the top of the page in the strange garb is BocaBum. He is a good contact for buying resale and be able to get the bennies that come with buying at the resort or from the authorized reseller.

Send him a private message (click on his name and find the PM part) and he will answer questions and get you set up as well as you want. If he doesn't answer right away, he has been traveling some and may not get your message right away. In fact, I haven't heard from him in a couple days. He is due to be checking the forum soon I would guess.

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

Welcome. Read, read, read

My wife and I are in Branson, MO and bought the one year sampler package from Bluegreen. I am also going to educate myself over the next few months on how the program works. Ron Prater Nashville, TN

Ron,

Buying a sampler to see how the system works is a great idea. Educating yourself on Bluegreen is great. Read the messages in this particular thread and other threads in this forum. Just about every question has been asked and answered many times. (Ignore the thread on what you get for an Owner's Update. I am in a ****ing match with a non-Bluegreen person and I don't think you will learn much. Well, maybe you will.) You might also consider joining the Bluegreen Yahoo Group. That will also give you an education.

In any event, welcome to the Bluegreen family.

Charles

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

Giving up

I have decided to give up on the timeshare deal. I only purchased 5K points and cannot make reservations until after the date I need to use my points and now want to sell my points and get out. I am not bitter but am wasting my money on maintenance fees for something I am not using. Any advice on how to best sell, rent or use these points would be greatly appreciated.

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

Borrow next year's points

Any advice on how to best ... use these points would be greatly appreciated.

I assume you are after high red time and when it falls your points will be saved and you can't use them for high red. One way out of that dilemma is to pay the next year's fees to borrow your points. Then you have extra time to use your points for high red time. Of course, it requires you to pay two year's fees in the first year you do it, but then you simply pay the next year's fees each year to borrow your points and you will always have access to high red time (based on availability of course).

Charles

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

BG Forum

My wife and I have been members for three+ years since our retirements and have traveled to four or five places every year since retirement. We have been very pleased with the resorts and services. Every employee we have talked to is happy to be working for BG and that matters. We have been to Myrtle Beach, Charleston, New Orleans, Virginia, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Florida. We began small in order to study the operation, but it soon became apparent we would need more points to enjoy the club in the way we wanted. We experienced two resorts before we went to Silver for a year and then to Gold when we were rather certain about the overall operation. We are sticking on Gold until such time as we can no longer get the reservations we desire. We bought five shares of their stock in order to keep an eye on the operation. We feel that if a member does not plan to use the club at least three times per year, it is not a wise investment because it will never sell for what is invested. Sales staff is mildly high pressure, but like everything else have a game plan before talking to them and when in doubt about buying, take a cooling of period. The deal offered will be there or something better will appear. Study the web page because there is a lot of information there on how to get the most out of your purchase. Meanwhile, we are off to Virginia followed by New Orleans, Charleston, North Myrtle Beach, Atlantic City and and are setting up 2011 beginning with Orlando.

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

I am in Crossville, TN and it sounds like you are beginning as we did three years ago. cjmcd@charter.net