DRI continues tradition of making things right

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

Here, and OY, I've often sung the praises of Sunterra for always doing what they said they would do and making things right when a mistake was made. I've had a problem since the Spring when I bought a bunch of Trust properties. The broker paid Sunterra the maintenance fees for the current year.... I had already paid 2008 MFs on a couple Trust contracts because I was already borrowing next year's points. When everything got added together I was somehow now in the hole for 2007 MFs?? I contacted the broker who assured me that they had paid all current fees, they contacted Sunterra and my account was 'corrected' to reflect zero balance. But wait, I'd paid ahead on a couple of my Trust contracts??

Met the Director of Operations and one of her principal assistants when at the Trust annual meeting last week. Expressed my concerns that I was still not whole. They promised to look into it. Today I received an email that said that they had found two contracts with pending funds to be transferred to my account. When you have an account as large and cumbersome as mine, mistakes can happen. They have been fixed. Good job DRI .

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

Spence, I am sure that with the amount of points you have, and the contacts that you have, you get better service and responses than us average little guy. I normally pay my MF's 18 -24 months in advance, and have to fight with them every year when I try to make a reservation.

Always the same line, we see the payment, but that was for this year not next year. I am going through that right now again. I keep thinking that one of these years the will get it right, but I may be waiting a while.

Steve

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

Spence, I am sure that with the amount of points you have, and the contacts that you have, you get better service and responses than us average little guy. I normally pay my MF's 18 -24 months in advance, and have to fight with them every year when I try to make a reservation.

Always the same line, we see the payment, but that was for this year not next year. I am going through that right now again. I keep thinking that one of these years the will get it right, but I may be waiting a while.

Steve

In the past I had a similar problem. I managed to make life easier by waiting to pay my MF until I was ready to go ahead and make a reservation. When I was ready to make a reservation or deposit my unit for a search I'd call and pay the MF, then ask to be transfered over to reservations where I would then make my reservation. Since using this technique there's not been a problem with keeping track of what was paid and for what year. At least there hasn't been a problem so far.

I think part of the problem is most developers and HOA's aren't set up to take advance payments yet they require advance payments to make future reservations. That's one thing I like about our Marriott and Hilton ownerships. We can make future reservations/deposits without paying MF's in advance. With our ownerships that don't do this it's always been something of a PIA to keep track of because they often don't keep adaquate records when you're paid in advance. Exactly why it's so hard for them to keep acurate records that your paid in advance I can't say but it does seem to be a problem. It's a problem that needs to be solved.