$70 Assessment to TheClub Members - "Club Special Fee"

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

We passionately believe that the emphasis on service and quality of offering is of paramount importance for our members and are certain you will agree that the additional member benefits and services being offered more than offset this small supplement billing for the 2008 dues for THE Club.sM

"small supplement billing"......according to who?!? Changing annual club fees from $150 to $220 is about a 50% increase.

[NICKY Member Find all posts View Profile Close NICKY]

I receive the bill from the club today. 2008 -club special fee for $70. Due by 6-16-08.

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[Ryne08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ryne08]

I receive the bill from the club today. 2008 -club special fee for $70. Due by 6-16-08.

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Ditto: I received our club bill today.

[sb1070 Member Find all posts View Profile Close sb1070]

Ditto: I received our club bill today.

I Got Mine Too! Yeah! I Got My Bill Today Too! Now I Can Post On The Board Like The Rest Of You Lucky Bill Receivers!

Now I'm A Member Of The I Got The 1st Of A Long List Of Increases From Diamond And I Can't Wait To Tell Everyone On The Boards, Club!!

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

We have owned with DRI since 1998. In that time they have had two special assessments. The other 5 resorts we own have had only 1 special assessment between them and that was due to getting hit by a couple of hurricanes in one year.

I am not, nor have I ever been, impressed with how DRI manages it's money or handles the maintenance fee's. Despite having fee's in the Marriott range, DRI collects less than half of what Marriott or Hilton collect for the reserve fund. Something just doesn't seem right.

That assumes you are paying DRI for resort maintenance fees. For many members that is billed separately from the resorts - DRI does collect it for the trust resorts (along with MORE overhead costs) This isn't even for that but for the mere overhead of the Club system. Can you spell ripoff?

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

Diamond is STEALING from us AGAIN.

2008-Club Special Fee - Billed 5/12 Due 6/16 $70.00

Increase in price due to closing of Diamond call center in India to the NEW US base. FUNNY, I NEVER EVER have talked to anyone in India . . . and God only know how many times I have "communicated" with Sunterra/Diamond to straighten up their INFERIOR operation. I have talked to Vegas only.

We took a HUGE hit last year from Diamond's Board of Directors who lowered our point value for dues payment by 40% without any Pre-Notification. Their answer to me was "We are a private corportation and we can do anything we want and we not required to notify anyone about any increases."

As we all know, the point values of the Diamond Resort "Contracted Affiliations" is the MOST EXPENSIVE "Trade" in the timeshare industry - and their properties, at least the ones I have visited, is average at best. The only thing Diamond has going for their members of "The Club" is their affiliation with II and their Club Select program.

The "Club" launched Resort Options. Does anyone know what this means. I never received any emails or mail re: this.

The "Club" now has negotiated for us to be "upgraded" to "GOLD" membership
in II. Does anyone know what this means? I never received any emails or mail re: this.

- Entertainment discounts - Does anyone know what this means? I never received any emails or mail re: this.

- Gold Concierge - Does anyone know what this means? I never received any emails or mail re: this.

ETC ETC ETC . . .

QUOTE by Sarah Hulme, Vice President of Global Operations: "We passionately believe that that the emphasis on service and quality of offering is of paramount importance for our members and are certain you will agree (HA!) that the additional member benefits (HA!) and services being offered MORE THAN OFFSETS this SMALL supplemental billing for 2008.

This Sarah would make a great vice-president for the guy with big ears with nothing between them - the guy who believes that the US has 58 states but has only visited 57 of these states as he has not visited the 58th state Alaska Hawaii.

If anybody is interested, I will be pleased to offer you my TRUE FEELINGS regarding Diamons Resorts.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

I'm not asking about the true feelings. After 2 bankruptcies with these guys they changed their name but I have no desire to play with them. I remember someone asking me what I thought of their stock (Sunterra) around the turn of the century. I took one quick look at the balance sheet and told him to stay away from that debt ridden loser- they went belly up before another year had passed.

[EileenSRN Member Find all posts View Profile Close EileenSRN]

I don't know if it's worth it for me to stay in The Club. We've got a measely 6000 Options which represents a C&D at Powhatan in Feb. At least with Spence's help, we didn't get taken for the 12K ride with Sunterra to convert. We did shell out about 3K(?), but with this increase in annual membership fee, it's almost as much as 2 RCI exchange fees. It's hard to find 2 weeks at 3000 Options each.
Eileen

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

I don't know if it's worth it for me to stay in The Club. We've got a measely 6000 Options which represents a C&D at Powhatan in Feb. At least with Spence's help, we didn't get taken for the 12K ride with Sunterra to convert. We did shell out about 3K(?), but with this increase in annual membership fee, it's almost as much as 2 RCI exchange fees. It's hard to find 2 weeks at 3000 Options each.
Eileen

You need more points!

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

I'm not asking about the true feelings. After 2 bankruptcies with these guys they changed their name but I have no desire to play with them. I remember someone asking me what I thought of their stock (Sunterra) around the turn of the century. I took one quick look at the balance sheet and told him to stay away from that debt ridden loser- they went belly up before another year had passed.

While I agree with your assessement of the old Sunterra, DRI is not the same company. There is no stock as Sunterra was purchased and taken private by Stephen Cloobeck and his investors.

So it's not just a name change. It's similar to when TWA went bankrupt and AA bought them out. Sunterra no longer exists just like TWA no longer exists. DRI has been in business since sometime in the 80's I believe without ever going belly up.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

DRI does have a new approach

While I agree with your assessement of the old Sunterra, DRI is not the same company. There is no stock as Sunterra was purchased and taken private by Stephen Cloobeck and his investors.

So it's not just a name change. It's similar to when TWA went bankrupt and AA bought them out. Sunterra no longer exists just like TWA no longer exists. DRI has been in business since sometime in the 80's I believe without ever going belly up.

I have to back up Doug about DRI. While they have shown signs of the old Sunterra in areas like communications (seriously lacking) and a tendency toward sudden and unexpected fees that triggered this thread overall they are not the company they bought out (and basically saved for the third time). While I'm not sure that the upscale chintz look of a LV based resort really belongs in Williamsburg or Orlando at least they are trying to create a consistent guest experience and get an identity that tells you you are at a Diamond operated resort. That was lacking for a very long time with Sunterra as they floundered from whim to whim and struggled with lack of available funding.

I admire what Diamond has bit off and wish them the very best in achieving their vision. On the other hand I'm very happy that my direct link to them - and therefore the costs of implementing that vision - is limited to my voluntarily membership in The Club with my independent deeded resort ownership rather than having become part one of the undeeded trust systems. So I have a $1200 cost from 1999 to join the Club and my ongoing, and suddenly $70 per year higher, Club fees. Not much risk there as all I need to do is opt out at any point and I'm back to a full week of ownership at a great resort we love that trades well with RCI, SFX, II and others - the only thing I'd be losing is the flexibilty of the Club Points (I like them very much) and the free (well, it seems not so free anymore) use of the corporate II account through Diamond. As long as those are worth at least the annual fee I'll stick. As soon as they are a bad deal (and at $229/year that point may not be far off) I'll bail. It is extremely interesting to watch the drama unfold in the meantime as the resorts under direct DRI/RPM managements are most likely in for a real costly ride with very limited owner input. I'll be watching!

[Ryne08 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Ryne08]

I agree with timeos2, Sunterra and DRI are totally two different companies with totally different goals, objectives, missions and visions. I do beleive in the future you will see DRI and RPM go their separate ways or RPM will change their name to reflect a total break from the old practices of Sunterra.

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

39 calls ahead of you; your wait time 33 minutes

I was told today when I called about the $70 I owe that the extra Dues were because of the extra cost of a US call center. They closed the India call center due to the number of complaints and it costs more to run it in the US.Venda

Wonder where the money went, there must be one person at the LasVegas call center this afternoon!
39 calls ahead of you; your wait time 33 minutes

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

Wonder where the money went, there must be one person at the LasVegas call center this afternoon!

now
32 calls ahead of you; your wait time 35 minutes

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

now
32 calls ahead of you; your wait time 35 minutes

10 minutes on hold and my wait time is now 32 minutes