PerryM is doing a webinar right now on points!

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

I am listening to it at the moment but you can hear it later too. It's interesting to listen to him.

Timeshare Wizard

[billymach4 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close billymach4]

I knew it!

I just saw that OY and sent a request at 8:59.

He now says he likes the point system for resale owners. HUH?

Also I have suspected that he was behind that Timeshare wizard site. Good for him!

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

I just saw that OY and sent a request at 8:59.

He now says he likes the point system for resale owners. HUH?

Also I have suspected that he was behind that Timeshare wizard site. Good for him!

Interesting. Perry and I always seem to be on the opposite sides of the fence.

I can see advantages for some owners. Resale owners who purchased cheap with the intention of only exchanging within the Marriott system and prefer short stays, especially mid-week stays, may like this system. Even direct purchasers who occasionally exchange their entire week may find the flexability useful. Owners who don't have lock-out units and own weeks that recieve a useful amount of points may be able to stretch their usage in ways they never have been able to do before.

Owners like myself probably won't find it of much use. We own lock-out units. We use our home resort weeks in the master suite and exchange the lock-out. Generally speaking, we've been able to either trade for equal size units or, in many cases, trade up to a larger size unit. We've exchanged our Grand Chateau master suite the last two years using request first. We were perfectly happy to use our home resort week but, there was a couple of places we wanted to go if the exchange could be made. Request first works very well for us when we think we'd be happy going someplace else with our Grand Chateau master suite.

Based on our past usage and based on Marriott shorting us enough points to reserve our home resort AND have the left over points from the lock-out, this program doesn't work for us. We'll continue on as we have in the past. Until I see it in writing that I can reserve the week I want to deposit for exchange, can utilize request first and have online access to complete my own exchanges rather than call Marriott, I'll stick with my personal account rather than join the new Marriott exchange program. Even if I do maintain all control of my weeks and deposits, I'm not certain that it's cost effective to pay Marriott $695 up front plus $165/year to cover all expenses involved with locking-out and exchanging. Based on what I find out about controling my weeks will decide if the program is cost effective or if it's something for me to ignore completely.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

You can listen to it later again or contact him. He is going to have a follow up next week. He was on the phone with Marriott for hours on end and I don't feel as bad as before. He wants to explain it himself so can't write more. He explained it well. I believe he is or was a teacher and he is very clear.

It's ironic that it's coming from Perry's mouth while he was most critical of Marriott in his posts. I wonder now if this was done on purpose to prepare us for the worst. Who knows?

I heard what I wanted to hear so feel better.

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

Or I could be wrong. According to Marriott, I can still choose the week I want for deposit and I can utilize request first. So, the cost analysis changes.

Current usage would be $84/yearly I.I. Fee, $150 for two lock-off fee's, $200 for two exchange fee's per year and, if we do a request first, potentially $300 in exchange fee's. Yearly cost $434 to $534.

Marriott would charge me $695 to join plus $165/year membership fee. The total is $860. Add another year of membership fee's and the second year cost is $1,025 vs $784 as a normal member. The third year it would be $1,180 points member vs $1,134. By the fourth year, not counting the time value of money, I would be past the break even point. If I have a successful request first exchange with our Grand Chateau master suite, we're past the break even point by three years and are then begining to save money.

In my analysis, I haven't taken the I.I. membership fee into consideration past the second year. I still have a Branson week I purchased resale. If I join the Marriott program, I may give that week away to eliminate the MF and the I.I. yearly membership fee all together. It's not that it's a bad week. I've done well exchanging it into bigger and more expensive resorts. But, it may end up not being cost effective for use to maintain it between the MF's, the yearly I.I. fee and the exchange fee's.

Perhaps I can work this new program to our advantage after all.

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

After reading your post last night, I signed up and the system responded that I would be contacted 'later'. Upon perusing the site again today, I'm unclear how one can listen to the webinar 'later'. The site is generally devoid of any content other than the advertisement of the webinar.

The fuse got lit but never made it to the bomb

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

After reading your post last night, I signed up and the system responded that I would be contacted 'later'. Upon perusing the site again today, I'm unclear how one can listen to the webinar 'later'. The site is generally devoid of any content other than the advertisement of the webinar.

The fuse got lit but never made it to the bomb

You just made the perfect characterization of PerryM.

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

You just made the perfect characterization of PerryM.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

Have an open mind and listen to him. He may let you listen free of charge.

He must be starting to charge for his eBooks or Webinars for point owners who don't have a clue what to do with them. Other people have done it before so why not?

It's a little strange that he was one of the biggest Marriott bashers on the Marriott board and now feels that the new system is great and he posted too that he has signed up already. His posts made many people respond to him and it gave us a chance to see other people's view so that wasn't bad. We can always learn from each other.

[The Conch Man Past Goumba President & BigFrank's Cigar Buddy! Find all posts View Profile Close The Conch Man]

Merlin, they are the same person, Perry!!!

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

I would feel more positive and confident about the whole thing, including Perry's business savvy, if he'd operate openly and conspicuously, like Clark does with Ownertrades. Out there, like a real business, like mine is (nothing to do with timeshares). Nebulous intrigue may make for good novels but it does nothing to bolster customer confidence. Look at the Marriott points rollout for guidance in that area

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

I would feel more positive and confident about the whole thing, including Perry's business savvy, if he'd operate openly and conspicuously, like Clark does with Ownertrades. Out there, like a real business, like mine is (nothing to do with timeshares). Nebulous intrigue may make for good novels but it does nothing to bolster customer confidence. Look at the Marriott points rollout for guidance in that area

I feel the same way. I also like to know why he changed his view 100%. I still have my doubts about the new point system as you will never have enough points to stay up to date.