Just found this ebay auction, I think this fits as a horror story!

[love2fly Member Find all posts View Profile Close love2fly]

thanks for the .02 I called EXACTLY @ 9:00 am when I was supposed to. I did this 2 weeks in a row so that I could be flexable. Both times SOLD OUT. I dont want to have to go thru II every time I want my resort!!!!!!!!!!!! I appreciate all the solutions, I just want to be there at my convienience, not theirs. Thats why I bought this.

SOLD OUT ....

MB is a huge resort. How can 50% sell out between 9:00 and 9:00? I think there are some shenanigans at work here! Somebody is giving these weeks to their friends or selling them off the back of a truck.

In this thread http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=16769 I wondered how long before we get some internet-based reservation for float weeks? Something like Ebay? Ebay is not perfect for everything, but it seems very transparent and difficult to cheat.

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

SOLD OUT ....

MB is a huge resort. How can 50% sell out between 9:00 and 9:00? I think there are some shenanigans at work here! Somebody is giving these weeks to their friends or selling them off the back of a truck.

In this thread http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...ad.php?t=16769 I wondered how long before we get some internet-based reservation for float weeks? Something like Ebay? Ebay is not perfect for everything, but it seems very transparent and difficult to cheat.

you have to realize that there is always a small supply of "ocean front" units.

it is not 50% of the resort that is sold out when he is calling. it is 50% of the ocean front units......i don't know how many ocean front units are in this resort, but there may be as few as 25....leaving only 12/13 at the 12 month mark.

if you are looking for a particular week, it will always be extremely difficult getting that week.........a floating system may not be the best thing for someone in this position.

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

I do not agree.

Others on this thread are stating they do not think this is fair that 50% of reservations are given at 13 months but most TS 'systems' have 'perks' for owners/members who own large quantities of their product.
Some call it VIP - but most have advantages to owning more then one week or lots of points

The system would be fair if 50% of all the Marriott customers would own more than one week and can book their week 13 months out but I doubt that this is the case. For instance, if only 35% of the timeshare owners own more than two weeks, then that leaves 65% of the one week Marriott owners trying to reserve their reservations with the other 50% of inventory. These figures do not add up so someone is not getting their week. Do you see what I mean? Let me know if you see it differently?

I also would like to know how Marriott will handle this if over half of their customers buy that second week? In that case, the one week owners will have an easier time booking reservations. To me, this was a very poorly executed plan.

It was good for the Marriott because it was a great sales tool to entice existing customers to buy more weeks but now the flaws of the system are coming to light slowly besides selling too many platinum weeks where only a few weeks are in high demand. JMHO.

Instead of implementing this plan, it would have been almost better if Marriott too had gone over to a point-based type of system like everyone else has done with floating weeks.

I wonder how they are going to iron this out eventually?

[love2fly Member Find all posts View Profile Close love2fly]

... Any way my plan is working, I am receiving many helpful emails. That is how I ended up here...

Have you heard anything from Marriott??

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

emmy

The system would be fair if 50% of all the Marriott customers would own more than one week and can book their week 13 months out but I doubt that this is the case. For instance, if only 35% of the timeshare owners own more than two weeks, then that leaves 65% of the one week Marriott owners trying to reserve their reservations with the other 50% of inventory. These figures do not add up so someone is not getting their week. Do you see what I mean? Let me know if you see it differently?

emmy,

i understand pat's point, and i agree that most systems give perks to those who own large quantities of their product.

the reason i feel the 13 month rule is unfair, is because it is not given to those who simply own two weeks. those weeks most coincide with each other.......that's what is unfair in my opinion. also, those weeks do not have to be purchased directly from marriott.

for instance, i personally purchased two timeshares directly from marriott, paying top dollar for them. in all likely hood, i would have been able to purchase three, if not four timeshares on the resale market for the same amount of money.

meanwhile, i do not qualify for the 13 month rule, while someone who bought resale, not giving $45,000 to marriott, or 1 cent to marriott, for that matter can qualify.

i feel that if "perks" are going to be given out, they should be given out to those who lined marriott's pocket with the big bucks. also, not allowing the 13 month rule unless your weeks coincide just stinks....imho.....

i am obvious aware that i have the option to trade my week in for points, and the resale buyer can not....but still, it think it's a bad deal.

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

Imagine having one nice week in one nice location and a number of cheap not so nice weeks in not so nice locations, say 3 or 4, but in the same season as the nice week. Then, using the 13 month rule for consecutive reservations, call in at 13 months prior to the first cheap week, reserve the whole slew, with the nice week positioned last (and guiding the process). I think you get my drift

What remains is for the OP to search out cheap Marriott resale weeks which match up with their season.

We have consecutive season weeks at one of the worst Marriott's for reserving at 12 months, NCV (Newport Coast), so my first order of business (if we don't sell in 2008) is to bulk up on those cheap MDS blue weeks and sock it to 'em

Nice auction (and manifesto), BTW. Welcome to TS4M's, OP.

Pat

[love2fly Member Find all posts View Profile Close love2fly]

... it is not 50% of the resort that is sold out when he is calling. it is 50% of the ocean front units......i don't know how many ocean front units are in this resort, but there may be as few as 25....leaving only 12/13 at the 12 month mark...

I do not think so ... I looked at the ebay listing, and it says "Im sorry, that resort is all sold out!"

gjradz, please correct me if I am wrong, but I again assert my assumption of foul play. And I would have been in the same position as you if I wasn't warned about NCV.

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

I do not think so ... I looked at the ebay listing, and it says "Im sorry, that resort is all sold out!"

gjradz, please correct me if I am wrong, but I again assert my assumption of foul play. And I would have been in the same position as you if I wasn't warned about NCV.

based on the ebayer stating that he owned an ocean front unit, and based on him auctioning off an ocean front unit, i would think he is referring to "ocean front" units......that is what i was assuming at any rate, but, perhaps you are correct.

So I have up for Auction a 2 bed, 2 bath Ocean Front condo with a Friday arrival to Friday stay. Please bid with confidence!

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

Imagine having one nice week in one nice location and a number of cheap not so nice weeks in not so nice locations, say 3 or 4, but in the same season as the nice week. Then, using the 13 month rule for consecutive reservations, call in at 13 months prior to the first cheap week, reserve the whole slew, with the nice week positioned last (and guiding the process). I think you get my drift

What remains is for the OP to search out cheap Marriott resale weeks which match up with their season.

We have consecutive season weeks at one of the worst Marriott's for reserving at 12 months, NCV (Newport Coast), so my first order of business (if we don't sell in 2008) is to bulk up on those cheap MDS blue weeks and sock it to 'em

Nice auction (and manifesto), BTW. Welcome to TS4M's, OP.

Pat

exactly what i plan on doing..........

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

Imagine having one nice week in one nice location and a number of cheap not so nice weeks in not so nice locations, say 3 or 4, but in the same season as the nice week. Then, using the 13 month rule for consecutive reservations, call in at 13 months prior to the first cheap week, reserve the whole slew, with the nice week positioned last (and guiding the process). I think you get my drift

What remains is for the OP to search out cheap Marriott resale weeks which match up with their season.

We have consecutive season weeks at one of the worst Marriott's for reserving at 12 months, NCV (Newport Coast), so my first order of business (if we don't sell in 2008) is to bulk up on those cheap MDS blue weeks and sock it to 'em

Nice auction (and manifesto), BTW. Welcome to TS4M's, OP.

Pat

I knew Pat had the same problem but I was hoping that he would post it himself. He knows the problem all too well but it is because they sold too many platinum weeks at his resort. Only about from half June to the end of August should have been platinum weeks or whenever the schools are out. Most likely the system would have worked a lot better at the NCV Resort.

These happen to be the months that we stay away from the beach cities as it is way too crowded. No parking anywhere and long restaurant lines too and a beach full of people but that's life when you have kids.

Pat, if everybody buys that second week, the single week owners have it made.

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

with all the talk of marriott changing their system, i wonder if any of this will matter in a few years.

if they do go to points, and have their own internal exchange system, as predicted, these problems may no longer exist.

[love2fly Member Find all posts View Profile Close love2fly]

if they do go to points ... these problems may no longer exist.

Could you please elaborate?

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

exactly what i plan on doing..........

Angela, this is even worse. You spent big bucks at the developer and they didn't even tell you about this feature when you added your second week unless you wanted to buy at these two resorts only and at the season you did so it couln't be done.

Good luck with finding a cheap re-sale!

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

thank you all

Thanks for all the replies. I truly appreciate everyones concern. It is nice to know others have had the same problem. The room is a 2 bed 2 bath ocean front. It is totally awsum, and a terrific view. I was told by a company representative that there is shaddy things going on there, but they would deny this. I talked to owner services, they feel for me but just suggested using II to trade my week. I want a sunday check in because I drive from CT. With 2 small children flying is out of the question, and vacation time is a premium. I purchased this because it was supposed to fit into my plan. Someone had suggested contacting Marriott himself, thats next.

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

Angela, this is even worse. You spent big bucks at the developer and they didn't even tell you about this feature when you added your second week unless you wanted to buy at these two resorts only and at the season you did so it couldn't be done.

Good luck with finding a cheap re-sale!

emmy,

to tell you the truth, i don't really remember what they told us at the time we purchased our units.....they did try to sell us two weeks at each resort, and might very well have mentioned it. i could not swear that they did not.

at any rate, although i am not thrilled with this particular aspect of the marriott system, i really do love marriott. i have always had great vacations at their resorts, and have not had that much difficulty getting the weeks that i want.

i love their many locations, and the quality of their timeshares/hotels. also, we have always been treated with up most respect and consideration when staying at our timeshares.

in-fact, as i previous mentioned, i am considering purchasing another marriott.....this time, i will buy resale......