Forget about Wyndham VIP Upgrades

[regatta333 Member Find all posts View Profile Close regatta333]

Because VIP upgrades can only be accomplished through a vacation counselor, it has made it effectively impossible to get one. Anyone reserving online will always have the advantage because of the wait times for the call center at 8am.

I've been looking every day to upgrade a 3 night reservation 1BD I have on 7/31. This was the only size unit available when I made my reservation. Online this morning, I saw a 2BD. I was previously told to tag this reservation (the system allows you to hold onto it for 15 minutes without completing the transaction) so I did this. When I got a VC on the line, she said I would have to release the unit and she would not be able to see it for another 15-20 minutes. She said I would need to do that and call back. Of course, when I called back, I was waiting for 25 minutes, during which time I saw the reservation come back into the system. I tried to tag it again, but got a message saying the online system was down. Kept trying to do this numerous times with the same result, until finally I no longer saw the 2BD--someone else snagged it.

Anyone contemplating spending any money to become a VIP owner should beware. VIP benefits have been seriously devalued. Practically speaking, unless you can get a VC on the phone within a couple minutes of the time the phone lines open, you can forget about it.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

That stinks.....it is a shame that the online system doesn't 'recognize' your status and allow u to upgrade your reservation yourself.

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

it is a pain to have to call, but I get upgrades almost all the time.
With the newer 15 day cancel policy, some of them are caught 15-20 days from check in date.

[Lisa P Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Lisa P]

Because VIP upgrades can only be accomplished through a vacation counselor, it has made it effectively impossible to get one. Anyone reserving online will always have the advantage because of the wait times for the call center at 8am....
Kept trying to do this numerous times with the same result, until finally I no longer saw the 2BD--someone else snagged it.

Isn't it possible that the other person who snagged it was another VIP who tried to get it the same way you did and perhaps succeeded? In that case, you still have your original reservation and they have a VIP upgrade.

If the other person who snagged it was making a new reservation, then someone got their desired reservation and you still have your original one. It's disappointing to be thatclose to an upgrade and miss out. But I'm really not sure this is an indication that VIP has suffered.

I mean, VIP upgrades are not and have never been guaranteed. Before Wyn went live online, this probably happened all the time only the VIP didn't know it... they just learned on the phone that there was no upgrade availability. Also, one of the reasons that VIPs get these upgrades is because the resorts have empty rooms, so upgrades are a "win win". The whole Wyn "trust" runs most smoothly when points are used for available rooms, especially at full chart rate. If another person paid full rate in points for that 2BR, that may actually be a good thing for us collectively, as owners. But since a standard points owner making a regular Express Reservation could have done so the day prior whereas another VIP seeking an upgrade could not, it may be more likely that another VIP vied with you and happily snagged this upgrade!

Either way, it's a small consolation, I know, when you're the one who has watched the upgrade slip right through your fingers. It probably seems that the fastest dialer still gets the upgrade before the fastest surfer.

In reality, you may be finding that your ability to "tag" a potential upgrade unit online gives you some advantage. When there are very few units available for these upgrades, all those folks who are not internet-savvy are completely blocked, while you're part of a smaller group of people who can at least attempt this kind of approach (tag and hold, while calling on the phone). If that's true, the best surfing dialer will get more of the upgrades than the fastest plain dialer. Well, hopefully, it'll work better for you next time.

[regatta333 Member Find all posts View Profile Close regatta333]

I mean, VIP upgrades are not and have never been guaranteed. Before Wyn went live online, this probably happened all the time only the VIP didn't know it... they just learned on the phone that there was no upgrade availability. Also, one of the reasons that VIPs get these upgrades is because the resorts have empty rooms, so upgrades are a "win win". The whole Wyn "trust" runs most smoothly when points are used for available rooms, especially at full chart rate. If another person paid full rate in points for that 2BR, that may actually be a good thing for us collectively, as owners. But since a standard points owner making a regular Express Reservation could have done so the day prior whereas another VIP seeking an upgrade could not, it may be more likely that another VIP vied with you and happily snagged this upgrade!

Either way, it's a small consolation, I know, when you're the one who has watched the upgrade slip right through your fingers. It probably seems that the fastest dialer still gets the upgrade before the fastest surfer.

In reality, you may be finding that your ability to "tag" a potential upgrade unit online gives you some advantage. When there are very few units available for these upgrades, all those folks who are not internet-savvy are completely blocked, while you're part of a smaller group of people who can at least attempt this kind of approach (tag and hold, while calling on the phone). If that's true, the best surfing dialer will get more of the upgrades than the fastest plain dialer. Well, hopefully, it'll work better for you next time.

I realize that upgrades are not guaranteed, but I feel that owners should have equal access to what IS available on a first-come first-served basis. This was not the case here. Although the upgrade was available, I was not able to book it because of the Wyndham procedure for how the upgrades must be done (over the phone). Being able to tag it online does not give you an advantage, because even after you get the VC online, he/she cannot access the tagged unit until 15-20 minutes after you release it. So, you basically have to release it and hope it is still there after you call back. I'm not even sure why I was instructed (by a prior VC) to do this, since it gets you nowhere.

A more equitable solution would be to allow the person who sees the upgrade online to book it, then call in and have the VC cancel the original reservation and restore the difference in points for your having booked the upgrade as a new reservation. This is essentially what they do when they complete an upgrade over the phone anyway.

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

I realize that upgrades are not guaranteed, but I feel that owners should have equal access to what IS available on a first-come first-served basis. This was not the case here. Although the upgrade was available, I was not able to book it because of the Wyndham procedure for how the upgrades must be done (over the phone). Being able to tag it online does not give you an advantage, because even after you get the VC online, he/she cannot access the tagged unit until 15-20 minutes after you release it. So, you basically have to release it and hope it is still there after you call back. I'm not even sure why I was instructed (by a prior VC) to do this, since it gets you nowhere.

A more equitable solution would be to allow the person who sees the upgrade online to book it, then call in and have the VC cancel the original reservation and restore the difference in points for your having booked the upgrade as a new reservation. This is essentially what they do when they complete an upgrade over the phone anyway.

The method you used to tag a reservation seems to have made it more complicated for you. I don't know the answer. Waiting 10 to 15 minutes to call after you tag the unit may work. If you didn't tag it, someone else might tag it online for a separate reservation and get it while you are on the phone.

To me there is no reliable solution to this upgrade process. About the only thing one can do is to call asap and hope it is still available.

[regatta333 Member Find all posts View Profile Close regatta333]

The method you used to tag a reservation seems to have made it more complicated for you. I don't know the answer. Waiting 10 to 15 minutes to call after you tag the unit may work. If you didn't tag it, someone else might tag it online for a separate reservation and get it while you are on the phone.

To me there is no reliable solution to this upgrade process. About the only thing one can do is to call asap and hope it is still available.

Tagging the reservation is the terms the VCs use for actually selecting the reservation online. When you do this you will see a clock that starts counting down from 15 minutes, which is the amount of time you have to complete the reservation. However, once you get the VC on the phone, they cannot do anything with this reservation since they cannot see it in their system any longer. In fact, it will not be visible to them until 15-20 minutes after it is released.

So, basically tagging it gets you nowhere unless a VC is willing to stay on the phone with you for 15-20 minutes until it cycles back into the system. I'm not even certain why they recommended I do this since the only real way they will allow you to book an upgrade it by calling in. My original points stands--this puts all VIP owners at a disadvantage. In my experience calling in at 8am, I get through to a VC within 5 minutes less than 10% of the time. I call in exactly at 8 and am usually on hold 10-15 minutes.

When I pointed this out to a VC, she said that the people who book online are
paying the points to make the reservation. So, if the intent is make VIP upgrade available only after owners have a chance to complete non-upgrade reservations, then that should be stated in the Program Benefits. As it stands now, VIP owners wanting to get upgrades have to stand in line behind anyone who can grab an available unit online before they can reach a VC on the phone and provide their account number and verify their zip code and email address and explain what they want accomplished.

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

VIP was once a good plan but, as always, Wyndham managed to kill it

If Wyndham does anything to actually give VIP a priority over "regular" owners they are in a heap of trouble. Thats the basic problem with the so-called VIP. It can't have any real value or else they are in violation of the owner rights granted, under strict rules, by every State they operate in. Now had they left VIP alone (not tied it to retail vs resale purchase therefore making it part of the actual deeded purchase rights) they could have actually tied some meaningful "meat" to the designation. They choose not to and instead used it to drive down resale values (among the many brainiac moves the honcho's at Wyndham have made - none ever adding value but always taking it away from their owners) so now they have to play with a few nearly worthless perks and try to make them sound valuable. As in $18,000 additional cost valuable. Good luck.

Best advice for all Wyndham owners. Never buy to get VIP. Never depend on VIP for anything. Take whatever VIP may offer as a one time thing unlikely to be repeated in the future. Never pay for VIP as it's not guaranteed, changes are at managements whim and whatever you pay you cannot get back at resale. Three strikes and you're out.

[dolly1504 Member Find all posts View Profile Close dolly1504]

The discount and upgrade benefits do not work very well for anyone wanting or needing to travel during popular times. But it's wonderful for anyone retired or otherwise flexible in their travel dates. It is very rare that I can't get both benefits but not only do I not need to go to Myrtle Beach in the summer---I don't want to. April, May, Sept., Oct. are great months to be there. This is true in most areas. Being able to go when it's a little off season has lots of advantages especially the above perks. I don't even worry about the 60 day or 8:00 AM times. What I want is usually there when I get around to checking.

Joyce

[fredw103 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close fredw103]

Present First Come, First Served Approach CAN BE IMPROVED!

After about an hour's effort this morning, and after losing an upgrade for the same resort (Majestic Sun) a few days ago because I had to wait so long on the phone, I finally prevailed!
But, this awkward, frustrating, labor intensive, wasteful and expensive process, which ties up numerous phone lines and VCs every morning at resorts with high demand periods could likely be automated to the advantage of the owners, both regular and VIP, and Wyndham by instituting daily reservation/upgrade drawings at 10am, 2pm, 6pm and 10 pm whenever potential upgrade units became available during the preceding time interval. The idea/suggestion is that during high demand/ limited inventory intervals at any resort any member interested in making a reservation or an upgrade(VIPs) place their reservation as though they were making a normal reservation, but then the computer would message that their reservation has been placed into the next drawing pool because multiple members want that particular time interval. Then, at the next drawing time, the computer would use random numbers to pick the member who gets the interval. And then, the computer emails the fortunate member.

If Wyndham really wants VIPs to have some advantage over regular members, that could be built into the selection process.

Fred W.

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

If Wyndham really wants VIPs to have some advantage over regular members, that could be built into the selection process.

Fred W.

That was never the intent. It is a sales vehicle, nothing more and much less (value).