Exchanges from Wyndham members

[cirkus Member Find all posts View Profile Close cirkus]

Mark,
I was just told by Wyndham, and confirmed by Carla at SFX that going forward, when SFX makes an exchange of a week deposited from my Wyndham account, SFX will no longer be allowed to obtain the guest certificate. The obligation to obtain the guest certificate will be mine, as will the cost, if I have used up my annual allotment. With guest certificates costing $99 online, that makes using SFX (and I'm assuming the other alternative exchange companies) that much more more expensive, unless you have another plan.

Please advise.
Bill

[Mark @SFX Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Mark @SFX]

Mark,
I was just told by Wyndham, and confirmed by Carla at SFX that going forward, when SFX makes an exchange of a week deposited from my Wyndham account, SFX will no longer be allowed to obtain the guest certificate. The obligation to obtain the guest certificate will be mine, as will the cost, if I have used up my annual allotment. With guest certificates costing $99 online, that makes using SFX (and I'm assuming the other alternative exchange companies) that much more more expensive, unless you have another plan.

Please advise.
Bill

Hi Bill - thank you for your post. SFX has never had a procedure where we obtain a guest's certificate. A guest certificate has never been required for depositing a week with an exchange company.

How many guest certificates are you given without charge to use each year?

Also, please find out in the event you have used up all your no charge guest certificates, and you wish to deposit your week with "RCI", are you then required to pay for a guest certificate? After all, when you deposit it with an exchange company, it is being assigned to a "guest".

Let me know...

Thanks,

[cirkus Member Find all posts View Profile Close cirkus]

It depends on what level of Wyndham owner you are. I have 2 accounts, in order to give me access to both RCI and II. In one account, I'm a VIP, so I get 5 free guest certificates per year, which I use when my kids use the timeshare. In my other account, I'm just a regular member, so I get 1 free guest certificate per year. I am assuming that I would not get charged a guest certificate for RCI or II exchanges, since I'm not actually depositing a week, but rather points that Wyndham converts into a week. I haven't seen the points deposit in my reservation confirmations list, like I do for the week that I've deposited into SFX. With the SFX week, when I look on my Wyndham account, I see the week and resort that I booked, along with the name of the person you exchanged it to, showing as a guest.

I believe that this is Wyndham's attempt to push the Wyndham owners to exchange only with RCI (sister company) and II (Wyndham stuck with them for the time being). The Wyndham owners have been up in arms about the constant watering down of benefits, including a huge increase in guest certificate cost. By now charging a guest certificate for an exchange to a company other than RCI & II, it's an attack on your business. It makes the effective exchange fee much more expensive.
Bill

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

Wyndham is SUCH a fun company!
My Wyndham account is tied into II and when I deposit with them, I do not pay a 'guest certificate fee' - the only time that is necessary is if I am giving my exchanged week to a friend.

BTW, it is $99 online and $129 if u get the guest certificate via the phone. And resale buyers get one free guest cert a year regardless of how many points they own.

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

Deposits to RCI are not charged for guest certificates. However it is also not possible for a Wyndham points owner to book a specific week and deposit it with RCI---it is chosen by Wyndham, and does not necessarily even come from a resort at which the owner owns points.

[cirkus Member Find all posts View Profile Close cirkus]

Mark,
Did you ever determine if my info is correct that a guest certificate is required by Wyndham for deposits to SFX? Certainly increases the cost of doing business with SFX.
Bill

[DaveHenry Member Find all posts View Profile Close DaveHenry]

Do Wyndham's actions violate antitrust statues?

With RCI (as part of Wyndham International) dominating the timeshare exchange scene, Wyndham requiring independent companies to get a GC but not requiring it for RCI sounds like a monopolistic policy to me. I'm not a lawyer, but I wouldn't be surprised if someone sued Wyndham under one of the antitrust laws. I understand that companies dominating industries have to be very careful in their actions.
Any lawyers want to weigh in (unofficially, of course)?

[Mark @SFX Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Mark @SFX]

Mark,
Did you ever determine if my info is correct that a guest certificate is required by Wyndham for deposits to SFX? Certainly increases the cost of doing business with SFX.
Bill

Hi Bill - it is my understanding that Wyndham Owners get at least 1 free Guest Certificate per year. Is this correct?

Thanks,
Mark @sfx
Member Communications

[cirkus Member Find all posts View Profile Close cirkus]

Non-VIP members get 1 free guest certificate per year, and VIP members, which I am, get 5 free. I use those and more for my kids to use our points.
Bill

[Mark @SFX Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Mark @SFX]

Non-VIP members get 1 free guest certificate per year, and VIP members, which I am, get 5 free. I use those and more for my kids to use our points.
Bill

Hi Bill - thanks for the information. We are not in a position to publicly let people know what we officially think about this condition of Wyndham imposing a Guest Certificate requirement with one exchange company, versus no certificate by using another. This is under review at this time.

However, if Wyndham Members use their given Guest Certificates for use for their SFX exchange.... you are not really out of pocket, especially when you weigh the value of benefits received from SFX from the promotional offers.

Although the current circumstances are not what they should be, we are hoping for a positive resolution to this issue in the near future, and thank you for your business.

Regards,
Mark @sfx
Member Communications