Manhattan Club New Mandatory Service Fees

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

got mail from RCI today

Today a letter came from RCI stating that Manhattan Club will now be charging $25/day per 1BR and $15/day per studio. The letter outlined all the reasons why the Manhattan Club is a wonderful exchange and worth the $$ which they are calling a "hospitality fee". I guess there goes my idea of fighting the charge with the original confirmation.

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

Can you say bait and switch and RCI at the same time.......seems like a regular practice at RCI.

[travelSFO Member Find all posts View Profile Close travelSFO]

I will be fighting this charge.

I did not agree to this charge when I confirmed my exchange. Also, in the past (very recently, in fact) RCI DID give us a credit when the resort suddenly imposed a surcharge and RCI did not inform me of it.

I will be calling RCI when Manhattan Club attempts to charge me this fee at check-out to demand a credit. If I do not get results from RCI, I will go through my credit card company.

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

RCI isn't at fault but they need to act

Good plan. It is not at all fair that the fee is being charged after the confirmation. It isn't RCI's fault but they do have a responsibility to do what they can. Many (many) years ago they covered the outrageous $95 fee Disney suddenly decided to charge as an exchange penalty. They rapped Disneys knuckles, so DVC fled to the ever developer and fee friendly II stable. I was very pleased that RCI stood up to Disney at that time. They should do no less with MC. By the way be sure to give plenty of "3's" or less on your MC RCI score card and tell them on each comment line why. A few hundred cards with all "1's" should get the MC attention pretty fast if they care at all about their ranking.

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

Here is the RCI letter.

RCI®

March 10, 2006


Dear RCI Member:

We are excited that you have made an RCI Exchange to The Manhattan Club #4064 in New York City! The resort and location are truly wonderful and we are confident you will fully enjoy your upcoming stay.

The Manhattan Club offers a very unique vacation experience. Located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan you are across the street from Carnegie Hall, three blocks from Central Park, five blocks from Rockefeller Center and a few minutes from City Center, Times Square, Broadway theaters, Restaurant Row, The Museum of Modern Art, The Museum of Folk Art and wonderful Fifth Avenue shopping! The resort is also located very close to several major lines of public transportation, making it especially easy for you to get anyplace you’d like to go.

Just to mention a few services at the resort that you will enjoy:
• Concierge Services
• Fitness Center
Valet Parking
• Business Center with PC’s offering high-speed Internet access
Daily Housekeeping
• An in-room European Kitchenette
• An in-room workstation with dual phone lines and data port

To provide such an incredible, full-service vacation experience, The Manhattan Club has recently advised RCI of a mandatory Hospitality Fee that will be collected by the resort at check-in. Guests may pay by credit card and will be charged US$25 per unit, per night for one-bedroom accommodations and US$15 per unit, per night for studio accommodations.

We are confident you will fully enjoy your exchange to The Manhattan Club and will find the urban experience wonderful. Because of very limited space availability in the New York City area, we encourage you to retain your confirmation. If you choose to cancei your upcoming Exchange to The Manhattan Club, you may submit another request for alternate accommodations and no additional exchange fee will be required.

For additional information, please contact our Member Sales Department at (800) 446-1821. As always, RCI Guides are available to serve you Monday-Friday, 7 a.m. to Midnight and Saturday and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. (EST).



Sincerely,


RCI Customer Service





9998 North Michigan Road • Carmel, IN 46032 USA. (317) 805-9000

A Cendant Company

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

And let's look at the services for which we are being charged:


• Concierge Services: helpful at times, but we never use them except to get someone to answer the phone when we get voicemail at the front desk
• Fitness Center: why can't this be optional/pay as you use it?
Valet Parking -- this is charged at $28/day plus tips, and is a very slow service (call ahead for your car!)
• Business Center with PC’s offering high-speed Internet access -- total of 4 computers; 3 PCs operating on Windows 98, and one iMac using an old operating system. The plug-ins for your laptop are DIAL-UP, and there is noone at the MC that can help with service, it is farmed out to an outside contact (got voicemail when we tried to call after being unable to log on to one of the PCs). At any rate, make it a charge for those who want to use it.
Daily Housekeeping: ok, this is nice, but why not make it optional?
• An in-room European Kitchenette: the smallest, most pathetic kitchenette ever, consisting of a whopping 4 cup coffeemaker, mini fridge, mini dishwasher, and microwave
• An in-room workstation with dual phone lines and data port: this is 2006, how is this an amenity?

Yup, my comment card will reflect my opinion...

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

And let's look at the services for which we are being charged:


• Concierge Services: helpful at times, but we never use them except to get someone to answer the phone when we get voicemail at the front desk
• Fitness Center: why can't this be optional/pay as you use it?
Valet Parking -- this is charged at $28/day plus tips, and is a very slow service (call ahead for your car!)
• Business Center with PC’s offering high-speed Internet access -- total of 4 computers; 3 PCs operating on Windows 98, and one iMac using an old operating system. The plug-ins for your laptop are DIAL-UP, and there is noone at the MC that can help with service, it is farmed out to an outside contact (got voicemail when we tried to call after being unable to log on to one of the PCs). At any rate, make it a charge for those who want to use it.
Daily Housekeeping: ok, this is nice, but why not make it optional?
• An in-room European Kitchenette: the smallest, most pathetic kitchenette ever, consisting of a whopping 4 cup coffeemaker, mini fridge, mini dishwasher, and microwave
• An in-room workstation with dual phone lines and data port: this is 2006, how is this an amenity?

Yup, my comment card will reflect my opinion...

With the exception of daily housekeeping, what other quality resort DOESN'T have these services and more....

Where is the wireless internet in the room?
Full kitchen?
Fitness center??? ....it is really just a room with equipment - not a spa for goodness sakes!
Concierge service - isn't this a standard amenitie in a top resort????
and the dual line phone....that is laughable!

Really a shame this has happened...

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Looking at the letter John posted. I do not think you will be able to fight it since they are letting you know that there has been a change. I think people will have a problem disputing it at the resort. Now if you pay by Amex and you have an old confirmation and do not sign anything at check in saying that you agree to the $25 a day charge. You may have a shot at fighting it with Amex.

[reddiablosv Member Find all posts View Profile Close reddiablosv]

I agree with Frank. The Rci letter has put us all on notice of the change. If we proceed to check in we have tacitly agreed to the change in terms. I think if our best options are to pay the fee and retaliate with our feedback, or cancel or exchanges with RCI and demand refunds of our points and fees! Of course the second option only works if you can find alternative accomodations in NYC or can change your vacation plans altogther. I think the reality is that most of us will still follow thru with our scheduled trips to the MHC. IMHO Ben

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

Looking at the letter John posted. I do not think you will be able to fight it since they are letting you know that there has been a change. I think people will have a problem disputing it at the resort. Now if you pay by Amex and you have an old confirmation and do not sign anything at check in saying that you agree to the $25 a day charge. You may have a shot at fighting it with Amex.

I read somewhere that someone got a credit issued by their credit card company against RCI (or II?) but they were never able to make an exchange again until that charge was paid so you will lose the battle anyway unless you drop the exchange company.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I read somewhere that someone got a credit issued by their credit card company against RCI (or II?) but they were never able to make an exchange again until that charge was paid so you will lose the battle anyway unless you drop the exchange company.

You are not paying RCI the $25. You are Paying the MC the $25 a day. That who you need to dispute your CC with.

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

Frank, in that case I would dispute it too. This is so unfair if you made reservations weeks in advance. No hotel or motel would do this to you but some timeshare resorts think that they are above the law.

I read enough about their lousy internet system so they could make some improvements too.

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

I read somewhere that someone got a credit issued by their credit card company against RCI (or II?) but they were never able to make an exchange again until that charge was paid so you will lose the battle anyway unless you drop the exchange company.

This is a little OT, but you read that on TUG. My friend eventually won the battle and RCI gave him a refund.

[PeterS Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close PeterS]

I am not sure about the circumstances around the event when RCI reimbursed the fees but I would bet this is different.

I have never heard of letters going out to alert exchangers and such an offer to allow an alternate trade at no cost.

I think RCI and the MC have covered their bases on this one, legally that is. I will bet that MC has made a new signin card (or added a line) that requires you to initial that you agree to the charge. Don't be surprised if they even have a backup plan for those that refuse to sign... like maybe a room at the Park Central in a regular room, overlooking the central courtyard..

I think they are ahead of the curve on this and will be prepared...

The only things they can't control is:
1) The reviews
2) Cancellations
3) Future bookings
4) Demand to provide services

Item 1:
We can slam them on the surveys.. then they have to deal with RCI to try and get them removed or ignored.. headache for MC at least in the short term and possible problems longterm.

Item 2:
This would be the most effective, if they lost a good hunk of exchanges, especially if they were done at the very last minute, but in reality, most people will still go as we have plans or theater tickets, etc..

Item 3:
This is the best chance to get this removed if it severely affects the demand for the resort. I think there will be a longterm drop in demand but will it be enough to make them change?... there are enough people even from outside the country that will pay the fee to get to NYC.

Item 4:
The best option for at least immediate gratification... if the dishwasher does work, you didn't get the "hospitality services" that you paid for. I have skipped days of room service but won't if I have to pay. Every soap or shampoo will be collected and donated to charity and I will demand it be replenished, every day... They may get the money from me but I will not let them slide on any item.

Like Disney, they will probably get away with it and we probably can't stop them or even refuse to pay... but we don't have to make it easy on them.

Pete

[travelSFO Member Find all posts View Profile Close travelSFO]

I am not sure about the circumstances around the event when RCI reimbursed the fees but I would bet this is different.
Pete

It was a $5/day energy surcharge for RCI exchangers, paid directly to the resort. We called RCI immediately after checking in, spoke to a couple of VCs before getting transferred to a manager who immediately placed a $35 credit in our RCI account.

Except for the amount, I really don't see how this is any different.