Need Advice: Wyndam Dissolving FairShare Exchange-Fixed Week

[fairfieldglade]

I just became a new member of the Timeshare Forums tonight after searching for some information about a letter from Wyndham dated October 31, 2009 which states that "Wyndham Vacation Resorts has decided to dissolve the FAX Program, effective December 31, 2009." I do not know how they can take away this exchange that was sold as benefits along with the week of fixed week timeshare. I know that Wyndham has begged us to switch to points, but my Dad & Moma were elderly, and they liked just going to their home resort the same week every year.

Does anyone know anything about them doing away with the exchange. I am not finding anything in other member's posts? I don't know if everyone on here is on the points system or if there are any fixed members who has received the same information?

BACKGROUND: My Dad & Moma bought a fixed week of timeshare at Fairfield Glade, TN back in 1990. After Daddy died and Moma was not well, she transferred ownership to me and my two siblings. I still take Moma to Fairfield every May because she did not want the point system because she was afraid the maintenance fees would be too expensive, etc.. However, I had hoped to be able to travel to the different Fairfield Resorts "one of these days" for a small exchange fee.

Now, with this letter, if I understand it correctly, fixed members want to go anywhere other than their home resort, they must either join RCI or convert to the points system with Wyndham.

We have a deed to this property. Do we have any rights to reject this new policy. Does anyone have any information on it? Are there any class action lawsuits going on with this...I would not be surprised if there is, and would like to know about it due to the unfairness of this new provision.

Thanks for any advice anyone might have. Sincerely, BT

[Carolinian]

Try these other options as far as exchange:

Timeshares & Time Share Exchange Service-DAELive.com

HTSE

www.platinuminterchange.com

Trading Places International - Timeshare Rentals, Exchange, Resales, and Travel Services

Most of those have free membership and lower exchanges fee, and you escape the entanglement of points, especially Wyndham points.

[Jya-Ning]

Look at this thread

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...d-wyndham.html (FAX Exchange Program cancelled by Wyndham)

You will need to think serious what you want to do with the timeshare week.

You can do exchange with other exchange companies. With RCI, you can rent it out, if you go with your mother on that, you may know what you can expect from rental.

You can sell it, keep it the way it is, or convert.

The MF will be the same as you currently will experience.

There will be an add on club fee. It is depended on how many point you own, could be extra $100 at this moment (up to 154k if that is what your week convert to), but as of now, you will get to do internal exchange with 0 cost you you stay with 1 week.

I don't think conversion make sense for most of the FAX owner, on the other hand, if you want to keep the week, you can see if you can get the conversion fee back within 10 years.

Jya-Ning

[Fairfield Bay]

We also got the letter dated October 31, 2009. We have owned a week at Fairfield Bay since 1985 and have almost always banked our week and traded for another of Fairfield's resorts. We are absolutely livid that this benefit is being taken from us. We would not have purchased a timeshare at all if it had not been for the fact that we could actually trade for other locations. We are wondering whether someone will be filing a class-action suit against Wyndham.

We have no desire to go to Fairfield Bay in Arkansas for Week 10 every year so will be looking into what options we do have now. One thing we will definitely not do is join the Club Wyndham Plus exchange program. (How nice of them to make the offer--ha ha.) Last time we checked, RCI membership fees were cost-prohibitive. Thanks to the person who posted other exchange options. This has been a rude awakening but hopefully we will find a way to make the best of this.

[fairfieldglade]

All of you have given me lots of good information; I will check it out!

Also, I am wondering if I could offer my week [a nice one bedroom condo at Fairfield Glade, Crossville, TN in late May] in exchange for another forum's member's week. Wouldn't that work if I can find some people I trust?

I am just brainstorming, but I do not know why it would not work as it does for family and friends, except for the fact that it would be HORRIBLE to plan a vacation, travel, and then have no place to go. If anyone has any information on that idea, I would love for you to share your ideas with me. ..Some members may already do this for all I know.

I am definitely not going to buy Wyndham points! I want to keep my FIXED week and figure out some way to exchange it when we want to!

Keep the ideas coming please! Thanks to all of you who posted. Becky

[fozzy]

Make sure you do not let Wyndham talk you into paying out more money and converting to points. Over the past years Wyndham keeps taking away benefits they promised in order to sell their plans and keep hiking up the maint fees each year at a much inflated rate. I have had sales reps flat out lie to me such as telling me that you cannot buy points on the resale market - the rep said it was a scam and you can only buy points from Wyndham directly. If you call them out on their lies, they get very nasty to you (even though I'm a long time customer)

[montybiggs]

I have owned at Fairfield Bay since 1981 under a fixed week. I spoke with Joe Snell, Wyndham's Oper Mgr for FAX Program at (954)935-4767 on 11/18/09 regarding ending of FAX program & he claims due to lack of deposits by current fixed weeks owners the program is dying & that unless exchange fees were increased prohibitivley, there would be no way to continue it & that is reason it is being eliminated. He assured me any currently deposited weeks would be honored. To all who are not aware, Wyndham Worldwide owns both Wyndham Resorts & RCI, so you know collusion is going on between the two companies. Who knows what else is in store. To people at the Glade, RCI membership should be included as part of your annual Maintenance Fees, as most, if not all Wyndham properties include it. You can still deposit your fixed week thru RCI and make exchanges that way(though it is more expensive than what FAX fee was-approx addtl $110). I also think your fixed week trades at a higher rate(i.e. a 2 b/r(red) for a 2 b/r(red) vs a 2 b/r(red) for a 1 b/r(red) if you are a points owner. Also, if you aren't aware, your annual maintenance fees cover bad debt of other owners in your HOA. Wyndham bears no liability for bad debts itself, it is passed on to the paying members. I have a big problem with that & don't feel it is justified. They hide this fact on their annual Maintenace Fee reports, but it is there. I would appreciate hearing from others on this forum who feel the same way. Fairfield Glade owner, I have a 2 b/r unit at Fairfield Bay (week #14) if you ever want to rent it.

[timeos2]

Originally Posted by montybiggs

I have owned at Fairfield Bay since 1981 under a fixed week. I spoke with Joe Snell, Wyndham's Oper Mgr for FAX Program at (954)935-4767 on 11/18/09 regarding ending of FAX program & he claims due to lack of deposits by current fixed weeks owners the program is dying & that unless exchange fees were increased prohibitivley, there would be no way to continue it & that is reason it is being eliminated. He assured me any currently deposited weeks would be honored. To all who are not aware, Wyndham Worldwide owns both Wyndham Resorts & RCI, so you know collusion is going on between the two companies. Who knows what else is in store. To people at the Glade, RCI membership should be included as part of your annual Maintenance Fees, as most, if not all Wyndham properties include it. You can still deposit your fixed week thru RCI and make exchanges that way(though it is more expensive than what FAX fee was-approx addtl $110). I also think your fixed week trades at a higher rate(i.e. a 2 b/r(red) for a 2 b/r(red) vs a 2 b/r(red) for a 1 b/r(red) if you are a points owner.

Any resort can include the RCI fee in the annual fee (as it is in Wyndham Points) if they want. Wyndham weeks owners have had over 15 years of a dying system to make other arrangements. This is not some shocking sudden change.

Originally Posted by montybiggs

Also, if you aren't aware, your annual maintenance fees cover bad debt of other owners in your HOA. Wyndham bears no liability for bad debts itself, it is passed on to the paying members. I have a big problem with that & don't feel it is justified. They hide this fact on their annual Maintenace Fee reports, but it is there. I would appreciate hearing from others on this forum who feel the same way. Fairfield Glade owner, I have a 2 b/r unit at Fairfield Bay (week #14) if you ever want to rent it.

That is the way EVERY timeshare (and condo) operates. The management does not (in most cases) own the inventory (they pay on what they DO own) and all owners have to cover the costs - including those for the delinquent owners. Thats why it is so important that management stay on top of delinquent owners and make them pay or foreclose and resell it to a paying owner. Just letting it build up is not a viable plan of non-action. You are correct to stay on the backs of management to get payments current but it's not underhanded.

[Fairfield Bay]

RCI is not included in my Fairfield Bay HOA dues. As for trading individually, I do kind of like the idea; however, what I would prefer to do at this point is see whether I can get Fairfield Bay to accept a Quit Claim Deed to just let me out of my timeshare altogether. My second thought is to find someone who wants to simply assume our timeshare at Bay for the cost of deed transfer only. We bought Week 10 at Fairfield Bay in order to do trades for autumn travel each year. Our annual week in March would be a good option for someone who loves to play golf and fish. If we can get out of what we have now, one way or the other, we would be inclined to find someone who wants to get rid of a week in October at Sapphire Valley in North Carolina and just buy it. I will be looking further into the possibility of doing the Quit Claim Deed possibility first, although I can't imagine "they" would accept it. We have owned since 1985 so owe nothing except our annual dues. If Quit Claim does not work out, we will probably go ahead and pay our dues, then put the word out and offer free use our 2010 week to anyone who is seriously interested in assuming the deed for our week.

[fairfieldglade]

MontyBiggs, Moderator, & Fairfield Bay & other friends,

FIXED WEEK OWNERS have been trying to book weeks in the original Fairfield Glade family FOR YEARS, but after Cendant, & Wyndham started concentrating on selling points, it was difficult and many times impossible to book an exchange to wherever we wanted to go at all! So guess what, like others, we quit trying! We were even told by Cendant & Wyndham that if we did not exchange to points like MOST fixed owners were doing, we would not be able to exchange anywhere else in the future, yet we refused their offer and held on to our fixed week. Sales people made many of us believe that EVERYONE either is or MUST convert to points and that there were very few of us fixed owners left. I don't understand why anyone would pay for something additional from any company who was trying to take away rights and privileges which we have already paid for.

Thanks Mr. MontyBiggs for trying. I salute you for taking the time to call to find out WHY they are doing away with the exchange. IF Mr. Snell, Wyndham's Oper Mgr for FAX Program at (954)935-4767, did indeed claim the system failed due to lack of deposits, I would challenge that statement and claim that the management of the system FIRST failed fixed timeshare owners when they TRIED to exchange, but COULD NOT because of unavailability. Now, whose fault is that? Why didn't management find a way to resolve this? Management was the one who came up with Points System; did they not realize this would affect Fixed Timeshare Owners? Now, they are saying the system failed for lack of deposits? Why would anyone want to deposit their week if they could not be assured of an exchange week at the place they wanted to go?

I WOULD CLAIM "fixed owners could not get reservations because of unavailability." I feel insulted when ANYONE says we have had 15 years to make other arrangements. My family paid for our deed and our yearly maintenance fees with their hard earned money. I am just disappointed that Cendant/Wyndham could not, would not, or will not keep their end of the agreement for whatever reason. One of the reasons I feel timeshare is given such a bad rap is because management is mainly concentrating on how to get new owners and forgets to value the owners they already have. As fixed timeshare owners, some of us have been lied to and have been made feel like second-class timeshare owners because we did not want to convert to points.

Mr. Moderator, all I know for sure is that the original deed was sold with the PROMISE they would be able to exchange to any of the other Fairfield Glade Resorts for a small exchange fee... WITHOUT paying a big fee to RCI or anyone else. Just because the system has failed for whatever reason as sold to us doesn't mean the TIMESHARE OWNERS are the ones who needs to make other arrangements. What about the accountability of RESORT MANAGEMENT???????? Please help me understand why Timeshare owners should have been making other arrangements instead of Cendant or later Wyndham? The RCI came free with the purchase of our fixed week for a year or so, but fixed timeshare owners were not obligated to continue RCI unless they wanted to travel to other places other than the other Fairfield Glade Exchanges and pay the expensive annual fee required.

Cendant and Wyndham have already taken away some of our rights that were promised, yet were not outlined in our deeds. However, the FAX Exchange is something that everyone who bought timeshare in Fairfield Glade could vouch for and prove. Do they have the right to take this away without giving us something in return without having to pay MORE?????

BTW, I appreciate the information our Moderator giving us information about how NON-PAYING MEMBERS ARE AFFECTING AND COULD BE INCREASING OUR MAINTENANCE FEES. We should contact our association leaders and request they ask their non-paying members to either pay up or forfeit their ownershi; mgt. is not doing their job if they don't. I did not know that any owner could continue the ownership and not pay. That is what it says in my contract. Could it also be possible that the resort has already taken the properties from non-paying owners for resell or do not want to go through the legal process, because it easier to pass along the maintenance fees to the paying owners?

NOTE: REGARDING SWITCHING TIMESHARE WEEKS WITH FORUM MEMBERS, including Mr. Fairfield Bay & any others who might be interested in switching or renting weeks to other timeshare owners in the future, please email me at tracyjb@scrtc.com or rebecca.tracy@wku.edu. I would like to make some friends and exchange information in case any of us might want to exchange our fixed weeks in the future. Maybe exchanging a fixed week for a week of points would work too, but I am not familiar with all of the details of points as well as I am fixed...just brainstorming for ideas right now while at the same time upset and concerned as a timeshare owner who is tired of more benefits being taken away. In any event, I am holding on to my deed.

Jya-Ning & Carolinian, thanks for your information too...maybe we can use those exchanges if they are not too costly. Thanks. BT