Hmmmmmmmmmmmm seems this blog has shut down---too much negativity----and Marriott is not about to share bad news---Let's be fair---and allow comments that have been sent in after June 30th

I agree with many of the others posting on this blog...the new Destinations Program seems a little unfair. I own a 2 BR at Shadow Ridge. I usually trade my 1 BR and my lock-off for two 2 BR in the same area, Palm Springs. By "working the system", as I have learned from other owners, I get two weeks for the price of one. If I switch to the Destinations Program I would be lucky to get one week as I often trade up to another resort. It just doesn't make sense for me. What is even more disconcerning is the fact that even premium owners, such as Hawaii, are complaining about the system. A lot of promises were made to all of us, some of which I write off to the sales process, but when I bought my resort I was told it was a huge benefit to buy at a "cheaper" resort because I could trade for just about anywhere on Interval...which is fairly true if I am flexible. However, I am just happy to trade my one week for two. I am just wondering why anyone would think this program is a good thing...if you own Hawaii, you could definitely trade for two weeks...in fact Interval will usually give you an extra week just for depositing it! I can trade for two weeks with my lowly Palm Desert property. And to add insult to injury you have to pay more money than you already paid for the property that you OWN to be apart of this program!!!It appears to me the only Destination this program is good for is Marriott's destination to the bank.

Bill, Like Obamacare, the more familiar customers become with the Marriott Destination Points program, the more frustrated and unhappy they will become. This is a GREAT program for Marriott and a LOUSY program for owners. I am posting my dissatisfaction all over the web on any blog I can find. The program is hard to use and very inflexible, contrary to your advertising. Have someone contact me and I will describe in detail the problems I have had. I doubt you will fix it, focusing instead on finding the next sucker, but I think it only fair for you to know why you are being blasted.

Bill,
Using the new points system we tried to trade into a Marriott timeshare in Spain. Imagine our surprise when we were told that the Spain resorts did not accept points for trades! Are you going to take the Spanish resorts off of your website because these are not potential destinations under the new system? Also, every time we try to call to get a questions anwswered we get a voice mailbox and most of the time it is full. What a disappointment. We feel ripped off by the trusted Marriott name.

Dear "legacy MVCC owners,
I am looking for any owner, with a deeded timeshare week, who feels that the new "Destination Point Program" has drastically reduced the value of their deeded property. I believe that a "class action suit" will be the only way to capture the value that will be lost in future years. If you choose not to pay $595.00 to participate in the new program,if in fact it doesn't make economic sense to buy into the point system because the value assigned to your timeshare weeks is not the same as it was before this program was instituted...and because as deeded owners, you will now be competing with less available Marriott inventory due to the fact that "non-timeshare" participants will be drawing from the available inventory of MVCC weeks without actually banking any inventory. Not only are they given first option on availble inventory directly through Marriott and if this request is not available, they then will be assigned your weeks that were deposited at II. So now you are not only competing with II owners, but also points owners who have nothing to trade into the system! Also, if you want Marriott to sell your timeshare, think again. Yes, they told you when you bought your weeks that they would find a buyer for a hefty commission...give it a try...I've been on a waiting list for 3 years and nothing is happening. Marriott resales won't even tell me where I stand on the resale waitlist. So much for the credibility of the company that, at one time, stood behind their product!

My name is Roberto Albani, I am an owner at the village Ile de France and I think It is just outrageous that we have to pay 1000 € (euro) per week (I own 3 weeks). I think that IT is very telling the fact that IT is almost impossibile to sell. Nobody wants such a bad deal. Would any of you want to join me in a class cation against Marriot? I am ON facebook....;-((

To all of you who dislike the new points based program (as I do) we should be able to continue booking weeks with our home resort and/or depositing weeks to exchange with Interval as in the past.I enrolled in the program in order to save bookiing, lockoff, and Interval fees but do not plan to convert my weeks to points. If enough of us continue using the system as in the past, hopefully there will be enough inventory at Interval for us to use.

I am almost in disbelief in the comments I have just read. I thought I was the only one upset. It will do not good to go into any detail as it would just repeat the last 100 or so comments I have just read. My wife and I did find a good solution. We bought three weeks of Starwood timeshares and they figured out how do do it right. Points(or options as they call them) are good at an equal value. I think Bill should have bought a Starwood timeshare to find out how it should have been done. Westin did it right

Dear Marriott,
Warren Buffett once said that it takes a lifetime to build a reputation and 5 minutes to blow it. This looks like you are blowing it. We own a month in Maui and I am thankful I am reading this before meeting with our rep.
Maro

The new system is advertised as "going forward", however, for current owners, especially fixed week owners, this is a Knock you back" system. You don't get the amount of points to trade fairly, you have no priority for your fixed week, unless you have premier type status, you compete with all enrolled.

Not fair, not equitable, not interested. Marriott, you need to address these issues with current owners. Class action necessary???

Marriott Corp. is a master of speaking out of both sides of their mouth. The reps will tell you that Marriott would NEVER devalue the investment made by MVCI owners, yet it has done just that. Marriott has been a BAD INVESTMENT and it is getting worse and worse all while being force fed with sugar and slick marketing materials (all owners are not the stupid people you take us to be!) Marriott needs to go back to its roots and offer quality and honest hospitality or it's slick revenue-generating marketing ploys will be a VERY NASTY boomerang that the next slick marketing and/or PR campaign will not be able to erase.

I am a proud Platinum Premier Marriott Rewards and have stayed over 4000 nights in Marriott Hotels around the world.

In having that experience I purchased multiple weeks with the Marriott Vacation Club. On my last vacation to Ko Olina my wife and I were hoodwinked into purchasing the new Point Program. In purchasing into this program we were told that it would provide much more flexibility in trying to use the points purchased or points acquired by trading in weeks.

At this point we have not traded in any weeks and are just trying to use the points acquired in the program when we closed just 2-3 weeks ago.

I have tried to use 2-3 days here/there 1 months out, 2 months outs and 6-8 months out with no success. I have tried to use a week at a year out no success.

The only way to check availability is to wait on the telephone for 10+ minutes to talk with someone. There is no online system available which is just plain annoying.

At this point we am extremely dissatisfied that we purchased into this program and if possible I would not have purchased into this program if I would have known that trying to use these points would be impossible. I can't imagine that others are having greater success.

Normally, due to my weekly positive experiences with Marriott I am a proud customer but with this experience I am extremely dissatisfied.

Disappointed owner is an understatement. The point system is a total rip-off of current owners. I just returned from a week at Ocean Point in West Palm
Beach where I sat through the 60 minute pitch on converting my weeks to points and/or buying points. Are you kidding me? What a blatant rip-off. If I convert, I would not have enough points to pay for the same week next year at the same resort. And, in a few years, Marriott will have moved all Marriott properties into their own system and the value of weeks deposited with Interval International will be diminished even further since their will be no Marriott properties available for trade through II. You want me to pay $695 plus $199 per year for the privilege of getting less value than I have today? Come on, you must be reviewing this program based on the feedback. Is anyone out there a lawyer who can lead us in filing a class action suit to stop this nonsense?

Dear Marriott,
After having spent considerable amount of money purchasing several weeks of timeshares, this new point system is a great disappointmnet. It is just another way for Mariott to make more money at the expense of its guests, under the guise of "listening to customers" and delivering for our benefit. Really, it is just a way for Marriott to make more money. We currently can lock off our 2 bedroom and get two weeks vacation. Now, under the point system, we couldn't even get 1 week in our home resort during own season!! Very disappointing. Really, this is just a way for you to prevent us from doing just that - which was the main benefit your sales people claimed when we purchased.

Also, it is a way for Marriott to continue to sell without adding infrastructure. Let's not pretend this wasn't a business decision. It clearly was on the part of Marriott and not done for the benefit of your customers.

I will sadly never recommend Marriott to friends again (so sorry to my one friend who I had previously convinced to buying a week in Orlando).

I hope others are aware of the complaints from customers of other timeshare companies that sell points. By cutting up weeks, it will significantly hinder people's ability to trade full weeks in to various resorts, since full weeks will be less available.

So sorry and disappointed to see the change. Only time will tell how it will impact the trading power of our units. Sadly, feel as though as I was completely taken for a ride when I purchased my unit.

While the points required to reserve a certain week at certain resort is fixed for the next two years, there is nothing preventing Marriott from increasing the number of points required to purchase the same week at the same resort starting in 2013. That will be their new money making model.

By increasing the number of points required to reserve a given week, while keeping the number of points you have been alotted static, Marriott can essentially force you to purchase additonal points simply to get the same product. You have been warned. The new points-based system is for suckers, even those who have highly valued properties, since the value of each point you receive degrades over time as they raise the cost of each week.

Bill,
This is not what I signed up for when I bought my timeshare at the Marriott Aruba Ocean Club 7 years ago.
I do not want any part of this devalued asset. During this time I have diligently pais in excess of $1200.00 per year in associatpn fes. if this is what you want to do fine. I want no part of it. I would like you to buy back my timeshare at the original price, plus a fair appreciation immediately.

No benefit to upgrading for point system. I get 1350 points to use "where and for how many nights"? Not a good value purchase. My $950 maintenance fee and my points might get me one night in Aruba.

Dear Bill,

I've been with MVCI for 11 years and own 9 weeks. May I suggest:
1. Integrate Reward pts. and Destination pts.
2. Don't expire banked pts.
3. Realize previous MVCI owners
can be very loyal but rely on trust. Appreciate our loyalty.
4. Take your time to review and respond to concerns but get it right.

Mr. Marriott: What are you thinking?? The new Vacation Club points system does nothing to encourage loyal Marriott customers to buy more points or even participate in the program. You have received hundreds and hundreds of messages from concerned and dismayed owners and I am wondering if you are going to take an active role in straightening out this mess!! A point system needs to be fair. Right now I can trade my platinum week at Canyon Villas for another Vacation Club anywhere, even in Hawaii! But not with this new system. Why would I join?? Can you make this better for us? Please be as responsive as I understand you can be. Thank you. Kathleen Ryan.

When is Bill going to adddress the negative comments on this issue particularly the loss in value of points provided to owners vs points required to go to home resort during same time period.

It is unbelievable that there has been no response from Marriott. The person who created this disaster (remember New Coke?) should be terminated and the plan should be stopped. The remaining staff who supported this idiotic plan should be assigned the job of figuring out how to amend it to win back the loyal customers who have supported this company with their purchases and those of their friends and family. Open your eyes, Marriott family and take care of your own before we run like heck to Hilton, Hyatt, Best Western, etc. to get away from you for good.

Bill - I bought a MVC week back in 2001. We bought an additional week a few years later. One of the big reasons we did...no points.

Now you want to convert us to points.

Here are some of the sales points we were given when we bought.

* No points. Points may lose value over time. 7 Nights at a Marriott Resort is 7 nights at any destination.
* Because there are no points, the value of MVC time share weeks will retain their value and remain among the premium in the industry.
* When the resort is complete, if you were to choose to sell in the future, Marriott will help you sell your weeks.

As someone who has stayed at Marriott properties for business and leisure, we are losing some trust in you.

If I were to sell my weeks, but the resale forces the purchaser to enroll into the points, you have GREATLY devalued my purchase. That's not worthy of the trust we've come to place in Marriott.

This is truly disappointing.

Scott

Very unhappy with how this new program is being handled. I am a long time Rewards member- almost 1000 nights, and own 3 weeks of timeshare.

I signed up online and have nothing. The process instructed me to call the 800 MVCI number, and after waiting for 20 minutes I was told there was another 888 number to dial. After waiting another 20 minutes I was told they could not help me yet- that it was under a manual verification. I was told to call back later in the week.

Not good Marketing for a new program- that supposedly is to replace a deficient Interval program. So far- it's not working. (830646972)

We ahve been owners since 1993, 2wks and use the Marriott timeshares on a regular basis.
Being retired, we have the option to travel in"off" times. As a dog owner, we ask you consider making "set aside" pet rooms, as you did previously for the smokers. You have this at many of your hotel locations. We don't mind the extra "pet cleaning" fee. You'll notice those empty rooms off season, fill up.
We like to stay 2wks and having our dog with us, is as important as the grandkids.
PS I comply, but I have seen people "sneaking" a dog in.

New point system is a complete scam!