However, II and RCI charge a fee to change the guest name, they like that money. II is also now owned by Marriott Vacations Worldwide who also owns Marriott Vacation Club and Vistana (Sheraton and Westin Vacation Club), so that guest certificate fee is revenue to them.
Makes sense, but we normally deal with Interval so this was a first.
I also think you are putting a lot of emphasis on your dissatisfaction with the pre arrival coordinator information being shared here.
I'm putting a lot of emphasis on people on here making themselves out to be a source of knowledge, but the current information promoted here is:
1. not applicable to current standards at Vistana (ie: contact the pre arrival coordinator)
2. That one person, and/or an owner who may "seem" to know "more" or have an "in" is not what it seems. I want people to be very, very careful of posting anything even remotely identifying, as it can (and has in my case) been taken way beyond "help", which was never asked for, nor appreciated and then NO responsibility taken for it.
Owners may have what they believe are "connections", but they don't reflect the Sheraton way of doing things. Proved MANY times to me, thankfully, or I would not have stayed here many times. I certainly would not have stayed here after the "help" from a specific owner
who contacted Sheraton staff on my behalf, and certainly without my permission or knowledge. It created a "real world" contact with my real name and life. Not at all in compliance with the netiquette rule of "respecting people's privacy". People on here need to be aware and cautious. There is no Vistana Ambassador for the DIS on here, and no one speaks on authority on this thread, as confirmed by Vistana.
As for sharing personal information, perhaps you need to point me to it, because I am certainly not seeing it in this thread. Unless perhaps it is real old.
Sorry, can't help you there, but it's not hard to find on this thread. Try searching my name from February 2020, in this thread. Any clarification needed, just look at my posts remaining, while others were deleted. Definite lines crossed and posts deleted, but not mine, which were truth. And I stand by my experience and advice that people on here need to be careful on posting ANY identifying information... even as benign as "we're going next week and ______" Some people HAVE and WILL take that information without your permission.
I would remind readers that, as the OP, I make every effort to summarize and provide balanced and accurate information, especially in the important links post (#2) of this thread.
https://www.disboards.com/threads/t...hread-key-links-on-p-1.3148502/#post-49104617 which is actually referenced in the title of this thread.
In that post it clearly (currently - I do update it as information arises) states that Diamond Lane is dead, pre-arrivals is questionable, and the best way to contact the resort is via phone.
If a reader feels that additional key links or information is required there, they can always PM me.
And you do make every effort to help people in a genuine way. I appreciate your dedication to this thread, and accurate information being provided. You know my issues, as I have told you privately, and they don't reflect what you do, or what some others have posted as their experiences. You know my issues are with personal information being taken completely out of context,
and without permission, directly
to the Sheraton staff. It's not hard at all for personal information to be connected to someone staying at the resort, even when you don't post your specific name or information,
if Sheraton staff is alerted WHERE to look. (No, they don't randomly check message boards for posts! Just ask them, because they will certainly tell you!) People need to know that not all owners on here have the same ethics as you do, and certainly don't follow the internet safety protocols that we all abide by and assume. Some people are genuinely on a power trip, and interfere without permission or taking responsibility for the aftermath. That makes this a not-so-safe thread. People need to be aware of this when asking for help or taking advice from certain "owners".
Do I love the Sheraton? Yes. Would I recommend it as a place to stay? Yes. Would I recommend this specific thread as helpful? No. Not because of you, as you WELL know. And you know exactly what I'm referring to. Will I EVER post when I'm going there on this thread or any possible identifying information? ABSOLUTELY NOT.
And I would HIGHLY recommend that if you feel ownership of this thread, and subsequent authority for it, then you should pay attention to situations like mine, where someone was clearly in the wrong. Protect the thread and protect the people posting on it. You know I have no beef with you about what happened. But if you feel protective or responsible for this thread, I recommend you stand up for the people who post here, and not a random "owner" who oversteps and contacts the Sheraton without permission or knowledge of the person posting on here. How can we safely ask questions on here if they could possibly be taken to Sheraton staff? Yes, this happened to me, as you well know. How can we trust Sheraton staff to take care of us when a random "owner" has contacted the Sheraton with specific and identifying information is provided to them by an owner posting on this thread? Connections are not that hard to make between screen names on here and customers staying at the Sheraton, especially when its heavily promoted to contact the "pre arrival coordinator". How do we know that that Sheraton staff will not "share" identifying information about the customer to the owner if they are contacted by an owner who seems to be "in the know"? I never posted my real name on here, but yet a "link" was created between my screen name here, and my real identity, family, address, phone number, etc. by ONE owner who overstepped and contacted the resort "on my behalf" and without my permission or knowledge. That's a major problem.
I genuinely want people to be safe and not have the same experience I had. I posted here, thought it was safe, never used my real name or identifying information. But because I posted one issue I had with the pre arrival coordinator, who handled my family member's stay badly (by NEVER responding to me, in spite of the Pre arrival coordinator being HEAVILY promoted on here) I got "outed" to Sheraton staff, the same pre arrival coordinator who ignored my email. Not ok at all. And I really do believe that some people are on here to help, and some are on here to be the "big person" on campus. Helpful is not overstepping, without permission, and without taking any responsibility for the aftermath.
I don't want anyone to have the same experience that I did because of an owner on here overstepping. No one deserves that, when we're all looking to share experiences and help each other make a great vacation. Yes, I will share my experience in the hopes that no one else has the same awful feeling of betrayal and "outing" that I did.
, where shall we find this much needed information?
