Wyndham Bonnet Creek FEE now $5 PER PERSON, PER TRIP -- see Post #147

[Upatnoon]

Are the Bonnet Creek shuttles equipped with wheelchair lifts? Would hate to be charged for transportation that we CAN'T use.

They do have wheelchair lifts, I recall you have to call ahead to reserve a spot.

 

[Teacher03]

All this was true for years, but now Wyndham has decided to create this new fee. Hopefully enough people will complain about it to Wyndham that they reconsider, but I'm not holding my breath.

I am upset about this new fee, but Wyndham, not any of the people we rent reservations from should be the target of our ire.

I agree.....I rented from VS for our June trip and although it would be nice of they absorbed the cost, I don't expect it. I will let Wyndham know how I feel, especially since we don't drive or use the shuttles. I do think that VS should offer refunds if someone decides not to stay because of the unexpected expense.

 

[infopurposesonly]

As of yesterday, VS was saying the extra cost is only for those who choose to use the shuttle. Their website as of now still states there are no extra fees. They haven't contacted the people who have reservations stating all taxes and fees are included. Vacation Ugrades, on the other hand, is offering refunds and has changed their website to reflect the new fees.

An additional $84 may not seem like a lot of money. What I don't like is having to explain this to the rest of my family, as we rented several units. It's hard enough when many people think all time share sales/rentals are scams. They'll be wondering what other surprises we'll encounter when we stay there. All the more reason to stay away from Wyndham, but VS needs to be more up front if they want their customers to have confidence in them.

 

[aubriee]

As of yesterday, VS was saying the extra cost is only for those who choose to use the shuttle. Their website as of now still states there are no extra fees. They haven't contacted the people who have reservations stating all taxes and fees are included. Vacation Ugrades, on the other hand, is offering refunds and has changed their website to reflect the new fees.

An additional $84 may not seem like a lot of money. What I don't like is having to explain this to the rest of my family, as we rented several units. It's hard enough when many people think all time share sales/rentals are scams. They'll be wondering what other surprises we'll encounter when we stay there. All the more reason to stay away from Wyndham, but VS needs to be more up front if they want their customers to have confidence in them.

While not happy about the fee, I don't blame Vacation Strategies. These new fees were just sprung on them without warning too. I understand if they decide not to, but at the same time, wish they would absorb the fees, especially since Vacation Upgrades are. Even if they don't. I'll still be staying there though. Even with the fees, a one bedroom is about the same at a Value resort using the current WDW discount. I'll be there solo (if my mom decides not to go--she can't make her mind up) for ten nights/eleven days, so am looking at an extra $120.00 in resort fees, even though I will not be using their buses. As was stated earlier I'll be paying the same $12.00/night fee that a family of twelve will be. It looks like it would be per person, instead of per unit. It doesn't seem fair that a single person would have to pay the exact same amount as twelve people.

 

[big303842]

i wonder how much money WBC will make a DAY on the $12 fee?


12 x 1150 units = $ 13,800 A DAY!

then

13,800 x 365= $5,037,000 Million... a year!

 

[infopurposesonly]

While not happy about the fee, I don't blame Vacation Strategies. These new fees were just sprung on them without warning too. I understand if they decide not to, but at the same time, wish they would absorb the fees, especially since Vacation Upgrades are. Even if they don't. I'll still be staying there though. Even with the fees, a one bedroom is about the same at a Value resort using the current WDW discount. I'll be there solo (if my mom decides not to go--she can't make her mind up) for ten nights/eleven days, so am looking at an extra $120.00 in resort fees, even though I will not be using their buses. As was stated earlier I'll be paying the same $12.00/night fee that a family of twelve will be. It looks like it would be per person, instead of per unit. It doesn't seem fair that a single person would have to pay the exact same amount as twelve people.

I agree that Wyndham is to blame for the new fees, however VS has a responsibility to provide adequate customer service to those who have reservervations and those who are considering reservations. Accurate information and an updated website would go a long way in reassuring customers that this is a reputable business they can trust. VU is doing all of this and more.

 

[puffkin]

I agree that Wyndham is to blame for the new fees, however VS has a responsibility to provide adequate customer service to those who have reservervations and those who are considering reservations. Accurate information and an updated website would go a long way in reassuring customers that this is a reputable business they can trust. VU is doing all of this and more.

I am not defending VS and agree that they should now update their website...but the blame still falls on Wyndham exclusively and as far as I can tell there has been no "official" communication to owners. And since we haven't hit Feb 15th yet, no one knows for sure exactly.

I applaud VU for their steps to take care of their customers. However, for our March trip their quote WAS $300 higher than VS for our 8 night stay, which leads me to believe their profit margin is mcuh higher (allowing them more wiggle room to eat an unexpected fee like this). Even if VS does not cover the $12/day fee, we are still coming out ahead of booking with VU for our trip.

 

[BadgerGirl84]

This new fee has me re-thinking if I will stay at Bonnet Creek again without giving significant thought to renting from a different timeshare property.

We stayed at WBC in September and have been singing their graces ever since. When we came home from our stay, we seriously loooked into purchasing a re-sale Wyndham timeshare, as we could see ourselves wanting to stay there for every trip. We have been recommending WBC to all of our friends going to Disney. I heard about the fee on the TUG site because I was browsing around for re-sale information since my interest in purchasing some Wyndham points peaked again.

The new fee makes me really mad. Although free parking and free shuttle is ideal, I can understand needing to charge...I am guessing it's either that or raise the maintenance fees on the owners....which would make rentals more expensive perhaps.

However, the new fee doesn't seem at all fair. They should either:

1) Charge for parking per car per day.
2) Charge for each shuttle use.

My next WDW trip will likely just be me, DH and our baby, so we would stay in a 1 bedroom. Why should we pay the same as the party of 12 staying in a 4 bedroom parking 4 cars and filing up a quarter of the shuttle? This really irks me.

Assuming the fee goes forward as I think it is ($12/day for all non-WBC owners, regardless of parking a car or taking the shuttle), I am going to seriously reconsider staying at a different timeshare property. I have heard good things about Star Island and the Marriott timeshares.

 

[SYDCOLEMOM]

I am not defending VS and agree that they should now update their website...but the blame still falls on Wyndham exclusively and as far as I can tell there has been no "official" communication to owners. And since we haven't hit Feb 15th yet, no one knows for sure exactly.

I applaud VU for their steps to take care of their customers. However, for our March trip their quote WAS $300 higher than VS for our 8 night stay, which leads me to believe their profit margin is mcuh higher (allowing them more wiggle room to eat an unexpected fee like this). Even if VS does not cover the $12/day fee, we are still coming out ahead of booking with VU for our trip.

My thoughts exactly !! VU has a much bigger profit margin and they are able to absorb this fee. My quote from VU was $300 higher than VS as well. Im still ahead. I hate that I have to come up with another $120 but I dont in anyway feel this is VS responsibility to cover. From talking to them it appears they were blind sided as well.

 

[Lewisc]

However, the new fee doesn't seem at all fair. They should either:

1) Charge for parking per car per day.
2) Charge for each shuttle use.

Don't give them any ideas.

$12 a typical cost/night to park a car in a hotel, which charges for parking in the Orlando area.

I think Vistana charges around $10 per person for limited scheduled shuttle service.

Your suggestion would require parking passes, shuttle passes and employees to monitor both. The starting price, for a single person occupying a unit, with one car would probably have to be $15-$20.

Any charges would start at $12. A slightly higher charge for larger units makes some sense. Don't count on that translating to a lower charge for anyone. Assume a family renting a 4 bedroom unit is more likely to have a second car or a number of guests using the shuttle. Avoids the need to police parking.

 

[infopurposesonly]

My thoughts exactly !! VU has a much bigger profit margin and they are able to absorb this fee. My quote from VU was $300 higher than VS as well. Im still ahead. I hate that I have to come up with another $120 but I dont in anyway feel this is VS responsibility to cover. From talking to them it appears they were blind sided as well.

It's a customer service issue. You don't continue to tell customers that the fee is ONLY for those using the shuttle, as I was told. You don't continue to advertise that your rate includes all taxes and fees. Profit margin or not, it should not be difficult for VS to get the correct information as VU did.

 

[Brian Noble]

Profit margin or not, it should not be difficult for VS to get the correct information as VU did.

As a Wyndham owner, I can tell you that it is INCREDIBLY difficult to get a straight answer out of them---you can call them three times with a yes/no question and get three different answers. Eventually everyone will be on the same page, but that can take a while.

 

[infopurposesonly]

As a Wyndham owner, I can tell you that it is INCREDIBLY difficult to get a straight answer out of them---you can call them three times with a yes/no question and get three different answers. Eventually everyone will be on the same page, but that can take a while.

Do you think VU jumped the gun in changing their website to reflect the $12 daily fee?

 

[Brian Noble]

Probably not. There might be some question about who precisely pays it, but it certainly sounds as if most people will based on what I've heard so far. I haven't been paying super-close attention though.

 

[blessedby3]

Are the Bonnet Creek shuttles equipped with wheelchair lifts? Would hate to be charged for transportation that we CAN'T use.

I can tell you that when we were there this past October, I only rode the shuttle once. That was enough for me.....shuttle service was nothing like Disney and I would rather drive! The one day I took the shuttle, there was a woman with an electric scooter. Her DH had to manually pick the thing up and place it on the bus. There was a space for it to sit (and be locked down) but they had to pick it up to get it on, and pick it up to get it off.
Maybe they have different busses and one has a lift but I dont know for sure. I only know what I witnessed (and I couldnt believe it when I saw it).



I also hate to hear about this parking cost at BC. We always drive to the parks, so I will be paying $12 to park at BC and then another $14 to park at the WDW parks....ugghhhhhh.....$26/day!!

 

[SYDCOLEMOM]

I also noticed on the Wyndham Bonnet Creek website it says "Effective February 1, 2012 $12 per unit/per day transportation fee collected at checkin for transportation to and from the Disney theme park"

ummmm either thats a typo or this has been in effect for over a year ???
Now Im really confused. We may just have to wait and see what happens when folks start trying to check in mid February

so far everyone I have spoken to (VS and front desk at WBC) have said it was only if you used the shuttle. That apparently is what WBC website says as well. Hoping for the best but expecting to pay the $12 per night regardless.

 

[DCTooTall]

Are the Bonnet Creek shuttles equipped with wheelchair lifts? Would hate to be charged for transportation that we CAN'T use.

I believe most of the buses do, But I also remember seeing on the bus schedule that they say to give them 1hr advance notice of your using the bus to ensure that the bus has a working lift and can take you.

I am not defending VS and agree that they should now update their website...but the blame still falls on Wyndham exclusively and as far as I can tell there has been no "official" communication to owners. And since we haven't hit Feb 15th yet, no one knows for sure exactly.

I applaud VU for their steps to take care of their customers. However, for our March trip their quote WAS $300 higher than VS for our 8 night stay, which leads me to believe their profit margin is mcuh higher (allowing them more wiggle room to eat an unexpected fee like this). Even if VS does not cover the $12/day fee, we are still coming out ahead of booking with VU for our trip.

I'm an owner at WBC....With an existing reservation for next October at the resort. I have yet to be notified via snail mail, a call, or anything else about the impending change. I wouldn't be surprised if the big renters didn't know about the change either until people started calling them, since I didn't know about it until I started seeing some stuff on this thread.



That said... It appears there is still a lot of questions about the fee and who will and who won't be charged. I've seen several reports here and on TUG about it (as well as the Wyndham site for the resort).

Some say it's a daily parking and shuttle fee that will apply to all the rooms. Some say it's just for Shuttle usage.

Some say it will apply to everyone.
Some say that WBC Owners, Presidential Reserve Level Owners, and Club Wyndham Access [A trust ownership program that includes WBC ownership] owners won't be charged, but all other Wyndham owners, Guests, exchanges, and renters will be charged.
Some say that any Wyndham Owner would be exempt from the charge, and only Guests, Renters, and exchanges will be charged.

Unfortunately, as of right now, there isn't much concrete information out there.... So I wouldn't be surprised if we don't fully know what's happening until after the date it's implemented and people start reporting back first hand.


A couple other things to note.

1. This isn't really Wyndham's doing...directly. Something like this is usually enacted by the HOA, or in this case, the Board of Directors of the HOA. I wouldn't be completely surprised at the slow communication back up from the resort's HOA into the bigger Wyndham system's reps. As for what prompted the BOD to enact this change.... It could be a change in Wyndham's subsidies to the resort now that it's almost sold out.

2. Sadly, These kind of fees are not uncommon. Many resorts in the surrounding area charge for parking, or a daily "Resort" fee. Even looking within the Disney Gates, The Hilton, Waldorf, and Wyndham Grand all charge a daily self-parking fee. Even the Swan and Dolphin charge you a daily parking fee. It's pretty commonly believed that Disney hides the parking and transportation fees within their room rates [why else charge so much for resorts and hotels that outside of disney wouldn't command nearly that much $$]. Even DVC charges a $95/wk "Transportation" fee to anybody exchanging into the timeshare side of the resorts.

3. Within the Wyndham System, it's also not uncommon to see parking or transportation fees in certain resorts. There are some with limited parking or shared parking that will charge the fee to all guests. And there are some resorts with big resort fees that only charge non-owners staying at the resort.




As an Owner who has been going to this resort for years, I've see how it's become more difficult to get a reservation at the last minute, or how the resort has been negatively impacted as it's become more and more popular with the non-owner rental crowd. For most people here, the Pool Towel situation is probably the most obvious change that was enacted to help control costs [which are paid by the budget... which is funded almost exclusively by the maintenance fees charged to owners at Wyndham Bonnet Creek]. While i've yet to get any official information about the fee from the resort, I can see a few reasons for it's being enacted such as:

* The increase in popularity at the resort has put a bigger demand on the park shuttles. the fee would allow for improved shuttle service (similar to the hotel shuttle which is funded by the hotel's resort fees) while not impacting the maintenance fees charged to owners.

* The fees may help in slowing down the number of renters at the resort, increasing the ability for the resort's owners [and HOA members] to get access to the resort during more popular times of year.

* With the Resort sales almost completed, I wouldn't be shocked if Wyndham Sales stopped or started to cut back on the subsidies at the resort which they use to help make the resort more attractive to sell. For all I know, the Free Shuttle to the parks could've been mostly subsidized by Wyndham which would've forced either a dramatic increase in the resorts Maintenance fees to pay for them, or find a way to fund the shuttles by those who actually use them. (Many commercial renters don't actually own at Bonnet Creek, so if they went with the Maintenance fee route, the people you rent from wouldn't actually be impacted by the change)

* I kinda hate to say it, But from what I've seen at this resort and others, as well as from various online conversations, It's pretty obvious that generally the non-owners (renters) who stay at a timeshare resort don't have the same respect for the property as owners would. This could just be the result of their thinking of the resort as a hotel and not like a Condo. They don't tend to think about how the services or upkeep of the resort...to the extent of even the maid service... are paid for by regular people's fees and not by the name on the front of the resort [Wyndham]. Owners (Home resort, or exchangers) on the other hand tend to appreciate how even the simple tasks of taking out the trash and running a dishwasher before checking out can have a big impact on the budget of the resort, which is directly tied to money charged to other owners like themselves. This fee could be designed to help offset the increased costs this resort (and owners) have been forced to incur as the rental popularity has increased. (Examples would be the change in checkout procedures that removed the bed stripping/trash removal/ dishwasher run that used to be required at checkout... which in turn means more maid staff required to turn over the resort. Or damage/Vandalism caused by large groups who have rented rooms thinking of it like a party hotel..... or even the towel situation which was caused by people taking home pool towels. [People don't tend to think too much about taking home a hotel towel, but wouldn't even think about taking a towel out of someone else's home when they visit]


Either way.... Even at $84 a week, It's not going to be that big a deal when you think about what you are getting. For most people renting at Bonnet Creek it's been an absolutely amazing deal in getting a room larger than a comparable DVC villa for the price of a Disney Value room [or cheaper]. Even if you add that $84/week to the cost, You are still getting a large room for much less than you would pay for something even remotely similar onsite. So instead of getting an Absolutely Amazing deal, you are only getting a Great Deal.

 

[Upatnoon]

I believe most of the buses do, But I also remember seeing on the bus schedule that they say to give them 1hr advance notice of your using the bus to ensure that the bus has a working lift and can take you.




I'm an owner at WBC....With an existing reservation for next October at the resort. I have yet to be notified via snail mail, a call, or anything else about the impending change. I wouldn't be surprised if the big renters didn't know about the change either until people started calling them, since I didn't know about it until I started seeing some stuff on this thread.



That said... It appears there is still a lot of questions about the fee and who will and who won't be charged. I've seen several reports here and on TUG about it (as well as the Wyndham site for the resort).

Some say it's a daily parking and shuttle fee that will apply to all the rooms. Some say it's just for Shuttle usage.

Some say it will apply to everyone.
Some say that WBC Owners, Presidential Reserve Level Owners, and Club Wyndham Access [A trust ownership program that includes WBC ownership] owners won't be charged, but all other Wyndham owners, Guests, exchanges, and renters will be charged.
Some say that any Wyndham Owner would be exempt from the charge, and only Guests, Renters, and exchanges will be charged.

Unfortunately, as of right now, there isn't much concrete information out there.... So I wouldn't be surprised if we don't fully know what's happening until after the date it's implemented and people start reporting back first hand.


A couple other things to note.

1. This isn't really Wyndham's doing...directly. Something like this is usually enacted by the HOA, or in this case, the Board of Directors of the HOA. I wouldn't be completely surprised at the slow communication back up from the resort's HOA into the bigger Wyndham system's reps. As for what prompted the BOD to enact this change.... It could be a change in Wyndham's subsidies to the resort now that it's almost sold out.

2. Sadly, These kind of fees are not uncommon. Many resorts in the surrounding area charge for parking, or a daily "Resort" fee. Even looking within the Disney Gates, The Hilton, Waldorf, and Wyndham Grand all charge a daily self-parking fee. Even the Swan and Dolphin charge you a daily parking fee. It's pretty commonly believed that Disney hides the parking and transportation fees within their room rates [why else charge so much for resorts and hotels that outside of disney wouldn't command nearly that much $$]. Even DVC charges a $95/wk "Transportation" fee to anybody exchanging into the timeshare side of the resorts.

3. Within the Wyndham System, it's also not uncommon to see parking or transportation fees in certain resorts. There are some with limited parking or shared parking that will charge the fee to all guests. And there are some resorts with big resort fees that only charge non-owners staying at the resort.




As an Owner who has been going to this resort for years, I've see how it's become more difficult to get a reservation at the last minute, or how the resort has been negatively impacted as it's become more and more popular with the non-owner rental crowd. For most people here, the Pool Towel situation is probably the most obvious change that was enacted to help control costs [which are paid by the budget... which is funded almost exclusively by the maintenance fees charged to owners at Wyndham Bonnet Creek]. While i've yet to get any official information about the fee from the resort, I can see a few reasons for it's being enacted such as:

* The increase in popularity at the resort has put a bigger demand on the park shuttles. the fee would allow for improved shuttle service (similar to the hotel shuttle which is funded by the hotel's resort fees) while not impacting the maintenance fees charged to owners.

* The fees may help in slowing down the number of renters at the resort, increasing the ability for the resort's owners [and HOA members] to get access to the resort during more popular times of year.

* With the Resort sales almost completed, I wouldn't be shocked if Wyndham Sales stopped or started to cut back on the subsidies at the resort which they use to help make the resort more attractive to sell. For all I know, the Free Shuttle to the parks could've been mostly subsidized by Wyndham which would've forced either a dramatic increase in the resorts Maintenance fees to pay for them, or find a way to fund the shuttles by those who actually use them. (Many commercial renters don't actually own at Bonnet Creek, so if they went with the Maintenance fee route, the people you rent from wouldn't actually be impacted by the change)

* I kinda hate to say it, But from what I've seen at this resort and others, as well as from various online conversations, It's pretty obvious that generally the non-owners (renters) who stay at a timeshare resort don't have the same respect for the property as owners would. This could just be the result of their thinking of the resort as a hotel and not like a Condo. They don't tend to think about how the services or upkeep of the resort...to the extent of even the maid service... are paid for by regular people's fees and not by the name on the front of the resort [Wyndham]. Owners (Home resort, or exchangers) on the other hand tend to appreciate how even the simple tasks of taking out the trash and running a dishwasher before checking out can have a big impact on the budget of the resort, which is directly tied to money charged to other owners like themselves. This fee could be designed to help offset the increased costs this resort (and owners) have been forced to incur as the rental popularity has increased. (Examples would be the change in checkout procedures that removed the bed stripping/trash removal/ dishwasher run that used to be required at checkout... which in turn means more maid staff required to turn over the resort. Or damage/Vandalism caused by large groups who have rented rooms thinking of it like a party hotel..... or even the towel situation which was caused by people taking home pool towels. [People don't tend to think too much about taking home a hotel towel, but wouldn't even think about taking a towel out of someone else's home when they visit]


Either way.... Even at $84 a week, It's not going to be that big a deal when you think about what you are getting. For most people renting at Bonnet Creek it's been an absolutely amazing deal in getting a room larger than a comparable DVC villa for the price of a Disney Value room [or cheaper]. Even if you add that $84/week to the cost, You are still getting a large room for much less than you would pay for something even remotely similar onsite. So instead of getting an Absolutely Amazing deal, you are only getting a Great Deal.

Excellent points

 

[puffkin]

My question is, doesn't VS and VU and other similar services still pay the MF fees on the points they are renting? Kind of like my DVC points...I am paying the yearly MF fees so what is the difference if I use my points or rent them to another family?

I do see the point about renters not being as "respectful" to the property as an owner may be, but I think that is purely speculative and hard to quantify.

 

[DCTooTall]

My question is, doesn't VS and VU and other similar services still pay the MF fees on the points they are renting? Kind of like my DVC points...I am paying the yearly MF fees so what is the difference if I use my points or rent them to another family?

I do see the point about renters not being as "respectful" to the property as an owner may be, but I think that is purely speculative and hard to quantify.

I'll concede that the renters being less "respectful" is purely speculative and purely my own opinion based off circumstantial evidence. It's also obviously a very broad generalization and doesn't apply to everyone. (And I'd like to think that especcially with the large DIS crowd, doesn't really apply on the same level as it might outside of the DIS).

As for VU, VS, and other similar services still paying the MF's on the points they are renting..... sometimes yes, sometimes no, and often not on the same scale as DVC.

For instance.... DVC is a MUCH smaller system. It's also not a deeded system (You lease, not Buy the real estate interest) and all it's resorts operate as a traditional hotel (the Rack Rate rentals you can book directly thru Disney), as well as the Timeshare side (The side operated by DVC which you as an owner book with your points). This results in several major operational differences between the DVC resorts, and Wyndham Resorts. Namely:

* The Rack Rate side of the resort can help subsidize services at the resort, thereby helping to lessen the impact for owners via their MF's.

* With the Majority of the DVC system being located within a relatively confined area (With the exception of Hawaii, DLR in Cali, Hilton Head, and Vero Beach, all the DVC resorts are located within the WDW property). This fact, combined with the much newer age of the system (the oldest DVC resort is only 22yrs old with OKW opening in '91), means you don't see nearly the same differences in MF's as you do in a much larger, more varied, and older system like Wyndham.

* With the newer system, You also have a lot of similarities with resort amenities within the DVC system.



With Wyndham, You have resorts that with Property Taxes and other items, Your MF costs can range anywhere from under $4 Per 1k of points, to over $7 or $8 per 1k of points. You have resorts built in the 70's, all the way to resorts currently still being built. Resorts in Hawaii, Ski Resorts, Florida, the Smokies, Washingington DC, etc. There are so many factors that come into play that for many renters, They end up buying old cheap contracts via resale at a resort with an inexpensive MF that they couldn't ever rent out or use themselves, with the express intended purpose or using as just "points" to rent out to non-owners at the newer more popular (and more expensive MF) resorts. For the HOA, it makes it much harder for them to justify spending several Million annually out of their own budget (funded by the fees charged to their owners) to pay for benefits mostly being used by non-owners using points originating at resorts their owners would never get any benefits from. [In Theory, DVC owners at OKW could vote to say anyone who owns DVC points from a non OKW resort had to pay to utilize the OKW amenaties.... but because OKW owners get just as much benfit from the rest of the DVC properties... as well as the fact most DVC resorts share amenties with an attached hotel and Disney also maintains pretty good control over the HOA.... it's just not gonna happen].


Then you also get into some of the core differences from some of the large renters. With the Commercial Renters, you generally have 2 different types of operations. Those who actually own their points (places like VU), and those who are more like brokers who get points from regular owners which they they resell (I believe VS works like this). For places which own their own points, For good or bad, They are actually helping to pay for the upkeep of a resort someplace in the Wyndham System.

For those who are just brokers however, It's no guarantee they are really even seriously contributing to the health of the overall system. Around here you'll constantly hear about how ruthless Wyndham sales weasles are, and how you should NEVER buy retail because people are literally giving away Wyndham contracts to get out from under the MF's. The problem is, You can't give away, or sell your Wyndham Contract until it's paid off.... So there are a LOT of people out there still paying off a retail contract, some who could not afford to utilize their points, and are still forced to also pay their MF's. So you run into some brokers who will approach these underwater Wyndham owners and tell them, "Hey! We'll pay you $4 Per 1k of your points and rent them out for you.". The owner is still forced to pay their $13 Per $1k purchase price, plus the $6 per 1k MF.... but they figure that the $4k per 1k this company will pay them to use their points is better than nothing since they can't use them, and can't get rid of it.


Between scale, locations, age, deed types, and everything else.. It's really hard to compare the Wyndham system with the DVC system.

(And for the record.... It was actually DVC who helped start these non-owner fees within the industry with it's $95 /wk "Transportation fee" for exchanges into DVC Properties at Disney. Prior to that most Timeshare resorts treated exchange company exchanges into their resort just like their own owners based off the idea that their owners would get the same owner-treatment at the resort they exchanged into. Disney changed the equation by charging non-owners an additional fee. )