Festiva buying Escapes

Of course not, the more TPUs, the merrier. I was saying that there are various TPU amounts assigned to each week under the "faux point" system. Some are better, some are worse. A 2Br can go for from 10 points a week, up to 24 points a week, all for the same unit and the same $700. I didn't get the maximum or the minimum, but wasn't unhappy with the amount I did get in return.

I thought it was interesting that for my Festiva Stonebridge Village COA units, when I banked them into RCI, I wasn't even given TPUs but instead received what are called "Bonus Weeks". In all the advertising RCI does about their system of Trading Power, I was surprised because just the week prior, I had banked the lockoff and received the TPUs I mentioned, and now was receiving something called "Bonus Weeks".

I own an week at Escapes! to the Shores in Orange Beach. I did not join into Festiva's Adventure Club. I have exchanged my week once with RCI and once with RTX. RCI is more costly to make an exchange with, but the availability is vastly better than RTX.

Having the ability to exchange is nice, but in my case, its not imperative. The week I own at The Shores, is a week I like to be there.

When I exchanged with RCI, I went to Panama City Beach, FL. My exchange with RTX is to Destin, FL.

One problem with RTX is that there is not an easy way to know what your exchange is worth. Even though you can see the units online that are available for exchange, the unit you put into their system may not qualify for exchange with what you see as available. It takes a telephone call to them to see if your unit will exchange for what you want.

steven766 wrote:

I thought it was interesting that for my Festiva Stonebridge Village COA units, when I banked them into RCI, I wasn't even given TPUs but instead received what are called "Bonus Weeks". In all the advertising RCI does about their system of Trading Power, I was surprised because just the week prior, I had banked the lockoff and received the TPUs I mentioned, and now was receiving something called "Bonus Weeks".

Have you asked RCI why that is?

feedback@rci.com

Yes. I called RCI to ask what the TPUs were for my weeks I wanted to bank, as I wasn't near a computer for online access. The consultant at RCI at first said she could tell me, stopped, then asked to put me on hold so she could speak to a supervisor. She returned and said she was unable to tell me the TPUs, I asked why not and she said I needed to call the resort and that the "resort could tell me". I told her the resort didn't know the TPUs as I had called them first. I said if I was at a computer, I could see the answer for myself in a few seconds, and I asked why she couldn't do the same thing for me, and she again just said that the resort would help me.

That evening, I looked up the TPUs online, called the resort and asked them to bank the weeks. I asked them how long it would be before the process was completed and in my RCI account, and I was told that I would be able to see it in my account immediately. Again, I was surprised as it normally took a few days, sometimes a week, to be able to have the process completed.

I looked at my RCI account, saw 2 "Bonus Weeks" instead of 2 TPU amounts. I called RCI again, asked what a Bonus Week was and why there were in my account instead of TPU amounts. I was told that Festiva was worked out their own resort trading policy with RCI and that for the former Escapes Travel Club units, Bonus weeks were given instead of TPUs.

It feels like a throw back to the old system before the "faux points" system. I looked to see what the Bonus Weeks would get me in exchange, and if/how they limited my exchange capability. They seemed to allow good exchange opportunity, so it was OK. It was just a surprise to have a major change in the exchange routine implemented by RCI and Festiva without any notification.

It seems this policy is only being used on the weeks that I have that were part of the former Escapes Travel Club, not the former Escapes fixed weeks or the float weeks. They still get TPUs assigned by RCI.

We acquired a timeshare week at Hot Springs Village in a resale handled by a title company. No mention was made to us about the Escapes Travel Club membership dues, which, we are told by Festiva's representatives, are mandatory annual fees even though our timeshare week use and maintenance fee accrues only in biennial odd years. Basically, what Escapes did was tack on a new fee of $169 X 2 ($338 for the use period) to our $550 maintenance fee, superseding our deeded week.

It is my understanding that the Attorneys General of various states have filed lawsuits against Festiva and other entities for fraud-related activities of all sorts, but have not been able to ascertain whether this issue has been addressed. We have tried to sort it out through RCI, to which we belong by virtue of other timeshares, but were told the Escapes membership is a "dedicated account," and they are unable to resolve the issue without approval of Escapes/Festiva. Of course, Festiva won't agree but can furnish no proof that our prior weeks-owner of our particular week ever agreed to this ECT exchange fee.

Is it a deeded fixed week?

Don't believe anything Festiva tells you.

I have no knowledge that any AGs have done anything to Festiva related to their acquisition of Escapes!. Escapes! could not have stuck their owners with a worse company. It just shows what money and greed does.

I dusted off my old Escapes Travel Club manual and tried to find any mention of the club dues on a bi-annual contract, but didn't find anything. I think jlb is correct in asking if the deed was a fixed week unit. If you have a fixed week or float unit, you aren't charged a club membership fee, if its a point unit, there is an annual club membership fee.

I would take my concerns about the club membership fees back to the seller and/or the company you purchased the deed from and find out why they failed to mention the fee in the course of the transaction. I don't personally feel Festiva is being deceptive about this. It doesn't matter how many former Escapes Travel Club deeded units you have, you only pay the annual fee once. Whether you have a single bi-annual studio unit or ten 2 bedroom lockoff units, its just one fee annually.

The question I ask myself is what does my club membership fee provide me. It provides me with an RCI account, at no additional cost, and a RTX account, at the premium level, at no additional costs.

I already have an RCI account that I pay for separately. I have it because of the former Escapes float unit and fixed week units I own. The part of this that rub me wrong is that I have to have two separate RCI accounts to exchange my former Escapes units and they aren't compatible with each other. The "normal" RCI account will not work with my ETC units, and the "dedicated" RCI doesn't work with my fixed and float units.

I have used RTX to exchange units but the issue is regular availability of units to exchange into. The selection of available units is tiny, but, and this is a big plus, they also will go outside the normal boundaries to find you a unit if you call them and ask. They have folks who call other resorts in the area you want to stay in and try to work out an exchange for you that is outside their normal available resorts. Another big plus is their exchange fees are about half, or even less, of RCIs.

I have read many of the suits against Festiva, and the many of the other companies under the parent firm, and have seen several ranging from company reps with fraudulent promises and deceptive practices, to a sexual harassment suit by an employee, but nothing about the club membership fees.

Festiva is still misleading SBV owners, pretending like we are somehow affiliated with them:

"Greetings PHM Resort Owner"

But, when a COA chooses to conduct business in the "stone"-age, and not even have an email address to contact them through, and demand that you communicate with them only by letter, I can't forward the misleading crap I receive.

FWIW, SBV POA has a fine website, and email, and an owners' directory, and a monthly eletter, and surely they could make space for the Stonebridge Village Condominiums on that site.

http://www.sbvpoa.org/

But, hey, who am I, and what do I know?

Oh, that's right, 25 years of timesharing and 16 years on the Internet.

I just want to get out from under the timeshare. Anyone know what I can do? Its paid for just the MFs are due every year..

Call your home resort and ask them to take it back through a " deed back ". Make sure you talk to someone who handles those transactions. They may have you pay for the next years taxes and fees but that's a small price to pay to get out from under future payments.

Yeah, right.

You call StoneBridge and ask them to take one of yours back.

!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh, I forgot, they only take requests from owners by letter.

Anyone remember letters? That's where you write down what you want to say on a piece of paper, put it in an envelope (no, not a envelope where you store files), and then you put it in the mail.

Anyone remember mail?

They won't take it back!

Duh!

Timely that this thread is active again, since today was check-in day at SBV.

Beware . . .

Things were different than ever before.

First, I did not recognize the two ladies in the office. After I gave all my personal information to the first lady at the check-in desk, she said, "All you need now is your . . ." and I said, "parking pass."

I was directed to the (new) second lady at the (new) second counter, 10 feet from the first counter. Since I was the only one checking in, (new) second lady heard everything that just went on, but she had a form I could not see, and she asked the same personal questions, plus a couple more.

Frankly, she had a different appearance and attitude than the first lady. I'm sure y'all know what I mean when I say she had that timeshare sales aura about her, as opposed to an hourly administrative employee.

I obliged her with more personal information than I really cared to give, and then she said, "Let's get your Members' Update scheduled."

At that point I couldn't control the chuckle that had been building up inside, so it came out.

She said, "When was the last time you had a Members' Update? It'll only take about 10 minutes."

I said, "Ma'am, you have no idea how much I do not need your update."

I took the parking pass and left.

caveat emptor . . . they're looking to get into your pockets to be able to do the same thing you are already doing. - - - - - - As I left I had a random thought . . . At the point in the sales presentation when they make their offer, say for $10,000 or whatever, I'm thinking I should say, "I've got the same thing . . . I will offer it to you for free."

If they are offering something as valuable as $10,000, or whatever, why would they not take one from me, for free? - - - - - - A second thought I had after leaving was to give (New) second lady my email address, to see if they have figured out what that is yet.

I love that phrase "Ma'am, you have no idea how much I do not need you update." classis..

Too bad to hear of Festiva at your resort.. this is the start of long road to hell. Check the forums on TUG2.net and read all the stuff they have come up with to make life misirable for owners, which buy the way they inherited.

one thing to remember when dealing with Festiva is most of what they say is NOT TRUE or will change the next time you talke to them.

I hate it for you.. now for the Festiva fanboy club to come on to sing the praise of Festiva.. let the music begin.

I would sing the song, but don't know the words.

I have a fixed week at Stonebridge that includes ownership amenities we bought when Cooper first opened up in Branson. We lived far away but have since relocated close to Branson. We would like to trade this location for Orange Beach if that is possible? Can anyone give me direction or potential problems.

You need to give more information.

First, you have one of the 600# units, a Golf Villa, right?

How do you intend to "exchange"? RCI? "Escapes?" (which isn't Escapes any more.) You have to be affiliated with some type of exchange system.

FWIW, we own the same, and would exchange through RCI if we wanted to.

For those following, we managed to give away two weeks (fixed weeks in the Golf Villas), and the COA has done a few things to make them a tad easier to work with. Believe it or not, they actually now have email, so I guess it's no longer a requirement to write them a letter if you need something.

Another little funny thing.

I got a "Last Call" through RCI for $220 (maintenance fee is $680!!!!), and when I checked in, the lady at the first counter knew me, but it really confused the guy at the "Owners Update" counter when she told him that I'm an owner.

He couldn't figure out how I was coming in through RCI.

He hemmed and hawed a bit, until I said, "What I need from you is that parking pass . . . Thank you."

I had no control. They just sent a letter saying Festiva had bought Escapes out. I had been trying to get rid of the timeshare for years. Escapes lied so much to me. They would buy it back. The maintenance fees wouldn’t go up. We could go to their newer resorts. Now we are retired on a fixed income. Can’t pay maintenance fees. Being harassed by them and collection agency. It’s a nightmare. I just want out !