Disney Timeshare Sees Decline In Customer Satisfaction May 31, 2011
Posted by John Stephens in : Disney, News & Events , add a commentNow here’s something you don’t see every day – Disney taking a hit when it comes to customer satisfaction. Even if it is only for the Disney timeshare sector, declining customer service results are still an oddity for the Mouse in whatever incarnation it manifests.
According to Disney-watch website DVCnews.com, Disney Vacation Club’s customer satisfaction score saw a decline in the first quarter of 2011 to its lowest quarterly numbers in almost four years.
Research firm Market Metrix conducts the satisfaction surveys and the DVC overall rating dropped to 87.7 for the quarter, down from 92.0 in the last quarter of 2010. The company says it measures areas such as Loyalty Program Effectiveness, Loyalty Emotions and Brand Leakage (sounds like a personal problem) to rank competitors in many segments of the hospitality industry.
To keep this in perspective, the hotel industry average was around an 84 and the timeshare industry accommodation average was about an 86, so it’s not like Disney was in the tank compared to the rest of the industry. However, this is Disney we’re talking about and it expects to repetitively crush the competition when it comes to customer satisfaction. The brand demands it.
Disney Vacation Club finished 2010 as the leader in the Timeshare Accommodations category with an average score of 91.8, so they’ll have some catching up to do if they want to keep the title.
No specifics were given as to the reasons for the drop, but a quick scan of the blog comments gave an indication of what could be contributing to the fall. Discussion was across the board, from a lack of resort-wide free wi-fi to the age of the resorts. However, many thought this was an anomaly and the resort’s proximity to the Disney parks seemed to trump the perceived problems that the commenters mentioned.
Keeping in mind that blog comments are often food for negativity, my guess is that Disney was bound to have an off-quarter sooner or later, especially when the economic challenges of the last few years have created the need for consumers to squeeze every ounce of value from their purchases.
As one commenter pointed out, “DVC was the top-ranked timeshare in 13 out of the last 16 quarters.”
That, my friends, is timeshare street-cred.
Disney timeshare still provides outstanding vacation value and you can find great deals on Disney timeshare by browsing the BuyaTimeshare.com website here.
Consumers Now Have More Control Over Their Timeshare Pulse Accounts May 27, 2011
Posted by John Stephens in : New Features, News & Events , add a commentYou may have noticed some changes to the member accounts that we offer through the BuyaTimeshare.com website for those consumers looking to buy, sell or rent timeshare online through our website.
New interactive features designed in our customer interface now allow clients to have more control over the timeshare resale and rental process.
“We identified and enhanced areas of our website in order to raise the level of service and meet the requirements of our customers, whether they are sellers, buyers or renters,” said Wesley Kogelman, president and CEO, BuyaTimeshare.com.
Potential timeshare buyers or renters seeking the best deals possible can create an account through the program called Timeshare Pulse. This exclusive platform provides people looking to buy timeshare or rent timeshare with nightly updates on newly advertised properties and price changes on accommodation previously under consideration – all directly sent into the customer’s inbox.
This new platform also allows offers to be managed online by buyers, renters and sellers without the need to contact the other party on the phone. The system provides each party with the ability to accept, decline or counter an offer through the network, with the ability to continue the negotiation process until an agreed-upon price is accepted by both parties.
For those sellers and renters who have placed an advertisement on the BuyaTimeshare.com website, new tools allow them to manage the details of their ad and change any information necessary, including prices, without the need to contact our customer service department. A login and password is provided which provides advertisers with direct, online access to the information and the ability to make changes at their convenience. If they have multiple ads in the system, they can link those ads to manage and edit them from one online account.
New Resort Pages have been developed for resorts with inventory advertised on the website, providing potential buyers and renters with comprehensive information to make an educated decision about that resort. Because of the online interactivity demanded by today’s travelers, these pages allow anyone to post a resort review if they have a Timeshare Pulse account. As with any reputable website looking to meet the needs of the traveling public, these reviews can be very helpful for those consumers looking to rent timeshare or buy timeshare.
“Today’s consumer wants the information at their fingertips to make decisions about their next vacation. They don’t want to wade through endless pages of material in an online excavation project,” said Kogelman. “These new tools make it simple for buyers, renters and sellers to connect and agree on purchase decisions that will ensure excellent value for great vacations.”
If you don’t have a Timeshare Pulse account, then you’re missing out on some great deals since our members receive first notice about product changes and additions to our site. To find out how to sign up, click here.
Taking Vacations Despite Higher Costs Is Good News For The Timeshare Industry May 23, 2011
Posted by John Stephens in : News & Events, Timeshare Rental, Travel , add a commentIn another example of the strange post-recession world that we live in, since when do higher travel costs equate to higher numbers of people wanting to go on vacation?
Answer – when people are fed up with staying home and are catching the summer fever.
Numbers released this week by travel site TripAdvisor.com reveal that the higher costs of travel (primarily due to higher gas prices and the flow-on effects to higher airfares and associated expenses) are not deterring people from planning a vacation this summer.
86% of travelers are planning a leisure trip this summer according to the website, up from 83% last year at a time when gas was about a dollar a gallon cheaper than it is now.
That’s great news for the timeshare industry, since these are the people who would factor into timeshare rentals and help boost the bottom line of resorts renting out excess inventory to help defray costs at the resorts. Which helps to keep maintenance fees in check. Which helps keep timeshare as a very attractive, less expensive alternative to hotel resorts. Not to mention the owners who place their timeshare for rent on sites such as BuyaTimeshare.com to cover their maintenance fees and make some cash in the process.
You get the picture.
The travel and tourism industry is more interconnected today than it’s ever been, thanks to the internet and the changing way people book vacations. The more people that take vacations, the better off the entire industry is.
And that doesn’t even factor in the already very high occupancy rates for timeshare, at about 80%, and the high satisfaction rate for the product, at about 84%.
It’s not like these people don’t know their vacation is going to cost more money, as 71% in the TripAdvisor survey say they know they’ll be spending more on their vacations this summer. 17% say they’ll be spending less, which means they’re either cutting back from last year or living under a rock.
People must be pretty frustrated at the thought of another staycation summer of discontent if they are so determined to spend more money to get out of Dodge for a while.
I say bring it on!
Let’s get fired up about vacations this summer. Timeshare is the best vacation option anyway and people looking for great value should be looking on sites such as BuyaTimeshare.com to see what’s available.
It’s about time that people were bold about their timeshare vacation and told their friends and family about the great facilities and excellent experiences they have while staying in a timeshare.
Find out for yourself by clicking here and browsing our website to rent timeshare and come back to tell us about the great time you had during your vacation this summer.
Hawaii Timeshare Tax Is Saved By The Bell – For Now May 21, 2011
Posted by John Stephens in : ARDA, Hawaii timeshare, News & Events , add a commentHawaii timeshare owners have dodged a legislative bullet during this year’s state legislative session as controversial language that would have increased taxes on timeshare owners by 300% was removed from bills recently passed by the Hawaii Senate and House of Representatives.
Hawaii Governor Neil Abercrombie had stated earlier this year his desire to increase the amount of taxes levied on Hawaii timeshare owners in an attempt to help close a budget shortfall faced by the state. However, an outcry of protest from timeshare owners, developers, resort managers and other members of the hospitality industry led to legislators removing the language from bills which passed just prior to the close of the 2011 session.
While this is good news for the timeshare industry from a state-wide perspective, industry observers are concerned that the state has kicked the can down to the local level through language included in those bills that could motivate action on a county level to raise taxes.
According to the American Resort Development Association, the legislation “did include one particular tax related item that might have an indirect effect on timeshare owners on a county level. The legislature placed a cap on the overall amount of transient accommodation tax revenues that are normally shared with the counties. This means that local governments could have an additional incentive to raise revenues, particularly property tax revenues.”
Talk has surfaced in the Maui County Council about raising the tax rate for owners in their jurisdiction, as I blogged about last month. During a May 6 hearing, representatives of the timeshare industry voiced their concerns to the Council about their proposal, according to a report in the Maui News.
“We believe time shares pay their fair share of taxes,” said Jason Gamel of the American Resort Development Association, who added that there appeared to be “no rationale” as to why timeshares were separated from hotels in the property tax system in 2005. Gamel said the county appeared to set a higher rate for philosophical reasons, according to the report.
During the hearing, Council Member Don Couch disagreed with the statements, noting that county officials in 2005 said they wanted to increase property tax rates for timeshares because they pay less in hotel-room taxes than traditional hotels. He noted that finance officials at the time said the rate should be set at $21 in order to balance out the loss of revenue to the county but that they wanted to go with a lower rate because they judged it would be more fair. The current rate is $14 and the proposed increase would raise the rate to $15.45 per $1,000 of assessed value.
This issue is certain to be contested by the industry should it pass, as I’m sure that local officials in other counties and municipalities in Hawaii are watching this closely to see if they can also get away with increasing rates.
The statement by Couch shows once again the misconception that elected officials often have about timeshare, mistakenly using an apples-to-oranges comparison to hotels that does not fully consider the ownership aspect of timeshare.
Or, perhaps those officials are conveniently overlooking (and taking for granted) the fact that timeshare owners pay property taxes in their maintenance fees and, unlike hotel occupants who pay accommodation taxes only when they visit, timeshare owners can’t say no to this payment by not visiting the island.
I’m just sayin’….
This issue is scheduled to come to a head at a special County Council meeting on Monday, May 23 when the Council gathers to vote on setting property tax rates for the 2012 fiscal year.
The good news for people looking to buy timeshare or rent timeshare is that using sites such as BuyaTimeshare.com on the secondary market can give you the best possible opportunity to get a great deal on your next Hawaii vacation.
Hawaii timeshare from branded resorts such as Diamond Resorts, Hilton Grand Vacations, Marriott timeshare, Bluegreen timeshare and Wyndham timeshare can be seen on the BuyaTimeshare.com website by clicking here.
CARE Timeshare Conference Brings Together Industry Members May 17, 2011
Posted by John Stephens in : ARDA, News & Events, Timeshare Rental , add a commentIf you look closely on the homepage of our website, you’ll see the various business groups that we are a member of as we believe strongly in supporting business and timeshare industry organizations.
The Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers (CARE) is one of those groups and, while you may not have heard of them, they are one of the best organizations in the timeshare and vacation ownership industry.
Our Sales Director, Peter Emery, attended their latest conference earlier this week in Deerfield Beach, FL, and filled me in on their latest developments.
Now in their 26th year, CARE is a volunteer organization primarily made up of representatives of resorts, travel and vacation clubs and online rental companies who look to network in an effort to find the best vacation inventory possible for their customers. We participate in CARE because of the timeshare rental side of our business since CARE members often look to match up consumer requests for certain vacation destinations with the companies that can fulfill those requests.
These are the people on the front lines of the industry, so to speak, and they work very hard to make people’s vacation dreams come true. They are a fun group of people that knows how to throw a party and the majority of the conference is sponsored in order to keep the costs down. BuyaTimeshare.com was one of those sponsors and we are very proud to be a supporter of CARE.
The conference opened with a fundraising dinner highlighted by a combined live and silent auction that raised $13,500, which was used to offset conference costs. The first day was headlined by Bill Repp of Selling Smart, who facilitated workshops based on developing relationship-building skills in the workplace. The second day saw the president of the American Resort Development Association, Howard Nusbaum, address the group and discuss ways that the national trade association can help CARE improve its efforts to service its various customer and member bases.
There was also an awards dinner and an off-site reggae party that ended the conference on a perfect note.
So why should I tell you about this and why should you CARE about it? Sorry about the pun – not!
Because it is important for you to know that there are thousands of people who work in the timeshare and vacation ownership industry to make your vacations become reality. When you go searching the BuyaTimeshare.com website for a timeshare for sale or a timeshare for rent, there are not only owners advertising their timeshare on our site, but there are also potential vacationers looking for a great place to vacation. Making the connection between the two sometimes takes industry professionals to make that happen, whether it is our account executive creating the owner’s ad on our website or a representative from another company working on behalf of a potential buyer looking for a timeshare in a specific location. And every possible scenario in-between.
It really is a great industry to be a part of and we’re having a great time with it.
You can take advantage of these timeshare properties for sale and rent by clicking on the BuyaTimeshare.com website here.
Timeshare Relief Companies Are Not All They Claim To Be May 12, 2011
Posted by John Stephens in : General, Timeshare Resale , add a commentIt all sounds so enticing.
The guarantee to get you out of your timeshare. The “promise” that you can leave it with them and your worries are over. But are they?
These are the timeshare “relief” companies, these groups that you hear about usually through a direct mail card sent to your home or a phone call from someone you’ve never heard of, claiming that they have the silver bullet to help you part with your timeshare. The pitch usually goes something like this…..
“We’ll be in your town next (insert day of the week here) and would love for you to come and meet with us. We’ll explain how you can get rid of your timeshare without the fees and hassles associated with other companies.” But if you show up, what they don’t tell you in advance is that you’ll be out of pocket for about $4,000 for the “privilege” of supposedly handing over your timeshare.
And the real problems can occur if these companies don’t handle the transfers properly, with many such title transactions never actually consummated and the “former” owners suddenly realizing that they still legally own their property with no chance of getting that $4,000 back.
Please understand that on the secondary market, if it seems too good to be true, it usually is. This is a supply and demand business and anyone making promises to sell your timeshare, or having a buyer waiting to buy your timeshare, or claiming they can take it off your hands with no hassle, is someone to be very careful of.
We’ve been in this business for over 10 years and are as transparent and accountable as any business in the timeshare resale industry. We started when the internet was in its infancy and have seen drastic changes in the timeshare secondary market. This pitch by the relief companies is just the latest angle in a series of tactics over the years by companies looking to use shortcuts to enter the resale business.
We know that your best, and most cost-effective, way to part with your timeshare is to advertise it with a reputable company that provides exposure to a global audience looking for the product. That is why we work hard to rank BuyaTimeshare.com on page one of Google for a variety of timeshare-related search terms since we know that, for instance, about 600,000 people per month search out the word “timeshare” on Google.
Pricing a timeshare correctly and getting it in front of the people looking to buy timeshare or rent timeshare is the best way to part with it – not by paying thousands of dollars to a shadowy company and rolling the dice in the hope that you may – or may not – actually part with it.
To find out more about selling your timeshare, please click here.
Not All Visitor Information Centers Are Alike May 10, 2011
Posted by John Stephens in : News & Events , add a commentVisitor centers in towns accustomed to hosting a large number of tourists can be a common scene – especially in towns and cities with a large timeshare presence. However, as many frequent travelers have discovered, not all visitor information centers are alike.
Some of these centers are really nothing more that cleverly disguised, off-premise sales offices for timeshare resorts looking to sell timeshare to visitors by bringing them in to tour their facilities.
Such is the case in Charleston, South Carolina, where a new city council ordinance has been written to try and differentiate the city-run centers from the ones that act as lead-generation facilities for timeshares.
While the Charleston City Council unanimously agreed on how to deal with timeshare solicitors in downtown, it’s not a done deal yet.
Mayor Joe Riley says visitors complain about overly persistent timeshare operators and that it’s a threat to a city known for its southern hospitality.
He says local businesses are important to the city’s economy, but misleading practices are not.
As expected, a marketing representative for a downtown timeshare says they’re trying to help the city and visitors. No surprise that they would take the “we’re all about servicing the guest” tact. However, anyone who has encountered these “information centers” knows that they can be a grueling experience, especially if all you’re looking for is a map and a point in the right direction.
With the new regulation, signs will have to label such facilities as not affiliated with the city of Charleston.
The city council hopes there will be a final reading of this ordinance sometime this week, and then timeshare operators will have to abide by the regulation as law. The mayor says that can happen as early as this summer.
Of course, people purposely looking for South Carolina timeshare or timeshare in any other part of the world can always come to our BuyaTimeshare.com website and find the right deal without all the hassle of dealing with the resort sales process. Not to mention the overly inflated prices that they charge at the resorts. Take a look by clicking here.
Timeshare Business Development Opportunities to Benefit Customers May 5, 2011
Posted by John Stephens in : General, News & Events , add a commentI was thinking earlier today about our CEO, Wesley Kogelman, and what a busy man he is these days traveling between our offices in New Hampshire and Florida as well as generating business opportunities with other timeshare companies.
And then it hit me.
We spend a large amount of time and resources looking for the best inventory available to satisfy people searching to buy timeshare or rent timeshare from our website. That inventory comes from owners advertising their timeshare for sale or for rent on our site. But we also collaborate with other timeshare companies to make sure that consumers have the best opportunity to buy or rent the most attractive timeshare properties possible.
That is why we hit the road to attend industry conferences throughout the year, with two conferences coming up later this month that will give us the chance to continue to build relationships with other industry partners for the benefit of consumers.
Wesley will be attending the GNEX 2011 expo next week in the Bahamas and, before you start feeling sorry for him having to spend a couple of days at the Atlantis Resort, understand that there will be about 75 companies in attendance from around the world with the same goal – to network and build business relationships that will enhance the vacation ownership product.
Our Sales Director, Peter Emery, will be doing the same thing later this month when the Cooperative Association of Resort Exchangers (C.A.R.E.) meets in Deerfield Beach, Fl. Pete will be networking with industry representatives in an effort to create opportunities for organizations to work together and provide the best possible deals for people looking for timeshare.
The industry sometimes gets a bad rap in the press for either looking to scam people on the secondary market or not trying to work together to improve the industry. I’m not suggesting that this doesn’t happen, but these conferences are held all over the world and companies like ours participate because we want to improve the industry and create a safe and secure environment for owners to offer up their timeshare and buyers and renters to take advantage of the great deals available on the internet.
You can find these deals on the BuyaTimeshare.com website by clicking here. But remember that there are a lot of people that work very hard to give you the opportunity to find these deals and discover excellent value for your next vacation.
BuyaTimeshare.com To Give Away A Free Vacation Through Facebook May 3, 2011
Posted by John Stephens in : General, News & Events , add a commentBy now you may have discovered the link at the bottom of our homepage, or perhaps you’ve seen the link on our Facebook Fan Page. It’s the way to a free vacation, courtesy of BuyaTimeshare.com.
We’re holding a vacation giveaway contest from now until the end of July, 2011 through our Facebook Fan Page, with the winner to receive free, round-trip airfare and a free week’s stay in a timeshare in either Orlando, FL or Las Vegas, NV.
The winner will get to choose the destination city from the two locations and bring along a companion, with contestants asked to enter through our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/RentaTimeshare. No purchase is necessary to enter the competition.
We’re so excited about breaking the 1,000 follower mark on our Facebook Page that we wanted to celebrate and decided to hold the contest as a special “thank you” event according to our CEO and fearless leader, Wesley Kogelman.
“We are very excited to be able to bring this contest to the people who understand the value of timeshare vacations,” said Kogelman. “The people who have decided to ‘like’ our page have access to special rental offers through our page every week and we wanted to thank them for deciding to engage with us on Facebook.”
The contest is the latest element of our new social media strategy as we look to interact with those of you looking for online vacation deals involving timeshare. The strategy consists of proactive moves to incorporate Facebook, Twitter and blogging through our website to provide information and touch points for you to interact with us as you look for great value for your accommodation booking.
“Many people still don’t understand the terrific opportunities that exist on the timeshare rental market,” added Kogelman. “You’re talking about staying in a one or two bedroom condo with a full kitchen, dining area, multiple bathrooms and laundry facilities for less money than staying in a hotel. It’s a no-brainer.”
“And thanks to the changes we’ve made to our website, the ease of use and the sheer volume of resort information now available on our website, we’ve become an online vacation planner for people looking for comprehensive information about how to take a timeshare vacation.”
Those new changes are clearly seen in the way you can search for properties on our site and the information available on each resort. There is also destination information in the areas the resorts are located in, attraction information and even contact details for the resorts. You can find out what deals are available for timeshare resales and timeshare rentals through our website by clicking here.