Steve Burton Reviews The Sea Club

I visited Sea Club V earlier this year and a most enjoyable experience it was staying at this resort. The units are comfortable but not as luxurious as some I have stayed at in the past. The units don't have their own washing machines but there is laundry room with coin operated washing machines and dryers. There are no elevators to gain access to units on the second or third floor so please consider this fact if you have any walking difficulties.

I find it hard to put my finger on it but this resort has a special feel to it. Its location is second to none being just one hundred yards from Siesta Key beach with its white powdery sand. This beach has been rated as the best in all the USA by Dr Beach. If you have never visited Siesta Key beach then you are in for a treat when you see it for the first time. It runs for miles and the beach is easy to walk on because of the firmness of the sand.

This resort really brings to mind the phrase that what is important is location, location, location. I actually think it would be a shame to spend much time in the units at Sea Club V when the beach and the Gulf of Mexico is on your doorstep. This is where this resort really scores as it has sun loungers and umbrella's on the beach these are tended to by Nick and Steve. They will also supply you with kayaks, canoes and a fourteen foot catamaran sailboat. All of this is free of charge to owners and guests staying at the resort through RCI.

Unlike Longboat Key there is numerous bars and restaurants on Siesta Key you are spoiled for choice in fact. Nearby is St Armands Circle and the Ringling museum with paintings by many world famous artists.

The resort has a pool, hot tub and shuffleboard is available. There is also a continental welcome breakfast and a cookout during the week.

When you look at this resort on the RCI web site its easy to be put off as the blocks that contain the apartments look rather dated as they are in fact but as I mentioned earlier a visit to Sea Club V is or should be about Siesta Key beach with all it has to offer rather than the accommodation available at Sea Club V.

Want To Know More About RCI/ Read On

Timeshare owners around the country continue to experience some confusion as to who RCI is and what RCI does…and doesn’t do.

In an attempt to clear up this confusion and save owners time, aggravation and in some cases, thousands of dollars, the National Timeshare Owners Association is providing you this short, but essential primer.

First of all, RCI is an exchange company.  They facilitate the exchange or trade of one timeshare to another in a network of nearly 4,200 resorts worldwide.  Timeshare owners typically pay an annual membership fee to RCI as well as an exchange or trade fee.  RCI does not sell timeshares.

Many timeshare owners have been swindled out of thousands of dollars by not fully understanding what RCI does and what they don’t do.

Here’s a quick guide to assist:

RCI does not sell timeshare

RCI does not set or charge resorts’ annual maintenance fees

RCI does not set or charge resorts’ special assessments

RCI can not and does not arbitrarily change the number of points in your account

RCI does not cold call in an attempt to sell vacation packages

RCI does not cold call with invitations for “informative meetings” at a local restaurant, hotel, meeting room or any place else

RCI does not buy timeshare nor facilitate in the transfer of any timeshare

If you have questions or doubts when you are contacted by a company claiming to be RCI, don’t do anything at all before checking with your home resort and the NTOA for verification.

Issues With and Consequences of The Manhattan Club

Timeshare Insights and other organizations have been made aware of several situations with The Manhattan Club in New York City that in addition to affecting thousands of owners there, have far reaching implications for ALL timeshare owners.

Most of the owner issues boil down to these issues:

1)    Soaring annual fees averaging more than $2,000 per interval

2)    Inability for owners to use their interval

3)    Ability for non-owners to rent inventory for substantially less than the annual fees when owners are being shut out

4)    Flip-flopping of Manhattan Club management on buying back intervals from owners who want out

5)    Lack of resale value…if the Manhattan Club management made an offer to purchase back an interval, the offer was around $100

6)    Assuming the management will agree to take the interval back, Manhattan Club owners must pay the 2014 maintenance fee in full if they want to sell it back to the management even though this means they will not have use of the interval.

While this blog and other organizations advocate on behalf of timeshare owners, it is imperative to remember that any and all oral representations that were made during or subsequent to a sales presentation cannot be held actionable.  So, while many owners purchased one or more intervals at The Manhattan Club with the intent to use it “when they wanted to” or “on weekends” because that’s what the salesperson or management said, there is little that can be done on a legal basis as these were oral representations, not written.

However, we strongly believe that positive change can occur when an entity such as The Manhattan Club is faced with not one, not ten, not hundreds, but thousands of  owners dealing with issues that can only be termed “unfair” and “lacking morality.”

This and many other issues facing timeshare owners clearly and succinctly illustrate the need for owners get education, have their documents thoroughly reviewed by a professional with timeshare knowledge and band together.

As always this blog encourages comments and feedback from individual owners as well as resort management.

Lists and Likes-And Why You Shouldn't Like It

This is an actual posting from LinkedIn:

"Fresh Timeshare owner leads produced daily, people who genuinely want to sell or get out.  Contact me for price and details."

In addition to capitalizing "timeshare" when it shouldn't be, there is much wrong with this posting:

*  the poster used to work at several name brand timeshare companies
*  at the time I saw this, the posting had received 4 "likes" from other LinkedIn members
*  all 4 of those "likes" came from people within the timeshare industry

Where are these "fresh owners leads produced daily" coming from?

Why do people from the timeshare industry "like" this posting?

Why isn't the timeshare community cracking down on the practice of selling owner lists?

Why isn't the timeshare community doing anything to help owners who think they want to sell, but really are thirsting for knowledge to help them use their timeshare better?

If you're a timeshare owners, I'm sure you don't "like" this.  What are you going to do about it?  Remember, that timeshare knowledge IS timeshare power.  Go and get it.