‘Secret Profits’: How Booking Companies Manufacture Restrictions on ‘Use Rights’
As discussed in the previous article, “Booking Companies: How Neutral Are They?” , RCI and Interval International, work as an extension of the resorts. The parent corporation, Wyndham in RCI’s case (or Marriott Vacations Worldwide, for Interval International), directs new owners towards the seemingly third-party Booking Company to manage their Timeshare. However, owners soon find themselves buried under restrictions they never knew they had. Purchasers were originally told it would be anywhere, anytime bookings , but there can be fees they never knew to pay, with huge advanced booking requirements and artificial availability, when you could just book it today online. These restrictions are all carefully manufactured by the booking companies to turn a profit at the expense of the consumer. Upgrades When a timeshare owner uses the booking company, they may glean actual benefit from them, perhaps for several years even, with legitimate bonuses and ad...