This is a comment by someone which an great sense of humour
Please do not think that I (or for that matter most continuing owners on this forum) are Luddites and resistant to change; most of the people who are contributing to this forum realise that the timeshare model that exists currently is not fit for purpose, and has long been overdue for change.
Ironically, the only people who seem resistant to change are MacDonald’s who have milked this poor old cow until she is almost dry! Instead of evolving the resort and the other resorts that they operate, they have consistently refused any attempt at modernising and contemporising the product. Now, what they want to do is to completely change the club and deny those owners who wish to stay, their continuing rights whilst at the same time exporting the real estate from the Trustee (who was charged with protecting the assets of the club for the club’s members), to their own rental inventory, thereby further diminishing the ownership rights of the continuing owners.
This is why David N and others are working extremely hard to produce a proposal that will bring timeshare at Villacana into the 21st-century, whilst retaining the rights for those who want to stay and at the same time allowing those who wish to leave, the opportunity of doing so at a reasonable fee. It is unforgivable that the new points system will also be in perpetuity… even for those owners who die or who are incapable of travelling any longer. The proposals that we are generating will address all of these problems and create a sound financial model that is workable (although not as generous as it previously has been) to all constituents, whilst reducing the maintenance fees paid by owners to a realistic and achievable level.
Too long has Villacana and the other clubs fed the greed of MacDonald’s without complaint and in order to survive they (like us) will need to go on a diet! It will be a difficult time as we move forward, but in order for this to be workable we have to take a leaf from that awful example of entrepreneurism, Michael O’Leary of Ryanair. He has a motto “FIRE” – which is an acronym for “Find Incremental Revenue Everywhere” – and that will have to be our watchword as we rebuild this business. That, however, is the only business practice that I would want to see imported from O’Leary’s “Guide to Management”!
Do we want MacDonalds to be part of that future – absolutely! Quite apart from the link to the Vacation Club and brand image, they also have much experience of running this type of resort. But, we all need to embrace change and MacDonalds can no longer have the luxury of “fiddling whilst Rome burns” – at the risk of mixing metaphors, it’s time we all “woke up and smelled the coffee” and started working towards rebuilding the club as a shining example of ethical timeshare ownership – not as another ‘get-rich-quick’ scheme for Donald MacDonald and his cronies. There is a Phoenix just waiting rise from the ashes of what currently exists!
For more information regarding this article or assistance in any other timeshare related issues please contact the TCA on 01908 881058 or email: info@TimeshareConsumerAssociation.org.uk