Our family loves RIV and does not regret buying there at all. And what happens at other resorts doesn’t impact my feeling about Riviera or our decision to purchase multiple direct contracts there.
What does affect me, is that in part our decision to purchase direct Riviera was the messaging, which was very clearly delivered to us at multiple points, that all new buildings would have restrictions, so to be eligible to stay at any new buildings one would need direct points.
This doesn’t have to do with something happening at another resort that makes me upset about purchasing RIV. This has to do with the integrity of the company regarding their honest communication about their product with customers. If I received errant messaging about any product I was deciding to purchase, from food at the grocery store to a car, to a timeshare, I would expect honest representation of the product and answers to my questions. If a food or car I purchase subsequently is found to have a problem, I appreciate that the companies have the integrity to contact me with a recall notice.
In the same regard, if DVC finds that the restrictions are not working for whatever reason, and decides not to impose them on new DVC buildings, as they had said while marketing Riviera, then they should have the integrity to concurrently announce that all restrictions would be eliminated. In essence, recalling restrictions as the product changed and was different than it was originally marketed.
I absolutely understand that the restrictions business model maybe just didn’t work they way they had anticipated, or changing their minds on it. And I have no problem with the initial sales messaging, if they sincerely believed the restriction model was the way the company needed to go to be successful. But if they now change their minds, and sell PVB2, which is a new building with new amenities and all room types, without restrictions, then in order not to completely contradict their initial sales messaging to customers, they must at the same time as declaring a new building with out restrictions, rescind restrictions from resorts who were marketed as that being the new standard.
Not doing so to me, demonstrates a great compromise in business ethics and integrity of the company, and that is the only area in where my disappointment would lie. Not at all in Riviera itself or even the initial trial of restrictions.
