I agree with your first sentence 100%. However, I do not share your opinion that resale buyers are getting screwed. Those who purchase resale after 4/4/16 get exactly what they pay for by contract (which expressly states that Membership Extras are not included).
IMO, it's like buying a laptop vs a laptop "bundle". The bundles cost more than the laptop by itself and might include extras such as an extended warranty, tech support, a printer, docking station, larger monitor, etc. The laptop itself is the same product no natter which purchase option you choose. Buyer chooses according to what he/she values more.
If we want access to Membership Extras, then we need to purchase the option that includes them. At purchase we must acknowledge that we do not have the right to transfer access to ME if/when we resell the contract, and that ME are not contractually guaranteed and could change or be discontinued. I do not see that as "getting screwed". I see it as full disclosure by DVD (who offers & pays for ME).
While I agree that resale buyers are getting what they contractually agreed to buy, I think the restrictions are unnecesssry and bad business.
First, the perks themselves. Many of them just don’t cost that much more to offer to everyone and to the extent that they do, are standard offerings to frequent guests.
AP and dining/merch discounts. Similar deals are made with FL residents and similar discounts are offered to pass holders. It’s just good business practice to offer some discounts to your frequent/best customers. When you get out of the DVC silo, resale buyers will be some of Disney’s best customers.
Events/Lounges. With the exception of a few more soda station refills, what’s the extra cost of allowing everybody? Many of the events are limited capacity so DVC is already selling the opportunity to attend and not guaranteed access.
DVD might be paying for these perks, but they are perks that Disney would either routinely offer frequent guests anyway, or do not cost significantly more to open up to everyone.
The purpose of restricting the perks is to create a stigma in favor of buying direct.
And that’s just unnecessary.
1. Many direct buyers don’t know the first thing about resale so the argument that there’s a class difference between resale and direct would serve little more than to educate a buyer about the existence of resale.
2. Disney has access to more people to pitch their wares than any timeshare on the planet. If they even attempted to maximize that, they’d have all the timeshare business they could build.
3. Disney vastly undervalued DVC in the beginning. Starting after the 9/11/01 effect on the parks, DVC went on a decade long quest to find the top end of their market. They found it at $160/point. At $176, DVC was selling about 80K/points per month. When they started offering discounts to bring the effective price back down to around $160, sales doubled.
4. DVC advertises as a club. It’s in their name. And club means something very different, very special, and very distinctive to Disney. M-I-C...K-E-Y. To create tiers is so very unnecessary. Even resale buyers are committing to spending 10s of thousands of dollars at Disney. And those selling their points are doing so because for whatever reason, financial or enjoyment, their ability to come spend a ton of cash has died. So they’re selling to new owners highly motivated to come spend a ton of cash. Resale churn of customers is phenomenal business for Disney.
5. To me, what makes DVC special is that they could always afford to not be just another timeshare. They turned the industry on its head with their points system. They don’t nickel and dime to death. You don’t have to beg them for a parking pass without first commiting to go to an “owners update” sales pitch. DVC used to be an innovator. They were something special and they knew it. They could and still can afford to be. To see them go down the road of being ‘just another timeshare’ is sad to me.
Yes. “All timeshares do it.” That used to be heretical thinking at DVC. Sad to see it’s now their MO.
Bill
