Members of Interval International have been hit with a unexpected price increase, which could add up $300 to the cost of a membership.

According to Interval, not all members will face the price increase it depends on your membership. The main problem here is that Interval International did not inform it’s members this would be happening and no announcement was made. The move has angered some members who say they will try to seek an exit from their Interval memberships as a result.

The fees relate to upgrade fees. So if you wish to exchange your timeshare week for a larger unit, you now have to pay an upgrade fee as well as the normal exchange fee. This could cost owners up to $300, but does depend on the level of membership owners have.

The owners who will face the highest cost are owners of high quality, higher value smaller units who trade their weeks for larger lower value units and off season timeshare owners. Owners have complained that the company is simply adding fees for things that used to be free and if you are charged a fee to trade up a unit size then surely you should be credited when you down grade instead of charged.

In response to the influx of complaints Interval posted the following letter to members: “We have heard your concerns and apologise for not providing notice about the new unit-size upgrade fee. We assure you that we will improve our communication in the future.

“Prior to launching this fee, we received data and conducted member research to better understand member behaviour and inventory utilisation. We learned that members often confirm larger units than necessary to accommodate their travel party. This finding, along with the fact that points-based members already relinquish more points when receiving a larger unit, the trend toward shorter booking windows, and other factors, influenced the introduction of the unit-size upgrade fee. As always, if a unit-size upgrade is offered during Flexchange, there is no additional fee.

“The unit-size upgrade fee supports Interval’s commitment to providing comparable exchanges to members around the world. Our inventory control and optimisation processes are designed to create the greatest number of exchange opportunities possible for members, while maintaining fairness across the system.”

These fees are sure to upset many Interval International owners as they appear to be simply a way of increasing revenue rather than customer satisfaction, and also a way to encourage owners to upgrade their memberships so they don’t have to pay these additional fees.

People who enter into Timeshare agreements often find it difficult to keep up with the mounting maintenance fees and simply cannot afford it any longer. They may also find that the Timeshare no longer suits their needs and simply want to end the contract. There are too many individuals who are willing to take advantage of Timeshare owners and offer fake products, along with Timeshare exit schemes. Before agreeing to any Timeshare termination or exit procedure with an individual or company, seek independent advice and fully research any company you are thinking of working with.

It is also important to remember that purchasing a Timeshare should NEVER be viewed as a financial investment. Timeshare is an investment in lifestyle, in future holidays and family time together. There is almost no resale value to a Timeshare.

The mis-selling of holiday products is, unfortunately, common practice within the holiday industry and these type of crimes often go unreported by the most vulnerable in our society and criminal convictions are few and far between.

If you have purchased a Lifestyle / Concierge Service, a Timeshare or a ‘Holiday Points’ based product from a resort or company and feel unhappy with the service, or feel you have been mis-sold this product, please get in touch with us to discuss how we may be able to help you with a possible Money Back Claim.