Has MyMVP Club timeshare finally got it right with no perpetual contract?

At Timeshare Advice Centre, the most common complaints we hear are about high-pressure sales tactics, spiralling maintenance fees, holiday booking systems that don’t deliver, and owners feeling trapped in contracts they can’t escape. So, has Florida-based timeshare company MyMVP Club finally got the model right?

An industry under pressure

“Timeshare owners seem happiest on two specific days,” says Suzanne Stojanovic, spokesperson for Timeshare Advice Centre. “The day they sign up, and the day they get out of their ownership.”

A quick look through online review pages for some of the world’s largest timeshare brands, including Marriott Vacation Club and Wyndham Worldwide, shows a striking number of negative reviews. Many Marriott and Wyndham owners rate their experience at one star out of five.

The same themes come up time and again: owners say they were pressured into buying something they didn’t really want, then faced repeated sales approaches every time they returned. They also report steep annual fee rises, and frustration when the product doesn’t match what they were sold — particularly around booking the holidays they expected, when and where they expected them.

A potential solution to ‘forever’ timeshare contracts?

Many timeshare contracts — particularly in the USA — tie people into membership in perpetuity, whether they remain happy with the product or not. In practice, that can leave companies with a captive membership base, legally obliged to pay whatever fee increases are issued. It also reduces the usual market pressure to perform: customers can’t simply “vote with their feet” and take their custom elsewhere.

One Florida company may be looking to disrupt that model with an approach that is simple, different — and, many would argue, long overdue.

MyMVP Club has moved away from “forever”/ in perpetuity contracts, in favour of memberships sold in three-year increments. The company says there is no cost to relinquish membership, and that leaving is as straightforward as choosing not to renew at the end of the term.

MVP Club CEO Joseph Takacs Jr says: “MyMVP Club is designed so you know what to expect. After spending the last 15 years talking with owners as we helped them through reexamining their timeshare options, we designed a Club based on what they told us they want, like and need.”

Expert comment

“This certainly sounds like a welcome innovation,” says Andrew Cooper, CEO of European Consumer Claims. “It puts the onus back onto the timeshare company to earn loyalty. They’re incentivised to keep annual fee demands competitive, to make sure the holiday system works, and to minimise intrusive pressure sales during members’ holidays.”

“If they don’t get it right, their customers can leave after three years,” Cooper adds. “Traditional timeshare companies have no such incentive to impress. In general, timeshare companies can even prefer members to have complaints, because it gives their in-house sales team an opportunity to ‘fix’ the issue by pushing yet another expensive membership upgrade.”

“It is too early to say definitively that MVP Club has got this right, but we will be watching with interest.”

How do I escape my ‘forever’ timeshare?

If you have a traditional long-term timeshare ownership, the first step — before exploring other holiday options — is to free yourself from your existing contract. Timeshare companies rarely make this straightforward, because they rely on your annual fees whether you still want the membership or not.

Escape is possible with expert help. Under certain conditions, mis-sold members may also be due substantial compensation from their timeshare company, although this must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

To discuss your options, get in touch with our team for a free, confidential consultation.