OKW Extension Papers & Lockout Mentioned

[rinkwide]

...we told not to negatively influence other DVC members...

Could you please expand on that?

 

[flechette]

This is the phone number for questions regarding the matter if anyone needs it to call and inquire why they did not receive a notice: 1-800-782-6767 or 1-407-827-4743. In my opinion I do not believe anyone should just sit and do nothing. Good luck.

Bob,
Thank you for the light kick in the rear! cause otherwise I would have done nothing for a bit~

I called and left a voice message w/ the numbers above. Eventually (6 hours later) it turned out the documents had not shipped. Our account was stuck in some loop and the proper code won't pop. It had to be done manually. A very nice lady named Betty called me and she sounded pretty tired. I expect there had to be multiple calls made to different departments, like IT, in order to get this fixed. She said it was going out ASAP and I should have them no later than early next week. <cough> I said given it was a holiday weekend coming up I'd give it til next Thurs or Fri before I called back She did laugh.

So thanks again- this could have been really ugly in a couple of months if I had waited!

Michelle

 

[BobH]

I have been helped many times by the suggestions and ideas of other people that contribute to this board. I am glad I could be of some assistance. The woman I spoke to in admisitration sounded very tired as well. Imagine how tire they will be when they try this extension routine on all the other resorts that expire in 2042.

 

[JimC]

I called Member Administration (option 2 and then option 4) today to inquire about completing the paperwork on site and they said to simply take the package to the preview center at SSR and they would have someone witness and notarize the forms.

I don't think the paperwork is a burden. Obviously no paperwork would be best but I can not think of how DVC could approach this differently and comply with the various laws concerning real estate and timeshares. I thought the $30 credit on our dues was a nice gesture on their part.

 

[bavaria]

Can anyone please explain as clearly as possible how notary service works in America? As you can see from other posts, those of us not from there have a much larger challenge.

I think that I have read that one can have things notarized at a bank? what is the cost? does one make an appointment?

It sounds as if notary service is very common there, unlike that provided in other countries.

Thank you.

 

[FLYNZ4]

Our bank notorizes for free for their customers. Many companies have notaries that the employees can use as well.

Then... there are tons of small "mailbox places" around that have notories. They tend to charge. The one closest to us charges $5.00 per visit. mybe more if there are lots of items to notorize.

All the notory does it verify that it is you signing the form. The check your ID... and stamp the form verifying you signed in their presence.

/Jim

 

[bavaria]

Thanks Jim! (hmmm, you look familiar, don't you? )

I am hoping that Bank of (Partsof)America can do this for me as I do hold accounts with them. Otherwise it will need to be a mailbox place.

Most of my summer will be in Europe so I am hoping to get the items notarized sooner rather than later.

 

[DVC92]

In general I have been pleased with the Disney Vacation Club experience. Due to my age I have chosen not to extend my OKW membership for 15 years. Notarization of the paperwork declining the offer was inconvenient, but not a major matter. However, when one party to a 16 year old contract notifies the other party to a real estate contract that they are changing the terms of the original contract that has been in existence for 16 years, and that you will lose the use of the original real estate interest (be locked out) if you do not agree to amend your deed - that is a major matter - and it is a little suprising when you have been "welcomed home" for years. I just think that if all this was legally necessary to extend the ground lease and keep DVC going, owners should have been given a more complete explanation that this was the only way DVC could handle the matter under Florida timeshare laws. A meaningful explanation would have been worth more to me than a token $30 credit on my 2008 annual statement to cover costs of notarizing papers and an offer of an OKW photo that I have no use for. Allowing the owners to find out in an informal telephone conversation that the managment intend to lock them out of their ownership interest is just bad business and bad advertising on the part of DVC. Disney has aways been a master at public relations and buyer incentives. I hope the architect of the OKW extension offer does not rise any further up the Disney chain of command.
I do know other vacation club members in my area that are equally dissatisfied with the way this has been handled and I have been intersted in learning what the thoughtful members of this board have to say. I don't want to rain on any other DVC members' parade, but sometimes it does rain.

You've hit the nail right on the head. Other than attempting to sell more points, they have failed to communicate with the members from the beginning about any issue that is substantive. If they intend to lock-out members or place a lien on a member's ownership interest at a specific date, put it in writing so everyone is informed. As a result of a Timeshare Bureau complaint, they have agreed to subsidize non-extenders in the future, but they have not communicated this to members. I have sent several letters to Jim Lewis and have never received a written communication in response. They should be more forthcoming about the extension.

Further, if they want to expedite the notarization process, just set up a station at OKW for a specific period of time each day so members don't have to waste their time doing it at home or traveling to SSR. $30 doesn't recompense anyone for the time it takes to effect the notarization.

 

[BillPA]

Posted by DVC92
Further, if they want to expedite the notarization process, just set up a station at OKW for a specific period of time each day so members don't have to waste their time doing it at home or traveling to SSR.

I agree, but would suggest a location at EACH resort. I own at 3 DVC resorts and don't have any OKW trips planned for this year. It is just as big a pain to get to OKW as SSR if you are starying at BVC, VWL... It could kill 2+ hours to travel to SSR and back to your vacation from anywhere at WDW.

 

[Brian Noble]

I feel that $10 pp was the upper limit of what the market would bear and get enough participation to make it a worthwhile venture.

I would have thought so, too, but the most recent quarterly report suggests that they got a good chunk of revenue from the extensions.

 

[Sabor]

You've hit the nail right on the head. Other than attempting to sell more points, they have failed to communicate with the members from the beginning about any issue that is substantive. If they intend to lock-out members or place a lien on a member's ownership interest at a specific date, put it in writing so everyone is informed.

Further, if they want to expedite the notarization process, just set up a station at OKW for a specific period of time each day so members don't have to waste their time doing it at home or traveling to SSR. $30 doesn't recompense anyone for the time it takes to effect the notarization.

I for one have never felt DVC wasn't on the level or failed to communicate anything -- It was obvious form the beginning that doing nothing was not an option and you would at some point have your account locked.


As far as the notary process , it takes all of 10 Minutes. $180 and hour is more than fair compensation for most peoples time.

 

[BobH]

Can you give more specific information about what you mean that Disney will be subsidizing owners that do not extend their contracts? What was the substance of the timeshare complaint you refer to? Thanks.

 

[BobH]

You must have received diferent extension paperwork than I did. There was no "obvious" reference to a "lock out" in any of the papers I received. The notarization may or may not be an easy process depending on your personal circumstances.

 

[DVC92]

Can you give more specific information about what you mean that Disney will be subsidizing owners that do not extend their contracts? What was the substance of the timeshare complaint you refer to? Thanks.

This was a complaint I initiated with the Florida Timeshare Bureau concerning the extension. Responding to the complaint, DVD agreed to provide a developer subsidy to all members who elect to not participate in the extension. The Executive Counsel for WDW, John McGowan stated:
"....we agree that members who elect not to extend should not be required to fund capital repairs after 2042. However, Section 721.13(3)(c)(3), F.S., provides that full funding of reserves can only be waived by a majority of the members. Consequently, as part of the OKW Extension, DVD, as developer, has already agreed with the association to provide a developer subsidy at the appropriate time (the association is obviously not yet funding capital reserves for capital replacements after 2042) to all members who elect not to participate in the OKW Extension. The purpose of the developer subsidy is to pay a portion of such member's capital reserve assessments in an amount sufficient to fully fund capital reserves and to relieve all such members of the obligations to fund capital replacements after 2042. Thus, DVD has committed to the association that neither.....nor any other members who elect not to extend will pay any reserve assessments for capital improvements made after 2042."

I subsequently wrote Jim Lewis concerning this concession and requested that such information and how and when it is to be implemented be made known to the members. I never heard back from him, and to my knowledge, it has yet to be made public.

 

[DVC92]

I for one have never felt DVC ... failed to communicate anything

What have you heard about the subsidy?

 

[tvwalsh]

someone , like myself, extends one contract and not another? That seemed to be the explanation when I asked why I had not gotten the paperwork for my refusal.

 

[CarolMN]

Can anyone please explain as clearly as possible how notary service works in America? As you can see from other posts, those of us not from there have a much larger challenge.

I think that I have read that one can have things notarized at a bank? what is the cost? does one make an appointment?

It sounds as if notary service is very common there, unlike that provided in other countries.

Thank you.

I'm a notary commissioned by the State of Minnesota. (My boss made me do it, LOL).

Basically, a notary is just a legal witness to a signature.

Mostly I do "acknowledgments", which means the person signing a document stated to me that he/she is signing the document of his/her own free will. (I don't have to read the document myself, LOL - I'm just witnessing the signature and verifying the signer's identification. I'm sure this is the kind of service DVC wants for the declination. If I do not personally know the person signing, I ask for ID (Drivers' license, passport, etc.).

I have a notary stamp that includes my name,the date my commission expires and the seal of the State of Minnesota. The stamp and accompanying notary's signature "validate" the signature.

In Minnesota there is a statutory cap on charges (I think it's a $1) that may be made by a notary. I don't charge anything, and most notaries here do not charge. Charges and the process to become a notary vary by State. AFAIK, all notaries have to go through a background check.

A listing of all notaries commissioned by the State of Minnesota is on the State's official website. I'm sure that is true for the other States as well. Most banks and real estate offices have a notary available for their customers.

It really isn't a big deal here in the states to get something notarized. I can see that it may be inconvenient for some, though.

 

[bavaria]

Thanks, Carol.

 

[SleepyatDVC]

Too bad my DH and I can't get our signatures notirized separately.

That is what is hanging up the paperwork. He works in the city and can easily find a notary there. I go to the bank at least once a week and can do it around here. Notaries everywhere. But we are never near a notary together at the same time.

When we do go out together, it is Sunday and we are going to church. Hmmm... I might have to start asking around to see if anyone in the congregation is a notary!!

 

[KKCannon]

I just bought a resale at OKW from DVC By Resale. Started end of February, made final payment on April 2nd. Received my new Member card last week but nothing else from Disney. This is the first I've heard of extending the contract. Just got back from Disney last night. Wish I would have known while I was down there. I'm assuming I wont hear anything from DVC until a Deed in my name has been recorded. Help! What should I do? Just wait to hear from Disney? I've booked the points for a California trip in July.