# Accor Vacation Club - the hard sell?



## Uncle Festivus (7 September 2009)

http://www.apvc.com.au/

I recently had the pleasure? of having to attend a 'preview' session for the Accor Vacation Club, after taking up a cheap accommodation offer at the Novotel Hotel.

http://www.wheresernie.com/

The deal is pretty straight forward - get the cheap accommodation in return for 1.5 hrs of hard sell of the AVC.

For anyone contemplating taking up these offers and attending the preview, here's a few tips. 

Without having to sit through the whole lot to finally get to the nitty gritty, it's a scalable dollar per point structure eg for 3000 points, as in my example, will cost you approx $22,000. This is a one off payment for life, and get's you 3000 points per year to redeem at their participating resorts. 3000 points is roughly a weeks holiday at peak season.

Now if you are interested in this then don't show it, as they will bump up the offer in order to entice you to buy it eg the 3000 points level will be increased to 4000 points, and the deposit will be reduced.

Also, at the end of the session you will be asked to sign a form that says you have been given the PDS before the session started, which in my case didn't happen because it contained all the prices etc and the salesman didn't want me to see this before he had a chance to give his spiel. So be sure to ask for it first up.

There is also a $500 per year fee (at this points level)

You do get to buy available accommodation for 14 cents in the dollar if you don't want to use your points.

The sums - over 10 years @ $22000 @ 3000 pts per year plus $500 per year = $2700 per year for a weeks holiday. Obviously more if you can spread it over longer timeframe ie you don't die or become unable to use it.

So, anyone else a member of this club and found it any good?


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## Knobby22 (7 September 2009)

Hi Festivus.

I know someone who has done it and are quite happy but to really get value you need to go on holdays twice a year. For me the big disdavantage is that you are forced to be a loyal customer and I prefer to be a free spirit. 

Does it suit your lifestyle? That's the big question.


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## ChilliBlue (7 September 2009)

My husband and I have worked out who to get the best of them. We can get the one on one selling down to 1 hour as well as getting their extra 5 days for $500.

That is, we pay only $500 for any 5 day stay at any of their accomdation apartments in Australia.

Well worth the 1 hour investment.


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## jono1887 (8 September 2009)

my parents make the annual trip to these sales pitches just to get the complementary 2day/3night hotel accommodation. Free annual family holiday


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## qhunny (22 April 2013)

Please PLEASE please think long and hard before signing up to Accor Vacation Club.  I’m still amazed that for such a large investment you are given such a short time at the presentation to consider what you are actually signing up for.

We joined Accor ten years ago. We were assured that for our circumstances (my husband works interstate so we're are only able to get away for long weekends) Accor Vacation Club would be perfect! We were given a tour of a beautiful, large apartment at the Mercure on the Gold Coast overlooking the sea as an example of the accommodation we could expect as Accor members. Of course we signed on the dotted line! Yes it was hard sell and they certainly knew which buttons to press.

There are a few conditions were weren’t made aware of at the time of signing but have been advised of by various Accor staff since:
1) We are Bronze members. The system operates on a hierarchy system which in effect means Bronze members get whatever is left over after Silver, Gold, Platinum etc has had their pick.  When we raised this with Accor we were advised that the way out of this dilemma is to pay a further few thousand dollars to upgrade.
2) Unless you’ve signed up as a Platinum/Gold member, do not expect the same level of accommodation you are shown at your presentation. The one time we did stay on the Gold Coast with Accor we had a small (but lovely) room with sea glimpses only when we leaned over the balcony and craned our necks around a brick wall!
3) Be aware that you do lose your points if they aren’t used within a specific time period. You can transfer the points to Interval, a company run on a similar points basis and to my mind a far better proposition.
3) You CANNOT cancel your membership. If you realise, despite all the hype at the presentation, that Accor isn’t suited to your circumstances YOU CANNOT CANCEL.  We’ve tried it. You can give it away ($300 transfer fee) or you can try and sell it (which even Accor admit is difficult - you only have to check on ebay to confirm that) ... or you just carry on paying the $450+ membership fee for the next 70 years!!

I’m not anti-Accor, it has many satisfied members who use the club’s facilities to the full.  Sadly our circumstances haven’t changed in the last ten years, my husband still works interstate/overseas so long weekends are it for us. All I ask is that you consider your circumstances very carefully before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you ask all the right questions and if possible get whatever you are promised in writing.

As for us ... I admit Accor isn’t the wisest move we’ve ever made!  Having said that - if there is anyone out there wanting to buy a Bronze membership with lots of points .... just let me know!!!!!


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## rd2971 (28 May 2014)

qhunny said:


> 3) You CANNOT cancel your membership. If you realise, despite all the hype at the presentation, that Accor isn’t suited to your circumstances YOU CANNOT CANCEL.  We’ve tried it. You can give it away ($300 transfer fee) or you can try and sell it (which even Accor admit is difficult - you only have to check on ebay to confirm that) ... or you just carry on paying the $450+ membership fee for the next 70 years!!




Don't do it!  Typical sell you what you don't need, unless you are a hotel nut!


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## Tyler Durden (28 May 2014)

Wow, two weird first posts.



qhunny said:


> 3) You CANNOT cancel your membership. If you realise, despite all the hype at the presentation, that Accor isn’t suited to your circumstances YOU CANNOT CANCEL.  We’ve tried it. You can give it away ($300 transfer fee) or you can try and sell it (which even Accor admit is difficult - you only have to check on ebay to confirm that) ... or you just carry on paying the $450+ membership fee for the next 70 years!!




I'm just wondering how is this legal?


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