In a statement by Wyndham Worldwide Corporation, - parent company of Group RCI – timeshare exchange and rentals’ revenues increased nine per cent due to the strength in holiday rentals and “solid growth” in the exchange membership base as well as favourable currency conversions.
 
Timeshare ownership posted “terrific results” with full year 2007 revenues and gross timeshare sales increasing 17 per cent and 14 per cent respectively – “driven by increases in both tour flow and volume per guest”.
 
Wyndham Worldwide posted strong financial and operating results in 2007. Revenues rose to $4.4billion, up 13 per cent over the same period in 2006.
 
Adjusted net income for 2007 was $387 million, an increase of 14 per cent over the previous year when it was $339 million.

Thursday 6th March 2008 marks a very exciting day for Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific Kirra Beach as it unveils its brand new 9-hole mini-golf course! Perfect for children and adults alike, the mini-golf course is sure to be one of the resort’s most popular attractions.

The momentous occasion will be marked with a special cocktail party for Owners and guests.

12 lucky WorldMark South Pacific Club Owner couples and their guests will get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to learn to surf with Wyndham Vacation Resorts Asia Pacific Ambassador Layne Beachley at a special event organised by WorldMark South Pacific Club this coming April.

The event will be held at Burleigh Heads, one of the most enviable surfing spots in Australia, and along with the surfing sessions with Layne, the lucky participants will get to attend a private cocktail party and gala dinner at which Layne will be the guest of honour.

The Association of Timeshare Owners Committees (TATOC) will announce radical changes to their mode of operation at their Annual Conference, which is being held at Warrington from 7th to 9th March 2008.

Representing some 250,000 timeshare users at seventy member resorts, TATOC is the largest elected body that speaks on behalf of European timeshare consumers. TATOC believes the introduction of accreditation process will have a considerable, positive impact in the marketplace.

In an exclusive announcement issued through The Timeshare Blog and Perspective Magazine, TATOC have also confirmed that one of their new initiatives will be a resort accreditation process. Timeshare resorts in Europe will have an optional opportunity to be examined and awarded a TATOC Accreditation. This will allow the establishment to display a TATOC Endorsement Certificate in the resort reception and to fly the TATOC flag outside the resort.

TATOC Secretary General Harry Taylor explained that the resort accreditation process will require participating resorts to pass a stringent examination process. This examination will focus on the service levels provided at the resort and will scrutinize the full guest experience. This will include the resort’s liaison with the guest before they arrive on holiday and the sales deck experience offered to those guests who choose to attend a presentation. All of the resorts that successfully pass this accreditation will be listed on the TATOC website.

Dubai , UAE - February 13, 2008: International hotel giants are set to highlight the added value that timeshare and fractional ownership brings to their core business at this year’s Vacation Ownership Investment Conference (VOIC), (March 11-12, 2008), according to David Clifton, Interval International’s managing director for Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and Asia.

“This is a fantastic opportunity to listen to some of the most influential players in the vacation ownership sector.

“Anyone considering entering the vacation ownership industry, be they branded hotel operators or independent developers, can learn from these international experts, along with highly successful regional independents,” commented Clifton.

VOIC 2008 is supported by Interval International and will be held at the Arabian Court, One&Only Royal Mirage, Dubai, United Arab Emirates, March 11-12, 2008.

David Lilley has taken up the post of managing director of Dial An Exchange Europe (DAEE), the company based in the UK that has its roots in Australia. Currently it has some 40,000 members.

Until last summer, Mr Lilley was strategic alliance director for RCI Europe. With experience in sales, marketing and business development, he previously spent seven years at American Express.

According to DAEE, the appointment “sends out a strong message surrounding the ambitions of Dial An Exchange in Europe”. Philip Green, owner and chairman, said he looked forward to Mr Lilley taking the company “to new heights”.

Clues from the Commonwealth and State Ombudsmen Offices guide, titled the “Unreasonable Complainant Conduct Project Resource Manual”.

“The content and/or the look of the initial complaint can display characteristics that may, individually or taken together, indicate that unreasonable conduct is or could be an issue.”

Examples of the content of nutter complaints are that they:
Are unclear or illogical
Make illogical requests or demands (wants the department closed down, the clock to be turned back, retribution etc)
Are expressions of a sense of victimization or persecution.
There is a loss of focus: the complainant wants justice, punishment, satisfaction of the public good rather than reasonable reparation of or compensation for a wrong.
Demand justice
Use third-person language
Include overt or covert threats of retribution or self harm if the complaint is not handled in accordance with expectations.

Examples of the ‘look’ of a nutter’s complaint include:
Overuse of the page (eg. writing from edge to edge and top to bottom of page, handwritten annotations on official documents)
Are addressed to the agency with copies to many other addresses
Use of highlights in single or multiple colors
Excessive use of punctuation.

Dos and don’ts of Communication With Nutters

DO:

Echo: repeat some of the words or a phrase the complainant has just used: ‘so, council will not clean up the foot path’ This gives complainants a sense that you have heard what they are saying and may make them feel they do not have to try so hard.
Acknowledge emotions, eg.: ‘I’ve got a sense of how strongly you feel about this’
Acknowledge the complainant’s point of view without agreeing with it: ‘I understand that you believe the…is at fault here’, then go on to say that the agency’s view is different.
Apologise where appropriate: ‘I am sorry you have had such a terrible time’ (this is about expressing empathy)
Use the language of co-operation: ‘We could look at it this way’

DON’T:

Argue, defend, deny; This is really abut keeping ego out of it and keeping the boundaries between the agency/company and the complainant clear: e.g. ‘I accept that this is your view.
Give excuses: The complainant is unlikely to be interested in or influenced by the fact that you have a heavy workload or have been on leave.
Joke: It is easy to trivialise with humor.
React to attack: an attack can be neutralised by saying ‘I see’.

Querulous

The word ‘querulous’ describes a pattern of behaviour involving the unusually persistent pursuit of a personal grievance.

There are three broad types; unusually persistent complainants, vexatious litigants, and those who, in pursuit of idiosyncratic quests, harass the powerful and prominent with petitions and pleas.

They associate the behaviour of complainants with pre-existing vulnerabilities to querulousness including: ‘egocentric personality, self-referential and suspicious tendencies, being self-righteous and easily affronted, possessing obsessional traits’.

On 23 February Julia Gillard introduced the Workplace Relations Amendment Bill 2008 (transition to Forward with Fairness).  The Bill makes some key changes to the Workplace Relations Act 1996.  Most importantly it prevents the creation of new Australian Workplace Agreements after the commencement date of the bill.  It also enables current employees on AWAs to make Individual Transitional Employment Agreements (ITEAs).  These ITEAs will only be available until the conclusion of the transition period at the beginning of 2010.  The Bill is only the first step in planned changes to workplace legislation as the new workplace relations system is due to take effect in early 2010. 

Executives from Group RCI Asia Pacific (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Korea, Hong Kong, Australia, India & China) will all be converging in Singapore from the 4th to the 7th March to participate in product training on the exciting new range of Group RCI products and services that will be rolling out throughout 2008.

Product Managers and leading subject matter experts from Group RCI Corporate Headquarters, Parsippany will also be attending to ensure maximum knowledge transfer and alignment of key strategies for 2008 and onwards.

Dial An Exchange is made finalist in 4 Categories. Congratulations to DAE who are finalists in the ARDA awards. This is not easy as the competition is extremely fierce. This is a key event each year and an honour to be part of.

The four Finalist Categories are:
Brochure; One to Eight Pages Section - Corporate Backgrounder publication
Newsletter: Electronic - Dial An Exchange E-Newsletter
Magazine: - Global Explorer
Direct Mail: - ARDA 2007 Booth Piece
DAE faces some pretty stiff competition from the likes of RCI Global, Interval International, Wyndham Vacation Resorts WorldWide, Royal Resorts, Marriott Vacation Club, Bluegreen Corporation, Travel To Go, Star Resort Group, and a few more, but what a blast. 

Well done to the team at DAE and our fingers are crossed for you!