GetItNext Blog

Want to Jump Start Your eBay Store and Enjoy a Tax Free Disney Vacation?

Well I'm not an accountant so don't quote me, but I'm pretty sure you can do both.  Here's how: Debbie Levitt from As Was is hosting the only conference where serious eBay sellers can learn about products and services that will help you propel the growth of your eBay business.  Debbie has jam packed sessions that will go beyond education (think networking). The classes will include in-depth demonstrations on how to use tools and concepts that will boost your profits.  If you attend this conference you can expect everything you typically get with As Was: intense and personalized attention, information and training, and a passion for growing your business, all in a fun and casual environment.  Not to mention face time with other top sellers and a long list of guest speakers, check out the agenda and speakers.  If you're a Gold or higher eBay seller I highly suggest you attend this event to help maintain and boost your profits. 

Event Details:
The event is at Disney's Yacht Club Resort in Walt Disney World®, Florida, Thursday 28 Feb 2008 @ 9am - Saturday 1 March 2008 @ 1:30pm. Attendees will enjoy the luxuries of a deluxe resort combined with the fun of Walt Disney World®.  Click here for more details on the As Was Conference.

Marriott Ocean Pointe Review - The Ugly

My family recently stayed at the Marriott Ocean Pointe Resort on Singer Island in West Palm Beach Florida.  This is my 3rd review and 4th blog about the Marriott Ocean Pointe Resort check out my previous blogs: Marriott Ocean Pointe The Basics, Marriott Ocean Pointe Review- The Good and Marriott Ocean Pointe Review - The Bad.  Between the 4 blogs I am going to try and help people learn everything they need to know and might not want to know about the resort. 

This one is Marriott Ocean Pointe Review - The Ugly:

• The dredging machine located on the beach, now that is UGLY (see photo).  I can't imagine having a beautiful ocean view from the Kingfish bldg and staring out at that eyesore.

• - Another thing that I found ugly is that many of the rooms at this resort face each other.  They have limited views towards the ocean and the balcony's face the other bldgs so you find yourself sitting out there staring at other people staring back at you.

• Day 2 am we went out to the publix and bought groceries filled up our fridge upon our return.  That night we realized our fridge was not working and had to toss some of our food.  It took 2.5 hours and several calls to get someone to bring a new fridge.  After the long wait the guys brought up a side by side fridge, took out the old one and tried putting the replacement in, but it didn't fit.  After another hour we finally got a working fridge, this ordeal ended at 10pm and kept my kids up much later than normal.  We also saw 2 other fridges replaced that day, seems like there is an issue with old appliances in the Sailfish bldg.

• Weds night the ac went out and I called maintenance, they said they would send someone right up.  1/2 hour later i called the front desk and they said maintenance is working on it and they would not need to come up to the room.  AC was out for about 4 hours in all rooms in the Sailfish bldg, let me tell you when its 95 degrees outside it gets hot pretty quickly in the rooms.

• One of the things you will be subjected to whether you are a Marriott Vacation Club member or not is getting "called" ie harassed about viewing a Marriott Ocean Pointe timeshare presentation.  Weds morning I asked to change our preview tour to 8:30 am, I was told it was full. I told them to cancel my 11:30am since we had plans and I specifically instructed the person I would call to reschedule if I had time and was interested.  3 pm my entire family was napping after returning from the West Palm Beach Zoo (highly rec'd going), and the phone rings.  Of course it wakes up the kids and guess who it is?  A Marriott Vacation Club representative calling to reschedule the appointment, oh I was pissed.

• I think this one might take the cake.  Last day we're in the process of packing up the car, my son cuts his leg on the door in our room.  He's fine but is bleeding and needs a band aid.  He walks down to the front desk and asks if they have one or if the rec center would have one.  The front desk instructs this 8 year to go to the store and buy one, they don't have any.  I didn't have time to go down there and "discuss" this as we were running late but I found this appalling.  How does the resort not have a first aid kit?

• I've sent in a bunch of issues and suggestions on how to improve the resort to Ocean Pointe Management and corporate and have not heard anything back even though I was supposed to within 5 days.  I'll keep you posted if they respond.

In upcoming blogs I will be posting tips on finding great deals on timeshare rentals, and a timeshare rental vs buying comparison. I also plan on reviewing a couple of better timeshare resorts that I have stayed at in Florida.  Despite what I have posted I would actually stay at Marriott Ocean Pointe again, however it would depend on what kind of deal I could get via an Interval getaway or via eBay.  Check out this link if you're interested in finding a great deal on rentals at Marriott Ocean Pointe.  You can literally find rentals for half the price that Marriott charges for the exact same units. 

Let me know if you have any specific questions on the resort.

Matt
Searching eBay made easier!  getitnext.com    

Marriott Ocean Pointe Review - The Bad

My family recently stayed at the Marriott Ocean Pointe Resort on Singer Island in West Palm Beach Florida.  This is my 3rd blog about the Marriott Ocean Pointe Resort check out my previous blogs: Marriott Ocean Pointe The Basics and Marriott Ocean Pointe Review - The Good.  Between the 4 blogs I am going to try and help people learn everything they need to know and might not want to know about the resort.  This one is Marriott Ocean Pointe Review - The Bad:

Ok, I've talked about the things I liked about the resort, now here are the things that were bad with the resort/service during my stay:

- We requested a newer, or remodeled bldg and we were given the oldest.  No problem this is not our home Marriott resort, we can deal.  However the location was one I would not expect since I am a Marriott owner.  The room over looked the check-in parking lot and was extremely noisy: delivery trucks, tractor trailers, cabs and cars honking, and pool gates slamming so loud that we could hear them inside our room.  Oh I forgot to mention we were right outside the elevators and people were loud all night.  Yeh, Yeh I know I'm whining.
- The Sailfish, the oldest bldg has old carpeting that are stained and dirty, if you wear white socks they are black within minutes of walking around.  At a minimum they need to steam clean the carpets.
- You need to wake up real early to "reserve" a chair at the pool.  The picture of the beach chairs that I've attached was taken at 6am, by 7am alot of the chairs already had towels on them reserving them.  This is against the "rules" but no one at the resort enforces them.
- The cabinet door fell off the cabinets.
- We went on a Marriott sanctioned (booked through Marriott concierge) morning sailing tour, yet they never put up the sail, seems a bit misleading.  Why go on a sail boat if you'€™re only going to use the motor.  I complained to Marriott concierge who apologized and said they usually put up the sail which contradicted what the staff on the catamaran told us.  Oddly enough the Marriott concierge wear shirts from the operator visitpalmbeach tours, hmmmm.  If you book anything with this operator make sure you ask alot of questions and find out what is included and what you get prior to booking.
- The ice machine in our bldg was broken during our entire stay.
- Outside bar, bar tending service was good at times and absolutely dreadful at other times even though they weren't busy.  You literally had to yell at them to get a drink, you couldn't sit there with an empty drink and expect service.  You basically had to be rude, if I wanted this kind of service I would have stayed in Jersey.
- Ice clogged blenders, nothing worse, read my blog about this - Marriott Vacation Club Beware of Ice Clogged Blenders.
- MAZE (kids rec area) was run down and dirty, needs to be improved and more/better kids activities need to be added.  The pool table is so run down that it is an embarrassment to the resort.
- Edy's ice cream needs to hire people that are friendly.
- A kid took a uuhh, made a deposit in the pool, this is not Marriott's fault but closed the pool for a day.
- 32 bucks for 2 beach chairs and an umbrella, thats a bit a steep.  I know its a 3rd party vendor who manages this, but Marriott can control their vendor pricing or they could lower the fee they charge this vendor.
- If you look at the attached photo (click on it to enlarge) there is a bldg all the way on the left called Kingfish.  All the reviews I read online say this is the nicest bldg since its the newest and is set away from the rest of the resort.  I couldn't disagree more, its basically its own resort.  Marriott apparently couldn't buy out a bldg, see the pink bldg, and therefore their fifth bldg is not on the same property as the rest of the resort.  There are very limited amenities there, a small pool, small gym and the outdoor bar has limited hours and no live music.  You either have to walk all the way out on the beach and then a couple of hundred yards to connect to the rest of the resort, or walk out on the street or drive over.  No big deal if you're looking for a quiet getaway, but if you have kids it is a big hassle as everything is located at the main resort (ie the bldg all the way on the right).

Make sure you read my last blog about Marriott Ocean Pointe Review - The Ugly.  If I haven't scared you away, check out this link to find great deals on rentals at Marriott Ocean Pointe.  You can literally find rentals for half the price that Marriott charges for the exact same units.

Matt
Searching eBay made easier!  getitnext.com

Marriott Ocean Pointe The Basics about what you need to Know

I just got back from staying at the Marriott Ocean Pointe and plan on blogging about my stay.  This is the first of several blogs about Marriott Ocean Pointe, in this one I cover the basics: 

Location: Situated along the shores of the Atlantic Ocean: Marriott's Ocean Pointe located on Singer Island, is only 15 miles from the West Palm Beach International Airport. The glitz of Palm Beach is close by, as well as world-class golf, shops and spas. 

Amenities: Marriott Ocean Pointe is a Marriott Time Share Resort.  Ocean Pointe offers four pools, multiple jacuzzi's and a kiddie pool. The resort also offers tennis courts, health club, a playground, outdoor bar and grill, convenience store and deli (they serve Starbucks), Edy's ice cream, and Pizza Hut.  Click on this link to check out a map of the Marriott Ocean Pointe and facts about the resort.

Rooms: This resort offers the following room combinations: efficiency (aka lock-off), one bedroom/one bath, two bedroom/two bath and 3 bedroom 2 bath accommodations.  All have living/dining rooms and full kitchens except for the effeciency. The one bedroom has a maximum occupancy of two occupants included in rate with one additional occupant for an extra charge. The two bedroom has a maximum occupancy of four occupants included in rate with two additional occupants allowed for an extra charge.

Room amenities include washers, dryers, iron and ironing boards, kitchens, dishes and utensils, and hairdryers. Jacuzzis and grills are available.  One, two, and three-bedroom villas include a whirlpool spa, a fully equipped kitchen, and a washer/dryer. Lock-off rooms have microwaves and small refrigerators, with a king-sized bed and a sofa-sleeper.  Sleeping capacity for the rooms is as follows:  efficiency 2 private, 4 maximum, 1 bedroom 4 private and 4 maximum, 2 bedroom sleeps 6 private, 8 maximum, 3 bedroom sleeps 8 private and 10 maximum. 

Internet access: all rooms have Free wifi internet access, I couldn't find this anywhere on any of the Marriott sites and had to call to confirm.  Then I freaked when I got to the room as there was no information on the service, called the front desk and they confirmed.  If you bring a laptop just boot up and open up a browser and it will bring up a connect page.  Speed was decent, slow during peak usage times.  They do offer a cyber cafe on-site but its very expensive, they charge by the minute.  So if you need to check emails or do some work, bring your laptop.

Things to do: Golf, tennis, boating, diving, snorkeling, and world-class fishing are all nearby, as are premium retail shops on Palm Beach's legendary Worth Avenue.  There are also a couple of decent zoos nearby, and a large water park.

Some more details on what you get:

    * Air Conditioning (In Room)
    * Newspaper (Free)
    * Refrigerator
    * Iron
    * Telephone
    * Television (Cable/Satellite)
    * Microwave Oven
    **** Daily Maid Service note timeshare owners/renters do not get this, its offered as a pay service
    * Safe (In Room)
    * Coffee Maker
    * Telephone (Voicemail)
    * Built in 1998
    * 5 Main Bldgs, # of floors - 7
    * Free Parking, underground parking and outdoor
    * Wheel Chair Access, this includes beach access in special wheelchairs
    * Business Center
    * Dry Cleaning

Check out my personal 3 part review of the Marriott Ocean Pointe: The Good, The Bad and The Ugly.  I also plan on blogging about tips on finding great deals on timeshare rentals, and a timeshare rental vs buying comparison.  Check out this link to find great deals on rentals at Marriott Ocean Pointe.  You can literally find rentals for half the price that Marriott charges for the exact same units.

Matt

Searching eBay made easier!  getitnext.com    

Marriott Florida Resort Hurricane Closure Update

Earlier today I posted a blog about the Marriott Vacation Club posting a message on their vacation club home page that their Crystal Shores would be closed for a week due to a hurricane.  I found it odd since I just left Florida and hadn't heard about any storms closing in on Florida or the Gulf Coast.  About 2 hours after my posting, the message was removed from their site with no explanation.  Calls to the vacation club were not answered so its still a mystery.  Was this a hack on their site or a prank by an employee?  Not sure if this will ever be answered.

I did a quick google and it still returns the message that appeared earlier on their site:
If you're a Marriott fan like me and are interested in Marriott timeshare deals (rentals or purchases) check out these great savings on Marriott Timeshares on eBay.

Matt
Searching eBay made easier! getitnext.com

Hurricane closes Marriott Crystal Shores on Florida's Gulf Coast

Is there a hurricane on the way or is this a typo from Marriott or were they hacked?  This is an odd one.  I was on the Marriott Vacation Club website today at 12:05 pm and they have an alert listed:   Important!!!! - Marriott's Crystal Shores will be closed this week due to hurricane Mike Taylor! Read More.  The read more link doesn't work and I also did a search and there are no Hurricane's listed on weather or noaa.  Additionally there are none with that name for this year.  Did their site get hacked or someone goof?  Check out the screen shot:

If you're interested in Marriott timeshares, either rentals or purchases you can save a ton of money via eBay.  Check out these great values on Marriott Timeshares.

Matt
Searching eBay made easier! getitnext.com

Marriott Vacation Club Beware of Ice Clogged Straws

I just got back from vacation and will be providing a full recap and review of the Marriott Ocean Pointe complex in West Palm Beach.  But since I just blogged about the Blendtec guys in my last post I figure I'll start with them and continue with my broken record about them (seriously I am not on their board or own shares or anything).

I didn't consume alot of beer on this vacation, rather I drank many frozen concoctions (also known as frou-frou or girlie drinks) made by the Marriott bartenders.  One thing that really annoyed me over and over again is that after shelling out 7 bucks for a frozen beverage my straw kept getting clogged by chunks of ice.  I know there are bigger problems in the world but when you are away from most of life's challenges and unplugged completely with nothing to do, sometimes the little things get to you.  Especially when you are lying on a beach or at the pool and want to sip that sweet nector without delay.  Then all of sudden nothing, you are forced to blow out through your straw to clear the jam.  Very very annoying when one is trying to enjoy a frozen Margarita or Sunset.

While lounging poolside with my marketing brain always on standby I thought about the Blendtec claim that The Total Blender has so much power it turns ice to snow and actually comes with an Ice-Crushing Guarantee.  The Total Blender is just a consumer model and one I am most likely going to buy when the cheap one we have finally dies.  So it got me to wondering, if the consumer model guarantee's there's no ice imagine what kind of crazy commercial stuff they have.  Of course it bugged me and I logged on today and found some really cool Blendtec commerical products, they even have ones that mix the alcohol in for the bartender.  So I am making a personal plea to the Marriott Vacation Club, please consider installing a solution that will resolve this problematic straw clogging issue.  No it won't solve global warming or lead to world peace but it will lead to happier guests and enable them to drink more which will help your bottom line.

For those that have a business or rocking patio and need a commercial solution, don't pay retail check out these Blendtec Commerical Blenders and save some dough.  For those of you mere mortals (like me) who need a rocking blender for the home and want to avoid retail prices here are the 2 that I will choose between when its time: Blendtec Total Blender and the Vita-mix 5000.  Based on my heavy liking of Blendtec and 5 Stars on Amazon I am leaning heavily towards the Total Blender.

To view all Blendtec blenders listed on eBay.

Matt
Searching eBay made easier! getitnext.com

Wyndham Bonnet Creek Resort - First Hand Review

I found a great deal to stay at the Bonnet Creek Resort using getitnext.

After a bunch of work in the spring getting getitnext ready for everyone to enjoy it was time for a vacation.  My family and I (my wife and I and 1 child under 2 and 1 child who was 4) stayed at the Bonnet Creek Resort April 28 - May 5 in a 2 Bedroom / 2 Bath unit. It was a 2nd floor location (nicely hidden behind some Palms for some privacy) facing towards Epcot. The units are very well maintained and quite clean. Our unit needed a bit of dusting but that's about it.

The checkin process was very easy and quick. We only had one problem during our stay. Our promised pack n play crib for our daughter wasn't delivered to our room when we checked in. Upon calling the front desk we were told that there were none available. We were a little preturbed about that considering the checkin clerk told us that they would be bringing a pack n play right up (we didn't even have to remind them at checkin). Unfortuately our daughter fell out of bed that night.

The GOOD news: The next morning when the sales department phoned to book our timeshare appmt my wife explained what had happened. The lady she spoke to was very disappointed to hear that had happened and said she'd speak to the manager as soon as she got off the phone with my wife. Within 30 minutes a pack & play arrived at our door and the staff did not bother to call us back to try to book a timeshare appointment. So although we had a bit of a problem the hotel management worked quickly to make things right.

Other than that 1 incident our stay there was great. The pools are excellent (lazy river is nice), the rooms are clean, they are well maintained, you have pretty much all the utensils and kitchenware that you'll need. In addition, having a washer and dryer in the unit was great too (esp with 2 small children). Having a kitchen was nice too as you didn't have to eat out all the time.

Once the resort is finished hopefully it will have some restaurants on site and / or a small grocery store. Those two things are presently lacking. Everything is nearby but it was a pain to hop into the car to head to the store even just for little things.

Finally, once construction is finished (which btw we didn't even notice - no noise or dust) this would be the only place to stay in the area (blows most Disney resorts away).

All and all, I was able have a great vacation at Bonnet Creek Resort and really got a great deal using getitnext.  We use it too!  I just checked today (2007--07-10) and there are quite a few really good deals listed.  Anything under $1100 is a GREAT deal.

Ron
Be one of the first to get it!