Review of Club Wyndham Santa Barbara 3*

OWNERS BEWARE I have owned a fixed week unit at the Santa Barbara for about 15 years. This means that I am guaranteed, by deed, to have the same unit during the same week every year. This year, in February, when my guests (including some of my family but not me) arrived to use the unit during the beginning of our guaranteed (and deeded) week, we were told that it was under "maintenance" and were given a room two floors lower (9th to the 7th). My guests left in the middle of the week, and I came to finish out the week in the unit with my husband. When I arrived, I was told my deeded unit had now been rented out to someone else ("maintenance issue" fixed, allegedly), and since my guests had "checked out" of the 7th floor unit, that was no longer available either. So, instead of my 9th floor unit (for which I pay exorbitant maintenance fees each year), I was given a 3rd floor unit where my view was of the trees (as opposed to my 9th floor ocean view). Given this situation, I was forced to take my grievances to Sales at the resort and waste hours of my vacation time to negotiate compensation. I was given two nights free at the Santa Barbara at the end of this trip and a "free week" at another resort (to be used within a year and, I'd have to imagine, subject to restrictions — I haven't tried to use it yet). There is simply no excuse for the Santa Barbara's actions. If I were a litigious person, I think I'd have good grounds for a lawsuit. In any event, I post this review to alert any other of my fellow fixed week owners who may be expecting (as I had for years) that my deeded week would be available and not rented out for the Santa Barbara's desire to make a quick profit to the detriment of its long-term owner. In fact, I spoke to another owner that during this trip that had the exact same experience. owners beware.