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Would you keep your membership in RCI if they did not Rent?

Walt

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It appears that RCI is renting more and more spacebanked weeks for whatever reason. Just check out the Extra Vacations. I don't want to get into another thread on rentals and the points programs.

It seems that more and more RCI members have drop their membership, are going to drop their membership in RCI, or are thinking about dropping their membership in RCI.

I have 2 questions.

Why have you or why will you be dropping your membership in RCI?

Would you drop your membership in RCI if they were only renting weeks in the 45 day window?

Walt :)
 

michelle

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At this stage, I will not drop RCI due to rentals, as I am still getting exactly what I want through exchanges.

However, I am getting concerned about RCI costs: exchanges, cancellations, insurance, one-plus-ones, Last Minutes and Extra Vacations have all gone up lately! :mad: I still have a few years to go on membership fees, so have no idea how much that is....
 

"Roger"

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Walt said:
...
It seems that more and more RCI members have drop their membership, are going to drop their membership in RCI, or are thinking about dropping their membership in RCI....

I want to avoid the very debates that Walt does. Contrary to what people might think, I have concerns about the ease of renting and the effects that this might have on the value of my timeshare. (What I don't accept that renting and Points are a single word. I don't believe for a second that we wouldn't see just as many Extra Vacations from resorts in the Weeks pool if Points had never existed.)

Responding to the sentiment of Walt's post, it doesn't bother me when I see stuff listed in Extra Vacations well in advance when I know that stuff will be available when check in dates approach. I does bother me to see the stuff available to "outside venders" well in advance.

Putting all of that aside, one factual point.

RCI membership, end of 2004
3,116,362

RCI membership, end of 2005
3,276,763

(As reported in SEC filings. Cendant would be in HUGE trouble if these figures were inaccurate.)

In reporting these numbers, I don't mean to imply that the general public is happy with RCI or changes in how RCI operates. On the other hand, one thing that I see as a created myth on this board is that timeshare owners used to be thrilled with RCI in the old days. Perhaps it is another created myth on this board, but when I started TUG the going rumor was that about 25% of people who banked weeks never got an exchange at all.
 
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Judy

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Dropping RCI

I will be letting my RCI membership expire in June because:
1. Their downward VEP restrictions prevent me from getting the exchanges and Last Chance vacations I want.
2. Their rental program.
3. Their Points program takes vacations out of the weeks exchange inventory.

I wouldn't keep my membership if RCI did away with their rental program unless they also revised their VEP restrictions and Points program so that I would have a fair chance of getting exchanges I want.
 

Dani

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Roger said:
IPutting all of that aside, one factual point.

RCI membership, end of 2004
3,116,362

RCI membership, end of 2005
3,276,763

(As reported in SEC filings. Cendant would be in HUGE trouble if these figures were inaccurate.)

In reporting these numbers, I don't mean to imply that the general public is happy with RCI or changes in how RCI operates. On the other hand, one thing that I see as a created myth on this board is that timeshare owners used to be thrilled with RCI in the old days. Perhaps it is another created myth on this board, but when I started TUG the going rumor was that about 25% of people who banked weeks never got an exchange at all.

Exactly,

Contray to popular belief, membership in RCI has increased and not decreased.

There are only two reasons for which I would drop my RCI membership. First and foremost, its all about the exchanges that I am able to obtain. Period. If the day comes when I am no longer able to make the exchanges that I feel are appropriate for the week and/or weeks that I own, I will drop my membership. Thankfully, I continue to obtain the exchanges that I desire. I would also drop RCI if the cost to exchange increased to the point where it was no longer cost effective to exchange through RCI. I think that an ever-increasing fee structure is a much bigger danger to their long-term prognosis than rentals ever could be.
 

AwayWeGo

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[triennial - points]
Without RCI, What Would I Do With My Overseas Week & My USA Points?

In 2002, when we started taking timeshare tours (the 1 we took in Atlantic City in 1975 doesn't count), the sales people pushed RCI & exchanges & bonus weeks & all that.

Later in 2002, when we actually bought a (resale) timeshare week, we picked a timeshare resort we really like in a location we know we'll be going to again & again for family vacations. At the time we had no thought of doing timeshare exchanges, taking bonus weeks, or even joining RCI.

What got us into timeshare exchanges is TUG -- actually, that little bit of insider wisdom tucked away in an obscure corner of the TUG advice section somewhere about how low-cost timeshares in certain overseas locations can trade like a tiger. With so little money involved, we took a chance & bought 1. Included with the purchase was several years of paid-up RCI membership. The overseas timeshare we bought is so far away that it's highly unlikely we will ever vacation there ourselves. For us, it's exclusively for exchanging into nice USA timeshares. Without RCI we wouldn't get any use from it.

Ditto timeshare points. After absorbing more of the Wisdom Of TUG, we took the plunge into timeshare points in a small-time way last year. Points-based timeshare exchanging, the kind we're into anyway, only works through RCI. So without RCI, our use of our USA points-based timeshare would be highly restricted, in contrast to how it works now through RCI Points.

Thus, from my limited perspective -- depending as I do on RCI to get advantageous use of my overseas timeshare & of my points-based USA timeshare -- it's in my interest for RCI to make lots of money so that it will not only still be around but also will remain in a financially robust condition so that it can keep on providing the services I use it for (points exchanges & weeks exchanges).

Not only that, I like RCI Last Call reservations -- luxury timeshare accommodations for way less than the cost of Motel 6 & Super 8 -- that don't even involve exchanging my timeshares. However, I have to belong to RCI in order to take advantage of Last Call, & I have to own a timeshare that RCI knows about in order to remain a member of RCI.

So, sure, I guess I'll stick with RCI as long as I'm interested in getting more use out of my RCI timeshares.

What was the question again?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
 

copper

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We own two RCI affiliated weeks at one resort but never joined RCI as we decided to use the weeks for the first few years. Our original plan was to join RCI in 2007 to take advantage RCI member benefits when we retire. I now see no membership benefits that I'm interested in pursuing.

In the current RCI rental environment we can obtain the use of rental weeks cheaper than what it costs us in annual maintenance fees at the resort we own at + RCI membership fees + RCI trade fees. If RCI cancels the rental on me I can dispute any payment with the CC company and get my money back where an RCI member with a canceled trade gets... squat.

RCI is not the type of company I'm looking to do business with as a timeshare owner but I will take advantage of RCI rentals if the price is right.
 
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MusicMan

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I'm dropping my membership when it expires in two months. (I've already had the discussion with RCI twice). I'm doing it because:
1. I'll be using my unit more often in the near future.
2. I can access all kinds of inventory via AFVClub, Skyauctions,DAE, etc.
3. I don't like the blatant inequity of "points gets weeks, but weeks don't get points"
 

Avery

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I have decided to keep my membership for the time being, but I am not depositing any dual-affiliated resorts with them. I will deposit one RCI-only week in order to have access to the few attractive exchanges (to me) available through them. I hate the 2 year in advance planning combined with excessive cancellation penalties (more in terms of diminished trade power than $, though the $ is not insignificant).
 

AwayWeGo

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[triennial - points]
We Got "Points" With A "Week"

MusicMan (Formerly JP) said:
"points gets weeks, but weeks don't get points"
In 2005 we got a 3BR reservation at HGVC Sea World by exchanging our banked 2BR standard-grade non-points overseas timeshare week.

I thought it was a straight week-for-week timeshare exchange. (At the time we had not yet taken the points plunge.)

Later, I looked in the RCI book or maybe at the RCI web site & discovered that HGVC Sea World is a points resort -- & the 3BR week we got there on exchange was supposed to require lots & lots of points.

Maybe it was a fluke, but at least that 1 reservation was a case of somebody in weeks raiding the points inventory.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
 

3Js

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I dropped my membership with RCI because:

1) Other exchange companies charge less for annual fees & exchange fees
2) I'm not able to search online with RCI
3) RCI's website is always down (whenever I try to log on anyway)
4) Don't like it that exchange availability is put on rentals exclusively
 

short

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Opposite problem

Judy said:
I will be letting my RCI membership expire in June because:
1. Their downward VEP restrictions prevent me from getting the exchanges and Last Chance vacations I want.
2. Their rental program.
3. Their Points program takes vacations out of the weeks exchange inventory.

I wouldn't keep my membership if RCI did away with their rental program unless they also revised their VEP restrictions and Points program so that I would have a fair chance of getting exchanges I want.

Judy,

I have the opposite problem. I have been block from exchanging into the exact week I wanted in Orlando because of upward VEP. I have another week that would have the VEP to get this week but its trading power is significatly reduced because I cancelled an exchange at 2 1/2 weeks prior to check in. I got the exact week on Extra Vacations for only slightly more than an exchange fee.

I've gotten some great bargains on EV and Last Call in the last year. These are weeks I would have been willing to exchange a week for but they were not available to me for week exchanges or were so cheap it did not make sense to exchange a week.

I will likely keep my membership in RCI just for access to EV and LC but will likely not deposit another week for exchange. All my resorts are Dual affiliated.

Short
 

ira g

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AwayWeGo said:
In 2002, when we started taking timeshare tours (the 1 we took in Atlantic City in 1975 doesn't count), the sales people pushed RCI & exchanges & bonus weeks & all that.

Later in 2002, when we actually bought a (resale) timeshare week, we picked a timeshare resort we really like in a location we know we'll be going to again & again for family vacations. At the time we had no thought of doing timeshare exchanges, taking bonus weeks, or even joining RCI.

What got us into timeshare exchanges is TUG -- actually, that little bit of insider wisdom tucked away in an obscure corner of the TUG advice section somewhere about how low-cost timeshares in certain overseas locations can trade like a tiger. With so little money involved, we took a chance & bought 1. Included with the purchase was several years of paid-up RCI membership. The overseas timeshare we bought is so far away that it's highly unlikely we will ever vacation there ourselves. For us, it's exclusively for exchanging into nice USA timeshares. Without RCI we wouldn't get any use from it.

Ditto timeshare points. After absorbing more of the Wisdom Of TUG, we took the plunge into timeshare points in a small-time way last year. Points-based timeshare exchanging, the kind we're into anyway, only works through RCI. So without RCI, our use of our USA points-based timeshare would be highly restricted, in contrast to how it works now through RCI Points.

Thus, from my limited perspective -- depending as I do on RCI to get advantageous use of my overseas timeshare & of my points-based USA timeshare -- it's in my interest for RCI to make lots of money so that it will not only still be around but also will remain in a financially robust condition so that it can keep on providing the services I use it for (points exchanges & weeks exchanges).

Not only that, I like RCI Last Call reservations -- luxury timeshare accommodations for way less than the cost of Motel 6 & Super 8 -- that don't even involve exchanging my timeshares. However, I have to belong to RCI in order to take advantage of Last Call, & I have to own a timeshare that RCI knows about in order to remain a member of RCI.

So, sure, I guess I'll stick with RCI as long as I'm interested in getting more use out of my RCI timeshares.

What was the question again?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.
Alan- I spent the last half hour reading your posts and aside from some of the RCI issues that we all don't like and their increasing fees we are in agreement with you. In general RCI has been good to us. We have obtained trades to places that we have throughly enjoyed and would not have been able to take without them. As RCI's practices continually change we change with them. When their systems change to such a degree that we are unable to tolerate their practices then we will leave. This has not reached that level. Actually we want to applaud RCI for helping us in a situation in Nov of last year. We had checked into a resort and an emergency came up and we were only able to stay one day. We had to leave and travel to another area and granted we lost our exchange week and exchange fee. We called RCI and they were able to get us a last call at a substantially reduced fee from even the stated last call price. So I will not throw stones at RCI until their practices are so intolerable as to make us want to leave. So far this is not the case and we have 4 weeks already booked for 2007 and look forward to many more years with RCI.
 

taffy19

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We will not renew because we make so few exchanges but our main reason for dropping RCI is that RCI won't let you request first.

II gives us that feature so we have taken advantage of that and, if we can't get what we want, we use or rent our week instead. This has worked well for us. Why can't RCI do this too?

I am planning to try SFX with one of our weeks that trades with RCI now and if that works, use them instead. :)
 

regatta333

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Stuck with RCI

Like Boca, I'm stuck with RCI because the membership is included in my Fairfield points assessment and they won't let me switch and won't let me use II, even if I pay for my own membership. A real conflict there, with Cendant owning both FF and RCI.

I will not be giving RCI any more deposits, unless I can get what I want with a search-first. They don't have what I want and my points go back to my FF account. From what I have seen and read, I am reluctant to move to RCI points, since it seems like Cendant is continuously coming up with ways to get more of your money to "upgrade" your membership.

I plan to start using DAE and SFX, or rent my weeks and use the proceeds to rent at exactly where I'd like to stay.
 

JLB

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Wow! Civility.

I believe this is the most civil discussion of a volatile issue I have ever seen on TUG.

Give yourselves an attaboy or attagirl. :cool:

I will keep our RCI membership because I do not have an Inside Guy at II. :cool:
 

Egret1986

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So far RCI is still working for me...

Dani said:
There are only two reasons for which I would drop my RCI membership. First and foremost, its all about the exchanges that I am able to obtain. Period. If the day comes when I am no longer able to make the exchanges that I feel are appropriate for the week and/or weeks that I own, I will drop my membership. Thankfully, I continue to obtain the exchanges that I desire. I would also drop RCI if the cost to exchange increased to the point where it was no longer cost effective to exchange through RCI. I think that an ever-increasing fee structure is a much bigger danger to their long-term prognosis than rentals ever could be.

I agree, Dani. "...able to make the exchanges...appropriate for the week that I own.." I own 5 timeshares; (1) I rent (2) I consistently use and (2) I always exchange. The two I exchange; (1) is summer Southern CA and (1) is a blue Outer Banks, NC. I've been exchanging the blue week, except for maybe twice, for about 20 years. I don't get the exchanges with it that I get with my summer Southern CA, but in 20 years I've only gotten one bad exchange (because TUG wasn't around for advice and reviews). I would say almost every exchange has been above average to exceptional relative to the week I am exchanging. I have to admit I get a little nervous each year when I'm looking for exchanges with this blue week, but then..bam..I get something I consider (and I think a lot of folks would consider) great. This summer I'm going to a very, very low supply, high demand area in prime season at a highly rated and reviewed resort that I got with this week and tonight I'm going to confirm a week I have on hold for 2007 at a resort during the same timeframe that I traded into last year with a much stronger trader. I do deposit 2 years in advance and start searching for exchanges at the first available opportunity. I like to plan in advance (probably because I've been conditioned to do that because of RCI over the years). When the exchanges stop coming through, then it will be no need to keep my RCI membership. But I have never not been able to make an exchange that I wanted nor felt I simply settled for something in order to be able to use my exchange week.

I also agree about the fees. I've been paid up through 2011 for a few years, so I don't see that yearly fee and won't for another 5 years. Right now, I'm only dealing with the exchange fees and feel as Dani does that their ever-increasing fee structure could make it no longer cost effective to exchange. At that point, I would have to look into the other options.

I'm sorry...a little off the topic...each day (bit of an exaggeration) it seems I discover something new that is owned by Cendant. Are they quietly taking over the world? :eek:
 
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S

Sydney

I'm stuck with RCI for the moment as am on a points contract. However, I have stopped depositing anything into my weeks account with them due to a number of reasons, one of which is their extensive rentals programme. I do not agree with it.

The second reason is their ever-increasing fees. They increased our exchange fee again in January this year by $10. This is on top of their increase last Jan of $20.

Thirdly, and most importantly for me, I just feel that they are completely unethical.
For exmample:
#They changed their terms & conditions to allow rentals yet never informed the membership of this significant change; you know, like the banks do.
#Another alarming practice is the cancellation of confirmed exchanges with bogus reasons.
#Then the fact that if they cancel by mistake they will not rectify the matter by returning the week to the original wronged party but rather let the second exchanger keep it in an unconscionable attempt at damage control and limiting the disaffected members - no regard whatsoever as to the ethical solution.
#They once overcharged me against my clear written instructions and took months to refund it, only after I kept ringing back many times.
# They have consistently given me incorrect info on the phone that are always to my detriment, never the other way around.
There are numerous other examples that have led me to feel that they are" shifty" which I won't go into.

Overall, I still receive acceptable exchanges from RCI but no better than DAE to justify staying with RCI in the long term.
 
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Make sure I've got it straight !!!

3Js said:
I dropped my membership with RCI because:

1) Other exchange companies charge less for annual fees & exchange fees
2) I'm not able to search online with RCI
3) RCI's website is always down (whenever I try to log on anyway)
4) Don't like it that exchange availability is put on rentals exclusively

I keep reading posts from people complaining about RCI fees. Lets see if I've got this straight.

You will pay thousands of dollars for a TS. You will pay hundreds of dollars for MF. You will pay hundreds of dollars for air fare to get there. When you get there you will again pay hundreds (if not thousnds) of dollars to rent a car, go out to eat, go to theme parks, or chase a little white ball around a cow pasture. At the same time you complain because RCI raises their fees by a few dollars or charges $29.95 for a PFD.

Just wanted to make sure I had it straight. I think you will find RCI fees the cheapest part of your trip. Thanks for clearing things up.

Mike S.
 

BocaBum99

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michaelsmalley said:
I keep reading posts from people complaining about RCI fees. Lets see if I've got this straight.

You will pay thousands of dollars for a TS. You will pay hundreds of dollars for MF. You will pay hundreds of dollars for air fare to get there. When you get there you will again pay hundreds (if not thousnds) of dollars to rent a car, go out to eat, go to theme parks, or chase a little white ball around a cow pasture. At the same time you complain because RCI raises their fees by a few dollars or charges $29.95 for a PFD.

Just wanted to make sure I had it straight. I think you will find RCI fees the cheapest part of your trip. Thanks for clearing things up.

Mike S.

Mike,

I don't think you are viewing these fees correctly. You need to view a charge by any company relative to the value they are adding in the process.

If, for instance, RCI charged you $10 to send you a written confirmation, according to your logic you should ignore that fee because it is small relative to the cost of your overall vacation. That $10 should be compared to the cost of a stamp which is $.39 in the US. That is highway robbery.

The same can be applied to RCI's fees. If someone owns only 1 week, RCI charges them $89 for the membership fee and $149 for an exchange. That adds $238 to the cost of ownership for the year. If your maintenance fee is $600, then that's a 40% surcharge. Highway robbery for an equal trade.

Look at the alternatives. First, the owner can rent their week for between $0-20 fee on an advertising site and then rent something in return.

They can belong to a point system that doesn't charge a reservation fee. Those that do charge around $35-50. RCI's fee of $238 is ridiculously high.

It ONLY makes sense to stay with RCI if you are able to get HUGE trade ups. Otherwise, stop paying them annual fees and stop depositing your weeks because there are much better venues for your intervals.
 

Walt

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Good Post! It Makes One Think About Exchanges in a New Light!

BocaBum99 said:
Mike,

I don't think you are viewing these fees correctly. You need to view a charge by any company relative to the value they are adding in the process.

If, for instance, RCI charged you $10 to send you a written confirmation, according to your logic you should ignore that fee because it is small relative to the cost of your overall vacation. That $10 should be compared to the cost of a stamp which is $.39 in the US. That is highway robbery.

The same can be applied to RCI's fees. If someone owns only 1 week, RCI charges them $89 for the membership fee and $149 for an exchange. That adds $238 to the cost of ownership for the year. If your maintenance fee is $600, then that's a 40% surcharge. Highway robbery for an equal trade.

Look at the alternatives. First, the owner can rent their week for between $0-20 fee on an advertising site and then rent something in return.

They can belong to a point system that doesn't charge a reservation fee. Those that do charge around $35-50. RCI's fee of $238 is ridiculously high.

It ONLY makes sense to stay with RCI if you are able to get HUGE trade ups. Otherwise, stop paying them annual fees and stop depositing your weeks because there are much better venues for your intervals.


I don't know if any Tugger ever pointed this out before. I know I never looked at it this way. But it sure makes one think about RCI's Fees and RCI's Exchanges in a new light.

Thanks,

Walt :)
 
S

Sydney

I agree completely with Boca. So true. Value for money is what people want, whether they are paying $10, $100, $1000 or $10 000. If people feel like they are getting their money's worth, they don't mind paying.
 

BocaBum99

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Walt said:
[/B]

I don't know if any Tugger ever pointed this out before. I know I never looked at it this way. But it sure makes one think about RCI's Fees and RCI's Exchanges in a new light.

Thanks,

Walt :)

Walt,

This is exactly why I am in favor of a very strong RENTAL market for timeshares. Because, if the market is strong and expanding, then renting will always be a venue for timeshare owners. That will put a MUCH STRONGER restraint on RCI than anything else we or any attorney general could.

It's ironic, but the exact practice that many of us are concerned about, namely timeshare rentals, will end up being the comeuppance of RCI.

The bottom line is that an exchange is nothing more than two owners renting their weeks to each other for the same amount of money. If they use points, there is a differential value. The fee for exchanging a week should be $50 or less. Anything higher than that and owners should consider renting instead.

Unfortunately, the people who get hurt are those who don't know this information and blindly deposit into RCI and get trade downs or nothing for their deposit. Now, those poor souls are paying $89 per year to get nothing for their timeshare week when they could just let it sit empty for nothing extra (above their MF that is).
 
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bluehende

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BocaBum99 said:
Mike,

I don't think you are viewing these fees correctly. You need to view a charge by any company relative to the value they are adding in the process.

If, for instance, RCI charged you $10 to send you a written confirmation, according to your logic you should ignore that fee because it is small relative to the cost of your overall vacation. That $10 should be compared to the cost of a stamp which is $.39 in the US. That is highway robbery.

The same can be applied to RCI's fees. If someone owns only 1 week, RCI charges them $89 for the membership fee and $149 for an exchange. That adds $238 to the cost of ownership for the year. If your maintenance fee is $600, then that's a 40% surcharge. Highway robbery for an equal trade.

Look at the alternatives. First, the owner can rent their week for between $0-20 fee on an advertising site and then rent something in return.

They can belong to a point system that doesn't charge a reservation fee. Those that do charge around $35-50. RCI's fee of $238 is ridiculously high.

It ONLY makes sense to stay with RCI if you are able to get HUGE trade ups. Otherwise, stop paying them annual fees and stop depositing your weeks because there are much better venues for your intervals.

Very well put......

I may be a special case but I only own 1 timeshare with a total cost of 900 to purchase. My maintenance fees run around 300 bucks. My out of pocket expenses including time cost of money are around 350 dollars a year for our condo. If I were to join RCI my increase in out of pocket would be about 60% higher. For this I receive the equivalent of what I already have if I'm lucky. Not a business model I will pursue. I have joined DAE for 0 bucks and if I decide to exchange, my cost is less than a 30% increase in my out of pocket. The only downside is that I may have less choices with DAE, but I cann't actually quantitate that at all. As for now...Thank you TUG.....I own a condo (resale) I am very happy to visit every year for much less than I can guarantee a rental for.

Thanks
Wayne
 
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