Embassy March April May 2006 Marketable Inventory?

"I can assure you that ALL of the weeks deposited by RCI Weeks members for exchange are available exclusively for exchange unless and until they fall within the "marketable inventory" category (at which point they are still available for exchange), which refers to weeks that members historically simply do not want or use."

A Generally-Comments from a Vice President, RCI
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I was told today by the Embassy Maui that the deposit below were owners weeks made with a Bulk Spacebanking. The were not used for Cruises or any other Points program. I have not had one Weeks owner tell me that they can see these weeks when doing an Exchange Search. I used a week for an Weeks Exchanged Search that had Maximum Trade Value as told to me by a VC. I saw nothing.

One would have to assume that Spring Break time in March, April, and May would be a Prime Time in a Prime Location. This is not historically simply a time people do not want or use.

There are other Hawaiian Resorts listed for rentals during this time period but are not available for Weeks exchanges. Before Friday Snap Travel had these weeks listed for $699.99. I would like to point out to you that this is less than the Maintenance Fee. Why Buy (Weeks or Points) when you can rent for less than the MF.

Would you please explain why these weeks do not show up in any Weeks Exchange Search?

Embassy Maui Weeks for Rental were also showing up between 6 months and 11 months. The Embassy Maui does a Bulk space banking 1 year out. This is important because the time period 6 months and 12 months is to be used for Embassy Owners Exchanges ONLY.

So, Please explain why these weeks were showing up for RENTALS on Snap Travel?

Walt


EMBASSY VACATION RESORT AT KAANAPALI
Property ID:4985
Lahaina, Maui,104 Kaanapali Shores Place



1 bedroom 3/3/2006 to 3/10/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/5/2006 to 3/12/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/7/2006 to 3/14/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/12/2006 to 3/19/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/13/2006 to 3/20/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/14/2006 to 3/21/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/16/2006 to 3/23/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/17/2006 to 3/24/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/18/2006 to 3/25/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/19/2006 to 3/26/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/20/2006 to 3/27/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/21/2006 to 3/28/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/22/2006 to 3/29/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/23/2006 to 3/30/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/24/2006 to 3/31/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/26/2006 to 4/2/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/27/2006 to 4/3/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/28/2006 to 4/4/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/30/2006 to 4/6/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 3/31/2006 to 4/7/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/1/2006 to 4/8/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/2/2006 to 4/9/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/3/2006 to 4/10/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/4/2006 to 4/11/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/5/2006 to 4/12/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/6/2006 to 4/13/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/7/2006 to 4/14/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/9/2006 to 4/16/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/10/2006 to 4/17/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/11/2006 to 4/18/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/12/2006 to 4/19/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/13/2006 to 4/20/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/14/2006 to 4/21/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/15/2006 to 4/22/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/16/2006 to 4/23/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/17/2006 to 4/24/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/18/2006 to 4/25/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/19/2006 to 4/26/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/20/2006 to 4/27/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/21/2006 to 4/28/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/22/2006 to 4/29/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/22/2006 to 4/29/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/23/2006 to 4/30/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/24/2006 to 5/1/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/25/2006 to 5/2/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/26/2006 to 5/3/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/27/2006 to 5/4/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/28/2006 to 5/5/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/29/2006 to 5/6/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 4/30/2006 to 5/7/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/1/2006 to 5/8/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/2/2006 to 5/9/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/3/2006 to 5/10/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/4/2006 to 5/11/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/5/2006 to 5/12/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/6/2006 to 5/13/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/7/2006 to 5/14/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/8/2006 to 5/15/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/9/2006 to 5/16/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/10/2006 to 5/17/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/11/2006 to 5/18/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/12/2006 to 5/19/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/13/2006 to 5/20/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/14/2006 to 5/21/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/15/2006 to 5/22/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/16/2006 to 5/23/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/17/2006 to 5/24/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/18/2006 to 5/25/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/19/2006 to 5/26/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/20/2006 to 5/27/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/21/2006 to 5/28/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/22/2006 to 5/29/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/23/2006 to 5/30/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/24/2006 to 5/31/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/25/2006 to 6/1/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/26/2006 to 6/2/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/27/2006 to 6/3/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/28/2006 to 6/4/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/29/2006 to 6/5/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/30/2006 to 6/6/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 5/31/2006 to 6/7/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

1 bedroom 6/2/2006 to 6/9/2006 4 Partial Kitchen $1239.99*

Walt,

The units offered in Extra Vacations (or a vendor such as SnapTravel) may not always be the specific units that were deposited for non-exchange transactions. For example, the member who requests a cruise exchange may be using a deposited week that was long ago assigned to another RCI member. When this is the case, an equivalent unit is taken in place of that member's deposited unit. Equivalence here is based on our standard Trading Power guidelines.

I responded to this question here as well.

This is not a believable answer.

Madge said:

Walt,

The units offered in Extra Vacations (or a vendor such as SnapTravel) may not always be the specific units that were deposited for non-exchange transactions. For example, the member who requests a cruise exchange may be using a deposited week that was long ago assigned to another RCI member. When this is the case, an equivalent unit is taken in place of that member's deposited unit. Equivalence here is based on our standard Trading Power guidelines.

I responded to this question here as well.

Click to expand...

Hi Madge

I was told by the Embassy Maui that the deposit below were owners weeks made with a Bulk Spacebanking. The were not used for Cruises or any other Points program. I have not had one Weeks owner tell me that they can see these weeks when doing an Exchange Search. I used a week for an Weeks Exchanged Search that had Maximum Trade Value as told to me by a VC. I saw nothing.

In all due respect to you. I know that you are just the messenger. But please let RCI know that this is just not a believable answer.

Please give me your take on what was told to me by the Embassy Maui. Your statement and the Embassy Maui's statement can not both be correct. What possible timeshare week does RCI have that is equal to a Embassy Maui week in March, April, and May? The other Hawaii Resorts weeks are also being rented and have not been placed in the Exchange Pool either. So what is equal to a Hawaiian week in March, April, and May?


Walt

Walt,

Embassy will not be able to tell you which cruise exchange or Points Partner transaction a particular unit represents. As I mentioned above, it will often not be the same unit that the member deposited for the non-exchange transaction. However, it will be equilvalent, and RCI performs a constant reconciliation of this inventory to keep it true.

The link I provided to the old TUG BBS goes to a very comprehensive response I made about this issue. I cannot control whether or not you will believe it; however, I know it to be factual or I would not have posted it.

RCI's core business is still the one-for-one exchange. It would be a very poor business decision to do anything that would jeopardize its success.

A note on another subject: Please respect the efforts of the Communications Team and do not conduct simultaneous discussions with me here and with them by e-mail. It causes delays and duplication of efforts.

Madge --

I think it a fair question to ask for specific examples of the weeks that were turned in for cruise and point partner exchanges -- weeks that were deemed to be equal to the very high demand spring break and Easter weeks at the Embassy. For example, were there an equivalent number of spring break and Easter week Caribbean Beachfront Gold Crown resorts exchanged?

I think we all understand RCI's position on this, but the lack of substantive information gives rise to the skepticism with regard to RCI's definition of equivalent.

As an aside, I think II's policy of only allowing undeposited weeks to be exchanged toward cruises (where only those specific weeks are then released to rental inventory) is much less likely to lend itself to the same suspicions and allegations.

Thanks for your patience with this often unruly crowd!

jerseygirl

jerseygirl,

The specific details of our reconciliation process are proprietary and I won't be able to share them. What you seem to be asking for is proof that what I'm saying is true. If I cannot share something, I will let you know that; however, the information I do share is true to the very best of my knowledge.

In a response to alanmj on the old site (thread now purged), I provided the following:

RCI cannot "prove" the equitable nature of our space reconciliation without giving out proprietary operational information, just as we cannot "prove" that Trading Power works the way we say it does without giving out the formula.

Our operational practices are audited, so we are accountable for them. However, much of the specific information will simply not be shared. I will share what I can -- and I will dig for answers. I think you must have seen that in my posts.

I cannot provide specific scenarios or numbers with regard to space reconciliation. However, I will continue to address questions about philosophy, policy, history, and guidelines, providing the most accurate information and clearest explanations possible.

Click to expand...

Madge --

Thanks for responding. Please don't think that I was questioning your responses -- I do believe that there is an audited reconciliation process and understand that you cannot share specific details. I didn't think that requesting examples was the same as requesting details.

Put yourself in a member's shoes. You see the huge rental inventory of prime Embassy Maui weeks on Snap Travel. An owner confirms with the resort that no rental inventory was given to RCI -- all weeks were exchange weeks. RCI says "equivalent weeks" were exchanged for cruises or points partners transactions. The natural question is, "What's considered equivalent."

You don't have to respond further. I just want you to know that I was not questioning your position, simply trying to probe for further information!

Thank you,

Jerseygirl

Madge said:

Walt,

The units offered in Extra Vacations (or a vendor such as SnapTravel) may not always be the specific units that were deposited for non-exchange transactions. For example, the member who requests a cruise exchange may be using a deposited week that was long ago assigned to another RCI member. When this is the case, an equivalent unit is taken in place of that member's deposited unit. Equivalence here is based on our standard Trading Power guidelines.

I responded to this question here as well.

Click to expand...

Correct me if am wrong, Madge, but equivalency trades were previously described as a transfer between Points and Weeks required to even the books when a Points owner exchanges into a Weeks unit. When that occurrs, an equivalency trade is made to place in the Weeks system a week from Points of equivalent value to the Weeks unit claimed by the Points member.

Because Weeks owners cannot exchange into Points inventory, the equivalency trades would be one way only - Points weeks going into the Weeks pool, but never Weeks units going into the Points pool.

At the Embassy Maui the only weeks deposited by the resort are owner weeks. The developer is not affiliated with RCI; hence there are no deposits of developer weeks.

The Embassy Maui is not an RCI Points resorts - so owner deposits are not Points deposits.

Given these condiitions, can you explain the process by which RCI transferred Weeks system deposits at the Embassy Maui into a Points rental pool to offset Points members purchases of non-timeshare product?

Is RCI now using "equivalency trades" as a way to move product between Weeks and Points on RCI's own volitiion, and not solely in response to Points members accessing the Weeks inventory?

I asked the question on Nov 24, 2005 and you answered on Jan 4, 2006

Madge said:

Walt,

Embassy will not be able to tell you which cruise exchange or Points Partner transaction a particular unit represents. As I mentioned above, it will often not be the same unit that the member deposited for the non-exchange transaction. However, it will be equilvalent, and RCI performs a constant reconciliation of this inventory to keep it true.

The link I provided to the old TUG BBS goes to a very comprehensive response I made about this issue. I cannot control whether or not you will believe it; however, I know it to be factual or I would not have posted it.

RCI's core business is still the one-for-one exchange. It would be a very poor business decision to do anything that would jeopardize its success.

A note on another subject: Please respect the efforts of the Communications Team and do not conduct simultaneous discussions with me here and with them by e-mail. It causes delays and duplication of efforts.

Click to expand...

Hi Madge

Since I asked the question on Nov 24, 2005 and you were on vacation and didn't answer until Jan. 4 2006, I felt it was ok to contact the communication team too. Sorry if you felt that I did something wrong. However, service to the membership should never be that slow.

Walt

Oglodyte,

See my answers below:

T_R_Oglodyte said:

Correct me if am wrong, Madge, but equivalency trades were previously described as a transfer between Points and Weeks required to even the books when a Points owner exchanges into a Weeks unit. When that occurrs, an equivalency trade is made to place in the Weeks system a week from Points of equivalent value to the Weeks unit claimed by the Points member.

Because Weeks owners cannot exchange into Points inventory, the equivalency trades would be one way only - Points weeks going into the Weeks pool, but never Weeks units going into the Points pool.

Correct

At the Embassy Maui the only weeks deposited by the resort are owner weeks. The developer is not affiliated with RCI; hence there are no deposits of developer weeks.

The Embassy Maui is not an RCI Points resorts - so owner deposits are not Points deposits.

Given these condiitions, can you explain the process by which RCI transferred Weeks system deposits at the Embassy Maui into a Points rental pool to offset Points members purchases of non-timeshare product?

There are two separate reconciliation processes being discussed here --

1. Points payback to Weeks for Weeks exchanges confirmed by Points members
2. Weeks offered in Extra Vacations for non-exchange transactions like cruise exchanges and Points Partner products.

Embassy Maui is not a Points resort, so it would not be used for Points payback to Weeks. However, it may be offered in connection with a cruise exchange or Points Partner transaction. I gave a detailed response to #2 in this thread.

Is RCI now using "equivalency trades" as a way to move product between Weeks and Points on RCI's own volitiion, and not solely in response to Points members accessing the Weeks inventory? Please see link provided above.

Click to expand...

Walt said:

Hi Madge

Since I asked the question on Nov 24, 2005 and you were on vacation and didn't answer until Jan. 4 2006, I felt it was ok to contact the communication team too. Sorry if you felt that I did something wrong. However, service to the membership should never be that slow.

Walt

Click to expand...

No harm, no foul, Walt! I was away a long time.