Orange Lake now RCI Points

Contacted RCI Pts this AM and was advised I could no longer deposit my OLCC week as points since the customer service rep at RCI received a notice that OLCC is offically part of RCI Pts...If I wanted to deposit as PTs I needed to become a member of OLCC Pts system.. No Way. Have other week owners at OLCC, like myself, NOT BEEN TOLD of this?

I'm not exactly sure what your asking gumbow. OL is a deeded weeks resort.

Yes they are implementing an internal points based product if you wish to join it.

But if not, you can continue to place your week in RCI's weeks program as you have always done.

I think gumbow was referring to depositing a week and then using PFD to get RCI Points. If OLCC is part of RCI Points, owners cannot use PFD.

So, did OLCC become an RCI Points resort or have they implemented an independent, internal points system?

Pit said:

I think gumbow was referring to depositing a week and then using PFD to get RCI Points. If OLCC is part of RCI Points, owners cannot use PFD.

So, did OLCC become an RCI Points resort or have they implemented an independent, internal points system?

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Yes, once a resort becomes part of of RCI Points, weeks there can no longer be used in points-for-deposit. You have to convert your week to RCI Points (assuming the resort allows it) in order to use it in RCI Points. This has always been a limitation with points-for-deposit.

My understanding is that OLCC is joining RCI Points, and will also have some sort of internal points program for OLCC owners who want to reserve a different week or unit type at OLCC.

I thought Global Points Network, or whatever OLCC called it, was very similar to RCI points in name. I did an internet search on Global Points Network and it kept coming up as RCI, then RCI's site refers to it, too. It will bring in some revenue for OLCC for sure, and that is what developers and salesmen like to do, make money. So your personal rep will be a salesperson, trying to get into your pocketbook.

Even Celebrity Resorts is going RCI points. Their entire system went from GC to zero rating in a short time, now they are trying to get members sold on points. RCI is going to have to raise them up to GC again for owners to get many points on that system. It will be interesting to see how that one progresses as well.

rickandcindy23 said:

...Even Celebrity Resorts is going RCI points. Their entire system went from GC to zero rating in a short time, now they are trying to get members sold on points. RCI is going to have to raise them up to GC again for owners to get many points on that system. It will be interesting to see how that one progresses as well.

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I think RCI just negotiates with the resort for the amount of points that each week at the resort is worth. GC resorts that are not part of RCI Points are worth more than standard resorts on the "Generic" RCI Points chart, but RCI doesn't have to apply those values to Points resorts.

timetraveler said:

...Yes they are implementing an internal points based product if you wish to join it.

But if not, you can continue to place your week in RCI's weeks program as you have always done.

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Well, it's not really "as you have always done," because in the past you could give your week to the RCI Weeks program, and if you belonged to the RCI Points program, you could get RCI Points for it, after paying a small fee (I think it's $26.) Now, you can still give the week to RCI, but you can't get RCI Points for it unless you've paid to join OLCC's points program.

Points is the future at OLCC

I just find it fascinating that the largest user of RCI Weeks has decide that RCI Points is the future – where is all the “The world is ending”? Here is a developer that knows the score.

Of course, OLCC has a capitalistic goal of making a billion dollars during the conversion, but this is a great day for RCI Points and Point systems in general.

Your OLCC weeks must now be deposited into your RCI Point account that means paying big bucks to convert a week to points. I’m assuming that OLCC decided that they could make more money charging a thousand dollars (and more) per owner – the owners will fall in line and pony up the money, than charging the $199 and demanding all owners convert in a few years.

PerryM said:

Your OLCC weeks must now be deposited into your RCI Point account that means paying big bucks to convert a week to points.

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I don't think that is necessarily true. The deeded weeks can be deposited in weeks accounts.

The big difference here, as the OP has just found out, is that many were taking those deeded weeks and doing a PFD with them as they were probably getting much more bang for the buck in Points than in Orlando Weeks.

The can't do that anymore without converting and that cost $$$

Yeah, it's really too bad that the Orange Lake Management Team decided to make their points program a prop for developer sales rather than trying to make a fundamentally sound points program.

Whenever a developer does that, it's really bad for owners. I feel badly for those who actually convert. They probably are not aware that it is far cheaper to get RCI points on the resale market and trade right into River Island. This makes ownership at Orange Lake less attractive, not more.

The next thing they will try to do is impose a 1 in 3 rule on RCI Points transactions like they did at HGVC even though it was originally intended for 1 in 3 and 1 in 4 to be completely eliminated when customers pay to convert to RCI Points.

Kicking and screaming...

The short sightedness of some folks is truly jaw dropping. OLCC had the ability to start a brand new exchange company, to compete with RCI Points but instead took the lazy way out that timeshare developers seem to enjoy.

OLCC has 100,000+ owners and could have introduced a Point system that made RCI Points look childish but no, screw the owners out of $1,000 to $2,000 and use the pathetic RCI Points program.

OLCC continues to underwhelm me with everything they do, except the actual condos and property – which is Marriott quality in every way. This just shows that an independent developer can be a powerhouse with billion dollar firms in the timeshare world.

Although the OLCC/RCI Points is optional you got to believe that every new sale will be sold as a conversion and it won’t take but a year before all the juicy holiday weeks are only available on RCI Points and other OLCC owners will begrudgingly convert.

The amenities are at least Marriott quality, especially with River Island. The unit interiors of some units are not anywhere near Marriott's standards. Those older units, I am not talking about the golf villas, I am talking about the highrises because that is my experience, should be rated the same as other older resorts.

All GC in Orlando have large whirlpool tubs in every unit. That is one amenity that the older units lack that is a standard in all GC's in Orlando. It is something I have come to expect from our Orlando exchanges. I was sorely disappointed at the OLCC unit we had, as I have stated before. Celebrity Resorts all have that amenity and are FAR nicer than OLCC's highrises. RCI gives Celebrities no ratings at all. But Celebrity is done developing.

Orange Lake cc. points

rickandcindy23 said:

I thought Global Points Network, or whatever OLCC called it, was very similar to RCI points in name. I did an internet search on Global Points Network and it kept coming up as RCI, then RCI's site refers to it, too. It will bring in some revenue for OLCC for sure, and that is what developers and salesmen like to do, make money. So your personal rep will be a salesperson, trying to get into your pocketbook.

Even Celebrity Resorts is going RCI points. Their entire system went from GC to zero rating in a short time, now they are trying to get members sold on points. RCI is going to have to raise them up to GC again for owners to get many points on that system. It will be interesting to see how that one progresses as well.

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Hi as an ower of Orange Lake for (23Years) I called the Globel unit to find out if they are going to Grandfather in the owers, and to find out more inforamtion on the points that are trying to setup.
The sales man I talk to was very nice and I think well informed. He told me that they are not gong to Grandfather in owers and that this is inmportant , Orange lake will not allow anyone to join another points system and draft orange into it. He ask me what was the last place I had trade into to I told him , Pahio Shearwater. He look at the point, vs what orange lake would issue and he said that would be better for me to leave my unit at weeks, Surpise, surpise, he did not try to talk me into the points system.
He said that Globe system points value would be less then RCI points sytem, that is a surprise, can any comment on that.
Thank you
Linda

Linda

What the salesperson told you is true. In our case we are going to get into the Global Acccess prgram because after 2007 we are going to need flexibility in the use of our OLCC week.

In our talks with the OLCC sales folks, the have been pleasant and forthright in their comments.

Orange Lake cc. points

gumbow719 said:

Contacted RCI Pts this AM and was advised I could no longer deposit my OLCC week as points since the customer service rep at RCI received a notice that OLCC is offically part of RCI Pts...If I wanted to deposit as PTs I needed to become a member of OLCC Pts system.. No Way. Have other week owners at OLCC, like myself, NOT BEEN TOLD of this?

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Hi yes I have. I dont have a point system but I was inquireing into the Globel system, because I want a point system but I did not want to buy another timeshare to get one. I was told that they will not allow you to use Orange lake in any other point sytem uless you join the Globel system, plus what they are offoring me as point wont add up to the timeshare that I already have been trading into. What to do?
Linda