# OLCC conversion to Global Access Question [Merged threads]



## biafrate (Aug 22, 2007)

Good Morning all my OLCC Experts
I am here as we speak and am considering the conversion to the Global Access Points system.  In order to convert I have to upgrade my current 2 bdrm/2bath fixed week unit to a RI 2 bdrm.  I am very interested if anyone has had experience with this and if you feel there is good value to be had by the conversion.  I do visit OLCC once a year to golf anyway.  I plan on continuing to return but not during my fixed week which happens to be week 43.  Is this a good way to open up all doors for future years to come.  I am also told all my other TS units will be drawn into the Global Access system.

Comments and recommendations please.  
Thanks


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## Bill4728 (Aug 22, 2007)

Almost no one has said that they feel the huge fees charged by OL to convert to Global Access are worth it.  Most stories are of a huge fee for a convertion of your week to GA. I don't know of anyone saying that they had to give up their current week and upgrade to a RI week. 


Global Access is a variation of RCI points. But for your other resorts to benifit from GA/RCI points they must be RCI week resorts only. You then can do what is called a PFD (points for deposit) and get RCI points for your other TS weeks. This may be a good deal for you but not if you like your current TS the way they are.


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## Denny Crane (Aug 22, 2007)

So, your 2 bed is worth in the GA system 127,000 points?
Or are you in North or East village where its worth 133,000 points?

RI 2 bed is either
139,000 or 160,000

so you will need 
12,000 or 3,000
or 
33,000 or 27,000

How much are they saying you have to pay for these extra points?
Do you also have to pay a change fee?

What is the extra MF costs?


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## gjw007 (Aug 22, 2007)

Global Access is not RCI Points although many people here will claim that it is.  RCI Points is an external program between different resorts handled through the RCI exchange company.  Global Access is an internal points-based exchange programs only good at OLCC resorts.  Some examples of internal points-based programs include Hilton, Fairfield, Sunterra, etc.  The individuals who designed Global Access came from Fairfield and Hilton, not RCI.  Many of the points-based programs are very similar.  With that said, OLCC's Global Access is very similar to RCI Points but has been tailored for its internal program.  If you understand RCI Points, you will be able to easily understand Global Access.  When OLCC created Global Access, it could have remained in RCI Weeks for the external exchange program but chose to switch to RCI Points as the external exchange program.

1)  You don't have to upgrade to a River Island to join Global Access.  You can place your existing unit into Global Access but depending on whether you purchased it directly from the developer or as a resale, the cost of joining can be more than it is worth.  A developed purchased membership fee is something around $2500 and resale unit is over $5000.  

2)  The yearly membership is a wash, so the savings comes from the difference in exchange fees which is $164 for RCI weeks and $40 for Global Access, or a savings of $124 per exchange.  If you exchange internally every year (remember this is an internal exchange program, if you exchange externally through RCI either Points or Weeks, you must pay RCI's exchange fees), you need to determine at which point you break even.  This can be determined by taking the amount you paid divided by the savings.  For a $2500 membership fee, it is $2500/$124 or a little over 20 exchange (at once a year, it takes 20 years to break even).  At $5000, it is over 40 exchanges (or if once a year, over 40 years to break even).  If you use your unit every year or do external exchanges through RCI, the break even period is even longer.

3)  You need to understand under your current weeks program, you can exchange through RCI for week 1 to week 52.  The points based system allocated points according to the demand of each week. Global Access weeks are low weeks, mid demand weeks, prime weeks, and holiday weeks with holiday week requiring (and allocating for the owners) the most points.  A low week requires (and allocates for the owners) the lowest amount of points.  Week 43 is a mid demand week meaning that you can exchange into another mid demand or low demand week for the same type of unit but you cannot exchange into a prime week or holiday week without borrowing or renting additional points.  As such, Global Access limits the number of weeks that you can exchange with a mid demand week (this is true of all points based systems).

4)  Under the weeks program, you can exchange into the different villages without additional costs.  Under the points system, each section of OLCC has different points requirements and you unit may not allocate enough points to meet the points require to reserve in another section of OLCC.  As example, under Global Access, if you own in the week 43 in the West Village, you will not have enough points to make a reservation in North, East, or River Island for week 43.  Again, you can rent points to make up the difference but it is an additional cost.

5)  There is no additional maintenance fees unless you do decide to upgrade to River Island.  The maintenance fees at River Island are roughly $60 - $80 per year more than the other sections.

6)  Do you own other weeks at OLCC?  If so, when you upgrade you week 43 into a River Island unit, then all your OLCC weeks will be upgraded to Global Access.  I don't believe that your non-OLCC weeks will become part of the system although they have allowed points for deposit type program but I don't know if it was a one-time event for the year that you purchase or can be done yearly.  If you don't upgrade your unit into OLCC, then each week requires a separate membership fee which can get expensive if you own multiple weeks.

7)  Global Access, I believe, does not transfer when you sell the unit.  It can be transferred to your immediate family but if you sell the unit, it doesn't provide added value as the new owners must join Global Access and pay the membership fee.

I have converted my units into Global Access but I own 3 weeks, 2 of which are holiday and the other prime.  I travel during mid and low demand weeks and because of my weeks and the times that I travel, I can get five 2-bedrooms unit per year at River Island.  I can get even more if I want 1-bedroom units.  I figured my payback period given the lower cost at the time that I upgraded (it has doubled since I joined) to be in the neighborhood of 6 or 7 years.

Based on what you stated, you need think hard on this decision.  OLCC has put the information available at http://www.olcc.com/quick_links/GlobalAccess.html.  Pretend that you have became a Global Access member and using the points charts, see if this works for you and if the cost is justified.  I'll leave the recommendation to you but it should be easy when you have all the facts and act like you are member of the program to see if it works for you. 

Since Global Access does allow you to use RCI Points as an externally exchange, one factor that may influence you is the ability to make reservations at RCI Weeks resorts for 9000 points or less.  You an determine your RCI Points from your Global Access points by dividing your Global Access points by two.  It is a great way to get multiple weeks at the low cost of 9000 RCI Points and the $164 exchange fee.


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## biafrate (Aug 28, 2007)

*Global Access Membership draws in all other TS owned.*

The major sales point the representative was trying to make was the number of combined points I would have per year based on the five timeshares I owned.  When we totalled the net points per timeshare, I was well over the 500,000 points and that upgraded my GA membership to a higher level giving me two year window instead of one year to book or reserve what I wanted.  The Global Access points allowed were exactly double the number of RCI points from the RCI directory.  Any additional points required to move my week to a higher season week was $5 for 1000 points.  
Therefore if my week 43 gave me 133,000 points and I needed 153,000 points for say, week 10, I could buy the difference for $100.  

Needless to say I did not bite for the GA difference since they wanted me to upgrade to RI for an additional $9100.  
But I still am curious.  
Although I own week 43 I have been trading with RCI the past 4 years for last week in August.   The best part of the trade is I give them a two bedroom and they give me a three bedroom.  Great for me and my golf buddies and our sons.


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## gjw007 (Aug 29, 2007)

biafrate said:


> When we totalled the net points per timeshare, I was well over the 500,000 points and that upgraded my GA membership to a higher level giving me two year window instead of one year to book or reserve what I wanted.  The Global Access points allowed were exactly double the number of RCI points from the RCI directory.  Any additional points required to move my week to a higher season week was $5 for 1000 points.
> Therefore if my week 43 gave me 133,000 points and I needed 153,000 points for say, week 10, I could buy the difference for $100.


My three weeks total over 500,000 GA points and I do not get an extra year to make a reservation with one exception and it is true no matter how many points you own.  You can reserve the unit and week that you own three years in advance.  For example, say I own week 51 at River Island, say unit xxx01.  I can reserve week 51 at River Island unit xxx01 in 2010 if I like but I cannot reserve week 10 in 2009 since it doesn't fall within the reservation window and is not a unit/week that I own.  You can check the documents that OLCC has on its website under Global Access.  The conversion to points from weeks may be good if you own prime or holiday weeks but a poor choice if you own a low or mid demand week.  And given the recent conversion prices at a number of resorts, including OLCC, a price that is hard to justify.


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## gjw007 (Nov 27, 2007)

4boys said:


> Hello,
> We joined TUG to gather information. We are being encouraged to change our fixed week to points at OLCC. Our 2 bd red week #46 is worth 63,000 RCI points and we will need to pay $2000 to make this change. Is this a value or not? We have owned for almost 18 years and we usually exchange with RCI. Most years we will want to travel internationally, not in the US. Is this enough trading power?



I did join Goglobal for the internal exchange program for the lower cost internal exchange program, not for RCI Points.  As far as your week, it is a middle demand week.  A weeks to points conversion is determined by the demand for each week and this week would fall in the middle of demand.  

Assuming that you exchange this week back into OLCC, under the week system (which you are currently in), you can exchange for any week regardless of the demand as long as your week can see it, meaning that you can get a high demand week, mid demand week, or low-demand week.  Doing the same thing under points limits you to exchanging a mid demand week for a mid demand or low demand week.  You cannot exchange for a high demand week (without borrowing or purchasing points) as your week didn't provide enough points that are needed for a high demand week.  The best weeks to convert into points are high demand weeks and the worst are the low demand weeks.  The mid demand weeks are somewhere in the middle and may or may not be a good decision.  Even high demand weeks may not be a good decision based the usage.

Are you looking strictly to exchange through RCI?  Depending on the resorts that you are exchanging to and are looking for a like-to-like exchange (2 bedrooms for a 2 bedroom), then it may not be enough points.  But this depends on where you are exchanging to as well as different regions and resorts require different points.  Are you looking to make weeks reservations within 45 days or less of your reservation where you can use 9000 points or less for the week?  If so, this will provide you with 7 weeks of vacations which is probably not a bad deal.  Here is the thing, only you can decide and like everything in life, once you do something, you will probably find something better or less costly after you have made your purchase.


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## 4boys (Nov 27, 2007)

*New version but is it the same story with OLCC?*

We are being encouraged by Orange Lake/ Global Access to change from fixed week to points before the end of the year. We joined TUG to try and understand if this is a change we should make - if it is a good value.  
We own a 2 bd, week #46 in the original part - West Village- and have owned it for about 18 years. Now that our kids are grown, we rarely go to OLCC and we don't intend to go to their other resorts. We like to use our week for international travel. We usually travel somewhere warm in March and then we travel in October. 

We want to go to Italy, France and other European spots. There seems to be some value in splitting the week and traveling to a few spots in a new country rather than staying in one location for a week. We can only vacation for 9-10 days at the maximum at a time. Prior to 2002, we were able to get two bedroom units to ski in CO and go to Hawaii during spring break but exchanging has been more difficult in the past few years and we start earlier, 6-9 months in advance. We have been to the Canary Islands and most places in Mexico in a studio or 1 bd but haven't been able to get other exchanges or larger units. We don't want all inclusive resorts. Will this conversion help?

The cost is $2000 and we would get 63,000 RCI points. We were told the cost to exchange with RCI is now paid by Global Acess so that is a savings. Our recent exchanges have been smaller units because that was all that was available which is OK since we travel as a couple, without others. 
Is there a better choice for our $2000 to try the points system?
Thanks


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## gjw007 (Nov 28, 2007)

Unlike a weeks-based system where all units are considered used (full) until an owner decides to exchange, for the most part, in a points system, all units are considered available (empty) until a request for those units is filled.  The exception to this is an owner of a specific unit and week can make a decision 13 months in advance that they will be using the unit that they own in which case it will be considered not available.  So if you are looking to exchange, the points-based system should provide more options.

As far as whether 63,000 RCI points is enough, give me a couple days to run through some exchange possibilities in Europe, Hawaii, and Colorado to see what the points value would be.  Hopefully that would give you a better idea of the value of using a points system.


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## JLB (Nov 28, 2007)

I really feel guilty, and I don't mean to be spiteful, and I really don't wish others bad, and I really am a pretty nice person, but I have to be honest and say that when I hear of these resorts, exchange companies, etc., concocting these schemes to reach deeper into the pockets of the folks they have already reached deep into the pockets of, and they don't reach into my pockets, I sense my heart cockles warming slightly, because they did not get me, because these schemes seldom, if ever, prove to be worth the expense, and, in most cases, are just providing a different, not always better, way of doing what you have already been doing and if you do not opt for them your life would likely just go on quite merrily, you retaining your money.


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## Holly (Nov 28, 2007)

AMEN........



JLB said:


> I really feel guilty, and I don't mean to be spiteful, and I really don't wish others bad, and I really am a pretty nice person, but I have to be honest and say that when I hear of these resorts, exchange companies, etc., concocting these schemes to reach deeper into the pockets of the folks they have already reached deep into the pockets of, and they don't reach into my pockets, I sense my heart cockles warming slightly, because they did not get me, because these schemes seldom, if ever, prove to be worth the expense, and, in most cases, are just providing a different, not always better, way of doing what you have already been doing and if you do not opt for them your life would likely just go on quite merrily, you retaining your money.


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## JLB (Nov 28, 2007)

So, why do they do it?  

Why do they work so hard to convince us to undo what they worked so hard to convince to do?


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## Holly (Nov 29, 2007)

Statistics...someone who has bought before is MUCH more likely to buy again.  I'm in sales...my best customers are current customers.  It's called "upselling".

I could NEVER sell timeshares though...too sleezy for me.




JLB said:


> So, why do they do it?
> 
> Why do they work so hard to convince us to undo what they worked so hard to convince to do?


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## JLB (Nov 29, 2007)

Again, I am not trying to be mean-spirited (the Bob Dole Syndrome), or pick on just OL, since so many programs have done this, the sticking-their-hand-into-your-pocket-again thing, but if you will think back to that original sales presentation, you will recall how each of them told you they had the best thing going.  Did they not?

If they did, and it really worked the way they said, why would they be taking another shot, telling you how bad that program is, to convince you to try the improved version.  What assurance is there that five years from now they won't be hitting you up for version 1.2?

And again, not just picking on OL, but after following all these comments, about all I can glean as a benefit to owners who have_ upgraded_ is that some of them have been able to obtain higher point levels so that their more desirable weeks/units can exchange back in for a higher number of less desirable weeks/units than they own.  Before they could only get 1 for 1.

Unfortunately, because it is the nature of the Points beast, that means that losers have been created that did not previously exist.  Folks who were previously able to trade back in and upgrade their week/unit, no longer can, because they do not have the points to do so.

Previously we heard about those who owned studios in the WV Clubhouse, primarily so that they could circumvent trading restrictions, since very few really want to have to stay in one of those studio units.  They reported the benefit that they did not have to, that they could trade them through RCI for a 1 or 2 bedroom elsewhere in the resort.  So they got more than they bargained for, but it took RCI to do it.

We're not hearing that through the new system.

Thusfar, it appears that owners of lessers resorts/weeks outside of OL can exchange in through RCI more favorably than OL owners.  That was one of the things that the new system was intended to eliminate, and might still accomplish, if OL couldresolve their oversupply situation.

As far as trading into the family of resorts elsewhere, it does not appear that anything has been added to the family that allows OL owners to go to areas that they could not already go to through RCI.


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## JLB (Nov 29, 2007)

You do not sound as if you are dissatisfied with what you have been doing thusfar.  Assuming you will be able to continue to do that if you do nothing (if you keep your money), would that work for you?

Or do you want to spend a significant amount of additional money, and hope that you will continue to be satisfied?



biafrate said:


> Good Morning all my OLCC Experts
> I do visit OLCC once a year to golf anyway.  I plan on continuing to return but not during my fixed week which happens to be week 43.


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## lucillec (Feb 1, 2008)

*attended global access presentation*

I am an OL owner..who finally decided to go for an owner update..as I know primarily it is to 'sell up'... The update was to purchase GA... I am very happy with my fixed week...and there was really nothing they could do to convince me otherwise just now..I would really like to learn more about it..to see if it might be a future option..or a necessary one..... The salesman told us that the contract with RCI was up at the end of this year... So I went to the RCI on sight rep to discuss. I won't say that I was treated with any real consideration..just told..every 5 years they renew and it was up to the resort...I would think they would have to maintain the contract to attract potentional buyers..and i couldn't get a number on what percentage of the people have 'gone global' ....  the final offer was 4000 to get into global access without upgrading...i see others were offered 2k in the posts ... oh well, whatever they think they can get out of you!!
so...i never really got an 'owner update'.....i was told to read the newsletter... nice going...
but it is a beautiful day at orange lake!!  having a great week...
thanks for the information..appreciate everyones input...
LC


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## gjw007 (Feb 1, 2008)

lucillec said:


> so...i never really got an 'owner update'.....i was told to read the newsletter... nice going...
> but it is a beautiful day at orange lake!!  having a great week...
> thanks for the information..appreciate everyones input...
> LC



I really hate that the resorts describe these as owner updates or resort happening when all they are is sales pitches; nothing more, nothing less.  If you were to ask for specifics on the resorts, most of the sales people can't tell you what is happening on their resorts.  OLCC is no different in this regards.  I don't mind the sale pitch per se, it's expected, but can't they at least provide more than generic information.  If they told you to read the newsletter, it shows how useless the 'owner's updates' are especially since there is very little actual meat in these document (they do provide some information but the information is brief and given size restraints, usually lacking in depth - this is true for all my timeshares that send out these reports, not just OLCC).


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## scooooter (Feb 11, 2008)

lucillec said:


> ....  the final offer was 4000 to get into global access without upgrading...
> LC



LC - I found this really interesting since I called the resort just this morning and was told that they are no longer allowing people to get into global access without upgrading.  I talked to 2 different people & was TOTALLY angry!  :annoyed: 

They said the only way that we can get in is by upgrading one of our existing units.  We have a 2 bedroom in the west, week 45 and a 3 bedroom lockout in River Island week 45.  

She said it would cost $7000 to upgrade my unit in the west to a 2 bedroom R.I. in value season unit, (and we do NOT want value season.  BUT, to upgrade to a prime season (week 44), it would be $11k, cause the cost of a 2 bedroom in RI during prime season is (choke) $19500.  

Grrrrr..........


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## JLB (Feb 11, 2008)

The more things change (upgrade), the more they stay the same, it seems.

Years ago we wanted to _upgrade_ our _Westgate_ weeks 44 & 45, which we were led to believe were RED, with great trading power, to 2 consecutive summer weeks.  Their first response was a call at 9 PM on Sunday night from a pushy lady with a thick NE accent (at least that was different than a thick latin accent ).

After first badmouthing what we had, (undoing the bragging they had originally done about it), saying they were worthless and everyone was unloading them, her offer was for us to _switch_ to one week in a 3-bedroom lockoff at Westgate Lakes.  They would take our two weeks back and all we had to ante up was another $25K.   :hysterical:

We have been to OL many times, and have sat in the hot tub or been poolside with owners, talking, and I don't recall anyone ever being dissatisfied with what they had, wishing OL would come up with a better deal.


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## lucillec (Feb 11, 2008)

Scooter..I think over the phone they will tell you what they think they can get away with...vs sitting down with a salesperson and holding firm..more room for negotiations.   
I saw an ad in the help wanted section of the orlando paper..very small... Orange lake.. inside sales to owners, no RCI exchangers,our top salesperson earned over 350K last year.... 
that went over real big with me...   I told the salesman I knew what his job was...but i really wanted an owner update... even the second person gave up on me...
I just stood fast that I would not invest any more money in timesharing..
i am happy with what I have with them.  it works for me..for now.  

I did meet a couple in the hot tub...they have 35 weeks of timesharing
and upgraded to global access..they have over 1 million plus points.
cruises, airline tickets...sounds wonderful..but wouldn't work for me and my other timeshare units...i think i could have less in the longrun...now i trade my weeks in through RCI and get into OL annually...so as long as they are affiliated..it will work...if i have to go my fixed week..i will do that...works for me and the west village will have a brand new pool, restaurants this year..sounds great. 

sorry for your frustrations.  enjoy your time there..River Island is very nice..glad i got to stay there...


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## scooooter (Feb 12, 2008)

LC thank you for the information.

Our problem is that our brother & sister in law bought in RI also, but for another week.  We wanted to be able to vacation with them and they thought that every other year one of us could move our week to the other person's week.  We would love to do that as we want to vacation with them, but we are not in global access.  Our reason for wanting to get to GA is because if we bank our RI week with RCI, Lord only knows if we would be able to get back in to RI with the trade!  

Does anyone know about this?  I know that RI has their own resort number now - so I'm assuming if I traded in a 2 bedroom at RI that we could trade back into RI, but I'm wondering what the inventory is if everyone is getting free entry into Global Access with their RI purchase?

We didn't get it free with ours because we bought it before the first building was up (we prebought it) and then they went and introduced Global Access less than 6 months later.  

They argue that they can not give it to us because our purchase price for the 2 bedroom ($20k) was far below the $31k that they are charging now.  Yeah right!   :hysterical: 

Does anyone have any insights or thoughts on this?

Rhonda


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## JLB (Feb 12, 2008)

Let me ask a rhetorical question.

First, to set it up.

We have been familiar with OL for 20 years, it being our first tour the week we bought our first week, back when things were simple.  As simple as red, white and blue, Orlando will trade for anywhere anytime.   

We have been to OL many times.  I believe we have toured it five times.

I have seen a gazillion OL posts on internet forums.

In all that time I can't recall any OL owner who was dissatisfied with the way their ownership worked.  The bragging about the resort itself, and trading power, is monumental, more so than any other resort.

If there was any one resort in the entire timesharing world that you figured would never change, because they were the apple of RCI's eye, that RCI would crumble without them, and, therefore, they got privileges that no other resort got, it was OL.

*So, why change? * I never heard one owner wishing they could do what they were doing differently, for free or any other price.  

*Who was it that was clamoring for this change?*


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## scooooter (Feb 12, 2008)

JLB, I couldn't agree with you more!  

We've always been happy with OLCC and have owned there for a few years now.  But this Global Access thing has got us ticked off.   

Here's what irritates me.  When we purchased our 3 bedroom lockout in R.I., we were told that because we purchased at RI, we would now be able to bring our West Village trade into there, any time we wanted.  All we had to do was to exchange it thru RCI and when the booked us in, they would upgrade us to RI because we are owners there.  Sorry, but that was a bold faced lie!  We have been down there several times since then, and we absolutely are NOT allowed to come into RI when we exchange our West Village.  We get the ol "Who told you that???" question, with a look of shock that I am sure they have practiced on many people before us.

THEN, if thats not bad enough, they introduce a program that allows other people, who do not even own in RI, to trade into RI, and now I CAN'T EVEN PAY TO GET INTO THE PROGRAM!  I have to UPGRADE my 3 bedroom lockoff forest view to a pool view for the sum of $11k :hysterical:  to get the privilege of getting what I had in the first place.  Hello????

I feel like this program has been forced on us, because now we own an expensive property in RI, and if we exchange it with RCI - I don't know that we'd get into RI.  I am thinking that because everyone is enrolled in the global access program for free with their RI purchase, they will not be exchanging with RCI.  

Am I wrong on this?  I called RCI and all they will tell me is "you have to bank your week before we can do a search."  Yeah, right.  

Has anyone else heard whether or not they have truly gotten rid of selling the global access program on it's own?????  We are totally stumped and not really sure what to do.

If we do not join it, we are not going to be able (more than likely) to exchange thru RCI and get back into RI.  That was NOT what we were promised when we bought it.  Isn't there some legal issues here with them telling people something like that???

Rhonda


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## JLB (Feb 12, 2008)

Could it be that the result of a shakeup in marketing, the bringing in of an outsider?


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## scooooter (Feb 12, 2008)

JLB said:


> Could it be that the result of a shakeup in marketing, the bringing in of an outsider?



Sorry, don't follow....


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## timetraveler (Feb 12, 2008)

Hi Rhonda,

Since RI's beginning, OL owner's were informed thru onsite education and print media that you had to own in RI to exchange into it. 

Owner's were given the opportunity to "upgrade" their existing inventory in other villages to RI units.  Also we were told at that time, if we didn't want to do that....fine and dandy....but that we would not be able to stay in a RI unit.  The reason being....RI owner's were going to be paying higher fees than other village owners.    A scenario I totally understand and agree with.

Unfortunately...you were "had" by "sales"  .  Early on....all this info was presented to owners, by Owner/Member services.  And it was made very clear that only RI units could trade back in for RI units.

Now as far as your RI 3br unit.  You can definitely space bank that unit with RCI and be able to get an exchange back into RI with no problem.   Hope this info helps you.


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## scooooter (Feb 12, 2008)

Vickie, 

Well, I believe you are correct that we were indeed "had" by our salesman, which really irritates me!!!  That is exactly what got us to buy because we had not only the West Village that we could bring in, but we also had a timeshare in the Bahamas that we could bring in to River Island.  We got to OLCC every year and bring along approx 30 friends/family members.  We had visions of everyone staying at River Island.  NOT!

Can you confirm to me, or can someone confirm to me whether or not they have actually stopped selling the Global Access program on it's own?  I am confused as to why someone mentioned that they were offered to buy into the program just a week and a half ago, during one of the infamous "owners updates" and opted not to.  Why when I call and say that I want to buy in, will they not let me??!

Now, Vickie, I am terribly relieved to hear you say that I can bank my River Island in with RCI and still get into River Island.  What experience have you had with this, or have you heard regarding this?  If that is indeed the case, I will keep my money in the bank, and we'll just spacebank our week and will tradeback in when we need to.  I just don't wnat to drop the Global Access thing if it's indeed true that less and less people are banking their River Island weeks with RCI.  That statement actually seems to make sense to me, and I guess I am believing it, but really want to believe what you are saying - it sounds like you know what you are talking about.  LOL!!!   

And THANK YOU to everyone, so much, who has responded to my million questions.  It is SO appreciated.

Rhonda


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## JLB (Feb 12, 2008)

That's OK, sometimes folks don't.  Just my way of saying that it is a marketing program, and there was some turnover at the top prior to it's unveiling, if I recall correctly.

Besides, in this time of _O _shortage, you have too many.   



scooooter said:


> Sorry, don't follow....


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## scooooter (Feb 13, 2008)

JLB, thanks for clarifying!!!!


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## gjw007 (Feb 13, 2008)

scooooter said:


> LC thank you for the information.
> 
> Our problem is that our brother & sister in law bought in RI also, but for another week.  We wanted to be able to vacation with them and they thought that every other year one of us could move our week to the other person's week.  We would love to do that as we want to vacation with them, but we are not in global access.  Our reason for wanting to get to GA is because if we bank our RI week with RCI, Lord only knows if we would be able to get back in to RI with the trade!
> 
> ...



I ran into this problem as well.  The argument really doesn't hold when they tell you that they had been developing the points system since roughly 2004 meaning that when they sold me the unit, they knew that the points system would be introduced soon.


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## gjw007 (Feb 13, 2008)

timetraveler said:


> Hi Rhonda,
> 
> Since RI's beginning, OL owner's were informed thru onsite education and print media that you had to own in RI to exchange into it.
> 
> ...



Vickie,

I was told the same thing as Scoooter.  I couldn't get into RI unless I owned there and once I owned there, I could exchange my other units into RI.  I was never able to exchange my North or East Village unit into RI through RCI and to make matters worse, when I exchanged my RI unit, there was no guarantee that I would be in RI as 1/2 time my exchanges for RI I have been  put in the East Village.  The process where you had to make the exchange with RCI and then contact OLCC to ensure that you got into RI for your RI exchange just didn't work.  While I was  perfectly happy with RCI Weeks, it was one of the things that made going to Global Access more interesting to me.  Of course, this was when everything was under 1 resort so it should be interesting to see how things work with each village now having a separate RCI number.

Scooter,

As far as OLCC stop selling Global Access to owners, who would they sell it to?  Only new sales?  I have no information but Global Access is a cash cow for OLCC and I don't see the developer stop selling the program.  The last I heard was those who bought from the developer pay $1999 per unit whereas those who bought resale pay the $1999 per unit plus an additional $5000.  And to make matters worse, these can only be transferred to a family member as defined in the documentation meaning that if I sold my week to somebody else, the Global Access doesn't transfer and the new owner would have to sign up for Global Access.  

It would have been more interesting if this was done by the HOAs although I think one of the HOAs consists of 5 members, 2 of which are OLCC management meaning that this would be difficult to do over OLCC objections.  The HOA could have mandated a reasonable fee to join the program, say $300 which should cover the cost of equipment, etc.  My question would be what would be done different if it had been done this way rather than through the developer.  I suspect cost would be lower and the program would reflect the wishes of the owners more than the developers (i.e. the transfer of Global Access along with the unit when selling the unit would be an example).


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## timetraveler (Feb 13, 2008)

Hi again Rhonda,

yes....you can definitely get into RI by exchanging your RI unit thru RCI.

Space bank your RI week with RCI.  Put in for an exchange back into OL.  If this happens after 2009, you will be able to do an online search for specifically RI and the week you want.   As for the current year....you would bank your RI week, and then call OL's ressie dept and request them to place you back into RI....the village in which you own.  

As an owner you get priority placement.  The only reason you would not get back into RI would be because there were more RI requests by RI owners than there was available inventory that week.


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## scooooter (Feb 14, 2008)

Thank you everyone for your responses.

Well, I am at least glad to see that I am not the only one who was told that if I bought into RI, I could bring all of my other properties into RI.  I know that this was obvioulsy a scheme by their sales people to get us to buy, but it should be illegal to make such promises!  I need to smarten up and get these things written into the contracts!

Vickie, I understand what you are saying about RI owners getting priority placement, but the last couple of times we've come down there, we've called and have said that we own a 3 bedroom in RI PLUS a 2 bedroom in the West and that we would like to be put in RI.  Both times I was told that I could not be put there because I was not coming in on my regular RI week to my regular unit.  They actually told me that people who come in on the latitudes program and potential RI buyers are the onest that are put there.  Now, is that not a kick in the pants???  I buy there, and I can't request to go in there, but the people who have NOT bought there yet are getting preferential placement over me because they haven't relinquished their money yet.  :annoyed: 

And, when I was there, it was September and then again in November.  So, they were DEFINITELY not busy, but they would not even entertain putting me in there.  AND, I talked to a supervisor, and then complained about it at my "owners update" meeting and still nothing was done.  

So, I am EXTREMELY nervous about banking my week with RCI and being at the mercy of OLCC to put me wherever they feel like putting me.

I really feel like I've been taken.  If they knew about the points program coming up, they should have disclosed that instead if out right lying to us about being able to bring our other units in there.  What they did was just flat out wrong and I really do not know what to do about it.  If I bank my 2 week RI with RCI and I get put back in there somewhere else, I am going to absolutely flip out.  

Any thoughts from anyone on who I might be able to speak with about getting into the Global Access program without making another purchase??

Rhonda


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## JLB (Feb 14, 2008)

Rhonda:

I recently posted that when we were Westgate owners how uncomfortable it made us feel that sales predominated over vacationing.  That, and other stuff, eventually caused us to jettison CFI from our TS _portfolio_.

Your angst is well-placed, but, I suspect, not unusual.  In those resorts still being actively marketed, and where the developer still predominates (regardless how how many_ independent_ HOAs exist), whenever sales and marketing trumps owners, there will be bad feelings.


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## timetraveler (Feb 14, 2008)

Rhonda,

Are you saying that when you told them you are coming back down on your RI week, and want to go back into RI...the ressie dept told you they could not do that?  Or were you trying to use your West Village week to get into a RI unit?


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## gjw007 (Feb 15, 2008)

Vickie

I can relate to Rhonda.  I had exchanged my RI unit for week 50 and called OLCC after making the reservation called OLCC to inform them that I was exchanging my RI week and wanted to be put the exchange in RI.  Notice that week 50 is a slow week.  I ended up being put in the East Village and I was told that RI was not fully occupied.  This was the week where I was woke up every morning by the lawn mowers.  With separate IDs for RI and the rest of OLCC, this shouldn't be a problem any more  but when everything was under OLCC, it left a lot to be desired.  I don't think Rhonda will have a problem now as she can exchange directly into the RI rather than OLCC West Village.


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## timetraveler (Feb 15, 2008)

Hi Gary,

This was an RCI deposit/exhange you are talking about?

Did you ask at check-in why they did not honor your RI request?


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## gjw007 (Feb 15, 2008)

timetraveler said:


> Hi Gary,
> 
> This was an RCI deposit/exhange you are talking about?
> 
> Did you ask at check-in why they did not honor your RI request?



Vickie,

That is correct.  The process at the time was to deposit the week with RCI, make the exchange, and contact OLCC to inform them that I was exchanging a RI unit and wished to be in RI which I did.  In addition, I also emailed them.  It's a mixed bag at check-in with some people very helpful and others less so with it seemingly impossible to change a unit assignment once it has been done..  I got no answer nor any attempt to move me to RI from the check in staff.  I did contact the some people, I believe customer service and ultimately I was offered the chance to move into RI but this was after a few hours. There was nothing wrong with the East Village unit, the location was the first building that you see when you enter the East Village, the unit was on the ground floor, and I had already moved in so I opted to stay there but the process left a lot to be desired.  The only problem that week was the noise from the lawn movers in the morning.  Jim was in the East Village the week after and also experienced the noise from the lawn movers.  Given my experiences, I understand the commentst that some exchangers make but it also happens to owners.

The process has changed with the separation into 2 resorts (4 in 2009 from the posted comments) so the problem that I had shouldn't occur again since the exchanges would be into OLCC RI and not just OLCC.  The ability to directly book into RI through Global Access was one of the reason it attracted me after the above exchange.


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## JLB (Feb 15, 2008)

I'm assuming you were in the 86400 building, the _straight-in_ one.  Christmas Week '06, we were in 86500, the one next door.  Those two unfortunately have two greens right out back, with sand traps, so are a focus of very-early morning small engine noise.

A slight difference in location can make a big difference in that problem.  When we were in 86100, for instance, I don't recall the noise.  Behind that building is a lake, with the tenth tee on the other side, so that is a comparatively quiet location.

Stuff like that explains why one person may report a problem and another may not, the same week.

Each village, and then within each village, there are differing variables.

Your explanation of check-in, the inflexibility in unit assignment, is my experience, for both owners and guests, and I have seen tempers and big problems there.  The big problems were from overbooking hurricane-cancelled exchanges, and there is blame to be passed around for that.



gjw007 said:


> The only problem that week was the noise from the lawn movers in the morning.  Jim was in the East Village the week after and also experienced the noise from the lawn movers.  Given my experiences, I understand the commentst that some exchangers make but it also happens to owners.


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## scooooter (Feb 15, 2008)

Vickie, one time we came in on an exchange of our West unit, and the next time it was an exchange for our RI unit.  Each time, the people at the front desk were completely indifferent to my pleas to get in to River Island.  They could have cared less what I had "supposedly" been told by my sales person.  They were very robotic about it - I was staying in the West - period. End of subject.  I had even called a couple of weeks out to ask about it, and sure enough, was told the same thing.

We talked with a supervisor while we were there, who had really nothing to offer.  I honestly do not think that any of them believed me when I told them that was what I was promised.  Exactly what I was promised, in fact.  That if I banked my West week with RCI, I would get put in RI if there was availability.  Not true.  You come in on an exchange at all, I was told, you go in the West.  If you are lucky, you may get the North or the East, but you will NOT get RI.

I agree with Gary, with the new resort numbers for RI and the rest of OLCC, I would at least know before I book my reservation, if I am getting into RI or not.

Rhonda


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## lucillec (Feb 15, 2008)

*Orange Lake RCI Trades*

Since RI's beginning, OL owner's were informed thru onsite education and print media that you had to own in RI to exchange into it. 

Owner's were given the opportunity to "upgrade" their existing inventory in other villages to RI units.  Also we were told at that time, if we didn't want to do that....fine and dandy....but that we would not be able to stay in a RI unit. .


 I READ THE FOLLOWING IN A NEWSLETTER FROM ORANGE LAKE ON LINE TODAY: 

"Four resorts. Four times the fun. 

If you’re an owner with a fixed week who usually exchanges through RCI® to visit other Orange Lake Orlando villages, here’s some important news. 

The RCI resort directory now lists Orange Lake Orlando as four distinct resorts—West Village, North Village, East Village and River Island. This change was made to offer exchangers an opportunity to enjoy all of the different resort experiences available at our Orlando location. 

So now when you make a reservation through RCI for another resort village at Orange Lake Orlando, you’ll want to select the specific resort village you’d like to stay in for your vacation. The village you choose will be your vacation destination. You may still take advantage of all that Orange Lake Orlando has to offer, such as the pools, lazy river, arcades, restaurants and more. 

Making a reservation is easier, just by being a member of GlobalAccess. As a member, your internal reservation fee is just $40. Membership in GlobalAccess gives you more value, more freedom and more vacation options within The Family of Orange Lake Resorts."

SO THIS STATES YOU CAN TRADE INTO ANY VILLAGE AS LONG AS THERE IS INVENTORY.  I expect with all NEWLY sold RI being Global, there will be little inventory, however some will exist.   

Seems to me that they would be mandating RI owners join Global to circumvent this to ensure they get a RI unit. 

Being a weeks person, i was surprised to see people checking in midweek..this is due to Global access.  THere is also a renewed interest in the studio units at WV because the points to use them would be low.


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## scooooter (Mar 5, 2008)

Has there been any further experience with anyone trying to get into go global WITHOUT upgrading or buying something new?  Just curious.


Rhonda


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## scooooter (Apr 8, 2008)

bumping up to see if anyone has had any luck getting into Global Access recently without upgrading or purchasing something new?

Rhonda


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## JLB (Apr 8, 2008)

I'm curious as to why in this thread 2 owners have referred to *upgrading*, one in quotations and one not.  Is that your term, or is that OL's?

Either way, do you take it to mean that you would be improving yourself, being better (in any way) than if you don't _*upgrade*_, if you just keep what you already own?


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## scooooter (Apr 8, 2008)

I'm laughing out loud here because that was THEIR term.  I've talked with several people, including someone I just hung up with, and they use the term "upgrading".  I'm laughing, because I don't consider it "upgrading" at all!  It's not "better" for me, it will simply allow me to get into go global.
When they say "upgrade", translated, that means to a more expensive unit. LOL, not necessarily something that is better for you.  That's my take anyways!
Rhonda


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## JLB (Apr 8, 2008)

Do you feel that OL is presenting RI as being better than whatever you now own?


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## scooooter (Apr 8, 2008)

see below, this posted twice by accident.


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## scooooter (Apr 8, 2008)

Well, let me tell you some of the things that have been said to me.   

In the owner updates, (which, I think we've been to 3 of them - 2 of our own, then one that we went to with my brother & sister in law for their unit), the sales people have said things like "The value of the west properties will be dropping now that River Island is here......", (and before anyone even comments on that, I've been told that by more than one sales person believe it or not.)

 I've heard, "you won't be able to find River Island on exchange thru RCI", the only way to get into it will be to buy into it."  These are recent things the sales people have told us. Some of the tactics the sales people use are just without a doubt disgusting.  Really.  We sent a couple there and they were told that I hadn't purchased a 3 bedroom, "your friend doesn't know what she purchased, she bought a 2 bedroom" because he didn't simply want to say to them that the reason that he was quoting them a much higher quote was because we bought preconstruction when the price was much lower.  Instead, he pretended to get my file, came back and basically called me an idiot.  Then, when they said they were not interested, he said "well, you signed up for a 90 minute presentation, and we've got an hour left, so you'd better start asking some questions or we're just going to sit here and stare at each other!"  :annoyed: 

As far as Go Global - basically, their message to me has been "if you want to get into Go Global, the ONLY way to do it is to (and I am quoting them) buy a new unit, or to upgrade what you currently have".  

By using the word "upgrade" what they mean is "spend more money".  Period.  It's not that they are telling you that another unit would be an "upgrade", it would just cause me to "spend more money".  

So, the conversation that I've had with 3 different go global representatives goes something like this.  "You cannot buy into Global Access.  The only way to get into it is to either upgrade a unit you currently have, or purchase a new unit."  When I explain that I already have more timeshares than I need and that the 2 bedroom in the West is perfect, we love the unit, location and the week, and tell them the same with the 3 bedroom we have at River Island, I have heard from all 3 "well, you can upgrade your 3 bedroom at River Island to a 4 bedroom, it's $51,000, and that will get you into Go Global."  :hysterical: 

Then, when I say no thank you, I hear "you can upgrade from a forest view to a pool view for an additional $16,000."  I explain that we do NOT want a pool view.  We like the quiet after being at the pool all day - I actually prefer the forest (aka parking lot) view.  So, the next thing we hear is that we can purchase a 2 bedroom at Lake Geneva, or Ascutney, or Panama City, and we'll have the extra points that we can use.  I again remind them that we already have more timeshares than we know what to do with.

So, I guess my point here with the Global Access people is that it's not really that they necessarily present these options as "better" options, it's more like "here's what ya gotta do if you want in" kind of a thing.  Their pitch is more like "and just look at all these points you will have to play with!" They really do not focus on whether the property is any good for you. At least they didn't with us. 

The sales people just kill me.  The last one we had was so rude, we actually got up and left the table.  I went right over to member services & complained because he actually said to us "if you'd stop shaking your head and listen to me.........".  He was mad because we wouldn't consider buying a unit in Lake Geneva & when we told him we couldn't afford it, he actually told us to talk to a family member about borrowing the money, or seeing if they would go in on it with us.  We had told him like 10 times that we could not afford it and did not want another unit - and that was his response to us.  Like we were being just complete and utter blooming idiots for not considering asking someone for money to buy a timeshare.  LOL!!!!!

If we did not have to trade our River Island in every other year, we wouldn't be concerned about it.  BUT, we do.  And, I really do not want to give our river island property to RCI and end up coming back in in the West.  Not that we mind the west, actually we do not - but we have a unit in the west.  We purchased this for RIVER ISLAND and we'd like to be able to bank a river island week and come back into River Island.

So, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it! LOL!   

Rhonda


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## JLB (Apr 8, 2008)

When I hear stories like this from owners, the impression I get is that the impression OL is trying to make is that RI is better than WV.

What do you think, not about which is really better personally, but what impression do you think they are giving?


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## janapur (Apr 8, 2008)

scooooter said:


> Well, let me tell you some of the things that have been said to me.
> 
> 
> I've heard, "you won't be able to find River Island on exchange thru RCI", the only way to get into it will be to buy into it."  . . . So, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it! LOL!
> ...



Rhonda, it is so refreshing to hear such candor from an OLCC owner. It kills me whenever I hear those famous words "you'll never be able to exchange into here." I just helped my inlaws exchange into a RI 2BR over Easter week. They are still learning with RCI.

We will be at OLCC week 52 this year and I actually hope we are placed in West Village, as they will be newly renovated. Does that bump West up on the "new" list JLB? Assuming new does in fact mean better, at least according to OLCC.

What truly surprises me, Rhonda, is your numerous "LOL." You sure are taking all of this very well.

Jana


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## gjw007 (Apr 9, 2008)

scooooter said:


> In the owner updates, (which, I think we've been to 3 of them - 2 of our own, then one that we went to with my brother & sister in law for their unit), the sales people have said things like "The value of the west properties will be dropping now that River Island is here......", (and before anyone even comments on that, I've been told that by more than one sales person believe it or not.)
> 
> As far as Go Global - basically, their message to me has been "if you want to get into Go Global, the ONLY way to do it is to (and I am quoting them) buy a new unit, or to upgrade what you currently have".
> 
> ...



Rhonda,

Obviously you don't need to own at RI in order to stay there.  When OLCC was under weeks and everything was under one resort ID, it could control where guests stay but with the separate IDs, OLCC no longer controls which section of the resorts.  The first people to get into RI were actually non-OLCC owners.  

I do agree that 'upgrade' means more money - nothing more, nothing less.  If they could, they'd resell you your own unit again.  Since OLCC doesn't sell units the West Village (they've been sold out for years) and they are available via resale very cheap, the sale of RI wouldn't have any real affect on the cost of the West Village units.  Is anybody really surprised that OLCC would be pushing what they sell over what they don't sell?  Or the lines that are given?  As a comparison, you stated that they wanted to charge you $16,000 to change from a forest view to a pool view.  When I purchased my unit at RI it was $1,000 additional to get a pool view.  And even if you owned a pool view and exchanged through RCI there is no guarantee that you will get a pool view.  But I wouldn't be surprised at anything timeshare sales people say in an attempt to make a sale.

I don't understand why OLCC wouldn't sell Global membership separately anymore as it is a possible source of income.  The last figure I saw was $1995 but I'll admit that I don't keep up on it.

There have been some changes to Global that I dislike.  For example, there are various levels of membership depending on the number of points that you have.  Initially there were different rates going from $40 per exchange down to $25 per exchange depending on the number of Global points you owned.  This has been changed to $40 per exchange irregardless of level.  

Another neat perk if you could take advantage of this was the ability to upgrade your units.  My ownership level allowed me to do this twice where I could reserve a 2-bedroom and then upgrade it to a 3-bedroom without any additional points.  There was no time constraint on this so if I made a reservation 9 months out, I could reserve a 2-bedroom unit, request my upgrade and have a 3-bedroom unit reserves.  Global still has the upgrade policy but it can only be done within 60 days of my reservation meaning that in my previous example, the reservation that I made at the 9 months windows would be for the 2-bedroom unit and I could call Global at the 2 month interval to request the upgrade.  I don't know about you but this is just about worthless to me if I'm making plans to have my family and friends come down and plans need to be done far enough in advance.  To ensure that I have the units that I need, and if I felt I needed a 3-bedroom unit, I would reserve a 3-bedroom unit at the 9 month window rather than chance there being the upgrade at the 2-month window.  For spur-of-the-moment trips it works but like most points-based systems, there is a discount in the number of points needed within a short period of time before your vacation request (I believe 45 days for OLCC) so this upgrade perk really means that its only available if nobody else has taken the inventory already.


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## scooooter (Apr 9, 2008)

Jana, well, we've discovered that while timesharing is for us, it definitely can be full of surprises.  And we've just got to be able to roll with the punches, so to speak.  Actually, it truly does make me kind of crack up when I hear some of these things.  I know that it is a case of a sales person having 90 minutes to try to convince me to make a $15k - $50k purchase, but come on.   

I talked with actually a very nice woman last night from Global Access.  Again, "there is NO WAY that we can just sell the program anymore, it's not allowed."  Went to talk to the supervisor.  "The best offer we can make is to sell you an every other year ownership at Panama City for $9k for a 2 bedroom.  That will get all of your units into Go Global."  

That's where we left it.  It is going to cost us $9k if we want to get in.  They offered to pay the closing fees and give us $300 towards our first maintenance fee.

Gary, your comment "they'd sell you the same unit again if they could" actually is hysterical because there is some truth to that.  It's not that they are trying to sell you necessarily an "upgrade", so as to improve your ownership.  They are telling you that you need to drop some more money, and last night I was told that the minimum "upgrade" has to be $8k.  So, I couldn't take, for example, my 2 bedroom in the west and upgrade that to a 2 bedroom in the North for a couple thousand more.  It would have to be a significant purchase.  

I did get an email from a tugger last night who said that her and her hubby were able to convert into GA for $2495 2 weeks ago, but they had never been offered the conversion before.  We were, but didn't have the money at the time.  Now that we do, we apparently cannot be offered it again.

We said no to a purchase about 2 months ago, and they did indeed let us walk away.  So, here we are again.  

JLB - I would have to say that yes, in my opinion, I do feel that they represent River Island as "better" because of the fact that it is right at the new water park.  Like I said though, I LOVE our unit in the west that has been redone.  The location is perfect & we love the nice quiet atmosphere at the end of the day.  So, to us, depending on where you are put in the West, it can also be a very nice experience.  Just "different".  We like the West for the quiet, but we like River Island because of the ease of going right downstairs to the pool with the kids and being able to come up & make lunch, take a nap, go to the bathroom, etc.  So, in my opinion, they are both nice.

I would be very appreciative on any advice that someone can give me on this.  We really want to get our units into Go Global so taht we can have the flexibility of moving our week around but do not want to have to purchase another unit to do it.

Rhonda


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## scooooter (Apr 9, 2008)

Oh Gary, also, I read your comment on the forest view vs. the pool view.  See, that's what I mean.  They were going to charge us $16k MORE just to move from the forest view (which we prefer!) to the pool view!  I told her that she must be crazy.  We'd be moving to a unit that was not better for us, but worse for us, and we'd be $16k deeper in debt!  How is that benefitting me?   

I think I'll give it another try today, but I know that I am going to be told "no getting in without buying".  Uugghh!


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## gjw007 (Apr 9, 2008)

Rhonda,

Boca had suggested 2 years ago that OLCC should have charged $300 per unit and required each owner to enroll in Global Access.  It would have been low enough that although owners would complain, it wasn't high enough to be a major burden and the benefits of lower exchange rate for internal exchanges would have made the charge more easily justifiable.  When I joined, for my 3 units it was $3900 to join Global Access ($1295 per unit).  

It made sense for me to upgrade (and yes, I do feel it was an upgrade) from week 50 at RI to week 52 as I exchanged ownership of a low point producing week (104,000 Global points I believe) to the highest points producing week (174,000) for 2-bedroom units and it allowed me with the various benefits to get 5 weeks of 2-bedroom units at RI at the cost of owning 3 week.  Given that, I felt it was justifiable at the time and the difference in cost could be recovered in a 6 or 7 year period based on my exchanges back into OLCC in the past.  As an example, my 2-week vacation had an exchange fee of $40 for the 2 weeks rather than the $328 that it would have cost through RCI.  The same is true for my December 2 week scheduled vacation.  So I'm getting 4 weeks for the cost of 3 and the exchange rate is significantly lower. 

Of course, at the time they didn't have different point totals for forest view or pool view so it made no difference which you owned.  Given the points total I had, I was 'guaranteed' my view which meant that I could always choose pool view if I wanted to and get it.  Another change that Global Access did was create different points requirements for pool view and forest view.  In addition, it added a 4th category, holiday week.  I benefited mostly from these changes in the sense that 2 of my 3 units were pool view and 2 of my three units were holiday weeks and I ended up with an additional 100,000 Global points but the units I want also now cost me more in Global points.  I have slightly more points available as a result.  

Sure, now I can get pool view but it costs me additional points and then only if it is available.  The old system provides a pecking order on who could get the pool views or forest view but the new system is decided by the number of points that you use.  The new system is fairer overall but it makes the 'guarantee' of view almost worthless.

I wish there were a place where only OLCC owners could get together and discuss issues without it being on a public forum.  While I do have some criticism of OLCC's operations, I've tended to hold back these on public forums as it just seems to fuel those who bash OLCC.  I also don't know how it helps to make sure that sure that for every positive comment that is said for OLCC it has to be countered with a negative comment or if the comments run negative, a periodic positive statement is given to show 'balance'.

Only you can determine if joining Global makes sense but based on what you've said and the changes in the program, it makes me wonder.


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## scooooter (Apr 9, 2008)

Gary, I agree in your case, that did seem to work out for you.  That's great!

Overall, we still LOVE Orange Lake, and will continue to vacation there.  I just wish there was a way for us to figure out this whole points thing.

I'm sure if we wanted to, a bunch of us could chat on like AIM or Yahoo?  I would be interested in listening to what everyone had to say.  

I try to be completely honest with my comments, and while I do absolutely LOVE Orange Lake, there are clearly some issues that I would like be able to discuss/work thru.

Rhonda


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## scooooter (Apr 9, 2008)

Well, I just talked to the Global Access person again that I've been dealing with.

The email I got from another tugger said that they had 2 units in the East and 2 weeks ago they were able to get into the Go Global program by "purchasing 15k global access points in Lake Geneva."  They were originally offered it at $3495, said no and got it for $2,495 and bought.  That brings both of their properties into the Go Global program and they have 15k points on top of that.

I asked her why we couldn't do that and she said "you can, but i normally don't offer that because it's like you are giving away that money - you do not get a timeshare unit for it."  I said "I know that, but at this point, like I said before, we are willing to pay $2500 to get into the go global program, so I really do not care if we do not get anything else for it.  That's fine."  

She told me she could offer it, but they are not allowed to go below $3995.  I asked her to please check with her supervisor, because I'd love to stay with her and do the deal so that she can get the credit, but if I can get it for $1500 less, then we would obviously do that.  

Now, I'm not saying that we WILL get that offer.  Knowing how things work, we probably will NOT, but I at least want to try.  Wondering if I'm dealing with the wrong department and if I need to stop talking to Global Access and talk to a sales person who gives the GA presentations?  Could it really be possible that they have the ability to go lower on the price and the actual GA people do not?  Sounds fishy to me?

I'm predicting that she is going to call me back with a lower offer, but not the $2500.  Maybe $2995 at the lowest, but possibly $3495?  And maybe she'll surprise me and will call back saying there is nothing she can do with the price - it's $3995.  

She is a nice person, and I would really like to do this thru her if we can, but obviously, price comes first.


Rhonda


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## gjw007 (Apr 9, 2008)

Rhonda,

I'm not sure what the $2500 will gain you.  If you exchange your unit internally every year for the same type, same season, you save $124 per year ($164 for a weeks exchange - $40 Global exchange fee).  Another way of looking at this is that it will take over 20 years to recover your Global Access purchase.  If you exchange externally, you still have to pay RCI's going rate which is $164 for a weeks resorts or $99 (I think this went up but I don't remember the amount) for a RCI Points resort making it much longer to recover your initial cost of Global Access.  Of course since Global Access uses RCI Points, you can stay at RCI Weeks resorts for less than 9000 RCI points when booking within 45 days of your intended stay.  It is a great way to get additional usage of your points without using a lot of RCI Points (to determine the number of GA points you need to determine how many RCI Points you have, just divide the GA Points by 2).

The only real benefit that I see is that since all new sales will be in GA and there will be a total of 3 buildings at RI, it will make easier to exchange into RI once all the units are sold since most of the units will be GA and not RCI, at least not directly.  I do expect that RCI will continue to see developer at RI until they are sold making them available to the general public.


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## scooooter (Apr 9, 2008)

LOL!  I just typed this all up, and accidentally deleted it.  Ok, let me try this again.

Here's the problem.  My husband's brother and his wife purchased at River Island, but they purchased week 50.  The plan is that every other year they will change to our week (week 45, a prime week), and every other year, we will change to their week (week 50, a value week.)

If we stay in RCI and exchange our 3 bedroom at River Island and try to get back in to River Island, it more than likely will NOT happen.  We would be staying in the North or the West.  Our desire would be to stay where they are, which is in River Island.  

We would have to pay the $164 exchange fee also.  (that's if we exchanged the 3 bedroom as a whole, which we would actually not do - we would use it as 2 separate weeks, so that's $164 twice, and we'd end up in the West.)

If we bought into Go Global, we would pay two $40 fees, we would get right into River Island, and because they are on a value week, we would actually save points, too.  

Do you think that makes sense, or is there somethign that we are are missing?  Paying $328 every other year to give up our river island and move to the West doesn't make a lot of sense to us?

Rhonda


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## gjw007 (Apr 9, 2008)

scooooter said:


> LOL!  I just typed this all up, and accidentally deleted it.  Ok, let me try this again.
> 
> Here's the problem.  My husband's brother and his wife purchased at River Island, but they purchased week 50.  The plan is that every other year they will change to our week (week 45, a prime week), and every other year, we will change to their week (week 50, a value week.)
> 
> ...



Yes, and in fact that was one of the reasons that I went into Global.  As I stated earlier, I think almost all RI unit will be in GA and thus be mostly internal exchanges meaning limited exchanges through RCI.  I could be wrong though but I think this will be the best way for RI to get into RI.  And trust me, I know how it feels to exchange a RI unit, request RI, and get put into another section.  

I think this works for you as you end up with 2 weeks instead of one, perhaps 2 2-bedroom units depending on which weeks you use (they will rent you some points, a quote I heard when it was first started was $5 per 1,000 points).  Or even more weeks if you stay in a 1-bedroom.  Points works well for that.  I just cringe at the cost.


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## scooooter (Apr 9, 2008)

I hear ya!  And I'm FIGHTING to get that cost, LOL!  Right now she is saying $4k, which we are not interested in paying.  I'm trying to talk her into the $2495, can you imagine?


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## scooooter (Aug 6, 2008)

Well, an update on where we are at with this.

We did NOT end up going into the Go Global program and at this point, I am glad that we did not.

We were not able to see any "River Island" units thru RCI with any of our banked weeks from the west or from our Bahama property, but as soon as I banked our 2 bedroom and 1 bedroom at River Island, we were able to see them when we searched on the banked River Island.

So, now we are able to exchange our week for another week, simply by paying the exchange fee, and we actually have gotten a 2 bedroom at river island for our banked 1 bedroom.  So, now we are able to bank our 1 bedroom at RI and get a 2 bedroom for $164.  Seems reasonable to me!!!

Rhonda


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## gjw007 (Aug 6, 2008)

Rhonda,

Good to hear that things have worked out.


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## silentg (Aug 10, 2008)

*Global Access at OLCC*

Global Access at OLCC- I had bought a small studio in the West Village Clubhouse a few years ago. My husband and I live in the Orlando area and wanted to use the facilities and trade our studio. The first year we owned it we decided to stay and enjoy the resort.  We were asked to preview the Global Access program and the new River Island timeshares. We traded up into Global Access because of the points and the supposed flexible way of using points for vacations, hotel, car rentals, tickets etc.....
I have just become  aware that my Global Access points are only worth half of RCI points, for example if I use all 127,000 points for a year, it is only worth 63,500 RCI points.  I was told while planning a trip to Paris that points can no longer be used for international air fare and they no longer let you use them for attraction tickets for theme parks in Orlando.  All of these things were part of the selling points when they wanted me to buy.   My husband is pleased with the point system, but I am used to timesharing with fixed weeks. I have other resorts that we will use for trades. The OLCC week will be used for shorter trips and hopefully, I will get used to points.  TerryC


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## gjw007 (Aug 11, 2008)

silentg said:


> Global Access at OLCC- I had bought a small studio in the West Village Clubhouse a few years ago. My husband and I live in the Orlando area and wanted to use the facilities and trade our studio. The first year we owned it we decided to stay and enjoy the resort.  We were asked to preview the Global Access program and the new River Island timeshares. We traded up into Global Access because of the points and the supposed flexible way of using points for vacations, hotel, car rentals, tickets etc.....
> I have just become  aware that my Global Access points are only worth half of RCI points, for example if I use all 127,000 points for a year, it is only worth 63,500 RCI points.  I was told while planning a trip to Paris that points can no longer be used for international air fare and they no longer let you use them for attraction tickets for theme parks in Orlando.  All of these things were part of the selling points when they wanted me to buy.   My husband is pleased with the point system, but I am used to timesharing with fixed weeks. I have other resorts that we will use for trades. The OLCC week will be used for shorter trips and hopefully, I will get used to points.  TerryC


Terry,

While I think you might have been better off keeping it as a RCI Weeks resort, there is one advantage to the points in that you can exchange into RCI Weeks resorts within 45 days of checking in and use 9000 points or less.  That 63,500 points then equates to roughly 7 RCI Weeks stays so if you have the flexibility, it can be very beneficial.  You do have to pay RCI's week exchange rate per exchange which I think is $164.

In general, it is never a good deal (there are exceptions like everything in life) to exchange the points for items like cruise, car rentals, etc. except if you are about to lose the points and will not be able to use them for an exchange.


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