# Comparison of RCI and II ongoing searches and my results: II wins, RCI loses



## rickandcindy23 (Sep 9, 2010)

I have been running constant searches for two weeks in various areas in So. California, San Francisco, Hawaii, Colorado ski season, New York City, Orlando (specific DVC resorts), and San Antonio.  I specified certain resorts, mostly high-end.  The searches cannot compare to one another, because each company has its own strengths.  

II wins hands down. I get confirmations nearly daily from II and haven't gotten a single confirm from RCI.  (I wish there was an easy way to cancel an II confirmation, because I am tired of calling every day to cancel).  

In II, I am using a Foxrun and a *studio* at Sheraton Broadway Plantation.  I requested Four Seasons Aviara and Newport Coast Villas for February-May, both came through, including a 1 bed, 2 bath at Four Season Aviara, and the Marriott for early May. 

With Foxrun I have pulled high-end resorts, prime ski season weeks. Lots of Hawaii, including Westins, also Capistrano Beach in So. Cal for April.  San Antonio in April, too.  

With RCI, nothing at all has come through with my prime weeks that supposedly see everything. 

You might say I am comparing apples to oranges, and I believe that IS true, but I didn't ask RCI for anything they couldn't possibly get, meaning resorts I don't see online every now and again.   Then again, I also know that if I enter a request for July in DVC, it would come through, but I am trying for early May, certain resorts.  We are hoping a great DVC resort will entice some of the kids to go with us. 

My conclusions are somewhat different that you might assume, with the way I began the post.  I believe RCI puts everything they have (that they aren't renting) out there, and II keeps inventory away from view.  I like RCI for that reason, because if you have the trading power, you can get it.  But with II, they value my weeks enough to give me great resorts with my ordinary weeks.  RCI basically rejected my Foxrun weeks, and here I am pulling premiere resorts in ski season with my Foxrun summer weeks.  

Is that a good thing?  What do you think?  Do you think it's better that II keeps inventory to match against ongoing searches?  Will this change the way you look for your vacations, knowing that inventory will never be visibile to you, if you don't enter an ongoing search to get it?


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## sfwilshire (Sep 9, 2010)

You may have missed the majority of the May DVC weeks based on the postings. They seem to be more in June and July now.

I never search with II because it is a pain to specify only specific check-in dates and they match with little recourse unless you can watch them every day. RCI lets you cancel with no penalty, even if you don't know about the match until they mail you a confirmation.

I can't really compare the two since I always have searches going with RCI and never with II for the reasons stated. I get some nice matches from RCI.

Sheila


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 9, 2010)

Sheila, are you saying you won't do an II ongoing search because they aren't cancellable?  I just cancelled two that came through this morning, one before this posting, and another that came in since the posting.  

I do watch my emails daily with II, but with RCI, you always have to cancel before the end of the next business day as well.  

Yep, I think I did miss the big opportunity for DVC May in weeks, so I will be watching points closely for our dates, since March was in large supply a few weeks ago, even just early last week.  RCI Points is still my favorite.


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## sfwilshire (Sep 9, 2010)

With II, unless I misunderstand, you only have 24 hours. With my luck, the 24 hours after a match I didn't want would be when I was out of touch for some reason. Happens all the time.

RCI has allowed me to cancel far after 24 hours when an ongoing search matches. They also call me before confirming unless I have a very specific search. If they make an exact match, only then will they auto confirm, and even then you can cancel if you've changed your mind.

Cancelling by the end of the next business day seems to only be true when you actually make an exchange either online or on the phone. It does not apply to ongoing searches unless you talked to them and took the match IME.

The DVC resorts seem a bit pricey in Points, so I've only used Weeks to grab them so far. Only three to date, but hopefully more in the future. I never got close to one when they were with II.

I'd drop II in a heartbeat if I didn't have that one pesky resort that is II only. I've been trying to find someone on the HOA board to lobby for dual affiliation. While I'm complaining, their policies on extended weeks also make them impossible for me to use (maybe unique to my situation, but still a big problem). Again, RCI is much more customer friendly in that respect.

Sheila


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 9, 2010)

Must be Mystic Dunes that is only with II.  

I think all resorts should be dual-affiliated and good luck on getting that done.  Wyndham Palms/ Mystic Dunes really sold that II aspect of the product in the sales pitch we attended years ago (I think 1999).  I was so sick of them telling us we could get a cruise with our exchange.  Like it's all paid for--yeah, right!  You had to pay for the food and port charges, but the teeny-tiny cabin is free.   I didn't know much about timeshare compared to now, but I knew baloney when I heard it.  

Yes, that's true that you have to call within 24 hours, so really, since most exchanges happen overnight, you have to call by the end of the evening on the day of the match.  It's been a problem on occasion.  I cancelled my ongoing search when we went to Hawaii, for example, because I was worried that I would go more than 24 hours before being online to check for confirms.  I would not be happy to have an exchange I couldn't use or changed my mind before cancelling.  

RCI is a bummer for me, even with a supertrader.  I just cannot get anything I want, but I am willing to keep trying for something.  

I received Four Seasons Aviara from II for 2/25, the very week I was hoping to get, and I was considering settling for Dolphin's Cove through RCI, which I could see online.  II got me again!


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## ondeadlin (Sep 9, 2010)

I'm really happy with II. My Worldmark points trade well and my Foxrun winter week pulls better trades outside the 60 day window than I ever expected.

But I'm frequently tempted to try out Worldmark in RCI, especially to try for some of their ski resorts I haven't stayed at (Cliff Club, Miner's Club, Grand Summit). Guess maybe I should just stick with what I know.


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## Steve (Sep 9, 2010)

Cindy,

Did you see the Four Seasons Aviara weeks with your Foxrun week, or just with Sheraton Broadway Plantation?  

Thanks,

Steve


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 9, 2010)

Steve, Foxrun doesn't have the quality rating to pull FSA, but Blue Ridge Village did, and that is what I used this morning to get the actual week I took.  I was matched overnight with my SBP studio to a one bed at FSA early in February.  That coincided with our Hawaii trip.  

I saw the banking listed here on TUG and searched with BRV and voila!  BRV has fees of $570, so not bad at all.  We only needed a 1 bed.  If I had a 2 bed, I would need to fill that extra bedroom.

Foxrun had new kitchens and furniture and some other updates that will improve the quality rating.  I am so happy that the current board is willing to do what it takes to improve Foxrun and not assess us to death to accomplish it.  We saw pictures of the new units in our newsletter earlier this year.  A great board and management company can work together to do great things.


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## tombo (Sep 10, 2010)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Steve, Foxrun doesn't have the quality rating to pull FSA, but Blue Ridge Village did, and that is what I used this morning to get the actual week I took.  I was matched overnight with my SBP studio to a one bed at FSA early in February.  That coincided with our Hawaii trip.
> 
> I saw the banking listed here on TUG and searched with BRV and voila!  BRV has fees of $570, so not bad at all.  We only needed a 1 bed.  If I had a 2 bed, I would need to fill that extra bedroom.



Have you been to Blue Ridge Village yet? Just wondering how you liked the resort and wondering if your room was renovated yet. As I told you I love this resort and area and i am glad to hear that it trades well with II. I have never traded my summer week since I either use it myself or rent it, but I have always assumed it would be a good trader in RCI since I almost never see a 2 bed room summer week available for exchange.


Since Blue Ridge Village is affiliated with both II and RCI, have you compared results using the same trader in both exchange companies? What better way to make a comparison than to search through both exchange companies with the same exact trader looking for the same locations? I know that II and RCI value different areas/resorts differently depending on the number of affiliated resorts in the geographical area (and for other reasons), but it still would be an interesting experiment.


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## dougp26364 (Sep 10, 2010)

rickandcindy23 said:


> I have been running constant searches for two weeks in various areas in So. California, San Francisco, Hawaii, Colorado ski season, New York City, Orlando (specific DVC resorts), and San Antonio.  I specified certain resorts, mostly high-end.  The searches cannot compare to one another, because each company has its own strengths.
> 
> II wins hands down. I get confirmations nearly daily from II and haven't gotten a single confirm from RCI.  (I wish there was an easy way to cancel an II confirmation, because I am tired of calling every day to cancel).
> 
> ...



I could have told you this before you even started your searches. Years ago, I did my own comparison shopping using Branson, MO. With RCI, I was using HGVC points, with I.I. I was using a low season Marriott studio week. I was looking for an October week (shoulder season) in Branson. Interval was showing all sorts of availability in studio, one and two bedroom units. RCI gave me a choice of ONE resort. I haven't looked to RCI for exchanges since and don't have a personal account with them anymore. 

As to cancelling exchange requests, can't that be done online? It seems like I've cancelled a couple of exchanges that way with Interval when we changed our plans but, I can't remember if those were searches I had set up or, if they were searches I had called to have one of their reps set up.


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## timeos2 (Sep 10, 2010)

*For us the results were far different*



dougp26364 said:


> I could have told you this before you even started your searches. Years ago, I did my own comparison shopping using Branson, MO. With RCI, I was using HGVC points, with I.I. I was using a low season Marriott studio week. I was looking for an October week (shoulder season) in Branson. Interval was showing all sorts of availability in studio, one and two bedroom units. RCI gave me a choice of ONE resort. I haven't looked to RCI for exchanges since and don't have a personal account with them anymore.



And my results over a decade of various attempts favored RCI each & every time. A lot depends on what you are looking for, how specific you want to designate the resort/unit size/time as RCI does MUCH better with specifics than II - in fact it is that near total lack of ability to narrow II searches to specifics that are the basis for my total lack of satisfaction with that system. Along with the unwanted & all too frequent phone calls, the propensity to "match" - with the very limited 24 hr ability to reject - when in fact they are 2-3 days off on date, most likely are giving a smaller than requested unit & have often picked a resort as a match that is clearly less than what was specifically requested. All with the exact same week(s) used in RCI with great success. 

So, for us, if we can't get a request first (back when we still paid for II) we ignore II. Since we now have a Corporate priority account it actually can work to get some nice exchanges, with change back as it is all points based, so II can work if used correctly. Paying to be a member and using ongoing searches never worked for us and we simply gave up on the whole II membership we had to pay for.


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 10, 2010)

tombo said:


> Have you been to Blue Ridge Village yet? Just wondering how you liked the resort and wondering if your room was renovated yet. As I told you I love this resort and area and i am glad to hear that it trades well with II. I have never traded my summer week since I either use it myself or rent it, but I have always assumed it would be a good trader in RCI since I almost never see a 2 bed room summer week available for exchange.
> 
> 
> Since Blue Ridge Village is affiliated with both II and RCI, have you compared results using the same trader in both exchange companies? What better way to make a comparison than to search through both exchange companies with the same exact trader looking for the same locations? I know that II and RCI value different areas/resorts differently depending on the number of affiliated resorts in the geographical area (and for other reasons), but it still would be an interesting experiment.



I won't give RCI BRV.  I won't risk it.  RCI really didn't appreciate Foxrun, and it's nearby.  I know they would give low trading power to our BRV, and it's a supertrader with II, without a doubt.  For RCI, it's not about resort quality, it's about specific area and how much they need the inventory for that area. If they have way too many resorts, they don't give trading power back to that area for deposits.  It's different with II!  

Becky, TUG member, owns at BRV and went in July and said our unit wasn't yet renovated but her unit was done, and she said the upgrades are Marriott quality.  I am so excited to see it, but for 2011, I deposited the week and got FSA, so maybe 2012.  We own week 23 in a 2 bed with loft, sleeps 7, and I think RCI would not like a week 23 for trading power.  

I wonder how the fees will be for next year?  I hope they remain reasonable, but if they have to increase, well so be it.


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 10, 2010)

John, your opinion of II has always baffled me.  I don't know what resort you have used to search II and became so disenchanted, but all of our weeks have always done extremely well in II, but to get the best inventory, ongoing searches work the best.  

II does keep prime inventory from sight.  

RCI has everything out there, but they have so many trading power levels, it's always guesswork, because trading power isn't guaranteed for a deposit < or much more than a year out, even for a week that always trades well.  

With II, you see what your trading power will be for your week, because you get to search with the week before you give it up.  PLUS, II wants your week, even at > than 60 days.  Trading power isn't reduced, as long as you deposit the week more than 60 days out.  I know, because I have done it, when I have tried to rent my weeks and gave up two months before.  

Try depositing a prime week two months out in RCI.  You aren't going to have the same experience, and you can bet a really prime week will go to an ongoing search.


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## tombo (Sep 10, 2010)

rickandcindy23 said:


> I won't give RCI BRV.  I won't risk it.  RCI really didn't appreciate Foxrun, and it's nearby.  I know they would give low trading power to our BRV, and it's a supertrader with II, without a doubt.  For RCI, it's not about resort quality, it's about specific area and how much they need the inventory for that area. If they have way too many resorts, they don't give trading power back to that area for deposits.  It's different with II!
> 
> Becky, TUG member, owns at BRV and went in July and said our unit wasn't yet renovated but her unit was done, and she said the upgrades are Marriott quality.  I am so excited to see it, but for 2011, I deposited the week and got FSA, so maybe 2012.  We own week 23 in a 2 bed with loft, sleeps 7, and I think RCI would not like a week 23 for trading power.
> 
> I wonder how the fees will be for next year?  I hope they remain reasonable, but if they have to increase, well so be it.



I hope the fees remain reasonable too. I feel pretty sure week 23 is one of the best weeks of the year since school is out (usually kids are out weeks 22 to 31), but I don't know for sure. Ski weeks are good, but I think summer weeks are better which is why you got such great trading power with II. I think you would have similar trading power with RCI, but you will never know unless you try.


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## dougp26364 (Sep 10, 2010)

timeos2 said:


> And my results over a decade of various attempts favored RCI each & every time. A lot depends on what you are looking for, how specific you want to designate the resort/unit size/time as RCI does MUCH better with specifics than II - in fact it is that near total lack of ability to narrow II searches to specifics that are the basis for my total lack of satisfaction with that system. Along with the unwanted & all too frequent phone calls, the propensity to "match" - with the very limited 24 hr ability to reject - when in fact they are 2-3 days off on date, most likely are giving a smaller than requested unit & have often picked a resort as a match that is clearly less than what was specifically requested. All with the exact same week(s) used in RCI with great success.
> 
> So, for us, if we can't get a request first (back when we still paid for II) we ignore II. Since we now have a Corporate priority account it actually can work to get some nice exchanges, with change back as it is all points based, so II can work if used correctly. Paying to be a member and using ongoing searches never worked for us and we simply gave up on the whole II membership we had to pay for.



I'm glad RCI works for you. For us, it sucks. We've owned HGVC for nearly 10 years now and RCI has been bad enough they're not even a consideration. 

I think if you go through all the TUG forums and pick out the complaint threads about RCI vs the complaint threads about I.I., then averaged them vs the number of members, the number will likely come out very much the same. 

For us though RCI has just sucked anytime we wanted to use them. On the other hand I have a co-worker who's mother has TS with RCI. She handles most of her mothers planning since mom can't quite understand how it all works. RCI points seems to work reasonably well for them and they are happy.


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 10, 2010)

RCI Points is a different animal altogether, and I love them, but weeks is horrible, especially since 5/30/2009.  I hope RCI Points doesn't change.  I have quite a few RCI Points and don't want to be forced into giving them away.


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## bnoble (Sep 10, 2010)

> I think if you go through all the TUG forums and pick out the complaint threads about RCI vs the complaint threads about I.I., then averaged them vs the number of members, the number will likely come out very much the same.


That would be my guess as well.

This is just so situational.  For my particular circumstances, II's comparative strengths are mostly in areas that aren't high on my list, but many of my "go-to" destinations are better served in RCI.  There are a few exceptions (like Williamsburg) but only a few.  



> weeks is horrible, especially since 5/30/2009.


Weeks is horrible _for you_, not necessarily for everyone.  In your situation, RCI let you know (indirectly) that they don't want your weeks anymore.  So, you're taking your business to II.  Smart.  However, for me, II has been the one who "let me down"---my weeks used to generate ACs there, but don't anymore.  In RCI, they still pull 2BRs in DVC, some Manhattan Club, etc.  I own dual-affiliated resorts, and have used II in the past, but my RCI account is "free", and RCI has been able to satisfy most all of my exchange needs.  As I only exchange a 2-3 weeks each year, it's just not worth it to me to maintain that second exchange membership "just in case".

At the end of the day, everyone has to make the best decision for their own personal situation.  And, it *really* depends on circumstances---some weeks have much better value in one system than the other, and they have different areas of strength in terms of destinations served.


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## timeos2 (Sep 10, 2010)

*RCI Points is "new" RCI choice*



rickandcindy23 said:


> RCI Points is a different animal altogether, and I love them, but weeks is horrible, especially since 5/30/2009.  I hope RCI Points doesn't change.  I have quite a few RCI Points and don't want to be forced into giving them away.



RCI weeks is dead for us for over 5 years. RCI Points is the general, third party place to  use for properties not in other multi-resort systems. Having  a weeks account from Wyndham is nice but I wouldn't pay individually if I lost it.


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 10, 2010)

Yep, RCI weeks is horrible for Foxrun and probably for BRV, but it's definitely not bad for SC beach resorts, and that is the only reason I am still doing anything with weeks.  

Unfortunately for us, Val Chatelle cannot affiliate with II because II doesn't want our resort. We only have six units, and they said it's not worthy of their time.  Oh, well!   I deposited a Twin Rivers summer week (not as nice as Val Chatelle) and got a 2 bed Saratoga Springs with it for late April.  Not bad at all, and a huge surprise, because we weren't expecting to see DVC at all with CO summer.  I couldn't see Shearwater in October with that week (not that I remember all that well), but I saw some DVC.  it's odd.  

My deposits for VC will be going to alternate exchange companies from this point forward, already have, but all five of our VC weeks, 1 blue and four summer/ red, will all be in the next newsletter to current owners, who will likely take them off of our hands.  Certainly someone will want the summer weeks, but the blue week has already been in the newsletter, with no takers at all.  We will keep our fixed-rotation ski week at VC and are happy to have it for our own use.


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## PClapham (Sep 10, 2010)

I tried our II holdings for fsa and found that Quarterhouse and Worldmark both will pull it; Fox Run won't.

Anita


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 10, 2010)

PClapham said:


> I tried our II holdings for fsa and found that Quarterhouse and Worldmark both will pull it; Fox Run won't.
> 
> Anita



Yes, the quality rating for Foxrun is down, BUT it is pulling the Westins, so I don't really understand why it won't pull FSA.  As far as I know, FSA is the only resort Foxrun won't pull.  But with the new updates, I expect it to pull FSA again (it did pull FSA four years ago).


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## timeos2 (Sep 10, 2010)

*It's simple. They didn't get what we wanted while RCI/SFX did*



rickandcindy23 said:


> John, your opinion of II has always baffled me.  I don't know what resort you have used to search II and became so disenchanted, but all of our weeks have always done extremely well in II, but to get the best inventory, ongoing searches work the best.
> 
> II does keep prime inventory from sight.
> 
> ...



As I've said all resorts compared where the exact same weeks/times using RCI, II and/or SFX. RCI & SFX came through with the exact resorts/size/time requested about 95% of the attempts. II never got 1 meeting all criteria and only managed about 40% accepting major compromises in at least one area. 

These were top value times that RCI/SFX got us very tough trades such as Manhattan Club, San Francisco and beach side late July summer weeks while II was offering smaller units, much more off season (and due to school unacceptable to us) dates and resorts we did not feel we wanted or that met the quality we gave up. This wasn'r a one or two attempt thing but was easily 5-6 different tries. It just didn't work and Request First wasn't much better. That is our bottom line on II.


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## stugy (Sep 10, 2010)

I found this thread to be very interesting siince I started a search for Foxrun several weeks ago with RCI.  I still don't have a match using our summer (july 4th week) on the OBX.  I see nothing when I search either.  I guess they rented them all.  The RCI rep told me they get lots of deposits from there.
Pat


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 10, 2010)

stugy said:


> I found this thread to be very interesting siince I started a search for Foxrun several weeks ago with RCI.  I still don't have a match using our summer (july 4th week) on the OBX.  I see nothing when I search either.  I guess they rented them all.  The RCI rep told me they get lots of deposits from there.
> Pat



Outer Banks are some of the most difficult trades to get, especially summer.


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## bnoble (Sep 10, 2010)

> it's definitely not bad for SC beach resorts, and that is the only reason I am still doing anything with weeks.


Correction---the lure of being able to have a tiger in Weeks is the only reason you bought SC beach.


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## bccash63 (Sep 10, 2010)

I only have an RCI weeks act--free with my Wyndham pts and have been very happy.  I have exchanged for a 2br DVC Wilderness, 2 bedroom cabin at Big Cedar, 2 br co. ski wk 52,  2br Royal Mayan, 2br St Martin, HGVC 57th st etc.  I am more of a middle class traveler who used to stay in average hotel rooms before--so perhaps am easier to please.  Have never stayed at a Marriot or Westin Hotel so I don't need those types of exchanges that I could get in Interval.  :whoopie: Dawn


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 10, 2010)

bnoble said:


> Correction---the lure of being able to have a tiger in Weeks is the only reason you bought SC beach.



Brian, you are so right, as usual.  You know I love the game and want to continue to play.


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 10, 2010)

Dawn, no Marriott or Westin is better than your conquests.  I would love to stay in a cabin at Big Cedar, and really want to stay in the Mayans sometime, too. DVC Wilderness Lodge is our favorite resort anywhere, and we would be thrilled to stay at the Hilton in NY.  I am jealous! 



bccash63 said:


> I only have an RCI weeks act--free with my Wyndham pts and have been very happy.  I have exchanged for a 2br DVC Wilderness, 2 bedroom cabin at Big Cedar, 2 br co. ski wk 52,  2br Royal Mayan, 2br St Martin, HGVC 57th st etc.  I am more of a middle class traveler who used to stay in average hotel rooms before--so perhaps am easier to please.  Have never stayed at a Marriot or Westin Hotel so I don't need those types of exchanges that I could get in Interval.  :whoopie: Dawn


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## learnalot (Sep 10, 2010)

bccash63 said:


> I only have an RCI weeks act--free with my Wyndham pts and have been very happy.  I have exchanged for a 2br DVC Wilderness, 2 bedroom cabin at Big Cedar, 2 br co. ski wk 52,  2br Royal Mayan, 2br St Martin, HGVC 57th st etc.  I am more of a middle class traveler who used to stay in average hotel rooms before--so perhaps am easier to please.  Have never stayed at a Marriot or Westin Hotel so I don't need those types of exchanges that I could get in Interval.  :whoopie: Dawn



Hi Dawn,

Those are great trades!  Would you mind answering a few question?  How early did you deposit?  Did you pull the exchanges yourself or did you have an ongoing search?  If ongoing search, did you specify a list of resorts or what other parameters did you give them?  Thank you for posting!


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 10, 2010)

I would say Dawn got most (all?) of the exchanges, with her weeks and not with her Wyndham points.  We have Wyndham points and they trade like the lowest of low blue weeks, except into other Wyndham properties, where there is some internal preference.  I hope to never deposit Wyn points into RCI again.  

She owns some great weeks there!


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## Lisa P (Sep 11, 2010)

timeos2 said:


> And my results over a decade of various attempts favored RCI each & every time. A lot depends on what you are looking for, how specific you want to designate the resort/unit size/time as RCI does MUCH better with specifics than II.... Paying to be a member... ongoing searches never worked for us and we simply gave up on the whole II membership we had to pay for.


We got DVC through II when they were there and a rare off-season Marriott.  But we let our II membership lapse and I don't miss it.  We had some terrible customer service issues, not to mention the frequent "offers" that put our ongoing searches on HOLD but which did NOT meet our search criteria.  Some of these amounted to time outs from the real searches!  Very frustrating experiences.



bnoble said:


> This is just so situational.  For my particular circumstances, II's comparative strengths are mostly in areas that aren't high on my list, but many of my "go-to" destinations are better served in RCI....
> 
> As I only exchange a 2-3 weeks each year, it's just not worth it to me to maintain that second exchange membership "just in case"....
> 
> And it *really* depends on circumstances---some weeks have much better value in one system than the other, and they have different areas of strength in terms of destinations served.


This says it all, for us, too.



bccash63 said:


> I only have an RCI weeks act--free with my Wyndham pts and have been very happy.  I have exchanged for a 2br DVC Wilderness, 2 bedroom cabin at Big Cedar, 2 br co. ski wk 52,  2br Royal Mayan, 2br St Martin, HGVC 57th st etc.  I am more of a middle class traveler who used to stay in average hotel rooms before--so perhaps am easier to please.


Wonderful trading, Dawn!  I think many of us would be thrilled to vacation like this, regardless of the exchange company used!!!


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## stugy (Sep 11, 2010)

rickandcindy23 said:


> Outer Banks are some of the most difficult trades to get, especially summer.




Cindy,
I'm not asking for OBX.  I am using it for the search.  Just to clarify.  And yes, if it is such a tough trade (summer), why is it taking so long to get my week at Fox Run where I understand there are lots of deposits.
Pat
shrug:


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 11, 2010)

stugy said:


> Cindy,
> I'm not asking for OBX.  I am using it for the search.  Just to clarify.  And yes, if it is such a tough trade (summer), why is it taking so long to get my week at Fox Run where I understand there are lots of deposits.
> Pat
> shrug:



I knew what you were saying.  I cannot get OBX with my summer Foxrun weeks, it's an impossible trade for me, and I know because I have tried many years in a row. :rofl:  I did deposit a July 4th week (July 2nd, 2011) with HTSE, which they have right now in inventory.  If you deposit any red week with them, you can have a 2 bedroom Foxrun from HTSE.  It's there for the taking.  I just deposited it two days ago.  I think they are in the process of confirming the exchange.

What week are you trying to get at Foxrun?


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## joycandoit (Sep 11, 2010)

*What is II?*

Forgive me, I am new around here. What is II?


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## AwayWeGo (Sep 11, 2010)

*I-I = Interval International -- RCI's Main Competitor.*




joycandoit said:


> Forgive me, I am new around here. What is II?


RCI is much larger than I-I even though the TUG-BBS fans of I-I seem to outnumber the TUG-BBS proponents of RCI. 

I prefer putting a hyphen in between the 2 letter I's.  Otherwise it looks too much like the number 2 in Roman numerals.  

So it goes. 

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


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## stugy (Sep 11, 2010)

Cindy, You have a PM


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## delboy5651 (Sep 11, 2010)

*RCI suck*

I have had my timeshare for nearly 20 years .(I now live in the UK)
 In the beginning I could swop and get some fantastic exchanges. Unfortunately choices started getting quite lean and I was pursuaded to swop into the point system, unfortunately things did not improve.
At short notice I could only get Tenerife, narrow boats in birmingham or kissimee. 
After complaining  to rci , I was told it was because of the short notice, so  I asked for availability at 10 months, guess what, Tenerife, narrow boats and kissimee.
Plus RCI want management fees for points. What the heck is that for. Points do not need maintenance like a room.

Another class action is needed , and do not settle for a few dollars this time


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## garyk01 (Sep 11, 2010)

*Another exchange choice, SFX*

for high end exchanges , as they only accept high end trades into and out , i use SFX exchange service. I paid for a lifetime membership with Platiumn access, if you check out the web sites they have: http://www.sfx-resorts.com/about.html and http://www.myplatinumrewards.com/ . 

 I can add you onto my membership as a guest of mine with the same access i have and you can use all the advantages of them through my main account as i set you up as a member under myself. you choose your own id stuff ( account id choices, real name , address, phone number) and email it to myself and ill add it to my main account to activate your account.
Cost me only a little time but saves you $2500.00 USD

Gary


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## joycandoit (Sep 11, 2010)

*Thanks, AwayWeGo!*

Thanks, AwayWeGo. I was wondering if it was the Roman numeral II. 

For about a decade, I have owned one resort that is with RCI, and one that is with Interval International -- both are within a couple of hours drive from my home. RCI is a fixed week in the Spring, and I-I is a floating week, but it is basically good for late Fall or early Spring. 

As a small business owner, for years it has been hard to get the night off to sleep, much less take a vacation. So I bought these resorts close to home so that I could rush back to work mid-week if necessary to keep things going. Some years, I have forfeited the week due to lack of time to go there. I have never had good luck attempting to rent them -- I always kind of wonder if the resort actually rents it but does not bother to clue me in and share the funds with me...  (Wish I had known about TUG sooner.)  

Anyway, a couple of years ago, I had the opportunity to take a cruise through the South Pacific (no rushing back to work from that one!), and going that far across the world, I exchanged my I-I week for a resort in New Caledonia and bought an extra week to go with it. At the time, LeStanley was undergoing renovations, and it had evidently been rundown, so it was easy to exchange and buy a cheap extra week. The personnel there were great, and we loved the beautiful area. So we exchanged again for the next year and were welcomed warmly back. By that time, the resort had had a major facelift, and it was wonderful. It was also quite full. Now, I can no longer get exchanges there through I-I. I guess the moral to the story is, if you want to go someplace exotic, get it while it is in an off-condition. You can still enjoy the surrounding area. 

That said, I was introduced to TUG because my son informed me of a cheap unit at Club Bali Hai in Moorea, French Polynesia, knowing how much I have come to love the South Pacific. The unit seems seedy and below par, so I bought 2 floating-red-weeks of it for cheap-cheap-cheap. The maintenance fees are reasonable, and I love Moorea, so I can put up with a "seedy" unit for 2 weeks there!  (My staff will have to fend for themselves in the USA, but I expect lots of cell-phone time.) Furthermore, they say they will exchange through either RCI or I-I, both of which I have memberships with.

Quite frankly, the service at my home resorts in the USA both suck, so I exchanged the NH unit through RCI for my week this past Spring. No problem exchanging the RCI fixed week in May if you were not too picky about resort condition. We had wanted to return to the Sedona area after having been there briefly for a conference a year earlier. RCI had availability at Diamond Resorts in Sedona -- again, the resort was nothing to write home about, but under new management, they seemed to be working on a plan for the future, so we probably timed it right. Sedona is beautiful and we thoroughly enjoyed the area. 

We have exchanged our Maine floating-unit through I-I for next March to go to California, and once again, I think we will get a sub-par resort in a beautiful area. So, off-condition exchanges can be useful to go sightseeing inexpensively if you do not intend to do much more in your room than sleep.


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## Carolinian (Sep 11, 2010)

You might try www.dialanexchange.com or www.htse.net , both more honest exchange companies.




delboy5651 said:


> I have had my timeshare for nearly 20 years .(I now live in the UK)
> In the beginning I could swop and get some fantastic exchanges. Unfortunately choices started getting quite lean and I was pursuaded to swop into the point system, unfortunately things did not improve.
> At short notice I could only get Tenerife, narrow boats in birmingham or kissimee.
> After complaining  to rci , I was told it was because of the short notice, so  I asked for availability at 10 months, guess what, Tenerife, narrow boats and kissimee.
> ...


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## Carolinian (Sep 11, 2010)

AwayWeGo said:


> RCI is much larger than I-I even though the TUG-BBS fans of I-I seem to outnumber the TUG-BBS proponents of RCI.
> 
> I prefer putting a hyphen in between the 2 letter I's.  Otherwise it looks too much like the number 2 in Roman numerals.
> 
> ...



The part about being ''much larger'' was true a few years ago, but not any more.  While II's annual number of exchanges made has been steadily trending upwards, those at RCI have been steadily trending downward.  If the trend lines continue, II will probably surpass RCI in the next five years or so.

In 2003, for example, RCI had 2,600,000 exchanges compared to II's 800,000. 
In 2009, in was 1,800,000 for RCI and a bit over 1 million for II.

While RCI had been playing shell games with its Weeks members, undermining its credibility,  II has been running a more reputable show.  RCI's management has been playing for short term profits and undermining its long term stability.  Its new ''Points Lite'' is just another of those shell games.


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## John Cummings (Sep 12, 2010)

garyk01 said:


> for high end exchanges , as they only accept high end trades into and out , i use SFX exchange service. I paid for a lifetime membership with Platinum access, if you check out the web sites they have: http://www.sfx-resorts.com/about.html and http://www.myplatinumrewards.com/ .
> 
> I can add you onto my membership as a guest of mine with the same access i have and you can use all the advantages of them through my main account as i set you up as a member under myself. you choose your own id stuff ( account id choices, real name , address, phone number) and email it to myself and ill add it to my main account to activate your account.
> Cost me only a little time but saves you $2500.00 USD
> ...



There is something fishy about this. I have been a member of SFX for 13 years and use them exclusively for exchanging. I am very happy with them but am very suspicious of this post.

First, the link is for Platinum Rewards which is an overpriced 3rd party program. It is not the standard SFX Platinum Plus membership which is much cheaper.

Just how would one save $2,500? This does not appear to be legitimate and there is no way I would send my personal info to somebody I don't know.


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