# trading power the pits now



## Rmelnyk (Aug 27, 2006)

Yes, the trading power of SA-Castleburn(Red Week 7-2 bed) is now the pits... I used to just about get into any resort, and I like to travel off season, but now I can get 1 bedrooms mostly.  I was able to to get into Haiwaii a few times but now......................My LW-Cathedral city-white week trades better. I really have to go to ongoing searches now with it(SA)....


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## michelle (Aug 28, 2006)

Yes, we have had a few reports of Castleburn trading poorly.... Its a great resort, but unfortunately it is in a remote area, with no major airport near it. I think it might be a case of low demand affecting its trading power...


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## Sandy (Aug 28, 2006)

Have you thought about using your SA Castelburn for points?  If you already have a points account, then you can deposit it into the RCI points-for-deposit program. If not, consider making a cheap points purchase and using the weeks for this. 

Last year I read all I could on the points program, and then I made a buy.  Now I am able to deposit my SA Seapointer into a points program and get 27,500 for each of the one bedroom weeks, totaling 55,000 points.  Of course, RCI can change this at any time, but I am certainly able to use these points for last minute exchanges and regular exchanges. 

Since most of us bought SA timeshare when they were touted here on TUG, we were taking advantage of a currency benefit, coupled with a little known travel destination that was up-and-coming.  Later, the benefit of the Australian and other cheap points entry was introduced  on this board.  So I combined the two to get the best advantage. 

Just a thought.  The more we learn to play RCI's game, the better our travel experiences.


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## Aldo (Aug 30, 2006)

There is nothing wrong with the trading power of Castleburn, per se.

Castleburn will trade as well as it ever did with an honest trading company such as DAE.

If you are using any other trading company, and are unable to get your search requests, check out if what you want is available through them, or one of their affiliates, as a rental.

Then, you will realize the problem is NOT with your week.


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## grest (Aug 31, 2006)

I guess it depends on the resort.  My Seapointer and Strand Pavilion are trading better.
Connie


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## cindi (Sep 2, 2006)

I agree. I have two to compare, and one is worse and one is noticably better.
Added in to the fact that I got 20 years of rci membership for peanuts on the dollar, I am still very happy.


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## JustPlainBill (Sep 4, 2006)

You don't say whether your Castleburn week is 2006 or 2007. If it is 2007, try this: phone RCI and ask if your week has been assigned out. If not, tell them you want it back. Some RCI reps will say you can't do that. Of course you can. Just hang up and call another rep. There is no charge for getting your week back.

Wait about 30 days and then ask Brigitte to redeposit your week with RCI. It might well trade a lot better.

We just did the same thing. Deposited our 2BR 2007 Castleburn unit with RCI early this year, and it would not trade for much of anything. Pulled it back, redeposited it last week, and promptly traded for an April 2008 2BR week at Arroyo Roble in Sedona--a fine resort and a fine time of year.

Oddly, much the same thing happened to us a few years ago. We deposited a Carlsbad week with RCI and it did not draw flies. We pulled it back, redeposited it 6 months later, and Bingo! It pulled virtually every resort in the world. We settled for a nice one in Hawaii. Now, since Hawaii Timeshare Exchange accepts that Carlsbad week, we do not bother to give it to RCI any more.

DAE is great if you want to go to Australia or New Zealand. They don't charge an annual fee, so you are not wasting your RCI membership by dealing with them. Unfortunately HTE does not accept SA weeks.


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## Rmelnyk (Sep 4, 2006)

Thanks for all the info...Points, pullbacks etc... Will try and work around the system...
Again Thanks


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## cerralee (Sep 6, 2006)

*pulling back weeks*

After reading the posts about pulling the weeks back I called RCI to see if I could pull back my Two peak Mt. Amanzi weeks.  The first guide was unsure if he could do it but he gladly contacted a supervisor.  The super looked at my peak weeks and said that they had never been assigned in the whole history of my ownership.  I have had them for about seven or eight years.  Very strange.  These are peak weeks, I pay quite a bit more in maintenance fees for the privelege of owning these weeks.  The super himself did some trial tests and he agreed with me that the trading power was greatly below that of my deposited 2006 weeks.  He suggested that I contact the resort and speak to the RCI liason to see if an answer could be found.  He admitted to being baffled himself.

When I did a search against the week for the exact same check in date 9/22/2006 it comes up no availability.  Now the supervisor just told me that none of my weeks had ever been assigned yet when I use the week to search with it won't even pull itself up.  Something is very wrong here.  I think I am going to post this same scenario over on the ask RCI boards and see if Madge can shed some light on the matter as well as contact Mt. Amanzi.

Lee


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## glenn1000 (Sep 6, 2006)

cerralee said:
			
		

> Something is very wrong here.  I think I am going to post this same scenario over on the ask RCI boards and see if Madge can shed some light on the matter as well as contact Mt. Amanzi.
> 
> Lee



I spent some time early in the year on the Ask RCI board trying to convince Madge that there was a system error causing my 2-bedroom peak (better than red) GC Castleburn weeks to pull nothing. She was insistent that there was no problem with RCI and that my weeks must not be in demand. This despite my resort telling me that the week I own is absolutely their busiest time. I finally gave up and just deposited to points. I hope that you find something that explains the situation for those of us with weeks that should trade much better than they currently do.


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## DanM (Sep 7, 2006)

ditto. I withdrew my peak week after RCI's infallible computers said there was no demand...despite confirming with Mr. Amanzi that it was ALWAYS snapped up by an exchanger. Madge's "investigation" found that the computer was operating properly. Maybe it's time to raise the issue again if Mt. Amanzi can prove that the guide you spoke to (and, more imporantly, RCI's database) is wrong.


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## Nancy (Sep 7, 2006)

*MA Trade Power*

My peak 2007 Mount Amanzi week trades no better than my strongest Blue Week.  In the past, Mount Amanzi weeks have traded much better.  I will hang onto it for awhile to see if things improve.

Nancy


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## JustPlainBill (Sep 7, 2006)

cerralee said:
			
		

> After reading the posts about pulling the weeks back I called RCI to see if I could pull back my Two peak Mt. Amanzi weeks.  The first guide was unsure if he could do it but he gladly contacted a supervisor.
> Lee



As I said, you have the right to pull back your week if it has not been assigned. The last time I looked, the "Directory" contained the following statement:

"Whether you deposit fixed, "floating," or "flex" time, you may request a withdrawal of your deposit, provided that the following conditions apply:
-You have not received a confirmed Vacation Eschange against the deposit.
-Your deposited Vacation Week has not been assigned to another RCI Member."

I am not sure that RCI even has a reliable database. What other major internet company has to take its (apparently only) server "down for maintenance" every week? (What do they do, oil the bearings?)

I do hope that some of you withdraw your weeks, then redeposit them a short time later and search again. Report back. Let us know the results. Bon chance.


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## annetteterry (Sep 10, 2006)

I may try taking my Dikhololo week back as I have had greatly reduced trading power for my 2007 deposits vs 2006.  I have called RCI numerous times asking for an explanation (got a different person each time) and have received no good explanation.

Most recently I spoke to a woman who said that she couldn't explain it and that no one there really understands it.  The computer just says what you are entitled to and as far as she knew there wasn't any way to explain it.  I said, "Maybe my resort has gone downhill?   Is there some indication that people don't want to go there?  Is there some sort of rating that has gone down?"  She had no idea and said that she didn't think that was it.

It's hard to trust a system that seems so "mysterious".

I am a little nervous about communicating with the resort with the redeposit, but if I go forward with taking the week back, then redepositing it, I will report here.


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## JustPlainBill (Sep 17, 2006)

It is difficult to understand why the system has to be mysterious. The points system is completely transparent. You know how many points you have and how many points it takes to trade to the resort of your choice. Why cannot RCI make the weeks system similar? Tell us the trading power of our weeks. Tell us what power it takes to get a week somewhere else. The most plausible reason why RCI does not do that is that they want us all to pay them a bundle to join the points system. Or, perhaps I am paranoid.:whoopie:


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## Carolinian (Sep 17, 2006)

The points system has some really rotten numbers.  I would run, not walk away from something set up like RCI Points.

The points system is far from completely transparent.  The element that causes the problem is the juncture where there can be, and too often is, a fix between the exchange company and developers, and that is the mechanism for establishing point values.  Unless that is transparent, there is absolutely no integrity to the resulting numbers.

A published result combined with a hidden mechanism for establishing values is the worst of all worlds.  It sets up both the incentive and the opportunity for the exchange company and developers to cook the books on exchange values.  At least with a fully hidden system, there is no motive to do so.





			
				JustPlainBill said:
			
		

> It is difficult to understand why the system has to be mysterious. The points system is completely transparent. You know how many points you have and how many points it takes to trade to the resort of your choice. Why cannot RCI make the weeks system similar? Tell us the trading power of our weeks. Tell us what power it takes to get a week somewhere else. The most plausible reason why RCI does not do that is that they want us all to pay them a bundle to join the points system. Or, perhaps I am paranoid.:whoopie:


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## JustPlainBill (Sep 18, 2006)

Carolinian said:
			
		

> The points system is far from completely transparent.



My bad. I thought RCI told points members the number of their points and the number of points they needed to trade into another designated resort. Is this not correct? If not, what good is the points system?


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## Carolinian (Sep 18, 2006)

What is not transparent is the mechanism of setting values.  Hiding that mechanism clouds the integrity of the system, and makes it only partially transparent.  Of one hand, developers in sales are able to get their resorts overpointed while on the other, the term ''sold out resort'' has a sinister double meaning in the corrupt world of RCI Points.





			
				JustPlainBill said:
			
		

> My bad. I thought RCI told points members the number of their points and the number of points they needed to trade into another designated resort. Is this not correct? If not, what good is the points system?


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