# Not sure if I should join RCI, help please.



## jonmar (Jun 2, 2011)

We bought a 2 bedroom week 48 at the Royal Islander La Plage last year in St. Maarten.  We love the resort and the island.  We don't know if we should join RCI to take advantage of trading. Is it possible to know in advance what type of resorts you can trade into?  Is Hawaii out of the question for example? Can you ever get places like the Hilton Hawaiian Village for example?  How does one know the value of their unit on a trade prior to signing up with them?


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## Ridewithme38 (Jun 2, 2011)

Without knowing your Room number...I had to use a generic 2br week 48 at Royal Islander La Plage...i used Room Number 4100PH..

Its says your TPU for the 2012 year will be: 27 TPU's...I'd say thats a pretty middle of the road level...you'll be able to get SOME Hawaii...but not everything...i'm not sure about Hilton Hawaiian Village


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## coachb (Jun 2, 2011)

I'm thinking of joining RCI as well. I had previously been with II and had a positive experience. RCI getting DVC is what is causing me to look at them. I called RCI recently and they told me what my resort would be TPU wise....I also asked about the properties I would be seeking (DVC) and they told me the corresponding TPU. No guarantees of course but it seemed fairly straightforward.


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## timeos2 (Jun 2, 2011)

Especially with the new TPU openness RCI is now quite easy to understand as far as what you have and what you can get for your ownership. If it seems to meet what you'd desire to trade to go for it - if not save your membership money.  It's never been easier to know what the value will be with RCI and that's a big improvement over the old ways.


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## jonmar (Jun 2, 2011)

Ridewithme38 said:


> Without knowing your Room number...I had to use a generic 2br week 48 at Royal Islander La Plage...i used Room Number 4100PH..
> 
> Its says your TPU for the 2012 year will be: 27 TPU's...I'd say thats a pretty middle of the road level...you'll be able to get SOME Hawaii...but not everything...i'm not sure about Hilton Hawaiian Village



the PH indicates penthouse.  Could you try 4102/03
That would indicate a 2 bedroom lockoff. Thanks.
When you say middle of the road, does that mean you can trade into Vegas or Orlando, but anything real good would not be possible?
What does TPU stand for?
Thanks.


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## MichaelColey (Jun 2, 2011)

27 TPU is more than just middle of the road. I think the average interval gets somewhere between 10-15 TPU.

27 is enough for MANY Hawaii units, but not all.  Out of 1002 units (of all sizes) that I see available in Hawaii right now, 537 are unider 24 TPU, 446 are 24-32, and 18 are over 32.  For 2BR and larger, there are 496 units available and 287 are under 24, 201 are 24-32 and 8 are over 32.

For some real world examples, we have three weeks booked this year and two weeks booked next year, and here's how many TPU each of those took:

2BR at The Point at Poipu in November 2011 - 20 TPU
2BR at Panilolo Greens in December 2011 - 19 TPU
2BR at Wyndham Kona Hawaiian Resort in December - 24 TPU
2BR at King's Land HGVC in September 2012 - 16 TPU
2BR at Hilton Hawaiian Village Lagoon Tower in September 2012 - 33 TPU

So you could have got any of those EXCEPT the HHV that you were asking about. I think Oahu (and probably Maui) may be a little higher than the other islands, but not sure.

[FWIW, I found all of those through the Sightings forum here on TUG.  Only TUG members (just $15/year) have access to that forum.  It's well worth the money!]

You could also get into a 2BR at a Disney Vacation Club. Most of those are 25 TPU. We stayed at four of those earlier this year and have four booked later this year.

Many other places are less. We used 9 TPU for a 2BR in Branson and 9 TPU for a 2BR in Las Vegas, both fairly off season (although the Vegas one overlaps a bit of CES, which draws 250k people!).


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## Ridewithme38 (Jun 2, 2011)

jonmar said:


> the PH indicates penthouse.  Could you try 4102/03
> That would indicate a 2 bedroom lockoff. Thanks.
> When you say middle of the road, does that mean you can trade into Vegas or Orlando, but anything real good would not be possible?
> What does TPU stand for?
> Thanks.



Ahh...Lock off makes a HUGE difference

IF DEPOSITED TOGETHER:
C4103/02(2br) = 27 TPU

IF LOCKED OFF AND DEPOSITED SEPERATELY:
C4103(1br) = 25 TPU
4102(Hotel)= 20 TPU

45 should get to two weeks in a mid-level TS(Not the nicest, but not a dump) or one strong week pretty much(99%, manhattan club is 60 TPU) anywhere you'd want to go, thats available on RCI


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## Ridewithme38 (Jun 2, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> 27 TPU is more than just middle of the road.*  I think the average interval gets somewhere between 10-15 TPU.*



This is awesome makes me very happy about the 37-50 TPU i get for my lock off in Williamsburg!


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## jonmar (Jun 2, 2011)

Ridewithme38 said:


> Ahh...Lock off makes a HUGE difference
> 
> IF DEPOSITED TOGETHER:
> C4103/02(2br) = 27 TPU
> ...



Thanks for the info.  Do you have to use your TPUs all in one shot?  Meaning if you book something for 18 PTU, and your unit is worth 25, you lose the remaining 7?  If you keep your remaining TPU, can it be carried forward to the following year, or must your TPUs be used up within the calendar year?
If you want a unit that is more than your TPUs, can you purchase the extra TPU you need?
Thanks again.


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## Margariet (Jun 2, 2011)

27 is a good TPU value and above average. Our RCI bookings for Hawaii over the past years show 6 weeks with TPU's which are in your range and our next bookings show 3 weeks in 2 HGVC's in Big Island and 1 HGVC in Waikiki which are in your range as well. So yes, Hawaii is possible, and yes, HGVC is possible.


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## timeos2 (Jun 2, 2011)

jonmar said:


> Thanks for the catar?
> If you want a unit that is more than your TPUs, can you purchase the extra TPU you need?
> Thanks again.



You get to use what you need/want then get any remainig balance for later. If you need more you can borrow or rent them. This is a big & great change from the week for week system that used it all no matter what you got in exchange. Another BIG improvement.


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## jonmar (Jun 2, 2011)

Margariet said:


> 27 is a good TPU value and above average. Our RCI bookings for Hawaii over the past years show 6 weeks with TPU's which are in your range and our next bookings show 3 weeks in 2 HGVC's in Big Island and 1 HGVC in Waikiki which are in your range as well. So yes, Hawaii is possible, and yes, HGVC is possible.



Should I consider mine in the 27 range or the 45 since it is a lockout? If I tried to exchange, it would submit both units in the lockout.  Also, can you wait to find what you want before you convert to TPU or do you covert first and then start looking?  Basically if I don't find what I'm looking for, can I keep my week?  What are the reservation fees with RCI?


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## chriskre (Jun 2, 2011)

jonmar said:


> Should I consider mine in the 27 range or the 45 since it is a lockout? If I tried to exchange, it would submit both units in the lockout.  Also, can you wait to find what you want before you convert to TPU or do you covert first and then start looking?  Basically if I don't find what I'm looking for, can I keep my week?  What are the reservation fees with RCI?



I would definitely deposit this as two seperate units and take the 45 TPU's.  You'll have to pay a $99 fee to combine the poins to use together if you wanted something that was say 33 TPU's but you'll definitely get better bang for your buck depositing them seperately and combining.  

Unfortunately if you don't have anything deposited in RCI then you cannot search online and it takes time for RCI to verify your ownership so you don't want to miss an opportunity because they were calling your resort and someone snags your desired unit.  

Become a member of TUG if you aren't so that you can see the sightings board and have an idea of what you are looking for and how many TPU's it will require.  It's only $15 and comes with some nice perks like reviews and sightings which are private areas of this forum.


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## jonmar (Jun 4, 2011)

With the last call and extra vacations, can they be booked for friends and family?  Other than the rental fee from RCI, are there any other fees to rent?  Is there a guest reservation fee to put it in someone elses name?


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## MichaelColey (Jun 4, 2011)

They charge tax, on top of the listed amounts.  If you're booking for someone else to use (whether it's an exchange or Extra Vacation), you have to buy a Guest Certificate for $59.  If you have someone you'll be booking a lot for, you can get them a 5 year Guest Pass for $149.

You're not allowed to receive compensation for units you book for other people.  RCI rents units, and they don't want the competition.


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## jonmar (Jun 6, 2011)

So I joined RCI but have not yet deposited anything.  Can I assume if I see a unit available for rent it would be available for exchange or do they operate totally differently.  Basically, I would like to deposit the hotel room side of my lock off which would get me 18 TPU and look for something in Orlando for the 1st week of October.  Do I assume what I can rent for October 1 would be available for exchange and is 18 TPU enough to get something decent in Orlando?


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## MichaelColey (Jun 6, 2011)

Unfortunately, the rentals and exchanges are different.  Maybe about 1/3 of their inventory is common between the two, but there will be some that are rental only and some that are exchange only.

18 should get you ANYTHING in Orlando in October, besides DVC (which would require 25).  Out of the 435 intervals available in Orlando for October 2011, there are 8 DVC units at 25 TPU, 364 units at 5-10, and 63 units at 11-13.  You could very easily get TWO WEEKS for 18.


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## jonmar (Jun 6, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> Unfortunately, the rentals and exchanges are different.  Maybe about 1/3 of their inventory is common between the two, but there will be some that are rental only and some that are exchange only.
> 
> 18 should get you ANYTHING in Orlando in October, besides DVC (which would require 25).  Out of the 435 intervals available in Orlando for October 2011, there are 8 DVC units at 25 TPU, 364 units at 5-10, and 63 units at 11-13.  You could very easily get TWO WEEKS for 18.



Do you know if Bonnet Creek comes up much for Orlando and how many TPU it requires.  We are looking for October 1 or 2 checkin.


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## Ridewithme38 (Jun 6, 2011)

jonmar said:


> Do you know if Bonnet Creek comes up much for Orlando and how many TPU it requires.  We are looking for October 1 or 2 checkin.



you should become a member of Tug, we have a 'sightings' forum that just posted a whole bunch of bonnet creek stuff just a few days ago...the TPU numbers ran all the way from 7TPU's to 35TPU's


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## MichaelColey (Jun 6, 2011)

The early October 2011 Wyndham Bonnet Creek bulk deposit is already gone.  There's always a chance you can grab one that gets thrown back, but it's not very likely IMHO.

If you really want Wyndham Bonnet Creek for early October, your best bet at this point is probably to rent from a Wyndham VIP owner, 60 days before your check-in date.

I agree with Ride...  The Sightings forum would give you a much better handle on the bulk deposit schedule for Wyndham Bonnet Creek.  Well worth $15.


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## jonmar (Jun 6, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> The early October 2011 Wyndham Bonnet Creek bulk deposit is already gone.  There's always a chance you can grab one that gets thrown back, but it's not very likely IMHO.
> 
> If you really want Wyndham Bonnet Creek for early October, your best bet at this point is probably to rent from a Wyndham VIP owner, 60 days before your check-in date.
> 
> I agree with Ride...  The Sightings forum would give you a much better handle on the bulk deposit schedule for Wyndham Bonnet Creek.  Well worth $15.



I'll join.  Can someone give me step by step instructions on how to get to it and sign up?  I'm kinda of a newb.


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## DavidnJudy (Jun 6, 2011)

You can see all the inventory yourself, If you go under "Search for a vacation". Click the blue bar to change the search options - and go 'Show all available RCI Vacations'.  It will show you everything available including Bonnet Creek.  Now if you have no deposits in RCI - not sure if this still works.  All I have is a leftover 4 TPU and it does work. But maybe you need 1 TPU to get this to work? Not sure, but it is worth a try.

Right now on-line they are only showing Bonnet Creeks from 10-30-11 to 1-28-12, of course I still suggest you try playing around with the search all deposits you will see other things like Vistana and Summer Bay and Oribt One. All good options. All for about 9 points.  There is a Disney OKW for 25 points 1 bed on Oct-2nd.  Way over pointed in my oppinion but is a Disney resort.

Really though - play on-line if you can change your search options.

On a similar note you can use the deposit calculator to see what any timeshare + unit + week will give you as far as TPU.

By the way you asked about left overs - you keep them and can combine them later if you choose to do so - for 99 dollars.

Have fun!


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## MichaelColey (Jun 6, 2011)

jonmar said:


> I'll join. Can someone give me step by step instructions on how to get to it and sign up? I'm kinda of a newb.


Here's the link to join TUG:

http://www.tug2.com/JoinTUG/default.aspx


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## jonmar (Jun 6, 2011)

Signed up but cannot find the sightings board.  Also when do resorts normally do their bulk deposits?  How long are your TPUs good for?  When do they expire?


Disregard, got it straight now.


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## jonmar (Jun 6, 2011)

Oh and you cannot look for an exchange unless you deposit, which I have not done yet.  
Does anyone know why if they have a Christmas unit available for rent they would not have it available for exchange?  Or any other unit for that matter.


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## jonmar (Jun 6, 2011)

Just started reading the sightings board.  I read that a particular property had a bunch of units for extra vacations.  I put the resort ID in the search and nothing comes up.  It's 7979.  Parc Soleil.  Anyone know what gives?


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## Ridewithme38 (Jun 6, 2011)

jonmar said:


> Just started reading the sightings board.  I read that a particular property had a bunch of units for extra vacations.  I put the resort ID in the search and nothing comes up.  It's 7979.  Parc Soleil.  Anyone know what gives?



When was it posted to the sightings board? Usually Resorts posted there are some of the highest demand...they're posted because people are kinda surprised to find anything...They get picked up pretty quick after being posted alot of the time

I see:

1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 19-May-2012	 Sat 26-May-2012	USD 476.99	 
2 Bedrooms	 6 (4)	 Full	 Fri 31-Aug-2012	         Fri 07-Sep-2012	        USD 512.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 01-Sep-2012	 Sat 08-Sep-2012	USD 449.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 08-Sep-2012	 Sat 15-Sep-2012	USD 413.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 15-Sep-2012	 Sat 22-Sep-2012	USD 386.99	 
2 Bedrooms	 6 (4)	 Full	 Fri 21-Sep-2012	         Fri 28-Sep-2012	        USD 440.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 22-Sep-2012	 Sat 29-Sep-2012	USD 386.99	 
2 Bedrooms	 6 (4)	 Full	 Fri 28-Sep-2012	         Fri 05-Oct-2012	        USD 440.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 29-Sep-2012	 Sat 06-Oct-2012	        USD 386.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 06-Oct-2012	         Sat 13-Oct-2012  	USD 494.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 13-Oct-2012	         Sat 20-Oct-2012	        USD 386.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 20-Oct-2012	         Sat 27-Oct-2012	        USD 386.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 03-Nov-2012	 Sat 10-Nov-2012	USD 386.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 10-Nov-2012	 Sat 17-Nov-2012	USD 386.99	 
1 Bedroom	 4 (2)	 Full	 Sat 24-Nov-2012	 Sat 01-Dec-2012	USD 494.99


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## Margariet (Jun 6, 2011)

jonmar said:


> Just started reading the sightings board.  I read that a particular property had a bunch of units for extra vacations.  I put the resort ID in the search and nothing comes up.  It's 7979.  Parc Soleil.  Anyone know what gives?



I can't see anything either for 7979. But that happened before with Hilton bulk deposits. Last time with bulk deposits by Hilton for Hawaii I could only see them after a few days. So could RCI - strangely enough! However then I booked four weeks. More TUG'ers could not see the bulk so don't worry and wait for a day or so or give RCI a call or put on an ongoing search for 7979.


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## jonmar (Jun 6, 2011)

But if these are higher demand properties and some people have a few day headstart, isn't that a problem?


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## jonmar (Jun 6, 2011)

Just read another thread on Hawaii and the HHV sightings.  Here is the link:
http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=146423&highlight=hawaii
Sounds like RCI members not being able to see various properties is quite common.  Is there a solution to this?  If not, it surely makes  RCI less valuable when you can't see them and calling RCI doesn't help either.  I would flip out if I couldn't take advantage of availability.  I not thrilled as it is as I already can't see units at Parc Soleil.


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## e.bram (Jun 6, 2011)

Easy, RCI makes more money renting.


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## theduffster (Jun 7, 2011)

I read this entire thread because I had the same question, should I join RCI or not.  We bought our timeshares in 2009, to use ourselves, not to trade, but I'm starting to think ahead to the year 2013, and thinking we may trade instead.  One of our units is affiliated with VRI, so we traded within their system, but I'd like to see more choices.

So, being a good little TUGger, I wanted to do my homework, and read the  "Ask RCI" article.  I think I've got a handle on how RCI works.  I'll have to join, and then deposit my week, and do a search.  RCI will let me know if they find something that fits my search parameters, and I'll have to decide if I want to accept it or not.

Then I read this thread.  "TPUs"?  Huh?  Nowhere in the "ask RCI" article does it mention "TPUs".

Apparently, the RCI article, which was written between 2003 and 2006, is very out of date!  How useful are the articles when they're so old and outdated??

And how do I find out how "TPUs" work, etc?  Is there a new RCI FAQ I should know about?  Should I even bother reading the other articles about RCI?


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## DavidnJudy (Jun 7, 2011)

Yeah those RCI articles are pretty useless now, RCI totally revamped their whole system.

Once you get your RCI membership, and deposit your week, it will be assigned a certain number of TPU (somewhere from 8 - 60) depending on how RCI rates it.  You can than trade your unit for anything with a TPU less than your number. You can also see all the inventory that is on-line by changing your settings - so you can see things above your TPU.  If nothing you want is within your TPU, you can do an on-going search.

If you trade for something less than your TPU, you will get a leftover number. So say you have a 30 TPU deposit, you trade for a 15 TPU you will have 15 TPUs left and could make another 15 TPU trade OR a 7 TPU and an 8 TPU, etc...  Each time you trade you pay 179 dollars.  So conceivably you could get 1-5 (or more) exchanges for one unit. Just keep in mind everytime it will be 179 dollars.

Also if you deposit 2 units that are say 15 TPU each and you want a 30 TPU unit, you can do a "combine".  A combine will cost you 99 dollars.  You can combine as many units as you have left in your account, and the expiration of those TPUs gets extended.  After you combine you still have to pay 179 dollars to exchange, but now you can get that coveted 30 TPU trade.

So it is all a numbers game now.

Also the 179 is for on-line trades.  If you make a trade over the phone it is 199.  (these are US figures by the way)

Hope this clears things up a little for you.

Once you get your account, you can fool around with the "Deposit Calculator" and the "Search for a Vacation".  There is a tutorial that will show you how to search for all deposits.

RCI has stated that generally people are very pleased with the TPU system.  On this board that oppinion will vary.

Happy trading!


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## MichaelColey (Jun 7, 2011)

theduffster said:


> We bought our timeshares in 2009, to use ourselves, not to trade, but I'm starting to think ahead to the year 2013, and thinking we may trade instead.


If you only own one unit and are only going to trade once in a while, exchange companies (especially ones with an annual fee) are far less beneficial.  It still might work out, but you lose a lot of the flexibility and economy of scale.

What would you be depositing and what would you be looking for in exchange?  Someone would be able to look up the trading value you would receive and the trading value and availability for the weeks you're looking for, or perhaps suggest another exchange company that might be more economical for you.


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## theduffster (Jun 7, 2011)

Thanks, DavidnJudy and MichaelColey.

It is irritating that a web site that prides itself on helping others is so out of date.  My faith in TUG is quite shaken, to say the least. I'm obviously going to have to look for other sources of current information.

Michael, I don't know which we may exchange.  We own a EOY (even years) red week, floating, at the Crafts Inn in Wilmington, Vermont and every week 51 at Mountainside in Stowe, Vt.  We are going to be at Mountainside this Dec., and will use our red weekat the Crafts Inn in 2012.

So, it may not matter to us. But why isn't the new system explained here on TUG? Or is it, and I just don't see it?


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## DavidnJudy (Jun 7, 2011)

Your mountainside will get you 45 points which is great (I used 2 Bedroom - not sure if that is what you have).  If you deposit Crafts Inn for week 52 you will get 36, other weeks are like 18.  36 is great .. 18 is fine you will get a lot but not everything.

BTW, If you don't find TUG useful I would ask for my money back. but that is just me.

Have fun!


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## theduffster (Jun 7, 2011)

Sigh.

It's just a studio sleeping 2 at Mountainside, perfect for my husand and I.  The Crafts Inn is a 1-bedroom.


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## jonmar (Jun 7, 2011)

What bothers me is the exchanges to great properties I would likely miss cause I cannot get certain resorts to come up.  Still cannot get 7979 to come up which is the HGVC Parc Soleil in Orlando, where we are wanting to go.  Others can see it.  Same with the thread about Hilton deposits for Hawaii.  How is it that some RCI members would have access and others can't?  I would hate to lose out on Hawaii when other members can book it.


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## MichaelColey (Jun 8, 2011)

theduffster said:


> It is irritating that a web site that prides itself on helping others is so out of date. My faith in TUG is quite shaken, to say the least. I'm obviously going to have to look for other sources of current information.
> 
> ...
> 
> But why isn't the new system explained here on TUG? Or is it, and I just don't see it?


There are tons of threads about the new system here in the Exchanging forum.

I'm not sure who maintains the articles.


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## MichaelColey (Jun 8, 2011)

jonmar said:


> What bothers me is the exchanges to great properties I would likely miss cause I cannot get certain resorts to come up. Still cannot get 7979 to come up which is the HGVC Parc Soleil in Orlando, where we are wanting to go. Others can see it. Same with the thread about Hilton deposits for Hawaii. How is it that some RCI members would have access and others can't? I would hate to lose out on Hawaii when other members can book it.


Would you have something in your account that might be causing a block?  Is it a regular RCI account, or a Wyndham or other portal?


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## theduffster (Jun 8, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> There are tons of threads about the new system here in the Exchanging forum.
> 
> I'm not sure who maintains the articles.



Well, since I'm rather new to the concept of exchanging, I just started reading the exchange forum on Monday, June 6th.  And, I really didn't have any questions when I started reading the exchange forum. 

I had read the "Ask RCI" article,on June 6th, so I figured I understood the system.  

It was only when I started reading "tons of threads" on Monday, that I realized there has been a huge change, and none of those threads is an actual thread explaining how RCI works NOW.  Thanks to DavidNJudy, I have a basic idea NOW.  If I had stopped after reading the "helpful" free articles, I'd still have no idea I had it all wrong!!

Why ISN'T THERE A STICKY EXPLAINING THIS, AT THE VERY, VERY LEAST???  Why did I have to ASK how it works?  Can you point me to the place on TUG where RCI is all explained, that is EASILY AND OBVIOUSLY ACCESSIBLE TO A NEWBIE, without the newbie having to dig for it??     

All those free helpful articles on the home page, not one explaining how RCI works now.  No sticky at the top of this forum, nothing.  Only threads on the forum asking things like what's the highest TPU seen, how do I know if I have enough tpus, etc.  

Yes, I'll probably end up asking for my money back.  If TUG is ready and willing to accept my money, then they should be spending time maintaining and updating information to make it easily found.  

How long has it been since RCI put this change into effect?  If it's only been, oh, a few weeks, I can see the lack of updating.  But I think it's been longer.   There's no excuse for taking money and then giving us useless information.

What other articles are outdated?  I'm going to presume just about all of them.


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## Margariet (Jun 8, 2011)

MichaelColey said:


> Would you have something in your account that might be causing a block?  Is it a regular RCI account, or a Wyndham or other portal?



Just like a few weeks back: not all RCI members see the bulk deposits by Hilton at the same time. When TUG'ers post them here they still might be unavailable for others. Even if you call RCI: when they don't show in your account you cannot book them. You have to wait when they show. I have asked RCI about this issue after the Hawaii bulk deposit but didn't get an adequate answer. They seem ignorant about it or don't want to tell. Some members do get a few days priority above others to see the bulk, that's all I can conclude. Just like the poster I still can't see the Parc Soleil bulk. I am not a Wyndham owner and don't use any portal. This issue is only with bulk deposits because before I could see and book Parc Soleil. And this issue has become clear because of the posting of the sightings. Now we know that we don't see every sighting at the same time. The only thing we don't know is RCI or Hilton's motivation for doing this.


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## Ridewithme38 (Jun 8, 2011)

theduffster said:


> What other articles are outdated?  I'm going to presume just about all of them.



If you have any question about ANYTHING having to do with TSing you can always post them in the correct section of the forum...for 15 dollars you get access to much more then just the 'free' advice articles....those are just a general guide...everything else can be learned right here


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## Ridewithme38 (Jun 8, 2011)

Margariet said:


> Just like a few weeks back: not all RCI members see the bulk deposits by Hilton at the same time. When TUG'ers post them here they still might be unavailable for others. Even if you call RCI: when they don't show in your account you cannot book them. You have to wait when they show. I have asked RCI about this issue after the Hawaii bulk deposit but didn't get an adequate answer. They seem ignorant about it or don't want to tell. Some members do get a few days priority above others to see the bulk, that's all I can conclude. Just like the poster I still can't see the Parc Soleil bulk. I am not a Wyndham owner and don't use any portal.



Is there a different RCI for the Netherlands? Do you live in the Netherlands? I use the .com version of RCI with no portals, i think the Netherlands is all .NL extensions right?  that might be the difference


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## theduffster (Jun 8, 2011)

Ridewithme38 said:


> If you have any question about ANYTHING having to do with TSing you can always post them in the correct section of the forum...for 15 dollars you get access to much more then just the 'free' advice articles....those are just a general guide...everything else can be learned right here



Okay!  Where can I find an explanation of how RCI works, then?  Is there a sticky thread?  Is there an article...oh, wait, yes there is, and I wasted a lot of time reading it, because it's WRONG.

Isn't the exchange forum where I should go to find out how exchanging works?  I didn't see anything explaining it there, that's why I went to the advice articles.  No sticky, no FAQ thread, etc.  Where do I get TUG's explanation of RCI, that is NOT ALL WRONG?

How many other noobs like me have read that article and now think they understand it, and don't realize they've been misinformed?

So, my $15 gets me access to useless, misleading articles.  No thanks.  I've already asked for my money back.


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## Margariet (Jun 8, 2011)

Ridewithme38 said:


> Is there a different RCI for the Netherlands? Do you live in the Netherlands? I use the .com version of RCI with no portals, i think the Netherlands is all .NL extensions right?  that might be the difference



Thanks, but no, I use the RCI.com version. But that's not what's causing the difference. There is a long thread about this Hilton bulk deposit policy a few weeks ago after the Hawaii deposit. Many American members could not see the deposit or never saw it at all. I saw the deposit one or two days later than the OP. RCI could not or would not tell what was causing this time difference. I can only speculate that some members get priority viewing for bulk deposits.


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## DavidnJudy (Jun 8, 2011)

Your studio will do pretty well as well - Week 51 / Studio / Mountainside - year 2012 = 35 points.  Not bad.  By comparison - A DVC Unit (any dvc unit) is only 25 points.  (DVC is disney vacation club.)  And 2 bedroom in Orlando at Vistana over Easter break is 22 points.

Your 1 bedroom at Crafts Inn (since it is a float) can get anywhere from:
 15-20 (most winter weeks)
 42 points for presidents day week
 8 -10 points a week in spring time  (April, May, 1/2 June)
 16 points most summer weeks
 12-13 for fall weeks (Sept - Oct.)
 10 points for November & most of December (except XMAS & new years)
 34 points for week 51 and 52 (Christmas and New Years).

So I would call the resort and see if you can PICK your week to deposit. And then Ask for Week 7 for 2013 - you will get 42 points. If they can't do week 7 for 2013 then ask for Week 7 for 2012 - you will get 40 (they subtract 2 points for late deposit.)  If they can't do that ask for week 51 or 52. If they can't do that then you are looking at Week 6 or 8 or 9 for 2013 which is 20 points.  After that you are looking at teens.  I would really push for Week 7 of 2012.  With that week (42 poins) you will be able to get a lot in RCI.

35 (Mountainside) and 42 (Crafts Inn) TPU are very good. If you can get that you will be able to get some nice 2 bedroom places in some good locations.

By the way you can find ALL of this on-line at RCI.com using the "Deposit Calculator".

Good luck!

Let us know how it goes.

Oh and the TUG membership thing - there are some other good things on TUG like sighting, or selling a time share that come with your membership, but Timeshare Info get outdated quickly and you are probably right it is not being kept up to date.


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## theduffster (Jun 8, 2011)

DavidnJudy said:


> Your studio will do pretty well as well - Week 51 / Studio / Mountainside - year 2012 = 35 points.  Not bad.  By comparison - A DVC Unit (any dvc unit) is only 25 points.  (DVC is disney vacation club.)  And 2 bedroom in Orlando at Vistana over Easter break is 22 points.
> 
> Your 1 bedroom at Crafts Inn (since it is a float) can get anywhere from:
> 15-20 (most winter weeks)
> ...



Thanks again, very much.  :whoopie:


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## DavidnJudy (Jun 8, 2011)

No problem - next time you can give your 15 dollars to me - just kidding 

I did the TUG membership back in the day. It was good for the reviews, sightings, etc...  But now I feel pretty comfortable with TS so I don't do it anymore.  Maybe I will again someday.

Sorry the RCI info mislead you. Of course I shouldn't be appologizing someone from TUG should.


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## michpich35 (Jun 8, 2011)

*I deposited before Jan. Should I learn about TPU's?*

Hi

The fact that I deposited before the changes (mid Jan) does this mean anything for me. I have 2 deposits left. My home resort is Bonnet Creek and I deposited what I think are were 2 white week (42K). How do I know what date/week they were assigned to. I can't really tell on the RCI -all it says is this...........
FSP VALUE ST DEPOSIT 
Comp ID: ****   Rel #: 00003    Unit: -    BR(s): -    Max Occ / Priv: -    Start Date:  -    Status: Available to Exchange - CompWeek  

When you talk about TPU's would this mean anything to me? I'm always on this site trying to learn, but wondered if thiers any point trying to read up on this if the the fact that I deposited in January means it wouldn't apply to me?


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## jonmar (Jun 8, 2011)

I joined for the sole purpose of HGVC at Hawaii and Orlando.  I can't see either resort I want.  The only HGVC that comes up are the Vegas ones and other Orlando properties.  Not the Parc Soleil.  What a colossal waste of time.  I wonder if I can get my fees refunded.  Thankfully I only took 1 year.


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## puppymommo (Jun 8, 2011)

Since you deposited before the change, you will not be able to exchange online, you have to go through a VC by phone. They can (hopefully) give you an idea of how many TPU your Wyndham points deposit is worth.  I have three such deposits and don't know exactly how many TPUs they are worth.


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## Margariet (Jun 8, 2011)

jonmar said:


> I joined for the sole purpose of HGVC at Hawaii and Orlando.  I can't see either resort I want.  The only HGVC that comes up are the Vegas ones and other Orlando properties.  Not the Parc Soleil.  What a colossal waste of time.  I wonder if I can get my fees refunded.  Thankfully I only took 1 year.



Being able to get great exchanges with RCI takes a while. You have to learn when and what to deposit, you have to start ongoing searches, you have to check regularly and then after a while you will get great exhanges! Believe me: at the moment we have booked 4 weeks in 4 different HGVC's in Hawaii, 1 week in HGVC South Beach, 1 week in HGVC Flamingo Las Vegas and many more. Before we have been several times to all HGVC''s in Orlando and to two Disney resorts. But I deposit early, we have lots of TPU's, put in several searches and always book very far in advance. I have booked everything for 2011, 2012 and even in 2013 already. You have to look at it as a sport!


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## jonmar (Jun 8, 2011)

Margariet said:


> Being able to get great exchanges with RCI takes a while. You have to learn when and what to deposit, you have to start ongoing searches, you have to check regularly and then after a while you will get great exhanges! Believe me: at the moment we have booked 4 weeks in 4 different HGVC's in Hawaii, 1 week in HGVC South Beach, 1 week in HGVC Flamingo Las Vegas and many more. Before we have been several times to all HGVC''s in Orlando and to two Disney resorts. But I deposit early, we have lots of TPU's, put in several searches and always book very far in advance. I have booked everything for 2011, 2012 and even in 2013 already. You have to look at it as a sport!



It takes a while is not a reasonable excuse for RCI.  I think every savvy RCI member should be able to enjoy the same opportunities.  I have been a member for less than a week and already I can't take advantage of bulk deposits.  So while it's great that you could book all of that, it is likely on the backs of other members that for some unknown reason did not have access to those properties.  If someone were to brag about booking Parc Soleil (7979) which I still cannot see by the way, I would be pretty upset.  I understand there are ins and outs.  My problem is that we aren't all on a level playing field.  When their own website shows you a property but gives me an error message, that is a problem.


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## Margariet (Jun 9, 2011)

jonmar said:


> It takes a while is not a reasonable excuse for RCI.  I think every savvy RCI member should be able to enjoy the same opportunities.  I have been a member for less than a week and already I can't take advantage of bulk deposits.  So while it's great that you could book all of that, it is likely on the backs of other members that for some unknown reason did not have access to those properties.  If someone were to brag about booking Parc Soleil (7979) which I still cannot see by the way, I would be pretty upset.  I understand there are ins and outs.  My problem is that we aren't all on a level playing field.  When their own website shows you a property but gives me an error message, that is a problem.



I understand the frustration, I could not see Parc Soleil either. And initially I could not see the bulk for Hawaii either but they turned up after a while. What I mean is that every once and a while there are great bulk deposits in RCI and sometimes you have to wait for a deposit via ongoing searches. That just takes time. It can happen that there is just a deposit in the week that you join but it can also be that you have to wait for a couple of months. I suggest you put in an ongoing search for Parc Soleil or other resorts you prefer. They will turn up after deposit or cancellation.


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## sandkastle4966 (Jun 9, 2011)

jonmar said:


> I joined for the sole purpose of HGVC at Hawaii and Orlando.  I can't see either resort I want.  The only HGVC that comes up are the Vegas ones and other Orlando properties.  Not the Parc Soleil.  What a colossal waste of time.  I wonder if I can get my fees refunded.  Thankfully I only took 1 year.



how exactly are you looking for 7979?  and what dates? what is the TPU value of the deposit you are using?  

if you look for any dates and can see none of them, then call RCI web support and get to the bottom of the issue.  

(I cannot do United FF tickets on this computer, but can on my laptop - something glitchy - so you never know)


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## Margariet (Jun 9, 2011)

sandkastle4966 said:


> how exactly are you looking for 7979?  and what dates? what is the TPU value of the deposit you are using?
> 
> if you look for any dates and can see none of them, then call RCI web support and get to the bottom of the issue.
> 
> (I cannot do United FF tickets on this computer, but can on my laptop - something glitchy - so you never know)



7979 is for me still invisible as well. It doesn't matter how you search or with what. The Hilton bulk is just not visible for every memeber at the same time. I saw the bulk last month at the same time with the Hawaii bulk and the South Beach deposit. Now they are invisible again. It doesn't matter to me cause I have made my HGVC bookings already. But I have asked RCI after the bulk deposit for HGVC Hawaii since many members could not see them. RCI didn't respond to me adequately. They only look into your personal account and if they can't see it showing as avaialble to you it's not available. It must be a policy of Hilton or RCI to give some members priority or to exclude some members. Only today I have read about VEP! So yes, RCI differentiates but I couldn't get to the bottom. I do hope somebody else can!


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