# NEW RCI website problem BEWARE !!!



## Jennie (Jun 22, 2010)

Well around 5:30 a.m. yesterday (June 21) Eastern time, I was finally able to get into the RCI Points website and do a normal search. I found a fabulous 2 bedroom unit on Captiva Island for President's week 2011. I placed it on hold, entering the required credit card info. I received an automated Email message from RCI confirming the transaction. I planned to confirm it a few hours later after conferring with hubby when he arrived home. 

About 5 hours later RCI called to inform me that the week I had placed on hold was on the website in error and my hold had been canceled. When I started to protest, the VG stated that there was a major glitch in the website and thousands of weeks that had been listed as available should not have been there so a large number of members like me were receiving calls notifying them of the cancellations of weeks placed on hold or confirmed. BUMMER.

Here's the Email I had received from RCI confirming the "hold" transaction:

Thank you for visiting RCI.com. We are pleased to hold the following vacation until 06/22/2010:

Resort ID:  0045
Resort Name:  Plantation Beach Club at South Seas Island Resort
Check-In:  Friday, 02/18/2011
Check-Out:  Friday, 02/25/2011
Unit Type:  2 Bedroom(s)
Max Occ/Privacy:  6/6
Kitchen:  Full Kitchen

If only I had confirmed it, I would have put up a big fight--saying I had bought airline tickets, canceled another timeshare reservation for the same week, etc...

This company is as inept, arrogant, and uncaring as BP.


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## timeos2 (Jun 22, 2010)

*Demand the trade or get out*

Wow. That is simply not right. There is no excuse for a properly posted resort, properly put on hold to later be declared posted in error & unilaterally canceled. 

I would not take this - demand what you were allowed to place on hold and if they refuse demand your membership costs back & walk. I would NEVER again do business with any company that did that to me when I paid for their service, followed their rules & then had it thrown back in my face. Cut the cord as your small contribution to overall fairness & corporate ethics.  

That is just unconscionable.


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## goofygirl17 (Jun 22, 2010)

I'm sorry that happened.  The website was making me crazy yesterday!  I also lost a resort I had on hold but while I was inputting information and going to the next page.  I kept getting error messages and then the week was gone.

Very Frustrating!!


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## gmarine (Jun 22, 2010)

It would have infuriated me to place something on hold only to have RCI say it was an error. I would take this up the management ladder.


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## deedman (Jun 22, 2010)

the error was they wanted to list it on last call and profit from it, not let you receive it as an exchange.  Management won't care about your complaints, because their management put them up to it.


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## sandkastle4966 (Jun 22, 2010)

ok , I get it that we get mad when when think we have scored a Great vacation and then find out there was an error and it wasn't really there - Do you really want them to "force the trade" into a unit that really isn't there?  so who gets the rooms - the first one to arrive at the resort?  Is it fair to the owner who got there late to find out that RCI "made good" on their lousy computer system and you don't have your room any more?  what if they double book a large portion of the resort - so now their is a lobby full of people on cots????

I agree that RCI has got to fix their system - but they can't give what they don't have.....


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## sullco (Jun 22, 2010)

*[Deleted]*

[Please review the TUG rule of courtesy. - DeniseM Moderator]



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## cpnuser (Jun 23, 2010)

*rci site*

When doing a search in points, the "show #(10,25) resorts per page" is gone up in the right hand corner.  Whatever happened to showing "ALL" on one page?  Everytime they fool around with the site, they mess it up royally.  I do a search just about everyday and I would like the search page put back the way it was.  I called & told them, but we all know how much good that will do.  The site was not perfect, but workable, so why must they insist on improving(?????) it.


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## MuranoJo (Jun 24, 2010)

sandkastle4966 said:


> - Do you really want them to "force the trade" into a unit that really isn't there?  so who gets the rooms - the first one to arrive at the resort?  Is it fair to the owner who got there late to find out that RCI "made good" on their lousy computer system and you don't have your room any more?  what if they double book a large portion of the resort - so now their is a lobby full of people on cots????
> 
> I agree that RCI has got to fix their system - but they can't give what they don't have.....



JMO only, but I suspect the room was there--but was accidentally placed in exchange when it was intended for another RCI channel for more $$. 

I've grown so skeptical after years of this.

And tonight, trying online again, I have to say this is the weakest online experience I have ever encountered--EVER.  They should give us *50%* discount for reserving online--who has time or patience for this?


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## timeos2 (Jun 24, 2010)

muranojo said:


> JMO only, but I suspect the room was there--but was accidentally placed in exchange when it was intended for another RCI channel for more $$.
> 
> I've grown so skeptical after years of this.
> 
> And tonight, trying online again, I have to say this is the weakest online experience I have ever encountered--EVER.  They should give us *50%* discount for reserving online--who has time or patience for this?



OF COURSE the unit was there - they didn't create a phantom system entry. It was there, it was claimed using the proper system tools / procedures and then unilaterally and in conflict with everything RCI is being PAID to accomplish was pulled for the sole benefit of RCI.  A total failure to meet fiduciary duty to the member.  They need to be held responsible. Readers here stand warned and should consider very carefully if they wish to continue dealing with a company that offers a rather costly service they refuse to stand behind if it doesn't suit them at any given moment. 

This would end my association with RCI Weeks if I still had one.


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## deedman (Jun 24, 2010)

timeos2 said:


> They need to be held responsible. Readers here stand warned and should consider very carefully if they wish to continue dealing with a company that offers a rather costly service they refuse to stand behind if it doesn't suit them at any given moment.
> 
> This would end my association with RCI Weeks if I still had one.



This is the main reason I haven't purchased an RCI points account, the trust just isn't there, even though the price is enticing.


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## ronandjoan (Jun 24, 2010)

timeos2 said:


> Wow. That is simply not right. There is no excuse .....
> I would not take this - ....I would NEVER again do business with any company that did that to me when I paid for their service, followed their rules & then had it thrown back in my face. Cut the cord as your small contribution to overall fairness & corporate ethics.
> 
> That is just unconscionable.



So let's support the smaller exchange companies so that they can have larger inventories.


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## lll1929 (Jun 24, 2010)

sandkastle4966 said:


> ok , I get it that we get mad when when think we have scored a Great vacation and then find out there was an error and it wasn't really there - Do you really want them to "force the trade" into a unit that really isn't there?  so who gets the rooms - the first one to arrive at the resort?  Is it fair to the owner who got there late to find out that RCI "made good" on their lousy computer system and you don't have your room any more?  what if they double book a large portion of the resort - so now their is a lobby full of people on cots????
> 
> I agree that RCI has got to fix their system - but they can't give what they don't have.....




They should have offered something to you for their error, free yr membership, free exchange, or something.


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## kalua (Jun 24, 2010)

*ghost week*

when they did the same thing after the big computer  update in feb. I raised enough cane with them and obviously the right supervisor ,that they gave me a free week,and I book a reservation right then to make sure they didn't pull the same thing again with me.


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## jlwquilter (Jun 24, 2010)

A similar thing happened to me about 4 weeks ago now. I was fooling around on the site seeing what I could get. I came across a HUGE banking for the Grand Cayman resort. I didn't put a unit on hold as I wanted to discuss with DH first (I have several ongoing requests and didn't want to cancel one if I didn't have to).

Long story short, when I came back the next day the ENTIRE banking was gone. I kicked myself for not having grabbed the unit then. But now I wonder, seeing this post, if it would have made a difference. I think the banking was in "error" and any unit I had grabbed would have been cancelled, just as the OP's was.

What I am saying is, the OP's experience probably isn't an isolated one. Unfortuantely!


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## Jennie (Jun 25, 2010)

I seem to recall this happening within in the past year to a some TUGgers who held or confirmed weeks at the Disney Vacation Clubs when Disney first came aboard with RCI.


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## bnoble (Jun 25, 2010)

If you are thinking of the same thing I am, that was an instance of the regional block not being applied properly at the time the exchange was made.


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## Jennie (Jun 25, 2010)

I do not own any week that would trigger a regional block on what I placed on hold. In addition, I found the week doing an "RCI Weeks Reservation" *through my RCI Points account* you know, "where a Point i a Point" and the underlying quality of the week is not supposed to matter. The week in question required only 38,000 Points which seemed low for a week of that size and quality. But, eh, RCI is notorious for incorrectly under-valuing weeks, almost always to their advantage.


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## bnoble (Jun 25, 2010)

I'm not talking about this instance.  I'm talking about the DVC pull-backs you recall.  Those happened both in Weeks and Points, but the ones I recall were all due to the regional block that DVC has for the Orlando resorts.


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## MuranoJo (Jun 26, 2010)

timeos2 said:


> OF COURSE the unit was there - they didn't create a phantom system entry. It was there, it was claimed using the proper system tools / procedures and then unilaterally and in conflict with everything RCI is being PAID to accomplish was pulled for the sole benefit of RCI.  A total failure to meet fiduciary duty to the member.  They need to be held responsible. Readers here stand warned and should consider very carefully if they wish to continue dealing with a company that offers a rather costly service they refuse to stand behind if it doesn't suit them at any given moment.
> 
> This would end my association with RCI Weeks if I still had one.



I was saying I 'suspect' the week was there, because I did not know for a fact if there was a 'real' week or if a human entry error had occurred, or if OF COURSE this was a typical RCIism. Not once did I intend to question if the OP saw the week or placed it on hold, etc.
I am glad you know for a fact this was a real week available for exchange that RCI redirected for it's own cause.


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## Tia (Jun 26, 2010)

RCI = Ridiculously  Completely  Incompetent  computer programing.
Quite possibly being done on purpose, but only they know the truth of it.


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