# Reduced RCI availability to HGVC members??



## SHG (Jan 22, 2018)

We just conducted a test where we had a friend log into their RCI account at the same time we logged into our HGVC RCI account. We each conducted an exchange search for Cabo San Lucas in July/August 2018. We were shocked to find that our friend had 8 pages of listing when we only had 8 resorts period!!! They were able to book exchanges into resorts that were not even on our list!  How could this be??

No, their resort was not anything exceptional or perceived better than Hilton
Yes, we were both step by step looking at the same things, not filtering differently
Their RCI account is separate from their timeshare account, so they log directly into RCI

We called HCVC RCI the next day to see if they had any explanation. We made 2 separate calls to discuss with 2 different HGVC RCI counselors. Both were under the impression that we should be able to see all RCI availability and had no idea how anything different could be possible.

Is it possible that HGVC has reduced/filtered RCI exchange availability????  Anyone have any experience or insights on this?


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## Jan M. (Jan 22, 2018)

SHG said:


> We just conducted a test where we had a friend log into their RCI account at the same time we logged into our HGVC RCI account. We each conducted an exchange search for Cabo San Lucas in July/August 2018. We were shocked to find that our friend had 8 pages of listing when we only had 8 resorts period!!! They were able to book exchanges into resorts that were not even on our list!  How could this be??
> 
> No, their resort was not anything exceptional or perceived better than Hilton
> Yes, we were both step by step looking at the same things, not filtering differently
> ...



Could they be RCI points owners and you are a fixed week owner or vice versa? Points and weeks owners see very different inventory. I know this for a fact as we are points and my sister and BIL are fixed week and have both been logged into RCI at the same time like you and your friend.


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## Talent312 (Jan 22, 2018)

Jan M. said:


> Could they be RCI points owners and you are a fixed week owner or vice versa?...



That's point-less. HGVC is neither points nor weeks. It has access to both.
In the past, HGVC did filter "lesser" RCI resorts not up to HGVC "standards."
OTOH:
If the search was for 7 days MT 10 months out, the search was for weeks.
Searching for an alternate term invokes a points search up to 10 months out.
.


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## bizaro86 (Jan 22, 2018)

Were you seeing the nicer resorts? I wouldn't be surprised if RCI/HGVC filter out "lesser" resorts to keep complaints about quality down.


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## SHG (Jan 22, 2018)

bizaro86 said:


> Were you seeing the nicer resorts? I wouldn't be surprised if RCI/HGVC filter out "lesser" resorts to keep complaints about quality down.


Added detail to help answer the 'nicer' question:


There were specific nice resorts that we were hoping to see but could not. Yet they were able to see these resorts. There were many other nice resorts that they were able to see and we were not.....


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## Jan M. (Jan 22, 2018)

Talent312 said:


> That's point-less. HGVC is neither points nor weeks. It has access to both.
> In the past, HGVC did filter "lesser" RCI resorts not up to HGVC "standards."
> OTOH:
> If the search was for 7 days MT 10 months out, the search was for weeks.
> ...



Sorry I should have been clearer and added more detail. 

We actually have two RCI accounts, points and weeks. We own several points weeks Grandview Las Vegas and we automatically get RCI points for those weeks unless at something like 10 months out we declare our intent to use "our week" in which case we don't get the points that year. We pay a yearly membership fee for this RCI points account. Fixed weeks owners, like my sister and BIL, either use their week or deposit it to get TPU's (trading power units) to book other stays. As Wyndham owners we get a free RCI weeks account and it is how Wyndham owners deposit their Wyndham points to book stays through RCI. Is this last type of account what you have through HGVC? Or is what you have something else entirely, another case of a sweetheart deal that is unique to HGVC?


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## SHG (Jan 22, 2018)

Jan M. said:


> Sorry I should have been clearer and added more detail.
> 
> We actually have two RCI accounts, points and weeks. We own several points weeks Grandview Las Vegas and we automatically get RCI points for those weeks unless at something like 10 months out we declare our intent to use "our week" in which case we don't get the points that year. We pay a yearly membership fee for this RCI points account. Fixed weeks owners, like my sister and BIL, either use their week or deposit it to get TPU's (trading power units) to book other stays. As Wyndham owners we get a free RCI weeks account and it is how Wyndham owners deposit their Wyndham points to book stays through RCI. Is this last type of account what you have through HGVC? Or is what you have something else entirely, another case of a sweetheart deal that is unique to HGVC?


The HGVC program is probably more like your Wyndham account. We have ownership/points with HGVC. We have to log into our HGVC account and enter the RCI account from there. The RCI account shows exchanges based on the HGVC point system, not the RCI point system. So, it is using points, but HGVC points, not RCI points.

Now, the friend we were conducting the test with is a owner at Tahiti Village in Vegas. So they enter RCI just like your Grandview account, as a full RCI member.

When you ran the test with your sister, what did you see as being the difference?


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## tschwa2 (Jan 22, 2018)

It would be helpful to know some of the resorts you can't see.  When I check July 1-August 31, 2018,  Los Cobos area, I get 30 resorts.  When I filter for AI not required it drops down to 16.  

What resort were you looking for that they could see that you could not?


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## SHG (Jan 22, 2018)

tschwa2 said:


> It would be helpful to know some of the resorts you can't see.  When I check July 1-August 31, 2018,  Los Cobos area, I get 30 resorts.  When I filter for AI not required it drops down to 16.
> 
> What resort were you looking for that they could see that you could not?


Specifically, we were looking for Pueblo Bonito Rose or Pueblo Bonito Blanco. Interestingly, we were only able to see Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach.....


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## tschwa2 (Jan 22, 2018)

I do see Rose I don't see Blanco.  Try searching by Resort code.  It might not help but sometimes searching different ways brings up different availability.  Also check if you can see those resorts but at other dates or if you are just completely not able to see them.


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## Jan M. (Jan 22, 2018)

SHG said:


> The HGVC program is probably more like your Wyndham account. We have ownership/points with HGVC. We have to log into our HGVC account and enter the RCI account from there. The RCI account shows exchanges based on the HGVC point system, not the RCI point system. So, it is using points, but HGVC points, not RCI points.
> 
> Now, the friend we were conducting the test with is a owner at Tahiti Village in Vegas. So they enter RCI just like your Grandview account, as a full RCI member.
> 
> When you ran the test with your sister, what did you see as being the difference?



I see way more inventory than my sister does. However almost everything I search and book is in the last 5 weeks before check in so I can't speak as to how it would compare if we were both searching months out. I've never tried logging into my Wyndham RCI weeks account while she is signed into her weeks account to see how they compare. I wonder if I would see the same inventory she does or still different inventory.


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## SHG (Jan 22, 2018)

tschwa2 said:


> I do see Rose I don't see Blanco.  Try searching by Resort code.  It might not help but sometimes searching different ways brings up different availability.  Also check if you can see those resorts but at other dates or if you are just completely not able to see them.


What timeshare are you using to access RCI? Is it a HGVC?

Also, I should point out that I am not filtering by date. I am only searching the location which should show anything in that location for any date.....


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## Talent312 (Jan 22, 2018)

Searching RCI's public directory for "Pueblo Bonito," I found these in Cabo...
- Pueblo Bonito Resort Los Cabos #2357 
- Pueblo Bonito Rose Spa & Resort #4110 
- Pueblo Bonito Resort At Sunset Beach #5704 
No "Blanco," unless that refers to the first one.

Likewise, searching HGVC's RCI Directory, I show the same three.
Per HGVC, however, none of these have availability.
That could be a connection issue with RCI, or RCI may have it wrong.
.


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## SHG (Jan 22, 2018)

Talent312 said:


> Searching RCI's public directory for "Pueblo Bonito," I found these in Cabo...
> - Pueblo Bonito Resort Los Cabos #2357
> - Pueblo Bonito Rose Spa & Resort #4110
> - Pueblo Bonito Resort At Sunset Beach #5704
> ...


My results are the same as yours (yes, Blanco refers to Los Cabos #2357). The whole point is that using the HGVC access to RCI I was not able to see availability for the first 2 resorts, yet my friend was able to see availability and in fact put a week on hold (or they could just as easily booked it).

The million dollar question is why can these weeks be seen when accessing RCI directly but not when going through HGVC???


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## Talent312 (Jan 22, 2018)

My Conspiracy Theory:
They compete with HGVC's Fiesta Americana affiliates in Cabo, so...

I'd try escalating the issue beyond a HGVC rep to a floor manager.
I might even try e-mailing one of those corner-office types...

*Primary Contact*
Edgar Hernandez, Senior Manager Customer Care
(407) 722-3492 ... ehernandez@hgvc.com

*Secondary Contact*
Mark D. Wang, President of Grand Vacations 
(407) 722-3100 x3117 ... mwang@hgvc.com

Kelly Clayton- administrative assistant to Mr. Wang
(407) 722-3100 x3117 ... kclayton@hgvc.com

Stan Soroka, Chief Customer Officer
(407) 722-3112 ... ssoroka@hgvc.com

Dena Williams, VP of Club
(407) 722-3470 ... dwilliams@hgvc.com

- From http://www.elliott.org/company-contacts/hilton-grand-vacations/

.


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## SHG (Jan 22, 2018)

Talent312 said:


> My Conspiracy Theory:
> They compete with HGVC's Fiesta Americana affiliates in Cabo, so...
> 
> I'd try escalating the issue beyond a HGVC rep to a floor manager.
> ...


Wow! Great info. Thank You. I am going to contact someone and see if I can get an answer. Will follow up here with feedback. Thanks again!


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## alwysonvac (Jan 22, 2018)

I believe Disney also has a quality filter in place and I can also see those two resorts via Disney's RCI portal.
Perhaps HGVC needs to update their quality filter 

Was the HGVC RCI rep able to book the unit for you? It has been reported that they can still book the unit for you eventhough it's filtered out.
See this 2017 thread - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/rci-properties-not-visible-on-hgvc-portal.256426/


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## Talent312 (Jan 23, 2018)

alwysonvac said:


> Perhaps HGVC needs to update their quality filter.



They're gold-crown resorts... quality should not be an issue.
.


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## alwysonvac (Jan 23, 2018)

Talent312 said:


> Maybe they're just not on the HGVC "approved" list, but...
> They're gold-crown resorts... quality should not be an issue.
> .



Yes I meant that HGVC may need to revisit their “approved” list of RCI resort.

RCI Gold-Crown doesn’t necessarily equal quality. Folks have been disappointed in the quality of Gold-Crown resorts well. So it definitely pays to research your RCI resort choices.


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## SHG (Jan 23, 2018)

alwysonvac said:


> I believe Disney also has a quality filter in place and I can also see those two resorts via Disney's RCI portal.
> Perhaps HGVC needs to update their quality filter
> 
> Was the HGVC RCI rep able to book the unit for you? It has been reported that they can still book the unit for you eventhough it's filtered out.
> See this 2017 thread - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/rci-properties-not-visible-on-hgvc-portal.256426/


The HGVC RCI rep was also not able to see the resort and had no explanation why not? We called 2 separate times to talk to 2 different reps. Same answer both times.....


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## SHG (Jan 23, 2018)

alwysonvac said:


> I believe Disney also has a quality filter in place and I can also see those two resorts via Disney's RCI portal.
> Perhaps HGVC needs to update their quality filter
> 
> Was the HGVC RCI rep able to book the unit for you? It has been reported that they can still book the unit for you eventhough it's filtered out.
> See this 2017 thread - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/rci-properties-not-visible-on-hgvc-portal.256426/


OK, I went back and read this thread. Apparently this person was having the same problem that I am seeing (only for a different resort). The thread suggested you could call HGVC and have them book the resort over the phone. However, that was never substantiated. In fact, we did call to see if they could book the resort and they could not!

There is a lot of conjecture that HGVC is 'filtering' RCI for quality, I am not convinced at all that this is true...  I am going to try emailing some HGVC mngmnt as suggested by Talent312 above.....


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## tschwa2 (Jan 23, 2018)

HGVC does filter for quality through the RCI portal.  It is typically non rated and select resorts.  What you are seeing isn't a result of the quality filter.


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## SHG (Jan 23, 2018)

tschwa2 said:


> HGVC does filter for quality through the RCI portal.  It is typically non rated and select resorts.  What you are seeing isn't a result of the quality filter.


How do so many people know about this filtering?? So many people knowing about it must mean its true...? Is it in writing somewhere?? And can it be circumvented???


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## Talent312 (Jan 23, 2018)

SHG said:


> How do so many people know about this filtering?



In the olden days, before the advent of the RCI booking portal...
HGVC members had to call and ask what resorts were available.
To assist members, HGVC handed out an abridged RCI Directory.
They also published a slick Members Guide, full of glossy photos.
These were snail-mailed annually.

The RCI directory included only those resorts HGVC deemed worthy.
I don't think that anyone knows for sure if that filter is still applied.

At this point, it could merely be a historical artifact, but whenever
someone says, "Its not in the system," someone says it's the filter.
.


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## alwysonvac (Jan 23, 2018)

Because some of us have been around before RCI online access was added.
And some of us even remember the old printed RCI Resort Directory we got from Hilton that was only a subset of  RCI resorts. 
And some of us remember the complaints that go back 10+ years

2005 TUG thread about not seeing availability at Kahana Falls - http://www.tug1.net/tugbbs1/Forum6/HTML/001582.html
2009 TUG post about HGVC's RCI directory - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php...vc-and-rci-points-accounts.88055/#post-644316
2011 TUG post that the online system restricted just like the hardcopy directory we received - https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php...-all-rci-weeks-available.150094/#post-1130803


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 23, 2018)

Perhaps this is not HGVC's fault but RCI/Wyndham quietly limiting availability to a competitor?  It would be good to let HGVC know in case RCI was not living up to its contract.


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## Panina (Jan 23, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Perhaps this is not HGVC's fault but RCI/Wyndham quietly limiting availability to a competitor?  It would be good to let HGVC know in case RCI was not living up to its contract.


I was just on the hgvc portal and there are lesser quality resorts availability, places that are on the lower end of quality. 

You might be onto something with RCI/Wyndham.


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## alwysonvac (Jan 23, 2018)

SHG said:


> The HGVC RCI rep was also not able to see the resort and had no explanation why not? We called 2 separate times to talk to 2 different reps. Same answer both times.....



If you haven’t, I would try asking for a supervisor and/or reach out to HGVC via input@hilton.com regarding the RCI resort you want to book.

If you decide to write to input@hilton.com, just ask them to please forward your email to the appropriate department. They have been pretty good with getting back to me in the past.

Good Luck


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## CalGalTraveler (Jan 23, 2018)

Hmm... Might be worth spending $99 to set up a separate RCI account to check this out.  Would I be required to deposit property before seeing what it is worth? or can you look around before making a deposit?

I have always been annoyed that HGVC owners cannot view RCI cash getaways online so there might be benefit there as well.


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## Panina (Jan 24, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Hmm... Might be worth spending $99 to set up a separate RCI account to check this out.  Would I be required to deposit property before seeing what it is worth? or can you look around before making a deposit?
> 
> I have always been annoyed that HGVC owners cannot view RCI cash getaways online so there might be benefit there as well.


There is a deposit calculator to see what it is worth before depositing.


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## SHG (Jan 24, 2018)

alwysonvac said:


> Because some of us have been around before RCI online access was added.
> And some of us even remember the old printed RCI Resort Directory we got from Hilton that was only a subset of  RCI resorts.
> And some of us remember the complaints that go back 10+ years
> 
> ...


Thank you guys for that bit of history. That is insightful information that everyone did not know! Good job!

Just for the record, I did send email to Edgar Hernandez, Senior Manager Customer Care. I have not heard anything back yet.

I certainly now buy into the idea of the filtering, but am still perplexed why these specific resorts would be filtered?? These are Gold Crown high quality resorts??  I will continue to pursue HGVC to see if there may be an answer out there.....


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## alwysonvac (Jan 24, 2018)

SHG said:


> Just for the record, I did send email to Edgar Hernandez, Senior Manager Customer Care. I have not heard anything back yet.



Please report back.
As I stated previously, I can see these two resorts via Disney’s RCI Page so something does seem wrong.

Sadly mistakes can happen.   And System issues do occur from time to time.  
Who knows how the original resort list was put together and how it’s being maintained. Did they evaluate all possible resorts or just select some from each region ?


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## hurnik (Feb 1, 2018)

Any update on this one?  I'm very interested to know.  RCI has done some shady (IMO) things in the past (I forget whatever happened to that class action lawsuit where RCI was telling members no availability but then renting out the units directly to make more money).


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## jehb2 (Feb 1, 2018)

I can speak from personal experience about Kahana Falls.  We stayed at Kahana Falls back in 2000. It was our first RCI via HGVC exchange.  We absolutely loved it.  (This was before kids and before we got truly spoiled with fancy Hilton timeshare accommodations.) A lot of HGVC members complained about Kahana Falls with good reason--they have a bad ant problem and some of the units were super small.  In subsequent years we tried to exchange back into Kahana Falls but Hilton wouldn't let us.  A couple of times the phone counselor said she would over ride the system form-that is stating that we know we were accepting less than acceptable accommodations--still we never go the exchange.  We were traveling in the off seasons.

I don't profess to know what the real story is, but I have had a couple of experiences when HGVC would let me exchange into a place because it was below standard--or at least that's what they said.


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## tschwa2 (Feb 1, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> Perhaps this is not HGVC's fault but RCI/Wyndham quietly limiting availability to a competitor?  It would be good to let HGVC know in case RCI was not living up to its contract.


I disagree with this RCI needs Hilton. Hilton does bulk Hawaii deposits.  II has Marriott, Vistana, and Hyatt.  RCI needs Hilton.  On the other hand Wyndham points owners are a captive audience.  Members couldn't go to II even if they wanted to.  For many Wyndham owners, at the end of the year, the only thing they can do with their expiring points is lose them or deposit in RCI- again captive audience.  No need to go out of the way to make Wyndham owners especially happy with RCI.  If they were giving special preference on purpose to Wyndham owners you would certainly have heard that at every Wyndham update.  It isn't happening.  So really no reason to give special unadvertised preference to Wyndham owners.

 "Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity."   ... or in RCI's case incompetent programming.  Yes there is a quality filter for some resorts that HGVC can't see.  DVC has the same thing.  The list may not be identical but are probably similar.  That doesn't explain the higher quality resort exclusions.  RCI doesn't seem to be acknowledging a problem.   Either they know and aren't saying or don't know and don't believe there is a problem- the reported problems may not be making it to someone who can even investigate if there is a problem.


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## JIMinNC (Feb 1, 2018)

hurnik said:


> RCI has done some shady (IMO) things in the past (I forget whatever happened to that class action lawsuit where RCI was telling members no availability but then renting out the units directly to make more money).



If you are talking about the class action suit from quite a few years ago, it was settled out of court. This article from 2009 explains the settlement.

https://www.tstodayjoin.com/members/magazine/issue104/issue104.pdf

Essentially, the TPU system that RCI adopted for their weeks trading system a number of years ago was in direct response to the suit and was designed to provide more transparency into the concept of "Trading Power". I think this court-mandated TPU system is the one area where RCI's core system is superior to Interval International. Obviously, the HGVC portal doesn't rely on TPUs, but the regular member site does.


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## SHG (Feb 1, 2018)

I have sent 2 emails to Hilton;
1. One to ehernandez@hgvc.com. Edgar Hernandez, Senior Manager Customer Care. Sent 1/23
2. One to input@hilton.com. Sent 1/24​To date, I have received no answer......


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## alwysonvac (Feb 1, 2018)

Sent you a PM


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## Mosescan (Feb 1, 2018)

SHG said:


> I have sent 2 emails to Hilton;
> 1. One to ehernandez@hgvc.com. Edgar Hernandez, Senior Manager Customer Care
> 2. One to input@hilton.com​To date, I have received no answer......


I sent a website improvement idea to the input address. It took a couple of days but I did get an answer.


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## SHG (Feb 1, 2018)

Mosescan said:


> I sent a website improvement idea to the input address. It took a couple of days but I did get an answer.


Well, so far it has been a week. When you sent your email did you get a immediate response that your email had been received?? Someone else suggested this is what should happen?


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## Mosescan (Feb 1, 2018)

SHG said:


> Well, so far it has been a week. When you sent your email did you get a immediate response that your email had been received?? Someone else suggested this is what should happen?


I did not. But I did get my response in less than a week.


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## tschwa2 (Feb 2, 2018)

SHG said:


> Specifically, we were looking for Pueblo Bonito Rose or Pueblo Bonito Blanco. Interestingly, we were only able to see Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach.....


I don't know if this was discussed on this thread.  Have you stayed in either of those resorts through RCI in the last 4 years?  They do have a 1 in 4 rule.


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## Sandy VDH (Feb 2, 2018)

HGVC has had a quality filter for YEARS now.  They are supposedly filtering out lower quality resorts.  You can get one of these if you call, and they will advise you on it, book it for you, but tell you they will not accept you calling back and complaining about it to get your points back.   

Try that method if there is something you want but don't see on your HGVC account.


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## SHG (Feb 6, 2018)

Full response has been received from HGVC!!

"Thank you for your inquiry.  As indicated, I have met with our Partners at RCI to review your feedback.  I am very sorry the HGV trained RCI Vacation Guides you spoke with were not able to explain this situation. 

It is RCI’s goal to match our members with vacation experiences at RCI Affiliated Resorts that are similar to their ownership experiences.  Since Hilton Grand Vacations offers its members a high quality vacation experience, RCI tries to serve up similar experiences at RCI Affiliated Resorts which may restrict the number of resorts initially offered up as potential exchange options.  Since over 50% of HGV member transactions with RCI are facilitated on-line, these initial quality filters are our best defense for a similar vacation experience match. 

HGV members are not excluded from confirming any of our 4,300 + RCI Affiliated Resorts via an HGV trained RCI Vacation Guide. For this reason, different RCI members or Club accounts may initially be served up different availability at RCI Affiliated Resorts than what is initially offered to an HGV member.  HGV members are always welcome to speak with an HGV trained RCI Vacation Guide for additional resort options that may suit their needs."


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## Talent312 (Feb 6, 2018)

_Thanks for the update!_
So that confirms that they are still using quality filters for HGVC.
But, these were GC resorts, so IMHO, they should've been listed.
IOW, the filter was not to blame, rather the peep in charge of it.

.


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## Mosescan (Feb 6, 2018)

Either way, it sounds as if you call RCI then they should be able to see everything and get you what you want if it's available.


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## SHG (Feb 6, 2018)

To the point about the Gold Crown resorts being filtered out; This is to be looked into further to see why that is.
To the point about calling HGVC RCI; If you followed the beginning of this forum, I pointed out that we called HGVC RCI, TWICE. In both cases they say no more than what we saw. So, the answer to how HGVC can help us is still pending......


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## jehb2 (Feb 7, 2018)

SHG said:


> HGV members are not excluded from confirming any of our 4,300 + RCI Affiliated Resorts via an HGV trained RCI Vacation Guide...HGV members are always welcome to speak with an HGV trained RCI Vacation Guide for additional resort options that may suit their needs."



After reading this I got very exciting.  We stayed at Kahana Falls in Maui in 2000 but were never able to exchange since due to its low rating (although I had tried several times before).  I was getting ready to call HGVC now and request an ongoing search.

I decided to look at the reviews and travelers photos on tripadvisor first.  Well it's clear why HGVC discourages its members from some exchanges.  The place looks so sad.  And well, I guess my standards have change in my 18 years of timsharing.  Hilton has spoiled me.


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## GeorgeJ. (Feb 12, 2018)

The response from HGVC doesn't really explain why Gold Crown resorts are being filtered out from what HGVC can see...they don't just seem to be filtering out crappy resorts.


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## SHG (Feb 19, 2018)

SHG said:


> Full response has been received from HGVC!!
> 
> "Thank you for your inquiry.  As indicated, I have met with our Partners at RCI to review your feedback.  I am very sorry the HGVC trained RCI Vacation Guides you spoke with were not able to explain this situation.
> 
> ...



To follow up on the response from HGVC; HGVC made sure I was able to talk to a executive at RCI to be better informed for the remaining questions I had. I had a pretty lengthy phone discussion with the RCI executive about how the HGVC program works with RCI. The following points were confirmed:

RCI does perform filtering of some resorts for the HGVC RCI program
This filtering may sometimes be 'aggressive' and will sometimes filter out Gold Crown resorts (a definite flaw)
*Any resort, including the filtered resorts, are available to HGVC members by calling HGVC RCI and requesting availability*
The 'Last Call' vacations may also be filtered, but calling HGVC will provide full access
Additionally, it was pointed out that 'vacation getaways' are also available to HGVC members! This is an option that does not show up on the HGVC RCI website, but is available by calling HGVC RCI.
HGVC owners have full access to ALL of RCI's availability
I certainly felt much better about this whole problem after discussing this with the HGVC executive as well as the HGVC RCI executive. All of my question were answered and the whole thing was very professional. It restored my confidence in HGVC.

However, I would imagine by now everyone would have to be asking themselves; If all of the above bullets are true, why did this problem ever occur to begin with?? And that is exactly the question I posed to the HGVC RCI executive. Her answer; "Unfortunately, that is an additional training opportunity for us". We made 2 separate phone calls to HGVC RCI for this exact reason, trying to ensure what we were being told was correct. We considered it unlikely that two different people would be so uninformed. Unfortunately, that seems to be exactly what happened. HGVC RCI has to better train their phone counselors about this filtering and how to respond to callers with this problem. This seems to be the root cause of the whole situation and something that HGVC and HGVC RCI have to address.

We have not made any follow up phone calls to HGVC RCI to see if any of this training has taken place. That will certainly be done in the future. However, at least at this point, if any problem is encountered, I know what is supposed to happen and will ensure that I press the counselor to find someone who is better trained!

I want to thank all of you for your support throughout this investigation, in particular; talent312 and alwaysonvac who provided the invaluable contact help.


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## tschwa2 (Feb 19, 2018)

I would call and ask about the specific resort you are interested in again. I still think the filtering in your case might have been unintentional and both RCI and HGVC are unaware or refusing to acknowledge that it happens.  
They are telling you how the system is supposed to work.  I do believe that is the case.  But what they may be failing to acknowledge is the system doesn't always work the way it supposed to work.  The question is can they book that resort for you.  If so maybe it was just a part of their quality filtering system.


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## SHG (Feb 19, 2018)

tschwa2 said:


> I would call and ask about the specific resort you are interested in again. I still think the filtering in your case might have been unintentional and both RCI and HGVC are unaware or refusing to acknowledge that it happens.
> They are telling you how the system is supposed to work.  I do believe that is the case.  But what they may be failing to acknowledge is the system doesn't always work the way it supposed to work.  The question is can they book that resort for you.  If so maybe it was just a part of their quality filtering system.


Your concerns are valid, but in fact I went over these details with the HGVC RCI exec. She was even familiar with the specific resorts I pointed out and was a little surprised these were filtered. That is why she made the comment about the filtering sometimes taking out things that it should not. I also made this point with the HGVC exec. She accepted that point and was going to take it up with her upcoming exec meeting with RCI.

So yes, it makes no sense why any Gold Crown resort should be filtered. Just like it makes no sense that we should call 2 separate times and encounter counselors who had no idea of this problem. There are absolutely some problems that HGVC/HGVC RCI have to work out. I hope that my interaction with these 2 execs has gotten the ball rolling on the much needed corrective actions.


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## CalGalTraveler (Feb 19, 2018)

I very much appreciate your follow up on this.

So when we search the 'full' "Resort Directory" (not searching for availability) on the RCI site through the HGVC portal, is that filtered too? or is that the full unfiltered RCI directory?

i.e. this directory is accessed via the drop-down under "RCI Exchange Reservations" on the top right of the screen when you enter via the HGVC portal.


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## SHG (Feb 19, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> I very much appreciate your follow up on this.
> 
> So when we search the 'full' "Resort Directory" (not searching for availability) on the RCI site through the HGVC portal, is that filtered too? or is that the full unfiltered RCI directory?
> 
> i.e. this directory is accessed via the drop-down under "RCI Exchange Reservations" on the top right of the screen when you enter via the HGVC portal.


The RCI directory is UNFILTERED. This is verified because if you access RCI through your HGVC portal or by going to rci.com directly, and look at the RCI directory, in both cases the directory is the same! So, you can always see the full directory. You just have to call HGVC RCI if you are interested in something that is not readily available....

I will make one other point. The HGVC RCI exec pointed out that you can use the chat feature when doing your RCI search. These counselors are also supposed to be able to help you. And this can be done while you are on line doing your searching...


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## CalGalTraveler (Feb 19, 2018)

Thanks @SHG for clarifying. This makes my life easier.


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## alwysonvac (Feb 21, 2018)

Thanks for the update.


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## CalGalTraveler (Feb 21, 2018)

One more clarification: If I find a resort in the RCI directory and then click on "Available Units."  Will that show all available units? or will that availability be filtered because I am searching via the HGVC portal?


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## tschwa2 (Feb 21, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> One more clarification: If I find a resort in the RCI directory and then click on "Available Units."  Will that show all available units? or will that availability be filtered because I am searching via the HGVC portal?


It will be filtered.  Resorts that HGVC considers not good enough will not show as available to you.


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## SHG (Feb 21, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> One more clarification: If I find a resort in the RCI directory and then click on "Available Units."  Will that show all available units? or will that availability be filtered because I am searching via the HGVC portal?


Cal Gal, it will NOT be filtered. If you are able to see the resort and availability, it is not filtered. The filtering eliminates these lesser resorts so you will not be able to see them.


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## tschwa2 (Feb 21, 2018)

If you are clicking on a particular resort you will either see it or not see it.  If you don't see any available units it may mean there are none or it may be filtered out.  If you see some units available at a particular resort you should see them all, they wouldn't filter out some and not others at a single resort.  There are other factors that may also hold back inventory from your view.  If a resort is 1 in 3 or 4 and you have been within that time you may not see availability even if there is availability.


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## SHG (Feb 21, 2018)

CalGalTraveler said:


> One more clarification: If I find a resort in the RCI directory and then click on "Available Units."  Will that show all available units? or will that availability be filtered because I am searching via the HGVC portal?


OK, after pondering your question for a minute, I can see opportunity for more clarification. When using the directory, you get to see ALL resorts that RCI has to offer. However, when you click for availability, if it shows availability, it will show all of the availability. The problem comes in if it shows no availability. In this case, you will not know if there is no availability because RCI has non available, or because it has been filtered. This is where the problem occurs. The only work around for this is calling HGVC RCI, or try using the chat feature...


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## SHG (Feb 21, 2018)

tschwa2 said:


> If you are clicking on a particular resort you will either see it or not see it.  If you don't see any available units it may mean there are none or it may be filtered out.  If you see some units available at a particular resort you should see them all, they wouldn't filter out some and not others at a single resort.  There are other factors that may also hold back inventory from your view.  If a resort is 1 in 3 or 4 and you have been within that time you may not see availability even if there is availability.


tschwa2 and I are now on the same page....


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## Talent312 (Feb 21, 2018)

I was about the chastise SHG for missing the obvious, when he caught it.

So... If a resort doesn't appear in a standard search, but is in the Directory...
The only way to know if it's available will be to call, but don't take "no" for an answer.
The CS rep may not "see" it either. You may have to ask them to contact RCI about it.
.


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## tschwa2 (Feb 21, 2018)

or you can compare yourself if you have a non HGVC RCI account or you can ask on TUG for someone to check.


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## CalGalTraveler (Feb 21, 2018)

Thanks all.  Argghhh...I hate having to call for this and for available getaways. Very inefficient use of time.


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## knagel (Feb 21, 2018)

SHG said:


> OK, after pondering your question for a minute, I can see opportunity for more clarification. When using the directory, you get to see ALL resorts that RCI has to offer. However, when you click for availability, if it shows availability, it will show all of the availability. The problem comes in if it shows no availability. In this case, you will not know if there is no availability because RCI has non available, or because it has been filtered. This is where the problem occurs. The only work around for this is calling HGVC RCI, or *try using the chat feature*...



Where is the chat feature in the RCI portal?  I'm logged in right now and do not see where there is a chat feature


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## Mosescan (Feb 21, 2018)

knagel said:


> Where is the chat feature in the RCI portal?  I'm logged in right now and do not see where there is a chat feature


I think when I was on the other night I saw a little box come up on my screen to the right that said chat. I’ll confirm after I have the kids in bed! Lol!


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## SHG (Feb 22, 2018)

knagel said:


> Where is the chat feature in the RCI portal?  I'm logged in right now and do not see where there is a chat feature


I have confirmed that there is a little tab that to the right (see the graphic). However, note that this feature is only available during business hours, which does not include night time..... I have never used this feature so this might be a great item for someone to use and report back on....


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## Mosescan (Feb 22, 2018)

SHG said:


> I have confirmed that there is a little tab that to the right (see the graphic). However, note that this feature is only available during business hours, which does not include night time..... I have never used this feature so this might be a great item for someone to use and report back on....


Lol! By the time I had the kids in bed and went online to confirm it was there I couldn’t find it. I suspected it was only during business hours. Glad to see that confirmed.


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## CalGalTraveler (Feb 22, 2018)

Glad to know about the chat.  Hopefully that should save some time instead of calling.


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