# Easy to depost; hard to exchange



## Larry M (Jun 7, 2016)

DAE seems great to use. It's very simple to deposit a fixed week you can't use. When I gave my Wyndham unit is Arkansas back to the association, the effective date was after my paid-for week, so I deposited the week. All it took was a phone call or two and maybe an email.

But when I wanted to find a week in exchange, things were not so easy. Suppose, like us, you wanted a resort that offered a specialty like one of these:

Golf
Tennis
Horseback riding
Kiddie pool
Bicycles and paths
Hot-tub/spa
Lawn bowling
Playground
Miniature golf (putt-putt)
Snorkeling
Clothing-Optional
Oceanfront
Suppose you didn't care where you golfed. Or when. You just wanted a different course. It didn't matter whether you golfed in Texas or South Dakota or anywhere else in the Americas.

You would have to search all 50 states, all the Canadian provinces, and all the Central America and South American countries, then go to the website for each available property to see if golf was an amenity. And then you would have to repeat the searches for each successive week.

If your desired specialty is one of the less popular ones, like horseback or clothing-optional, you could spend days finding a suitable exchange--or any exchange at all--that has the amenity.

This is just wrong. There are surely some people who exchange based on location. But there are surely more who exchange based on amenities. How hard can it be to set up the computer system so the depositor fills out a simple checklist of amenities at the deposited site? And to provide the prospective guest a search function based on a checklist of amenities, optionally filtered by location and date.

If it's a less common amenity like horseback or clothing-optional, the user doesn't want to do a bunch of null searches because of enforced filters. There's no value in frustrating him. What's the harm in showing the user too many results? If DAE doesn't want to disclose its full inventory, then limit the results to the first 50 or 100 hits when a popular amenity is searched.

We're retired--we don't care when we travel. And we have quite a few airline miles--we don't mind going across the country or internationally. But we like some things that aren't offered widely, and DAE is not accommodating us well.

The depositor should also have the option to add amenities (e.g., scuba diving or whale watching) to the checklist and these would automatically be added to the search list presented to every subsequent user seeking to find a unit. Once constructed, the system could be managed with minimal moderation.

I've mentioned this to three or four of the agents in Arizona, but they all blew me off. It seems like no one at DAE is really interested in improving the service they provide. And sadly,  it looks like I will just let the week I deposited with DAE expire.


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## VacationForever (Jun 7, 2016)

I have not come across any exchange companies that provide this sort of search capabilities.  Would it be useful? Sure, however it will involve a redesign of the system, including fields to be indexed.  Also, how do you differentiate between golf on site as opposed to close by?  A resort with ocean front, ocean view and moutain view - there is no guarantee as to which view an exchanger will be assigned - what sort of search result should it display?

I don't see any exchange companies provide this level of search capabilities anytime soon.


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## Ask DAE (Jun 8, 2016)

Thank you for the feedback, Larry. We're always working on improving the user experience with DAE. 
We're working on two things towards this goal:
1. Revised web site - we're currently working on a web site that will be much easier to search for destinations for vacation. It's scheduled for roll out next year.
2. Preference niche marketing - We've just started on a niche marketing initiative to allow members with interests in specific things (such as golfing, wine tasting, etc.) to be able to opt-in to receive marketing specific to that group. In other words, if you opt-in to receive emails about skiing, you might receive an email featuring a ski locations and possibly a special with lift tickets. 
Stay turned that should be coming out soon.

And you can always call our knowledgeable exChange Agents at 800.468.1799 for advice based on your interests.


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## Larry M (Jun 16, 2016)

*Not sure if the improvements will cover this need*



Ask DAE said:


> Thank you for the feedback, Larry. We're always working on improving the user experience with DAE.
> We're working on two things towards this goal:
> 1. Revised web site - we're currently working on a web site that will be much easier to search for destinations for vacation. It's scheduled for roll out next year.



Just destinations--or special interests? DAE currently offers a very fine-grained search for destinations. And also a fine-grained search for time intervals.

But DAE is no help at all if we are open to any destination and any time interval, but want to find our preferred amenity. Will the revised website be better in this regard? Can you explain how?



Ask DAE said:


> 2. Preference niche marketing - We've just started on a niche marketing initiative to allow members with interests in specific things (such as golfing, wine tasting, etc.) to be able to opt-in to receive marketing specific to that group. In other words, if you opt-in to receive emails about skiing, you might receive an email featuring a ski locations and possibly a special with lift tickets.
> Stay turned that should be coming out soon.


Sending me emails about resorts with my preference would be very helpful. I encourage you to do it. But when my deposit credit with DAE is about to expire, I'd like to do a search *right now* and not have to hope I receive an email in time.



Ask DAE said:


> And you can always call our knowledgeable exChange Agents at 800.468.1799 for advice based on your interests.


Unfortunately, they haven't been helpful in this regard. The first thing they ask is "Where do you wish to travel, and when?" and I must respond with specifics to proceed. When I ask for the amenity under these constraints, they respond "Not available" without doing a broader search.

If some agents know how to search for an amenity across all dates and all locations, please send me a private message with contact information so I can contact them and use this credit before it expires.


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## Passepartout (Jun 16, 2016)

WAITAMINUTE! Clothing optional horseback riding!?!?!? This thought may keep me awake tonight. Hope I don't inadvertently book at THAT  resort!  :whoopie:

Jim


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## Larry M (Jun 22, 2016)

*What's wrong with that?*



Passepartout said:


> WAITAMINUTE! Clothing optional horseback riding!?!?!? This thought may keep me awake tonight. Hope I don't inadvertently book at THAT  resort!  :whoopie:
> 
> Jim



What's wrong with that? It's an age-old tradition, dating back to at least the 11th Century when Lady Godiva rode through the streets to lobby her husband, Leofric, Earl of Mercia, for a tax break for the citizens of Coventry.''

Seriously, great vacations involve clothing-optional events like hiking or snorkeling. Don't knock it 'til you've tried it.

Larry


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## VegasBella (Jun 22, 2016)

Larry M said:


> There are surely some people who exchange based on location. But there are surely more who exchange based on amenities.



I actually think most people exchange based on location. Then they compare ratings, amenities, and other factors to decide. I have never booked anywhere purely based on amenities.


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## eschjw (Jun 22, 2016)

VegasBella said:


> I actually think most people exchange based on location. Then they compare ratings, amenities, and other factors to decide. I have never booked anywhere purely based on amenities.



That is the way that I do it also and it has worked fine for me. Do the big boys RCI or II offer the type of fine grained search capabilities requested by Larry?


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## VacationForever (Jun 22, 2016)

eschjw said:


> That is the way that I do it also and it has worked fine for me. Do the big boys RCI or II offer the type of fine grained search capabilities requested by Larry?



See my post above.  Simple answer is NO.


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## eschjw (Jun 25, 2016)

*I guess Larry is SOL when it comes to trading*



sptung said:


> See my post above.  Simple answer is NO.



I didn't think, but had to ask. So, working with any exchange company would be difficult for Larry. 

Just searched for clothing optional on Expedia. I did get 5 hits and 3 of them were for gay men. Larry might like Expedia better for his lodging needs.


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