# Wyndham/RCI desk...lies?



## Carol C (Feb 21, 2010)

Besides getting a vibe like I'm some pariah when I call, the dedicated Wyndham desk people at RCI keep telling me what must be a crock o' lies. Folks on TUG have told me they've used 28K Wyn deposits for red season vacations, even into 2 br units. But the Wyn desk people keep telling me that with a 42K pt deposit I can only get a studio during RCI's white season as an exchange. My deposit is "invisible" and so I can't use it online. I feel like I'm being held hostage by Wyn/RCI and have to pay a higher transaction fee for the privilege. Anyone else getting the brush-off when you call that dept?


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## bnoble (Feb 21, 2010)

Post 5/30, the ability to trade up was cut down quite a bit.  What, exactly, are you trying to get?

That said, the dedicated Wyndham desk at RCI has generally been very competent when I've called.  It helps to ask for specific things, but my experience has been generally quite positive.


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## Joan-OH (Feb 21, 2010)

That's why it's important to get at least ONE visible to search with (preferably a 70K) when trading back into a Wyndham.  I search and hold, then call and ask if one of my lesser deposits will confirm it.

I got a July 19 Smokey Mountain 2 bedroom with a 28K generic and an Easter week 2 bedroom Williamsburg with a 28K.  Both I held with my 70K and then called.

I wasn't sucessful with my Dec 22 Grand Mayan Riviera 2 bedroom.  However, I got that with my 70K (leaving me with NO visibles!   

I don't know if I would ever use my deposits if I didn't have a visible.  I can't imagine calling trying to match up.  At least with a visible you can see if it's there before you call.

Joan-OH


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## alexadeparis (Feb 22, 2010)

I would call back and try again with another person. I've gotten some very good people at the Wyndham desk that were very helpful and some that were morons that knew very little and didn't care at all. Just keep trying. What I have been told is that first priority is season, not size; that being said, I personally have gotten 2 bed reds w 28k blue studio deposits.


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## chellej (Feb 22, 2010)

I got a 2 bedroom Wyndham Smokey mtn in aug using a 28k deposit.


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## Jya-Ning (Feb 23, 2010)

Where are you trying to go?

I know that RCI has some rules that if you deposit a stdio, and want to put it to on-going search, you are not suppose to put request for 2BD only.  You can only put the same BD or anything to on-going search ones.  However, that rule never be forced before.  I don't believe they are forcing it at least last year around Aug.

When they do a manual check for matches, if you have more than 4 people travel, they will look at 2 BD.  Otherwise, they will try to look at the unit size that close to your deposit size.  But if you are looking at resorts only have 2 BD, than they will look at it does not matter how many people travel with you.

Try to talk with different VC maybe is the best way to go at this moment.

Jya-Ning


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## lprstn (Feb 23, 2010)

Don't let them discourage you. I always get the negative comments and I tell them I know what I want and would appreciate it they just put in the search. Then I call back and usually get someone who just answers my questions. It all depends on who you get.

I also check the extra vactions for listings under $400 and ask specifically for those locations. Usually I use my 28K deposits for over populated areas like Florida, space dumps or off-season bookings.


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## bookworm (Feb 23, 2010)

I've gotten some good locations and times with 28K after May 09. I think it helps if you know what you want before 8 - 9 months out and put in an ongoing search and the bulk banking pulls the week.


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## Carol C (Feb 26, 2010)

lprstn said:


> Don't let them discourage you. I always get the negative comments and I tell them I know what I want and would appreciate it they just put in the search.



Au contraire. Today after reaching about the 4th ignorant, insulting person in a row at the RCI/Wyndham desk, I'm encouraged. After releasing my week I had on hold  (I did NOT ask her to do that), I could not then get my week back I'd put on hold. She found another date, "one left", a Sunday check in, same resort...a one br, not a 2 br like what I had on hold. It was a 42K (not 28K) Wyn deposit I have...my first "invisible" one, and I've been getting the run around with every phone call. So this gal decided to release my hold on a 2 br Bonnet Creek (off season but still "red")...in order to see if she could pull it with my invisible Wyn. But she tested my tiger trader "accidentally" releasing the hold! Then for the privilege of her experimental "customer service", she did manage to get back the original 2 br exchange I'd had on hold...using the original week I used online to hold it (not my tiger trader)...and then she proceeded to ask me for $194 to confirm the exchange!  Oh, wait, that's after she said "it will be $258 fee, including vacation protection...what credit card would you like to use?"  I felt like saying "I have a credit card & know where I'd like to stick it if I could reach into the phone lines"...but I kept my cool. I asked to speak to a supervisor...after telling her I had transacted online, was told there it was a $179 fee, and then after almost losing my exchange she has the nerve to ask for $258 and then $194 from me! When I asked for a supervisor, she put me on hold for about 5 min, and I got somebody who answered "Web Support"!  :annoyed: So then I say "I was supposed to be connected to a supervisor of the customer service rep" and am told "I don't know why but they connected you to RCI's website support team"! :deadhorse: 

P.S. If you think I'm discouraged, no I'm not. I'll only become discouraged if folks won't join me in an experiment to get RCI/Wyndham to give us some respect as Wyn points "owners". Yes, I believe there's still "power in numbers", so I have some ideas of a sort of "project" I'd like to organize. I think we should at least be able to force RCI/Wyndham's hand and make them give us all visible deposits when we request visibility. Enough of this "grab bag" system with the RCI/Wyn desk!!! Anyone want to help organize an effort to get some justice out of their borderline abusive system?


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## rickandcindy23 (Feb 26, 2010)

I was charged $189 for my Wyndham exchange, which I had to do over the phone with my generic deposit.  I told her the exchange fee is $179.  She said it was never $179, it's always been $189.  I thought she was wrong.  

What is this crazy stuff, where RCI's Wyndham desk is saying one thing, when another is clearly true.  I don't think Wyndham members should be penalized for having to call in with their generic week deposits to get an exchange.  We should pay the same fee another person would pay who had a visible.


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## donnaval (Feb 26, 2010)

I was told back in September that we now had to pay the call-in fee for exchanges.  The persons I spoke with (regular guide and supervisor) both said that they had extended Wyndham a "courtesy" period whereby the call-in exchanges for generics were the same as reserving online, but that the courtesy period expired September 1.

With all the fee increases, and the lousy Wyndham trade power, these vacations are getting really expensive.  Not to mention annoying when you can't get a visible.

Carol--I'm leaving for a non-timeshare vacation on Monday but when I get back I'll be interested in knowing if I can help with your idea.


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## sandkastle4966 (Feb 27, 2010)

the fee went up several months ago to $189.

if you put something on hold with a visible:

NEVER let them release and try to 'redo' - you (or the VC) needs to confirm, and THEN try to reconfirm on the generic week.  The "new week" needs to be able "pull it" on its own (with a slight leeway.)  It is not released, but somehow in the system - it 'tests' to see if it is strong enough.   VC's cannot "force it".   If you confirm it yourself,  you need to try the reconfirm within 24 hours to get your fee back if you decide to not keep it on the original week.  

be prepared for "it won't".  you need to be using a 'reasonable week' for reconfirms on generics - using a tiger will only frustrate you.   My rule of thumb, is if I am prepared to use my tiger, then try a reconfirm - when it fails, keep it.

I strongly agree with the advice to request (and keep one on hand) a 70k visible. (105k is a bad idea either).   Season has been "the" strongest point, but I am seeing differences between studios and 1 bedroom in terms of raw numbers (basically - a studio will get a 1 bedroom, but only a few 2 bedrooms,  a 1 bedroom will get many more 2 bedrooms)


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## Carol C (Feb 27, 2010)

sandkastle4966 said:


> the fee went up several months ago to $189.
> 
> if you put something on hold with a visible:
> 
> ...



The problem is...I have asked for a visible deposit a few times, and only once did I get one...and that was long ago. It seems they're becoming more and more "invisible". So let me ask you this...how many Wyndham owners who deposit pts with RCI would actually ever PREFER an invisible deposit to a visible one? Are there any benefits at all to an invisible one? It seems to me that the invisible deposit is not even a real week...it's kind of a placemarker, like those "One plus One" placemarkers of bygone days.   Btw...can someone tell me if RCI owns Wyndham or is it the other way around? And is one or both of those entities publicly traded companies? Thanks!


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## timeos2 (Feb 27, 2010)

*Hey, its EASY to make money when you get paid to take free inventory!*



Carol C said:


> The problem is...I have asked for a visible deposit a few times, and only once did I get one...and that was long ago. It seems they're becoming more and more "invisible". So let me ask you this...how many Wyndham owners who deposit pts with RCI would actually ever PREFER an invisible deposit to a visible one? Are there any benefits at all to an invisible one? It seems to me that the invisible deposit is not even a real week...it's kind of a placemarker, like those "One plus One" placemarkers of bygone days.   Btw...can someone tell me if RCI owns Wyndham or is it the other way around? And is one or both of those entities publicly traded companies? Thanks!



Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE:WYN) now owns Group RCI which ominously added "Rentals" to their name - and placed it first with Exchange after.  So it's the RCI Rentals and Exchange program. Where do you suppose the focus of THAT group is?


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## melschey (Feb 27, 2010)

Carol C said:


> can someone tell me if RCI owns Wyndham or is it the other way around? And is one or both of those entities publicly traded companies? Thanks!


Which Wydham are you talking about. The old Cendant  bought RCI,  Fairfield and TrendWest the developer for WorldMark The  Club and then bought Wyndham. Cendant split into four different parts and as I remember the timeshare part was called something like Wyndham World Wide. In my opinion this is still pretty much like the old Cendant with a name change. They then proceeded to put the name Wyndham on about everything they owned. Fairfield became Wyndham Resorts and TrendWest became WorldMark by Wyndham and it has become very confusing. 

As I understand it RCI is owned by Wydham World Wide (the old part of Cendant) and RCI owns no resorts, they just rent and facilitate exchanges.

Wydham World wide ( The old part of Cendant) also owns Wyndham Resorts (the old Fairfield) and WorldMark by Wydham (the old TrendWest). They like to act like the own WorldMark the club but they don’t as that is a not for profit club owned   by its members.


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## bnoble (Feb 27, 2010)

> Are there any benefits at all to an invisible one?


The advantage to a generic is that its trade power is a known quantity---it's averaged across deposits in the system.  A visible week might be better than average, or it might be worse.


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## ausman (Feb 27, 2010)

Carol C said:


> The problem is...I have asked for a visible deposit a few times, and only once did I get one...and that was long ago. It seems they're becoming more and more "invisible". So let me ask you this...how many Wyndham owners who deposit pts with RCI would actually ever PREFER an invisible deposit to a visible one? Are there any benefits at all to an invisible one?



If asking for a visible deposit, then what size did you ask for. If a studio deposit 70K or less there are very few of them in the system and the chances of obtaining one are slim.

I could go into the history past where Wyndham would substitute a larger size to satisfy a request, not happening now, but still expectations have some sort of past memory effect.

You should be asking for a 1BR, preferably a Red 105K point one, and some other combination of 28K and 42K Generic. 

From my perspective, as long as I have a Visible week to search with, I'd prefer the others to be Generic.


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## Carol C (Feb 28, 2010)

Wow, good information everyone. And thanks Mark B for making a cogent argument for invisibility. I've never deposited two at once so never had a visible and an invisible one to play with online. I have only used weeks I "own" outside of Wyndham to shop around and put something on hold...hoping for Wyn-RCI to take the Wyndham instead. And I wasn't looking for the most fantastic, hard to get Wyndhams either. Like I said, my Wyndham generic 42K could only pull a one br with a Sunday check-in at  Bonnet Creek, on a day when there were over 50 Bonnet Creek units seen online for Oct 2010. That's pretty pitiful trade power on a Wyndham generic invisible deposit, imho. So I will continue to dream up a consumer response (no lawsuit!) to this truly bad situation in which RCI-Wyn is harming existing customers' exchange possibilities within an exchange company they themselves own... at a time when they have also disallowed transfers of Wyn pts  between customer accounts & other assorted nonsense on the part of "corporate". I think it's no wonder Wyndham pts contracts go begging on eBay. :annoyed:


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## urple2 (Feb 28, 2010)

> So I will continue to dream up a consumer response (no lawsuit!) to this truly bad situation in which RCI-Wyn is harming existing customers' exchange possibilities within an exchange company they themselves own... at a time when they have also disallowed transfers of Wyn pts between customer accounts & other assorted nonsense on the part of "corporate".



I tried that approach with shooting the best non-complaining,smoozing and informative letter I could conjure up to the VP of Wyndham. I got an immediate reply but it only contained that corporate spin that gave me the impression that these things aren't real important to them and they just don't get it.

Hey,but give it your best shot. Sure can't hurt the current situation.


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## carl2591 (Feb 28, 2010)

urple2 said:


> I tried that approach with shooting the best non-complaining,smoozing and informative letter I could conjure up to the VP of Wyndham. I got an immediate reply but it only contained that corporate spin that gave me the impression that these things aren't real important to them and they just don't get it.
> 
> Hey,but give it your best shot. Sure can't hurt the current situation.



more reason's in my mind  NOT to own Wyndham..  but i remember the old saying "the bigger they are the harder they FALL"   if customer service is not important to them then what is... I guess they want to be a rental company like timeos2 alluded to ..


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## bnoble (Feb 28, 2010)

> That's pretty pitiful trade power on a Wyndham generic invisible deposit, imho.


Perhaps, but you are trading in a mid-season studio---it would be nice if you could trade up substantially, but it's not clear to me that one should expect it.



> this truly bad situation in which RCI-Wyn is harming existing customers' exchange possibilities


This is a very conscious decision on the part of Wyndham's timeshare system.  They deposit only the "leftovers" that they know the owners will not book internally.  As a result, the generics are the average of "leftovers".  Naturally, this doesn't lead to strong trade power.  On the other hand, this makes it easier for owners to book what they want internally.

No single ownership is best for all purposes.  Wyndham works best when used to book internally during prime time.  In RCI, it's very useful for inexpensive access to off-season inventory or over-deposited areas, and can provide a nice effective discount on some of the less-demanded Wyndham properties.  It's particularly useful, as Mark points out, if you can pair some low-point deposits with a visible week to fish with.  The catch-and-release model works very well for last-minute stuff.


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## sandkastle4966 (Mar 1, 2010)

Bonnet Creek is not "an easy trade" - you need at least a 70k, if not a 105k.   It is not following the usual adage of "getting Wyn cheap with deposits".....

Using my fixed weeks - in general, I cannot get a good BC with a pagosa white week - I need to use my "high trader" - don't need the tiger, but the next one down.


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## Jya-Ning (Mar 1, 2010)

Carol C said:


> Are there any benefits at all to an invisible one?



The benefit for Visible deposit is you can search on-line.  And will save you few dollars today.  And help you fishing the inventories

The benefit for generic deposit is you can deposit anytime without need of a real week.  So you can deposit at last day of your use year, consider what will happen if you have to get a really week to deposit.  Plus it has the same trading power if you deposit the same.  The power does not change even if you cancel the exchange.  The visible is depended on what week and when it actually deposit to RCI, which will be pure gambling.

The generic deposit usually is a little bit better than avg trading power.

The problem is that if Wyndham have total 10 deposit, rank from 100 to 0 in trading power, avg. maybe 50.  Throw in some great week, you get avg 60 that is better than avg.  The problem is, most of decent exchange will need 75 trading power, and you have no chance no matter what you do since your generic deposit is fully controlled by RCI, while your visible deposit alougth in some cases is just carp shot, you could find from time to time you can lever the field, anf get better exchange even when they have bad trading power than generic one.

But I would expect that those few exceptions get fixed by RCI, and I would expect the current discount between on-line and call real person goes away.

Jya-Ning


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## urple2 (Mar 1, 2010)

The Wyndham insiders are saying that visible deposits will be the norm around June. (Yes,we heard this last year too). We know the benefits but what are the downfalls if this does happen?


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## Jya-Ning (Mar 1, 2010)

urple2 said:


> The Wyndham insiders are saying that visible deposits will be the norm around June. (Yes,we heard this last year too). We know the benefits but what are the downfalls if this does happen?



Hopefully you are right.  If this just a book entry, than none.  If it require some really week, than it needs to see how Wyndham can manage it.

Jya-Ning


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## sandkastle4966 (Mar 1, 2010)

Visible deposits  or  online searchables......big difference !


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## sandkastle4966 (Mar 1, 2010)

Visible deposits  or  online searchables......big difference !


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## Carol C (Mar 1, 2010)

Thanks everyone! This all gives me a lot to think about. I really appreciate each and every post to this thread.


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