# Where did all of the OLCC RCI inventory go??



## scooooter (Sep 5, 2010)

I just logged on to RCI to look at exchanging my River Island week and there is literally only 3 1 bedroom units showing up between now and 2012.  Our unit was banked over a year in advance.  I called them, thinking I just couldn't see the inventory and they said that was all they had!  

Now, even the west only showed like 12 units available.  What is going on?  I asked her and she had no idea what I was talking about, said they've done nothing differently - "maybe people just aren't banking their units".  

Is there something happening that I am not aware of?  My 1 bedroom at RI has always been able to pull up 2 bedroom units.  Now there are literally NONE in the bank and there are only 3 bedroom units.  Can anyone help?  Does anyone else see more inventory than what I am seeing?  My unit is a 2010 unit that I banked mid 2009.


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## CassieD (Sep 6, 2010)

I went to the sales pitch and they told me that as of Dec 2010 there wont be any inventory in RCI because everyone who has converted to Holiday Inn Club Points will have their unit going there, instead of RCI.  They stressed their will be very limited availability after December.  Now, I imagine that was just a sales pitch to convert to the Holiday Inn Club.  I, for one, did not convert yet and have no intention in doing so. I guess we'll see what happens.


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## bnoble (Sep 6, 2010)

That sounds like a sales "fib" to me.  Unless all those existing owners suddenly decide to convert overnight, inventory isn't going to just dry up.

I saw many hundreds of units across the four sections the other day, though only a handful were at River Island.


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## scooooter (Sep 6, 2010)

There were only 12 banked for the West!  Yet, when I went in to look at "extra vacations", there were over 300 available!  It appears that they are putting their inventory into the extra vacations for the west but for RI there is literally no inventory showing in either.  Again, this week was banked at least a year in advance so there should be plenty of trading power.  I've pulled up 2 bedrooms in the past at RI with this exact same banked week!

I am really stuck because i am certainly not going to bank my river island 1 and 2 bedroom units just to find out that there is no inventory to pick from to go back in at another time.  

I've never seen it like this - we've always been able to pull up plenty of inventory

Also, could it be too that they've made changes where our 1 bedroom at river island is no longer pulling up 2 bedrooms at river island?  It has always allowed me to get a 2 bedroom with our 1 bedroom. 

Any insight into this would be so appreciated.  If you currently have a banked1 or 2 bedroom at RI can you tell me if you can see any inventory? Thank you!


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 6, 2010)

As Brian said, there are hundreds of weeks in RCI right now for all areas of Orange Lake.  201 in the East Village, 202 in the North Village, 386 in the West Village, and 14 in River Island.  

Maybe Orange Lake asked RCI to block current owners from trading in?


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## bnoble (Sep 6, 2010)

> I am really stuck because i am certainly not going to bank my river island 1 and 2 bedroom units just to find out that there is no inventory to pick from to go back in at another time.


There are a lot of nice Orlando resorts.  Unless you're there for the golf, (OLCC is *great* for golf), perhaps you should look at one of the others?  Do you see Bonnet Creek or the Hiltons?


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## Sea Six (Sep 6, 2010)

When I was looking for a trade into the Orlando area this morning, I saw the following at OLCC:

East Village - 47 units
North - 107
River Island - 2
West - 235


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## scooooter (Sep 6, 2010)

Our reason for wanting to be able to get back into River Island is because we have several friends who own in OLCC so we have other friends that we rent one of our units to each year.  It's a great rental opportunity for us.  

I can't pull up Bonnet Creek or the hiltons with RI.  

It's going to irritate me if I can't even pull up RI with my own RI week.  I also have a banked international week from another resort that I can pull up RI with - that is also only showing the 3 units.


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## happybaby (Sep 6, 2010)

I thought that maybe it was me!!!!  
When I would take a peek at my search I would always see 50 resorts in the Orlando area and yesterday only 15!!!!!!!!! 

That's one reason I posted the one Disney in May.  I now see no RI, or East Village at OLCC.  Only a few at West Village and not beyond May 2011.
Just the other day, there were many even for 2012.


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## scooooter (Sep 6, 2010)

Yeah, something is not right.  I have never, ever experienced this problem.  Even searching with a bahamas deposit it will not pull it up.


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## scooooter (Sep 6, 2010)

Ok, now I'm confused!  I just went in to search again on the same banked weeks and it's showing lots of inventory for the North, East and West but still just the same 3 1bedroom units for RI.  Is anyone seeing anything other than just a small handful of 1 bedroom RI units?  Is it possible that my 1 bedroom is no longer pulling 2 bedrooms?


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## matbec (Sep 6, 2010)

FWIW, I just did a search against all my deposits (non-OLCC - I don't have any OLCC units on deposit right now) and am also only seeing 3 1BR units in River Island. Although I am seeing hundreds in all the other villages, ranging from studio to 3BR.


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## MichaelColey (Sep 6, 2010)

I've never seen a lot of River Island units.  I see 4 right now, only one of which (8/17/2012) is 2BR.  I see tons (and always have) for North and East.  I think West has a regional block.


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## scooooter (Sep 6, 2010)

Something is happening where these RI units are disappearing and all I can figure out is that people are converting over to the Holiday Inn Vacation Club and they are not banking them with RCI.  At this point, I am not going to bank my unit for next Nov until I figure out what is going on.  I want to be able to bank one of them and exchange back in there.  I don't want to bank it in there and not be able to do that.


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## 14thMed (Sep 7, 2010)

i can only see 4 studio units total for all of O.L. for March,2011. I am looking to do a internal exchage and was offered only a studio unit,when I called RCI direct.Will be interesting to see how long it takes to make the exchange.   Al


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## scooooter (Sep 15, 2010)

Thank you guys for checking to see what you could see for inventory.  I appreciate it.  Does anyone else have any input on this?  Is it just that people are converting into the go global program and they are NOT banking their River Island weeks but exchanging thru go global??  I am at such a loss with what to do about our week for next year.  Do I deposit it and then be left without the opportunity to go back in to River Island or do I look into the Go Global program? I hate to pay $$ to get into that program, not to mention, I have more trading power in RCI with it as my 1 bedroom allows me to pull up 2 bedrooms.  I don't know what to do.

I know there has never been a ton of inventory for RI but we've seen 2 bedrooms and I could pretty much find one available for sometime around when we wanted to go.  At this point, there is 1 2bedroom and 2 1 bedrooms available thru 2012!


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 15, 2010)

I see 8 two bedroom units right now, and there are two 1 bedroom units.


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## scooooter (Sep 15, 2010)

Cindy, are any of the 2 bedrooms avail before 2012?  I wonder why I can't see them??  I banked my week a year early.  I must be seeing the same 1 bedrooms that you are and you are seeing 7 more 2 bedrooms than I am.


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## Ann-Marie (Sep 15, 2010)

What is OLCC?


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## scooooter (Sep 15, 2010)

Ann-Marie, sorry, it's Orange Lake Country Club in Orlando.


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## bnoble (Sep 15, 2010)

If *only* OLCC/RI is acceptable to you, then RCI Weeks is probably not the way to go.  There seems to be relatively little inventory from that section of OLCC deposited to Weeks.  I can't tell you why, but I can tell you there just isn't much there, and there hasn't really ever been.  The other sections remain plentiful.

I'm not sure what week you own at RI, but it sounds as though it presently doesn't have much in the way of trade power at RCI right now---and that's part of your problem as well.

I think if it were me, I would consider broadening the set of resorts in Orlando I would accept, explorign alternative exchange companies, converting to OLCC's internal point system, or selling this unit and buying something else, possibly in RCI Points.

Edited to add: also, if you haven't yet, you should certainly put an ongoing search in place.


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## scooooter (Sep 15, 2010)

Thank you for the information and suggestions.

Basically, soon after we purchased our unit at river island they started the go global program and gave it away free with the purchase of the unit.  Any of us who purchased our units prior to that have to "buy into" their points program.  I have been quoted anywhere from $2500 to $5000 when I have inquired about this in the past which sounds utterly crazy to me.  The problem, however, is that we purchased the 3 bedroom knowing we could exchange the 1 bedroom in with RCI and we would be able to get a 2 bedroom in exchange.  Friends or family would be able to come the same week that we were there and use it.  We had great luck with this for a couple of years and now it's virtually impossible.  

With them giving the points program to the newer owners for free, there are obviously not that many river island units that were sold outside of the points program but I'd never had a problem finding a unit in the past.  So, I'm left to wonder if I either don't have the trading power on that one week I have banked and maybe I need to bank my nov 2011 week now and see if anything else opens up, or if I need to look at another exchange company or if I should talk to orange lake.  I know if I call olcc they are going to quote me some crazy number to buy into it and I just don't wnat to have to pay it if I can avoid it.  

Maybe I'll just try banking my week for 2011 and will see if that opens anything up??


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## MichaelColey (Sep 15, 2010)

I saw a 3BR RI this morning for next September.  Tried to book it, but someone beat me to it.  I've set up an ongoing search, in case they throw it back.


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## bnoble (Sep 15, 2010)

I'm going to say it more bluntly: Forget what used to be.  It's over.  Done.  The 5/30/09 revaluation appears to be at play here.  Unless we are talking about Thanskgiving, a November 1BR in Orlando, even at OLCC/RI just isn't going to be among the better traders in the universe in the post-5/30 world.

Either broaden your set of acceptable resorts beyond RI, or figure out the right path to get access to it.


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## scooooter (Sep 15, 2010)

Thank you for your bluntness actually!  Truly is appreciate.

I do get that a 1 bedroom in orlando has no trading power, but I assumed that I would at least be able to have enough trading power to get back into the resort I am exchanging on?  (i.e., 1 bedroom river island for a 1 bedroom river island.)  I'm just wondering why there is no inventory?  

I just called orange lake.  $4,995 if I'm interested in converting my unit to points and using their exchange program.     :rofl:


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 15, 2010)

There are lots of OLCC weeks in RCI points, including River Island.  

Perhaps you should keep your week to use, then buy RCI Points (from ebay) to get into River Island, whenever you want.


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## bnoble (Sep 15, 2010)

That's what I'm thinking too.


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## scooooter (Sep 15, 2010)

OOOH!  That's why I LOVE this board, I didn't even know that was possible.  Wow.  Cindy, are the 2 bedrooms you are seeing in weeks or points on rci?

How many points does a 2 bedroom in rci cost to go sometime in, say, november? (i.e., low season?)

I know this is a stupid question, (sorry, I am not at all familiar with points), but if I buy rci points on ebay, how do I deposit them into my rci account? Do they just get transferred there by the seller?  

Thanks so much to both of you for your help!!


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## scooooter (Sep 15, 2010)

Cindy, ,so if I buy points, would they be points that are attached to a specific resort, but can be used to go anywhere?  i.e. would it be just like buying a timeshare week but it's points instead?  So, there would be maintenance to pay, etc?  And, if that is the case, how do I get around the 1 in 4 rule?  Wouldn't I have to buy points to river island?


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 15, 2010)

A 2 bedroom at the North Village is 50K for late November, 66.5K for early November.  There are no RI units left for November.  All of January, 52.5K for RI 2 beds. February, 69.5 for RI 2 beds. April, 2 beds at RI are a whopping 87K points. 2 bedrooms in May go from 52.5K to 69.5K at RI.


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## scooooter (Sep 15, 2010)

Ok, thank you for that info.  So, because I am an owner at river island I won't have the 1 in 4 rule, but I would have to make sure that the unit i purchase with points has enough buying power to pull up river island or if it pulls up olcc it will pull up ri, too?  I would be nervous about then buying a unit that wouldn't be able to pull river island.

Are the 8 river islands you saw earlier from the points or were they in weeks?  I am tempted to bank my nov 2011 1 bedroom at ri to see if that opens anything up.


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## timeos2 (Sep 15, 2010)

*Look for low cost or leased RCI Points*



scooooter said:


> Cindy, ,so if I buy points, would they be points that are attached to a specific resort, but can be used to go anywhere?  i.e. would it be just like buying a timeshare week but it's points instead?  So, there would be maintenance to pay, etc?  And, if that is the case, how do I get around the 1 in 4 rule?  Wouldn't I have to buy points to river island?



Just buy RCI Points at a resort with a good points to fee value and use the points for RI.  No need to pay far too much to base your RCI Points at OLCC as points are points in that system.  Yes, whatever points you buy will have a fee. There was also some 3 year points lease deals floating around for awhile but I don't know if they still exist or not. Thats a great way to go as you only pay a little over maintenance for the points and get to drop it or renew after 3 years. No worries of being stuck with a high cost fee or unwanted ownership down the road.


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## scooooter (Sep 15, 2010)

John, that's an intersting thought on the 3 year points lease deal.  Where do I look into that to see if that is still available?  Thru RCI?.  

Yeah that is my concern, I really don't want to have another timeshare to deal with.  We already have 2, both weeks.


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## rickandcindy23 (Sep 15, 2010)

scooooter said:


> Are the 8 river islands you saw earlier from the points or were they in weeks?  I am tempted to bank my nov 2011 1 bedroom at ri to see if that opens anything up.



Oh, geez!  Don't bank your week with RCI, if you cannot even see your own resort anymore.   You are not the first person who has complained that Orange Lake inventory is gone for Orange Lake owners.  Orange Lake is apparently blocking owners from upgrading through RCI.  It surprises me because that is one of the big selling points to OLCC, but they seem to have taken that away, probably to get you to buy points in their system. 

The 10 weeks I saw earlier were in the Weeks side of RCI.  Weeks, just like you own.  The others were in points (numbers of points required).  It seems pretty clear that the only way you will get River Island is to buy (or lease) RCI Points.  We own a lot of RCI points and consider it the very best way to get the vacations we really want.  I wouldn't hesitate to buy again, but I cannot say that about a lot of the weeks we own now, all because of RCI WEEKS!


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## scooooter (Sep 15, 2010)

How can they possibly block us from exchanging back into there? That doesn't  make any sense.  When I asked the sales representative her only comment was "people must not be banking their weeks", but they ARE if you can see them.  I banked that week a year out and it still won't let me see them.  :annoyed: 

We always bank our week with RCI, always have.  We prebought our membership like 8 years out, lol.  Now we apparently can't use it to get back into our own resort.  I don't understand that.


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## bnoble (Sep 15, 2010)

> if you cannot even see your own resort anymore.


If you read the thread, you'll find that he can see *some* of the RI units.  Just not all.


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## ljane (Sep 16, 2010)

Scooooter,
I also have problems with RCI exchanges with OLCC.  We own 5 weeks at OLCC and always deposit with RCI a year or more in advance.  We own 4/ 2bedroom units and 1/ 3 bedroom unit.  They are June &  4th of July weeks.  I too am having the same problem you have getting back into OLCC with RCI.  

We checked the Holiday Inn Vacation Club Program to change into, but found out it would not benefit us.  In fact we would loose some of our value thru the HIVC points.  So if you are thinking of this be careful.  Our first 2 weeks in June, will not give us enough point value to go back to OLCC in Feb or March.  Also it takes twice as many OLCC points, for every RCI point, if I remember correctly.  Using our 5 weeks in June and July, would not get us back to OLCC for 5 weeks in Feb or March.  So make sure you check everything out if you go to HIVC points.

Finally, No one can tell me RCI is not renting the best of OLCC weeks and offering the left overs to RCI members.

Hopes this help you,
ljane


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## scooooter (Sep 16, 2010)

ljane, sorry to hear you are having the same problem.  Is your problem with River Island or with the other areas of OLCC?  I can see plenty of inventory in the other areas, but of course I get the 1 in 4 rule now because I own at RI and not in the other parts of the resort.      I'm hoping that is not something they will actually excersize because when I bought at River Island it was said that I could trade into ANYWHERE in olcc, not just river island.


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## scooooter (Sep 16, 2010)

oh ps.  I did check into the Go Global (or Holiday Inn vacation Club) and do you know how much it costs to buy into it?  $4995!    :hysterical: 

I tried negotiating, nope.  Their "solution" was that I should purchase another timeshare from them to get into the program for free with that timeshare.  

Yeah....not happening.


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