# HGVC RCI portal does not list ALL RCI weeks available



## levatino (Jun 25, 2011)

Hello all,

This particular aspect of the HGVC/RCI portal drives me crazy, and clearly does not offer transparency (And might beckon Class Action):

I have two RCI accounts, one is an independent account (that I opened and pay for: used for my Sheraton Desert Oasis unit) and the other is my HGVC/RCI portal account.

The generic RCI portal allows me to make a selection and view ALL available units (RCI Platinum units excluded), even if I do not have enough "trading power" to pull them.

When I bring up the HGVC Portal MANY weeks do not show up that are listed in the generic RCI site.  Most frustratingly, the weeks that are held back from the HGVC/RCI portal tend to be the more DESIRED weeks...

For example:
I looked up a resort in Rome, Italy:
*3* units with generic RCI (includes a week in February, April & May 2012), *1* with HGVC (February)

and I looked up resorts at Walt Disney World, Old Key West:
*10 *units on the generic RCI, *9 *weeks on the HGVC/RCI portal

And here is an overview from the Hilton/RCI for units available in Europe:
*315  Resorts (15598  available units)*
Canary Islands   [56]
Central Europe   [32]
France   [7]
Italy   [19]
Mediterranean   [29]
Portugal   [42]
Scandinavia & Finland   [33]
Spain   [50]
United Kingdom & Ireland   [47]

And here is the same from the Generic RCI list of availablility:
*593  Resorts (32004  available units)*
Canary Islands   [9903]
Central Europe   [3177]
France   [405]
Italy   [1236]
Mediterranean   [1524]
Portugal   [3195]
Scandinavia & Finland   [3929]
Spain   [7004]
United Kingdom & Ireland   [1631]

So, 50% of Europe you cannot get into with HGVC.

This bothers me quite a bit for a number of reasons:  

1) When I call HGVC, and IF they are able to pull the unit, I get hit with an extra $20 fee, since I have to have customer service make the reservation (I asked, they wouldn't change the fee). 
2) However, there are times when I have called HGVC and they tell me there is no such unit available.  I insist I can see it with my other RCI account and they tell me, no such inventory exists.  UGGH!
3) Sometimes, when no weeks for the resort are on the HGVC site, the operators have tried to use this line: "That resort is not up to HGVC standards."  However, tell me this while I saw 8 OTHER weeks (less desirable) for the same resort on the HGVC/RCI Portal and the week I wanted (that was on the generic RCI portal) was not. 
4) HGVC supervisors continue to insist that I can pull ANY RCI week with Hilton.  And I know that is not true.  If they told me, your unit cannot pull the unit you want, at least I would not think I am being lied to, or that I am delusional!
5) The system is clearly not transparent to know the actual 'value' of my HGVC deposit.

I just post this for possible new HGVC owners (and current ones) because I think you need to be aware that when you look on that site, there is a world of properties you are not seeing and I don't think that is commonly shared.

Paul


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## brigechols (Jun 25, 2011)

You are not alone. I face the same issue with the Worldmark RCI portal.


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## linsj (Jun 25, 2011)

Many of us have known from the time of buying that Hilton has a quality filter in the RCI portal ostensibly to prevent dissatisfaction with trading down.


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## Talent312 (Jun 25, 2011)

Before the online portal existed, HGVC used to publish its own directory of RCI resorts.  It was limited mostly to Gold+Silver Crowns with a few select HM's thrown in. It was well-known that HGVC steered members to these "quality resorts."

Its not surprising that a vestige of this paternalism remains embedded in their search engine.

That the system shows some weeks available and others not (even if RCI says they are) likely means that a resort is marginal and some sort of demand-variable is being applied. It may also be that HGVC's search engine is not as up to speed RCI's, but maybe its more so.

Either way, if I was spending a lot of $$ to get someplace, I'd have to consider whether:
-- Staying in an "unlisted" resort was important to me; and
-- If a $20 fee is something worth changing plans over.


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## glypnirsgirl (Jun 25, 2011)

This happens to me on the DVC website, too. AND, with DVC, we CANNOT book online, we have to go through the DVC RCI representative.

elaine


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## rickandcindy23 (Jun 25, 2011)

Shell's portal lacks some inventory, too.  For example, the weeks inventory at Manhattan Club does not show all the way to July, as it does in regular weeks.  I don't know why...


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## Remy (Jun 27, 2011)

The nightly reservation system should show all resorts without a filter according to HGVC. If a week isn't showing in the HGVC/RCI while showing in RCI then it is a result of the seasonal variance of their recommendation for that resort. (i.e. it's blistering cold at a beach resort that week so they don't want you to go and hate your life whilst on vacation.)


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## levatino (Jun 28, 2011)

And argument around the "vestige of paternalism" and "quality of the resort" (response 3 & 4) holds no water when certain weeks are listed for the same resort and some are not--and when the weeks are with Disney(!?) it certainly makes no sense.

The "seasonal preference" (response 7) holds no water, in my mind, as in the example posted, *April* in Rome Italy is clearly more desirable than *February*.  Also, I had to call into the phone center when weeks at a resort were posted online during Jan/Feb/March (Hilton RCI) however at the same resort the week I wanted in April was not, but was posted in the generic RCI site.  April in Normandy France is the seasonal preference in this case, I reassure you.


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## Remy (Jun 28, 2011)

levatino said:


> And argument around the "vestige of paternalism" and "quality of the resort" (response 3 & 4) holds no water when certain weeks are listed for the same resort and some are not--and when the weeks are with Disney(!?) it certainly makes no sense.
> 
> The "seasonal preference" (response 7) holds no water, in my mind, as in the example posted, *April* in Rome Italy is clearly more desirable than *February*.  Also, I had to call into the phone center when weeks at a resort were posted online during Jan/Feb/March (Hilton RCI) however at the same resort the week I wanted in April was not, but was posted in the generic RCI site.  April in Normandy France is the seasonal preference in this case, I reassure you.



Maybe they lie to us when we call and really they are holding back the best weeks because the trade value for HGVC isn't high enough during those weeks. Trading one bedroom weeks for two bedroom weeks likely has a tipping point when it comes to resorts that meet or eclipse HGVC in quality.


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## dougp26364 (Jun 28, 2011)

Keep in mind that, what you see with RCI isn't necessarily what's really available. I have read far to many posts over the years about frustration when trying to book weeks via RCI, only to be told that the week isn't really available. I believe the term is phantom inventory.

Perhaps your generic account is showing you that phantom inventory and the HGVC portal is not. Try booking something you see in the generic account and see if it's really there or if it's some of that RCI phantom inventory before being to hard on the HGVC portal.


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## levatino (Jun 28, 2011)

Doug, if it is showing me phantom weeks, I booked them on two occasions.

Paul


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## yumdrey (Jun 29, 2011)

Levatino,
did you compare "nightly reservations" in HGVC/RCI portal and RCI points (independent account) inventory?
Like another tugger said, they should be the same unlike weekly reservations. I always used nightly reservation when I exchange HGVC through RCI. That's when I could see the best availability too.

I have access for both HGVC/RCI and WorldMark/RCI portals, and both have similar problem - couldn't see all weeks at sightings board. Maybe both companies make bulk deposits for owners exchanges and it causes some restriction (such as blended trading power).


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## dougp26364 (Jun 29, 2011)

levatino said:


> Doug, if it is showing me phantom weeks, I booked them on two occasions.
> 
> Paul



If you can book it, then it's not phantom inventory. If it's inventory different than what can be seen through the RCI portal, then I'm out of explanations as to why the generic account can see something the RCI account can't, unless a filter remains even though on chooses the option to see all inventory. 

I can see HGVC continueing to limit what their owners see if they feel the exchange oppportunity will bring complaints about trading down. It's frustrating because I know when I'm trading down I'm taking my chances but, there are those out there who would still complain that it was HGVC's fault and not their own for booking a lower quality resort.


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## levatino (Jun 29, 2011)

When weeks are absent, however other weeks are listed for the SAME resort, the trading down explanation does not make sense.


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## Andythefox (Jul 7, 2011)

I logged into RCI last night through the HGVC portal and noticed for the first time that I have 13,000 points available. My question is, are these points the same HGVC points I have (3,000 leftover from this year, 5,000 for 2012 and 5,000 for 2013) or are these points leftover deposits from the previous owner that I purchased resale from?

I read that RCI can pull points from two years in the future, but with HGVC you can only borrow from next year. If the points are just representative of my HGVC account, how can RCI borrow from 2013, yet HGVC won't allow this? I'm confused.

Thanks for any help,

Andy


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