# Vacation Internationale



## Matthewsre (Jan 26, 2013)

Hello, I have recently put down money to purchase a Vacation Internationale timeshare and would like to know if the tactics they are using to sell me their product vs buying on the resale market are true or not.

Vacation Internationale showed me a demo application where it looked like you could book just about any RCI property for a week for about 22 points and that this instant exchange could only be done if I purchased the program directly through them and this does not transfer over if I purchase through a reseller. They flat out told me I could not register with RCI if I purchased from a reseller.

So this makes the 91 points every other year look like 2 weeks a year (4 weeks total) through RCI.

Does anyone know anything in regards to differences of purchasing directly through Vacation Internationale at their presentation vs from a reseller? Is it possible that they have some sort of contract with RCI that they would only be able to offer to direct purchasers?

It is hard to read through what is part of the ridiculous presentation and what is the truth. I have 7 days to decide if I wish to rescind this offer and purchase through a reseller, etc.

Thank you in advance!


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## davidsc111 (Jan 26, 2013)

I would rescind...22 points will only get you lower tier properties...not Disney or HGVC.  Plus you could get any # of resale properties for $.01 plus MF...look at the TUG marketplace.  Don't trust the sales people....


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## Passepartout (Jan 26, 2013)

Matthewsre said:


> Hello, I have recently put down money to purchase a Vacation Internationale timeshare and would like to know if the tactics they are using to sell me their product vs buying on the resale market are true or not.
> 
> Vacation Internationale showed me a demo application where it looked like you could book just about any RCI property for a week for about 22 points and that this instant exchange could only be done if I purchased the program directly through them and this does not transfer over if I purchase through a reseller. They flat out told me I could not register with RCI if I purchased from a reseller.
> 
> ...



I think I'd rescind and buy resale. The 22 points a week bit is BS. That might be for Last Calls and those are best paid cash for at about $250/$300 (depending on size) a week and no points required. All RCI members are eligible for those.

That said, I like VI, and would hold out for a 105 or larger point bundle. 91 won't give you 7 nights in a prime season 1BR in Hawaii or Mexico. For MF, regardless of point bundle size, I think it's $7.28 per point.

Best wishes and welcome to TUG.

Jim


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## T_R_Oglodyte (Jan 26, 2013)

I urge you to rescind, if for no other reason than to be able to take more time to do research before making a decision.

Take a step back and realize that you have two choices in front of you.


Choice 1:
Let your current purchase go through and be locked into that without recourse.​
Choice 2:

Rescind and give yourself the chance to collect more information and decide if you want to reinstitute your current purchase, buy resale, buy something else that will suit your needs better, or decide not to buy a timeshare product at all.​
I think it's easy to opt for choice 2.  If you do research and decide, after taking a balanced and unhurried look at all alternatives, that the original offer made sense, I'm sure that they will be glad to make the same sale on the same terms. But if you look at other options and realize that there is another option that is better for you, you will have saved money and made a better decision.

***

To make a decision you don't need to bother yourself right now with what might be better; you simply need to decide that you would rather keep your options open.

Decide to keep your options by rescinding.


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## Matthewsre (Jan 27, 2013)

Thank you for such wonderful feedback and responses. I did find it strange that no one else on any forums were mentioning this "special exchange privilege".

I actually called RCI directly and spoke with them and the person I spoke with on the phone over there said that this was most likely just a sales pitch.  

I also have been reading through the contract and it states that they are an affiliate with RCI, and does not mention anything about this in regards to transferring. In face here is an actual section regarding the transfer:

"Owner May Transfer: Owners may sell, transfer, assign, gift, bequeath or encumber all or a portion of their
VI Points. Owners may also permit others to use all or part of their VI Points in the same manner that he/she
could use them. The transferee is required to execute an agreement expressly assuming the rights and
responsibilities of a VI Owner."​
One last thing worth sharing is that I found it very hard to find information in regards to historical Maintenance Fees and the sales people told me that they have not changed in the last 5 years... I found a 10 year snapshot on this page that shows on average of the snapshot they are going up annually by 5% (lifetime commitment on these fees sounds a little scary, especially when comparing them to inflation rates):

http://www.viresorts.com/aviawest.html


10 Year VI Assessment History (1999 - 2010)

99/00 
00/01
01/02
02/03
03/04
04/05
05/06
06/07
07/08
08/09
09/10
10/11

Cost per point

4.39
4.81
5.22
5.27
5.39
6.35
6.59
6.90
6.59
6.97
7.03
7.08

That didn't format at all how I was hoping, but I wanted to make sure this data is here if someone really wanted to see it and the site I linked is no longer available.

Thank you again for your responses and if anyone is interested to learn more about my experience let me know!


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## JohnPaul (Jan 27, 2013)

*VI Maintenance Fees*

VI is a good program.

Maintenance fees are made up of two parts - Maintenance and Reserves.

The reserve portion has been going up as VI has been doing a good job of keeping properties updated.  The ongoing maintenance portion has stayed flat for a number of years.

That may or may not matter to you as you have to pay the total but I really believe VI is well run.


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## Kal (Jan 27, 2013)

Just remember, there is almost always a provision in the contract that says the ONLY provisions of ownership are those written in the contract. Which means any verbal statements by the sales huckster have no meaning.

Also, assume you can NEVER sell the timeshare for what you paid at the onset. Especially today when you can buy a timeshare on the resale market for at best 10% of what someone paid (most often pennies).

There are two golden rules:

Rule 1 - NEVER EVER purchase a timeshare from the developer

Rule 2 - See Rule 1


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## daileyad (Jan 27, 2013)

We bought VI last summer and have loved using it so far.  Paid $292 on Ebay including all closing costs.  Once it closed we found out that there was a full year's worth of banked points the previous owner hadn't used so that was a nice bonus as well.  I'm guessing that's a pretty significant price difference from what the developer offered you.


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