# !!!No exchanges in Orlando for Summer 08???!!!



## ctjuan (Nov 6, 2007)

A couple of hours ago I got off the phone w/ RCI who basically told me that my 2br SA week which I just extended for a year-cannot pull anything but a studio.

I insisted there was something wrong, and he checked and said "my 2br South Africa week was a weak trader and small in unit size, so all I can pull up on my screens are studios."  

Right now I feel pretty silly that RCI would take my $198 to extend the week-to have it sit there and not be able to pull ANYTHING AT ALL eight months out, in a saturated market like Orlando/Kissimmee Florida.  Do I have to settle for this, or is there some sort of procedure/plan of action in dealing w/ RCI and getting my money's worth?


----------



## dougp26364 (Nov 6, 2007)

ctjuan said:


> A couple of hours ago I got off the phone w/ RCI who basically told me that my 2br SA week which I just extended for a year-cannot pull anything but a studio.
> 
> I insisted there was something wrong, and he checked and said "my 2br South Africa week was a weak trader and small in unit size, so all I can pull up on my screens are studios."
> 
> Right now I feel pretty silly that RCI would take my $198 to extend the week-to have it sit there and not be able to pull ANYTHING AT ALL eight months out, in a saturated market like Orlando/Kissimmee Florida.  Do I have to settle for this, or is there some sort of procedure/plan of action in dealing w/ RCI and getting my money's worth?



You think RCI taking you're money and offering nothing in return is something they wouldn't do in a heart beat? RCI over the last couple of years hasn't exactly been timeshare owner friendly judging from the posts I've seen.

On the other hand, I think the cheap SA weeks game played out a couple of years ago. It seems to me that SA owners were dumping their weeks because RCI was onto the buy for $100 with low MF's and exchange into resorts that cost thousands with MF's closer to $1,000 than not anymore. From reading these threads I was under the impression that the exchange power of the SA week had dropped into the extremely poor catagory with many people selling out.

But then again my memory ain't what it use to be.


----------



## Mel (Nov 6, 2007)

There are plenty of resorts with 2BR units available next summer.  It really is a matter of your trade power.  The South African units were great traders a few years ago, but once the cat was let out of the bag, RCI caught on, and reduced the trade power.  Many believe the original trade power was artificially high to begin with, and the value of the Rand helped build the value in those weeks.  I believe a few of the SA resorts still maintain good trade power, but still not at the level of a few years ago.

This is yet another reason to buy in an area you would use yourself.  While Orlando may be overbuilt, summer exchanges are harder to get, and not everything can trade in.


----------



## sfwilshire (Nov 6, 2007)

I would just wait until the 45 day window and reserve then if nothing has shown up prior. Or better yet, start an ongoing search for the size you need and several acceptable resorts. There is always something available in Orlando. We had no problem getting OLCC for the 4th of July a few years ago. I don't think you're likely to get stuck without any options.

Sheila


----------



## cr4909 (Nov 6, 2007)

sfwilshire said:


> I would just wait until the 45 day window and reserve then if nothing has shown up prior. Or better yet, start an ongoing search for the size you need and several acceptable resorts. There is always something available in Orlando.




Can you search online?  I find it very hard to believe that even the lowest dog of the dog traders cannot pull 1 BD or better in Orlando.  I just checked with 2 SA traders for availaiblity starting 06/15/08.  One is a decent trader and one is a dog.  And even the dog trader pulled several 1 BD GC resorts (like Vacation Village, etc.).  True, it couldn't pull the OLCC and HGVC's but it pulled some decent places.

However, I agree with the 45-day window.  If you're willing to wait it out close to check-in time, you should be able to easily nab a HGVC or similar with no problem, as all the trading power nonsense is lifted in this timeframe.


----------



## funtime (Nov 6, 2007)

Look at it this way -- if the RCI employee can convince you to take the studio he gets an immediate credit for an exchange -- why not try to beat you down?  I agreed to a trade a little too fast the last time I talked to an RCI rep.  My thought was that if I changed my mind I could always revoke in 24 hours.  However, life intervened and it was a couple of days before I thought of that trade again.  It all worked out in the end but it made me realize the self interested nature of the counselor to get the exchange done now at any cost.  If he had had a one bedroom he would have pushed that at you.  I say, put in a request and wait in line.


----------



## JLB (Nov 6, 2007)

I agree with everyone, but still, even the doggiest trader has always gotten something decent in Orlando.

SA owners have never reported something like this before, so I'm guessing something is amiss.  My guess is it has something to do with the Guide.   

For the 10 weeks starting 6/14/08, with a good trader I see:  

A Total of 40 Resorts were found for FLORIDA/FLORIDA: ORLANDO AREA 

Only five of them are showing studios, and each of them have larger units too.  I am seeing several very nice Gold Crowns and several with 3 bedroom units.

With a not-so-good trader, which I can only search starting 7/1/08, for 8 weeks I am seeing:

A Total of 30 Resorts were found for FLORIDA/FLORIDA: ORLANDO AREA 

Not that much difference considering I did not search June at all.  In the second search only two of the resorts had studios, with each of them also having larger units.  The weaker trader does not see the 3-bedroom units at the Gold Crowns, but it does see two bedroom units at OLCC, Polynesian Isles, Orlando International, and Vistana.  I am seeing 3-bedroom units at a couple of lesser resorts.

Frankly, I believe you got lied to.

Like someone suggested, the only way to be certain is to search for yourself, online, and not rely on someone hired off the street and told what to say in a training class.


----------



## philsfan (Nov 6, 2007)

My really bad trader still comes up with twelve resorts that have one bedroom or larger units in Orlando/Kissimmee with check-in dates between 6/20 and 8/17.  Was your SA deposit a late deposit?


----------



## timeos2 (Nov 6, 2007)

*The gravy boat is empty.*



Mel said:


> There are plenty of resorts with 2BR units available next summer.  It really is a matter of your trade power.  The South African units were great traders a few years ago, but once the cat was let out of the bag, RCI caught on, and reduced the trade power.  Many believe the original trade power was artificially high to begin with, and the value of the Rand helped build the value in those weeks.  I believe a few of the SA resorts still maintain good trade power, but still not at the level of a few years ago.
> 
> This is yet another reason to buy in an area you would use yourself.  While Orlando may be overbuilt, summer exchanges are harder to get, and not everything can trade in.



The days of using a cheap unit to trade into a better area/unit/time are over. The trade power was wrong for SA in addition to a general tightening of like for like trades. 

As Mel says - don't buy a week to trade - buy to use.  Then the trade power, rentals, rising exchange fees doesn't matter as you'll be happily using your time.


----------



## janapur (Nov 6, 2007)

I am also able to pull decent exchanges with my super dog (a last minute cancellation which was already a poor trader.)

The ease of Orlando exchanges was why we kept our dogs - at least while the kids are still young.

Jana


----------



## philemer (Nov 6, 2007)

ctjuan said:


> A couple of hours ago I got off the phone w/ RCI who basically told me that my 2br SA week which I just extended for a year-cannot pull anything but a studio.



Start an "ongoing search" with RCI and you'll get a 1 or 2BR unit for sure. Do your search online, for a 1BR unit, and when you get no "hits" start an ongoing search.  You can still search/play with this week but you will have to pay the exchange fee upfront.

Phil


----------



## rickandcindy23 (Nov 6, 2007)

janapur said:


> I am also able to pull decent exchanges with my super dog (a last minute cancellation which was already a poor trader.)
> 
> The ease of Orlando exchanges was why we kept our dogs - at least while the kids are still young.
> 
> Jana



I agree 100%.  There is no reason to EVER own Orlando.  The fees are pretty high, so why buy there?  

We also keep our blue weeks for this reason as well.  We do get our exchanges into Orlando.  Our two bedroom blue week sees summer two bedrooms, at Gold Crown resorts.  

Also, five months out is the magical time to search, when more of the resorts are putting those prime summer weeks into RCI bulk banks that owners don't reserve.


----------



## Pat H (Nov 6, 2007)

My 1 Bdr Dik is still doing pretty well. Just got a 3 BDR Gold Crown in HH for President's Week. Maybe not that hard but still good. I have an ongoing search for next summer for HH, SW FL, Jersey Shore. I've had several matches for 2 & 3 Bdr that were very nice resorts but the dates didn't work for me. I can't complain.


----------



## neash (Nov 7, 2007)

A friend has a dikhololo week. When I search through her RCI account I get HGVC (both), OLCC, Summer Bay and a whole bunch of others (2-3 BR) for the week of June 28 (July 4th week), but when I search using my own summit at massanutten (summer week), I do not see any of these. I only see a few no name resorts.
So my thought is, even if I enter an ongoing search, they will not fulfill it because according to their system, my trader is not good enough.:annoyed:


----------



## abc31 (Nov 7, 2007)

neash said:


> So my thought is, even if I enter an ongoing search, they will not fulfill it because according to their system, my trader is not good enough.:annoyed:




Well, you have nothing to lose, so why not give it a try and see what happens?  Those reps really do try to convince you to accept what they want you to.  Last time I exchanged into Orlando (with another Orlando property), the rep tried to get me to accept a resort with no rating.  He said that I was being too picky and that I would end up with nothing.  I didn't listen and put in an ongoing request for what I wanted and I got a 2 bedroom HGVC for Thanksgiving week.


----------



## Carolinian (Nov 7, 2007)

What a week costs to buy or what the m/f is has not the slightest thing to do with exchanging.  If it did the poor sap that paid developer prices on a low blue week would have more trade power than a savvy eBay buyer who picked up a prime high season week in a high demand/ low supply area at a favorable price.  Such a system would be nonsense.

If you look at the availibility tables in the European version of the RCI directory, South Africa has a MUCH better supply/demand curve than Orlando.  Looking at the real driver of trade power, supply and demand a trade of an SA week into Orlando is usually a trade DOWN not up!

SA did well for two reasons.  One was exchange rates, which was what made purchased price and m/f low.  With the dollar in the toilet, that has now flipped.  The other was relatively low supply, but the discovery of the trade value caused more supply to pour into the exchange system from overseas buyers leading to a change in market factors.  Even with that change, though, SA's supply/demand curve knocks the socks off of Orlando.





dougp26364 said:


> You think RCI taking you're money and offering nothing in return is something they wouldn't do in a heart beat? RCI over the last couple of years hasn't exactly been timeshare owner friendly judging from the posts I've seen.
> 
> On the other hand, I think the cheap SA weeks game played out a couple of years ago. It seems to me that SA owners were dumping their weeks because RCI was onto the buy for $100 with low MF's and exchange into resorts that cost thousands with MF's closer to $1,000 than not anymore. From reading these threads I was under the impression that the exchange power of the SA week had dropped into the extremely poor catagory with many people selling out.
> 
> But then again my memory ain't what it use to be.


----------



## laura1957 (Nov 7, 2007)

my 2 bedroom at Massanutten pulls up 20 different 2 bedrooms in Orlando for July-August 2008


----------



## ctjuan (Nov 7, 2007)

Thank you all for you insight and encouragement.
I will follow your advice (and common sense) and wait for the right exchange to pop up on the date I need and want w/ an ongoing search.

By the way, I don't think a studio was going to hold 2 adults and 3 teens.


----------



## neash (Nov 7, 2007)

I'm looking only for week of june 28


----------



## king1 (Nov 7, 2007)

My worst dog pulls 29 choices for Orlando all summer 08.  There's a 2BR at Vistana on 6-15 and 8-01,03,17, and several 2BR dates at Orange Lake.  Can you do an online search?  Calling RCI is the very last resort for me, and  almost always results in some kind of "mistake".


----------



## bnoble (Nov 7, 2007)

The advantage of an ongoing search is that if there is even a minor, temporary blip in supply or demand that pushes your week "over the edge" in terms of trading power, you'll catch it.

The worse the trade power, the more important this is.  Yes, you loan RCI the exchange fee interest-free for a while, but even if you're a whiz-bang investor, the lost opportunity cost isn't going to amount to more than a couple of cups of overpriced Starbucks.


----------



## ctjuan (Nov 7, 2007)

*Does my SA dog have mange?*

This is my SA dog I'm searching with, it's not pretty, but...you all know there are some mange dogs in Orlando/Kissimmee as well.

Bothania Hills is situated approximately 21km from Naboomspruit. This resort has a heated swimming pool, a cold watwe pools a nd a kiddies pool, a minature golf course and a roller skating rink. An entertainme nt programme is organised in peak season. There is a game farm 10 km away. Horse r iding is available across the raod from th e resort. 

After reading that description, who wouldn't want to vacation near Naboomspruit?


----------



## ctjuan (Nov 7, 2007)

*Results of todays online search...*

Ongoing Search 
No results were found for your search criteria. If you like, you may also save your search options as an Ongoing Search to continually check for availability. 

Below are some helpful hints on fine tuning your search so that you may be more successful in finding the vacation you are looking for!  - view  

Search Criteria Destination1 FLORIDA  
Check-in Date(s) 06/07/2008 - 08/16/2008 
Destination2  VIRGINIA: SHENANDOAH MOUNTAINS  
Check-in Date(s)  06/07/2008 - 08/16/2008  
Number of Travelers  6  
Minimum Unit Size  2 Bedroom  
Handicap Accessible  NO


----------



## ctjuan (Nov 7, 2007)

*Mangee Dog pulls 53 exchanges*

Here are the results for the next 10 weeks in Hawaii and Myrtle Beach:

A Total of 53 Resorts were found for SOUTHEAST U.S./SOUTH CAROLINA: MYRTLE BEACH AREA; PACIFIC COAST AND HAWAII/HAWAII    
Displaying 51 - 53 of 53  
 9 in HI, the rest in S.C.--maybe I should vacation now...a week in Hawaii might help lower my blood pressure .

It must be true then, that once you get within 45 days...trade value disappears and just about any wish might come true!


----------



## frenchieinme (Nov 7, 2007)

*Just wondering here...*



rickandcindy23 said:


> I agree 100%.  There is no reason to EVER own Orlando.  The fees are pretty high, so why buy there?
> 
> .



How about for the following reason---we own 4BR/4BA lockout units which when you lock off these 3 units we own give us 3 weeks in a 2BR/2BA unit.  We then exchange the 6 weeks of lockout units thru II for $139 per wk = $834.  Add to that the $2700 maint/tax fees for the 3 wks of 4BR/4BA lockout units = $3534 for 9 weeks for a grand total of $392.67 per week to stay in luxury with full kitchens, on the beach overlooking the ocean and then being in the middle of everything in Orlando.  Is that a good reason to EVER own in Orlando?  

frenchieinme


----------



## timeos2 (Nov 7, 2007)

*If you'll take anything when its available then always trading is fine*



frenchieinme said:


> How about for the following reason---we own 4BR/4BA lockout units which when you lock off these 3 units we own give us 3 weeks in a 2BR/2BA unit.  We then exchange the 6 weeks of lockout units thru II for $139 per wk = $834.  Add to that the $2700 maint/tax fees for the 3 wks of 4BR/4BA lockout units = $3534 for 9 weeks for a grand total of $392.67 per week to stay in luxury with full kitchens, on the beach overlooking the ocean and then being in the middle of everything in Orlando.  Is that a good reason to EVER own in Orlando?
> 
> frenchieinme



Of course it is. Just like owning there makes sense if you want to return to the best resorts in the best locations at the best times. You cannot depend on getting those no matter how many resorts are built.  Buying there only to trade in most cases is a poor choice just like it is in any area as trade values and inventory available is never guaranteed. 

While you can get into the area fairly easily and even into some of the grossly overbuilt resorts like Wastegate, OLCC or Vistana in all but the top seasons you cannot get THE resort, unit you want for certain unless you own. Just like any other area.


----------



## london (Nov 7, 2007)

*Orlando Availability*

Where are the 9 weeks from the 4BR lock outs traded into? The low cost of 377.00 per week does make it cost effective, if you trade into desirable resorts.


----------



## JLB (Nov 8, 2007)

A personal experience with the Orlando lockoff idea, which I shared recently in another thread.

Years ago we wanted to_ swap_ our weeks 44 & 45 at Wastegate for something peak summer.  A lady returned my call at 9:00 PM one Sunday evening.  Very pushy and with a thick NE accent.

She offered to take our two weeks back and sell us a big lockoff at Wastegate Lakes.  We only needed to give them $25000 (plus our two weeks). :hysterical: 

So, the purchase price should be figured in to each of your vacations, regardless of how many vacations you get from each week.

Incidentally, the next morning I called Mr. Seagull's personal assistant, and by the end of the next hour I had arranged a swap of 44 & 45 for 28 & 29, for the cost of recording the documents.  Both she and the mortgage administrator were very cooperative.  Amazingly, despite all this time, I remember both of their names,


----------



## ctjuan (Nov 8, 2007)

*Mangee Dog pulls ...*

SA Dog pulls CO/UT ski resorts in early season-13 in all!!!
One rated highly. WOW! 

The Park Regency  (#2489) 
Park City, UT  84060, USA 

Available Unit Size - 1 - 1 
Check-in Date Range - 12/01/2007 - 12/01/2007


----------



## frenchieinme (Nov 9, 2007)

london said:


> Where are the 9 weeks from the 4BR lock outs traded into? The low cost of 377.00 per week does make it cost effective, if you trade into desirable resorts.



The 4 consecutive weeks we exchanged into go for $1400 per week when available.  As mentioned on another post, these do not come up all the time.  One needs to be flexible and be a planner.  These consecutive weeks happen to be for 2009---how's that for planning in advance?  

With our planning and flexibility and ownership of 4BR/4BA (which we bought resale for pennies on the dollar), we have been able to reap and continue to reap terrific timesharing benefits.  One of the items which needs to be taken into consideration here is the fact the 4BR/4BA lockout weeks we own include Presidents' and Daytona 500 weeks along with bike week.  What is left is to sandwich these holdings with value weeks.

frenchieinme


----------



## ctjuan (Nov 9, 2007)

*Just in:Mangee Dog strikes again!!!*

A Total of 41 Resorts were found for FLORIDA/FLORIDA: ORLANDO AREA; BERMUDA / BAHAMAS / CARIBBEAN/CAYMAN ISLANDS    
Displaying 1 - 10 of 41  


Mangee trader pulls 41 2br units in Orlando for the next ten weeks!!! 

ZERO in Grand Cayman


----------



## glenmore (Nov 9, 2007)

I think the timing has something to do with it. I checked with one of my SA timeshares (timeshare A) and I couldn't pull anything for Summer '08 - but with another resort (timeshare B) - I pulled 19 resorts.

I went back to summer '09 with timeshare A and pulled 22 resorts. So, I found out that, in some cases, SA is not good for short notice reservations  - but if you plan well in advance, you can still do pretty well.

We usually book 2 years out and still have a pretty good choice . . .


----------



## philemer (Nov 10, 2007)

Let's continue to keep your "sightings" general in nature. If lists of resorts seen start appearing we'll have to move this thread to the Sightings/Distressed forum. 

Thanks,
Phil


----------



## neash (Nov 16, 2007)

*Got HGVC Seaworld*

  
After I posted here that I do not see anything, I started an ongoing search and guess what, the search pulled up an HGVC Seaworld 2 Br this morning in my account for the July 4th week.
Yippee!!


----------



## timeos2 (Nov 16, 2007)

neash said:


> After I posted here that I do not see anything, I started an ongoing search and guess what, the search pulled up an HGVC Seaworld 2 Br this morning in my account for the July 4th week.
> Yippee!!



Great! I guess RCI doesn't really rent ALL the good deposits after all, huh?


----------



## dougp26364 (Nov 16, 2007)

timeos2 said:


> Great! I guess RCI doesn't really rent ALL the good deposits after all, huh?




With that class action law suit hanging over their heads I guess they have to throw the dogs a bone once in a while.


----------



## timeos2 (Nov 16, 2007)

dougp26364 said:


> With that class action law suit hanging over their heads I guess they have to throw the dogs a bone once in a while.



Other than the fact that they have to write the check to the lawyers each month (no small amount I'm sure!) whats left of that gutted lawsuit most likely isn't even a gnat on a horse to them anymore. They'll just pass the costs along to the members + 15% overhead so even that doesn't really bother them much.  

That whole lawsuit thing turned out, as expected, to be nothing but a money pit with no changes made.  It should be dismissed soon I'd guess as there has been no updates or activity reported since mid-year and even that was mostly cutting the scope even more than it already had been. DOA.


----------



## Blondie (Nov 16, 2007)

I see 30 resorts in Orlando, many 2 to 3 bedroom units, and several very highly rated- all for summer 2008- with my SA week. Perhaps some are just becoming available lately, as the poster above who got HGVC noted.


----------

