Another RCI points complaint

[AwayWeGo]

The Original Tiger Trader.

What is a "tiger trader"?

Click here for an explanation based on TUG folklore.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​

 

[Dottie]

Enjoyed the link Awaywego! However, I think my Dikhololo has gotten alzheimers. It does not remember how to pull up any decent trades. Oh, for the good ol days. Last year I had 2 tiger SA traders. It was unbelievable what they could pull. Same weeks a year later pull zilch. Go figure.

One of the reasons for becoming a points member years ago was to use points for travel. In the early years it was great to use points for airfare. Due to "enhancement" of points, I no longer even call to ask about points and fees required--waste of time. Also car rentals and cruises are not worthwhile. Motels might work if you stay 3 nights or more. I don't. I keep trying so now have renewed my points membership until 2011. After that, if there are no improvements, I expect to keep the resorts I use, sell the rest and give up timeshares in favor of last minute cheap cruises. That will make me a 30 year RCI member so maybe it is time to retire. Good timeshares are now sometimes selling on ebay for $1. By then I may have to pay big bucks to get someone to take them off my hands. Too bad my children finally grew up to become great people. If not, I could just keep the timeshares and will them to the kids as their inheritance.

 

[Sandy]

Dottie,

I feel your pain. I have been a timeshare owner since 1980, so I feel like an old head. Witnessing the many changes of RCI and trading is mind boggling.

On the one hand, I learned the many secrets of weeks trading, including how to buy a "tiger trader" and get the most bank for the buck with points. Now I am confronted with this discussion on how points are really not getting folks what they were promised (points are points are points).....

I did not realize that VEP affected points ownership. I am not sure I fully understand VEP, but I will research this here and learn some more.

Fortunately, I have gotten great trades with my weeks, picked up some fabulous trades once I was in points (by going to look at and "raid" weeks???!!), and continue to be amazed when I look at both and still see differences. What I mean is that I maintain my original weeks account number, so I can search through original weeks, points, and weeks-through-points account. Amazingly, when searching weeks there ARE differences between what I can see when looking at a straight weeks account and when looking at weeks through the points lens.

FWIW

 

[Skinsfan1311]

I usually use points to raid weeks but that is getting much harder to do. That should make many week owners happier. :annoyed:

Yes, it does.

 

[donnaval]

I recently purchased a second points account, because I intend to let my original points account revert to a weeks account.

RCI simply does not give me enough points for that week. It's a good (maybe even baby tiger) trader as a week. But with the points RCI allocates to it, I cannot even book a similar week in a similar resort. So, back to weeks it goes. I bought it resale, for far less than the previous owner paid to convert it to points--now I can understand why they let it go.

I do still want to keep a toehold in points though, so thus the second purchase. This week has an attractive maintenance fee, and the points allocation seems fair for the size and quality of the unit, unlike the allocation for my first points resort.

I, too, have noticed a steep decline in the number of 45-day exchange bargains. That was the only facet of my points ownership that made the current points week viable.

Actually, RCI will be losing my week altogether most likely, since it's a good rental if I want to fuss with renting, and valuable enough that other exchange companies offer bonus weeks for it!

 

[kvp]

Dottie,

Fortunately, I have gotten great trades with my weeks, picked up some fabulous trades once I was in points (by going to look at and "raid" weeks???!!), and continue to be amazed when I look at both and still see differences. What I mean is that I maintain my original weeks account number, so I can search through original weeks, points, and weeks-through-points account. Amazingly, when searching weeks there ARE differences between what I can see when looking at a straight weeks account and when looking at weeks through the points lens.

FWIW

Can you see weeks with your original weeks account number without having a week deposited in RCI? I'm thinking of depositing my week (believe it is a tiger trader) into my new points account. The deal hasn’t closed yet, so I am not yet able to do a points search. Once I have access to the RCI points, you're saying I can search points resorts, weeks through the points account, AND weeks through my original weeks RCI account even if I don’t have a week space banked?

Thanks,

Kathy

 

[Dani]

Can you see weeks with your original weeks account number without having a week deposited in RCI? I'm thinking of depositing my week (believe it is a tiger trader) into my new points account. The deal hasn’t closed yet, so I am not yet able to do a points search. Once I have access to the RCI points, you're saying I can search points resorts, weeks through the points account, AND weeks through my original weeks RCI account even if I don’t have a week space banked?

Thanks,

Kathy

Kathy,

No. Unlike II, RCI does not allow you to search for units in Weeks unless that unit has actually been deposited. If you have a Points account, you can search on the Points side for Points, and you can search Weeks on the Points side, but with the limitations mentioned. You will not be able to search on the Weeks side unless you have a week that is actually deposited in the spacebank on the Weeks side.

As an aside, think long and hard before you deposit a tiger week in Points. Check to see how many points that week will net you on the Points side. It may be that you can get more bang for your buck on the Weeks side. For instance, if a PFD will only net you 50,000 or less Points, you might want to keep it in Weeks. Let's say that you are looking to trade into the Manhattan Club, or somewhere that requires more than that 50,000 points. It is very likely that your tiger trader would have done the trick on the Weeks side. Now that you have convereted it to points, you can no longer pick up that very same week. On the other hand, if the combination of your Points week and a PFD of your tiger week will get you a unit that you can only obtain on the Points side, you might want to do that. In most cases however, IMHO, it is not a good idea to deposit a tiger week on the Points side. PFD is best used for the deposit of weak or mediocre trading units into the Points system.

 

[Cathyb]

Dottie: How do you know that the Weeks availability has diminished? "Resorts no longer qualify...." You are right, I am ecstatic Being just a Weeks owner in RCI, I no longer deposit with them just out of spite that it is a one-way street. Weeks can't use Points but Points can have access to our Weeks. I went to the smaller exchange companies with my business and I had California beach property.

 

[Dottie]

Cathy

As more resorts join points, their weeks are no longer available to us (points members) until the 10 month magic time comes when they become eligible for points members. They are also harder for us to snag since they don't show up online most of the time and we need to call a rep to find them. That is why I said the number of weeks are diminished. I also can understand why that makes you "ecstatic". When they were not "points resorts" weeks we could get them up to 2 years prior by the weeks "raid". Theoretically, this change should improve your situation. I would be interested to know if it has. I have not seen any recent improvement when I search weeks with my weeks resorts. Actually, that seems a little worse too.

When I posted I was searching and not finding a Colorado ski week that fit my needs. I could see it in weeks, but not crossover with points. I wrongly assumed that I did not see it because the resort had gone to points. That turned out not to be the case. I was looking for a late Feb or early March week. (I know it is pretty early, but it did appear in weeks in my weeks membership). My search perameters were starting early in Jan and going until early March. I did not see the week tho I should have because I later searched from late Feb to early March and it did pop up. I guess it is just another RCI programming glitch. I wish you good luck with your trades.

 

[rickandcindy23]

The RCI point side of searches definitely are glitchy. They say it looks for 30 days, but I put in April 1st a few months ago to search for the Shearwater--nothing. Then I thought, "maybe I should put in my desired check-in date," so I did put in the exact date and that is the date that appeared--4/22. I call that glitcy. So now I search every week, which takes way too much time, but I see more stuff.

 

[Sandy]

Can you see weeks with your original weeks account number without having a week deposited in RCI? I'm thinking of depositing my week (believe it is a tiger trader) into my new points account. The deal hasn’t closed yet, so I am not yet able to do a points search. Once I have access to the RCI points, you're saying I can search points resorts, weeks through the points account, AND weeks through my original weeks RCI account even if I don’t have a week space banked?

Thanks,

Kathy

Yes, Kathy,
As to the first question NO - I cannot search without having a deposit to search against in weeks. But as to the second point, that is what I am saying. I have my original weeks account number, dating back 20 years or so. I can search only weeks through this account, and I often see things that are different from searching through the points side of weeks. (or weeks side of points, however you view it.)

Now, in the last 3 years I have a NEW RCI points account number. It is different from my original weeks account number. With this number I can search pure points. Plus I can search the weeks side.

Quite surprisingly, I often see differences between the weeks available from this search when compared to the weeks available when searching with my original weeks account.

Hope this helps.

 

[BillR]

I did not realize that VEP affected points ownership. I am not sure I fully understand VEP, but I will research this here and learn some more. QUOTE

What is VEP?​

 

[lawren2]

You can't see what isn't there. Not with Weeks. Not with Points. Not Points Raiding Weeks. Not getting up at odd hours.

EOM

 

[brucecz]

Vacation Experiance Profile (rating), it is mainly based on the RCI comment cards you were asked to fill out.

Bruce

I did not realize that VEP affected points ownership. I am not sure I fully understand VEP, but I will research this here and learn some more. QUOTE

What is VEP?​

 

[Dani]

I did not realize that VEP affected points ownership. I am not sure I fully understand VEP, but I will research this here and learn some more. QUOTE

What is VEP?​

You might want to check out this recent thread from the Exchange board. It has a very nice explaination. There is also an explaination of VEP on the "Ask RCI FAQ's" which can be found on the "Ask RCI" board:

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=43454

 

[kvp]

Dani, both you and John are correct. The mechanics of how and when you can search are correct. However, what you are seeing is a function of something else. You can't make the kind of comparison you've noted as you're not quite matching apples vs. apples. I'm assuming that in Weeks, you're using a tiger trader, probably with a lower VEP rating so you can see more. On the Points side, RCI assigns you a phantom weeks account (not to be confused with free weeks account that you get from being a Points member) that is used to search. This phantom account has a mid-level VEP rating and probably a mid-level demand trading power (kinda like a FF generic deposit). As such, you're not going to pull the same number of resorts as your Weeks tiger trader.

It's more complicated than I originally realized. I found this out by accident when I booked a week at the Grand Mayan and the confirmation came with an account that was different than my know Points account # or Weeks account #. I don't know if you've ever done an ongoing search with Points, but it doesn't show up anywhere on your Points account that you can see online. You can only do it by calling a VG and they put the search on this phantom account.

I'm confused by this "phantom account." Does anybody know anything else about this? Do all Points members have the same phantom account?

Kathy