Coming changes to Weeks / Points crossover grids

[Carolinian]

Resorts received letters a few weeks ago that RCI was revising the grids for Points members to trade into Weeks for those regions not changed a year ago. Such changes are badly needed if any semblance of fairness is to be injected into the system. Prime red weeks are averaged in with pinkish red weeks of much less demand. Prime oceanfront locations are averaged in with flatland inland locations of much less demand. Overaveraging causes prime Weeks inventory to be availible to Points members at bargain basement prices, shortchanging the Weeks system.

My question is = Will RCI's revision of these grids only tweak the numbers a bit while leaving the structure that overaverages intact, like was done last year, or will it make some more fundamental revisions to the structure of the grids to make it fairer, perhaps building on the example of fairer European crossover grid system?

 

[Madge]

Carolinian,

Please see my comments below:

Resorts received letters a few weeks ago that RCI was revising the grids for Points members to trade into Weeks for those regions not changed a year ago. Such changes are badly needed if any semblance of fairness is to be injected into the system. Prime red weeks are averaged in with pinkish red weeks of much less demand. Prime oceanfront locations are averaged in with flatland inland locations of much less demand. Overaveraging causes prime Weeks inventory to be availible to Points members at bargain basement prices, shortchanging the Weeks system.

Points payback to the Weeks system is not in any way determined by the grid values assigned to the individual weeks. Payback uses the same components as Trading Power to provide truly equivalent inventory.

My question is = Will RCI's revision of these grids only tweak the numbers a bit while leaving the structure that overaverages intact, like was done last year, or will it make some more fundamental revisions to the structure of the grids to make it fairer, perhaps building on the example of fairer European crossover grid system?

I am not aware that the U.S. Points system plans to begin assigning point values to non-Points resorts. Although Points members may in some cases receive favorable point requirements for vacations (in other cases the values are less favorable), the inventory behind the points that is paid back to Weeks is based on the inventory itself -- not on the number of points required to reserve it.

 

[Carolinian]

But when specific questions are asked about how this ''magic balancing'' between the systems (term from Sing Li article in Timesharing Today on GPN when it first came out) RCI will not give a full answer, so I have NO faith in this pay back of Weeks being on the up and up. Sorry.

Who cares if marginal inventory may be overvalued by this overaveraging. It is the PRIME inventory that gets put up for Pointers to snatch at bargain basement rates by the current crossover grids.

I am trying to suggest some proactive things RCI could do to make the system fairer, but I take it from your answer that they have no interest in doing so.

If you read the whole thread you refer to below, it shows that RCI is STILL not being fully forthcoming on how these intra-system transfers are done or whether they are fair to Weeks members. Hiding key information is not something that gives Weeks members any confidence at all.

 

[Madge]

But when specific questions are asked about how this ''magic balancing'' between the systems (term from Sing Li article in Timesharing Today on GPN when it first came out) RCI will not give a full answer, so I have NO faith in this pay back of Weeks being on the up and up. Sorry.

Who cares if marginal inventory may be overvalued by this overaveraging. It is the PRIME inventory that gets put up for Pointers to snatch at bargain basement rates by the current crossover grids.

I am trying to suggest some proactive things RCI could do to make the system fairer, but I take it from your answer that they have no interest in doing so.

Carolinian,

I have in fact responded to this issue on TUG many, many times on behalf of RCI. Recently, I answered the question about one-for-one unit payback for Weeks inventory here.

When Weeks units are taken by Points members regardless of the points they used the inventory is paid back in kind.