Don't understand RCI math

[nrkh12]

I deposited a week with RCI 18 mo. before travel and they gave me 15 points.
The next day I saw my week in the exchange inventory, if I wanted to book it, it would take 22 points.

How do they get to charge 22 points for a 15 point unit ?
Or should I say how do they get to rip me off 7 points ?

 

[cpnuser]

Where are ALL of the shortdated weeks?

Shortdated weeks are nearly non existant for Hilton Head SC. I still can't figure why RCI cut back on the shortdated weeks from 45 days to 30 days. Under points, the few listed at Hilton Head for February are way more than 7500 points. We were at Island Links the first 2 weeks of Dec., 2011. We used weeks, not points. There were plenty of empty units. When we were at Owners Club in Jan., 2011,(used points) there were also plenty of empty units . Do owners just not turn their weeks in to exchange at RCI? Or does RCI just not make the units available to members doing searches? They certainly aren't renting them, because the units are empty. I realize these times are off season, but if the units are available, they should be listed on their site. Any suggestions on how to see more 7500-9000 point weeks?

 

[Carolinian]

I deposited a week with RCI 18 mo. before travel and they gave me 15 points.
The next day I saw my week in the exchange inventory, if I wanted to book it, it would take 22 points.

How do they get to charge 22 points for a 15 point unit ?
Or should I say how do they get to rip me off 7 points ?

This is the big con in Points Lite. You cannot even trade back into your own unit. This is nothing but flim flam, and one reason I avoid RCI for deposits and am letting my membership run out.

One can certainly expect that over time the value of a week would fluctuate from the ever changing forces of supply and demand. That makes perfect sense. But when at the same point in time they value a week at a significantly different number of points lite depending on whether it is a deposit or a week taken for an exchange is nothing but pure fraud. In an honest system, the week would have the same value at the same point in time no matter which way it went.

And even more maddening, on the other side of the coin, there are resorts, largely in the overbuilt areas, where RCI consistently give more points lite as a deposit credit than they are charging for exchanges into the same week at the same point in time. Some resorts are being systematically underpointed while others are being systematically overpointed.

Welcome to RCI's new numbers racket!!

 

[Carolinian]

Shortdated weeks are nearly non existant for Hilton Head SC. I still can't figure why RCI cut back on the shortdated weeks from 45 days to 30 days. Under points, the few listed at Hilton Head for February are way more than 7500 points. We were at Island Links the first 2 weeks of Dec., 2011. We used weeks, not points. There were plenty of empty units. When we were at Owners Club in Jan., 2011,(used points) there were also plenty of empty units . Do owners just not turn their weeks in to exchange at RCI? Or does RCI just not make the units available to members doing searches? They certainly aren't renting them, because the units are empty. I realize these times are off season, but if the units are available, they should be listed on their site. Any suggestions on how to see more 7500-9000 point weeks?

Look to RCI's various rentals-to-the-public outlets. I suspect you will find them there. That is par for the course these days with Rents Condos Instead

 

[Carol C]

See below: Proof of RCI's rentals of the good stuff to the public for big bucks, while making same inventory UNAVAILABLE to DUES PAYING MEMBERS as exchanges for ANY amount of TPUs during peak summer travel season. I did an exact copy/paste from RCI's website, searching for Wyndhams on Edisto Island...searching for exchanges and extra vacations both at same time. Note...April 2012 vacation caqn be had by me as an exchange for 26 TPUs...then from June til Aug 24 2012 I as a DUES PAYING MEMBER can only RENT from RCI a Wyndham week at the beach on Edisto; no amount of my TPUs can be used for an EXCHANGE to same locale. RCI=Ripoff Crook Idiots!


1 Bedroom 4 (2) Full Sun 08-Apr-2012 Sun 15-Apr-2012 Exchange Fee 26

1 Bedroom 4 (4) Full Sun 03-Jun-2012 Sun 10-Jun-2012 USD 917.99
1 Bedroom 4 (4) Full Sun 08-Jul-2012 Sun 15-Jul-2012 USD 1,097.99
1 Bedroom 4 (4) Full Sun 15-Jul-2012 Sun 22-Jul-2012 USD 1,097.99
1 Bedroom 4 (4) Full Sun 22-Jul-2012 Sun 29-Jul-2012 USD 1,097.99
1 Bedroom 4 (4) Full Sun 29-Jul-2012 Sun 05-Aug-2012 USD 1,097.99

1 Bedroom 4 (2) Full Sun 29-Jul-2012 Sun 05-Aug-2012 USD 1,097.99

1 Bedroom 4 (4) Full Sun 05-Aug-2012 Sun 12-Aug-2012 USD 1,097.99

1 Bedroom 4 (2) Full Fri 10-Aug-2012 Fri 17-Aug-2012 USD 1,097.99
1 Bedroom 4 (4) Full Sun 12-Aug-2012 Sun 19-Aug-2012 USD 1,097.99

2 Bedrooms 6 (6) Full Sun 12-Aug-2012 Sun 19-Aug-2012 USD 1,250.99

1 Bedroom 4 (2) Full Fri 17-Aug-2012 Fri 24-Aug-2012 USD 1,097.99
2 Bedrooms 6 (6) Full Fri 17-Aug-2012 Fri 24-Aug-2012 USD 1,250.99

1 Bedroom 4 (2) Full Sun 19-Aug-2012 Sun 26-Aug-2012 USD 1,097.99

1 Bedroom 4 (4) Full Sun 19-Aug-2012 Sun 26-Aug-2012 USD 1,097.99

2 Bedrooms 8 (8) Full Sun 19-Aug-2012 Sun 26-Aug-2012 USD 1,250.99

2 Bedrooms 8 (4) Full Sun 19-Aug-2012 Sun 26-Aug-2012 USD 1,250.99

2 Bedrooms 6 (6) Full Sun 19-Aug-2012 Sun 26-Aug-2012 USD 1,250.99

1 Bedroom 4 (2) Full Fri 24-Aug-2012 Fri 31-Aug-2012 Exchange Fee 22

2 Bedrooms 8 (4) Full Fri 24-Aug-2012 Fri 31-Aug-2012 Exchange Fee -OR- USD 1,043.99 24

 

[Ridewithme38]

Those weeks you listed aren't available to the public...Only RCI members, while they do rent weeks to the public so they don't lose hundreds of thousands of dollars on weeks that wouldn't otherwise be used...

The weeks you listed aren't those

 

[Carol C]

Those weeks you listed aren't available to the public...Only RCI members, while they do rent weeks to the public so they don't lose hundreds of thousands of dollars on weeks that wouldn't otherwise be used...

The weeks you listed aren't those

How do you know? Did you have time today to research these weeks on RCI's various rental scheme sites, like Endless Vacations, AFVC, GETOP, etc?

 

[Carolinian]

Those weeks you listed aren't available to the public...Only RCI members, while they do rent weeks to the public so they don't lose hundreds of thousands of dollars on weeks that wouldn't otherwise be used...

The weeks you listed aren't those

So, Ride, you attack HOA's as crooked but you think RCI and PCC's are honest?

This same pattern that Carol points out repeats too many places when it comes to RCI.

And you think these summer weeks would otherwise not be used????? Have you been smoking something other than a tobacco product?

 

[stevedmatt]

I never really looked at this before, but I have an HHI week in August that I can't use and just checked the deposit points credit. I can get 23 points maximum for this week for depositing. I decided to see if a week was available to exchange into that same week and unit size. Yes! But it would cost me 47 points! That's sick!

 

[Twinkstarr]

I never really looked at this before, but I have an HHI week in August that I can't use and just checked the deposit points credit. I can get 23 points maximum for this week for depositing. I decided to see if a week was available to exchange into that same week and unit size. Yes! But it would cost me 47 points! That's sick!

That's worse than my MI summer week, I get 27 and it costs 35 to trade into.

 

[melschey]

So, Ride, you attack HOA's as crooked but you think RCI and PCC's are honest?

This same pattern that Carol points out repeats too many places when it comes to RCI.

And you think these summer weeks would otherwise not be used????? Have you been smoking something other than a tobacco product?

Exactly why we didn't renew our RCI (Rent a Condo International) membership.

 

[stevedmatt]

Thank TUG for the rental portal. Listed it on Redweek also. RCI will never see my HHI weeks.

Also just realized it can be rented for $1268.99 through an extra vacation.

 

[nrkh12]

I called RCI and asked about the difference in points. They said it was due to an increase in demand. I questioned how the demand went up so much in just 24 hours. They didn't have an answer.
I then asked if I took my week back and re-deposited it if they would give me the 22 points it's now worth.
They said no - I'd still only get the 15 points, or maybe less. When I asked why, they said it was a complicated formula that operates the exchange system and told me to read my Disclosure Guide if I have any more questions......good bye.

 

[strandlover]

What happens if your unit deposited was booked at a higher TPU level than was deposited?

I thought you always got the upward adjustment if it was booked at a higher value. That's the only thing I can think of when I once got a TPU adjustment of +12

 

[Timeshare Von]

I'm not defending their practices on this because I agree it stinks . . . but . . .

I think there may be some law of averages in play here as they need to get "on average" what they are betting they will get for your week. If they give you 15 TPU for it, there is a good possibility that they may not be able to trade it out until much later, at a lower value.

They set the initial trading value at 22 "now" . . . knowing that it may only fetch 8 later in the year.

Who knows for sure?

 

[timeos2]

This is the big con in Points Lite. You cannot even trade back into your own unit. This is nothing but flim flam, and one reason I avoid RCI for deposits and am letting my membership run out.

As this has been posted now since around 2005 or so ("and am letting my membership run out.") you must have had one of the LONGEST remaining times in RCI known to mankind.

On the other hand I agree that unless you use the discounted - not inflated - rentals offered by RCI there is ZERO reason now to be a "member" of that organization. It is nearly criminal that they can rent for hundreds or thousands inventory they got for free or were even paid a membership fee to take and not one cent of that goes to the owner who pays for the timeshare! Why would anyone give them a week under these self-serving "rules"?

 

[stevedmatt]

I'm not defending their practices on this because I agree it stinks . . . but . . .

I think there may be some law of averages in play here as they need to get "on average" what they are betting they will get for your week. If they give you 15 TPU for it, there is a good possibility that they may not be able to trade it out until much later, at a lower value.

They set the initial trading value at 22 "now" . . . knowing that it may only fetch 8 later in the year.

Who knows for sure?

While I understand your premise, why would they try to get 30-40+ points now if they think they may have to settle for 8? Offer it for what you gave in TPU, get a quick trade and make your $199. If anything, they should be offering more TPU for deposit just to get the week.

 

[blueparrot]

From what I see, RCI does not do this in RCI Points. There the point value stays the same, and it is the same whether depositing or seeking an exchange. Why is it different in RCI Weeks?

 

[Timeshare Von]

While I understand your premise, why would they try to get 30-40+ points now if they think they may have to settle for 8? Offer it for what you gave in TPU, get a quick trade and make your $199. If anything, they should be offering more TPU for deposit just to get the week.

I think it's all about supply & demand and for some places, having your exchange confirmed ASAP even at a higher rate is reason enough to use more TPU.

I've seen some of that with researching UK & Ireland trades. Ireland is especially hard to get, so I was more than happy to use 33 TPU to get a week more than 18 months out. That same week will go for a fraction of that, if it happens to be still available now or even closure to the check-in date.

Hawaii is really skewed when you look at trades with a long lead time, and those last minute. A Hawaii week that you can get "next week" is like 4-7, and yet I'm betting it was probably over 20 or maybe even 30 a year ago.

I don't know for sure, though and have no factual info to base my theory on . . . just an observation and trying to figure it out myself.

 

[Timeshare Von]

From what I see, RCI does not do this in RCI Points. There the point value stays the same, and it is the same whether depositing or seeking an exchange. Why is it different in RCI Weeks?

Admittedly I know little to nothing about RCI points, but when you buy them aren't they at that point assessed their value in the RCI system?

If so, the fact that weeks have no "RCI" value, allows them (RCI) to assign a value to them on whatever arbitrary methodology they wish and change it as they deem beneficial (to RCI).

 

[Ridewithme38]

Isn't this a VERY common practice in all markets? A different Buy rate then Sell rate....Go to 7/11 and ask them how much they will buy a 2ltr bottle of soda from you for...then look on the shelves and see how much they are selling them for...any gold or precious metal exchange will be the same thing...

The thing is there isn't just ONE Supply/Demand curve, there is the Supply/Demand Curve for the Buy rate and a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT Supply/Demand curve for the Sell rate

I don't get why you guys see this as an evil thing...its basicly a fundamental value of capitalism...You guys ARE capitalists, right?

 

[rickandcindy23]

I have seen ski weeks in Colorado change drastically over a year's time. For example, a ski week 51 at my home resort is now valued at 49 for 2013, but for 2011 several months ago, that same week was 59 points. The same value is there for 2012 as 2013 currently, but I expect it to change. I won't deposit my 2013 week until I see the increase.

There has always been a smart time to deposit. It's no secret now, but it was back then. Watch for trends.

I send new Points Lite values frequently to our owners via the newsletter at Val Chatelle. I want them informed as to what values they can get at any given time for their weeks.

 

[Tia]

RCI math is simple -

1 for you and 3 for RCI

2 for you and 6 for RCI

so on and so forth........

 

[timeos2]

RCI math is simple -

1 for you and 3 for RCI

2 for you and 6 for RCI

so on and so forth........

There should be a song written for that. Maybe they could call it "TaxmanRciman".

Let me tell you how trades will be
One blue for you 9 reds for me
If 10 percent appears too small
Just know that we can rent them all
Rciman
If you have a large we'll give you small
If you want some sun there's none at all
In March we have some sand and surf
In summertime we've got no worth
If the fee's too high we just don't care
We make our cash - go you know where
Cause we're Rciman Yeah Rciman
And you're depositing for no one but me

RIP George Harrison.

 

[Ridewithme38]

So, Ride, you attack HOA's as crooked but you think RCI and PCC's are honest?

Now, Honest i wouldn't say...But if we are weighing things on a scale of 'lesser of the two evils' i would definately consider PCC's and RCI less evil them HOA/POA/BOD's