Dropping II for the Second time. I prefer SFX

[jjking42]

I used to have an II membership and dropped it after never getting the trades I wanted. I had an HGVC Marco island week that traded in II and the best I ever got was trading back in to my home resort. Everything else was shoulder weeks.

With kids in school I needed prime 2 bedroom units in summer and spring break.

I rejoined II after buying a Marriott thinking it would get better. Still hard to get 2 bedroom Units in Prime season unless it is last minute. From Texas we have to fly most places and last minute airfares just don't work out.

I have one more deposit with II. I will let it expire and let my membership expire also.

SFX is the way to go for me. They got me all three weeks I needed this year.

I will still use the Marriott Florida club. But if I need to deposit my Marriott it will go to SFX.

 

[Beefnot]

I used to have an II membership and dropped it after never getting the trades I wanted. I had an HGVC Marco island week that traded in II and the best I ever got was trading back in to my home resort. Everything else was shoulder weeks.

With kids in school I needed prime 2 bedroom units in summer and spring break.

I rejoined II after buying a Marriott thinking it would get better. Still hard to get 2 bedroom Units in Prime season unless it is last minute. From Texas we have to fly most places and last minute airfares just don't work out.

I have one more deposit with II. I will let it expire and let my membership expire also.

SFX is the way to go for me. They got me all three weeks I needed this year.

I will still use the Marriott Florida club. But if I need to deposit my Marriott it will go to SFX.

You couldn't even get what you wanted by placing ongoing requests in II?

 

[Ken555]

School holidays are always very difficult to obtain as a trade. The most value of II and other exchange companies are during a low season. Glad to hear SFX treated you well - I haven't convinced myself to work with them yet as I understand they don't yet have an online search option (there are some horror stories on TUG about SFX...).

 

[eal]

Perhaps you could join SFX (gold membership is free) and then keep an eye on their sell-off list for a "last-minute" condo, i.e. a couple of months out.

 

[Ken555]

Perhaps you could join SFX (gold membership is free) and then keep an eye on their sell-off list for a "last-minute" condo, i.e. a couple of months out.

Fwiw, I get these emails from them and have yet to see any resort listed I'd want to visit.

 

[heathpack]

SFX does have an online search option but you can only search if you have a credit of some sort with them- a deposit or a bonus week.

I dont know how useful the online search is for SFX, I dont think they carry tons of inventory. Their good stuff is I believe matched to ongoing searches and never makes it online. This is true of II of course, but the effect seems much pronounced with SFX.

My take on SFX you like the stuff they specialize in you can do very well- SF, NYC, London, Vino Bello, Wyndhams on the Big Island, Santa Fe, Mexico (esp Grand Mayans), some HGVC, some So Cal, you can do well. If you want to trade a high-end Westin for say a Westin or Marriott on Maui, you are more likely to be disappointed.

H

 

[pacman]

Funny, I've found just the opposite. I've successfully traded within II, but thought I would try out SFX and so made a deposit about a year ago. Still waiting for an exchange to come through. I find the online exchange availability in SFX very very limited. There is consistently more available in II.

pacman

 

[jjking42]

You couldn't even get what you wanted by placing ongoing requests in II?

Not two bedroom units during school holidays. At least not before RCi or SFX came up with something better.

I usually have a search going on with all three and the other two always beat II to the finish line. Maybe if II was my only choice and I waited it out they might have done better.

 

[jjking42]

SFX does have an online search option but you can only search if you have a credit of some sort with them- a deposit or a bonus week.

I dont know how useful the online search is for SFX, I dont think they carry tons of inventory. Their good stuff is I believe matched to ongoing searches and never makes it online. This is true of II of course, but the effect seems much pronounced with SFX.

My take on SFX you like the stuff they specialize in you can do very well- SF, NYC, London, Vino Bello, Wyndhams on the Big Island, Santa Fe, Mexico (esp Grand Mayans), some HGVC, some So Cal, you can do well. If you want to trade a high-end Westin for say a Westin or Marriott on Maui, you are more likely to be disappointed.

H

I like SFX for HGVC, Hawaii, NYC,SF, Las Vegas, and west coast.This year they surprised me with two units during summer break at the Sandestin in Destin Florida. Not a place I would think was there specialty.

I use RCI and Wyndham for east coast and florida, and of course I also have Marriott Florida club.

With SFX being strong out west and RCI/wyndham in the east I cant find an area for II where II is better

 

[heathpack]

Not two bedroom units during school holidays. At least not before RCi or SFX came up with something better.

I usually have a search going on with all three and the other two always beat II to the finish line. Maybe if II was my only choice and I waited it out they might have done better.

Out of curiosity, what were you requesting in II and what did you wind up getting in SFX & RCI?

H

 

[jjluhman]

Anyone have any luck getting Disney's Vero Beach using SFX?? I keep thinking about depositing a week, but keep chickening out.

 

[akp]

SFX

I have been a member of SFX (free) for several years but just made my first deposit.

Because I have the free membership, I can only search 9 months out even tho my deposit is good for 2 years.

Online availability is extremely limited - there are 31 resorts available for my (fairly weak) deposit within the next few months. Into summer and fall, nothing is available online.

The deposit just cleared Thursday, so I haven't set up an ongoing search yet.

Anita

 

[heathpack]

I have been a member of SFX (free) for several years but just made my first deposit.

Because I have the free membership, I can only search 9 months out even tho my deposit is good for 2 years.

Online availability is extremely limited - there are 31 resorts available for my (fairly weak) deposit within the next few months. Into summer and fall, nothing is available online.

The deposit just cleared Thursday, so I haven't set up an ongoing search yet.

Anita

I see 24 properties available for the month of July searching with a bonus week. The original deposit was pretty strong I think.

Of the 24 available properties, 15 are in Mexico, some quite nice (but then again, it is Mexico and July). Two are Hawaii (Big Island & Molokai). One each Palm Springs, Australia, Spain, St. Martin, Santa Fe, Kissimmee, NC Mountains.

I really like the fancy resort type (Hyatt, Marriott, Westin, and the like) timeshares with numerous amenities, and out of the 24 properties available, 4 are resorts that I'd be pretty jazzed to stay at, but none of them in July. I would honestly not be terribly interested in any of the other resorts.

But again as I understand it, the best inventory with SFX never makes it online- it sounds like you intend to set up an exchange request & that is the way to go I think.

H

 

[gnorth16]

Anyone have any luck getting Disney's Vero Beach using SFX?? I keep thinking about depositing a week, but keep chickening out.

I got a DVC Vero Beach exchange, but picked it up through the HGVC RCI portal. I would have prefered getting Sanibel or Captiva with my HGVC points, but they were all booked. Still pretty jazzed about Vero Beach.:whoopie:

With what you own, either rent or do a private exchange.

 

[ScubaKat]

SFX does have an online search option but you can only search if you have a credit of some sort with them- a deposit or a bonus week.

H

I had deposited a week with SFX and don't think I will ever do it again... They offered 5 Lifesyle weeks for my deposit but for those weeks you cannot search on-line as it does not give you on-line credits. I have already exchanged my week so I have no credits to search with so in order to use them I have to call and try to figure out what they have over the phone.. :annoyed:

 

[heathpack]

I had deposited a week with SFX and don't think I will ever do it again... They offered 5 Lifesyle weeks for my deposit but for those weeks you cannot search on-line as it does not give you on-line credits. I have already exchanged my week so I have no credits to search with so in order to use them I have to call and try to figure out what they have over the phone.. :annoyed:

Sorry, I did not know that. I have an old bonus week under the previous program and I can search off that. If you ever need a search PM me and I will be happy to look for you. At least until Dec 15 when my bonus week expires.

H

 

[ScubaKat]

Thanks so much for the offer! We are all booked up this year and haven't seen much in their on-line system when we did have deposit credits to use. I guess we'll call to see if we can figure something out if we do need an extra week.

Sorry, I did not know that. I have an old bonus week under the previous program and I can search off that. If you ever need a search PM me and I will be happy to look for you. At least until Dec 15 when my bonus week expires.

H

 

[PigsDad]

I had deposited a week with SFX and don't think I will ever do it again... They offered 5 Lifesyle weeks for my deposit but for those weeks you cannot search on-line as it does not give you on-line credits. I have already exchanged my week so I have no credits to search with so in order to use them I have to call and try to figure out what they have over the phone.. :annoyed:

I am in the same situation -- cannot search against Lifestyle weeks since I already used up my exchange week. I wish they would do something about that!

However, I call them and requested a ski week with one of my Lifestyle weeks, and they called me back two days later with a 1BR at Grand Timber Lodge in Breckenridge during prime ski season. I am a happy customer, to say the least. Of course I would like to have the online search available, but calling and requesting is working well for me so far.

Kurt