In all the years I have done this study, and maintained the various generations of this thread, you may have noticed that I have not drawn any conclusions. I have just stated observations.
I'll depart from that today.
I sense that if RCI is not careful, that if they do not do something, and something big and bold and brash, to restore the faith of their long-time members, and to restore the quality of exchanging to a level it once had, that it may be destined to be a company that only those who cannot do something else with their weeks use. The meaning of that, obviously, is that it will be a place where owners of lessers resorts go to trade for other lesser resorts.
There are so many timeshare chains, point systems, rental options for owned weeks, etc., that owners can use instead of RCI (or II), and the word on the street and on these forums for several years has been to take your weeks and go somewhere else, that it appears that is what is happening.
On the other forum, TennisWalt pointed out the Casa Ybel website, where owners can rent their January weeks for well over $2000. That seems to be a much better option that giving them to an exchange company for a promise to provide a comparable vacation which they no longer seem to be able to do.
I know who knows for sure.