Guest certificates

[bruin1]

Didn't know if I dreamed this or not but every once in awhile does RCI give guest certificates for free instead of $49.00?

 

[AwayWeGo]

Free Guest Certificates For Official "Additional Users."

It turns out 1 fringe benefit of being in RCI Points is that the main member gets to name up to 5 Additional Users -- ours are our 2 sons, our nephew, my brother, & The Chief Of Staff's sister.

The only practical value I am aware of that goes with having official Additional Users on my membership is that I can make reservations for those people & get RCI Guest Certificates for them at no additional charge to anyone.

So far, we've done it that way for our son's & daughter-in-law's & grandson's 2005 pre-Christmas Orlando FL Instant Exchange vacation, & for my brother's springtime 2006 Last Call vacation at Massanutten. Both reservations were for 2BR units at Gold Crown resorts.

I am not aware of anything similar available with regular RCI Weeks membership. If there is, nobody mentioned it when I signed up with RCI Weeks in 2002.

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

 

[cotraveller]

They used to waive the guest certificate fee for reservations made online. For the last reservation I made about 6 weeks ago they charged for the guest certificate.

 

[Carolinian]

Many independent exchange companies, such as DAE, always give free guest certificates.

That is one of the benefits of using an independent.

 

[GKK]

We had to purchase a guest certificate for my son and family, because they were arriving a few hours earlier than us. RCI suggested they wait for us to get there before checking in. They have a 2 year old baby...sure wait in the car until we get there...I don't know why I didn't think of that. Thanks RCI!
GK

 

[2hokies]

We had to purchase a guest certificate for my son and family, because they were arriving a few hours earlier than us. RCI suggested they wait for us to get there before checking in. They have a 2 year old baby...sure wait in the car until we get there...I don't know why I didn't think of that. Thanks RCI!
GK

That sounds ridiculous, since you were going to arrive several hours later. I think I would have argued that one some more (you probably did)!! :annoyed:

 

[JEFF H]

We had to purchase a guest certificate for my son and family, because they were arriving a few hours earlier than us. RCI suggested they wait for us to get there before checking in. They have a 2 year old baby...sure wait in the car until we get there...I don't know why I didn't think of that. Thanks RCI!
GK

In this type of situation all you normally need to do is call the resort direct and let them know your guests will be arriving befor you and ask them if it would be possible to allow them to check-in.
Most resorts will be happy to do this for you without a guest certificate.
RCI is the one that pushes the Guest Certificate for obvious reasons but why pay them the fee when you can call the resort direct and make the arrangements yourself.

 

[GKK]

I did call the resort first ...to let them know the situation
and give them my credit card info for the security. They said I would have to get a guest certificate, that it was RCI policy. I then called RCI , they told me the same thing and reccommended they wait to check in until I arived. Of course in the conversation RCI wanted me to renew my membership....I told them if they gave me a guest certificate I would renew...we all know what the answer to that was. I have sent 5 e-mails to RCI since Mar. 25 letting them know what I think of the situation, but have not received a reply. I bought a certificate one other time when we were not going to be at a resort with them, but I don't even see why we have to do that. My time share is deeded property that I own, I pay my maintenance, I paid the exchange fee, and I feel that unit was mine or anyone elses that I choose to let use it at check in time. I'm surprised RCI doesn't think we should pay THEM a fee when when we invite family and guests to our homes.

 

[happybaby]

I get a guest certificate because it is RCI's policy and guess what The majority of the resorts don't care about the certificate, just show them a confirmation. Yes another way RCI can make money

I did take my husband's name off our account since we travel together and put my d. on the account, but if the other d. travels she has to get the guest certificate. One time I don't purchase it, there may be a problem. Even tho our d.'s are on our deed, RCI only allows 2 names on the account. No I don't expect the whole family to be listed, but your kids.

 

[beejaybee]

Well, after reading this thread I wasn't surprised that I was told by the resort we have reserved in AZ that our friends who would be arriving before us would have to have a guest certificate! It wasn't until the clerk looked up our reservation and saw that it was an exchange that the words guest certificate came up and, of course, she said it was RCI's policy.

The reason for our late arrival was that dh will already be in AZ visiting a buddy before I arrive and he had planned to pick up the rental car and then me from my flight which arrives at 8pm. Hence our later arrival than our friends.

However, we have decided to spend our $50 for an actual service: dh will take the Phoenix-Sedona shuttle and arrive just in time for check in and I will drive the rental car!

Barb

 

[GKK]

Nothing against points but is their a reason, they can have all the extra people on their account and weeks can't.
Do they pay more for their RCI membership?
GK

 

[sfwilshire]

Do they pay more for their RCI membership?

A bit more ($20 a year if memory serves), but I don't think that's the reason. The systems are just set up differently. I think Points can handle more names and Weeks can't. Just a guess, though.

Sheila

 

[rickandcindy23]

That doesn't make sense at all.

We did add our kids to our points membership last year, for the free guest certificates.

We are a little perturbed that RCI has not yet combined our points and weeks memberships into one. I refuse to pay for Guest Certificates on our weeks trades now.

 

[laynemiller]

Hi everyone,
My wife and I realized we couldn't make this weekend's reservation for Park City, but rather than lose it, I called my kids to see if one of them could use it. When we found one, I simply called the resort (Park PLaza) and they switched the reservation for us. Very simple and no $50 fee. I have found many resorts are not as structured as RCI would like us to believe and they are willing to work hard to make their guests happy.
Layne

 

[Gadabout]

A bit more ($20 a year if memory serves), but I don't think that's the reason. The systems are just set up differently. I think Points can handle more names and Weeks can't. Just a guess, though.

Sheila

That's no excuse, their computer system can't be THAT old....

 

[sfwilshire]

We are a little perturbed that RCI has not yet combined our points and weeks memberships into one.

I never saw it suggested anywhere that RCI would/could/had any intention of combining your Weeks account with your Points account. They no longer charge you an annual membership fee for your Weeks account and will give you a free one if you don't already have one, but I don't remember them ever suggesting that there would be any sort of combination.

They are two separate membership types and you follow the rules and get the benefits of each separately. Maybe not the way I would like to see them do it, but that's the way it's set up.

Sheila

 

[Walt]

We had to purchase a guest certificate for my son and family, because they were arriving a few hours earlier than us. RCI suggested they wait for us to get there before checking in. They have a 2 year old baby...sure wait in the car until we get there...I don't know why I didn't think of that. Thanks RCI!
GK

The weeks timeshare developers have pushed the idea of Ownership of a deeded timeshare week for years. This deeded week will go to your children upon your death. Therefore the Family is really the owner of this week. So why should your children have to get a Guest Certificate from RCI?

Walt

 

[Noni]

I suppose they would have to carry around a copy of the will to prove that they will, one day, own it?

I'm sorry, I thought that was funny.

 

[Dave M]

I believe there is actually a simple reason for requiring a guest certificate.

The guest certificate protects both the resort and the person holding the reservation. There are all sorts of reasons why someone other than the person holding the reservation might show up to check in. Suppose I then show up to check in and am told that some people I have never heard of checked in for my reservation, mentioning my name or having called ahead of time using my name to "authorize" them to check in.

Then what? In some states, it's not very easy to evict those improper residents from my unit, potentially leaving me with no place to stay. I'll be mad and I'll hold the resort responsible for allowing an unauthorized family to keep me from my rightful occupancy.

Is such a scenario likely? No. But all it takes is once in today's sue-happy, big-jury-awards climate to make a resort wish they had followed RCI's (or II's) policy on guest certificates.

Many major hotels now require I.D. upon check-in to match (or reasonably match) the name on the reservation. Some hotels accept a credit card in the same name; others require photo I.D. I believe the reasons for requiring such I.D. are the same as for timeshare guest certificates.

 

[AwayWeGo]

RCI Weeks Memberships Free For RCI Points Members?

They no longer charge you an annual membership fee for your Weeks account and will give you a free one if you don't already have one, but I don't remember them ever suggesting that there would be any sort of combination.

Whoa!

If that's really how it is, that's great.

Right now I have a newish RCI Points account running side by side with a semi-old (established 2002) RCI Weeks account that's paid up through 2008.

So if I'm understanding correctly, when 2008 rolls round & my paid-up RCI Weeks membership runs out, RCI Inc. will keep my separate weeks membership going for me, free, as long as I re-up with RCI Points every year. Right?

Now & then something pops up on TUG about discounts for RCI membership renewal, which I've never bothered with since I'm good through 2008 in weeks & good through 2007 in points. But if I can keep weeks going without paying for it, will I able to find discounts on RCI Points membership renewals?

I think I saw something about an offer from VRI for members of VRI-managed timeshares, selling 3-year RCI membership renewals for the cost of 2-year renewals -- buy 2 years & get 1 year free, in effect. Is that a current, ongoing offer? If so, is it good for RCI Points? Or just RCI Weeks?

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

 

[Gadabout]

I believe there is actually a simple reason for requiring a guest certificate.

The guest certificate protects both the resort and the person holding the reservation. There are all sorts of reasons why someone other than the person holding the reservation might show up to check in. Suppose I then show up to check in and am told that some people I have never heard of checked in for my reservation, mentioning my name or having called ahead of time using my name to "authorize" them to check in.

Then what? In some states, it's not very easy to evict those improper residents from my unit, potentially leaving me with no place to stay. I'll be mad and I'll hold the resort responsible for allowing an unauthorized family to keep me from my rightful occupancy.

Is such a scenario likely? No. But all it takes is once in today's sue-happy, big-jury-awards climate to make a resort wish they had followed RCI's (or II's) policy on guest certificates.

Many major hotels now require I.D. upon check-in to match (or reasonably match) the name on the reservation. Some hotels accept a credit card in the same name; others require photo I.D. I believe the reasons for requiring such I.D. are the same as for timeshare guest certificates.

It would be easy enough for the person making the initial reservation to specify that any one of however many adults could be checking in first on that same phone call (I would hope that you'd already have who's going with you straightened out by then). The requirement for a guest certificate is not truly to protect the resort, because they will always go back to the owner for damages, whatever happens, but just to make extra money.

 

[Dave M]

The requirement for a guest certificate is not truly to protect the resort, because they will always go back to the owner for damages....

I'm confused. Are you suggesting that, if I'm the owner in my example and someone else, without a guest certificate, is allowed to improperly check in to my unit, the resort will hold me responsible for any damages awarded to me?

The purpose of the guest certificate is to ensure that only properly authorized people are allowed to check-in.

 

[Walt]

"The purpose of the guest certificate is to ensure that only properly authorized people are allowed to check-in."

Dave M

When another person will be using my owner's Beach Club week, I need to send a note to the Beach Club letting them know who is using the week. No cost! No problem!

Guest Certificates for your Family members are just not necessary!

Walt

 

[Dave M]

That's true. My mistake. Bad example.

Rewording....

Assume that I'm an owner and I deposit my week with RCI and an exchanger gets my week. Are you (Gadabout) suggesting that if that exchanger has the check-in problem in my example, the resort will hold me as the owner responsible for damages awarded because of the unauthorized check-in?

I thought that once RCI gets the deposited week, the contract for use of that week is between RCI and the resort and that as owner, I'm out of the loop.

 

[Gadabout]

I'm confused. Are you suggesting that, if I'm the owner in my example and someone else, without a guest certificate, is allowed to improperly check in to my unit, the resort will hold me responsible for any damages awarded to me?

The purpose of the guest certificate is to ensure that only properly authorized people are allowed to check-in.

What I'm saying is that if they can type your name in, they can type in any other adult's name (family or not) that you tell them *at the time* you make the reservation. "Name OR Name OR Name" will be checking in.... That should be enough to "properly authorize" for anyone's purposes. It really isn't that complicated, and takes what, all of 5 minutes on the call and 5 more at the resort desk.

DaveM, I was thinking of in terms of damages to the unit and that in the end, things always go back to the owners, either directly, or through higher MFs. Not for problems with letting the wrong person in.

I don't see someone walking in off the street and saying, I'm here to check in for the "so-and-so" party on the exact date. How would they know unless someone on the inside tipped them off? And that, btw, would be a whole 'nother problem.