HELP! CWA with unlimited RCI LAST CALL- Should we get out?

[lovetofix]

Hi everybody, first time posting here. So we did some research prior to going to the timeshare presentation, and know about our 15 day rescission period in Tennessee. After saying "no" several times, they gave us an offer that we though might be worth it, and rather than belabor the point longer decided to sign up and make the final decision in the peace of our home.

So our package is:

--84,000 points with CLUB WYNDHAM ACCESS with a monthly maintenance fee of $54.

--116,000 bonus points which we know isn't that big of a deal

--Unlimited RCI LAST CALL

Up Front Price for this Package: $16,000

The unlimited RCI Last Call is the thing that is attractive to us since we live overseas for most of the year. Our thought is to use the unlimited RCI Last Call feature to sell vacations to our friends and colleagues overseas who are currently paying the exorbitant walk-in fee to get a vacation at the resorts there.

From the information we were able to find, you have to be an owner to have access to RCI Last Call. So with our low maintenance fee, we figure we could simply use our annual points to pay the maintenance fee and simply benefit from the unlimited RCI Last Calls.

Our questions:

1. Is unlimited RCI Last Call attainable without being an owner?

2. Is it possible to buy points on the open market to supplement our 84,000 without buying into higher maintenance fees?

3. Is anyone else selling RCI Last Call vacations and making money at it? Our goal would be to recover the $16,000 in the next few years, leaving us with the unlimited options for ourselves and friends. We rarely plan a vacation further out than 6 weeks anyway, and if we would have a specific vacation we could always use our CWA to book a year in advance.

Thanks in advance for your help and advice!

 

[paxsarah]

RCI Last Call is simply a cash vacation option for last-minute, low cost, typically leftover vacations available within RCI. This is available to resale owners and it doesn't require a direct purchase from Wyndham. There are also other outlets which others have mentioned selling the same/similar weeks, possibly at a slightly higher cost but without the commitment of ownership. RCI doesn't allow rental of their exchanges, nor I expect of their cash vacations (Last Call and Extra Vacations). You can get a guest certificate for family or friends, but rental for profit is not within their terms.

I would rescind immediately and then take the time to look into whether buying resale Wyndham points would actually suit your vacation needs. It may or may not, based on the realities of ownership vs. what the salespeople tried to sell you.

 

[Jan M.]

Take a look at the listings in the Marketplace here on TUG and on eBay. That will put into perspective what resale points sell for vs buying directly from Wyndham. If you have long range plans to someday become a VIP owner with Wyndham and can afford to spend the money it will take to reach even the lowest level VIP, silver at 400,000-699.000 points, be prepared to spend a lot more money than just $16k. Obviously if we are presidential reserve owners with Wyndham we spent a lot of money over a period of years to get there. Reaching a VIP level may be what you want to do but you could be with the majority of people here on TUG who wouldn't recommend it.

You will get a free RCI weeks account even if you only buy resale.

Wyndham corporate telesales has been offering deals of $16,500 for 105,000 points so $16,000 for 84,000 points isn't that great of a deal. However the real issue is that 84,000 points or even 105,000 points isn't going to get you much. I'm sure they gave you a directory so sit down with it and look at the point charts for the areas you would like to go to in the next couple of years and at the resorts in those areas. That will give you a good idea of how many points you will want/need.

 

[55plus]

Rescind and run fast and far from the sales weasels. Save yourself $16K. But resell for pennies on the dollars.

 

[Jesus Quintana]

GET OUT NOW!!!!!

 

[Shankilicious]

I vote rescind.
http://www.calresorts.com/Wyndham-Fairshare-Resorts.html
There are lots of wyndham points for sale on the resale market for much cheaper. 150-180k points on calresorts for $2500. Not sure exactly how Wyndham works but I know that TN is like Branson and over developed and not considered "High demand" so may not have as much flexibility/trading power as other Wyndham resorts.

 

[lovetofix]

We are primarily looking to have access to RCI Last call with as low maintenance fees as possible for the foreseeable future. We will likely just use the points to pay MFs and if we want to vacation at a Wyndham resort buy resale points.

The BIG question, will a resale purchase include UNLIMITED RCI last call?

 

[lovetofix]

We do not have a home resort and do not plan on vacationing in TN. We have Club Wyndham Access which gives us "home" locations all over the USA.

 

[lovetofix]

The "Sales Weasels" say that we get unlimited last call use for ourselves and the first four bookings for friends are free. After the first four "friend" bookings it will cost $60 per additional booking but there is no limit to how many vacations we can book.

 

[lovetofix]

Our finger is on the rescind trigger but we are looking at this as a possible business opportunity for a little side income on our missionary budget. At the same time, to find a better way to stay at a resort when we need a break and not pay the exorbitant prices to buy direct.

 

[ecwinch]

The business opportunity is illusionary. You will not find "great weeks" available via Last Call that you will be able to sell for a profit on a regular basis. If you send your friends to some of the resorts that are available on last call, you likely will have one less friend.

ps. It appears they are enticing you with some free certificates for Last Call. But after those run out, it will cost you $249-$349 for each additional week plus the certificate fee. Not sure they have told you that.

 

[rhonda]

The "Sales Weasels" say that we get unlimited last call use for ourselves and the first four bookings for friends are free. After the first four "friend" bookings it will cost $60 per additional booking but there is no limit to how many vacations we can book.

I've never heard the twist you mention ... but all RCI members get "unlimited last call." The reservations themselves aren't free (starting price is ~$269?) and Guest Certificates ($89) are required if the member isn't traveling.

As previously mentioned, it is against the RCI Membership Terms & Conditions to rent an RCI vacation week as a commercial operation.

Quote:
14.6 Guest Certificates are non -transferable and must not be used for any commercial purpose, including rental, sale or onward exchange to a third party. RCI may cancel any Guest Certificates it believes have been sold or otherwise used for any commercial purpose and/or any confirmed exchange(s) to which the Guest Certificates in question relate. In such circumstances RCI shall have no obligation to pay any refund.

Source: https://www.rci.com/static/docs/europe/en_AE/rci_weeks_terms_of_membership_en_AE.pdf

Please cancel that contract!

EDITED TO ADD: Oops, sorry ... the T&C I quoted and cited appears to be a European version. My fault for not verifying my search result before Copy/Paste ... but the US version is similar in intent.

 

[Roger830]

The reason it's called "Last Call" is it's left over because nobody wanted to exchange their unit for the it, and they can't rent it for a higher price.

 

[hjsweet2002]

Rescind

 

[ecwinch]

To add some context to our comments - you can go to AFVClub.com to get a taste of the type and cost of the weeks you can book thru RCI Last Call cash deals. This is essentially the same inventory - that is made available thru an affiliate channel to military, veterans, DOD civilians. There is no cost for those eligible to join and book these weeks. They also have a companion site for current/former first responders.

 

[Jan M.]

We are primarily looking to have access to RCI Last call with as low maintenance fees as possible for the foreseeable future. We will likely just use the points to pay MFs and if we want to vacation at a Wyndham resort buy resale points.

The BIG question, will a resale purchase include UNLIMITED RCI last call?

Using the points to pay the maintenance fees is a horrible value. However it is something the salespeople tell prospective buyers that they can do which you can but shouldn't. You won't see anyone here on TUG ever telling you to do that!

Everyone has different needs and wants for their vacation stays. Some people find stays they can use in the Last Call weeks but as pointed out you do pay $269 plus tax for them and sometimes a little more. If you have to have certain resorts, at specific times and always need a two or three bedroom units then Last Call weeks aren't going to work for you. However if you are flexible enough with your schedules to be able to book stays and go within 45 days of the check in date, can frequently use one bedroom units and are happy when you do find a two bedroom unit then Last Call weeks can work well for you. There are some resorts that some people stick their noses up at but others of us consider hidden gems. That is not to say that there isn't a lot of junk weeks in the Last Call weeks, resorts that aren't as desirable and stays in studios.

 

[tschwa2]

The "Sales Weasels" say that we get unlimited last call use for ourselves and the first four bookings for friends are free. After the first four "friend" bookings it will cost $60 per additional booking but there is no limit to how many vacations we can book.

I think they may only be giving you 4 free guest certificates, If they are even giving you that because if it isn't in the contract it isn't necesarily true. Unlimited last calls mean you can have unlimited last call rentals, In the US they generally cost around $319 for a 2 br if you are "gifting" them to a friend (as it is prohibited to ask for reimbursement of the fees), it is an additional $90. So $349 for fairly off season stuff. I couldn't imagine how many you would have to rent (which again is prohibited) to make up for the $16,000 you hope to recoup. If you gift 3-4 exchanges or last call rentals to friends per year, and don't advertise your rentals on any public forums, RCI will likely never know. If you are getting dozens of guest certificates per year, RCI will likely look at your account more closely and may decide to cancel all your last call rentals without reimbursing you. So I wouldn't expect to make more than $300-400 per year renting out last calls to your friends.

 

[jwalk03]

Last calls sound great, but in reality they really our just left over stuff that no one else wanted. Think older, less desirable resorts, in the off season. While you may find a very occasion gem they will be few and far between. RCI PROHIBITS renting last calls, so any illusions you have of turning enough profit to make it worthwhile are just illusions. But if you really really want that last call access you can get it purchasing resale and save thousands and thousands of dollars! I really thing you will soon find that last calls are nowhere near the great value the sales weasels make them out to be! TRUST ME!

Also in most cases you only have 10 days to rescind in Tennessee, not 15. You are only entitled to 15 if you did not make an on site inspection of the timeshare (AKA you didn't tour a unit. If you toured a unit at the timeshare you only have 10 days to rescind, not 15!) Either way rescind NOW, before its too late. You only have one chance to save $16K!! Do your research and then make an informed buying decision, if you research and decide this really is the right deal for you (it won't be, but lets play if) than I promise you Wyndham will sell you the same thing again, but you will be far better informed!

 

[55plus]

Unless you are at an upper VIP level, renting to cover maintenance fees is like selling your kidneys to pay for dialysis.

 

[Passepartout]

Any and ALL RCI memberships include access to Last Calls. But you really need to know that Last Calls are (mostly) second or third tier 'resorts'. Many are simply remodeled motels. The times they are available are usually off-or shoulder season. Meaning ski resorts in 'mud' season, beach resorts in winter. RCI and the resorts use Last Calls to keep up occupancy when otherwise the places are less attractive- or to give the sales staff new prospective buyers.

You can buy any RCI resort biennial of even tri-ennial (every 3 years) on eBay for $1 and have unlimited access to Last Calls, and annual MF of maybe a couple hundred bucks.

To my knowledge, NOBODY has made money selling Last Calls or booking friends into them. Nobody has enough friends to mistreat them this way, and take their money.

Jim

 

[HitchHiker71]

If you received any "free" RCI vacation certificates, these are run through a third party travel agency - look at the small print - and are essentially useless. We received six of these when we became VIPP owners last July. We used one of the RCI certificates. They come with all kinds of limitations on locations and times for usage, so unless you have a ton of flexibility - or your friends do - they won't actually help you in any way. If you think you will be able to use these certificates to help your friends find places near you when you are overseas - that is highly unlikely given the limitations. Same with RCI Last Call reservations.

RCI is an exchange network. You need to own an RCI integrated timeshare to obtain an RCI account. ANY RCI account will have access to Last Call reservations. Honestly, if you spend the majority of your time overseas doing missionary work - I would seriously consider finding an RCI integrated timeshare overseas on the secondary market somewhere you think you and your family will actually want to vacation.

While you've done some due diligences obviously, it really sounds like you still have a ways to go before making a purchase becomes something that you should seriously consider. Rescind the current contract, continue with your due diligences, and when you are 100% comfortable, purchase a timeshare on the secondary market for pennies on the dollar. It's the only way to fly.

 

[Iggyearl]

While you've done some due diligences obviously, it really sounds like you still have a ways to go before making a purchase becomes something that you should seriously consider. Rescind the current contract, continue with your due diligences, and when you are 100% comfortable, purchase a timeshare on the secondary market for pennies on the dollar. It's the only way to fly.

Let's sum up your sales meeting. There was a gift for attending. It was longer than 90 minutes. You said "No" a number of times. You were getting frustrated. So was the salesman(men). After they gave up appealing to your "vacation bug," their last resort was "greed." You can become an entrepreneur by buying a timeshare. You can Make Money. All of the advice above says that it is not that easy. Maybe dangerous, as it is breaking rules. Hey - salesmen have been known to stretch (omit) the truth. HitchHiker's advice is spot on. This purchase will be there in the future. If you want it. Step back, take a deep breath, and start over.

 

[lovetofix]

Thank you all for your prompt and helpful replies.
It is as I thought: if it was a good deal they wouldn’t have to work so hard to sell their vacations.

In southern Haiti where we are serving there is only one worthwhile resort and they only have hotel style rooms but they are an RCI resort. It is the only option we have available and being all inclusive makes it luxurious compared to the rest of life there. However we and our many friends can’t really afford “sticker price” and I thought from what we were told we could use our unlimited last calls to get us all a better deal. There are almost always rooms available 4-5 weeks out as Haiti is not a country known for planning ahead.
We will continue to research other options and see if we can find something else that will help us get the rest we need without breaking the rules and our savings.

Now to make sure I do the rescission process right the first time through. Any tips?


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[tschwa2]

Thank you all for your prompt and helpful replies.
It is as I thought: if it was a good deal they wouldn’t have to work so hard to sell their vacations.

In southern Haiti where we are serving there is only one worthwhile resort and they only have hotel style rooms but they are an RCI resort. It is the only option we have available and being all inclusive makes it luxurious compared to the rest of life there. However we and our many friends can’t really afford “sticker price” and I thought from what we were told we could use our unlimited last calls to get us all a better deal. There are almost always rooms available 4-5 weeks out as Haiti is not a country known for planning ahead.
We will continue to research other options and see if we can find something else that will help us get the rest we need without breaking the rules and our savings.

Now to make sure I do the rescission process right the first time through. Any tips?


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There are actually many AI's systemwide that remain available for last calls. Problem is they didn't mention that there is an additional AI fee payable when you check in that is often higher than the very expensive rate to book without using RCI. Usually expect the AI fee to average $100-$150 per person per day.

I checked for the resort on Haiti and saw no availability for exchanges, extra vacations or last calls for the next year. There are plenty on Dominican Republic and they do have cheaper than average AI fees but booking through RCI is usually not significantly cheaper than booking not using rci.

 

[raygo123]

I'm totally impressed with the imagination put into your presentation! Talk about the ability the salesman had to walk you down the isle . Went from your vacations are valuable to putting you in the rental business with 84,000 points. My hat goes off to the salesman. Was his last name Hanney?

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