I can't believe a spiteful RCI guide cancelled my ongoing searches

[regatta333]

I was on the phone with a Wyndham VC today trying to verify an RCI deposit.
She got an RCI VC on the phone. Instead of sticking to the question at hand, the RCI VC proceeded to "review" my account. Are you aware of you have a week that is going to expire 12/31 (yes, I'm aware); you have several ongoing searches here (yes, I'm aware).

I tried to bypass this discussion to get to the issue at hand, which was a deposit that had not been done correctly, but instead of addressing the question she had specifically been contacted to answer, she said that I only had enough money on account for one of my four ongoing searches and that she'd need to collect additional money from me for the other 3. I told her they had been placed during a promotional period, but that in any event, that was not why she had been pulled into the call and I wanted to deal with the issue at hand. The Wyndham VC was not able to correct the problem, so I told her I would work the issue through owner relations and ended the call.

When I later logged on to my RCI account, to get some information I needed for the Owner Relations person, I saw that 3 of my ongoing searches had been cancelled. I couldn't believe it! Do these VCs get paid a percentage of the $$ they are able to collect during the course of a call or something? Who conducts business this way?

I called back RCI and spoke with a very nice VC. After speaking with a supervisor, she said she'd be able to reinstate my searches with my original dates, so I don't lose my priority. But this sounded like it would be a lot of work for her and completely unnecessary. In my opinion, the first VC should be fired, but I doubt they get disciplined in any way for terrible customer service. I was only grateful the second VC actually had a customer-service orientation.

 

[Sunterra]

Do these VCs get paid a percentage of the $$ they are able to collect during the course of a call or something? Who conducts business this way?

Short answers:
Yes
RCI

 

[esk444]

I tried to see if I could get a week in Italy that I saw as a sighting here and elsewhere. After initially saying there wasn't anything available at all, he then says my 3BR summer beach week didn't have much trading power. So I argued pointlessly over this and ended the conversation in a cranky tone.

Well, I check my account online the next day and notice my deposit disappeared. Apparently this guy was pissed off at me, signed me up for a ongoing search for a Vistana Orlando unit (which obviously matched right away), which I never requested. I had actually mocked the Vistana as a timeshare that should have weak trading power, as opposed to a summer beach front resort.

I called RCI immediately, they undid that Vistana trade and restored my week. It wasn't even like I was that rude to the guy, more frustrated than anything. The RCI supervisor said he would look into it, but I never heard from anyone since and don't really expect anything to happen as the supervisor was from the Phillippines and the VC from Miami.

I can't wait to use my last RCI exchange, as I'm going to quit RCI forever.

 

[regatta333]

Well, we just returned from a two-week vacation, and when I logged on to check my RCI account, once again, all of my ongoing searches have been cancelled.

 

[lprstn]

Well I just finished my ongoing searches for 2010, and each VC collected the $$ for each trade, prior to my search. Now I do call every other day to check on my searches, and have not had any problems. However, I had used some of the $ on the account to purchase a guest certificate, which made me short about $50 on one search. They let all 4 searches keep going. Happy to say that I got all the locations I desired (mind you I have VERY broad searches).

Sorry you have had such a bad experience. You have to remember that these VC's are customer service reps that don't get paid a lot of money and have to deal with irate customers every day, every minute and every hour. So the quality of service you get is not going to always be high. My DH used to work in a call center as a college student and its a very hard job with people always wanting something for nothing.

The bottom line is: RCI requires $ for your ongoing searches...just pay it, and you should have to worry about the computer system or the VC kicking your search out.

 

[GrayFal]

The bottom line is: RCI requires $ for your ongoing searches...just pay it, and you should have to worry about the computer system or the VC kicking your search out.

That is an incorrect statement - many here have gotten promotional offers to put in searches and not pay the exchange fee until the search is matched.

So what you say is the bottom line, isn't.

OP, sorry for your troubles....but I really doubt you will get any satisfaction with RCI.

 

[Ann-Marie]

I am not happy with RCI, however, I don't understand why one would not want to pay the exchange fee when placing a request. Once RCI has your deposit, they have it. So assuming you are going to exchange into a resort at some point, you will be paying that amount sooner or later anyway. So why not just pay upfront?

 

[ladycody]

I think the point is that the OP started the searches during a promotional period...no upfront payment was required. Having to pay it upfront may not be a big deal to some...but it would be to me...which is why I dont have any ongoing searches. I simply dont have the money right now to sock into a search...but if I could get free ongoing searches, I would...and then would deal with the money thing only when it was truly necessary to get a gauranteed result.

Granted, it's not normal RCI policy...so it was a benefit, for however long, to the OP to have the searches running prior to payment. Regardless... it's still bad business practice on the part of RCI to offer such a benefit/promotion and then allow it to be renegged at the whim of a CS rep.

JMO

 

[SherryS]

"I tried to see if I could get a week in Italy that I saw as a sighting here and elsewhere. After initially saying there wasn't anything available at all, he then says my 3BR summer beach week didn't have much trading power. So I argued pointlessly over this and ended the conversation in a cranky tone."

Funny,........I had a similar conversation with a guide AND a RCI supervisor.....It made me decide to not renew my RCI membership after it expires in 2009. Since my 2BR/2BA red/Gold Crown weeks on Siesta Key are not valuable to RCI any longer, I will not give those weeks to RCI!

 

[chellej]

I used my last deposit with RCI over labor day and cancelled the three years remaining on my membership. There are so many other options out there that I don't miss them at all.

 

[kwilson]

Through with RCI

The last time this themed thread appeared I said when RCI no longer provided decent trades I would quit doing business with them. Well, the time has arrived.
I deposited a Labor Day week on the Oregon Coast over a year in advance. It would pull NOTHING! Not even a December week in SoCal, their weakest season. Not even an Orlando week. When I asked for it back 10 days after depositing they said it had already been taken. Taken in 10 days, yet not in demand enough to pull anything? You should have heard the BS I got from the VG.
I got the same result the last time I deposited my SA weeks. At least I got them back.
I've had it with RCI. They will never get another deposit from me unless they give me what I want first. You know what chance there is of that happening.

 

[SherryS]

I find it interesting that weeks RCI "deem not valuable" and pull next to nothing in trades, are taken by others almost immediately who find them obviously "quite valuable". As stated previously in this thread, we will NOT be renewing our RCI membership after it expires.

 

[london]

RIC Guides

I remember when RCI had Vacation Counselors...for many years.

Then they changed the name to "Guides"..., I suppose they were not really counselors in a certain sense of the word.

I wonder if they should now call them customer service agents?