II says your trading power after depositing a unit diminishes over time. CRAZY

[chemteach]

I'm having a weird situation with an eplus exchange. I have a 2 BR Xmas 2019 week in Mexico at one of the "Elite" resorts (blue sign). I'm trying to do an eplus trade into a 1 BR Xmas week at a different "Elite" Mexico resort for 2020. I have an identical unit, but exactly 1 year later, to the one used for the 2019 exchange. The 2019 unit can "see" the 2020 1 BR Xmas week I am trying to get. Interval is telling me my 2018 unit has lower trading power than my 2019 week because trading power decreases over time. ARGH!!!

I'm actually on the phone with them right now.

 

[tschwa2]

once deposited it shouldn't decrease over time. Different years though do have different trading powers. I've had it work the other way where my older deposit had a lot more strength than the following year both summer beach non holiday July weeks. The person on the phone can't see the underlying power or the formula used (I'm not sure if any employees can see it or if they just rely on the computer model that spits it out) and the phone agent is just making an educated guess to explain your results based on their experience. It is like asking the Delta agent why the 3:15pm flight costs $168 and the 5:00pm flight costs $232. The agent isn't going to be able to explain the inventory management system for a particular flight.

 

[chemteach]

This new agent says the trading power doesn't change. But the system is just acting very oddly...

 

[chemteach]

The 2018 week was also able to pull spring break Westin Ka'anapali 1 bedroom units. I find it difficult to believe it can't pull a Xmas Mexico week unless something odd happened to its trading power when I traded the unit into Mexico for Xmas this year. Oh well...

 

[DannyTS]

This new agent says the trading power doesn't change. But the system is just acting very oddly...

Sometimes it helps to log out and log back in. I noticed more than once that the inventory diminished after a number of consecutive searches but it went back to normal after log out/log in. It may be due to the fact that they try to discourage automatic searches? I think I read something like that

 

[djyamyam]

I'm having a weird situation with an eplus exchange. I have a 2 BR Xmas 2019 week in Mexico at one of the "Elite" resorts (blue sign). I'm trying to do an eplus trade into a 1 BR Xmas week at a different "Elite" Mexico resort for 2020. I have an identical unit, but exactly 1 year later, to the one used for the 2019 exchange. The 2019 unit can "see" the 2020 1 BR Xmas week I am trying to get. Interval is telling me my 2018 unit has lower trading power than my 2019 week because trading power decreases over time. ARGH!!!

There's been previous posts that adding eplus to an exchange weakens the trading power. Here's a post from last year commenting although there is contradicting info in the post. https://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/interval-eplus-observation.280335/#post-2200081. I would say from my annecdotal evidence that i think ePlus does weaken trade power

 

[echino]

I can see that resort in Mexico for both 2020 Christmas and New Year's, two check in dates each week, studios and 1brs, with my Hyatt points, and with various ePluses.

 

[chemteach]

I can see that resort in Mexico for both 2020 Christmas and New Year's, two check in dates each week, studios and 1brs, with my Hyatt points, and with various ePluses.

Exactly!!! I can see the weeks with my other deposits, including the same unit same week following year. It's very frustrating. My trade power clearly diminished by using eplus. Argh.

 

[Theiggy]

I believe a recent eplus trade I made immediately dropped in trade power too. I use my other weeks to search with instead. If I find something that my eplus can’t see will II let me trade for it if I call?


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[chemteach]

I believe a recent eplus trade I made immediately dropped in trade power too. I use my other weeks to search with instead. If I find something that my eplus can’t see will II let me trade for it if I call?


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I tried several different things - nothing worked. II couldn't help me at all. :-(.

 

[Saintsfanfl]

I have not experienced a drop off after using E-Plus. Not at all. What I have experienced is a general change in trading power from time to time for all units.

 

[2rebecca]

I have wondered this myself. Even without ePlus, I've noticed a difference in trading power from year to year. After reading through the travel planner, I'm wondering if when I deposited them--meaning how far in advance of check-in--is what is causing the variance.

How far in advance of check-in did you deposit your units? Was it the same for each unit? If one was deposited a year in advance and the other 6 months in advance they will likely have different trading power. Here is a quote from II's most recent Travel Planner Supplement (p17):

MAXIMIZE YOUR TRADING POWER. If you deposit your week 2 years in advance of your home resort week, your trading power will be greater than if you do so, say, six months in advance. What is more, your power is locked in at the time of your deposit.

 

[chemteach]

These are Sheraton Broadway Plantation units. It is not supposed to matter when you deposit them. Vistana is supposed to have the same trade power for a week depending on gold plus or other season. You don't get to pick your week to deposit. You just have to deposit before the end of a year. The 2017 weeks had low trade power, but then 2019 and 2018 were back to normal. (2018 traded great up until I actually used it for an exchange. Then the trade power went down.)

 

[Saintsfanfl]

These are Sheraton Broadway Plantation units. It is not supposed to matter when you deposit them. Vistana is supposed to have the same trade power for a week depending on gold plus or other season. You don't get to pick your week to deposit. You just have to deposit before the end of a year. The 2017 weeks had low trade power, but then 2019 and 2018 were back to normal. (2018 traded great up until I actually used it for an exchange. Then the trade power went down.)

Isn't there still an actual underlying week that is being deposited? You might not have control over which week, but it is still a specific week that has a check-in day x days away. For example if you waited too long and the only week they could deposit for you was 30 days away, would it be flex restricted? Perhaps it is programmed differently and they are all truly blended and a fixed trading power per their agreement with II. For everything else where we control the deposit, or a replacement deposit is being done on our behalf, it definitely matters how far out it is deposited. It isn't very noticeable though until you get closer to check-in.

 

[Panina]

I have noticed also, at times, trading power seems to go down. Being both week’s criteria are not exact (eg. different year, different week) I use the word seems as a slight change might intentionally change the value.

Personally I use eplus as an insurance backup. I do not rely on it to get something better but within the last few weeks prior to my travel date I have seen great things available with eplus.

My advice, an ogs, only take what you will be happy with. If your week doesn’t have the initial pull to get exactly what you want neither will eplus.