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Interval International Questions

Space Coast Laurie

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I used to belong to II some years back and am thinking about joining again. I currently have an RCI membership that expires next year. I know that the exchange companies have changed their policies and procedures over the years and I have some questions regarding how II works these days. I've looked over some of their documentation and it's just too vague. For perspective, I am a WEEKS owner and have two timeshares on the Southern California coast (a 1-bdrm and a 2-bdrm) that are managed by GPR, and a 2-bdrm on Cocoa Beach, Florida that is managed by VRI. All are RED season and floating regarding the dates I can request and the exact unit. If a current II member can answer the following, I'd be very grateful:

  • Does II assign X number of exchange credits for a weeks deposit based upon the location, resort, unit size and date, like RCI does? If not, how are you assigned credit or trading power?
  • Is there a way to calculate exactly how much credit or trading power I would receive for a particular deposit BEFORE making that deposit?
  • Is there a way to calculate exactly how much credit or trading power I would receive for a particular deposit BEFORE joining II?
  • Assuming that some exchanges I request may be below the value of my deposit, would I receive some kind of leftover credit to put towards another exchange?
  • Combining: Is there a way to combine more than one deposit in order to request an exchange that II considers a higher value than my deposit? Is there a way to combine "leftover credit" (if there is such a thing with II) with other "leftover credit" from multiple exchanges? Is there a way to combine "leftover credit" with another deposit to get more trading power? Does II charge to combine credits and if so, how much?
  • I've been timesharing for decades and so I understand the whole supply and demand thing and that people must give up their units for deposit for others to get an exchange, that the more flexible you are for dates and locations the more likely you are to find an exchange, the further out you put in an ongoing search the better, etc. But all that said, how's the inventory looking these days compared to a few years back?
 

VacationForever

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Answer to all the questions is No. II does not work like RCI. A week is traded for a week. No points are assigned and trading power is not publicised. You cannot combine deposits like RCI simply because a week is a week in II. There are no points assigned and no leftover credits. The earlier that you deposit into II the greater the trading power. It is best that you deposit the week a year out.
 
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bnoble

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Is there a way to calculate exactly how much credit or trading power I would receive for a particular deposit BEFORE making that deposit?
You can search with a unit you haven't deposited, and that will tell you what in the leftover pile you can see with it. You can also start a search with a unit that has not been deposited, but if the search matches the unit will auto-deposit unless you reject the match (by phone) within 24 hours.
 

davidvel

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There is also an index in the resort directory called TDI that tells you the relative strength of a week at a resort, but this only compares within the region your resort is in. It gives a rough idea though.

I think it is publicly available on the home page of II.
 

Space Coast Laurie

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Thanks for the replies. Wow, that IS quite different!

So, I can see what's currently available by through a search, using one of my units that has been reserved for my use but has not yet been deposited. OK, that's cool. But if I don't know my trading power, how do I know if I can even put in an ongoing search to exchange into a particular resort at a particular time? Will II reject my attempt to register an ongoing search if my deposit isn't going to be "good enough" to get that location/resort/size/date even if someone deposits it and I'm next in line?
 

BJRSanDiego

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...But if I don't know my trading power, how do I know if I can even put in an ongoing search to exchange into a particular resort at a particular time? ...
Although the algorithms are not publicized, there are some common sense things regarding "like for like" exchanges. If you deposit an efficiency, it is easier to get an exchange into another efficiency than it is a 2 or 3 BR. If you deposit a low demand period (low TDI) and request a high demand period (like spring break), you have low chances of a match.

Some techniques that I use and have helped me is to reserve the highest TDI that I can at my home resort and reserve it a year or 13 months in advance. Then deposit it quickly and request as wide of a date range and as wide of a group of timeshares that I can - - sort of a "shotgun" approach.
 

bnoble

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Will II reject my attempt to register an ongoing search if my deposit isn't going to be "good enough" to get that location/resort/size/date even if someone deposits it and I'm next in line?
As noted above, no, it will not. However, a search you don't place is guaranteed not to mach. So, no harm in placing it.

It seems to me that II's trade power calculations fluctuate more often than RCI's do, so if you are close but not quite there right now, you may be above the line later. The converse is also true.
 

BJRSanDiego

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I think that with RCI, if you don't have enough points or TPUs the match won't occur and the available unit will (probably) just sit until someone has the right points or TPUs.

But with ii, I've wondered what happens when there is a request based on a lower value deposit and there is an available unit but it is of higher value (higher TDI, more BR's, more desirable destination), but there is no other requesters. Or no other requesters with a higher "value". So, does the available unit just sit there for a day? or a week? or a month? I've deposited an efficiency and traded for a 2 BR. So, I wonder if after some passage of time that ii makes the match just to close out the transaction. Or after some passage of time the unit shows up in manual searches.

Just wondering....
 

davidvel

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I think that with RCI, if you don't have enough points or TPUs the match won't occur and the available unit will (probably) just sit until someone has the right points or TPUs.

But with ii, I've wondered what happens when there is a request based on a lower value deposit and there is an available unit but it is of higher value (higher TDI, more BR's, more desirable destination), but there is no other requesters. Or no other requesters with a higher "value". So, does the available unit just sit there for a day? or a week? or a month? I've deposited an efficiency and traded for a 2 BR. So, I wonder if after some passage of time that ii makes the match just to close out the transaction. Or after some passage of time the unit shows up in manual searches.

Just wondering....
Hence the magic and mystery of II. There no doubt is a quality filter, so that some units (whether due to size/quality/season/week demand) simply can't grab a deposited unit. This has been seen by many people when using different units to search. A recent post also noted this "filter" can extend into flexchange.

When or if it changes to allow a match is anyone's guess.
 

candrews

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The problem with II is, you as the depositor, you get the worst units in the inventory. An example of this is we exchanged for the Marriott Kauai for a garden view. We did get a garden view but we looked at large wall to boot. This is consistent with other exchanges for the locations we get through II.

We inquired with the MVC people and they have no idea as to our unit value so we simply compete with everyone, even if the unit is lower on the scale from what we traded. One trade was into a unit that overlooked a parking lot for the units, again if you looked over the cars there was a grassy area with a few plants. IMO II is garbage if you own a great unit in a place you like to go to.
 

dioxide45

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The problem with II is, you as the depositor, you get the worst units in the inventory. An example of this is we exchanged for the Marriott Kauai for a garden view. We did get a garden view but we looked at large wall to boot. This is consistent with other exchanges for the locations we get through II.

We inquired with the MVC people and they have no idea as to our unit value so we simply compete with everyone, even if the unit is lower on the scale from what we traded. One trade was into a unit that overlooked a parking lot for the units, again if you looked over the cars there was a grassy area with a few plants. IMO II is garbage if you own a great unit in a place you like to go to.
It is also great if you aren't a person that is concerned about the view. We rarely us the balcony/lanai, at a timeshare, so outside of the first time entering the unit and ogling at the view, the view isn't that important.
 

davidvel

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The problem with II is, you as the depositor, you get the worst units in the inventory. An example of this is we exchanged for the Marriott Kauai for a garden view. We did get a garden view but we looked at large wall to boot. This is consistent with other exchanges for the locations we get through II.

We inquired with the MVC people and they have no idea as to our unit value so we simply compete with everyone, even if the unit is lower on the scale from what we traded. One trade was into a unit that overlooked a parking lot for the units, again if you looked over the cars there was a grassy area with a few plants. IMO II is garbage if you own a great unit in a place you like to go to.
The resort could never give you the view of what you traded in, they can only give you the view that you traded INTO. But yes, Waiohai has some really bad garden views over the parking lot, and those that trade in usually get these as opposed to owners.
 

Space Coast Laurie

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Well, honestly, if the owners don't own a specific unit/week and it's a float situation, the owners SHOULD get the better views.
 

mdurette

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The problem with II is, you as the depositor, you get the worst units in the inventory.

I'm going to have to disagree with this. I have had some wonderful views with exchanges, including MVC. I have found more truth in this statement for getaway/developer deposits.
 
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