Is RCI slowly becoming irrelevant?

[timsi]

I don't get that impression with II. It isn't common to see expensive rentals available in II getaways. It is usually leftover stuff with the odd peak season week. Marriott does try to rent out their unsold inventory and based on some anecdotal reports, some are suspicious that they skim good views off of II deposits and give the exchanger a lesser view. I don't really buy into the theory all that much.

There is a 2 BR getaway for Marriott St Kitts. How can I tell if it is an unit deposited by Marriott or by an owner?

 

[bnoble]

You can't.

 

[dioxide45]

There is a 2 BR getaway for Marriott St Kitts. How can I tell if it is an unit deposited by Marriott or by an owner?

No way to know until after you book it. Not sure why it matters though. There is often a lot of St Kitts weeks out there in Getaway.

 

[bnoble]

It's pretty easy to tie oneself in knots about all the nefarious things that exchange companies, developers, etc. might be doing. For most of these nefarious things, there's really no way to know whether they are or are not doing them, but it's easy to read what you see as "evidence" that either they are or are not.

At that point, you've got a couple of ways to go forward. You can decide that since shenanigans are possible--and even likely--that you refuse to play the game and stop using that exchange/liquidate with that developer. Or, you can evaluate whether or not you are still getting good value out of the relationship. If so, keep it. If not, ditch it.

I tend to fall into the latter camp. I assume that various parties will do whatever they can to maximize their own value, but I'm happy to get while the getting is still good.

 

[timsi]

You can decide that since shenanigans are possible--and even likely--that you refuse to play the game and stop using that exchange/liquidate with that developer. Or, you can evaluate whether or not you are still getting good value out of the relationship. If so, keep it. If not, ditch it.

Probably many see the developers (and the exchanges they control) bending the rules as victimless crimes but cheap getaways degrade the value of someone's ownership by offering an unfair competition to an owner who tries to rent his own unit. The cheap getaways also mean that owners pay for maintaining the resort but Interval and RCI get most of the value of that week. It also means that the resort management will have a harder time finding the empty units to renovate and the work may take longer and cost more.

I agree that everyone can evaluate the ownership and see if there is enough value. I guess it all depends on what you own and how you use it. I think in general if you are retired you will have a much easier time exchanging than if you work and have kids in school. At the same time, if more people think of selling, everyone loses so probably it is just better to holding the developer accountable.


Back to the OP, I tend to find equal value in RCI and in Interval. RCI is less flexible (no eplus) and that means that certain resorts may not reappear in the inventory as often because owners will think twice before cancelling. But it also means that they may stay there for longer when they do show up. Right now, you can still find 7 weeks at Kings' Land HGVC, many weeks at Pueblo Bonito and at The Bay Club At Waikoloa Beach Resort, all two bedrooms and these are just few examples.

 

[bnoble]

in general if you are retired you will have a much easier time exchanging than if you work and have kids in school.

Could be true in general. But, I've had very good success using exchanges--primarily RCI--for vacations, and I work in higher ed and my kids are still doing the gradual school thing, so I am still constrained by (three different) university calendars.

Would I get more value out of my ownership if shenanigans didn't happen? Yes. Doesn't matter, because they (probably) happen, and the number of times an exchange/developer have been successfully held accountable pale in comparison to the number of times a lawsuit goes nowhere very expensively.

I don't begrudge anyone else trying to tilt at that windmill. Have at it! But I've selfishly got better things to do.

 

[timsi]

But I've selfishly got better things to do.

This is how people generally feel about this and precisely why the developers/exchanges may get away with a lot of things.

Possibly the TUG members have an easier time scooping up the prime inventory due to the sightings section and they are not a good gauge of the experience the other owners have when trying to exchange.

 

[bnoble]

I am definitely not claiming that my experience is typical. But I also don't think it has to be atypical. Most of my "good" exchanges are obtained by ongoing search, which doesn't take any particularly deep knowledge or unusual effort.

I think this is also partly because I am not super-specific about what resort/week I am trying to exchange into, and that might be knowledge that a TUGger is more likley to have. Placing an ongoing search for a 2BR at DVC's Grand Floridian for week 52 is probably not going to work.

 

[Lovetovacation2]

Getting the feeling an exchange company is not an exchange company anymore. Especially when they rent the unit that is deposited and does not open it up to the exchange side of things. RCI sham sham sham! Wound up renting the week I wanted on whyndham extra vacations. Actually beter than the RCI extra weeks vacation rental and you can cancel with 72 hours notice. If exchange comes up I’ll switch to that.