Madge, RCI "filtering" question

[DaveNV]

Madge, I posted this on another forum and didn't get a satisfactory answer, so I hoped maybe you could shed some light on things for me:

My first TS was a Kuhio Banyan Club studio. RCI set up my account based on that resort, so my account number starts with 1297. I've since purchased a couple of other TS's, one of which is a one bedroom at the Fairfield Mauna Loa Village, #4908. The reviews show it is of much higher quality than Kuhio Banyan Club, and it's rated nearly twice as high on TUG. It seems likely it should have much stronger trading power within the RCI system. MLV is also a Silver Crown resort, where KBC has no awards.

But when searching online for possible exchanges outside of Hawaii, I find the trading power of Kuhio Banyan to be extremely close (if not identical) to Mauna Loa Village. Searching the ENTIRE state of Florida for August 1st of 2008 showed only a difference of SIX resorts between the two (111 for MLV vs. 105 resorts pulled for KBC.)

Thinking the problem may be the "Hawaii trading power" of the resorts I used, I also searched the entire state of Hawaii from July 1, 2007, through June 20, 2009, using both of these resorts. And guess what? The only thing the MLV would pull was one August 2007 week at Makai Club (#1254) - everything else it pulled was ONLY at the Kuhio Banyan - nothing else.

But performing the same range of searches using Kuhio Banyan also pulled that same Makai Club week, and ALSO numerous weeks at Paniolo Greens (#3977) in Spring 2009, which the MLV never saw. I find it very hard to believe the MLV has lower trading power in Hawaii than Kuhio Banyan.

Why is that? I've heard RCI filters "down," so as not to show resorts that are "below" the level of the deposited week. Is that true? Do they also filter "up," based on the account number? Or is each deposted week handled independently? If so, why are the search results so similar between these very different resorts? And why does MLV show less than Kuhio Banyan in Hawaii?

And above all, how can I get my better weeks to reflect a stronger trading power?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[Madge]

Dave,

The resorts' respective Vacation Experience Profiles (VEP) can sometimes be a factor. The VEP for Kuhio Banyan is lower than Mauna Loa Village. Some resorts may not display for Mauna Loa because they are below the required VEP to match that resort. VEP levels must be within a broad allowable range.

It is also possible that Kuhio Banyan's Trading Power for the week you are using is equal to or higher than that of the week you are using at Mauna Loa. Demand is a major component of Trading Power, and the supply of resorts on Oahu is very limited as compared with the demand.

If you'd like for a member of our staff to review your deposits, please send an e-mail to feedback@rci.com with TUG in the subject line. The Communications Team should be able to tell you whether the issue is Trading Power or VEP.

 

[DaveNV]

Ok. That's a good idea. I'll contact them. Thanks!