No Aug. 2006 vacation for me!

[STEVIE]

Madge, I am feeling really let down by RCI today. I have had an ongoing search with RCI for Aug. for a year now. I call every couple of weeks to check the status, bacause I never here from them. The guides tell me I have a good chance, because I deposit early, and requested early. I had 22 units listed, and although I knew they were hard trades, I believed I would get a trade. The guides told me over and over, that most people don't deposit until the time between Jan. and March, therefore I have been patient, although I felt it was getting late to get an Aug. unit in the areas of the East coast where I am looking. Just last night I called again. This time the guide told me basically to forget it, and he said a few of the resorts I was looking at haven't deposited any units with RCI in years!!! Why has no other guide told me this, why have I been strung on for months thinking there was a good chance of an exchange? I would have added more resorts to my search if I had been told the truth. Now I probably won't get an exchange, but I have been asked if I would like to rent something. Why would I want to rent, when I have a timeshare to trade? Please let me know what the guides are trained to say to people like me, who follow the right rules ie, deposit early, request ealry. I thanked the guide last night for being honest, he said most people don't want to hear that they won't get a vacation, so I ask you, is that why I kept being led to believe something would come up?

 

[Madge]

susgar,

I'm a firm believer in being direct - kind, but direct. It does our members no good to think they're going to get a vacation if they aren't actually going to get one.

If your travel dates are under a year in advance, you should broaden your search after one or two months if there are no matches. More than 75% of searches entered in our system match within 14 days. So, there's a reason if nothing is matching after a couple of months. It could be Trading Power, VEP, or pure lack of supply, or any of the above. Doesn't matter - you still aren't likely to get a match until less than 45 days before travel. If you can wait, fine. But if you can't, then you need to add more locations and/or dates to the search.

It's like fishing with a net instead of a line. You may throw a few back, but you're more likely to get one you can keep!

I am sorry to hear you weren't given the time and attention you deserved, especially having started your search early. If you will send a message to feedback@rci.com and enter TUG in the subject line, the Communications Team will see what they can do to help.