RCI - Exchange plus cash ?? !!!

[catwgirl]

I just did an RCI search for Hawaii. A unit came up in Maui, and in the listing there were two new symbols: (cannot get the symbols to paste correctly here)

- Exchange Unit(s) Available (with an orange symbol)
- Exchange + Cash Unit(s) Available (with a green symbol)

Anyway, the unit available was a "unit for exchange." But apparently, now there are going to be units for "exchange plus cash."

What NEXT???!!!

 

[barndweller]

I don't use RCI, but my guess is that they have instituted an upgrade fee like we pay when using the independent exchange companies. So if you are using a 1 bedroom to search and a 2 bedroom is available you can exchange but pay cash for the upgrade. Like I said, just a guess.

 

[IreneLF]

I tried some searchers this morning too and saw the symbols, but all my searches matched for straight exchange, so don't know more about this new feature.
Of course I couldn't find anything about it on their website.

(Gee where is Madge when you need her?

I'm hoping it's just what Barndweller said, as in cash for an upgrade situation, but regardless I do not like the trend...a little cash for some things now now , more cash in future...

 

[sfwilshire]

My guess is that RCI, in their usual tactful way, modified the website before this new "feature" was announced or implemented. I looked quite a bit to see if I could find an exchange+cash unit available and didn't see any. I'm sure this won't be good for members.

I have always been a big supporter of RCI, but I may use the three weeks I have on deposit and start using II more exclusively.

Sheila

 

[EvelynK72]

New feature & annoying popup

I noticed this new feature too. I also noticed a warning box that appears when I do a search. After I enter the dates for my search and click to initiate the search, a box pops us warning me that the page I want contains both secure and unsecure items and asks if I want to view the unsecure items. This warning box also appears if I try to "view all" of the resorts. Boy is this annoying!

Is anyone else getting that security warning box?

 

[grest]

Maybe RCI will explain it to us at some point...!!! And yes, I get that annoying little box too.
Connie

 

[e.bram]

What is going to happen to the guy that deposits a prime red week. RCI gives that week to dog depositor + cash and leaves the prime depositor with his choice of dogs. How long before the prime depositor figures out what is going on and stops depositing.

 

[PerryM]

Bye bye free upgrades; hello upgrade charges....

This is fantastic – you now pay “rent” even in the RCI Week exchange system – fantastic RCI.

Gone are the days of upgrades for free – now you must pay thru the nose.

If this is true, and I don’t know if it is, I can hear a huge rebellion forming – paying for upgrades that were free before?

Hello RCI Points; it was designed to be a level playing field from day one. There are no fees for upgrades here, just your RCI Points.

Call out the lawyers, the class action lawsuits, the Attorney Generals - they will save you.

P.S.
II cover your ears with your hands, this is a topic that should not interest you

P.P.S.
Hey, someone needs to pay for all the legal expenses of the class action lawsuits many here want brought against RCI. Who do you think pays for these expenses? The Timeshare Fairy?

 

[rickandcindy23]

This is actually what some people have hoped would happen. C'mon people! If you can get something great with your blue week, you would do it, wouldn't you?

I think they put this here to let us know this is coming. So far, my lowly blue week is pulling everything it did before with no charges. I also cannot pull any inventory a year out in Hawaii, but that may be in my future.

This is just like points, everyone. Points is a system where you pay more for a prime deposit. Points equate to money in RCI points. This change is probably not a huge deal, unless they charge $500 more. I expect the charges will be up to $250 more for a prime exchange and/or upgrade in unit size. This can open up a whole bunch of availability to those of us who have poor traders.

What I find annoying is there is no explanation in the Answer Place, nor does a search of the site contain anything on the new program. I think they will be inundated with calls from angry customers. Why not write a paragraph or two to explain what is going on?

 

[theo]

What next? Maybe don't ask....

Re: >> But apparently, now there are going to be units for "exchange plus cash." What NEXT???!!!
=======================================================

Stand by for "cash, minus exchange", an innovative and unprecedented RCI program in which (in addition to your annual RCI membership fee) you will be able to deposit your week, send RCI some cash in addition -- and STILL get absolutely nothing desirable in return. The new program, whose rollout name has yet to be determined, will admittedly appeal only to only a limited number of die hard RCI supporters.......but may help RCI to pay the defense lawyers in the lawsuit filed against them.

 

[dougp26364]

RCI= Rents Condo's Intead

I suppose there would be less uproar if RCI offered exchange plus cash back for those that own strong exchangers.

 

[EvelynK72]

What I find annoying is there is no explanation in the Answer Place, nor does a search of the site contain anything on the new program. I think they will be inundated with calls from angry customers. Why not write a paragraph or two to explain what is going on?

I've already sent my email via the RCI site asking for an explanation of the annoying box and the new icons. Maybe we should all inundate RCI with email!

 

[jancpa]

Maybe this program will be similar to the RCI Cruise exchange where you give up your week plus cash and end up with something more expensive than if you had rented somewhere else.

 

[PerryM]

Pay your fair share...the politicians always demand this...

.............
This is just like points, everyone. Points is a system where you pay more for a prime deposit. Points equate to money in RCI points. This change is probably not a huge deal, unless they charge $500 more. I expect the charges will be up to $250 more for a prime exchange and/or upgrade in unit size. This can open up a whole bunch of availability to those of us who have poor traders.
.........

This is a great Point (Pun intended)! It's brilliant!

RCI has allowed this inequity to go on for far too long. It's time folks paid their fair share (I listen to the politicians every day say this stuff)!

Weeks maybe morphing into Points right in front of our face. How long before the "Big Conversion" notice is posted?

 

[JLB]

I bet Madge will be along shortly to explain it.

This is something they have been promising/threatening for some time. I heard about it, gosh, somewhere, maybe a year ago.

Actually, it is similar to what I asked if we could do when we first started almost 20 years ago.

- Exchange Unit(s) Available
- Exchange + Cash Unit(s) Available

I had not done my daily searches the last two mornings so this morning is the first time I saw this.

The first thing I noticed that was new (out of place) was the Exchange icon. Then as I opened up some resorts I noticed the Exchange + Cash icon. I didn't see anything that had the + Cash option.

As to my most important searches, it does not make any difference, since it appears nothing decent is being deposited.

Like most things RCI, it is suspicious. For one thing, it seems that many have been reporting a reduction in trading power the past couple of years. In evaluating a company (or a person, I guess), it is best to rely on the total of their work, and in this case there have been so many suspicious moves that all actions are now suspect.

The proof of the pudding will be the result. If it makes available better resorts (or, in some cases, any resort at all), for a reasonable amount of $$$, when presently those are not available, then it may be good.

Of course, that would be suspect, the question being why were those resorts not already being seen, especially by the better traders, and the naysayers would immediately assume something like it being rental inventory that they have now had enough experience with to know that it is likely to be excess rental inventory.

FWIW, it did not change the results for the four daily searches I have been doing.

This is actually what some people have hoped would happen. C'mon people! If you can get something great with your blue week, you would do it, wouldn't you?

 

[rickandcindy23]

I never know if you are being serious or not, Perry.

Remember the infamous thread by Hatrack that equated exchanges through RCI points into produce--fruits and vegetables? That thread was closed and disappeared, but it was a brilliant insight into what is now happening.

 

[sfwilshire]

Is anyone else getting that security warning box?

I am, over and over. You're right. It's very annoying.

Sheila

 

[PerryM]

I never know if you are being serious or not, Perry.

Remember the infamous thread by Hatrack that equated exchanges through RCI points into produce--fruits and vegetables? That thread was closed and disappeared, but it was a brilliant insight into what is now happening.

I'm not kidding, you hit the nail right on the head - I missed it.

 

[timeos2]

The basis may be legitimate. The execution will be, as usual, atrocious

Anyone still think the week for week system isn't broken? While this idea would appear to be another high overhead, "exchange for cruise discount" type sham the underlying issue is real. Few weeks deposited match up reasonably with weeks desired. There is almost always a greater or lesser value. The secret trade power/VEP/etc tried to handle the disparity but was easily defeated. So now they may try a more open system in a points version everyone understands - cash. Of course to be fair you would also have to see a "cash back" button so you can take a great value week and use it for two or three dogs, should you desire that downward trade, as you can in a points system.

While I think the theory - making trades equal - is a good one and was supposed to be in place all along, I have no delusions that RCI would actually handle this correctly to return fair trade in and out as one would expect. It most likely is conceived as yet another money maker with little or no relationship to the actual problem of unequally valued weeks. If it manages to expose the secret valuation and offers a method to improve (or decrease) the value of your deposit vs your desired trade it could actually have a real value. But history says it will be another in the long line of botched implementations of an otherwise valid concept by RCI.

They should bite the bullet, admit everything has an assigned value (usually expressed as some type of points or credits) and make it all one big open pot - points, weeks, cash, so everyone knows what they have and what things cost. I guess it's more profitable to play these games with partial disclosure and secret valuations to keep raising the fees ever way possible.

 

[dougp26364]

.........They should bite the bullet, admit everything has an assigned value (usually expressed as some type of points or credits) and make it all one big open pot - points, weeks, cash, so everyone knows what they have and what things cost. I guess it's more profitable to play these games with partial disclosure and secret valuations to keep raising the fees ever way possible.

The rub there would, of course, be the developers. I don't believe the developers of lessor resorts would be all that happy to have RCI expose their weakness of being a poor trading location. How long have the Orlando TS's been selling themselves as the best traders because Orlando has the highest number of tourists per year?

Should any exchange company become completely transparent my bet is you'll have a full fledge revolt from the developers. The same developers who provide inventory that RCI rents out for profit.

 

[Judy]

This is just like points, everyone. Points is a system where you pay more for a prime deposit. Points equate to money in RCI points. This change is probably not a huge deal, unless they charge $500 more. I expect the charges will be up to $250 more for a prime exchange and/or upgrade in unit size. This can open up a whole bunch of availability to those of us who have poor traders.

And for those of us who have strong traders, less availability I don't see any icon for "2 for 1 exchange" :annoyed:

I had hoped that the exchange + cash might refer to all-inclusives. But I searched for them and none came up with the exchange + cash icon.

 

[PigsDad]

This is essentially the same as what Redweek is doing, no? And the general consensus on the threads I saw was that people thought the idea was pretty fair -- if you have a lesser property and you want to trade into a greater property, you can pay the difference in $$.

I am guessing the big deal here is that you used to get upgrades for free, and now it looks like things are going to be evened out. I am new to TS, but I always wondered how a system could be sustained where people were always bragging about what a good trade they got through RCI. For every "good" trade, I would think there would have to be an equal "bad" trade to maintain equality.

Kurt

 

[timeos2]

What a concept. Equal value in trades!

This is essentially the same as what Redweek is doing, no? And the general consensus on the threads I saw was that people thought the idea was pretty fair -- if you have a lesser property and you want to trade into a greater property, you can pay the difference in $$.

I am guessing the big deal here is that you used to get upgrades for free, and now it looks like things are going to be evened out. I am new to TS, but I always wondered how a system could be sustained where people were always bragging about what a good trade they got through RCI. For every "good" trade, I would think there would have to be an equal "bad" trade to maintain equality.

Kurt

Kurt - You catch on fast! While most weeks advocates deny it, the basis of week for week is giving value to deposits that have little or no value through trade ups. Some, like Perry & Boca, may not be advocates but openly admit they use the trade up opportunities of weeks systems. A few even state that the idea of taking dog times and having owners pay a full shot annual fee then using that to get better properties through week for week trades is what supports some resorts! Yet, according to them, this is a valid process to have owners of better resorts/times subsidize the dog weeks even as those dog weeks subsidize the few valuable weeks at those resorts. See the tangled web they create to support a basically flawed and unsustainable system?

Both those owners and the developers (who have to try to sell those undesirable weeks!) have loved the secret process used by RCI/II and others that hide the values and give the impression that you can "trade anywhere" once you own. Nonsense of course but the previously free upgrades stoked the belief. As things are brought closer to equal the poor value weeks are howling. They hate points as they clearly show the real value (or lack thereof) of each use period. Tough to sell February on the coast if you only get a few points and an annual bill for the same amount as the high point value given to the owner of a July week. Openness is the bane of seasonal timeshare sales.

This will all shake out eventually. The old ways have been exposed by the Internet, tons of cheap resales, points systems and the mini-systems. Eventually the very idea that any week simply trades for another week will be history as every exchange will have a disclosed balancing factor up or down - just like points already does. The days of smoke and mirrors are nearing an end.

 

[JLB]

What would really be suspicious is if TS resorts appear for exchange plus cash that have not been appearing with a top trader.

It could be that non-timeshare properties, stuff that has not been deposited by owners, may now be made available this way, with exchange plus cash regardless of trading power.

Let's just wait and see. :wink:

 

[4dabirds]

Okay guys... it's a rental scheme that COULD be used to equalize trading. The problem is that I come along and pay $500 for the good week - RCI made money off of someone's deposit and the REST of the members are no better off. The only thing different is I didn't get the trade up for free - eveyone else still gets the shaft.

Where is the love?

Kim