Won't that mean those that have strong traders won't have the availability of the weeks they want because they are taken? Also where's the get money back feature if you chose a weak trade?
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RCI - Exchange plus cash ?? !!!
- Thread starter catwgirl
- Start date
How much money are RCI asking? Any example...
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2005
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- 10,701
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RCI does not offer me much for my two bedroom, gold crown weeks spacebanked for Sept or june. Now they are going to charge me extra to upgrade? Why do they tell the resort it is gold crown if it is worth so little?
- Joined
- Jun 6, 2005
- Messages
- 15,196
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- 4,236
- Location
- Kansas
- Resorts Owned
- Marriott Grand Chateau
Marriott Shadow Ridge
Marriott Ocean Pointe
Marriott Destination Club Points
Hilton Grand Vacation Club Las Vegas Blvd
Grand Colorado on Peak 8
I said this OY so I'll say it here. All this does is highlight the importance of being in a really good mini-system that fits your needs. By having internal trading power within that mini-system, you can avoid the hidden secrete agenda's of the independant exchange companys. Most mini-systems I've seen have been reasonably open about what you're buying and what it's worth. Inside the mini-system is a built in lower level to buy in and a way to trade up and/or buy up. It works very well for the developer and the owner of the mini-system.
The rub, if you're a resale buyer developers have caught onto that. Some mini-systems will allow you to own the deed yet not be a part of the internal mini-system without paying to become a member. Negotiation might then become an important tool when buying any package or upgrade from the developer to include units purchased resale.
Gone are the days of owning the super cheap South African week and getting great trades through RCI or I.I. Gone are the days of the great Blue or White weeks grabing decent red weeks.
The timeshare landscape is changing again and it's changed with essentially little or no warning. A few years ago most people were saying buy cheap and trade for what you want. Some said buy where you want to go (still a great idea IMO). Now I believe it's going to be buy a good mini-system or buy into the major exchange companies points programs.
In the past I've been a supporter of weeks rather than points. That position is no longer feasable as the exchange companies evolve to either squeeze more money out of me, level the playing field or both. In the past I've purchased the unit we wanted to own and where we wanted to go.
Unfortunately for me, the first two units we ever purchased were at an idependant resort and over time have become units that have now become strictly exchange units. Fortunately for me that company, DRI, purchased Sunterra and I've had the opportunity (for an additional price) to become part of a mini-system that, while it might not be ideal for me, fits most of my needs, gives me a stated value for my units and gives me flexibility to use those units to get to many places we have yet to travel. In looking at it there will be a life expectancy of usefullness unless new resorts are added or we want to go back to places we've visited. However, it also gives something of a stated value with one of the exchange companys. I know how many points it takes for a 2 bedroom unit, just not the exact quality (as of yet) those points will get. So long as it's like for like or quality for quality I'll be happy. It's great to trade up but, this isn't one of the top resorts in the world and I don't necessarily expect to get the top resorts in the world with these units.
I have two resorts left that are not part of any system and two (Marriott) that have some owner preference for internal exchanges through I.I. At this point I firmly believe that Marriott will be forced to develope it's own internal mini-system at sometime in the future. That will leave me with two resorts left out in the cold. Fortunately, all of these units (Marriott and the 2 others) are units we are still actively using and plan to continue to actively use for several years to come. All were purchased unit/type and/or location specific. All are what we wanted to own and not was cheapest or easily available on E-bay so the units have worth to us.
So in most ways I've been lucky. Lucky that the units I was using are now inside a mini-system and lucky the the units outside the mini-system are units we are happy in locations we enjoy vacationing.
Yesteryear the advice was buy cheap South African weeks resale and trade up. Yesterday it was own where you want to stay and trade up. Today I believe we've moved into the own a unit in a good mini-system where you want to stay and trade within that system.
Personally I'm down to one unit that I'll be trading through I.I on a regular basis and that's the one bedroom LO of the 3 bedroom Marriott Grand Chateau we own. If I didn't have that one unit I'd seriously consider dropping I.I. as a member except for the corporate account through Sunterra. This year will be the last with RCI except for the corporate account with HGVC. If Marriott ever gets it's own internal system I.I. will expire with the last year we've paid through (2012 I believe).
Don't get me wrong, I.I. has been good to us. It's just that with the rapid changes RCI has made over the last few years it appears to me that the writing is on the wall. Things have changed and I must change the way I use my timeshare. It's unfortunate that in order to protect myself I'm at the mercy of developers and to get what I want (and thought I had purchased years ago) will cost me more money. But isn't that how timesharing goes? They change the landscape to "even out the playing field" and it ends up costing me money or forcing me to make changes (buy/sell) to keep myself positioned to get what I want out of vacationing.
The rub, if you're a resale buyer developers have caught onto that. Some mini-systems will allow you to own the deed yet not be a part of the internal mini-system without paying to become a member. Negotiation might then become an important tool when buying any package or upgrade from the developer to include units purchased resale.
Gone are the days of owning the super cheap South African week and getting great trades through RCI or I.I. Gone are the days of the great Blue or White weeks grabing decent red weeks.
The timeshare landscape is changing again and it's changed with essentially little or no warning. A few years ago most people were saying buy cheap and trade for what you want. Some said buy where you want to go (still a great idea IMO). Now I believe it's going to be buy a good mini-system or buy into the major exchange companies points programs.
In the past I've been a supporter of weeks rather than points. That position is no longer feasable as the exchange companies evolve to either squeeze more money out of me, level the playing field or both. In the past I've purchased the unit we wanted to own and where we wanted to go.
Unfortunately for me, the first two units we ever purchased were at an idependant resort and over time have become units that have now become strictly exchange units. Fortunately for me that company, DRI, purchased Sunterra and I've had the opportunity (for an additional price) to become part of a mini-system that, while it might not be ideal for me, fits most of my needs, gives me a stated value for my units and gives me flexibility to use those units to get to many places we have yet to travel. In looking at it there will be a life expectancy of usefullness unless new resorts are added or we want to go back to places we've visited. However, it also gives something of a stated value with one of the exchange companys. I know how many points it takes for a 2 bedroom unit, just not the exact quality (as of yet) those points will get. So long as it's like for like or quality for quality I'll be happy. It's great to trade up but, this isn't one of the top resorts in the world and I don't necessarily expect to get the top resorts in the world with these units.
I have two resorts left that are not part of any system and two (Marriott) that have some owner preference for internal exchanges through I.I. At this point I firmly believe that Marriott will be forced to develope it's own internal mini-system at sometime in the future. That will leave me with two resorts left out in the cold. Fortunately, all of these units (Marriott and the 2 others) are units we are still actively using and plan to continue to actively use for several years to come. All were purchased unit/type and/or location specific. All are what we wanted to own and not was cheapest or easily available on E-bay so the units have worth to us.
So in most ways I've been lucky. Lucky that the units I was using are now inside a mini-system and lucky the the units outside the mini-system are units we are happy in locations we enjoy vacationing.
Yesteryear the advice was buy cheap South African weeks resale and trade up. Yesterday it was own where you want to stay and trade up. Today I believe we've moved into the own a unit in a good mini-system where you want to stay and trade within that system.
Personally I'm down to one unit that I'll be trading through I.I on a regular basis and that's the one bedroom LO of the 3 bedroom Marriott Grand Chateau we own. If I didn't have that one unit I'd seriously consider dropping I.I. as a member except for the corporate account through Sunterra. This year will be the last with RCI except for the corporate account with HGVC. If Marriott ever gets it's own internal system I.I. will expire with the last year we've paid through (2012 I believe).
Don't get me wrong, I.I. has been good to us. It's just that with the rapid changes RCI has made over the last few years it appears to me that the writing is on the wall. Things have changed and I must change the way I use my timeshare. It's unfortunate that in order to protect myself I'm at the mercy of developers and to get what I want (and thought I had purchased years ago) will cost me more money. But isn't that how timesharing goes? They change the landscape to "even out the playing field" and it ends up costing me money or forcing me to make changes (buy/sell) to keep myself positioned to get what I want out of vacationing.
I'm going to go out on a limb here, but my guess is this: the exchange plus cash weeks are developer inventory, not regular deposits.
BocaBum hypothesized in another thread something that I've believed all along -- the developer deposits of weeks from resorts that are in active sales have dried up somewhat in recent years, and this accounts for some of the reduced exchange availability that everyone has noticed.
Perhaps this is RCI's attempt to get some of these developer deposits back into the system, albeit at a greater cost to the RCI member.
BocaBum hypothesized in another thread something that I've believed all along -- the developer deposits of weeks from resorts that are in active sales have dried up somewhat in recent years, and this accounts for some of the reduced exchange availability that everyone has noticed.
Perhaps this is RCI's attempt to get some of these developer deposits back into the system, albeit at a greater cost to the RCI member.
That's what an RCI Web guide told me earlier this morning when I called in to check. The guide wasn't 100% sure and was going to check with the higher ups but that was the theory.
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- After 40+ years of T/S ownership, I am no longer "an owner"
All of this bears out the advice that first and foremost, if you're going to buy weeks, make sure you own somewhere that you will enjoy going in the event that exchanges become non-existent or impractical.
The movement towards points would seem to insulate folks a bit from such insanity, since you will have greater flexibility within your "system" of resorts.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out and whether or not the skepticism is appropriate or not.
The movement towards points would seem to insulate folks a bit from such insanity, since you will have greater flexibility within your "system" of resorts.
It will be interesting to see how this plays out and whether or not the skepticism is appropriate or not.
JLB
Banned
The daily searches I do should be an excellent way to see what, if anything, this new option means. I have many, many searches to establish a base line.
Searching for Jan 2009 I have a top trader and a medicore trader. The top trader has been seeing 50-54 resorts for Resorts on the Beach. The medicore trader has been seeing 18 or 19.
I would think that the effect of exchange plus cash would/will show up using these searches, since I know 30-plus more resorts are showing up with the top trader.
So far the numbers have not changed and none of them have had the Plus Cash option.
I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that the Plus Cash will make available non-timeshare inventory, stuff that has been obtained through the emphasis on acquiring vacation rental properties. That is saying that it might be more than just developer inventory, but also include stuff that is not timeshare at all.
I am saying that because don't you think making Spacebank deposits available for Exchange Plus Cash would be a very risky move legally right now?
As I said before, let's wait and see.
Searching for Jan 2009 I have a top trader and a medicore trader. The top trader has been seeing 50-54 resorts for Resorts on the Beach. The medicore trader has been seeing 18 or 19.
I would think that the effect of exchange plus cash would/will show up using these searches, since I know 30-plus more resorts are showing up with the top trader.
So far the numbers have not changed and none of them have had the Plus Cash option.
I am going to go out on a limb and suggest that the Plus Cash will make available non-timeshare inventory, stuff that has been obtained through the emphasis on acquiring vacation rental properties. That is saying that it might be more than just developer inventory, but also include stuff that is not timeshare at all.
I am saying that because don't you think making Spacebank deposits available for Exchange Plus Cash would be a very risky move legally right now?
As I said before, let's wait and see.
- Joined
- Jun 10, 2005
- Messages
- 2,637
- Reaction score
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I ran a search just now. The icon was still there, but the description, "Exchange + cash" wasn't.
I sent an email to RCI and received a stalling non-answer.
I sent an email to RCI and received a stalling non-answer.
shagnut
TUG Member
The security thing pops up , but I have other sites that do that so that didn't bother me. I have a cheap 2br in the bank so nothing pops up about paying extra. If my 1br does that (and I won't until next yr) I will drop RCI like a hot potato. I have been happy with RCI exchanges so I hope this isn't so. I know that a lot of people think it's a great thing changing like for like but as most of you know I am the master at turning cheap into class!! shaggy