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RCI Letter regarding my RCI Points Exchange Cleaning Fee

vacationhopeful

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Okay, just got an email telling me that my 1 week points exchange BACK into my HOME RESORT is going to cost me a CLEANING fee. Yes, my 7 night exchange!
$49 for a studio, $61 for a 1bdr and $71 for a 2bdr.

What is FUNNY is the 2bdr is a $49 (studio) and $61 (1bdr) combined, but not in cleaning costs ($71 is not $110 ($49 + $61)).

Letter states, my paraphasing: Rules changed and YOU pay; and your cancellation fees/costs are still enforced. You lose!

You know who will be calling her resort manager tomorrow AM.:wave:
 

chriskre

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Marriott GV
So who is collecting these fees? RCI or the resort on check in?
 

vacationhopeful

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The resort.

This is BS - my MFs cover the weekly turn over cleaning. You know I will be put thru to the resort manager.
 

jlwquilter

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You go girl! I am calling my resorts that charge a cleaning fee for a standard week to week exchange (either thru Weeks or thru Points). Unless they are going to reimburse me for the cleaning fee I already paid thru my MFs, or they are going to lower my MFs due to this new source of income, it is total BS.

And I am eliminating from exchange consideration resorts that are now charging a fee when they shouldn't be. I am ok with fees for short stays as that does generate an additonal clean. But otherwise, no way.
 

Mel

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Even short stays shouldn't be charged as much as they are for these cleaning fees.

For a 7-day stay, the owner pays the cleaning fee. That includes one regularly scheduled cleaning

When the unit has split usage, one person staying 3 days, another 4 days, both will pay a cleaning fee, on top of the fee paid by the owner. The unit gets cleaned twice, but the resort is now collecting 3 times! I doubt the cost to schedule 1 extra cleaning is double what they are charging guests. And if you argue that they might not have a second guest to share the cost of that cleaning, that would mean they are not in fact having it cleaned twice, so the fee from the first person is pure profit.

I'm happy with our weeks membership, but will watch to see if resorts are going to start passing along fees to exchanges, either in addition to or in place of collecting from owners (we know they already do this with utility fees in more and more places). If they don't charge the owner at the time of use, I shouldn't have to pay it then either.
 

bnoble

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If they don't charge the owner at the time of use, I shouldn't have to pay it then either.
That horse left the barn a long time ago, with Manhattan Club and DVC, among others.

The question remains, as always: "Is this exchange a good deal, all things considered." If it is, take it. If it isn't look elsewhere. If enough people do that, the TPU values will drop to make up for the extra fees, putting pressure on the owners there to change policies. If most people still find them good deals, then the fees will stick.

Observation: for the most part, they have stuck.
 

janej

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Linda,

Are you checking in midweek? It would only make sense if that is the case and only if you get a free midweek cleaning.

I got a similar notice from RCI this summer the week before checking in about a resort adding parking fee. Same verbiage, we hope you will keep your exchange otherwise, you still have to pay for cancellation as usual:eek:

It was only $20. I did not bother to pretest. Still, I did not think it was right. They could have negotiated with the resort for exceptions.

Jane
 

vacationhopeful

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Call Front Desk supervisor and forwarded the email to her a few minutes ago. She knew nothing. But she has been in the past the resort contact person for RCI Points issues.

This is for a standard HOME RESORT reservation (12 month mark) which MUST be for 7 nights.
 

jhac007

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Okay, just got an email telling me that my 1 week points exchange BACK into my HOME RESORT is going to cost me a CLEANING fee. Yes, my 7 night exchange!
$49 for a studio, $61 for a 1bdr and $71 for a 2bdr.

What is FUNNY is the 2bdr is a $49 (studio) and $61 (1bdr) combined, but not in cleaning costs ($71 is not $110 ($49 + $61)).

Letter states, my paraphasing: Rules changed and YOU pay; and your cancellation fees/costs are still enforced. You lose!

You know who will be calling her resort manager tomorrow AM.:wave:

Linda, I know you have many resort options (rented one of yours this past April) and we do have some in common. Which one was this???

Jim
 

vacationhopeful

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Heard back from the resort. Assured me that a full week's reservation is NOT charged a cleaning fee - only reservations of LESS than a week are charged.

Have that in writing.

Is this another "glich" in RCI Points due to their updates?
 

jlwquilter

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Linda's talking about Ft. Lauderdale Beach Resort.

RCI's webpage has been 'updated' to remove references to cleaning fees on the Weeks side. It does still specifically say there will be cleaning fees for all Points stays. It doesn't say 'for less than 7 nights' though... so still a question mark there. Will certain resorts charge a cleaning fee for using Points for a full standard Weeks exchange...?
 
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