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SFX Questions

JustynaC

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I've been trying to search the forums to get info about SFX, but I can't seem to locate anything and when I do a search, I get a message something like "Your seach has too few characters, too many characters, ..." I think I've seen some threads, but just can't seem to locate them now.

I, like many others, are fed up with continuous increases in every type of fee you can imagine, and would like advice on which of the smaller exchange companies are worth investigating.

I have higher end properties, several Marriott Platinum weeks, 2 Four Seasons Aviara, and a few others, so I'm hoping that I'd be able to exchange for like properties.

Any advice is appreciated! Thank you in advance.
 

vacationtime1

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SFX did well by us; we used them twice to exchange our (since sold) 2 bd SBP unit into the Sloane Garden Club in London.

We got what we wanted from them and they were easy to work with. Which is a pretty good recommendation.
 

rickandcindy23

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I have not had great luck with SFX. I entered several searches over the years and just basically have had no luck. I feel that I always settle for something or another. I have a lot of weeks on deposit. I wish they would call even once a month and check in with me. Yet I am annoyed by II's constant calls, so I don't know why I want SFX to call. I think it's because I assume they just do not get my requests. When I ask for something for the next year, I am told it's too soon to get that, then I forget about it completely. Once they matched a request months after II got me what I wanted.

I am prepared to just let some weeks expire at this point. If I had put them in II, I would have used them by now. Lesson learned. I have about 16 weeks available to use, some of which expire later this year. VERY frustrating. They have very little inventory, that is my guess. I think the TUG exchange board would work better for me.
 

presley

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I have higher end properties, several Marriott Platinum weeks, 2 Four Seasons Aviara, and a few others, so I'm hoping that I'd be able to exchange for like properties.
There are not a ton of deposits like these. Yes, there are some, but if you are looking for a specific week in one of those timeshares or one of their sister properties, you really need to stick with Interval. If you are extremely flexible, you will get a good exchange in SFX. Where and when are you looking for an exchange? SFX has a lot of Hawaii, California, Vegas, Mexico, NYC and the typical overbuilt areas like Orlando.

You can look at their sell off list here: https://www.sfxresorts.com/resort/escapes/
Those are exchanges that nobody grabbed and then they become available for rental rates. It will give you somewhat of an idea of what types of resorts people deposit.
 

Sandy VDH

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The key with SFX is flexibility. If you want a certain week at a certain resort, than it likely won't work for you. If you want a specific resort or area and you don't care when it comes through, as long as it comes through, then SFX might work well for you.

I put a request in last year and forgot about it. They contacted me last month and told my the NYC city week I requested is available.

I have used them for NYC, for the Grand Mayan Resort group (as they have many deposits) including Grand Luxxe, Canada in the summer, Hawaii and SF. Altogether over the years I have booked 18 weeks with SFX.
 

John Cummings

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I have used SFX exclusively for 20+ years. We have always received what we requested. We have done several exchanges to NYC ( Manhattan Club, HGVC, and Hilton ), Hawaii, Grand Mayans in RM and NV, Scottsdale AZ in March, Las Vegas, etc. We almost always request specific resorts and often 2 consecutive weeks.
 

JustynaC

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Thank you for the quick replies. Guess I'll just stick with what I have for now. Hopefully, as people tire of the constant increases, there will be more inventory in SFX. That will take quite a while, I'm sure.
There are not a ton of deposits like these. Yes, there are some, but if you are looking for a specific week in one of those timeshares or one of their sister properties, you really need to stick with Interval. If you are extremely flexible, you will get a good exchange in SFX. Where and when are you looking for an exchange? SFX has a lot of Hawaii, California, Vegas, Mexico, NYC and the typical overbuilt areas like Orlando.

You can look at their sell off list here: https://www.sfxresorts.com/resort/escapes/
Those are exchanges that nobody grabbed and then they become available for rental rates. It will give you somewhat of an idea of what types of resorts people deposit.
The key with SFX is flexibility. If you want a certain week at a certain resort, than it likely won't work for you. If you want a specific resort or area and you don't care when it comes through, as long as it comes through, then SFX might work well for you.

I put a request in last year and forgot about it. They contacted me last month and told my the NYC city week I requested is available.

I have used them for NYC, for the Grand Mayan Resort group (as they have many deposits) including Grand Luxxe, Canada in the summer, Hawaii and SF. Altogether over the years I have booked 18 weeks with SFX.
I'm
The key with SFX is flexibility. If you want a certain week at a certain resort, than it likely won't work for you. If you want a specific resort or area and you don't care when it comes through, as long as it comes through, then SFX might work well for you.

I put a request in last year and forgot about it. They contacted me last month and told my the NYC city week I requested is available.

I have used them for NYC, for the Grand Mayan Resort group (as they have many deposits) including Grand Luxxe, Canada in the summer, Hawaii and SF. Altogether over the years I have booked 18 weeks with SFX.
SFX did well by us; we used them twice to exchange our (since sold) 2 bd SBP unit into the Sloane Garden Club in London.

We got what we wanted from them and they were easy to work with. Which is a pretty good recommendation.
Thank you, Robert!
 

JustynaC

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There are not a ton of deposits like these. Yes, there are some, but if you are looking for a specific week in one of those timeshares or one of their sister properties, you really need to stick with Interval. If you are extremely flexible, you will get a good exchange in SFX. Where and when are you looking for an exchange? SFX has a lot of Hawaii, California, Vegas, Mexico, NYC and the typical overbuilt areas like Orlando.

You can look at their sell off list here: https://www.sfxresorts.com/resort/escapes/
Those are exchanges that nobody grabbed and then they become available for rental rates. It will give you somewhat of an idea of what types of resorts people deposit.
I'm looking specifically for European destinations in September or October. Mostly Italy, maybe Spain. It's sounding like maybe SFX may not be a good fit for me.
 

JustynaC

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Glad to hear that you have been able to get locations that work for you. I am trying to put together a trip to Italy, and haven't found the quality of resorts I'm looking for through II. I'm still learning the ropes, so I'm sure I'm missing something:)
 

JustynaC

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SFX did well by us; we used them twice to exchange our (since sold) 2 bd SBP unit into the Sloane Garden Club in London.

We got what we wanted from them and they were easy to work with. Which is a pretty good recommendation.
Thanks for the recommendation!
 

tschwa2

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I don't know if there are timeshares in Italy that are going to have the quality that you are looking for.
 

Sandy VDH

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I don't know if there are timeshares in Italy that are going to have the quality that you are looking for.

There is a Hilton Grand Vacation Club in Italy.
 

JustynaC

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I have not had great luck with SFX. I entered several searches over the years and just basically have had no luck. I feel that I always settle for something or another. I have a lot of weeks on deposit. I wish they would call even once a month and check in with me. Yet I am annoyed by II's constant calls, so I don't know why I want SFX to call. I think it's because I assume they just do not get my requests. When I ask for something for the next year, I am told it's too soon to get that, then I forget about it completely. Once they matched a request months after II got me what I wanted.

I am prepared to just let some weeks expire at this point. If I had put them in II, I would have used them by now. Lesson learned. I have about 16 weeks available to use, some of which expire later this year. VERY frustrating. They have very little inventory, that is my guess. I think the TUG exchange board would work better for me.
I'm so sorry to hear that you may have to lose your deposits! WOW! 16 weeks is really a large amount of time to lose. I hope that you will be able to find something suitable for you before this happens.
 

JustynaC

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I don't know if there are timeshares in Italy that are going to have the quality that you are looking for.
So, there aren't any 4-5 star resorts anywhere in Italy? We'd like to do Rome, Venice, Tuscany. I've also had a request in through II to Turks & Caicos for about 18 months them into Elite Alliance to try to get some different and unique vacation experiences. Wish this would be easier:) Sometimes this feels like a part time job!
 

JustynaC

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So, there aren't any 4-5 star resorts anywhere in Italy? We'd like to do Rome, Venice, Tuscany. I've also had a request in through II to Turks & Caicos for about 18 months them into Elite Alliance to try to get some different and unique vacation experiences. Wish this would be easier:) Sometimes this feels like a part time job!
OK. I made some mistakes... how do I edit my original post?
 

JustynaC

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Sandy VDH

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I'll see if I can find availability for fall 2018. Thanks for the heads-up!

You may not find Fall of 2018 yet, as even owners can't access that timeframe yet. Just a heads up.
 

JustynaC

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There are not a ton of deposits like these. Yes, there are some, but if you are looking for a specific week in one of those timeshares or one of their sister properties, you really need to stick with Interval. If you are extremely flexible, you will get a good exchange in SFX. Where and when are you looking for an exchange? SFX has a lot of Hawaii, California, Vegas, Mexico, NYC and the typical overbuilt areas like Orlando.

You can look at their sell off list here: https://www.sfxresorts.com/resort/escapes/
Those are exchanges that nobody grabbed and then they become available for rental rates. It will give you somewhat of an idea of what types of resorts people deposit.
Thank you for the link. I'm primarily looking for Italy or Spain in Sept or Oct, 2018. I'm also looking for Turks & Caicos... anytime. I've had a request in for Turks & Caicos through II for about 18 months now, with no luck.

I've been fortunate to have frequently traveled to Hawaii, Vegas, all over Mexico, New York, and lived in Southern California for 20 years. I'm looking for new places to explore, so I'm hoping to find an exchange company with more exotic locations.

I think I may be asking for too much???
 

JustynaC

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You may not find Fall of 2018 yet, as even owners can't access that timeframe yet. Just a heads up.
Thank You! Still trying to navigate around all of the intricacies of exchanging.
 

Sandy VDH

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i don't know what availability will look like in either in HGVC or RCI. I just looked up fall of 2017 and it is kind of late in the cycle to be checking, but fall is all but picked over. So I have no idea in general what inventory levels are within HGVC. There is 1 review on RCI, so I don't think there is a lot of deposits over there either. I guess your other option is to consider a trade with another TUG member.
 

JustynaC

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i don't know what availability will look like in either in HGVC or RCI. I just looked up fall of 2017 and it is kind of late in the cycle to be checking, but fall is all but picked over. So I have no idea in general what inventory levels are within HGVC. There is 1 review on RCI, so I don't think there is a lot of deposits over there either. I guess your other option is to consider a trade with another TUG member.
I know that I'm asking much earlier than normal for 2018. I'm just trying to get an idea of what it will take to get 2 weeks in Italy in 2018. And I think you hit the nail on the head... just try to make this happen with trades with other TUG members! That sounds so much better than the hassle of going through the exchange companies.
 

vacationtime1

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OK. I made some mistakes... how do I edit my original post?

At the bottom of your post you will see your name and when you posted. Just to the right of that, you should see the word "edit" in blue. Click it.
 

JuliGee

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I've been trying to search the forums to get info about SFX, but I can't seem to locate anything and when I do a search, I get a message something like "Your seach has too few characters, too many characters, ..." I think I've seen some threads, but just can't seem to locate them now.

I, like many others, are fed up with continuous increases in every type of fee you can imagine, and would like advice on which of the smaller exchange companies are worth investigating.

I have higher end properties, several Marriott Platinum weeks, 2 Four Seasons Aviara, and a few others, so I'm hoping that I'd be able to exchange for like properties.

Any advice is appreciated! Thank you in advance.

SFX doesn't have a forum at this site, it's over at another site www.timeshareforums.com.

I have been using SFX for a number of years with great success. They were recommended to us by management at Club Donatello, and management at Marriott. I have posted a number of comments about our experience with SFX in this site.

Juli
 

presley

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I think I may be asking for too much???
There just aren't many good quality timeshares in the places you are looking for. It won't matter which exchange company you use - if there aren't any timeshares in that location, you aren't going to get an exchange.

HGVC has a Tuscany location, but they only trade in RCI. The timeshares you mentioned that you own all trade in II. You can try a direct exchange with another owner here on Tug.

Do you have the option with Marriott or Four Seasons to exchange your timeshare week for hotel stays? It won't be a good value, but at least you know you'll get what you want without having to wait around for an exchange to come through.
 

SmithOp

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People have mixed results with SFX, either love them or hate them.

An exchange is not free, there are membership costs and exchange fees to pay. Even if you get the free account, they charge more for exchanges. No different from Interval or RCI IMO. I don't like that you can't see their inventory, only the excess stuff 90 days out.


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