The Truth about RCI.....long

[Carol C]

Many, many posts have talked about diminished trading power, rentals by RCI, membership rules, etc. There have even been class action lawsuits filed. I think that many tuggers just don't understand how RCI views the industry & who their REAL customers are.
The truth is that RCI considers timeshare owners as MEMBERS and they charge MEMBERSHIP & other fees, but we are not their primary CUSTOMERS. The resort developers are RCI's CUSTOMERS, not timeshare owners.
So when you look at the current rental situation or lack of availability for timeshare owners, it is helpful to understand that while RCI may be giving some displeasure to it's MEMBERS, it's CUSTOMERS are thrilled by RCI's actions. Lets take a look at why this is so:
When a timeshare owner exchanges into a new resort, RCI gets the exchange fee & the resort gets a guest for a week along with the associated costs. Maybe you will take the TS tour and by another timeshare at developer prices, but probably you wont. Probably you will take the free gift and run. Contrast this to when the rent a TS unit to the public, even at a bargain price below the maint. fee for that unit.....RCI gets a rental fee that is MORE then the exchange fee & their CUSTOMER(The Developers), get a fresh innocent, unsuspecting new potential owner who may buy at retail price. This makes RCI's CUSTOMERS very happy.
BTW, when we see bulk spacebanking, it is often because the resorts deposit many, many more units then is required for RCI affiliation in order to get new, potential owners. If we see these bulk spacebank deposits into RCI, it's sometimes because they were excess to the RENTAL market, so we 2nd class MEMBERS can now have the opportunity to exchange.
Personally, I think RCI has taken the wrong road. It will lead to the collapse of the Timeshare Industry, RCI just doesn't see it yet because they keep raising fees in order to keep the stockholders happy. Automation of the exchange process should have allowed RCI to keep it's rates stable.
Just look at all the almost free timeshares on ebay that nobody wants. The truth is that most timeshares that do not have a 52 week or close, prime season are in trouble or will be in trouble as soon as their ownership revolts against the continually rising fees. As blue & white & some red week owners abandon their units, the resorts raise maint. fees for those remaining. When fees go above a breakpoint, which I believe is currently about $700, for a regular 2 BR timeshare(Not a Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt or the like), owners start looking for the deed. The previous value of a blue or white week was the ability to exchange it through RCI for something you wanted. Without the exchange value, there is no reason to own this type of week. That is what is happening now. Thousands of owners are giving up on exchanging these off season weeks, good only for Orlando & other overbuilt areas at this time. Add the high exchange fees, & maint. fees & it becomes a no brainer....
RCI needs to get the bus back on the road to industry growth, & keeping both their CUSTOMERS and their MEMBERS happy.

So *that* is the reason why there are no SW Florida resorts to be had via RCI during the cold winter months!

 

[joestein]

I have only owned a timeshare for a short period. I own 161,000 FF points, and I deposit either blue(28,000) or red generic(70,000) studios to RCI to trade. I have made quite a few trades in the past 2 years fairly easy. I am going to CA in August and I wanted a week at Worldmark Windsor and at Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido. I got the worldmark week right away (and everybody at TUG said it would be impossible), but I still waiting for the Welk week (the week everybody said would be easy). Overall for my cost, RCI has been FANTASTIC! I don't think I would own a timeshare if I couldn't cut up my points and trade, at $700 yr in taxes and maintenance, I am not sure it is worth one week's vacation.

Joe

 

[regatta333]

I am going to CA in August and I wanted a week at Worldmark Windsor and at Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido. I got the worldmark week right away (and everybody at TUG said it would be impossible), but I still waiting for the Welk week (the week everybody said would be easy).

The Welk resort has become much more difficult to get. I used to be able to pull it up routinely in searches, but not in the past year. I see a lot of units in Extra Vacations, though.

 

[timeos2]

Its the flawed weeks system thats dying not timeshare

I have only owned a timeshare for a short period. I own 161,000 FF points, and I deposit either blue(28,000) or red generic(70,000) studios to RCI to trade. I have made quite a few trades in the past 2 years fairly easy. I am going to CA in August and I wanted a week at Worldmark Windsor and at Lawrence Welk Resort in Escondido. I got the worldmark week right away (and everybody at TUG said it would be impossible), but I still waiting for the Welk week (the week everybody said would be easy). Overall for my cost, RCI has been FANTASTIC! I don't think I would own a timeshare if I couldn't cut up my points and trade, at $700 yr in taxes and maintenance, I am not sure it is worth one week's vacation.

Joe

Joe - You are lucky to have started out with a points based ownership. It changes everything as you control what and when you get use and how much it costs you. The drop and hope of week for week trading is what is so frustrating - especially to those that came in recently with the ease of hotel reservations in mind and then find that week for week trades aren't that easy and often simply aren't equal. We're in a quickly changing environment where the old ways, especially the tricks, aren't as likely to work anymore. For those that knew them and set up ownership to fully leverage the quirks the newer, far more open systems are a threat. But they are great and, while still not perfect, easier to get decent value out of on a regular basis. I am so happy that over time I was able to convert all my weeks into a point system of some type if I wanted. Once I was exposed to the (then) Fairfield Fairshare Plus system the old week for week nightmare didn't appeal to us anymore. We own weeks to use and points to trade. It works perfectly for us.

 

[Aldo]

The percentage of informed buyers/sellers/users of timeshares - including everyone that takes part on TUG and the other timeshare sites - isn't likely to reach 2%. It never ceases to amaze me how many people I run into that either own a timeshare, are planning to get one or who once owned one and dumped it in frustration. Nearly every one thinks they know how it all works yet in a 2 minute conversation it's clear that at best they are repeating a presentation line, haven't ever traded or, worst case, bought years ago and other than paying fees have hardly ever used it for anything! It is that super majority of the population that supports the retail side, RCI/II and feeds the low cost rental and resale machines. We don't stand a chance of changing that. Class action success or not.

The class action doesn't seek to change any of that. All it seeks to do is to stop RCI from skimming the exchange pool for the rentals.

Simple enough. Weeks put into the exchange pool ought to, by right, stay in the exchange pool.

 

[PerryM]

Black Box outputs can't be used for any decision..

The class action doesn't seek to change any of that. All it seeks to do is to stop RCI from skimming the exchange pool for the rentals.

Simple enough. Weeks put into the exchange pool ought to, by right, stay in the exchange pool.

Why do you assume that? I sure don’t. RCI can do anything with its business plan it wants. If that’s moving reservations around – that's exactly what you agreed to let them do - anything they want.

We are just looking at the output of a “Black Box” system – the RCI week system. It’s full of mysterious and fluctuating and vacillating rules that come and go. To look at the outcome and determine that RCI is violating any of their own rules is to assume that they purposely want to violate the rules they cooked up. Why on earth do that?

Those here that demand they change their business plan make HUGE assumptions that have no basis in reality at all. We just don't have ANY proof, that would stand up in court for 10 seconds. These wild rumors only cause folks using RCI to become agitated when there is NO reason to be.

We all agree to follow RCI's ever changing rules - if those rules don't benefit a timeshare owner they have plenty of options these days - this is the computer age and the Internet age - of course there are many alternatives.

To those here that want to fight - that sounds like a tremendous waste of time and effort - better to spend the same time and effort finding something that actually improves your family's vacations. Lawsuits only make the lawyers rich and the peasants get peanuts. Anyone here believe otherwise?

 

[taffy19]

To those here that want to fight - that sounds like a tremendous waste of time and effort - better to spend the same time and effort finding something that actually improves your family's vacations. Lawsuits only make the lawyers rich and the peasants get peanuts. Anyone here believe otherwise?

Oh my goodness, you sure hit the nail right on the head, PerryM. This is so true that the class action attorneys are getting rich and the consumer ends up with a few dollars or not even that and the companies pass on the expense to all of us. That's the way business works. I can't stand these TV ads where these fat cats are trying to get people to join a class action lawsuit.

Read the instructions of the RCI membership and you will see it in black and white that they can do whatever they wish with your deposit. I am so glad that there are other options around so why not use them?

 

[Carolinian]

While I have always contended that a suit by a state AG Consumer Protection Division would be much preferable, partly because of the fee issue, the class action boys got there first, and the survival of the ownership-exchange model of timesharing may depend on their going for a win instead of just cashing out and letting RCI make some meaningless minor change.

In a class action, unless it bombs completely, there will be an outcome on four levels; 1) payment of damages to the lead plaintiff, 2) attorney fees for plaintiffs attorney, 3) damages (often minute) to class members, and 4) injunctive relief to force the defendant to change what it was doing improperly. In this case, 1,2,and 3 really dont matter, but 4 is critical. I really dont care how little damages to the class are or how large attorneys fees are. It is what RCI is compelled to change that is important. The danger in any class action is that the defendant will try to settle based on a minor change so that plaintiffs attorneys can declare a victory and collect their fees. Of course, the lead plaintiff has to agree. In this case, what I am able to learn about one of the lead plaintiffs indicates that this person is in it for meaningful reform, not a payout, and one of the key attorneys may be at least somewhat inclined the same way. RCI is so secretive about their operations, I strongly suspect that they are highly motivated to settle without too much getting out in public, so if the plaintiffs stick to their guns, they may well accomplish something. One of the advantages of an AG consumer protection suit, of course, is that attorneys on a state salary have no motive whatsoever to sell out for the cash. All they are going to get is their state salary, anyway!

RCI buries things in fine print that contradict the impression they give members into order to induce them to deposit their week. I do not call such business practices honest.

Oh my goodness, you sure hit the nail right on the head, PerryM. This is so true that the class action attorneys are getting rich and the consumer ends up with a few dollars or not even that and the companies pass on the expense to all of us. That's the way business works. I can't stand these TV ads where these fat cats are trying to get people to join a class action lawsuit.

Read the instructions of the RCI membership and you will see it in black and white that they can do whatever they wish with your deposit. I am so glad that there are other options around so why not use them?

 

[BocaBum99]

My argument about their limitations has to do with the proposition put forward by some that their internal trading system makes exchange companies obsolete. That is where the limitations come into play. The only mini with any real presence in Europe, Sunterra, for example, now has their European operations up for sale.

I agree that exchange companies sometimes give an unfair preference to some of these systems, but again to even get to that point, one HAS to USE the exchange companies rather than the internal mini-system trades.

You arguments are based on false premises about point systems and how expert users use them. In a points system, I can do without an exchange company if I want. If I use one, I can gain access to far more weeks.

You have this perception about mini-systems that is based on how many resorts they have vs. how many they actually have access to. My reach in a point system is far greater than just the exchange companies or the resorts in the system.

I can direct exchange with other owners. If I own a resort group, I can trade any of those units in the exchange system. I know. I do direct exchanges all the time for timeshares I don't own. And, people will simpy trade for points, not a specific week. The provides me, a points owner, more options. It is more likely that someone will want one of 40-60 resorts for a direct trade than for a single ownership at a specific resort.

In addition, if you are using exchange companies at all, you can access ALL of them via a resort group because different exchange companies take different resorts in the system. I can provide the cheapest unit that the exchange company will take to reduce my cost of accommodations.

And, I can rent units. When you own a resort group, different resorts have more appeal for renting than others. So, I can book the maximum renter and use the cash to rent someone elses unit from them. I do that as well.

So, by actually owning a points system, I get so many more options for getting what I want that it simply blows away what I can get with a fixed week.

 

[Phill12]

Sounds like this should have been my post!

Whats so bad about settling for Orlando. It has a ton of very good quaility resorts. It has a ton of activities to do. I generally has good weather. Even Tuggers with better weeks go to Orlando.

Las Vegas is another great settle for destination. Folks always have plenty to do, plenty to eat and good quality accomadations.
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Short, I totally agree with you! People always say don't buy in Orlando because there are to many resorts and same with Las Vegas and they do not whole there value. Who cares about the value until your going to sell and hopfully you had enough vacations there to have made your purchase worth while!

We no longer would buy in Orlando because our daughter has out grown Disney but thought about the Vastana many times over the years. There might be many timeshares there but I would guess more people go to Orlando than even Hawaii because of Disney World. Yes you can buy resale cheap but going back to why you buy is to use your resort for years and maybe trade some years.

Same for Las Vegas, you can go to hotels for decent packaged prices but no family wants to spend a week in a hotel!
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(Short)
Only a small minority of US timeshare owners have any interest in exchanging into Europe. Most inexperienced travelers to Europe will go on an organized tour or cruise. Even experienced travelers to Europe like myself do not look to exchange and I do not want to stay in one place for 7 days. I want to keep moving to different sites.

JMHO,

Short

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Again your right because we wanted to goto Germany but found first place we have never heard of most the places that have timeshares and like most countries you are stuck in one area and need ten vacations to see everything! I would think most families would take some kind of packaged vacation to see more of Germany or other countries.

We have taken four cruises just for this reason and the last one to Alaska and loved it, one to Mexico,one to Virgin Islands and the Disney cruise years ago.

 

[Carolinian]

The notion that "experienced travellers" to Europe would use an organized tour doesnt hold water. Organized tours are for the newbies and the timid. Experienced travelers plan their OWN trip based on what they want to do and see. A timeshare may or may not fit into what someone wants to do. For me, it does in some places in Europe, and others (like my current one - I am sitting in an internet cafe in Belgrade, Serbia as I type) it does not.

There are few places that I would recommend an organized tour to anyone. One is Russia, where I did that myself my first time there.

 

[Carolinian]

Renting and direct trades do not give nearly the reach as an exchange company.

And the sale of Sunterras European operations (the latest word seems to still have Club La Costa as the likely buyer) is not a false premise. The sale process is far advanced and could be finally closed in the near future.

You arguments are based on false premises about point systems and how expert users use them. In a points system, I can do without an exchange company if I want. If I use one, I can gain access to far more weeks.

You have this perception about mini-systems that is based on how many resorts they have vs. how many they actually have access to. My reach in a point system is far greater than just the exchange companies or the resorts in the system.

I can direct exchange with other owners. If I own a resort group, I can trade any of those units in the exchange system. I know. I do direct exchanges all the time for timeshares I don't own. And, people will simpy trade for points, not a specific week. The provides me, a points owner, more options. It is more likely that someone will want one of 40-60 resorts for a direct trade than for a single ownership at a specific resort.

In addition, if you are using exchange companies at all, you can access ALL of them via a resort group because different exchange companies take different resorts in the system. I can provide the cheapest unit that the exchange company will take to reduce my cost of accommodations.

And, I can rent units. When you own a resort group, different resorts have more appeal for renting than others. So, I can book the maximum renter and use the cash to rent someone elses unit from them. I do that as well.

So, by actually owning a points system, I get so many more options for getting what I want that it simply blows away what I can get with a fixed week.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Carolinian, I want to be YOU! Sitting in an internet cafe' in Belgrade--you are such a world traveler, you lucky devil.

Have a wonderful vacation. I am so, so jealous!

 

[taffy19]

I hope that Carolinian has a wonderful time over there and decent weather too. It is wonderful how much he travels in that part of Europe before it becomes too expensive.

Cindy, start saving and planning and you will be on your way sooner than you think. I would go with you. My SO has no desire to go to to Europe at all.

 

[mav]

The notion that "experienced travellers" to Europe would use an organized tour doesnt hold water. Organized tours are for the newbies and the timid. Experienced travelers plan their OWN trip based on what they want to do and see. A timeshare may or may not fit into what someone wants to do. For me, it does in some places in Europe, and others (like my current one - I am sitting in an internet cafe in Belgrade, Serbia as I type) it does not.

There are few places that I would recommend an organized tour to anyone. One is Russia, where I did that myself my first time there.

Carolinian, you do get around! And I agree, an organized trip to Europe is for newbies. We have ALWAYS gone on our own, and hopefully won't need an organized tour to Europe until we are to old to lug our suitcases !

 

[Phill12]

The notion that "experienced travellers" to Europe would use an organized tour doesnt hold water. Organized tours are for the newbies and the timid. Experienced travelers plan their OWN trip based on what they want to do and see. A timeshare may or may not fit into what someone wants to do. For me, it does in some places in Europe, and others (like my current one - I am sitting in an internet cafe in Belgrade, Serbia as I type) it does not.
There are few places that I would recommend an organized tour to anyone.
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Carolinian, which part of my post made you think we are experienced travellers.

You sound like you go all over and that is great but I doubt we are in your league by going to timeshares and hotels in Orlando, Lake Tahoe,Las Vegas, Mexico and Hawaii. When we find area we like we go back so our list is small. This is why when I retired last year we went back to Lake Tahoe and bought our Ridge Tahoe back. We have yet to trade because we love going up for a week.

We fly to timeshare and play and drive around area and back on plane like many vacationers! I would hate to see how much we have missed in an area we spent seven days in.

When we went to Cancun except for one tour and going out to dinner we spent most of our week swimming to and from the pool bar! LMAO :

 

[Carolinian]

Carolinian, which part of my post made you think we are experienced travellers.

Actually, the part you edited from your earlier post made reference to the habits of experienced travellers to Europe as it was originally posted, and that is what I responded to. My comments are not directed at your own travel habits.

 

[short]

Organized tour.

The notion that "experienced travellers" to Europe would use an organized tour doesnt hold water. Organized tours are for the newbies and the timid. Experienced travelers plan their OWN trip based on what they want to do and see. A timeshare may or may not fit into what someone wants to do. For me, it does in some places in Europe, and others (like my current one - I am sitting in an internet cafe in Belgrade, Serbia as I type) it does not.

There are few places that I would recommend an organized tour to anyone. One is Russia, where I did that myself my first time there.

I think my original post said inexperienced travelers would take a tour or a cruise not a experienced traveler. Perhaps we should use different terms. I consider myself an experienced traveler but not neccesarily a frequent traveler to Europe. I have still have lots of places to see before I settle down to going one place frequently.

I am fully capable of navigating my way around Europe on my own but now that I think about it my best vacation to Europe was to Italy where we did a small group(our family of 4 only) tour of Venice, Florence, and Rome. I'm not a big fan of large tour buses but small group tours of 12 people that move along seeing several different sites and has a driver and a guide at each location looks like it might be doable. I found an interesting tour that starts in London, goes to Dover, does the Normandy beaches and the D Day invasion. I think my husband would find that very interesting and it is something I would probobly not organize on my own.

Now that I think about it I do not think organized tours and cruises are just for Newbies and the timid. Organized tours are also good for people that what to spend their travel time more efficiently, want to have a tour guide at each location that can tell them what they are looking at, can't or don't want to drive, can't or don't want to walk long distances, want to go with a large group(like a church group)etc.

Short

I have to go and see if I can find that Normandy tour again and put it on my watch list.

 

[Carolinian]

Friends who have done tour groups to Europe complain that their level of interest is not always the same as the tour guide. They beat to death something that the client is not that interested in but rush through something the client really wants to see. There is nothing better than setting your own pace rather than being constrained by that of the tour guide. Indeed when I did the tour group to Russia on my first trip there, I went with the guide on his spin around St. Petersburg, but in Moscow decided it was better to get out on my own rather than staying with the guide.

When I saw the Normandy beaches some years ago (they were still using francs then), I used a good guide book (The Rough Guide) and did just fine on my own,

 

[randyz]

.

I am fully capable of navigating my way around Europe on my own but now that I think about it my best vacation to Europe was to Italy where we did a small group(our family of 4 only) tour of Venice, Florence, and Rome. I'm not a big fan of large tour buses but small group tours of 12 people that move along seeing several different sites and has a driver and a guide at each location looks like it might be doable. I found an interesting tour that starts in London, goes to Dover, does the Normandy beaches and the D Day invasion. I think my husband would find that very interesting and it is something I would probobly not organize on my own.
.

Excellent point, when one says tours one automatically thinks of large tour bus and the cattle herds, at the other extreme is the smaller tour precisely for the experienced traveller, for example, boating into the amazon, walking tour of New Orleans guided by a history and trivia buff, kajaking the Charlottes, etc..

Randy

 

[Mel]

There is a difference between "experienced travelers" and "experienced travelers to Europe." The first, is those who travel a fair amount, but most of that travel may be near home - in the case of many TUG mambers,t hat would mean in the US. For many of us, a trip to Europe is a whole different experience. The US may be as big is several countries put together, but it still is just that - several countries!

Most of the Americans I know who have been to Europe have done so as part of a tour group - some large groups, some small. My in-laws have gone a few times, on their own to various parts of Great Britain, but with tours for the mainland. Their last 2 trips were on smaller river cruises. No, they did not get the same level of choice of what to see, or to do in each city as they would have on their own, but they have been very happy which what they did see. They now know what they would do on their own if they go back (and a couple cities they might).

I think the issues is that most americans won't go to Europe all that many times -again, TUG members may be an exception, but we are the exception to almost everything. If I were only going to go to Europe once, I would probably do so as part of a tour, and visit several cities for a few days each. DH did that on his own the summer after he graduated college, but most of us don't have the 2 months off to do that. Thus, we need to economize - both our money AND more importantly our time. We leave it up to someone else to plan the itinerary - or choose one that fits best our desires.

We could make this work in Europe. We could do as we do when visiting a less familiar region in the US. We've had members here ask about visitng New England - is it reasonable to take a unit in Cape Cod and use it as a base to explore New England? Well, yes to a degree, but be prepared to spend loads of time in the car getting to your day trips. No different than doing the same in Europe, except that Cape Cod, as part of the US, is already more familiar than many partts of Europe. Many of the customs are the same, the language is the same, and so on.

Also consider where most timeshares are. In the US, while there are a few concentrated areas, most timeshares are not in the big cities, they are in vacation destinantions - the same is true in Europe. It's just that americans going to Europe aren't interested in vacation destinantions, but in experiencing the culture. The European timeshares serve the same purpose there - to provide a vacation destination for people who are more local to them. If you are willing to drive substantial distance (and willing to pay the cost for the rental car and fuel), you can use a European timeshare as a base, but you will be limited in the area you can visit, much as you are limited in the area you can visit in the US from any given "base." A German family that visits the US, and stays with friends in Minnesota gets no taste of life in New England, or in Texas, after all.

 

[Jollyhols]

I guess it was the rep showing us the II catalogue that 'sold' our t/s to us and the apparent small admin fee to exchange. As everyone knows, it is not that simple and although we have exchanged a few times it is a bit of an effort and we find vacation planning much less fun since we bought our t/s and actually quite tense! We only exchanged once into a non 5 star II rated place and were very disappointed and are now much more cautious about where we exchange into. Our annual vacation since we bought in Orlando has been one week in Orlando and one week elsewhere in Florida.
I love Florida, but would like to see somewhere else before I die! Bearing in mind how environmentally unfriendly it is to keep taking long haul flights, I wish I had bought a timeshare in Europe instead. Actually I wish I hadn't bought one at all ...

 

[Carolinian]

Bearing in mind how environmentally unfriendly it is to keep taking long haul flights, I wish I had bought a timeshare in Europe instead.

Actually, there was a recent program on the Discovery Channel featuring the chief cloud and contrail scientist from NASA who said the jet exhaust in contrails was environmentally harmless.

 

[PerryM]

Smile; you're on vacation

I guess it was the rep showing us the II catalogue that 'sold' our t/s to us and the apparent small admin fee to exchange. As everyone knows, it is not that simple and although we have exchanged a few times it is a bit of an effort and we find vacation planning much less fun since we bought our t/s and actually quite tense! We only exchanged once into a non 5 star II rated place and were very disappointed and are now much more cautious about where we exchange into. Our annual vacation since we bought in Orlando has been one week in Orlando and one week elsewhere in Florida.
I love Florida, but would like to see somewhere else before I die! Bearing in mind how environmentally unfriendly it is to keep taking long haul flights, I wish I had bought a timeshare in Europe instead. Actually I wish I hadn't bought one at all ...

I agree with my good friend Carolinian; your actions as a citizen of the US do not have an impact upon the sun’s slow increase in temperature for the last 1,000 years. So go on as many vacations as you want – it’s good for the economy and your family’s well being.

Exchanging is like going to a church picnic – everyone brings a covered-dish and some of the food just isn’t going to be to your liking – don’t blame the church.

I personally don’t like RCI’s selection of timeshares, for the most part. Find a timeshare that can do both RCI and II – like WorldMark. There for just $5,000 you can take yearly exchanges at both RCI and II. For II you can get a $400 exchange into a Marriott 2BR in Florida or at any Marriott, even Maui at the 59-day window - if there is availability.

So look at exchanging with the idea of upgrading the timeshare you own and get something much better. If you view the exchange this way you will be checking in the front desk right next to owners who paid 10 times as much as you did and 4 times the MF and you will be enjoying your vacation even before you check in.

 

["Roger"]

My sympathies are with Jollyhols. When I first bought, I asked around about people's experiences with timesharing. He or she hit upon the two biggest complaints that were registered... the salepeople falsely make you think that you can trade for anything in the catelogue and it forces you to plan your vacation too far in advance.

TUGGERs have always been very unsympathetic to the latter complaint. I hate to be harsh, but the attitude that has been expressed has been "Well I can plan two years in advance and that gives me a leg up on others who can't, so first come first serve is fair since they could do it too." No, timesharing is hard for many people who have job commitments and family matters that do not allow extreme advance planning.

Perry, if you look, Jollyhols is not a US citizen. He or she also belongs to II and not RCI. Global warming will get us in a banned issue on TUG, but your view of its just the sun going through a period of warning is very much in dispute. Regardless, some of us are concerned about the excessive use of rare fossil fuels. That too comes with a price. (I agree we should not be debating these latter matters on TUG, but I am sympathetic to someone simply stating that they have some moral qualms about such issues.)