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Tlc and rci points timeshare

A

Anonymous25

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So I am in a trial period but am looking to perchase 40,000 points with 4 bonus weeks a year. MF 824 and rci annual fee 179. Is that good? I've read so many horror stories about timeshares but this one seems different then the traditional same week same place every year. Should I run? Does anybody actually like having it? Is it worth it? Are there people trying to sell theirs? Please help! I don't want to get screwed over!!

Thank you!
 
I don't know what TLC is, but if you bought it from the developer, you can do better. Timesharing has a resale market where people buy and sell timeshares for a fraction of what the developer charges - often less than 10%.

If you just purchased a preview pkg., don't buy anything else until you research all your other options. I recommend that you wait at least 6 mos., hang out on TUG, and ask questions.

This will get you started-

What to buy questions:

http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=208742
 
Help!

It's a timeshare liquidation company. LLC, TLC, and RCI but I haven't purchased yet, they say that the annual fees will never go up and it's fixed. You can use your points to travel all over as long as there is a hotel accociated with the company. So annually it's about 1,003 a year, but they say it'll never change as its a fixed rate. I just want to know if people actually have a plan similar and enjoy having it. Does it really work? With them supposedly you buy a membership and the points and just use them you don't have a specific spot like a typical timeshare. Supposedly you get 2-8 weeks of vacation with this package. But is there nothing like that anyone else has encountered? And how would I go about buying something like this but not through the developer? It was a pitch in las vegas at the plaza about 2 weeks ago, the one I went to.:shrug:

Thank you
 
LIES.... RUN....

Still not sure what they are selling you but 2 things that you were told were already lies:
Maintenance Fees do go up every year.
RCI membership does go up every year.
 
This is what we call a "Vacation Club." You will just have a membership - you will not own a deeded timeshare. These clubs come and go, and they are not well-regarded on TUG, because there is no way to know what you are actually going to get, because you don't own anything.

Again - don't buy anything else.
 
It sounds like some kind of vacation club. Inventory is based on what they can get from the exchanges. Like RCI. Those are leftovers, and there is no guarantee there will EVER be availability. And timeshares are NOT hotel rooms. I have serious reservations that the annual fee won't go up. It has to to keep whatever underlying property up. That's just how it is. Inflation and all that. Most TSs build-in ~5% to cover that.

I would just add this one to the many ways designed to separate people from their money in Las Vegas.

Walk away.
 
There was someone not long ago looking to sell the same type of thing. I told her she would have trouble giving it away. Basically anything with MF at or over a penny a point has no resale value. The closer it is to 2 cents a point, you would probably be looking at paying someone to take it from you. On top of that this group makes you pay for RCI one year at a time plus a platinum membership which is just about the most expensive way to do it.

At the nicer resorts in prime season you won't even get one week let alone 2-8 including the bonus weeks. Bonus weeks are only good on last call type inventory at 45 days or less. Anyone who belongs to RCI can get those weeks for around $199-$300 per week vs the $219 you would be paying to use bonus weeks. Using your points you will also use $149-$219 per week in addition to the MF and RCI membership fee.

You can get a 1 br grandview ts that is worth about 49,000 points with a Mf of about $450 and an RCI fee of $210 for 2 years. The buy in cost will be between $200-$800 total. You may or may not end up with bonus weeks but on the average bonus weeks only save you about $50-100 when you use each (I have 2 and never use them) and you can often catch RCI sales for the same inventory for less than the exchange fee on the bonus weeks.
 
Thank you

Thank you all! I will not be buying anything from them once this year trail ends. I appreciate your feedback!!
 
Dear Anonomous 25,
Spend 6 months to a year checking the " Today's Posts " and reading .It takes a while to see where the best path through the trees is found .

In today's listing of "bargain deals" under the Buying Selling Renting header there are 2 - week 51 's . Both are good deals for someone - but until you have some understanding of the nuances of each it would be likely you would end up with the " wrong " one for your vacation needs .
 
grats on finding us in time to save yourself a fortune (and a headache!)
 
Yeah for keeping monies!

Yes so glad I found this site too! And it's nice to see ones you can rent and test things out before buying and get advice before you buy as well! Obviously not from the developer! Thanks!!
 
I tried to talk a friend out of a program like this one, and he seemed to think I was trying to keep him from discovering what he found. It was called Global Vacations, of some such thing.

I lost a lot of respect for the guy after he did it anyway.
 
Did your friend learn the hard way? Or does he enjoy what he bought, even though he could have gotten it cheaper and or just rented places from people.
 
A little confused

So question. Is it better to buy a timeshare that has a specific place and can be exchanged for points, or is it better to just buy rci points and be able to book vacations with those points? I just don't want to have to go to the same place every year and would like to be able to choose where I go. Maybe that question doesn't make sense as I am still learning how all this works and still doing research to understand how points and exchange work. Thank you and sorry if it's a dumb question!
 
Anonymous25 said:
So question. Is it better to buy a timeshare that has a specific place and can be exchanged for points, or is it better to just buy rci points and be able to book vacations with those points? I just don't want to have to go to the same place every year and would like to be able to choose where I go. Maybe that question doesn't make sense as I am still learning how all this works and still doing research to understand how points and exchange work. Thank you and sorry if it's a dumb question!
Click to expand...

RCI points are directly associated to a property (there is an underlying deed). You do not and can not buy RCI points. You would purchase a property that property depending on the time of year, location, quality of resort.... would then have a points value within the RCI points system, if it has been converted to points or was initially sold as points. As for value many, many RCI Points property are given away for free on this board. Not to say there is something wrong with them just that the number of sellers so exceeds the buyers that there is little to no value (supply and demand hard at work).

I have and currently do own a couple properties that have been converted to RCI points and have enjoyed using them all over. It can give you great flexibility and value if done right.

You should check out what you can get for free on the "Bargain Deals" page here on Tugs to get an idea of what you can get for "free" or virtually nothing. No need to pay top dollar for something you can get for next to nothing.

http://tugbbs.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=55

Hope this helps.

Thanks,
 
Anonymous25 said:
So question. Is it better to buy a timeshare that has a specific place and can be exchanged for points, or is it better to just buy rci points and be able to book vacations with those points? I just don't want to have to go to the same place every year and would like to be able to choose where I go. Maybe that question doesn't make sense as I am still learning how all this works and still doing research to understand how points and exchange work. Thank you and sorry if it's a dumb question!
Click to expand...

You can't just buy RCI Points. There is an underlying deeded week at some resort that is tied to those points. You may never see your resort, and have only the barest knowledge of the week, but that's how it works. In fact, if you DO want to use the underlying week, you have to book it well in advance, just like anybody else.

The way it works form an owner's view is that you buy (resale, of course) a week at a resort that has been converted to RCI Points. Then on an anniversary (mine is April 1) a pre-determined number of points gets deposited in your account. You can then book stay(s) at whatever RCI Points resort you wish. You DO have to pay an exchange fee- currently $219 for EACH exchange. You also have to pay for your RCI Points membership iirc $90 or so per year, and if you happen to have a 'Weeks' resort too, that membership is included.

Unused points carry over to the next year, and you can 'borrow' a year ahead as long as the MF is paid. SO if you want to book someplace expensive (Disney comes to mind) you can save up the points for it. There are also Last Call points resorts (inside 45 days from move-in) just like the cash ones, but with the exchange fee, they are not the best deal going.

This is not intended to cover every question, just a basic overview.

Oh, what's a good deal vs a not-so-good-deal? We feel that a penny a point is about right. 50,000 RCI Points for $500 annual MF. There are a few better than that, more that are more costly.

Jim
 
Thank you for the information! Still researching as renting maybe a better option for me. I've seen some people talk about vacation clubs, are those a good option? I know someone had said that they are left over points and there is no garrentee there will ever be availability, so what's the difference in those points then the ones you get from the timeshare you have? And I know you don't really own anything but a membership, I believe, but does that matter? I'm not looking to make money, I'm looking to be able to travel around the world for cheaper than it would normally cost. So maybe renting is better?
 
a) I'd stay away from a vacation club. They will take your money and when you want to book some use, it will disappear along with the money.

b) I think that renting is a viable option. In fact renting is one suggestion we often make to new potential users here. At a minimum, rent timeshares a few times, a t different locations and in different systems. Should you then decide to buy, you do so from a more informed position.

As to 'traveling the world cheaper' using timeshares, know that in most other parts of the world, Europe, Asia, S. America, timeshare are not in the cities where Americans want to go. They are (generally) out in he countryside. The local folks live in cities and want to vacation out of them.
 
Anonymous25 said:
I'm looking to be able to travel around the world for cheaper than it would normally cost. So maybe renting is better?
Click to expand...

Renting TSs might be better and cheaper if you rent from a current owner. Often you can rent from an owner for less than what (s)he pays in MFs. TUG has a Last Minute Rental (within the next 45 days) forum where you can find rentals for no more than $100 per night or $700 per week. You can also advertise that you are looking for such a rental and an owner might have what you're looking for.

As for "[traveling] around the world for cheaper than it would normally cost", that depends on what travel costs you are looking at. Are you looking for cheaper airfare? Accommodations? Food? Car rentals? Theme park admissions? Costs for airlines to check in your luggage? Golf courses? There are so many costs associated with traveling.
 
Always looking for deals to help but typically air fair and hotel/places to stay is where I would like to save on, as they are usually the big money purchases when traveling. Whether in the US or outside of the US. And thank you I'll take a look at that forum. :)
 
the more you read, the more you learn, and the more you will save! =)
 
TLC resorts vacation club

Hey all I know I asked about vacation clubs, but I have a friend that was thinking of perchasing one, I told them that they shouldn't because there are so many bad reviews and people saying its a scam. They said they read them and were worried but then found someone who has it and said they love their points and have gone on vacations and that it works, so now they are reconsidering, but still unsure. So I was wondering if anyone has this particular club membership or something similar that can shed more light into it so I can help save my friend from a huge headache. Thank you for your input!:wall:
 
I have merged your two threads - gentle request: please don't start new threads on the same topic.
 
Are they thinking about Tlc or another one? There are several timeshare systems that call themselves vacation clubs (Hyatt, Worldmark, Wyndham, Marriott, etc) but aren't the same as traditional vacation clubs. Even so buying retail is rarely a good idea.

My main problem with tlc is the horrible mf to point ratio. Way too little rci points for the maintenance fee.
 
Sorry about the double thread.

And they went to Vegas as I did myself and heard the same pitch as I did, but haven't purchased the whole package. They are hung up on someone they found that says the program works but still are wavering because of all the bad reviews about TLC. They are saying because TLC says that it's fixed and that MF won't ever go up. Now with this they know that sales people are liers but if they made sure that was in the contract and could talk them into giving them more points so that it would be about .01 cent per point, then it would be worth it. Now I was trying to tell them you can buy things on sites for like a dollar, but they say that it wouldn't be the deal they are trying to get. As in fixed MF, hopefully more points, or a reduced MF, all in the contract. So I told them I'd write in here and try to get other people that have been through it or know more about Vacation Club/Memberships and see what they say.
 
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