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Why can RCI & II be more like SFX?

Bill4728

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There is more and more dissatifaction with RCI and II policies of renting their inventory instead of making it available for exchange. Why can't they be more like SFX. Any unit which SFX opens to rental (they call it their sell off list) is also available for exchange and bonus week use. This means if you see SFX trying to rent a week you'd like to exchange into, call and if it's still there, it yours. Sometimes you might choose to exchange for the week, sometimes rent it or sometimes use your bonus week to get it. It is your choice.
 

timeos2

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Renting gets rid of surplus

Most likely because SFX only takes in roughly equal units. If an exchanger wants something they have for rent the value is most likely close to equal.

RCI & II take all affiliated units and times. That means they get some real dregs - in fact I bet 30% or more is basically worthless time. If they opened the gates for any deposit to take any rental time the trades wouldn't be equal or even close.

Both have become much more strict in enforcing equal value trades leaving many watching better weeks they would love to grab going to rental rather than an blatantly unequal trade one for one. It is a basic problem with the one for one only style of trading that all units, resorts and use times are far from equal if anything is accepted. SFX skims the best so they don't have an equality issue yet STILL end up with time to rent. It shows that assuming all time - no matter how high quality - will get taken by other exchangers simply doesn't work. There are too many factors such as unit size, use dates, location, etc that mean things just don't always match up and there is a surplus to rent.
 

getreal

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enforcing equal value trades

timeos2

You are right that the notion of "all trades are equal" is wrong. One size does not fit all. We all understand the problem.

But the current RCI policy is no solution. They simply eliminate exchange options that is not equal in their eyes. Which often leaves people with no trade choices. And it drives them nuts.

In such cases it would be better if RCI allowed you to pay an upgrade price, which is what SFX does in some cases like if you want a larger unit.

Hmmm what is this thread called again ...
 

CaliDave

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John,

You are right about RCI getting stricter on the enforcing equal value. Especially with some of the bulk spacebanks. I own a week that I have 3 different deposits. One summer, one spring and one fall.
They used to all see most bulk spacebanks.. Then it changed to only summer and spring.. Now summer sees them all and spring sees some.
I think RCI has fine tuned the weeks trading power to more closely match , supply and demand.
 

CaliDave

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getreal said:
In such cases it would be better if RCI allowed you to pay an upgrade price, which is what SFX does in some cases like if you want a larger unit.
..

Do we really need to give RCI more ideas on how to make money?

If you are a platinum (meaning paying) member of SFX, they do not charge to upgrade to a 2bd.

What do you consider and upgrade in RCI? If I trade my summer studio on the beach in So Cal for a 2bd GC in Orlando. I really don't see that as an upgrade. I like RCI's system. Supply and Demand.
 

littlestar

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My sister (just about 2 weeks ago) was able to exchange her desposited week in Interval for Horizons by Marriott in Orlando. The Horizons week showed up as a Getaway week (and the exact dates she wanted). She was able to get it as an exchange instead of buying it as a Getaway.
 

BocaBum99

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Actually, I think that RCI is institutionalizing trade downs. Either get something less than what you put in or get nothing. It's your choice.

And, for this privilege, you will need to pay your $89/year annual dues plus $149 exchange fee.

An owner rental model where you pay $20 to rent your week and then use your cash to rent something else you want looks more and more appealing every day.
 

regatta333

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Trade-downs rather than equal trades

I agree that what is happening with increasing frequency in RCI are trade-downs. Although we have gotten lucky a couple of times (through bulk deposits), I would have no problem with the equal trade concept if that is what RCI were actually doing.

I own only Gold-Crown resorts (four through Fairfield points) and two floating summer weeks at Newport. Our kids are grown, so my husband and I never vacation during prime time, but I also deposit summer or vacation weeks. I can site many instances where I was looking for any size unit in April, May, Oct, even Feb and there were plenty of consecutive weeks available on Extra Vacations, but I could not pull anything in the areas I wanted. When I do call RCI, they are always sure to mention that there are weeks available to rent, if I want them.

For the past two years, I have rented my Newport weeks and next year, I am going to start renting my summer SeaWatch, since I have little to no confidence that I will get the vacation I want from RCI.

Fairfield will not allow me to deposit with II, but I recently enrolled with SFX and DAE and may give them a try.
 

timeos2

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Regatta333 - Your time should work great with SFX. Quality for quality and most likely a bonus week.
 

getreal

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CaliDave said:
Do we really need to give RCI more ideas on how to make money?

No ...

Let's say you deposit a week that RCI thinks is worth $500. At the moment they would not give you a week that they think is worth $700, but they will let you rent it for $700.

I think it is bad that they currently block that trade.

I think it would be better to allow that trade, but also let you pay an upgrade fee, which means you can get it, and also pay less than $700.

I think it would be best to allow that trade with no upgrade fee, like they used to. But that is not going to happen.
 

CaliDave

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getreal said:
No ...

Let's say you deposit a week that RCI thinks is worth $500. At the moment they would not give you a week that they think is worth $700, but they will let you rent it for $700.

I think it is bad that they currently block that trade.

I think it would be better to allow that trade, but also let you pay an upgrade fee, which means you can get it, and also pay less than $700.

I think it would be best to allow that trade with no upgrade fee, like they used to. But that is not going to happen.

They already have this system, it's called RCI points..

RCI has a hard enough time trying to assigning true point values and trading power. Now you want them to assign a rental rate to each week?
 

getreal

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CaliDave said:
Now you want them (RCI) to assign a rental rate to each week?

Actually they have done this already.

Whenever your deposited week is worth less than that rental rate, they simply block the trade, but let you rent it.

I am suggesting that they offer more options than they currently do. I am not suggesting that they take away any of your existing options.
 
Last edited:

getreal

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BocaBum99 said:
Actually, I think that RCI is institutionalizing trade downs. Either get something less than what you put in or get nothing. It's your choice.

Wow!

Do they do the same thing with RCI points? Or is this their way of moving us all into points?
 

Bill4728

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Renting gets rid of surplus
By TimeOS2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Most likely because SFX only takes in roughly equal units. If an exchanger wants something they have for rent the value is most likely close to equal.

RCI & II take all affiliated units and times. That means they get some real dregs - in fact I bet 30% or more is basically worthless time. If they opened the gates for any deposit to take any rental time the trades wouldn't be equal or even close.

Both have become much more strict in enforcing equal value trades leaving many watching better weeks they would love to grab going to rental rather than an blatantly unequal trade one for one.

What your saying is true, BUT, RCI is renting weeks which they simply are not putting in the exchange pool for any kind of exchange at all. So, no matter, if you want to trade your hawaii week in March for a similar Hawaii week in Oct, or pay the required RCI points, these units are not available for any exchange, just rental. Yes, RCI should be able to rent some units to cover people using the units for cruises or airfare ect, but we all seem to know that they are renting alot more units than that and therefore taking those units out of the exchange pool.
 

timeos2

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Bill4728 said:
What your saying is true, BUT, RCI is renting weeks which they simply are not putting in the exchange pool for any kind of exchange at all. So, no matter, if you want to trade your hawaii week in March for a similar Hawaii week in Oct, or pay the required RCI points, these units are not available for any exchange, just rental. Yes, RCI should be able to rent some units to cover people using the units for cruises or airfare ect, but we all seem to know that they are renting alot more units than that and therefore taking those units out of the exchange pool.
That is the speculation but we have no way to know for sure if that is occurring or not. There are many more people than I would ever expect that seem willing to give up timeshare points and weeks for cruises, plane flights, car rentals and more. I don't see the value in that but apparently they do. All I know is that, so far, when I look for the places I want to go at the times I need I've found them in points. If they were all being rented I assume that wouldn't occur. I'm not wedded to points or any other program unless it works. If it stops working I'm on to something else. Thats why I gave up on RCI & II weeks in 2002. So far points has been a great alternative.
 

Carolinian

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CaliDave said:
John,

You are right about RCI getting stricter on the enforcing equal value. Especially with some of the bulk spacebanks. I own a week that I have 3 different deposits. One summer, one spring and one fall.
They used to all see most bulk spacebanks.. Then it changed to only summer and spring.. Now summer sees them all and spring sees some.
I think RCI has fine tuned the weeks trading power to more closely match , supply and demand.

They adjusted the trading power to leave more ''excess'' for them to rent off for their own profit. Supply and demand adjust themselves in the market. RCI just put their thumb on the scales for their own rental benefit.
 

Carolinian

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Weeks, which is not nearly so polluted with extraneous items, should not be hitched to Points, which is. Lets get good trades in the core business of timeshare exchange and forget the frills like cruises that water that down.

It is NOT speculation that RCI is skimming its exchange deposits to build its rental pool. Several RCI employees with access to RCI's computers to track where those deposits came from say so.



timeos2 said:
That is the speculation but we have no way to know for sure if that is occurring or not. There are many more people than I would ever expect that seem willing to give up timeshare points and weeks for cruises, plane flights, car rentals and more. I don't see the value in that but apparently they do. All I know is that, so far, when I look for the places I want to go at the times I need I've found them in points. If they were all being rented I assume that wouldn't occur. I'm not wedded to points or any other program unless it works. If it stops working I'm on to something else. Thats why I gave up on RCI & II weeks in 2002. So far points has been a great alternative.
 

Carolinian

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But other independents do not rent exchange deposits to the general public, and they take a wide range of deposits. Also, RCI itself did just fine and made a nice profit back when they had the integrity not to skim the exchange deposits to rent to line their pockets at the expense of their members. There is absolutely no reason that they are forced to do this!


timeos2 said:
Most likely because SFX only takes in roughly equal units. If an exchanger wants something they have for rent the value is most likely close to equal.

RCI & II take all affiliated units and times. That means they get some real dregs - in fact I bet 30% or more is basically worthless time. If they opened the gates for any deposit to take any rental time the trades wouldn't be equal or even close.

Both have become much more strict in enforcing equal value trades leaving many watching better weeks they would love to grab going to rental rather than an blatantly unequal trade one for one. It is a basic problem with the one for one only style of trading that all units, resorts and use times are far from equal if anything is accepted. SFX skims the best so they don't have an equality issue yet STILL end up with time to rent. It shows that assuming all time - no matter how high quality - will get taken by other exchangers simply doesn't work. There are too many factors such as unit size, use dates, location, etc that mean things just don't always match up and there is a surplus to rent.
 
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