Will Redweek exchange program last?

[natashateach]

I traded my Massanutten unit with Redweek for points. I am a teacher who lives in the northeast and likes to travel on the east coast. The closer the better. It's been almost a year and I haven't found anything meeting my criteria during the school holidays/summer. Is Redweek exchange program going to last? How is it working for others?

 

[london]

Redweek Exchange

I think Redweek exchange will be a second tier exchange company with limited inventory.

People with lots of flexibility may be able to use the program.

RCI and II will continue to be the leaders in Timeshare Exchange.

Redweek is a great site for rentals and resales.

We will have to wait and see on the Redweek exchange program.

 

[rcs249]

Hi there. I also live in the northeast and I am really liking the redweek program since I can select exactly which resort for exactly which week...I have done 2 trades this year and am very happy. The one thing though is that you need to decide which TSs you are interested in, ask them to notify you when a potential week becomes available (or check back 1-2 times weekly to those resorts if they do not yet have a week you want), then be prepared at 7:30-8:30 AM to get their daily notification email and act immediately.

I was able to snag a 1 BR at Harborside Atlantis this way, and Christmas week at Sheraton Vistana in a 2 BR.

If I had RCI and could see my options at every really good place by week, maybe I wouldn't be as much of a fan (I have SFX and DAE), but I don't want RCI fees either and prefer wait for the right week at the right TS to come along.

Best of luck and happy trading.

 

[icydog]

Hi there. I also live in the northeast and I am really liking the redweek program since I can select exactly which resort for exactly which week...I have done 2 trades this year and am very happy. The one thing though is that you need to decide which TSs you are interested in, ask them to notify you when a potential week becomes available (or check back 1-2 times weekly to those resorts if they do not yet have a week you want), then be prepared at 7:30-8:30 AM to get their daily notification email and act immediately.

I was able to snag a 1 BR at Harborside Atlantis this way, and Christmas week at Sheraton Vistana in a 2 BR.

If I had RCI and could see my options at every really good place by week, maybe I wouldn't be as much of a fan (I have SFX and DAE), but I don't want RCI fees either and prefer wait for the right week at the right TS to come along.

Best of luck and happy trading.

I found your post very interesting. I have had no luck with any of the exchange companies you mentioned. I have no clue how to work with DAE so that is not a good example. I wish I did but it seems complicated. I couldn't work with SFX. I didn't like that I couldn't see availability and that they seemed to have favorites or pets. REDWEEK offered me less points than they did for another exchanger for the exact same type of week. Their answer was that they reevaluated their criteria. I thought this was unfair since we both had the same platinum week to exchange. How do you change point values for the same resort, and the same season, for one exchanger and not for the others. So I won't use Redweek either.

I'm stuck with RCI and I probably dislike them the most. But as I said I am stuck with them because my resorts exchange with them only.

I like II. l like the ability to search two years at a time. I like that they seem to have the best resorts. I wish all the exchange companies were like II.

But to get back to my original question, if I know with what you are trading it will give me a better idea of the value of my resorts should I place them with Redweek. I too live in the North East if you consider NJ North!!

 

[e.bram]

RW has almost no inventory in the Northeast, much less prime time.Maybe elseware they do .

 

[theo]

Still too early to tell?

I traded my Massanutten unit with Redweek for points. I am a teacher who lives in the northeast and likes to travel on the east coast. The closer the better. It's been almost a year and I haven't found anything meeting my criteria during the school holidays/summer. Is Redweek exchange program going to last? How is it working for others?

The RedWeek exchange program is still relatively new. In fact, judging by your cited time frame, you must have deposited very soon after it first began. It still remains to be seen whether enough desirable inventory will develop with time for the program to be sustainable. RedWeek will also have to get better and more consistent with their valuations. Meanwhile, at least it's a more transparent approach than the opaque "smoke, mirrors, and man behind the curtain" RCI approach :annoyed: of unknown and mysterious valuations ---and there certainly seems to be increasing numbers of overt reports of satisfied RedWeek exchangers. Long term, I'm optimistic and hopeful --- but not actually betting.

 

[Dave*H]

REDWEEK offered me less points than they did for another exchanger for the exact same type of week. Their answer was that they reevaluated their criteria. I thought this was unfair since we both had the same platinum week to exchange. How do you change point values for the same resort, and the same season, for one exchanger and not for the others.

They should be adjusting point values on a regular basis since they use point valuation rather than trading power to equalize deposits and requests. That the deposit of the same unit/week, but at a different point in time, gets different points, should be expected. What if they decided to increase the points because of high demand for a week? Should they go back and give extra points to everyone who already deposited similar weeks? This would be a nightmare to manage and probably a recipe for failure of the system.

 

[JMAESD84]

I got on board early with Redweek and have been very happy with their exchange system. One thing I love about the system is that you can see everything that's been deposited and any timeshare week might be deposited - no restictions based on resort affiliations with an exchange company.

With 22 deposits and 9 reservations so far, I'm probably one of the most active exchangers in Redweeks system.

I would encourage everyone to give it a try. The more depositers the better the system will become.

 

[Larry]

I think Redweek exchange will be a second tier exchange company with limited inventory.

People with lots of flexibility may be able to use the program.

RCI and II will continue to be the leaders in Timeshare Exchange.

Redweek is a great site for rentals and resales.

We will have to wait and see on the Redweek exchange program.

Completely agree!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[rcs249]

I traded a 3 BR Cypress Pointe Resort for October and a 1 BR Premium Sheraton Desert Oasis for February. I did end up changing my CPR week to a different one so that I was the first to exchange that week...the points were lower because someone else has already deposited a specific week. I also like the fact that I could just save my points for a 3 BR Christmas week in Aruba if I wanted to, as an example, instead of getting an "even trade". I do think that they need to work on their valuations, but at least with them I have the ability to accept or reject their point offer and complete control how I choose to exchange based upon current and potential inventory.
Good luck!

I found your post very interesting. I have had no luck with any of the exchange companies you mentioned. I have no clue how to work with DAE so that is not a good example. I wish I did but it seems complicated. I couldn't work with SFX. I didn't like that I couldn't see availability and that they seemed to have favorites or pets. REDWEEK offered me less points than they did for another exchanger for the exact same type of week. Their answer was that they reevaluated their criteria. I thought this was unfair since we both had the same platinum week to exchange. How do you change point values for the same resort, and the same season, for one exchanger and not for the others. So I won't use Redweek either.

But to get back to my original question, if I know with what you are trading it will give me a better idea of the value of my resorts should I place them with Redweek. I too live in the North East if you consider NJ North!!

 

[reddiablosv]

Good trade.

I exchanged a summer week in the Caymen Islands for a Xmass week in Maui. I then rented the week! As far as I am concerned, Redweek is alive and and available.

 

[vacationhopeful]

I, too, deposited a week with them a couple of months ago. The day I got my points, I found exactly what I wanted - and I still have enough points for a second trade. As I can carry those points for almost 3 years and if need be add another deposit, I see this system as having value to me.

I also have a couple of area "alerts" turned on - nice to get an email, saying a new deposit.

 

[janapur]

It's no secret that I'm a fan of Redweek, and have been very pleased with my exchanges. It is very important to utilize the "alert" or ongoing search feature. I receive an email of new inventory EVERY morning at 6:30am sharp CST. This is great because it does not require a deposit to receive alerts and you see EVERYTHING, no limits to size or dates or quality (ie trade strength).

Furthermore, I can combine my points to upsize or divide my points for multiple exchanges . . . at a much lower fee than RCI.

And of course, I can rent my exchanges. This has been most appreciated recently as airfare has skyrocketed, preventing us from using all of our weeks this year.

Finally, I like having 3 years to use my points. Will airfare go down by then? Probably not, but I can dream.

Jana

 

[alwysonvac]

Perhaps the exchange program could last if RedWeek offered some new services that combine some of their existing services

New Rental Service
RedWeek could offer a service where they rent your timeshare for you.
(a) Let the timeshare owner determine their rental price
(b) Timeshare owner could pay a non-refundable Redweek exchange fee.
(c) Once the deposit is processed (deposit must satisfy RedWeek's Exchange Program terms of service) then RedWeek would list and advertise the rental under the RedWeek name
(d) Once the week has been rented then RedWeek could release any funds to the designated parties. To make it cost efficient they could issue all funds at the end of each month.
(e) If the week is not rented or the owners decides to back out of the rental agreement then Redweek could returned the week back to the owner however the exchange fee would remain non-refundable.
(f) Once the rental has been processed, if the renter wants to change or cancel their reservation then they would deposit the rented week into the RedWeek Exchange program and be subjected to the RedWeek’s Exchange programs terms of service.

Timeshare Owner Benefit: Pay one fee and all of the work is done for you. No contact with potential renters. No haggling over price. Don’t have to deal with changes and/or cancellations. Not responsibility for resort charges or damages.
Renter Benefit: Eliminate risk of reservation being cancelled. All dealings are with RedWeek.


Private Exchange Service
Let the timeshare owners find their own trades privately and let the traders decide the true value.

(a) Private Exchanges can determine their own exchange terms.
For example exchanging a one bedroom at Disney for a one bedroom at Atlantis along with $500 cash.
(b) All Parties can enter a private trade agreement requiring all parties to pay a reduced non-refundable RedWeek exchange fee
(c) All parties deposit their week into RedWeek (deposit must satisfy RedWeek's Exchange Program terms of service)
(d) Parties Pay RedWeek any agreed upon cash difference
(e) The deposited week will be subjected to the RedWeek’s Exchange programs terms of service
(f) If any of the deposits are rejected by the resort, all deposits associated with the private exchange can be returned back to the owner(s) however the exchange fee would remain non-refundable for all owners.
(g) Once the deposit is processed then RedWeek could release any funds to the designated parties.
(h) If one of the exchangers wants to change or cancel their exchange then they would deposit the rented week into the RedWeek Exchange program and be subjected to the RedWeek’s Exchange programs terms of service.

Timeshare Owner Benefit: Eliminate risk of reservation being cancelled. Not responsibility for resort charges or damages. Don’t have to deal with changes and/or cancellations. Once transaction is completed all dealings are with RedWeek.


Redweek already has the pieces in place to make this happen
- RedWeek’s RedWishes Travelers where folks can post their wants & timeshare owners can easily connect to fulfill requests.
- RedWeek’s Exchange program already has a pay the difference plan so they are setup to take payment.

 

[Kola]

I got on board early with Redweek and have been very happy with their exchange system. One thing I love about the system is that you can see everything that's been deposited and any timeshare week might be deposited - no restictions based on resort affiliations with an exchange company.

With 22 deposits and 9 reservations so far, I'm probably one of the most active exchangers in Redweeks system.

I would encourage everyone to give it a try. The more depositers the better the system will become.

Now, let me understand what is it that makes you so happy with Redweek. I used Redweek only once, so my experiemce with them is limited. But so far I have made over 50 exchanges with other companies. OK, so you made 22 deposits (over what time period ?) and received only 9 reservations. Was this in the last 12 months, 24 months, or longer ? That tells me that Redweek owes you 13 weeks. Could you give us some idea how many weeks do you use per year ? How many of your deposits will expire within 12 months ? If I were you I would have a serious reason to worry. As a retired person I am quite flexible with my vacation time. But with 13 weeks on deposit, for which, I assume, you had to make your maintenance fees payments in advance, you have a major unrealised investment with Redweek. Just what makes you think you will get to enjoy your Redweek investment ?

K.

 

[JMAESD84]

Now, let me understand what is it that makes you so happy with Redweek. I used Redweek only once, so my experiemce with them is limited. But so far I have made over 50 exchanges with other companies. OK, so you made 22 deposits (over what time period ?) and received only 9 reservations. Was this in the last 12 months, 24 months, or longer ? That tells me that Redweek owes you 13 weeks. Could you give us some idea how many weeks do you use per year ? How many of your deposits will expire within 12 months ? If I were you I would have a serious reason to worry. As a retired person I am quite flexible with my vacation time. But with 13 weeks on deposit, for which, I assume, you had to make your maintenance fees payments in advance, you have a major unrealised investment with Redweek. Just what makes you think you will get to enjoy your Redweek investment ?

K.

My first deposit was in June of 2007, so for the sake of discussion the exchanging to date has happened within the last 12 months.

Yes - the maintenance fees are paid in advance on deposited weeks.

Redweek assigns point values to deposited weeks and the points expire 3 years from issue (nothing expires within 12 months).

While there are no partial weeks for exchange, it is not a (week for week) exchange system. You may deposit three weeks receiving 1000 points each and then exchange for a single week requiring 3000 points (3 weeks for 1 week in this example) and of course you could be on the other side of such an exchange as well.

In my case, I like to trade up so I always try to keep a sizeable point balance available to do just that.

When a high quality deposit like Four Seasons, Westin St. John, Harborside, etc. get deposited then I'm prepared to act quickly.

 

[theo]

The means --- but maybe not the inclination?

Redweek already has the pieces in place to make this happen....

It may well be that RedWeek wants no part of entering into direct rentals. They may not have the staff, time or interest to deal with indecisive and / or flaky people, tire kickers, cancellations, disputes, the perennially disgruntled, liability, etc. To enter into this particular arena may not be a good fit for their business model OR the mental heath of their personnel...

 

[icydog]

My correspondences with Redweek

I asked what I would get if I deposited my week 27, July 4th, Marriott Manor Club one bdrm with them.

This is their response:

1,456 RedWeek Exchange Points (valid for 3 years)

Resort: Marriott's Manor Club at Ford's Colony
Check-in Date: Jul 03, 2009
Unit #:
Unit Type: 1 Bedroom
Sleeps: 4


I wrote back and asked why that they didn't take into consideration the date of the deposit, which of course a very big week in Williamsburg.

This is Redweek's answer:

Hi Marylyn,

At this time, premium weeks like yours are not given a higher exchange
points value. In order to get the most out of your premium week, I would
recommend advertising it for rent on RedWeek.com. Rental postings are $19.99 each for six months.

Best regards,

I thought all exchange companies would give more value to premium and premium plus weeks. Otherwise, all you will get is junkie weeks deposited into your exchange system--- that good traders will not want. This seems counterproductive to me especially if they are trying to start up a quality exchange company.

Any thoughts??

 

[theo]

My $0.02 worth...

I thought all exchange companies would give more value to premium and premium plus weeks. Otherwise, all you will get is junkie weeks deposited into your exchange system--- that good traders will not want. This seems counterproductive to me especially if they are trying to start up a quality exchange company.

Any thoughts??

I think it's simply that "exchange" is a relatively new game for RedWeek. Numerous examples cited over the past months have made it very clear that the RedWeek valuation process is still "a work in progress". They can (and they clearly do) also overvalue weeks, as well as undervalue weeks. It may be a while before they have the insight and knowledge necessary to discern and consider all of the the nuances of accurate valuation.

 

[RLG]

It is very important to utilize the "alert" or ongoing search feature. I receive an email of new inventory EVERY morning at 6:30am sharp CST. This is great because it does not require a deposit to receive alerts

How does one do this? I'm looking on the Redweek website and can't find a link to set up this type of alert for all resorts.

 

[Steve]

It's extremely easy to trade into 2 bedroom villas in Williamsburg...even for the 4th of July week. Inexpensive rentals...especially at the last minute...are also plentiful. That said, I think 1456 points for a 1 bedroom is actually pretty generous.

Steve

 

[icydog]

It's extremely easy to trade into 2 bedroom villas in Williamsburg...even for the 4th of July week. Inexpensive rentals...especially at the last minute...are also plentiful. That said, I think 1456 points for a 1 bedroom is actually pretty generous.

Steve

Do you think it is easy to trade into the Manor Club for July 4th? If you do then maybe that will explain why I cannot get an AC with my weeks. Too much availability.

 

[Steve]

Do you think it is easy to trade into the Manor Club for July 4th? If you do then maybe that will explain why I cannot get an AC with my weeks. Too much availability.

Yes, I do...especially if you request far enough in advance. I own at Manor Club, and I love the resort, but it's not a hard trade. Plus, even if you are late in putting in your request and can't get Manor Club on July 4th, there are a lot of good alternatives in Williamsburg. While I personally have a strong preference for Manor Club, a lot of people are just as happy at the many other high quality resorts in the area.

Steve

 

[alwysonvac]

It may well be that RedWeek wants no part of entering into direct rentals. They may not have the staff, time or interest to deal with indecisive and / or flaky people, tire kickers, cancellations, disputes, the perennially disgruntled, liability, etc. To enter into this particular arena may not be a good fit for their business model OR the mental heath of their personnel...

Perhaps.....but Redweek could setup the direct rental so that it's like any other online hotel booking site (for example Expedia.com) which would eliminate some of the issues with indecisive and / or flaky people and tire kickers.
If rental weeks are deposited into their exchange program, the cancellations, disputes, the perennially disgruntled, liability, etc would be no different than what they experience today with their timeshare exchange program.

 

[theo]

Convince REDWEEK....

Perhaps.....but Redweek could setup the direct rental so that it's like any other online hotel booking site (for example Expedia.com) which would eliminate some of the issues with indecisive and / or flaky people and tire kickers.
If rental weeks are deposited into their exchange program, the cancellations, disputes, the perennially disgruntled, liability, etc would be no different than what they experience today with their timeshare exchange program.

RedWeek might simply not want to have anything to do with the rental business, but you could certainly relay your views and suggestions directly to support@redweek.com if you wanted to try to persuade them....