RCI Points Increase in Fees!

[djyamyam Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close djyamyam]

It's official, the points transaction fees are going up July 1. I had called the RCI line this afternoon and the recording while I was on hold mentioned increase in fees so I got the goods from the guide. The details are as follows:


1 Night reservation $ 39 USD $ 45 CDN
2 Nights 59 USD 69 CDN
3 Nights 79 USD 92 CDN
4 Nights 89 USD 104 CDN
5 Nights 99 USD 115 CDN
6 Nights 109 USD 127 CDN
7 Nights 124 USD 145 CDN

Other than booking for 3 nights, the fees have increased at every level compared to the old levels. It's a 25% increase in fees! There has been no announcement of this anywhere, other than pamphlet that we just got today of "Points is changing" bu--sh--.

Not only are fees going up, Canadians continued to get screwed over on the exchange of the fees. The conversion comes in at 1.16 which is about 8% higher than the going rate right now! Getting it from both ends!!

[funtime2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close funtime2]

25% !!!!!!!! that is a bit much. Will you get 25% more in services?

[katiemack Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close katiemack]

That increase and distorted exchange rate sure sucks big time. But am I wrong, can't you cancel a points ownership or not renew it...reverting back to weeks ownership? Or is the points ownership still more successful for you?

I am not suggesting that fees are any better on the points side, but if you are unhappy, do you have options??? that is more my question...

[joycapecod Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close joycapecod]

Points in many case will see something that even the strongest week will not, look at the recent sighting on Barbados. Points exchange fee are still less that weeks exchnage fees.

My question is why the 25% increase? What else has gotten a 25% increase, certainly not my salary! Not the money in savings, not even the food at the grocery. This is just another way of RCI gouge.

As for reverting back to weeks, many people have purchase points packages and there is no going back.

Joy

[djyamyam Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close djyamyam]

That increase and distorted exchange rate sure sucks big time. But am I wrong, can't you cancel a points ownership or not renew it...reverting back to weeks ownership? Or is the points ownership still more successful for you?

I am not suggesting that fees are any better on the points side, but if you are unhappy, do you have options??? that is more my question...

I should add that the old fee structure was:

1-2 Night reservation: $49 USD $57 CDN
3-4 Night reservation: $79 USD $92 CDN
5+ Night reservation: $99 USD $115 CDN

As you can see the new system is cheaper at the 1 night reservation and the same at the 3 nights. The 25% comes in at the upper end and ranges from 12% up to 25% in between. The issue is that very few people only book for just the one night. When you add in the housekeeping duties charges on top of that for less than 1 week stays, it really becomes prohibitive!

In terms of cancelling the points ownership, a person can do that. However, once you convert to points, you are locked in for a 3 year period. You can only convert back to weeks at the end of that 3 year period. For some people what the points converts back to in terms of a regular week is very poor for trading power purposes or is a mud week. For us, what our points would convert back to is still a very good trading (or usage week).

While I don't like the new fee structure, as another poster pointed out, it is will less than if I were to book a week on the Weeks side. There just isn't as big a disparity as it once was. . I was rarely booking less than a full night stay because of all the charges (you might as well booked the full week) and this doesn't change anything.

[BoardGirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close BoardGirl]

I don't own RCI Points and I could certainly go find this info somewhere, but what's the story on Housekeeping Fees?? Does this vary by resort, like some don't charge any? Or does it vary by #nights, regardless of resort?

Is there no mention of HK going up? Sure hope not.

Sorry Points Folks. This sucks rocks for you!

[Tom52 Member Find all posts View Profile Close Tom52]

I am so glad I sold my RCI points resort. First it was the addition of the points for weeks deposit fee. Then the limitation on the number of weeks that could be deposited for points from the same resort. Any now higher exchange fees! Ownership of a cheap Blue week just to get into RCI points no longer seems to make any sense to me.

[shopgirl Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close shopgirl]

RCI is hurting itself. Developers brag up points, which makes RCI money, but higher costs are going to hurt all of the bad guys in the end. Each of us will only bear a small amount of extra cost.

I would hate to be the new salesperson, trying to sell RCI points based on nightly stays. The cost really is becoming cost prohibitive. This was one really positive thing that RCI brought to the sales table: points for nightly stays. My brother-in-law hates timeshare because he says he never wants to stay anywhere for an entire week. Of course, I think he is ridiculous to say that, because how can you visit anywhere and see much in less than a week? Anyway, he would be more tempted by a points purchase, but his hate for timeshare might stand in his way.

We used points a few times when we tacked a few days onto one of our Orlando trips. The cost was a little higher than a hotel at the time, but now we will be looking at Fairshare Plus points for the extra nights, or we may even buy those Disney points I have been trying to push on Rick!

RCI has a tendency to hurt their own product. Trade power is a good example of that. There are other companies out there.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

In terms of cancelling the points ownership, a person can do that. However, once you convert to points, you are locked in for a 3 year period. You can only convert back to weeks at the end of that 3 year period. For some people what the points converts back to in terms of a regular week is very poor for trading power purposes or is a mud week. For us, what our points would convert back to is still a very good trading (or usage week).

Can that be done any time after three years or does it have to be in between a certain time frame? Where can we read this information?

[djyamyam Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close djyamyam]

Can that be done any time after three years or does it have to be in between a certain time frame? Where can we read this information?

You can't cancel until the 3 years are up. It's a 3 year points agreement.

You can find the info on the RCI website here: http://www.rci.com/CDA/Common/Documents/Points_DG.pdf. It's section 21

[Carolinian Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Carolinian]

You can't cancel until the 3 years are up. It's a 3 year points agreement.

You can find the info on the RCI website here: http://www.rci.com/CDA/Common/Documents/Points_DG.pdf. It's section 21

If it hadn't been for a guy named Blackwell Brogden at the North Carolina Real Estate Commission, it would have been a lot tougher to get out of RCI Points. As originally set up by RCI, there was a longer commitment period (as I recall 5 or 7 years) and worst of all an automatic renewal if you failed to give them notice 1 year before the expiration of a commitment period.

Brogden, with the Commission's backing (he had been ''Mr. Timeshare'' at the commission since the early days of the industry) told RCI that they would classify RCI Points as a ''developer'' under NC timeshare law rather than an ''exchange program'' unless they 1) shortened the commitment period to no more than 3 years and 2) elminated the automatic renewal. Brogden also began contacting his colleagures around the country on other state Real Estate Commissions and got a fair amount of interest in the issue from several key states. RCI waved a white flag and made the changes Brogden demanded.

Now retired for health reasons, Blackwell Brogden is an unsung hero of timeshare consumers.

[Theo Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Theo]

Re: >> It's official, the points transaction fees are going up July 1. <<

Well, RCI did announce that "improvements" were coming.... Unfortunately, in the RCI dictionary to "improve" clearly means "to charge more while providing less".

[opkansas Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close opkansas]

HOusekeeping is not an RCI charge. The resorts charge the fee. They determine the pricing. I have seen as low as $25 and as high as $75.

Housekeeping fees are A LEGITIMATE FEE as it is a real expense.

Reference: The increase in charges for points - Although I feel that $164 is WAY TO HIGH a cost, the relationship for the points versus weeks price didn't make any sense. I personally think, as an opinion, that BOTH fees should be $139.00 and short fees adjusted within proportions.

[JudyS Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close JudyS]

Re: >> It's official, the points transaction fees are going up July 1. <<

Well, RCI did announce that "improvements" were coming.... Unfortunately, in the RCI dictionary to "improve" clearly means "to charge more while providing less".

Has RCI Point's new changes brought ANY improvements, as far as anyone can tell? I know they are promising discounted point stays as check-in date nears, but has anyone seen any actual offers of this yet?