How best to Search with RCI. Ongoing or On Line?

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

Have we ever come to a conclusion about how to Search for a week with RCI? Is it better to do an ongoing Search? Or is it better to Search on line with RCI?

Walt

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I bank 2 yearsout and start my searchs 2 years out. I have done well this way. I also have done OK with late bookings thanks to our Sightings board.

[4ARedOctober Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close 4ARedOctober]

It depends.

I don't think it was conclusive either way. It depends on what you want. If you have the time to search on-line sometimes that is better. But if you want to be sure something does not fall through the cracks if you can't search on your own all the time then putting on an ongoing search may be the best way.

I do both when I can. If I can do it on-line...in other words it is a simple on-going search with consecutive date ranges....then I put on an ongoing search and can go back in and change my search while actively searching on-line and if I don't find what I want I tell it to keep my original search and it keeps my place in line. So you can do both if you know how to do it.

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

Do both

I have always done my own searches and have been successful in finding what I want (sometimes with the help of sightings boards). But for the first time I put in an on-line search for a somewhat short notice, hard to get area (Hawaii for this fall). My experience so far: several good hits that I've found myself plus one good hit from the RCI on-going search (which happened within just a few days after I submitted my search). Also I've checked what's currently available in the 14 day window to have an idea of what would happen if I wait it out. So far I'm leaning that direction. Planning to go ahead and get my plane tickets and take my chances on the perfect trade.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

I also do both

but most of the results I've gotten have been on-line searching. Probably because things "come up" and I say hmmmmm let's go there! So it's probably not that on-going doesn't work but that I see some really good stuff pop-up during my job responsibilities here.

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

I think Online Searching may be best because!

If you can search on line every day, this may be best.

On Saturday I found a week (March 25, 2007) at The Beach Club of St. Augustine available, on line, with RCI. Because the Beach Club spacebank week that I was using for my search needed to be used by March 31, 2007, I was willing to exchange into The Beach Club with another Beach Club week.

I own at The Beach Club. I also own at Fox Hills in Wisconsin. I could pick up this week (March 25, 2007 at the Beach Club) with both Resorts. I started the hold transaction for this week. But I didn’t finish the hold because I had a credit balance. So, I needed to call RCI to use my credit. The VC could not see March 25, 2007 as being available. When I look again on line, it was not available to me either. The VC talked me into placing an ongoing search for this week with the Beach Club week.

About 1 ½ hours later, I did another search with my Fox Hills Week for the March 25, 2007 week. It was available. I placed it on hold and paid the exchange fee. I then called RCI and the VC, after talking to a supervisor, exchanged my Beach Club week (the one that I needed to use by March 31, 2007) into the Beach Club for March 25, 2007.

So, I would think that the computer should have picked up the week before I found it on line with a Fox Hills week for the following 2 reasons.

1) The computer search should HOLD the week as soon as it becomes available. It should never become available to an Online Search first.

2) The Beach Club Week should be first in line to a Fox Hills Week if everything else is equal.

Walt

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

I've found in the past that both an ongoing search and a manual onine search is best. I've experienced times when an online search hasn't picked something up when I do a manual search. So I suppose, just to be safe, do both.

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

I usually keep atleast one on going search, but then go in an modify it to see what else is out there. If I don't find anything then I have it to keep the original search ongoing.