Should I leave RCI?

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

I am one of the people who doesn't have a beef with RCI. I have always had great exchanges. My membership goes thru next September.

My Highlands of Sugar will trade with II as well as RCI. I also own MROP and the units there are very basic, nothing glamorous. I have always banked them with RCI. There are a few I wouldn't mind going to.

I do not want a bashing of RCI. I want to know how well you think my Higlands would trade with II and what to do with my MROP.

Thanks, Shaggy

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Shaggy try banking with II for a few years. I had my French lick villas with both and found I did better with II. Also with II the fees are lower and now with Rci as of this month has raised there fees. You can also try useing TPI and DAE. Not sure if SFX will take your weeks.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

If SFX will take your week I would move there. In my years if II experience they never came close to the trades RCI was able to get me using the same dual affiliated resorts. SFX, with the same resorts, did great. Remember that you pay to be an II member - not required with SFX so why not try them first if you feel you must move outside of RCI trades.

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

Shaggy

I am right with you - I have always gotten great trades through RCI but $164 for a domestic trade is just too much. I just did the VRI 3 for 2 renewal & think I am going to cancel it.

I traded my MROP weeks through II and did very well - you just have to make sure that you request a week that II will take. Some resorts, even if they are dual affiliated you cannot deposit with II as an MROP. I always did well with Jackson Hole & Park City.

I have a week on deposit with SFX but haven't been sucessful with either my bonus week request or regular request. It is frustrating because the week is a tiger with RCI but SFX doesn't rate it as high. I wish they hadn't taken it. I thought with SFX, if they accepted it, trade power was not really an issue but that isn't so - live and learn.

[tonyg Goomba & Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close tonyg]

As others have indicated, you will have to research to see whether it is advisable. Having traded with both majors, I've found that things are changing every year and which exchange company was best to trade with also can swing back and forth. I do have to agree that RCI is pricing its service too high and expect it will continually show reducing numbers of exchanges, while the other exchange companies continue to show increasing numbers.

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

shaggy, sounds like a great idea to try II for Highlands of Sugar. I say this because Foxrun supposedly trades much better with II than RCI, people say this is because II has so little inventory in NC mts. What week do you own?

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

The changes that have occured at RCI, including the price increases, do encourage timesharers to look elsewhere. And options elsewhere do seem to be improving.

Whether II or RCI will be the best bet for a specific resort depends a lot on what resort it is, and how much supply (and demand) each system has in that area. I have always heard that II works better for overbuilt Williamsburg.

Personally, I am keeping my RCI membership until it runs out, and keeping my fingers crossed that someone in control there either sees the light or feels the heat and changes course. In the meantime, however, I am limiting my deposits to RCI and using the independents more. RCI is still part of the mix, but a much lesser part of it.

[T. R. Oglodyte Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close T. R. Oglodyte]

Through all of the RCI discussions, my position has always been that people should base decisions to use or not use any exchange company based solely on self-interest - does that exchange company provide adequate value for what it costs to use them.

For ourselves, we've pretty much stopped using RCI. Not because we're offended at how RCI does business, but because there are alternatives that are cheaper and easier to use. The alternatives include other exchange companies and ownership in mini-systems. In the minis, you can visit resorts that are part of the mini without paying another exchange fee, an exchange company membership is included, and the mini often recieves trading preferences from the exchange company.

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

My week is usually the week of July 14th (Kelli's bd & also more importantly the week of the Highland Games. I could rent it out but have no desire to. shaggy

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

shaggy, maybe it would be worth it for you to pay II's membership fee for a year and "shop" with your Highlands week before you deposit? And find out whether you'd qualify for an AC? Maybe they could even tell you that before you join. (I've never belonged to II so sorry if I'm getting any of this termonology wrong!)

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

shaggy, maybe it would be worth it for you to pay II's membership fee for a year and "shop" with your Highlands week before you deposit? And find out whether you'd qualify for an AC? Maybe they could even tell you that before you join. (I've never belonged to II so sorry if I'm getting any of this termonology wrong!)

II will tell you which weeks, if any, qualify for an AC for 2007.

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

If you look at more than the short term, however, self interest also includes looking at how an exchange company's policies will impact the timeshare industry in ways that may cause disadvantage to ourselves in the future. We must look at self interest in the long term as well as the short term. Looking at it only in the short term is like tunnel vision. We need to look at the big picture of our self interest, and short term thinking just doesn't do that.

Through all of the RCI discussions, my position has always been that people should base decisions to use or not use any exchange company based solely on self-interest - does that exchange company provide adequate value for what it costs to use them.

For ourselves, we've pretty much stopped using RCI. Not because we're offended at how RCI does business, but because there are alternatives that are cheaper and easier to use. The alternatives include other exchange companies and ownership in mini-systems. In the minis, you can visit resorts that are part of the mini without paying another exchange fee, an exchange company membership is included, and the mini often recieves trading preferences from the exchange company.