SFX etc. draining prime weeks from RCI

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

Is it possible the lack of prime weeks available from RCI is due the owners of those weeks using SFX and other alternate exchange entities. What can RCI do to prevent that form happening. Also RCI weeks makes the situation worse by allowing mediocre weeks converted to points to exchange into prime weeks leaving only dog weeks for those that put up prime weeks. These prime week owners will eventually deposit elseware leaving the points people only to exchange into dog weeks the put up for points. COMMENTS?

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

I don't have numbers to work with, but ...

It's certainly very difficult for an owner of a prime week to get equal value back out of RCI on a straightforward week-for-week exchange basis. Thus, the conventional Weeks exchange system really discourages owners of prime weeks from depositing those weeks into the weeks Spacebank.

I have a hard time seeing that all of those weeks are going to places such as SFX. More likely, the owners are simply using the weeks themselves. Also, many of the prime resorts are part of mini-systems, so there are lots of opportunities for owners to do internal exchanges. And since most of the minis are points-based, it's easy for owners to get full value for their weeks. Finally, if you just focus on RCI, many of the top resort groups have switched affiliation to II, and that cuts into the inventory available to RCI.

(That doesn't mean the inventory shows up in II, because many of the resorts have relations set up with II such that the resort can retain their owners prime weeks within the mini and give II lesser weeks in exchange for the trades their members make through II.)

[bsheets326 Member Find all posts View Profile Close bsheets326]

I know it's more popular to kick RCI than to support it, but I still see plenty of good inventory. I am usually able to find something I want if I put my search in early enough. Of course, I try to plan two years out. I have been with RCI quite a few years, and I agree that I'm not able to get some of the trades that I used to get, but I attribute that to the exchange system becoming a little more balanced.
I recently joined II so that I could access additional inventory, and so far I don't see a major difference between them and RCI.
I do intend to try SFX soon as well. I believe it's good to have a number of options available to TS owners. I would still prefer to perform direct exchanges with other owners, but I haven't had much success with that.
Brent

[falmouth3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close falmouth3]

I've only deposited my week with RCI once and I got my requested trade. However, I've been depositing with SFX and getting the exchanges I've wanted, including bonus weeks. I see no reason to go back to RCI.

Sue

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

I know it's more popular to kick RCI than to support it, but I still see plenty of good inventory. I am usually able to find something I want if I put my search in early enough. Of course, I try to plan two years out. I have been with RCI quite a few years, and I agree that I'm not able to get some of the trades that I used to get, but I attribute that to the exchange system becoming a little more balanced.
I recently joined II so that I could access additional inventory, and so far I don't see a major difference between them and RCI.
I do intend to try SFX soon as well. I believe it's good to have a number of options available to TS owners. I would still prefer to perform direct exchanges with other owners, but I haven't had much success with that.
Brent

Brent I was always one of RCI's biggest supporters. I got what I wanted/needed for well over 12 years. Not so for the last 2 years.

I don't think the current shortfall is attributable to "load balancing" nor do I believe everyone is all of a sudden using Independents or using/renting those weeks or using mini-systems. I'm not buying that all the prime weeks are being scarfed up by on-going searches either.

I am not that naive.

Are there some choice weeks and resorts still available in the system? Of course. Are they available to weeks exchangers during prime time. No.

Actually for my particular areas of expertise there is NOTHING for the first quarter of the year, any year, since 2005. Others not glued to the school calendar have noticed the same thing.

JMHO.

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

If RCI rentals and the inventory that ends up in the 14 day window is any indicator, the only real theory is that RCI is tilting the scales toward rentals ...it is not that owners are using more independents, nor balanced loading, it is out right rental of owner deposits that bring the most profit to RCI, and they use their secret formula to claim it is to pay for points and cruise and non-ts occurences.

RCI members pay fees to be members, but the general public gets to rent a week before members even see the deposit.

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

Where they are going is rentals to the general public.

Prime weeks, like high summer, in my area have always been primarily owned by people who use their weeks rather than exchange. That is not a new pattern, but has always been the case. What discourages them from putting them in the spacebank is simply that they never bought to exchange in the first place and really have never had an interest in it.

I don't have numbers to work with, but ...

It's certainly very difficult for an owner of a prime week to get equal value back out of RCI on a straightforward week-for-week exchange basis. Thus, the conventional Weeks exchange system really discourages owners of prime weeks from depositing those weeks into the weeks Spacebank.

I have a hard time seeing that all of those weeks are going to places such as SFX. More likely, the owners are simply using the weeks themselves. Also, many of the prime resorts are part of mini-systems, so there are lots of opportunities for owners to do internal exchanges. And since most of the minis are points-based, it's easy for owners to get full value for their weeks. Finally, if you just focus on RCI, many of the top resort groups have switched affiliation to II, and that cuts into the inventory available to RCI.

(That doesn't mean the inventory shows up in II, because many of the resorts have relations set up with II such that the resort can retain their owners prime weeks within the mini and give II lesser weeks in exchange for the trades their members make through II.)

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

Is this good or bad news?

I read the other day that an affiliated company of II is buying RQI Holdings which is ResortQuest in Hawaii. Many hotel reservations can be made via ResortQuest in Hawaii as we have done it several times already in the last few years.

You can read more here and put two and two together. Is it going to be good or bad for timeshare owners? Will hotel reservations find their way in the II Getaways or will it be visa versa and exchange inventory become scarce?

With RCI, I have found some of the same hotel resorts in the RCI extra vacations that you could book directly with the hotel yourself and the prices were about the same as I checked it.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Not tooting my own horn or putting down others expressing their opinion on this issue, but I don't know of anyone else who has studied a specific area for a specific timeframe by searching it almost every day since RCI.com began, documenting the results since 3/27/2002, and sharing it with others as changes occur.

And then confirming the results with many other RCI members, and the Crystal Ball.

For sure, there is no doubt that the better resorts, those HGVC Gold Crowns on the Beach, for SW FL for January have totally disappeared, or very close to that.

The only conclusion I can draw is that they are not getting deposited with RCI. Other than that, I have not found any further conclusion. No one has located them as RCI rentals nor with any other exchange company. Ok, perhaps a few go to HGVC.

Groups are made up of individuals, and as individuals go, so goes the group.

Find what individuals are doing with those prime weeks and you find what the group is doing. Those individuals that have spoken up have said that they are either using those weeks or renting them themselves or through the resort's rental program. The least value, they say, they can get in return for them is to deposit them for exchange in any variation with any exchange company.

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

Where they are going is rentals to the general public.

Prime weeks, like high summer, in my area have always been primarily owned by people who use their weeks rather than exchange. That is not a new pattern, but has always been the case. What discourages them from putting them in the spacebank is simply that they never bought to exchange in the first place and really have never had an interest in it.

I agree - but the OP is talking about perceived changes in the availability of those weeks.

I'm not sure that a greater fraction of those prime weeks are showing up in the rental pool - maybe they are or maybe they aren't, but there aren't any good data on it. I sure don't recall reports that the RCI outlet rental sites are getting flooded with those weeks. Those aren't the anecdotes I recall seeing.

******

If I had to guess, though, I would guess they are being "used" by owners. By used, I mean they are not moving through an exchange company. The owners are either:

• Using it themselves or letting friends/family use it.
• Renting it, either directly themselves or through an entity working as an agent for them.
• Exchanging it through a mini, where the resort is part of a mini-Group.

As I said before, under a conventional weeks exchange system, it's hard for owners of peak weeks to get full value for their weeks. I think those owners have been frustrated for years when they have done exchanges, because they haven't been able to get full value back.

As those owners become more aware of other options - which includes how much easier it is to rent through the internet and the creation of mini systems by most of the big operators - they naturally will do things other than give their weeks to an exchange company.