Have you run into this?

[robk Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close robk]

I am a timeshare owner at the Grandview in Las Vegas. I have my home week and 2 bonus weeks each year (we are on Weeks system). Bonus weeks can only book times in a 45 day window. We are with RCI. So I book my first week of vacation with one of my bonus weeks from Dec 15 to 22. So I wait another week and try to book the second week of my vacation starting on Dec 22nd. I find there are no units available to RCI from the 16th of December till some time in early January. That includes the Grandview and all other timeshares under RCI's program. I think this is odd we have travelled many times to Las Vegas at this time of the year in the past and frankly Las Vegas is not busy at all around Christmas as it only gets busy for new years. So I phone the Grandview and ask if units are available. The person I talk to on the phone says yes of course I can get you a unit we have tons of them available at this time of the year. Since you are a owner it will only cost you $179 per night!!!!!!!!!!!!. Compared to my $227 exchange fee for a week that is ridiculous.
This brings me to a question or two:
- What kind of warped relationship does RCI have with the Grandview and all the other RCI properties in Las Vegas? If there are rooms available would the Grandview rather have the rooms remain vacant instead of making them available to RCI?
- I wonder if people on the points system will have my desired period Dec 22 to 29 available to them? We have freinds who are in vegas on the points system who come back on this weekend so i am going to see if them can book with their points versus our weeks and we will swap some time in the future.
- In the "Owner Updates" that all of us get inundated with each time we attend our timeshares they talk about booking times are based on availability which in this case is total bull since there are loads of units available. What kind of jaded games are these two parties Grandview/RCI playing at. It is bad enough we have bought timeshares that you would be lucky to sell for a dollar and now you can't even use them when space is available. But RCI and the grandview will always have their hand out for their RCI $85 a year fee and my $360+ dollar maintenace fee I have to pay the Grandview and then I can't book a room when space is available.
- I guess my "Owner Update" will be fun for me this year and not so much for the Sales people since I will will be talking very loudly about the Situation at the update hopefully discouraging others to buy into the crooked game. With any luck i will encounter a lot of other people I can spread the word to to save them from the future misery.

Any comment or insights are welcome.
Thanks

I think i just figured it out. Isn't the world supposed to end on Dec 21, 2012 according to the Mayan calendar. Doh! That must be it. Why take bookings if the world ceases to exist!

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

The end of the world is 12/12/12

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Well I just checked RCI and the last check-in date available for December in Las Vegas is 12/16.
So yes, I agree with you that this is VERY odd.

I could understand why you would not find Las Vegas 12/25,12/26, 12/27, 12/28 etc as these dates would cover New Years eve - but can not figure why there would be no 12/21,12/22,12/23, 12/24 available.

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

So did you try calling RCI or just Grandview?

I see your week sitting in RCI points.


For dates 22-Dec-2012 to 29-Dec-2012 ( 7 Nights ) Sort By:

1 Bedroom

Max Occup
(Privacy) : 4 (4)
Kitchen : Full
Points: 49,000



2 Bedrooms

Max Occup
(Privacy) : 8 (8)
Kitchen : Full
Points: 98,000


Maybe an RCI supervisor can pull that week for you if you call in.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

So did you try calling RCI or just Grandview?

I see your week sitting in RCI points.


For dates 22-Dec-2012 to 29-Dec-2012 ( 7 Nights ) Sort By:

1 Bedroom

Max Occup
(Privacy) : 4 (4)
Kitchen : Full
Points: 49,000



2 Bedrooms

Max Occup
(Privacy) : 8 (8)
Kitchen : Full
Points: 98,000


Maybe an RCI supervisor can pull that week for you if you call in.

Is Grandview a Points resort? You know I never get this right.

Here is the info from my weeks account.
Grandview at Las Vegas (#6923)
Las Vegas, NV 89183, USA

Rating: ( 629 )
Check-In Date Range
01-Dec-2012 - 16-Dec-2012
Add to Favorite Resort
8 check-in nights available
Exchange Trading Power Range
6 - 7

From BG/RCI portal

Grandview at Las Vegas (#6923)
Las Vegas, NV 89183, USA

Rating: ( 629 )
Check-In Date Range
01-Dec-2012 - 29-Dec-2012


Add to Favorite Resort
34 check-in nights available



For dates 22-Dec-2012 to 29-Dec-2012 ( 7 Nights ) Sort By:

1 Bedroom

Max Occup
(Privacy) : 4 (4)
Kitchen : Full
Bluegreen Points: 12,000



2 Bedrooms

Max Occup
(Privacy) : 8 (8)
Kitchen : Full
Bluegreen Points: 20,000

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

It is both a weeks and a points resort but sometimes a supervisor can pull a unit for you from one side to the other if you call in.
Of course then you have to pay the extra $20 bucks but at least you get your unit.

I don't see this inventory in weeks. Not unusual though.
There is always just what you want sitting in RCI points and not in weeks.

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

The end of the world is 12/12/12

Actually I think it's 12-21-12----they wanted to get one last solstice in (must have been on piecework).

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

I read that a new Maya calendar was found, so maybe no doomsday after all..........

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/technolo...2012-doomsday/

Actually I think it's 12-21-12----they wanted to get one last solstice in (must have been on piecework).

[robk Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close robk]

GrayFal said "The end of the world is 12/12/12 )
My mistake. I guess 21 Dec is the official start of winter.

Chriskre said "So did you try calling RCI or just Grandview?"
Yes I call RCI and they made me pay the exchange fee to be put on a list to have my dates booked if they become available.

Chriskre said "I see your week sitting in RCI points."
Looks like I finally got screwed by the Weeks/Points system. Can't see why points would be available for the time period but weeks are not. I would think if the Grandview gives time to RCI it wouldn't matter to them if it was weeks or points. Our friends who are coming back from Vegas this weekend are on points. Maybe we can talk them into using their points booking for us.

GrayFal said "Is Grandview a Points resort? You know I never get this right."
The Grandview is both.

Just to fill you in a bit more. We go to Vegas about 2 times a year. We live about a 24 hour drive from Las Vegas so it costs a quite a bit to drive or fly. Las Vegas is pretty well our only vacation spot and we have been there over 35 times. We haven't succumbed to the WEEKS hard sell (we only have had the time share about 3 years) yet but this is the first time we have been screwed by the Points/Weeks scenario. We figured the Weeks system would keep working for us since we only go to the Grandview and don't really go to any other vacation spots where points use would be more important.
I am really cheesed that the switch to points system is $5000 basically for a clerical entry in RCI's system.(even if they throw another unit in for that price like they were going to do at our last "Owner Update". Just more Maintenance fees to pay for another unit we don't have time to use)

Many thanks for the replies to my post.

I guess i will book a week at our old haunt the Gold Coast just in case our prepaid exchange fee does not result in a booking in the Grandview. It still cheeses me off that the Grandview has tons of space available during this period but RCI Weeks program does not have access.

[robk Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close robk]

Chriskre said
"It is both a weeks and a points resort but sometimes a supervisor can pull a unit for you from one side to the other if you call in.
Of course then you have to pay the extra $20 bucks but at least you get your unit.

I don't see this inventory in weeks. Not unusual though.
There is always just what you want sitting in RCI points and not in weeks. "

I might try that tomorrow. I never knew you could do that. As a relatively new owner of a time share I view this whole timeshare stuff like black magic. Whenever you think you are figuring it out they change the rules. We were never even presented with the points option when we purchased. Our friends who are on points bought before us (by about a month) obviously did. We never even realized we had bought into a different system until they started trying to hawk the Points system to us at our first "Owner Update"

[robk Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close robk]

I just went to the RCI site and a Friday date popped up. (not sure if that means someone cancelled or what)
I have attached a screen grab:

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

Did you book it?

[robk Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close robk]

Did you book it?

I would but I need Saturday to saturday as I have the 15th to 22 booked already. the 22 to 29 will be my second week of vacation

[robk Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close robk]

I guess I could book it but then I will have to book an extra day at a hotel since the bookings will overlap by one day.

[robk Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close robk]

I am on the phone with RCI right now talking to a points rep to see if I can get a points unit converted over to weeks system