Have you run into this?

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

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

If you can't get the 12/22, take the 12/21....at your costs, you will still be ahead of the game.

[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

That didn't work. The rep said he has converted weeks to points to $28. Just checked the Friday 21 to 28th is gone again.
Oh well I think I will just sit back take a deep breath.

Thank you everyone for your input

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

That didn't work. The rep said he has converted weeks to points to $28. Just checked the Friday 21 to 28th is gone again.
Oh well I think I will just sit back take a deep breath.

Thank you everyone for your input

Call back and talk to a different rep or ask for a supervisor.
Never take one reps answer if you don't like it.

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

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.

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.

These units may pop up in last call or the extra vacations. RCI is going to be having a 40% off sale so I'd check that. You could always cancel the ongoing search if you get it on last call.

Unfortunately the weeks that I am seeing, from what I understand, are the people who have converted their unit to RCI points so that inventory is separate from the weeks inventory you are seeing. If you are accessing a points resort with RCI points then you won't get the weeks discount, so it probably won't be worth your while to book this unit in points. 98K is alot of points to redeem for this week IMO. Of course it is Christmas so maybe I'm wrong on this, not sure.

If you do decide to switch to RCI points then you could probably book something in the weeks only resorts for 9K RCI points within a close check in. I believe RCI has shortened the last minute instant exchange window in some instances to 15 days. I don't follow Vegas so not sure what they are doing with other resorts.

I own in Grandview and if you do decide that you want to own RCI points it's not a bad place to own, just do not buy the points from Grandview. Buy them on the resale market for much less. You can check ebay for prices but there are some brokers who sell reasonably priced packages. PM me if you want the name of the broker I purchased from.

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"

Stop attending the updates. They are just upsetting.

Hang around here and we will help you learn to use timeshares to their full advantage.
Gotta warn you though, hanging around here can be hazardous to your wallet.
Collecting timeshares is quite an addiction around here.

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

Thanks Chriskre
I think I have learned more about timeshares in one night on this forum than I have in the last 3 years. We suffer through the "Owner updates" because we get $100 cash for sitting through then as well as a breakfast for about 3 hours of our time. (gives us a little more shopping/gambling money for the day)
The thought had crossed my mind about buying points somewhere other than the grandview. I will PM you (if I can figure that out) for the broker info.
Thanks

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

Thanks Chriskre
I think I have learned more about timeshares in one night on this forum than I have in the last 3 years. We suffer through the "Owner updates" because we get $100 cash for sitting through then as well as a breakfast for about 3 hours of our time. (gives us a little more shopping/gambling money for the day)
The thought had crossed my mind about buying points somewhere other than the grandview. I will PM you (if I can figure that out) for the broker info.
Thanks

Well they aren't going to teach you anything in the updates except how to part with your money.
But that's why we are here. So ask away and we'll try to answer best as we can.

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

I was reading on the TUG BBS that RCI only charges about $199 for converting weeks to points yet the high pressure guys want $5000. So that means the sales people pocket $4,800 for their time. Nice work if you can get it. It seems the problem is that you have to buy a resale unit to be able to convert directly thru RCI. It looks like you have to go through the vultures at your home resort if you want to convert your weeks to points. Depressing.
I think my week has pretty good trading power in the old system. I wonder what amount of points I would get for my unit. (Grandview week 16). On the TUG BBS it says not to pay more than $500 to convert weeks to points.
I am getting timeshare overload!

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

I was reading on the TUG BBS that RCI only charges about $199 for converting weeks to points yet the high pressure guys want $5000. So that means the sales people pocket $4,800 for their time. Nice work if you can get it. It seems the problem is that you have to buy a resale unit to be able to convert directly thru RCI. It looks like you have to go through the vultures at your home resort if you want to convert your weeks to points. Depressing.
I think my week has pretty good trading power in the old system. I wonder what amount of points I would get for my unit. (Grandview week 16). On the TUG BBS it says not to pay more than $500 to convert weeks to points.
I am getting timeshare overload!

RCI doesn't let you convert your week to RCI points thru them yourself. You have to buy a week resale that someone has already paid to convert or do it thru your developer. I'm sure you could probably negotiate the fee down if you really tried but it would still be more than paying resale for it.

Here is a points grid to give you an idea.

Grandview at Las Vegas - #6923

Bed
Bath
Kitchen
Max Occ.
Priv Occ.
Region
Week Nights
2
2.0
F
8
8
VGAS

1
1.0
F
4
4
VGAS


1 - 2 Weekly
3 - 8 Weekly
9 - 37 Weekly
38 - 45 Weekly
46 - 47 Weekly
48 - 50 Weekly
51 Weekly
52 Weekly
61,000
80,000
98,000
122,000
80,000
61,000
98,000
122,000
30,500
40,000
49,000
61,000
40,000
30,500
49,000
61,000



Other unit configurations may exist at this resort.
Where applicable, Friday and Saturday night stays are 20% of the weekly value per day. Weeknight stays are 12% of the weekly value per day.

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

If I read this correctly my home week (week 16) would be 98,000 points.
You note 8 categories/ranges for weeks but have 16 point values. I am not sure what that means. Maybe formatting was lost in the post.

Time for sleep. I will log on romorrow

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

I have not read to see if anyone has said it, but here is your trading power in Weeks:


Maximum Trading Power
19
Current Trading Power
19

It would take at least 2 deposits to get anything good in primetime, stuff like SW FL in Snowbird Season, or Hawaii Jan-Mar, stuff like that.

For example, here is the only RCI resort available on the Florida SW Coast in January, 2014. The last I loooked, it was rated 52 of 52 resorts in that area, and it is not near the beach:

2 check-in nights available
Exchange Trading Power Range
22 - 23

(Makes you wonder why one would be 22 and the other 23 )

Here is the only normal unit available in Hawaii in Jan-Mar, 2014. It a hotel unit:

Exchange Trading Power
31

Before rentals and TPUs, it didn't used to be this way. It has now gotten to the point where you are lucky to be able to get stuff that you never would have taken.

You would have some change left over from using two deposits to get either.

Or,

You could get 2 or 3 less desirable over-supplied weeks in the overbuilt areas.

In Vegas, for December, 2013, there are 21 units available for Christmas week and 8 available for New Years Week, so some likely were available at one time for 2012.

This may be an example of why having a firm understanding of what you are doing, and doing it online yourself so you can see everything, before you do anything, is a good idea.

Or, for that matter, why everything should be disclosed in a way prospects can understand it before they buy.

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

Another frustrating phone call to RCI. This whole timeshare thing is such a con game. You have the Resort where you buy the unit. Then you have the hucksters that sell you the unit and then you have RCI that just sits back and says that not units are available. You buy the unit, you pay the maintenance fees and the yearly RCI fee and then you can't book a unit in your home resort that has tons of space in it and the rooms just end up going empty.
I mean they have sucked us into timeshares that you would be lucky to sell for a dollar and you still can't book a room.
I guess I will book a hotel room the second week of my holiday. the person on this thread taht said to talk to a supervisor to get a points week transfered over to a weeks week. That didn't work either. I just got the dog and pony show about converting your weeks to points. Something they want $5000 for at the grandview. So then they can take their $4800 and give RCI $200 to transfer us to points. Major ripoff.
What's the best way to surrender your unit. Just don't pay your fees? I am tired of paying maintenance and RCI fees and not being able to book a unit in an almost empty resort. Bah Humbug

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

You have to understand that regardless of how long you have been timesharing, how much you know, how many years you have been comparing notes with others via the Internet, someone that was hired last week will be the key person to help you. Almost every RCI email I have ever received assumed I did not even know the first thing about timesharing, or RCI, when in most cases I was lightyears beyond the RCI rep. There have been a couple who have been on a high enough knowledge/experience level to realize that it is counterproductive to be condescending.

I only talk to a rep if I absoultely have to, and I don't waste time with one who is wasting mine. I am polite, but forthright. "Ma'am/Sir, I can tell you are not a person who can help me. Bye."

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

JLB

I think you are correct. the old saying "You can catch more flies with honey" will probably also be true. I am obviously too upset to deal with them. I find the whole process a shell game because you are always dealing with 3 distinct companies.
- The Grandview
- RCI
- Company that sells the timeshares and controls how much it costs to revert to points.

I have friends that just got back from vegas Saturday who are on the points system. I am getting them to check out how many points it will take to book the week of Dec 22 at the Grandview Then I might contact a broker as Chriskre suggested and see if I can buy some points for a reasonable amount to allow me to book the unit for that week. I am also going to book that week at our old haunt the Gold Coast for that week as a backup. I don't mind staying there as we have about 15 times or so. Only downer is going from a spacious timeshare unit to a small hotel room. (and of course the maids rapping on your door with a coin early in the morning) My internet also turned flakey this weekend. Having to plug and unplug my modem every ten minutes or so to get it working.

[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."

Tried that 3 times now. It's a no go. they keep telling me it is not possible. They tell em the only possible way to get the unit is if someone on the weeks system deposits that week I would gladly pay an extra $20 to get a unit pulled from the points side to the weeks side.

I think someone listed in a earlier post that that particular week for a one bedroom is 12,000 points so if I could purchase 14k points like you did I should be good to go. Were the maintenance fees you quoted me on your purchase every year or for a 3 year period since you only get 1 week every 3 years.

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

Wait until you get to the point where one of them says, "We have a legal department for people like you," after I was somewhat miffed when they canceled an exchange after saying if they confirmed it, it would be OK.

That was 13 years ago.