Have u rented a week thru RCI's rental channels because no RCI exchange available?

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

I can only vote with Bobo here, so I haven't voted. I've not been able to get exactly what I wanted and have taken something less sometimes. At one time I had a glut of weeks to use, but now I'm down to just a few. I've rented once when the cost was less than the exchange fee. It's tough to see all the alternatives that exist when looking at doing a poll, and it's also tough to get people out to vote- remembering that only about half of us vote in a presidential election year.

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

Hey Carol,

You can find RCI's rental channels here:

http://www.timeshareforums.com/showthread.php?t=6976

I don't know how to answer this poll. By RCI rental channels do you also mean their MFVs (Most Favored Vacationers), i.e., gubmit employees and hired guns?

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

Yes it is tough......I would add a few changes to the polling if I knew how. And we should be allowed to change our votes until the poll closes. But should not be allowed to vote more than once. I think those functions are available but I do not know how to access them. Can't you do it supermod?

I can only vote with Bobo here, so I haven't voted. I've not been able to get exactly what I wanted and have taken something less sometimes. At one time I had a glut of weeks to use, but now I'm down to just a few. I've rented once when the cost was less than the exchange fee. It's tough to see all the alternatives that exist when looking at doing a poll, and it's also tough to get people out to vote- remembering that only about half of us vote in a presidential election year.

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

Ok both of mine were direct through RCI. One was a last call to my home resort in Cabo gfor $ 149.00 which was cheaper than the regular exchange fee. The other was to the Westin in Puerto Vallarta last Thanksgiving week for $ 375 on an Extra Vacation. On the Westin we could not go back because of the one in four year rule but we got around it on the Extra Vacation. I checked with a guide about this when I confirmed it. Still less in cost than a maintainance fee and the exchange.

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

Extra Vacations

I have booked 6 extra vacations in at prices considerably less than Maint fees. I would consider all of them offseason. All but one was available for exchange and as EV at the same time. In a one case my the week I would have used did not have the VEP to pull the week.

All have been through RCI EV or LC not outside vendors.

Short

[DDI Par Member Find all posts View Profile Close DDI Par]

RCI exchanges still seem to work for us.

We have noticed lately that RCI exchanges have become more difficult when looking for prime locations at prime times. We have very good trading power (according to RCI guides I have talked to) by depositing early with highly rated, all red-time resorts that we own.

We have seen a week or two in Hawaii while searching over the past month or so, but when you check with Extra Vacations, there are dozens available. Prices range from $900/week to over $1500/week.

However, since we were not looking to go to Hawaii, I searched for Quebec/Ontario/New England for this summer. We exchanged our 1-br in Sedona for a 3-br Gold Crown resort in Beaupre, Quebec in early June, followed by a second week using our studio to exchange for a 2-br on Cape Cod in a "Silver Crown" resort.

I would call those very good exchanges and there were 30+ resorts available in these two areas from which to choose. Perhaps our trading power is pretty high or we chose a time to travel with somewhat less demand, but rental was never an option for us. On the other hand, if we had been set on exchanging into Hawaii or the SoCal coast, we may have not seen any exchanges available.

Incidentally, we just returned from an exchange through II at the Four Seasons Aviara in Carlsbad, CA. This is one of those no-brainer exchanges if you ever get a chance. We paid the $130 exchange fee, and had seven nights in the classiest 1-br, FK, 2-ba unit we have ever exchanged for. Meanwhile, the people staying in the adjacent Four Seasons Hotel, which was a 3-minute walk from our timeshare unit, were paying $400/night for a hotel room with a wetbar, a king-sized bed and a small balcony. The service was outstanding, with every employee from the owner services to the housekeeping to the maintenance staff asking if everything was o.k. or if there was anything that they could do for you.

Back on topic: As long as we are able to get good exchanges with RCI, we will hang in there and not resort to Extra Vacation rentals. If that ever becomes a problem, we may have to drop RCI and deposit all our weeks with II, since all our owned resorts are dual-affiliated.

Good luck with whatever you all do . . .
DDI Par

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

none of the above

I can't vote because none of these are my experience.

We're still pretty new to this, so I've just seen what's available and taken a week out of the exchange pool. "No exchange available" does not apply because we have been flexible as to time, region, and resort. We don't have to have Marriotts, we have no desire to go to Orlando (ever), and don't typically travel in the most popular times. We've stayed in several GCs and several "standard resorts" and have never been disappointed. I don't have a beef with RCI in this regard.

however...

I do not like what many of us think is happening with their rentals.

I'm also extremely cheap, so it is highly unlikely I'd ever use EV. If the situation arose, I would rather rent from an individual so as to avoid feeding the monster.

Last Call, also, has pissed me off and gone into the "NO WAY" category. Raising prices as much as they did is a huge turnoff. Following that up with low to no inventory pretty much put the nail in the coffin. I think they were stupid to mess with LC. I don't plan to ever check it again. DAE gets my last minute shopping.

[talkamotta Member Find all posts View Profile Close talkamotta]

I wanted Vegas for the last week of April/beginning May. Couldnt pull any exchanges but there are plenty weeks for rent. I will just wait and see if I get an exchange, if I dont I will either stay with family or go another week. I know RCI has its reasons for renting and maybe they do come out of different buckets but Im not so sure about RCI. My membership will end in another year and at this point I dont think I will renew. There should be a point or date where the extra money they would make on renting should be used for exchangers, kind of a good customer relationship/good will thing.

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

I added another option to the voting, let me know if you want more. I don't know how to get a vote change through. At least you got me to vote.

Yes it is tough......I would add a few changes to the polling if I knew how. And we should be allowed to change our votes until the poll closes. But should not be allowed to vote more than once. I think those functions are available but I do not know how to access them. Can't you do it supermod?

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

Thanks Tony.......if there was some way to be able to change one's vote then I would imagine the totals would change.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

It looks like over 80% of the voters are getting what they want and need out of RCI. If that's the case, there should be about a 4 to 1 advantage of positive posts about RCI rather than negative posts. But, that certainly isn't the impression you get reading these boards.

I know its due primarily to the fact that unsatisfied people tend to be more vocal. But, unsatisfied posters shouldn't be surprised when people come to the defense of the vendor when the silent majority is indeed happier with the service than is portrayed in print.

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

Keep in mind that the voters were equipped with more knowledge and therefore more likely to work the system to their advantage.

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

Keep in mind that the voters were equipped with more knowledge and therefore more likely to work the system to their advantage.

So are you implying that the voters are not a representative sample of the posters/readers of this board?

If I had to venture a guess, I would say that those who do NOT participate in boards such as this one are actually happier with the timeshare ownership than than those who do. After all, ignorance is bliss.

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

If I voted that I had to rent in addition to exchange for my needs does that mean I am happy with RCI?.......not necessarily.

I am making the best of the situation and using the system to its fullest.....if I wasn't then I would be really unhappy or really stupid considering the number of timeshares I have.

I have many many friends who would not frequent a board like this who are very unhappy with RCI because they do not understand how to work the system and were sold very unrealistic exptectations.....I try to tell them how to do it and the eyes glaze over and they wait until the next time they flush a week down the RCI drain to complain.

Making simplistic assumptions based on this poll should only be for fun. There is nothing scientific about these numbers.

Ya gotta admit we are kind of fanatical about timeshares....should we just start a jihad?

So are you implying that the voters are not a representative sample of the posters/readers of this board?

If I had to venture a guess, I would say that those who do NOT participate in boards such as this one are actually happier with the timeshare ownership than than those who do. After all, ignorance is bliss.

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

If I voted that I had to rent in addition to exchange for my needs does that mean I am happy with RCI?.......not necessarily.

I am making the best of the situation and using the system to its fullest.....if I wasn't then I would be really unhappy or really stupid considering the number of timeshares I have.

I have many many friends who would not frequent a board like this who are very unhappy with RCI because they do not understand how to work the system and were sold very unrealistic exptectations.....I try to tell them how to do it and the eyes glaze over and they wait until the next time they flush a week down the RCI drain to complain.

Making simplistic assumptions based on this poll should only be for fun. There is nothing scientific about these numbers.

Ya gotta admit we are kind of fanatical about timeshares....should we just start a jihad?

I have a week in December through an exchange with RCI at Morritts Grand. Since I also want to experience 7mile beach and I got an airline ticket using FF miles were I needed to get there 4 days early I bid on Skyauctions.com and won the bid for 4 nights at Marriott courtyard. It's been over a week since I won the bid and I am still waiting for my confirmation. Even though it's a hotel I'm saving about 40% on the rates through Marriott or orbitz so once I'm confirmed I will be a happy camper.