II Questions

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

Sand Pebbles, where I own two studio weeks, has just joined II, and II has offered a "special" of $84 for two years to test the waters. I have been very happy with the trade power of these units in RCI for the past few years and am wondering how they would do in II. I am very familiar with using RCI and trying to achieve the best trading results.
Sand Pebbles is not a fancy resort, but with the excellent San Diego location and having a summer week does make them an excellent trader in RCI.

Questions I had:

1) How do people think they will trade in II? Would they really pull anything good? These are studio units that I own and I pay my fees ahead so I usually get good summer weeks. Is II’s trading quotient dependent on size or do they take in all the relevant factors (location, location, location, season, size, quality)?

2) I have already put my ’09 weeks in RCI as I usually do this to achieve the max trading power. How far ahead can you deposit into II? Is it only a year? Am I stuck with waiting until next year to even try this out?

3) Is there any other advantages/disadvantages in II over RCI that I haveen’t heard of. The biggest advantage is that they are NOT RCI, but is there anything else they have that’s special.

4) I live in Oregon and like to do two trades a year, one local (coast, central OR, Vancouver, Tahoe) and like to travel a bit farther for the other one. Is there much in the local Pacific NW region that I would be able to pull with Sand Pebble studios?

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

My experience is that over many years of "trying out" II with a resort that had always done very well with RCI and SFX did horribly in II. It was a waste of money and effort to place the time with them. I would skip the offer. II doesn't treat individual paying members well as their focus is on the large groups they have lured in. The preferences those groups get leaves paying indivual members as strictly second class looking at the leftovers as trades.

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

I think II is good except for owners of studios (I have two). They could be in the best resort and in a great red week, however, my experience, size matters, big-time, with them.

I have 2 contiguous Martha Vineyard's (Harborside Inn) hotel-studio room weeks, on the Edgartown waterfront, weeks 26 & 27 (4th of July and Regatta weeks, but weak traders !). I do better renting them in the inn's rental program and using the money to rent a week elsewhere. Note: Harborside Inn is II only, not RCI.

I have seen weak, one-two bedrooms in so-so resorts and lesser weeks trade better with them.

I'm no fan of RCI, but my other studios have traded better with them as of late.

I used to be able to grab DVCs and the like with them (II) , but not for the last few years.

Again, just my experience with studios deposited in II. I like the II resorts better, but just can't get into them most times.

B.

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

My experience is that over many years of "trying out" II with a resort that had always done very well with RCI and SFX did horribly in II. It was a waste of money and effort to place the time with them. I would skip the offer. II doesn't treat individual paying members well as their focus is on the large groups they have lured in. The preferences those groups get leaves paying indivual members as strictly second class looking at the leftovers as trades.

I think you are in the minority in your experience with II. I prefer II more than 10 times over RCI for the quality of resorts available. And, I prefer II over SFX since SFX inventory is so limited. It is possible to get some fantastic trades in II.

In addition, II accomodations certificates (or bonus weeks) actually have value. I use them all the time. In RCI, I've never been able to use any of their bonus weeks.

Obviously, preference is highly dependent on resort area and where each exchange company has resorts. For me, II is head and shoulders better than RCI.

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

Sand Pebbles, where I own two studio weeks, has just joined II, and II has offered a "special" of $84 for two years to test the waters. I have been very happy with the trade power of these units in RCI for the past few years and am wondering how they would do in II. I am very familiar with using RCI and trying to achieve the best trading results.
Sand Pebbles is not a fancy resort, but with the excellent San Diego location and having a summer week does make them an excellent trader in RCI.

Questions I had:

1) How do people think they will trade in II? Would they really pull anything good? These are studio units that I own and I pay my fees ahead so I usually get good summer weeks. Is II’s trading quotient dependent on size or do they take in all the relevant factors (location, location, location, season, size, quality)?

2) I have already put my ’09 weeks in RCI as I usually do this to achieve the max trading power. How far ahead can you deposit into II? Is it only a year? Am I stuck with waiting until next year to even try this out?

3) Is there any other advantages/disadvantages in II over RCI that I haveen’t heard of. The biggest advantage is that they are NOT RCI, but is there anything else they have that’s special.

4) I live in Oregon and like to do two trades a year, one local (coast, central OR, Vancouver, Tahoe) and like to travel a bit farther for the other one. Is there much in the local Pacific NW region that I would be able to pull with Sand Pebble studios?

I would purchase a small WorldMark account. WorldMark has a ton of resorts in the PNW.

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Forgot to say that I have an Edinburgh Residence, very elegant, hard to get into, great week, a large "Grande Suite", but not a one bedroom.
It trades with both RCI & II. I have better opportunities with RCI as II downgrades it due to size.

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

Thanks all

Wow! Thanks for the quick replies.

Boca - I have been thinking of Worldmark.... In fact Worldmark got me started on timesharing about 7 yrs ago. I was very close to buying one (from them) and thought, "I better go home and research this a bit on the web". Thank goodness I found TUG; waited awhile, and then bought two SA units for $1400 - they included a ten-year RCI membership and two years of MF's on each unit! Needless to say, I got my money's worth out of those. I was lucky enough to sell them a few years ago for what I paid for them when the SA scene started to get more expensive and not trade as well as they had in the past.

I do like the fact that Worldmark has a lot of product right here in my backyard. I also like the fact that you can do the short weekend uses for a reasonable fee and not use your points up. What I don't like is that since RCI bought them a few years ago, and now Wyndam is the owner, they have been depreciating in value. I also look at the wmowners site once in a while and see all that about how they have been deceptive and manipulative in keeping the 'supposed' owners of Worldmark off the board. So its hard to tell where that will all end up. Overall I like it, and am actually going to the Tahoe Southshore Worldmark in a few weeks into a 3 BR which I was able to trade the studio Sand Pebbles unit into.

Beags - that's what I had heard about II and smaller sized units (like the Edinburgh residence), that the trades were more based on size and not overall trade value.

I've been staying off the Politics site as I have been very busy for many months and its also better for my sanity to avoid it..... I'm sure though as this gets closer to the wire I'll be in there more often with my 2 cents.

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

Great to see you back BoBo.

Sorry for the bad news re: II studios, but this is what happens to me; great location, great week, sleeps 2-4, but "sorry".............. (from II).

Oh, come on back to the Political board. Am having too much fun.

B.

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

Wow! Thanks for the quick replies.

Boca - I have been thinking of Worldmark.... In fact Worldmark got me started on timesharing about 7 yrs ago. I was very close to buying one (from them) and thought, "I better go home and research this a bit on the web". Thank goodness I found TUG; waited awhile, and then bought two SA units for $1400 - they included a ten-year RCI membership and two years of MF's on each unit! Needless to say, I got my money's worth out of those. I was lucky enough to sell them a few years ago for what I paid for them when the SA scene started to get more expensive and not trade as well as they had in the past.

I do like the fact that Worldmark has a lot of product right here in my backyard. I also like the fact that you can do the short weekend uses for a reasonable fee and not use your points up. What I don't like is that since RCI bought them a few years ago, and now Wyndam is the owner, they have been depreciating in value. I also look at the wmowners site once in a while and see all that about how they have been deceptive and manipulative in keeping the 'supposed' owners of Worldmark off the board. So its hard to tell where that will all end up. Overall I like it, and am actually going to the Tahoe Southshore Worldmark in a few weeks into a 3 BR which I was able to trade the studio Sand Pebbles unit into.

Beags - that's what I had heard about II and smaller sized units (like the Edinburgh residence), that the trades were more based on size and not overall trade value.

I've been staying off the Politics site as I have been very busy for many months and its also better for my sanity to avoid it..... I'm sure though as this gets closer to the wire I'll be in there more often with my 2 cents.

I wouldn't hesitate buying a WorldMark account now. wmowners.com leads you to a negative conclusion because of how negative many posters are on that site. It's nowhere nearly as bad as it is portrayed there. Don't get me wrong, Wyndham is depreciating ownerships, but not as much as many would lead you to believe. They are in essence boiling a frog slowly.

You can get them for pretty cheap right now. And,they are very easy to sell.
It will take Wyndham 10 years to turn WorldMark into Fairfield. Since you bought into South Africa, I'd say your risk in those purchases was greater than the downside risk you will experience with WorldMark if you got in now.