Lemme See if I have this Right???

[lcds1 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lcds1]

I am very new to RCI- we placed a week into the weeks "bank" last September.
I have been looking for an exchange. The last 3 times I have looked..I looked
for exchange, last minute and extra week- lo and behold! MANY more places
like Aruba, other Caribbean island available in the extra week list than those on the trade list!!!
Do they do this to make the extra money and the trades available are just
"plain" places???
Is THIS what the class action is about?
OR- Do they have "better" weeks, etc if you CALL and pay them money to do what WE should be able to do???!!
Thanks-

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

Welcome to timeshareforums, You seem to have a good understanding on what is going on there,
We have most of the alternate exchange companies on this site. I would suggest you start looking into using them.

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

I am very new to RCI- we placed a week into the weeks "bank" last September.
I have been looking for an exchange. The last 3 times I have looked..I looked
for exchange, last minute and extra week- lo and behold! MANY more places
like Aruba, other Caribbean island available in the extra week list than those on the trade list!!!
Do they do this to make the extra money and the trades available are just
"plain" places???
Is THIS what the class action is about?
OR- Do they have "better" weeks, etc if you CALL and pay them money to do what WE should be able to do???!!
Thanks-

You have summarized clearly what the "mystery" of RCI exchanging is. Welcome to TS4ms! As BF mentioned, you have other options, next time don't deposit with RCI....check out the alternatives, like Trading Places or HTSE or DAE etc.

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

I am very new to RCI- we placed a week into the weeks "bank" last September.
I have been looking for an exchange. The last 3 times I have looked..I looked
for exchange, last minute and extra week- lo and behold! MANY more places
like Aruba, other Caribbean island available in the extra week list than those on the trade list!!!
Do they do this to make the extra money and the trades available are just
"plain" places???
Is THIS what the class action is about?
OR- Do they have "better" weeks, etc if you CALL and pay them money to do what WE should be able to do???!!
Thanks-

Where do you own? What is the check-in date of the deposit you made in September? Where do you want to trade to and when? When you log on to RCI, what is the total number of trades that are available to you for your deposit?

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

It's not just RCI.

I am very new to RCI- we placed a week into the weeks "bank" last September.
I have been looking for an exchange. The last 3 times I have looked..I looked
for exchange, last minute and extra week- lo and behold! MANY more places
like Aruba, other Caribbean island available in the extra week list than those on the trade list!!!
Do they do this to make the extra money and the trades available are just
"plain" places???
Is THIS what the class action is about?
OR- Do they have "better" weeks, etc if you CALL and pay them money to do what WE should be able to do???!!
Thanks-

Until the past few years owners actually bought into the idea that all those desirable rentals came from "other sources" while owner deposits were used for exchanges. WRONG! Now, almost unbelievably, the same thing is being repeated about II "get aways" and other rentals. I guess some will just never learn. Stay away from both groups unless you want the good deposits rented and you are willing to settle for low end, small units as a "fair trade" for your deposit.

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

I have documented the dwindling supply of exchanges to SW FL for many years and blogged it in my January In SW FL thread on the Florida board. The dropoff began in 2004, searching for 2006.

Still, through perseverance, we are sitting in our unit at a SW FL resort right now, a view of the bay out the window and a beach across the road.

We have our two weeks for January, 2011, already booked.

So . . . ??????

[lcds1 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lcds1]

RCI is down right now til 3 AM so I am unble to answer everything Phil asked.

We own at Morritts Tortuga- 1 Bed
I will find the other answers after 3 am and let you know!

Thanks everyone-

[lcds1 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lcds1]

MORRITTS TORTUGA


01-Sep-2008 to 30-Sep-2011
[103,599]

Available to Exchange
Relation #: 00001 Unit: 3313 Interval: 38 Max Occ/Priv: 4 / 4 Start Date: 19-Sep-2009

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

MORRITTS TORTUGA


01-Sep-2008 to 30-Sep-2011
[103,599]

Available to Exchange
Relation #: 00001 Unit: 3313 Interval: 38 Max Occ/Priv: 4 / 4 Start Date: 19-Sep-2009

That is not seeing/reporting the next 24 months, like others. It is only seeing 20 months. The deposit was a September, 2009, week.

My worst trader is seeing around 8000 for Oct/11-Jan/12, 135000 total, so your numbers are pretty low. How far ahead of use date (Sept 09) did you deposit it?

FWIW we are on Relation #111 or so.

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

MORRITTS TORTUGA


01-Sep-2008 to 30-Sep-2011
[103,599]

Available to Exchange
Relation #: 00001 Unit: 3313 Interval: 38 Max Occ/Priv: 4 / 4 Start Date: 19-Sep-2009

Did you deposit this in September 2008 or September 2009? To be assigned full trade power you must deposit 12 months in advance. If you have not deposited your 2010 week with RCI yet, you have already lost some power. I would consider using one of the independents in that case, such as Trading places, Hawaii Timeshare Exchange, Platinum Interchange, DAE, etc.

You are depositing a hurricane season week in the Caribbean so I think maximizing trade power by depositing 12 months out is essential if you use RCI. Not all red weeks trade the same in RCI even when deposited 12 months out.

You didn't mention anything about what you wish to trade for and what time of year you want to go. That might help set your expectations about how easy or how difficult the trade you are seeking might be with RCI and maybe with the independents.

[lcds1 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close lcds1]

I put it in in Sept of 2009- as I bought the timeshare in August...and 2009 was included.

This is like trying to read Chinese to me- I REALLY appreciate everyone's help.

I would like to find something in the Caribbean/Key West(?) for June or July- or ?
The thing is, I have put in Aruba and Turks and Caicos with NO date and they just do not show at all-so I guess what I thought I had when I bought my
RCI membership is not what I have in having a Red Week!

Thanks again for educating me more- I am "starting" to understand a bit...

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

Two of us have now pointed out what we all take as gospel, that you have to deposit with RCI at least 12 months out to maximize trading power.

Your deposit is a late deposit and will likely never see what you want.

One exception to that is in the 14-day Window, two weeks before a check-in date all that is banked becomes available to all deposits. That's how I got the week we are using right now, on a SW FL beach.

Register at www.rci.com and do some searches yourself to see what you can get, especially paying attention to the next two weeks.

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

Someone on The View (which the fact that I am sitting here watching The View says a whole lot about the weather in Florida ) just said that someone said that it takes 10,000 hours to get really good at something, which may be why some of us are still able to occasionally get this timesharing thing to work.

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

You are suffering from a typical "new buyer" situation -- you bought in 2009 and paid for a 2009 week. By the time you bought, little was time or inventory left in the first use year, so you got a less than optimal week. Given that it was deposited so close to check-in, and is a hurricane week to boot, it is unlikely to do much for you except within a 30 or 45 day window. Still, I would put in an ongoing request and just wait, since the system won't allow you to enter a search in the last minute window, but will continue searching against requests that were put in ahead of time.

Book your 2010 week asap if you haven't already done so, and your 2011 week a year ahead of time (assuming you bought a floating week). Choose a prime week (winter, holiday), then look at the independent exchange companies before giving another week to RCI.

[philsfan Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close philsfan]

I put it in in Sept of 2009- as I bought the timeshare in August...and 2009 was included.

This is like trying to read Chinese to me- I REALLY appreciate everyone's help.

I would like to find something in the Caribbean/Key West(?) for June or July- or ?
The thing is, I have put in Aruba and Turks and Caicos with NO date and they just do not show at all-so I guess what I thought I had when I bought my
RCI membership is not what I have in having a Red Week!

Thanks again for educating me more- I am "starting" to understand a bit...

As others have said, your 2009 week as a last minute deposit likely has the lowest trade power possible in RCI. If you plan ahead, that doesn't have to be the case. If you have a floating week with the ability to request what is deposited for you, try to get a November or December week for 2010 and deposit it asap if you really want to use RCI. Try to get that 2011 week reserved, too. If you deposit the 2011 week with RCI, that is when you will know the true RCI trade power of your week because you will be depositing more than 12 months out for the first time.

For 2010, Platinum Interchange has a resort in Aruba for this June and a couple in the Bahamas in June and July. You could get any of them today with your 2010 deposit. It doesn't cost anything to get set up to see their inventory.

SFX also takes deposits at Morritts but you may not want to deposit a hurricane season week there.

HTSE, DAE and Trading Places will take your deposits, too, but they just don't have anything in the Caribbean right now. You can check their inventory without paying a membership fee, too, to see if they have something you would want.

HTSE (user-9999,pw-htse)
www.platinuminterchange.com (sign-up for access/no fee)
Trading Places International - Timeshare Rentals, Exchange, Resales, and Travel Services (no sign up, no fee)
SFX Preferred Resorts the San Francisco exchange company (no fee to join but I don't see inventory online)
Timeshares & Time Share Exchange Service-DAELive.com (sign up for access/no fee)