????Anyone Still Need Proof . . . . .

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

Just because they're out to get you, doesn't mean you're paranoid, or something like that.

The first time my last feedback helper responded, it read, "Mr. Me, I can tell by your string of 59 emails . . . "

Then she looked into it and saw that I was contacting RCI concerning matters brought up on Internet forums, in addition to personal whining.

The feedback people are sorta caught, cuz they have to toe the company line and they don't know any more than they are told.

I'll try running stuff by her next time, but I think she, or I, am to the point where I get passed on. As long as I don't wind up with the gal in '99, who said, "We have a legal department for people like you."

(She 11 years ahead of time.)

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

Did RCI ever guarantee that there would always be inventory for exchange to SW Florida?

I'm not going to argue law on the Internet. But . . .

There was a standard of practice, a faith, an implication, whatever you want to call it, for 30 years, that timeshare purchasers came to rely on. It is what was used to sell them, by their own admission: (again)

" 88.5% of all timeshare purchases ever made by current RCI members were positively influenced by the RCI exchange opportunity, according to members. These total about 2,686,000 weeks, representing aggregate sales of an estimated $20.1 billion by developers, homeowner associations, and on-site resale companies."

Don't try to tell me it's still not, cuz not many people want to go to the same unit in Branson every year for the rest of their lives.

In their virtual monopoly, where you have to own at an affilate in order to trade into an affiliate, there is no practical option in most cases . . . not for us.

That faith, that reliance, was breached. It's as simple as the DeHaans made a promise and Cendant broke it.

The value of the ownership was diminshed. There was no compensation.

They say it themselves: (again)

"Members attribute and (sic) average 24.8% of the value of their timeshares to the RCI exchange opportunity."

That's an average . . . for us it is 100%, just like we were sold originally and many times since.

Until it affected me, it did not affect me.

Now it does.

As far as SW FL in January . . . There are plenty of substandard, motel-conversion resorts there, so that I don't believe that absolutely nothing is being deposited. I can't believe that someone owning at a beautiful, high-dollar resort would be a happy camper trading into many of them. I just happened to be doing the right thing at the right time with my daily searches over the years to document the dwindling availability.

5/30 was the icing on the cake, whatever it is that happened then.

With the situation in the economy the last couple of years, people have cut back on travel, even to the popular destinations in peak season.

As customers, we have learned not to rely on anything that is claimed.

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

A revelation . . .

Referring to my OP, not copied here to reduce clutter, when talking about ongoing searches, informed sources have said that things change over time, that as it gets closer to check-in date, it becomes more likely to be able to get an exchange. Essentially, there is a trading power adjustment over time such that if the supply is available it takes less to get it.

It appears that is the same regarding rentals to members.

First, the exchange we have gotten is the past was not being offered to us at all as an exchange . . . only as a rental, and only for $1200.

Subsequently, a few of the dates were offered as exchanges and the other dates, the ones still be offered only as rentals, had been reduced to $800.

So, it appears RCI adjusted it over time. They started at totally gouge the longtime member, then relaxed that to slightly gouge the longtime member.

Maybe I am alone, but I can't believe how bold, how obvious, how deceitful . . . this particular example is . . . as if they are totally ignoring everything they and the sales people have said and promised . . . and just doing whatever they want. I guess I can't believe that they are just laying it all out there, letting everyone see what they have been doing discretely previously.

Guess that is the result of the paltry class action settlement, they they now feel entitled to totally ($*# their customers.

I believe the word is flaunting . . . perhaps taunting.

At the very least, it should be 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff.

[logan115 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close logan115]

Did RCI ever guarantee that there would always be inventory for exchange to SW Florida?

Although you know I love the area as much as you do (okay, maybe a little less than you do), I never thought of RCI as my go-to place for SW Florida exchanges or rentals. I have always known it was almost impossible to get anything decent over there even without discovering TS4M's and TUG, (my RCI guides told me so), so I resorted to renting directly from owners or the resorts themselves, even ebay has some deals every now and then. I think it's just the nature of the market over there.

I'm pleased as punch to get an exchange like I did last year to beach club I and an upgrade to a 2 bedroom unit with RCI but I know it's not something I can rely on every year and I don't. I just browse the inventory and sometimes I get lucky. Come down in December. There seemed to be alot of ex-ops then and to nice places.

I think there is definetely much in helping others. I am very grateful for the help I get here and on TUG and MO and I also try to chime in with my limited experience along the way. Unfortunately most of my TS experiences have been in Florida so that is usually where I chime in. Believe it or not on MO now I'm kind of the RCI expert. They are really clueless about RCI and since they've helped me so with my DVC how can I not return the favor.

I know somewhere in God's scorebook, I'm at least breaking even and hope he is pleased and will shine down on me every now and then with a nice vacation exchange. And honestly, he hasn't let me down yet.

As one of those folks over on MO I'd like to say thanks from all of us for the insights you've provided.

Over here now trying to learn more about specific systems, with HGVC looking like the most likely, and really appreciate the knowledge here. Here I thought I had a decent grasp on TS's by owning DVC, but the past few weeks have really been an eye-opener.

Chris

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

A revelation . . .

Referring to my OP, not copied here to reduce clutter, when talking about ongoing searches, informed sources have said that things change over time, that as it gets closer to check-in date, it becomes more likely to be able to get an exchange. Essentially, there is a trading power adjustment over time such that if the supply is available it takes less to get it.

It appears that is the same regarding rentals to members.

First, the exchange we have gotten in the past was not being offered to us at all as an exchange . . . only as a rental, and only for $1200.

Subsequently, a few of the dates were offered as exchanges and the other dates, the ones still be offered only as rentals, had been reduced to $800.

So, it appears RCI adjusted it over time. They started at totally gouge the longtime member, then relaxed that to slightly gouge the longtime member.

Maybe I am alone, but I can't believe how bold, how obvious, how deceitful . . . this particular example is . . . as if they are totally ignoring everything they and the sales people have said and promised . . . and just doing whatever they want. I guess I can't believe that they are just laying it all out there, letting everyone see what they have been doing discretely previously.

Guess that is the result of the paltry class action settlement, they they now feel entitled to totally ($*# their customers.

I believe the word is flaunting . . . perhaps taunting.

At the very least, it should be 15 yards on the ensuing kickoff.

Concerning this rant of mine, the Fairham Nashville in July rant, the best person to be familiar with how I have gone about getting it for DW's Girls' Week Out, is me.

There has been/is a window during which it is available. To review, this year during that window, instead of being available as an exchange, it has been offered in the following sequence:

1. Only as a rental, for $1200
2. Most dates as a rental for $800, 3 dates as an exchange.
3. Not at all. That is now, the window appearing to be closed, the nearest dates available being next Fall.

Based on item 3, my gut feeling is that advice to begin an ongoing search at this time is ill advised, unless it is based on knowledge that some availability for July is now being hidden, and will be made available to those with ongoing searches (in some sort of undisclosed pecking order) as we get closer to July.

Oh yeah, as far as needing it any more, we don't, so as my brother would say, this is most likely a mute point.

DW's Family Girls have been dissuaded from their annual adventure by this year's jacking around, so have made alternate plans not involving timesharing/RCI, &, if the jacking around of longtime subscribers is a permanent thing, so will be their alternate plans.

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

Girls Week Out has come and gone, and they spent it here on the lake.

Now I can see those 8/6 2-bedroom units at Fairham Nashville again.

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

. . . . how RCI's bad behavior costs their members?

Tough. I'm gonna show you anyway.

First, review this page:

http://www.timeshareforums.com/forum...-yours-24.html

You will see that I was not able to see an exchange for something we have regularly gotten in the past, and others were able to see it.

Here's some of our past ones:

Exchange Details
Wyndham Nashville (# 3688 )
City: Nashville State: TN
Country: USA
BR(s): 2
Start Date: 07/30/2006 End Date: 08/06/2006

Exchange Details
Wyndham Nashville (# 3688 )
City: Nashville State: TN
Country: USA
BR(s): 2
Start Date: 07/13/2007 End Date: 07/20/2007

Exchange Details
Wyndham Nashville (# 3688 )
City: Nashville State: TN
Country: USA
BR(s): 2
Start Date: 07/20/2008 End Date: 07/27/2008

The date of that previous discussion, 11-20-09, I was only able to get a 2-bedroom 8/6 for any July, 2010, dates as a rental,

2 BR 8 (6) Full 25-Jul-2010 01-Aug-2010 USD 1,187.99

even though bnoble confirmed they were available as exchanges.

Today, dates in July are still available as rentals, at a lower price than before. I still can't get most of the dates as an exchange, only as a rental, but, strangely, 3 dates are now available to me/us an exchange or a rental. That means they still might go to someone not contributing a Spacebank deposit instead of someone who does:

This is my exchange search today:
1 BR 4 (2) Full 02-Jul-2010
1 BR 4 (2) Full 04-Jul-2010
1 BR 4 (2) Full 09-Jul-2010
1 BR 4 (2) Full 16-Jul-2010
1 BR 4 (2) Full 18-Jul-2010
1 BR 4 (2) Full 23-Jul-2010
1 BR 4 (2) Full 30-Jul-2010
1 BR 4 (2) Full 01-Aug-2010
2 BR 8 (6) Full 23-Jul-2010
2 BR 8 (6) Full 30-Jul-2010
2 BR 8 (6) Full 01-Aug-2010

This is my anything search today:
Exchange, Extra Vacation and Last Call
Note: You are searching against all your deposits

2 BR 8 (6) Full 02-Jul-2010 09-Jul-2010 USD 809.99
2 BR 8 (6) Full 04-Jul-2010 11-Jul-2010 USD 809.99
2 BR 8 (6) Full 09-Jul-2010 16-Jul-2010 USD 809.99
2 BR 8 (6) Full 11-Jul-2010 18-Jul-2010 USD 809.99
2 BR 8 (6) Full 16-Jul-2010 23-Jul-2010 USD 809.99
2 BR 8 (6) Full 18-Jul-2010 25-Jul-2010 USD 809.99
2 BR 8 (6) Full 23-Jul-2010 30-Jul-2010 Exchange Fee -OR- USD 809.99
2 BR 8 (6) Full 25-Jul-2010 01-Aug-2010 USD 809.99
2 BR 8 (6) Full 30-Jul-2010 06-Aug-2010 Exchange Fee -OR- USD 809.99
2 BR 8 (6) Full 01-Aug-2010 08-Aug-2010 Exchange Fee -OR- USD 809.99

As I said in that previous discussion, after 20 years and all the $$$, it is enough to piss me off.

And now it is available again, and reasonable (so why is so much other stuff not?):

2 Bedrooms 8 (6) Full Fri 29-Jul-2011 Fri 05-Aug-2011 Exchange Fee -OR- USD 818.99 20

To remind . . . we don't need this one any more, now that RCI ran us off last year, and new plans for Girls Week Out got made.