Weeks Enhancements

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

RCI - Understanding the Upcoming Enhancements to Your Membership - Inside RCI

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

One tip off that this just might not be good for members is their terminology. ''Enhancements'' is Orwellian corporate-speak that in the real world usually means the exact opposite of what it seems to mean. Every time an airline frequent flyer program is downgraded, they are quick to tell us that the changes are ''enhancements''.

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

Can we just wait and see?

If all we get out of it is being able to trade two deposits for one exchange, an exchange that we cannot now get, that'll be fine.

It would be just like the old days, sorta, where we useta get good exchanges with one deposit.

If there's still nothing availble, well . . .

They're still vague on a roll-out date, and did not answer:

***If sales prospects will be shown the numbers before buying
***If we can see the numbers before depositing

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

My main concern is that this will be another oppotunity for RCI to de-value the weeks. Using 2 deposits to get what one deposit gets now is what I fear. If trade power really does stay as it is now (given the de-value we got hit with on 5/30) I guess I can live with it. Ugh.

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

Maybe they just want to get more weeks to rent out.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

and I'm thinking your deposited week plus some monetary scale to make up the difference as one off the "options".

I'm sure I'm not the only one here that remembers the large gold and green $ icon briefly appearing next to your exchanges a couple/few enhancements ago.

FWIW if I can't see it with what I have access to it doesn't exist. I really don't expect to see everything magically reappear with this rollout.

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

The unfortunate thing is that we have good reason not to trust RCI because of their track record of member-unfriendly, selfish, bottom-line changes to their business model over the years since Cendant bought it from Ms. Dehaan.

During her reign there never was a hint that any deposit would go to anyone by other timeshare owners. There never was a trust problem. But, since, no one knows where all they have gone or are going.

It appears the proposed changes give them more opportunity to be corrupt if they choose to be. I'm not sure I've ever heard that part of the outcome of the classaction suit will be any sort of accountability and reporting.

It seems to give them another opportunity to get more $$$ for what they are already doing, a trick of the timeshare trade and something that companies in the timeshare business are prone to. I just got a call from Escapes! inviting us to come hear the new ways our deeded weeks can be worked into their program!!! Yeah, right!

"We've got these captive customers . . . Let's see how we can get more out of them . . . Cuz we're having a hard time finding new ones right now."

(Like maybe at some point one stopped being born every minute. )

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

I will guess the next steps is to allow combination of money and deposits. So if your deposit is short, instead of another deposit, you just pay up. That will really help the renting part.

Jya-Ning

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

I don't have a problem with that. If using cash is a better deal for me than using "credits", then I'd be happy to have the option. If it's not, then I won't use it.

Full disclosure: I was aware that RCI (and II) were renting out weeks to the general public long before I ever became a timeshare owner, so I don't have the expectations of "exclusivity" that many do.

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

Is this an option only? I know there are lots of discussions concerning RCI Lite. I don't know if it is optional. I guess it is easy to make it sound optional...

I quoted the following from the FAQ's

What will this change do to the exchange vacations I’m able to see?
You will still have at least the same number of vacation options as you do today. In fact, depending on how you choose to search and use your weeks you may have access to more options than ever before!1

Based on this, everyone should be happy about the new program. If you have a poor trader, now you have the option to trade up. If you have a strong trader, you will get the same exchange + something back.

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

While it won't be optional if you stay with RCI, the option you will have is to vote with your feet and move to an independent exchange company.

We have seen too many times that RCI has done things where they say they have not changed what you can trade for but any timesharer with any real experience can easily see that they have. They have pulled the wool over our eyes too many times to believe their claims that it will not impact trading.

Is this an option only? I know there are lots of discussions concerning RCI Lite. I don't know if it is optional. I guess it is easy to make it sound optional...

I quoted the following from the FAQ's

What will this change do to the exchange vacations I’m able to see?
You will still have at least the same number of vacation options as you do today. In fact, depending on how you choose to search and use your weeks you may have access to more options than ever before!1

Based on this, everyone should be happy about the new program. If you have a poor trader, now you have the option to trade up. If you have a strong trader, you will get the same exchange + something back.

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

I was aware that RCI (and II) were renting out weeks to the general public long before I ever became a timeshare owner, so I don't have the expectations of "exclusivity" that many do.

Just us OFs.

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

Full disclosure: I was aware that RCI (and II) were renting out weeks to the general public long before I ever became a timeshare owner, so I don't have the expectations of "exclusivity" that many do.

Perhaps.

It seems like the offering at less than maintenance fee is an admission of the general scam of timesharing, that the true market value of one week is less than annual fees, not to mention what it costs to buy in the first place.

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

It seems like the offering at less than maintenance fee is an admission of the general scam of timesharing, that the true market value of one week is less than annual fees, not to mention what it costs to buy in the first place.

Just because no one had already made it obvious, doesn't mean it wasn't already true.

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

Just because no one had already made it obvious, doesn't mean it wasn't already true.

I think that is agreeing.