Weeks Enhancements

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

I continue to be totally amazed at just how little inventory RCI has. Prior to 5/30/09, I always saw 580-630 in SW FL. Now there's just 256.

When you consider how many units, times 50 weeks, times 50 resorts there are, the inventory is simply pathetic.

Has RCI really ran that many folks off?

[10AC-TYM Member Find all posts View Profile Close 10AC-TYM]

I had an interesting talk with an RCI rep. I would get fewer trade points for a 2012 week deposit than a 2011 week because "nobody is looking for a 2012 week so the trade value is less". He says if the demand goes up, the number could be increased but never lowered. What good is that if you have traded those points away before RCI decides to give a few more? Early banking is not the way to go. Red, white, or blue no longer applies. Therefore I put 3 red, gold crown, 2 bedroom sleep 8 units into 142,500 RCI points for deposit. I think that will be better than getting 17, 17, and 15 from the new scheme. I refuse to pay $99 to combine to get a trade.

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

Looking at the absurd grid block that lumps all OBX weeks from 11 to 21 inclusive into one points liite value, I called an aquaintance (thanks to Skype, I can call the US for less than 2 euro cents per minute) who I remembered had both a March and a May OBX week and did at least some trading with both. Actually during this period and extending to week 25, desirabliity increased incrementally week by week.

My acquaintance, it turns out has weeks that are about at each end of this continuum, a 2BR week 12 and a 1BR week 21 at the same resort. He always trades the 12 and sometimes has used but more often trades the 21. He had not heard anything about RCI changing the game on exchanging. He told me that, of course his 21 had always outtraded his 12 for the places he like to trade to, the Caribbean and the US east of the Mississippi. He gave me some examples mostly from the Caribbean of the differences of what each week would typically see. When I told him his week 12 now had more trading power than his week 21, because it was 2BR, he was flabbergasted. He said he was going to immediately get on his computer and check out the new landscape for himself, but he did say that it looked like he would be using his week 21 every year from now on and all RCI would get would be the 12.

I also mentioned the new timetable for full value of deposits, and again he seemed stunned, immediately picking up on the implications of that for frequent flyer tickets. It turns out that between business trips and credit card spending, he always gets enough AA miles each year for at least two tickets to the Caribbean and has been regularly combining these with a timeshare exchange. Now, he is either in a position of reserving his ff tickets when he knows he can get them and keep his fingers crossed a timeshare will be availible the same week, or waiting to get the timeshare exchange and keep his fingers crossed that all the ff tickets have not been booked. It will make scheduling his Caribbean vacations a lot more of a crapshoot. What RCI has clearly done with its new timing scheme on deposits is to make timesharing a whole lot less user friendly for members.

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

Europe really getting hosed in Points Lite

RCI is obviously turning supply and demand on its head in setting its new Points Lite numbers for the new RCI "Weeks". Nowhere can that we seen better than in looking at some of the most difficult to trade into places in Europe.

Start with Prague, never availible online any time, handful of units, major tourist destination - Rezidence Zlalych, 1BR (largest category availible) week 31 - 30 points lite

Then there is Venice, rarely online any time of year, limited number of units, major tourist destination - Perle Veneziane , 2BR week 29 - 32 points lite

French Riviera, St. Tropez, most desirable town, height of season - Maeva Eden Parc St. Tropez, 1BR week 32 - 38 points lite

Monaco, again on the Riviera, Residence le Castel, 1BR August - 26 points lite

France, Chateau de Maulmont, extremely difficult to exchange into, only 2 units and most owners use themselves rather than trade - 2BR summer - 23 points lite (spring - 22 points lite)

When I compare these numbers with 58 for a week at the Orlando resort that has the largest oversupply in all of timesharing or 60 for a way off the beach resort in Myrtle Beach, it just makes me want to puke. RCI's new numbers racket is as bad if not worse than its Points numbers racket, and stands supply and demand on its head. They should be ashamed of themselves. A way off the beach Myrtle Beach owner being able to get both prime Venice plus prime Monaco and still get points back? That is an abomination!

European resorts need to insist that ringfencing of European inventory for European members be increased, and better yet start working to switch entirely to other exchange companies. If II is smart they will compile some of these numbers compared to the US and use them to beat RCI brains out in taking away their resorts. while the independents also make some major inroads in snatching away members.

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

I had an interesting talk with an RCI rep.

"RCI rep" can mean so many things. It could be one of the very few who knows everything, a seasoned veteran who knows most of everything and guesses at the rest, or it could be someone who has never timeshared and a week ago was on the street looking for a job.

One of the biggest problems with RCI early in our time is that you had to rely on one of them in order to do business.

"You are the weakest link, goodbye." (said with attitude, and accent)

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

My 10/29 post:

Why do you think Hawaii Wyndham resorts have so much availability?

That does not appear to have changed, except for maybe Januarys. Still a disproportionate amount of them relative to other resorts.

(Maybe Wyndham needs to take over it somehow get involved in SW FL resorts, like HGVC has.)

Maybe HA is not the coveted trade it has been purported to be.

I know HA fees are through the roof. Are they out of line for the TPUs they get?

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

I sent this email to RCI today.

I know that you are still fine tuning the Enchancement/Trading Power.

However, I think it is just WRONG that you gave me 24 credit points for each of my 2 weeks in St. Augustine at The Beach Club for the weeks March 20, 2010 and April 3, 2010 and then charge 25 credit points for my March 20, 2010 week and 28 credit points for my April,3, 2010 week for anyone wanting to trade into the Beach Club .
Walt

I sent one too:

Speaking of the Ongoing Search, now that it has been revealed that it will never get a match (like we have been doing for 20 years/100-plus exchanges) because of the new TPU manipulation, what do we do with the Ongoing Search? Leave it in place knowing it will never match and keep searching manually ourselves?

Or just cancel it, knowing it is futile?

I wonder how many similar questions have been asked? I'm guessing not many, cuz few owners have any idea or pay any attention to what they have or how it works.

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

I know HA fees are through the roof. Are they out of line for the TPUs they get?

Using LBR, it appears a 2-bedroom in the DCB gets between 27 and 46 and a 1-bedroom is between 24 and 41.

The Makai Club gets 15 or 16.

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

I sent one too:

Speaking of the Ongoing Search, now that it has been revealed that it will never get a match (like we have been doing for 20 years/100-plus exchanges) because of the new TPU manipulation, what do we do with the Ongoing Search? Leave it in place knowing it will never match and keep searching manually ourselves?

Or just cancel it, knowing it is futile?

I wonder how many similar questions have been asked? I'm guessing not many, cuz few owners have any idea or pay any attention to what they have or how it works.

What does that mean? I had an ongoing search that matched on Tuesday. Why do you think it doesn't work anymore?

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

Presumably, Jim has computed the trade power that would be awarded to anyone depositing what he wants, compared it to the deposit performing the search, and found the latter wanting.

It *could* match if something changes the valuations in some way. What's more, there are plenty of instances we've already seen where the calculated credit value for depositors is not the same as the credits required of exchangers. Finally, there is some hope that "late" deposits will come through at the right credit value.

That's not to say any of those things *will* happen. But, they *could*.

[10AC-TYM Member Find all posts View Profile Close 10AC-TYM]

"RCI rep" can mean so many things. It could be one of the very few who knows everything, a seasoned veteran who knows most of everything and guesses at the rest, or it could be someone who has never timeshared and a week ago was on the street looking for a job.

One of the biggest problems with RCI early in our time is that you had to rely on one of them in order to do business.

"You are the weakest link, goodbye." (said with attitude, and accent)

In this case "RCI rep" is what I call the person who answers the phone and handles the RCI end of the conversation to deposits weeks into points. I did not ask how long he had worked there and don't care. Unfortunately the experts from this site don't work for RCI or represent RCI. They just think they know everything. So I guess you are correct in that I am the weakest link since I rely on an RCI employee rep to give answers and handle what needs to be done for my account.

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

In this case "RCI rep" is what I call the person who answers the phone and handles the RCI end of the conversation to deposits weeks into points. I did not ask how long he had worked there and don't care. Unfortunately the experts from this site don't work for RCI or represent RCI. They just think they know everything. So I guess you are correct in that I am the weakest link since I rely on an RCI employee rep to give answers and handle what needs to be done for my account.

I did not say you are the weakest link. I don't even know you. I said the RCI Guide, the person you (and I when I was new to this) rely/relied on is.

Re-reading, I now see how you might think I meant you, so I am sorry for my construction.

When I have to speak to one, I can tell right away if they are new or veteran and I almost always ask how long they have been a Guide. The experienced ones don't mind and it helps in our dealings.

Our account seldom does not get screwed up when a Guide has to do something with it, even the good ones. It was so screwed up at the end of last year that accounting could not sort it out. We (RCI and me) agreed to a figure rather than try to sort it out.

That is common, but it's normally little things like Guides confirming exchanges on their own or deposits disappearing after a Guide searches with them, or, most commonly Guides searching with a week and then leaving an Ongoing Search when one was not requested.

New Guides are clueless as to what good exchanges or good resorts are. A new Guide knows nothing more than what they have been told to say, same as new employees for any company. Guides are the entry level position.

I don't know everything but I know a bajillion things more about RCI and timesharing than a new Guide.

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

I agree with carolinian that some of the TPU values are crazy. I just deposited a spring 1br in Myrtle beach that will let me pull any Disney deposit and most of the Caribbean places we like to go.

I haven't attempted to combine anything, but I do wonder what the shelf life is on a combined deposit. When does a combined deposit expire?

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

any Disney deposit

Honestly, Disney isn't that hard of a get. Its credit values are very comparable to Bonnet Creek right now (and it has been that way since back in June.)

It is, after all, Orlando.

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

Honestly, Disney isn't that hard of a get.

Spoken as one of the few who did lose them in 5/30/09.

For some reason, when one does not experience the bad fortune that others do, others' bad fortune does not bother them much.

But, with nearly 10 years OY, I have grown accustomed to gloating.

I could see them all when DVC first came over, then lost them in the 5/30/09 debacle.

Yesterday I could only see 1 straight up and only 14 enhanced.