Most things in life have there plusses and minuses and the new ''Points Lite'' from RCI is no exception.
Here is my assessment of the positive and negative aspects:
Positives
1. Known trading power - most seem to like this, whether from curiosity or belief that it will be a real benefit (but see #7 below)
2. Change back - whether they will use it or not, the fact that this is there is regarded by most as a plus.
3. combining weeks - while it might not be cost effective in many situations, the possibility to do this seems to be regarded by most as a plus (but see #6 below)
4. gained trading power - for some the changes in trading power accompanying this change boosted their trading power (but see #1 below)
5. ability to use combining weeks for 2 year extension of a week about to expire.
Negatives
1. lost trading power - many had their trading power whacked in this change
2. loss of flexibility of trading within a range or band and moving to the rigidity of an exact number system - a nominal ''trade up'' may now require a member to commit another week to the system to geta few extra points lite, losing the flexibility to use that second week in another fashion such as using it at the resort, renting it, or depositing with another exchange company.
3. loss of dynamic system of valuing deposits and moving to a calcified grid system instead, and a grid that too often gives the same value to very dissimilar weeks and is thus neither accurate nor fair.
4. increased fees - a nominal trade up, even 1 point lite, will requrie not only committing a second week but also paying an extra $99 combination fee.
5. further degradation of the 45 day window for blue to pink week owners and the threat this poses to the stability of our HOA's if these people bail out.
6. If too many people combine weeks to trade up, it may make like for like trades less availible for prime week owners and cause them to leave the system.
7. Hidden mechanism for setting trading power gives method for manipulation of numbers to aid some developers or regions. Published numbers give incentive for such manipulation.
8. For floating systems, the demand will be overwhelming for those weeks with the highest numbers from exchangers and may cause friction between exchangers and own to use members. The fact that those numbers are now known will ramp up demand for those weeks.
9. The incentive to deposit more than 9 months out is gone, meaning that there will likely be many fewer deposits earlier than that. This will hurt those who have to commit to vacation times earlier and to those who use frequent flyer miles for travel who usually need to lock in those tickets 11 months in advance.
Everyone's assessment will be different, and may be based largely on whether Positive #4 or negative #1 applies to them personally, but to me the negatives outweight the positives of Points Lite. (For full disclosure on valuation changes, I came out just fine on my OBX week, held my own with my SA weeks,if I can get the right floating weeks assigned, that is!, but saw my UK summer weeks whacked. On the latter, that just solidifies my decision to give them always to SFX and DAE in the future. My OBX week will continue to be put up for rent if I will not be back in the states that time of year). I do think that there are bigger issues on the trading system, particulary the impact on HOA's, but then that comes from years of serving on an HOA board, an experience that many of you have not had.
Here is my assessment of the positive and negative aspects:
Positives
1. Known trading power - most seem to like this, whether from curiosity or belief that it will be a real benefit (but see #7 below)
2. Change back - whether they will use it or not, the fact that this is there is regarded by most as a plus.
3. combining weeks - while it might not be cost effective in many situations, the possibility to do this seems to be regarded by most as a plus (but see #6 below)
4. gained trading power - for some the changes in trading power accompanying this change boosted their trading power (but see #1 below)
5. ability to use combining weeks for 2 year extension of a week about to expire.
Negatives
1. lost trading power - many had their trading power whacked in this change
2. loss of flexibility of trading within a range or band and moving to the rigidity of an exact number system - a nominal ''trade up'' may now require a member to commit another week to the system to geta few extra points lite, losing the flexibility to use that second week in another fashion such as using it at the resort, renting it, or depositing with another exchange company.
3. loss of dynamic system of valuing deposits and moving to a calcified grid system instead, and a grid that too often gives the same value to very dissimilar weeks and is thus neither accurate nor fair.
4. increased fees - a nominal trade up, even 1 point lite, will requrie not only committing a second week but also paying an extra $99 combination fee.
5. further degradation of the 45 day window for blue to pink week owners and the threat this poses to the stability of our HOA's if these people bail out.
6. If too many people combine weeks to trade up, it may make like for like trades less availible for prime week owners and cause them to leave the system.
7. Hidden mechanism for setting trading power gives method for manipulation of numbers to aid some developers or regions. Published numbers give incentive for such manipulation.
8. For floating systems, the demand will be overwhelming for those weeks with the highest numbers from exchangers and may cause friction between exchangers and own to use members. The fact that those numbers are now known will ramp up demand for those weeks.
9. The incentive to deposit more than 9 months out is gone, meaning that there will likely be many fewer deposits earlier than that. This will hurt those who have to commit to vacation times earlier and to those who use frequent flyer miles for travel who usually need to lock in those tickets 11 months in advance.
Everyone's assessment will be different, and may be based largely on whether Positive #4 or negative #1 applies to them personally, but to me the negatives outweight the positives of Points Lite. (For full disclosure on valuation changes, I came out just fine on my OBX week, held my own with my SA weeks,if I can get the right floating weeks assigned, that is!, but saw my UK summer weeks whacked. On the latter, that just solidifies my decision to give them always to SFX and DAE in the future. My OBX week will continue to be put up for rent if I will not be back in the states that time of year). I do think that there are bigger issues on the trading system, particulary the impact on HOA's, but then that comes from years of serving on an HOA board, an experience that many of you have not had.
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