RCI yanked my exchange

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

First time it happened to me, although others have reported it. I had an exchange into Rams Horn in Estes Park for August, 2013 exactly the week my kids are available, and it was taken back by RCI a couple of days ago due to an "inventory problem". I am assigned to a supervisor who is not around this weekend, but I will try to speak with him tomorrow. Since it is so far in the future, I guess I wait for another week to be deposited, or does this resort bulk bank far in advance and no more deposits are expected? I had cancellation insurance on the week, and was told the insurance cost was refunded to my cc.

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

In most cases you should get a priority upgrade. If I were you I would ask for some place that you normally could not pull in.

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

In most cases you should get a priority upgrade. If I were you I would ask for some place that you normally could not pull in.

Exactly!

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

Wonder how Points Lite will change the process?

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

Rams Horn is seldom available during the summer.

That leaves Worldmark (newish) and Golden Eagle (old/1914).

[dougp26364 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close dougp26364]

What's the matter with the big exchange companies anymore?

I'm always amazed when I read a post like this. I just don't understand how any exchange company can confirm and exchange, then cancel it, unless it's weather related or the resort suddenly has some major issue. It really destroy's confidence in the system. How can you buy airline tickets unless you know your confirmation is really a solid confirmation?

This is one of the reasons we've moved every timeshare we own that we can into internal exchange systems. Not that cancellations can't happen there but, so far I haven't seen that happen. I just feel safer staying internally anymore. Of the timeshares that aren't in internal systems, only one of those is routinely used for exchanges. The other two are EOY usage and they're at resorts we purchased to have owner priority for reservations and unit location.

We even dropped our personal RCI account because we never exchange the one resort that's with RCI and not in an internal program has always been used for personal use. If I ever decide to get rid of the one resort week we have that's tied to I.I., we'll drop the I.I. personal account as well.

I don't trust the big exchange companies very much anymore. I certainly don't trust RCI with it's convoluted system of weeks, points, TPU's, points lite et.... Timeshare can be difficult enough to manage as it is without the exchange companies throwing so many options that members have to constantly study how to best use their ownership.

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

It's not new news.

We had one yanked in '99, after the Guide told me if she got it confirmed, it was OK.

Not.

Ah, the famous line, "We have a legal department for people like you."

People like you: customer.

Happy Halloween.

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

My last RCI exchange was cancelled around 3 weeks from when it was to begin. Fortunately it was replaced by the same week at another area resort. It was the last straw with RCI- I cancelled my membership shortly thereafter.

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

What is interesting is that on several of these occaisions, those impacted called the resorts, and RCI's excuses did not match the facts given by the resorts. One wonders if ''inventory problem'' means that RCI discovered they could rent that exchange deposit to a non-member for more money?

Also, I question many of these excuses. When a member deposits a week, that is not revocable unless RCI consents. Then RCI confirms the deposit with the resort, which can deny it if the m/f is not paid or there is some other problem. Once the resort confirms, they are also on the hook. Thus by the time a member confirms an exchange, there should be no way that either the depositing member or the resort should be able to back out, absent some disaster that has made the unit uninhabitable. If RCI is allowing these people to back out when they have no right to back out, then RCI should be on the hook for renting the member who has the confirmed exchange a directly comparable week if that is what it takes to make their exchange good.

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

It's not new news.

We had one yanked in '99, after the Guide told me if she got it confirmed, it was OK.

Not.

Ah, the famous line, "We have a legal department for people like you."

People like you: customer.

Happy Halloween.

Knowing the resident manager (couple) at the resort and with five-year-later inside information on mine, here is the way it went:

Guide: You can't do that because they have a 1-in-4 rule.

Me: We've gone there the same week the last four years.

Guide: I see that. It must be a new rule. I will make sure it is OK before I confirm it. If I confirm it, you have it.

Confrmed it.

One month later: RCI cancelled it.

I asked for alternate accomodations and it elevated to where they threatened me with their legal department.

(Since then, of course, I and they have become best of friends, almost buddy buddy. )

Resident manager told me that after they confirmed it, their RCI rep called and asked, "Are you sure?" They looked and booted me.

1-in-4 rule had been implemented because a company had come on-site to market 2 units that had been used for storage since the inception of the resort. They, and the 1-in-4 rule, were gone a year later.

- - - - - -

In a ongoing discussion on a certain other Internet forum, it was debated back and forth how late an exchange could be cancelled. Some felt as late as check-in. One posted that hers was cancelled on Tuesday of check-in week.

It weakens the word Confirmation.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

It weakens the word Confirmation.

It sure does.

Honestly, I have been with II for 10 years and this has never happened.
RCI is another animal completely!

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

One of the problems is that when RCI says "deposit is a final transaction," they appear not to mean it. If you call up with a sad enough sob story, you can sometimes pull a recent deposit back, even if it has been confirmed. Several people here and OY have bragged about getting back deposits more than once. That's nice for the person who wants the deposit back, but it stinks for the person who has the confirmation.

I was the "victim" of this once, but the outcome was to my benefit. I had a 2BR confirmed at Powhatan. Two weeks later, RCI called me and left a message that there was "a problem." Turns out the owner didn't want the 4BR lock off split, but rather deposited as a single 4BR. So, the RCI rep asked if I would mind taking the 4BR instead.

Naturally, I did not mind. And, it seems as though in most cases RCI works hard to generate a satisfactory alternative. But, in this particular instance, that's not going to be easy.

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

The biggest blunder of this nature was when RCI overbooked the Weston, FL resorts with hurricane cancellations, then had to cancel or relocate a large number of Confirmations.

First, overbooking those resorts would be hard to do, but they did.

At exactly the time of the attempts to re-locate those overbooked, we were at OLCC, with 2 units booked at a SWFL resort the upcoming Saturday. On Friday, RCI tried to call us at our unit at OLCC, but because it was OLCC, we did not answer the phone.

As we were getting around to check out on Saturday, since no bad could come from picking up our messages at that time, I did. It was RCI, wanting both of our SW FL units, and giving an emergency number to call. I did, but it was too early in Indy.

Driving to our next resort, I finally got through to RCI, to the lady at the desk next to the lady who called us. She offered us a 2-bedroom at a better resort in SW FL for our two 1-bedroom units, and refund our exchange fees.

(Keep in mind that they were doing this on the morning of the day that people had Confirmations at the Weston resorts.)

Of course, we said fur shur, but, when the other real lady got there, she undid that deal.

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

I recently had this happen with II (well sort of!)

I did an online exchange using an AC into a resort for check in 01/01/12.
I returned from vacation to a postcard from II saying that exchange was cancelled and my AC would be deposited back.

Checked my account...no AC, but the confirmed exchange still there.

I called II and was told "not sure why you have that post card - you are confirmed in our system"

Great.....I called the resort and they don't have me listed yet - but I find II sometimes doesn't send the info for a week prior to. Going to have to hold my breath and hope all is ok!

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

I finally called RCI today and asked to speak to my specialist. He was not in but the CSR was very solicitous and sweet, and emailed him to call me first thing tomorrow. I don't know what to ask for. Do they comp you a week in compensation? Or just help you confirm a great exchange?