The Heck With Class-Action . . .

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

updated business models, agreeing to crap you do not want to agree to when you deposit your week, and all the other excuses being offered up by the apologists and defenders.

For the pre-1997, or 2000, or 2002, or whatever date is appropriate, timeshare owners who made a major committment of $$$ and themselves, given the promise of the way things would be, I think it is very bad business, and a dirty, rotten shame, that the faith they exhibited was not returned.

That is, exactly, the way I feel.

So, take me out, blindfold me, and do what you wish to do with me.

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

Be careful what you ask for.

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

Another thing I don't understand is why some of those who have come along later, who were not made the earlier promises, who have bought into the latter business model, are so hard on those who were made false promises and have been let down, as if it is somehow the fault of the former, and that the former cannot understand how they are better off with something they never asked for or wanted.

Why are these come-latelys antaganistic to their predecessors?

The latter are not the ones who were misled and taken advantage of, so how can they walk in the shoes of the former?

Why is this so devisive, and who is responsible for that, do you think?

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

I'm glad you are getting this issue off your chest. It's actually quite healthy. I've always thought you held these beliefs by the way you have posted. No judgements, just observations of my perception of the meaning of your posts.

In the past, you seemed to dance around what clearly seemed to be your core belief system you expressed in this thread. I'm happy to see you taking accountability for those beliefs. Feels good doesn't it? There is nothing wrong with having those beliefs. It's just that it's equally not wrong for others to hold their opinions which are the opposite...independently of how long they have been timesharing. This must have been eating away at you for years.

As for Johnny comes latelies like me, I would be holding the same general view if I came into the game 10 or even 20 years earlier. Timesharing is, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, a highly predictable game with winners and losers. We need to help educate people with the strategies for winning rather than being taken by it and becoming one of its many victims. Unfortunately, the number of losers far outpaces the winners. I know that you personally help a lot of timesharers. I'm sure those timesharers truly appreciate the help you've provided them. I surely do.

The timesharing game gets ever increasingly more difficult because the rules of the game keep changing in the favor of the exchange company or the resort developer.

Timeshares depreciate in value because resort developers take actions to depreciate them (e.g. WorldMark). Exchanging gets more difficult because inefficient systems are forced to deal with their own flaws as educated exchangers become greater in numbers. The internet accelerates that education.

So, it's perfectly fine for those who believe they were sold a bunch of lies to be ticked off. They were lied to and that always hurts. Given that this has happened to them, they have a decision to make on how they will react to it. My recommendation is for those victims to refuse to be victimized and learn to play the game the way it's actually set up to be played as opposed to how they were "sold" that it actually works. Then, they can get ahead of the game. And, if enough people did that, the rules would have to change because there would be fewer and fewer people who allow themselves to be victims of the timesharing game.

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

I'd discuss it, but I posted just to say how I felt, not to incite debate.

Beside, I doubt that there is anything new that could be said.

BTW, although I have no writing limit, I do have about a two paragraph reading limit. ADD I guess. I seem to be able to focus longer on what I care about.

Like, if the fish are biting they can hold my attention a little longer than if they are not biting.

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

Pretty sure 20 years later, if I get into a debat with my kids about what is the "right" way to do things, they will think I complete not get it. In fact, my 5 years old think that about me at this moment. Who knows, time changes, with no force to check RCI, it will change more quickly then you like it. Although I would like to think I will eventually get the last laugh at this moment, I actually perfer they will get the last laugh when they are on their own.

There probably is no way RCI can hold any bargin on its own. So today we are blindfold.

Jya-Ning

[barndweller Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close barndweller]

Hey, JLB
If it is any consolation, you & others expressing dissatisfaction on the forums kept me from even giving RCI a try. I went straight to the independents (& II) and so far am very happy with my exchanges. As time marches on, I am depositing less & using my own units more. Which is another reason RCI no longer has anything good. People are using their units, using other exchange companies or mini internal systems, doing private swaps & renting for profit. An awful lot of good inventory no longer goes to RCI.

Thank you for cluing me in early on.

[odaddy Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close odaddy]

JLB, I feel your pain. It seems impossible to convince new owners that things are getting worse, especially the ones that come to these sites. They are so excited about their new vacations that they just cant understand what they see as complaining. I guess they figure the oldtimers should quit complaining and enjoy their wonderful vacations.

[RESORT2ME Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close RESORT2ME]

Two cents worth

A couple years back, our RCI membership was taken away for breaking the rules. We seem to get by better now, and no longer pay their fees.

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

I've sort of just done my own little class action suit. I don't use RCI. Eventually, in a few years when the Johnny-come-lately owners realize that they don't have the fleibility that they were promised (or led to believe they would have or see it taken away from them), then they'll be crying foul as well.

[taffy19 Gold Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close taffy19]

As for Johnny comes latelies like me, I would be holding the same general view if I came into the game 10 or even 20 years earlier. Timesharing is, and will continue to be for the foreseeable future, a highly predictable game with winners and losers. We need to help educate people with the strategies for winning rather than being taken by it and becoming one of its many victims. Unfortunately, the number of losers far outpaces the winners. I know that you personally help a lot of timesharers. I'm sure those timesharers truly appreciate the help you've provided them. I surely do.

The timesharing game gets ever increasingly more difficult because the rules of the game keep changing in the favor of the exchange company or the resort developer.

Timeshares depreciate in value because resort developers take actions to depreciate them (e.g. WorldMark). Exchanging gets more difficult because inefficient systems are forced to deal with their own flaws as educated exchangers become greater in numbers. The internet accelerates that education.

So, it's perfectly fine for those who believe they were sold a bunch of lies to be ticked off..

As usual, I agree with what you write here, Boca. It's best if you are not dependent of them at all. JMHO. Buy where you want to go most of the time and in driving distance so you can take advantage of day use too and are not dependent on airline companies either that sock it to you, when the planes are full again or there is a fuel crisis. JMHO.

We bought in Hawaii and Mexico because we like these locations but renting in Mexico is so easy now and cheaper than buying. I see Hawaii getting that way too as they are building so many timeshare condos everywhere.

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

As usual, I agree with what you write here, Boca. It's best if you are not dependent of them at all. JMHO. Buy where you want to go most of the time and in driving distance so you can take advantage of day use too and are not dependent on airline companies either that sock it to you, when the planes are full again or there is a fuel crisis. JMHO.

We bought in Hawaii and Mexico because we like these locations but renting in Mexico is so easy now and cheaper than buying. I see Hawaii getting that way too as they are building so many timeshare condos everywhere.

Just to add to this thought, buying into developers that have good internal exchange programs not dependant completely upon an exchange company can help.

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

FWIW, I am quite pleased with RCI up until now, but, for us, I don't sense the end is near. I know it is, unless the current direction is altered.

Since it is my habit to restate my point(s) when I try to make them, here they are this go-around:

1. A promise (pact, implication, contract of faith) has been broken with the pre-1997/2000/2002/Whenever timeshare owners and exchange company members.

2. Those who have involved themselves later, under a different business model, have not been similarly misled, and there is no breach with them.

3. The former did nothing wrong, nothing to deserve the hard time some of the latter tend to give them.

To repeat my repetition, to this point, having just confirmed our 98th exchange a few minutes ago, we are quite pleased with the last 20 years, and wish our vision of the next 20 was as promising.

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

Your resort to visit may be 100 or more if you buy right

Just to add to this thought, buying into developers that have good internal exchange programs not dependant completely upon an exchange company can help.

That is correct. I equate buying a specific resort such as our Cove @ Yarmouth in Cape Cod or Cypress Pointe in Orlando to use as equal to our Wyndham membership, based on deeded property in Williamsburg. The Wyndham "home" resort is any of the resorts available to use (is it over 80 now - I don't know but it keeps going up) without involving RCI or II or any external trade whatsoever. That is a truly flexible "buy where you want to go" timeshare. Still holding a deed means that if tomorrow the Wyndham system imploded we have a true home resort to drive to and enjoy. It meets all the criteria of buy where you want to go yet opens the door wide to trips all over the country and more. It's one of the big reasons the mini-systems have become the ownership of choice vs straight weeks for use at multiple locations.

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

2. Those who have involved themselves later, under a different business model, have not been similarly misled, and there is no breach with them.

Not sure what the promise is. But I believe when I went to the presentation, I was told that I can go whenever and whereever like I own RCI . Since quite a few people now did their research first through internet and bought resell to start with, so there is no promise, not that it is under different business model, so there will be no or less misled. But because people bought without go throught retail thus there is no promise.

And After reading from internet site like tug and this, from author like you, we know the end is here, so it is hardly to cry fault. In a way, you strip our chance to claim we been robbed by RCI.

Jya-Ning