Wondering about bonus weeks

[Brian2MN Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Brian2MN]

I would really like some good, honest advice from anyone experienced with RCI.

I was just in Vegas, and I bought a timeshare. I know that I have a 14 day cancel period, so I'm doing some checking on this to see what other people have experienced.

I won't say exactly where my timeshare is in Vegas, but I will say that I have week 27 every 3rd year at this resort, or about 50,000 points. The 27th week looks like it usually includes the 4th of July, which might be a great time to be in Vegas.

The price was not outrageous, but being of modest means, it was not negligible. In addition to the week every 3rd year, I'm due to have one "bonus week" per year. I know it's not free, but using the bonus week was quoted to me at a fee of about $190 for a week.

That is really what I'm wondering about....the bonus week. I realize that I'm a small fish in this pond--so I'm curious as to how much difficulty I might be a ble to expect trying to get a reasonable booking in an attractive location with my bonus week.

I'm 32 and know that I could use the timeshare for many years after the principal balance is paid off. Really though, I figure that I'd go to Vegas every 6 years or so, so I'd use my points elsewhere one 3 year period and probably go to Vegas every other time my 3 years comes up.

That by itself is not enough to make it worthwhile to me, though. What i'd like is to have a chance to be able to actually use my bonus week, say a weeklong vacation in Cancun in January or so to do some scuba diving.

Do I have any chance of being able to book my bonus week, or are they going to tell me that all they have available for me is a week in Nova Scotia in frigid January? Or is it not going to cost me the $190 approx fee but more like $1,000 with various fees, penalties, etc?

If the input I get is good and things go well, I'd probably like to add another deal like this, say 5-10 years down the road, and that would probably be enough for me.

Thanks for your input,

Brian

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

I was just in Vegas, and I bought a timeshare. I know that I have a 14 day cancel period, so I'm doing some checking on this to see what other people have experienced.

I'd check your paperwork as your time may well be shorter, on second thought don't check your paperwork, do not pass GO, do not collect $200. Go directly to the Post office and mail your rescission Certified/Return Receipt.

I won't say exactly where my timeshare is in Vegas, but I will say that I have week 27 every 3rd year at this resort, or about 50,000 points. The 27th week looks like it usually includes the 4th of July, which might be a great time to be in Vegas.

Wk 27 if you look at history or project into the future is 4th of July only half the time, that's 50%. In any case it's brutally hot in Vegas and maybe you can get it with bonus time!

The price was not outrageous, but being of modest means, it was not negligible. In addition to the week every 3rd year, I'm due to have one "bonus week" per year. I know it's not free, but using the bonus week was quoted to me at a fee of about $190 for a week.

That is really what I'm wondering about....the bonus week. I realize that I'm a small fish in this pond--so I'm curious as to how much difficulty I might be a ble to expect trying to get a reasonable booking in an attractive location with my bonus week.

I'm 32 and know that I could use the timeshare for many years after the principal balance is paid off. Really though, I figure that I'd go to Vegas every 6 years or so, so I'd use my points elsewhere one 3 year period and probably go to Vegas every other time my 3 years comes up.

That by itself is not enough to make it worthwhile to me, though. What i'd like is to have a chance to be able to actually use my bonus week, say a weeklong vacation in Cancun in January or so to do some scuba diving.

Do I have any chance of being able to book my bonus week, or are they going to tell me that all they have available for me is a week in Nova Scotia in frigid January? Or is it not going to cost me the $190 approx fee but more like $1,000 with various fees, penalties, etc?

Thanks for your input, Brian

Bonus weeks are excess inventory. What should that mean to you? Not Cancun in January.

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

Ditto what Spence said.

RESCIND RIGHT NOW TODAY!

I have been a member of RCI for over 12 years. I have never not once been able to use a bonus week with them.

Come here, read, ask all the questions you want <we are very tolerant>, tell us what your needs and expectations are.

We can point you in the right direction and save you thousands.

and if at the end of your education you decide that your current deal was best for you, it will still be there.

[travelSFO Member Find all posts View Profile Close travelSFO]

Unfortunately, I have also found RCI bonus weeks to be absolutely worthless. I have offered to give them away with no takers.

In fact, if you will promise to rescind on your timeshare purchase immediately, I will give you access to all the bonus weeks in my RCI account. I think I have something like 6 or 7 bonus weeks -- I've lost count.

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

Brian, I don't understand your reservation about sharing how much the timeshare cost and what the yearly maintenance fees are per year for your every 3 year membership!

Bonus Weeks etc. are the sales people's way of confusing you to purchase the TS at highly inflated prices.

Also, check out the 14 day rescission period. Make sure to check your paperwork and confirm it is really that.

[CatLovers Member Find all posts View Profile Close CatLovers]

Brian,

Rescind now! I can promise you that you have probably paid anywhere from 3-5 times more than you need to. Rescind now because you are under a deadline and you won't have this option later. Then research on this board and another user group called TUG (Timeshare Users Group); you will learn lots and you will thank all of us for this advice. If you decide that this deal really was too good to be true, you WILL be able to get it again, despite what the salespeople told you!

My husband and I own the equivalent of 7 timeshare weeks per year in some prime locations and without knowing how much you paid, I can pretty much guarantee that my seven weeks cost me less than your one week every three years. That's because I didn't buy a single one from the developer, nor did I buy any as an impulse decision at the end of a hard-sell process.

The other responders are correct in that the RCI bonus weeks are easily available and not all that the timeshare people cracked them up to be. I never use them and I have several that expire unused each year.

RESCIND NOW!

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

Listen to Sepnce and the others and rescind...then read this board for some advice and tips on timesharing.
I found this board after I bought my first timeshare from a deveolper and then proceeded to buy an additional 5 for less than half of what my first one cost me.
I too, have never been able to use my bonus weeks.

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

Rescind! Rescind! Rescind!
Do it now. Follow all instructions to the letter. Send your recission via a service that provides a return receipt, as well as by any method specified in your paperwork.

If you actually decide later that you really want this purchase, it will almost certainly still be there. But, if you don't rescind by the deadline, you can't cancel later.

...
Do I have any chance of being able to book my bonus week, or are they going to tell me that all they have available for me is a week in Nova Scotia in frigid January? ...

Yeah, January in Nova Scotia sounds about right. I also have had RCI Bonus Weeks, and they are quite useless. (On the other hand, Interval International bonus weeks, or A.C.s as they are known, can be useful, depending on where you want to go.)

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

Rescind ! Every third year is an even more worthless fraction to buy than every other year and you will be lucky if it's worth 1 K in a few years. For what you paid, you could probably buy 3 weeks (every year) on the resale market. Vegas is nearly overbuilt if not there already, trading in should be pretty easy.

[Brian2MN Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Brian2MN]

Thanks everyone for the outstanding responses--I really wasn't expecting that at all. I was a bit nervous about the actual use of the bonus weeks--and really I just wouldn't be impressed with what I have without that.

To answer the questions about my payment, the timeshare cost me $5,000 and the annual maintenance fee is about $100 plus the $100 fee for RCI points.

If the bonus weeks were fairly effective (which they appear not to be), I would consider this to be a great deal. Outside of that though, there isn't any real value to this for me.

Thanks for the input.

Also, I was told 14 days "free look" but I found my form saying it needs to be within 5 days. Thanks for the advice on that--I will mail certified overnight tomorrow.

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

Thanks everyone for the outstanding responses--I really wasn't expecting that at all. I was a bit nervous about the actual use of the bonus weeks--and really I just wouldn't be impressed with what I have without that.

To answer the questions about my payment, the timeshare cost me $5,000 and the annual maintenance fee is about $100 plus the $100 fee for RCI points.

If the bonus weeks were fairly effective (which they appear not to be), I would consider this to be a great deal. Outside of that though, there isn't any real value to this for me.

Thanks for the input.

Also, I was told 14 days "free look" but I found my form saying it needs to be within 5 days. Thanks for the advice on that--I will mail certified overnight tomorrow.

Imagine that. You were already lied to twice by the sales weasel.

I'm glad you still have time to rescind. Follow the instructions to the letter. and make sure you get a return receipt.

Then we can focus on where you really WANT to go most of the time; like Cancun in January. I'm positive we can find you a resale at a nice resort in that price range.

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

I would really like some good, honest advice from anyone experienced with RCI.

I was just in Vegas, and I bought a timeshare. I know that I have a 14 day cancel period, so I'm doing some checking on this to see what other people have experienced.

I won't say exactly where my timeshare is in Vegas, but I will say that I have week 27 every 3rd year at this resort, or about 50,000 points. The 27th week looks like it usually includes the 4th of July, which might be a great time to be in Vegas.

The price was not outrageous, but being of modest means, it was not negligible. In addition to the week every 3rd year, I'm due to have one "bonus week" per year. I know it's not free, but using the bonus week was quoted to me at a fee of about $190 for a week.

That is really what I'm wondering about....the bonus week. I realize that I'm a small fish in this pond--so I'm curious as to how much difficulty I might be a ble to expect trying to get a reasonable booking in an attractive location with my bonus week.

I'm 32 and know that I could use the timeshare for many years after the principal balance is paid off. Really though, I figure that I'd go to Vegas every 6 years or so, so I'd use my points elsewhere one 3 year period and probably go to Vegas every other time my 3 years comes up.

That by itself is not enough to make it worthwhile to me, though. What i'd like is to have a chance to be able to actually use my bonus week, say a weeklong vacation in Cancun in January or so to do some scuba diving.

Do I have any chance of being able to book my bonus week, or are they going to tell me that all they have available for me is a week in Nova Scotia in frigid January? Or is it not going to cost me the $190 approx fee but more like $1,000 with various fees, penalties, etc?

Brian

It sounds like you purchased a triennial Points ownership at the Grandview at Las Vegas. As Spence said, it's hot in Vegas in July. The Points to maintenance fees ratio is a good one. However, your purchase price (because it is from the developer) is verryy poor. I've seen those available on the resale market for 20% of what you paid.

The bonus weeks they give you are only good for booking 45 days out. So it's pretty much last minute. Cancun in January is tough last minute if you want cheap flights to go along with that.

You made the right decision in rescinding.

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

Thanks everyone for the outstanding responses--I really wasn't expecting that at all. I was a bit nervous about the actual use of the bonus weeks--and really I just wouldn't be impressed with what I have without that.

To answer the questions about my payment, the timeshare cost me $5,000 and the annual maintenance fee is about $100 plus the $100 fee for RCI points.

If the bonus weeks were fairly effective (which they appear not to be), I would consider this to be a great deal. Outside of that though, there isn't any real value to this for me.

Thanks for the input.

Also, I was told 14 days "free look" but I found my form saying it needs to be within 5 days. Thanks for the advice on that--I will mail certified overnight tomorrow.

Somehow I knew it wasn't 14days, see my first post.

[Brian2MN Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Brian2MN]

I'm going to mail it today--thanks once again everybody! I really didn't expect such an overwhelming response. You guys are all great!

All I have is a VERY generic form though that says the name of the developer and the the address, needs to be mailed within 5 days, and had my name pre-printed on it. It says to send certified mail, delivered personally, or telegraphed. I am going to mail this overnight this morning to be sure that gets to them within 5 days. Does that sound like all I need to do? I'm going to dig through my paperwork more on my flight home today in case there's anything else I need to do.

Thanks,

Brian

[riverdees05 Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close riverdees05]

You are doing the right thing. I purchased Orange Lake from the developer before I knew better. Paid way to much for it, could have purchase it resale for 40% or less than I paid for it. Now have a total of 10, all from the resale market - ebay, realtors, Holiday, bidshares and redweek. It pays to do your home work and not get in a rush.