RCI: is it even worth it?

[BigPapa Member Find all posts View Profile Close BigPapa]

Ok this is a little disheartening. I keep reading post after post that RCI is ill-managed, not user friendly, unhelpful to its members, unfair in its trading power allocations, and on and on and on.

I just bought a timeshare with the understanding that I am going to use my TS for several years but am also interested in the possibilities of trading weeks. I like the idea of having many options open to me. RCI was a selling point for me. But now that I have read all these posts I am getting a little discouraged. I do not have an RCI membership yet or a membership with any exchange company for that matter. But I am wondering if it is even worth it at this point.

I have a two bedroom unit at Orange Lake’s North Village in Orlando for week 27. I thought it would have great trading power, but trading power is worthless if the exchange company works against its members.

I am frustrated. Should I be?

I guess it is good that I intend to use my unit for the next several years. But I would also like the option of trading.

I guess what I am asking is, is it even worth signing up for a membership? And if so, when should I sign up? I will be using my 2008 week, but I would be open to trading subsequent weeks.

Ok I guess I also have another question too. If I sign up for a membership can I still use my unit without additional fees?

BP

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

Ok this is a little disheartening. I keep reading post after post that RCI is ill-managed, not user friendly, unhelpful to its members, unfair in its trading power allocations, and on and on and on.

I just bought a timeshare with the understanding that I am going to use my TS for several years but am also interested in the possibilities of trading weeks. I like the idea of having many options open to me. RCI was a selling point for me. But now that I have read all these posts I am getting a little discouraged. I do not have an RCI membership yet or a membership with any exchange company for that matter. But I am wondering if it is even worth it at this point.

I have a two bedroom unit at Orange Lake’s North Village in Orlando for week 27. I thought it would have great trading power, but trading power is worthless if the exchange company works against its members.

I am frustrated. Should I be?

I guess it is good that I intend to use my unit for the next several years. But I would also like the option of trading.

I guess what I am asking is, is it even worth signing up for a membership? And if so, when should I sign up? I will be using my 2008 week, but I would be open to trading subsequent weeks.

Ok I guess I also have another question too. If I sign up for a membership can I still use my unit without additional fees?

BP

Buying where you want to use is the surest and most direct route to timeshare happiness.

Many of us have traded <some have never seen our resorts> for a decade or more and have been happy as pigs in slop.

The real questions here are:

WHERE do you want to trade?

and

are you constrained to a school calendar?

We CAN help you get the most out of your purchase. Will it be everything you imagined? Probably not. But we can get you a 2 BDRM on the Big Island or Kauai if you want to go there . It may not be with RCI.

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

Orlando is overbuilt, so the trading power of an Orlando resort will have lousy trading power with any trading company. You can trade into Orlando with a Blue New England unit all year round. That has been my experience..

[Sydney Contributor - Bronze Find all posts View Profile Close Sydney]

If you are using your unit for 2008, you do not need to sign up to RCI yet. Since they charge you a yrly membership fee, you should only sign up when you need to use their services. YOu can have access to bonus weeks even if you don't exchange but in my opinion the value of paying to have access to bonus weeks is negligible.

If you only have one timeshare, there is even less reason to sign up to RCI as by the time you factor in your levy, yrly fees and exchange fee, it is a quite expensive method of exchanging. Keep in mind that if you bank a 2009 week, and then exchange for 2011, then you woud have to pay the yrly membership fee for when you join, maybe 2008, then 2009, 2010 and 2011! So you will be paying 4 yrs of fees plus the exchange fee and your levy. This would only make sense if you cannot get an exchange with any other cheaper exchange companies, if you had more than one week to dilute the cost and if you see a lot of value in having access to bonus weeks.

To your last question, if you join RCI and bank your week with them, and you want to go back to your own resort for the year you banked, you would need to exchange back in. However, if you join but don't bank your week, you can just book the use of your week directly with your resort and would not need to pay RCI anything except the yearly RCI membership fee.

Does this all make sense?

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

Orlando is overbuilt, so the trading power of an Orlando resort will have lousy trading power with any trading company.

Oh so not true!

TPI and DAE would be happy to get this week and grant a very nice exchange and maybe a bonus week. It is possible that SFX might take it as well.

The issue is where the OP wants to go...

TPI is a scal, hawaii, mexico specialist. DAE is more european.

In order to use an independent and be sucessful one needs to be aware of where they get the most inventory.

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

Big Papa - I have read all of the posts to your thread and Lauren2 and Syndey's are both EXCELLENT. RCI is still a good company IF you know the system . . . and use it to your advantage. Keep reading the positive side of the posts. Yes, RCI is mismanaged and could be as great as they used to be. However, in this date in our country, do you know any major corporation that has a clue - I don't. However, I have had tremendous success in the past 17 years with RCI because I understand how to beat the system. READ Timeshare Forums and YOU will achieve timeshare happiness.

[BigPapa Member Find all posts View Profile Close BigPapa]

These are all helpful answers. I do have somewhat of an advantage in that I am not that interested in the typical vacation. I could happily travel off-season to places that most people don't typically flock to. I would, however like to visit New York at some point and I would ba available to go almost any time but September.

But would it make sense to sign up with RCI so that I can deposit my 2009 week or even my 2010 week so that I have a better chance at getting into a place like the Manhattan Club (which I don't even know if I would be able to see that). I am also interested in the last call deals.

Now, if I deposit a week 27 do I HAVE to exhange it for another week 27? Or are all weeks throughout the year available to me?

BP

[shaggy Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close shaggy]

I have to admit I'm still happy with my exchanges with RCI. I am not one tho that has to have a certain ts at a certain week, which makes me very flexible which makes for fantastic exchanges. I'm looking forward to my 3br Houses of Summer Bay at Halloween in Orlando and next July we are spending Kelli's bd on a 45 ft catamaran sailing all over the BVI (Tradewinds Cruise Club) Shaggy

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

These are all helpful answers. I do have somewhat of an advantage in that I am not that interested in the typical vacation. I could happily travel off-season to places that most people don't typically flock to. I would, however like to visit New York at some point and I would ba available to go almost any time but September.

But would it make sense to sign up with RCI so that I can deposit my 2009 week or even my 2010 week so that I have a better chance at getting into a place like the Manhattan Club (which I don't even know if I would be able to see that). I am also interested in the last call deals.

Now, if I deposit a week 27 do I HAVE to exhange it for another week 27? Or are all weeks throughout the year available to me?

BP

OK you are good, not being tied to a school calendar. And NO you don't have to take a week 27 for your deposited week 27. You deposit your week and can take any week in the system that your week can "see". a year prior to your deposit check in date and up to two years after.

Manhattan Club, hmmm I don't think Orlando can pull that now. Anyone with an Orlando week want to try and pull the August 2008 week I posted earlier today?

Maybe you can pull some tricks with it. No promises. But if that is where you have targeted I will try to help you. It may be a January timeframe.Are you OK with that?

[wandering gnome Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close wandering gnome]

Shaggy,

What are you using to get these exchanges?

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

SFX lists Orange Lake CC in their directory so it would be worth asking Mark on the "Ask SFX" forum if they would take your week 27 at OC North Village. You will be happy with anything that SFX has to offer as a trade for your week. Also DAE, Trading Places, Platinum Interchange and Hawaii Timeshare Exchange are worth investigating.

You are in a perfect position to explore other (cheaper and better) exchange companies before automatically jumping to sign up with RCI.

P.S. Welcome to Timeshare Forums and to your next favourite hobby/obsession!

[BigPapa Member Find all posts View Profile Close BigPapa]

yeah I have already found it to be an obsession. I am really enjoying learning everything. I am also glad that I bought a timeshare before I knew everything. Otherwise I would have been to afraid to buy. But now that I own it, I can enjoy exploring the benefits.

The only downside is that I only have one, and I can't use it until 2008.

I can't wait!

BP

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

The only downside is that I only have one, and I can't use it until 2008.

BP

There are a few of us with extra bonus weeks, either in RCI or SFX that we can't or won't be using. I remember seeing a thread about an SFX Mexico bonus week being available. Heck, if you wanted to go to Mexico this year, I have an SFX bonus week that is sitting, not getting used. You could use that if you wanted for the cost of what SFX charges. AND SFX doesn't charge guest certificate fees.

[BigPapa Member Find all posts View Profile Close BigPapa]

There are a few of us with extra bonus weeks, either in RCI or SFX that we can't or won't be using. I remember seeing a thread about an SFX Mexico bonus week being available. Heck, if you wanted to go to Mexico this year, I have an SFX bonus week that is sitting, not getting used. You could use that if you wanted for the cost of what SFX charges. AND SFX doesn't charge guest certificate fees.

Interesting. How do I find bonus weeks? And how did you guys get them in the first place?

Where in Mexico and when is it?

BP

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

Still Mostly Happy

After 20 years of trading with RCI I am still mostly happy. Sure, good trades are getting harder to get, and RCI renting out deposits really ticks me off. But I have learned a lot about using the system and I am getting good, sometimes even excellent, trades. And RCI VGs are providing better service than ever. For example: In the past year they have done a 3 way switch for me to free up a better trader, extended the expiration date on a deposit to enable me to make a trade, and OKd a trade using a deposit that wouldn't pull the resort I wanted. All of these are above and beyond. When remembering some of the excellent trades of the past that don't come up any more I get discouraged. But, as long as I get acceptable trades I'll stick with them.