How bad is europe availability for US members?

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

When I posted elsewhere on this board about the decrease in my super RCI trader, one of the reasons was because of the sudden decrease in Euro sightings - but now it seems EVERYONE is having the same problem ???
I used to see TONS of British Isle availability 2 years out....seems as if everyone is in the same boat - could they be 'blocking' all the NA accounts for some reason?
Or just selling them as demonstrated above????

RCI Extra Vacations for June 2008

CLARE RESORTS @ MOUNT SHANNON (#A284)
County Clare, Ireland

Price Range - $725.00
Available Unit Size - 3 - 3
Check-in Date Range - 06/14/2008 - 06/14/2008



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Clare Resorts at East Clare Golf Village (#8589)
Bodyke, Ireland

Price Range - $705.00 - $779.00
Available Unit Size - 2 - 2
Check-in Date Range - 06/06/2008 - 07/05/2008



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Clare Timeshare at Fishermans Lodges (#7417)
County Clare, Ireland

Price Range - $615.00 - $685.00
Available Unit Size - S - S
Check-in Date Range - 06/07/2008 - 07/05/2008

Ramada Hotel Docklands - 7 Nights (#5295)
LONDON, E16 1RH, England

Price Range - $1,189.00 - $1,635.00
Available Unit Size - 1 - 2
Check-in Date Range - 06/07/2008 - 07/05/2008

Oh they just SO SUCK!!!!! The County Clare was just in the monthly Endless Vacation rag as a new member resort. A member of what? Rentals!

[joycapecod Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close joycapecod]

JMO, "they" are selling or renting them. RCI cares not a hoot about the member but are more in the rental business. They will keep the membership happy or not postal with limited exchanges in prime areas. They will be more and more difficult to find and it will take better and better deposits to find even the limited amount of inventory they are willing to throw the exchangers way.

Joy

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

Yeah but what are they offering to the folks that are depositing these great weeks that RCI ultimately rents? If those folks stop depositing, then RCI will have nothing to rent, right?

Sharon

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

Steve,

It may just be worth the effort to switch your account over to a euro one if that is possible. We have an intermittent poster on the RCI Ex-Ops boards who sees very prime weeks that we rarely if ever see with our NA accounts.

I wonder how one would go about that?

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

I wonder how one would go about that?

I hate to say that you'd have to call them....

I'm just wondering if you change your address with them and request it as a euro account perhaps there is a way for it to be done. Hopefully correctly and the first time

There is most CERTAINLY a partition in what we see and what they see. We're talking primetime summer weeks in what is for us here in the US difficult exchanges. We couldn't see what she had posted in weeks or points.

I'm just not sure if your initial resort that set up your account has anything to do with which partition you are allotted.

[joycapecod Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close joycapecod]

Changing "over" should be no different that if you changed your address here in the US, say moving from New York to California. I would think that you would just inform RCI of your change of address to your European address and they (RCI) would transfer your account to RCI Europe.

I imagine you could email feedback@rci.com to see exactly what needs to be done and how to go about it.

Joy

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

If I knew it would improve exchanges, I would do it, but there are a few downsides. As I under it, the exchange fes would be higher. Also, while i can call the US number free, thanks to Skype to an 800 number, it would probably cost for calls to the Europe office. But those are small things if it improves the exchange availibility for my remaining RCI deposits.

I also wonder how some of the quirks of the European system would work, such as having to pay to add resorts to a European account. I wouldn't be adding new deposits, but I wonder if I would have to pay to use the ones I already have in my US account.

I would hope they would use my European resort for setting up a European RCI account. It is my best trader and has a good VEP for a European resort.

[Sue S Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sue S]

and today's spectacular single choice for a 20 week period spanning summer in British Isles / no canalboats is......

Cherry Orchard Timeshare (#1113)
Port Erin, IM9 6AN, Isle of Man

Available Unit Size - 2 - 2
Check-in Date Range - 08/30/2008 - 08/30/2008

Hi Lauren,

Don't get too depressed, I've got a UK account and a good trader and I that's all I see! I've tried for 2009 and I get 24 resorts.

If anyone wants me to do a trade test just let me know. I don't check this site every day so a PM might be a good idea.

Sue

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

Hi Lauren,

Don't get too depressed, I've got a UK account and a good trader and I that's all I see! I've tried for 2009 and I get 24 resorts.

If anyone wants me to do a trade test just let me know. I don't check this site every day so a PM might be a good idea.

Sue

Hello Sue.

Were your ears burning?

I think now that Carolinian <steve> is now located in Europe that converting would be a great deal for him. You always see such great exchanges over there with your account.

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

OK did any of you see the stuff Gordon posted for UK from a NA points account?

So is this where all the inventory is going? RCI forcing us to convert because anything decent is only available via points?

[Sue S Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Sue S]

I can see the narrowboats but not the Clowance.

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

OK did any of you see the stuff Gordon posted for UK from a NA points account?

So is this where all the inventory is going? RCI forcing us to convert because anything decent is only available via points?

No, they are forcing us to convert to DAE!

My tiger trader still performs fine in other areas - summer southeast beach, Caribbean (even saw St. Lucia the other day), etc. but the Europe inventory outside of the overbuilt areas is just not there anymore. That includes areas with few points resorts like France. It is not trading power as I occaisionally have seen some really hard to get stuff in the last few months like summer Vienna, and the usual prime trades in other areas. Its just that what does appear for many parts of Europe is a faint ghost of the selection that used to be there, and if you don't grab something decent while it is there, it is gone. I debated too long on whether to use a powerful trader for a March week at Broome Park but waited too long and then didn't have the option anymore.

The main answer to the question is RCI's greed, pushing the inventory to both points and rentals, and that in turn has probably also reduced deposits. I know they have gotten their last deposit of my European week.

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

I am still seeing the lack of inventory in the UK at the better resorts. The continent is somewhat better, in that I do see a few real plums from time to time like 2 summer weeks in central Vienna, 2 or 3 weeks each at the two difficult to find chateau resorts in France at Tredion and Malmont, and even Venice in the late spring. For the continent, the main impact is distinctly less selection than there used to be, even if some good stuff does turn up, and that decline is more noticable in summer.

For the UK, both short term for 2008 and long term for 2009 there is a lot less than there used to be, particularly at the more desirable resorts. The better resorts are not there at all in any desirable times and often for any times at all. What I found particularly interesting was someone who made a VIP request to RCI (a special program for some people connected to RCI affiliated resorts in which they have access to anything in the spacebank without regard to trading power, only having to give a week of the same size and color in return) for 5 or 6 of the more desirable British resorts for ANY time that RCI had them, and still came up with an empty bag. If VIP finds nothing, then there IS nothing. Of course, I don't think VIP has access to the RCI rental pool where the good stuff was probably hiding, but then no RCI exchanger does.

What is also interesting is comparing my SA with my tiger trader. Outside of the overbuilt areas of Europe, my SA used to pull roughly half of what my tiger trader did, except in the high season where it was maybe twenty percent. Now, my SA doesn't hunt in high season and pulls maybe twenty percent at other times.