A Variation On The Guest Pass . . . Whatya Think?

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

Just sent to a friend at RCI:

A thought, a variation on the Partial Guest Pass, where non-members can access RCI benefits via a member.

How about a variation, where members can access (utilize) non-members' ownership?

Although I understand reasons why RCI would not be in favor of it, I can see benefits in allowing RCI members to deposit non-member inventory at RCI-affiliates. Paramount, non-members, perhaps who have been turned off by RCI in the past, would see that RCI members are benefitting from the non-members' owned weeks.

As an example, at (some resorts), (some) units are owned by people living in the area, so that they can have access to amenities at (the resorts) year-round. There's no telling how many of these people I personally know, say 30-50 families locally.

I know many of them do absolutely nothing with their timeshare, they just hold them and pay the maintenance fee each year. Some of them misunderstand how RCI works, gave up on RCI early on, and have not tried again.

If an RCI member was able to deposit weeks owned by non-members, and compensate them, they would see otherwise, and perhaps join RCI. Or, for a trial period, if they could deposit their weeks in an RCI member's account in conjunction wth the RCI Guest Pass, and make exchanges with them, they may join RCI. Granted, they would be getting full RCI benefits without joining, but it would be for a limited time, and with the RCI Guest Pass fee being paid.

A result would be that RCI could increase the inventory available to other members, and reduce the number of units that sit empty. Everyone could benefit.

In a time that has to be tough on timesharing, it may be worth looking into.

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

I think you have been smoking your socks again.

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

JLB you sound like a marketer a promoter
Not someone who is smoking something

Not a bad idea

Way to go thinking out of the box

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

Maybe.

Perhaps my thought was spurred by the thread where someone is sorta frustrated because of all the empty units at a resort while nothing is available through RCI.

That is a common aggravation, one I recall from our early days, of empty resort parking lots, and units, and still not being able to get a unit. That was a fly in the ointment in my 1-in-4 brouhaha of 10 years ago, that a resort we visited every year the same week was always half empty (or half-full), and we could no longer trade into it.

Things would make more sense in timesharing if more things made more sense.

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

FWIW, I have previously run this by Feedback. Albeit they are not the people who would approve something like this, their reply was that the resorts were not set up to so this, deposit weeks from non-RCI Members.

I don't buy that. If a resort is an RCI affiliate, I believe they could find a way to deposit any week they want. It would not be much of leap.

I also know the people I know who own weeks they don't use well enough to know that if I use them, or if they use them through my membership, that fear of loss, the giving up of something of value, would encourage them to join RCI.

I know of a specific example where because someone was not able to get something they wanted the first time, something I know is now available exactly when they want it every year, they gave up on RCI. All they need is to know what I know.

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

OK, still thinking . . .

At Lighthouse on Sanibel there were empty units because of the state of the economy. Actually, there were mostly-empty parking lots at RCI resorts all over Sanibel. Not many there are RCI members, because they just use their units themselves every year, or rent them out when they can't use them. But there are some RCI members, because two of the units at Lighthouse that week were RCI exchanges.

So, in years when they can't get them rented out, why not channel them through other owners' RCI accounts into the Spacebank. Even late deposits there would be better than none at all. In those rare cases, let them have an exchange somewhere . . . and everyone comes out a winner.

We, meaning me, have been whining about declining for years. Why not try to reverse it rather than be resigned to it?

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

FWIW, I have previously run this by Feedback. Albeit they are not the people who would approve something like this, their reply was that the resorts were not set up to so this, deposit weeks from non-RCI Members.

I don't buy that. If a resort is an RCI affiliate, I believe they could find a way to deposit any week they want. It would not be much of leap.

That is a flat out lie. The managing agent or HOA can deposit those unused weeks with an exchange company be they unowned or owner inventory.

They can and they do. The smarter ones realize that at least unowned inventory that $100 or so is a lot better than nothing.

If you had a particular person that you would want to do this for why not just add them to your account? Then they could deposit the week into it and you could "manage" the exchange portion for them or give them access to the account to do so themselves.

RCI isn't the governing hand here.

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

First, anyone know where this came from:

"Some men see things as they are and say why. I dream things that never were and say, why not."

Second, do you deposit weeks you do not own?

For me, RCI has always had to recognize them as weeks we own, and they have to be listed on our account, and for that to happen the resort has to confirm with RCI that we own them and each time we deposit them RCI has to reconfirm it with the resort, that we own them, have paid the fees for them, and have the right to deposit them.

We've been through a few resorts, and I have never known any of them to let anyone deposit weeks they do not own, nor I have ever known RCI to allow more than one owner to share a membership.

But, that is just picking on a minor point, the major point being getting more stuff in the Spacebank while showing more non-members the benefits of membership.