Phantom Exchange Weeks

[lawgs Member Find all posts View Profile Close lawgs]

has anyone else done a search in weeks and found a week they want only to have a message come up saying the week is no longer available when you try to hold or confirm it

IT help at RCI cannot explain why it is happening and suggested that a week taken by someone else ( hold or confirm ) should not be showing up in searches once it has been "snagged" .....they said the "recycle" time for a week let go should be 15 minutes or so, but the ones we have seen do not seem to come back into inventory ( well they appear in the search but when you try to book them the error message is given....

you would think they could take held or confirmed inventory out of the mix so they do not appear in other people's searches

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

Yes, since the new search feature has been in place, I have seen this happen again and again....I think it is related to a time out feature of the site, and/or bait and switch tactics of RCI to get you to call for the unit...if you call, they get to make a pitch to you for some junk.

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

I have poked at this with a little help from my friends and this happens if someone has the week "on hold" in their account and has yet to confirm that week.

For some strange reason it still shows as available inventory on the RCI search but comes up as not being able to be booked.

The best thing to do at that point would be to put in an on-going search. If the "holder" of the week doesn't confirm or forgets to confirm it will come back into the system and hopefully match the on-going search.

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

It would make sense that a unit that was available when you searched but taken by someone else since would be showing as not available.

Although that would be logical, if it annoys you, just before you select an exchange, refresh the page. If it is still there then it will be less likely to be unavailable.

Make sense?

PS: As I'm searching I can see numbers available changing, so others are taking and giving back.

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

I have tried to "hold" or "confirm" at least 20 different weeks that are "phantom"....(according to RCI guides). I find it difficult to believe that all of those weeks were actually taken by someone else just before I selected them. I have begun to believe that those weeks are actually there, but my week doesn't have enough trading power to actually confirm them. Those phantom weeks are somehow appearing to me when they shouldn't be visible or available for my week. I have based this on using many of the "sightings" posted by Lawren!

[mikey0531 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close mikey0531]

It happened to be but I kept checking for 3-4 days and it kept happening with the same unit I was trying to grab. I finally called RCI and they told me it wasn't available and I told them I could see it online. The guy told me that it's probably because we're not seeing "real time" and they are. I don't really think any of them know why. It's frustrating -- that's all I know

Debi

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

The other thought I had is that if you have more than one deposit on file with RCI.....I often start with the stronger trader, then I click on the weaker one after I see something interesting to see if it is still a match....sometimes it is, but when I go to see if I can hold it, it disappears....I still think there is also a glitch or stupid default of RCI's that has your original t.s. ownership number (which you may not own any longer) as the "power correlator"....so if you have a "high power" membership number, but you really don't own that resort any longer, when you try to use a trader that doesn't equate, the unit "disappears."

One of our biggest gripes with RCI a while back was this fact. It seemed that they used your membership number to represent your timeshare ownership, and that interfered with true trade power.....I don't know if they fixed it in this new crappy system they have....I really don't like this system, it is slower and much more cumbersome, and after spending time trying to find something, and you see it, it turns into a ghost and it disappears...it is way too time wasting and totally irritating.

If I see a unit, it should be there all the way thru the process to putting a hold on it.....why waste my time!

The other thing is that bull they have in their class action settlement, that after 3 months on deposit they can rent any unit they wish to rent to the public.....I have been watching what my strongest trader can see, and they don't show anything worth anything in February March and April of this year, unless it is only a week away

.....something is being held back for their rental sites, and when I go there, bingo....the good stuff is up for rent in Feb Mar and April....not available to RCI dues paying members.

....so their inventory bilking is still present, and they are skewing their numbers as usual....

You just know that there are some folks who deposit their units this late, but RCI isn't showing that inventory to its PAYING members, or IF it does show up, it shows up as one of these ghosts.

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

yes, this has happened to me...don't know why, but it is terribly annoying.
Connie

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

The other thought I had is that if you have more than one deposit on file with RCI.....I often start with the stronger trader, then I click on the weaker one after I see something interesting to see if it is still a match....sometimes it is, but when I go to see if I can hold it, it disappears....I still think there is also a glitch or stupid default of RCI's that has your original t.s. ownership number (which you may not own any longer) as the "power correlator"....so if you have a "high power" membership number, but you really don't own that resort any longer, when you try to use a trader that doesn't equate, the unit "disappears."

One of our biggest gripes with RCI a while back was this fact. It seemed that they used your membership number to represent your timeshare ownership, and that interfered with true trade power.....I don't know if they fixed it in this new crappy system they have....I really don't like this system, it is slower and much more cumbersome, and after spending time trying to find something, and you see it, it turns into a ghost and it disappears...it is way too time wasting and totally irritating.

If I see a unit, it should be there all the way thru the process to putting a hold on it.....why waste my time!

The other thing is that bull they have in their class action settlement, that after 3 months on deposit they can rent any unit they wish to rent to the public.....I have been watching what my strongest trader can see, and they don't show anything worth anything in February March and April of this year, unless it is only a week away

.....something is being held back for their rental sites, and when I go there, bingo....the good stuff is up for rent in Feb Mar and April....not available to RCI dues paying members.

....so their inventory bilking is still present, and they are skewing their numbers as usual....

You just know that there are some folks who deposit their units this late, but RCI isn't showing that inventory to its PAYING members, or IF it does show up, it shows up as one of these ghosts.

I have only one week on deposit, so this can't be the reason all the "phantoms" are showing up for me!