Cancelling RCI Exchanges... How Best to Do?

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

I can't believe this but... we've decided to cancel our summer vacation to Yellowstone and Glacier. The economy is just too scary right now to commit any further to a vacation that will cost us several thousands of dollars (geez, just for airfaire and car rental we are looking at over $2000). DH didn't get his company performance bonus which effectively meant a 20% cut in income for this year (ouch!). So something has to give... and this particular vacation is it. We still have several vacations lined up for the year, but drive-to timeshares and much more affordable.

I've not had to cancel an exchange before. Let alone 2 exchanges and one of which we've had booked for a year or so. No, I did not take out trip insurance. Are there any tips or approaches I should take when calling RCI? Buzz words to use? Will crying help? My goals are to 1) maximize the returned trade power of the tiger weeks I used to secure the exchanges and 2) save whatever $$ I can by "rolling over" the exchange fee to a replacement exchange or getting a credit. I do realize that I may not be very successful but hey, I have to try to get something back!

I'd like to get this over with soon so I can move on to happoer activities... like planning the trips we will be taking. You've all been grand in helping me plan trips. Now I need help un-planning a trip. Argh!

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

Sorry to hear that you need to cancel your trip, but it's certainly understandable, in this economy. I'm sure that many others will be doing the exact same thing. You'll enjoy the other trips that you have planned, and will make your way to Yellowstone and Glacier, down the road.

Oh yeah, sorry, but I don't have a clue how you should handle RCI.

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

Can you still take out the insurance? Check your confirmed vacations page....if you can, do so.
I've seen the option stay up for a lot longer than 30 days...

If not I would call and see if they will sell it to you...I bet they will.

If you find they won't, particularly on the one booked a year ago, find something you want instead and call to cancel with that alternative "in hand".

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

Sorry here too. That would have made a very nice trip, one we need to check off our list some day.

If you wait a few days/weeks, it will not make any difference, so the first idea may be to talk it up here and OY and see if someone else would like them, on a Guest Certificate.

If that fails, I have found the best is to have replacement exchanges lined up so that you call to switch, rather than cancel. I have found that Guides are more accomodating when they are getting another exchange fee from you. It seems like the reduced trading power issue of the week used for original exchanges is less likely to be a problem.

We have done a few cancellations, but mostly to switch to another resort, and have found that if an inexperienced Guide handles it they cannot even get the exchange they cancel with the same week used to get it in the first place.

I had to have someone in Customer Service handle the last switch, which was because of a work schedule change, when the first Guide and Supervisor screwed it up. For a long while the Guide could not get back the first exchange after she was unable to get the second one. I had told her not to do anything until I said to, until she fully understood, but she went ahead and cancelled the first one on her own.

The Customer Service Rep did it with no problem, saying, "There's no reason they could not have done that." As I recall, she waived the new exchange fee and the cancellation fee because of the poor service.

What I am saying, I guess, is that someone can do just about whatever needs to be done, but it is a crapshoot getting the right someone.

PM or email me for more, if you need it.

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

Thanks for the support! I feel simutaneously relived that we've made this difficult decision (I've been kinda worrying about it since the no bonus announcement a few months ago) and well, sorta embarrassed too But in the grand scheme of things, cancelling this vacation is nothing and I know that. We will indeed hope for better times ahead (for everyone!) and take this trip in the future and put all the great knowledge that's been shared with me to work then. You should see the folder I have for this trip!!

I can the benefit to seeing if I can still buy trip insurance... that will get me back my full tiger strength... for the cost of the insurance. I'll certainly have to pay for another exchange (which I certainly think I "deserve" to have to pay) in that case.

I can also see the benefit of asking for a switch... especially if it costs me only the additional exchange fee (so I'd save the trip insurance cost). There are 2 exchanges currently available online that appeal to us. Both are at better (one may even say top) resorts and there is a 3rd that is at a more moderate resort. Any of the 3 would be ok. I'm not prepared to be too picky right now! As funny as it sounds, I only have tiger traders so can't see what a lesser trader would see so I can be better prepared to be reasonable in my requests.

I just pulled out my confirmation paperwork. First exchange was on 4/25/08 and the 2nd on 11/16/08.

I think what may best fit my personal situation is doing one of each. Try to switch the older exchange to one of the 3 places we'd be happy to go this summer and try to buy trip insurance for the more recent exchange so I can re-exchange that one at full or near full power later on (like next year).

This has really helped me to devise a plan of action!! I can't thank you all enough. I am going to get my head together and then start calling RCI. I think it may be better to tackle each issue with a seperate phone call so I don't overwhelm a Guide... unless I get lucky and get a seasoned rep.

Thanks again!

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

Good luck! I'm sure RCI is dealing with a lot of this right now, and it sound like this is a good decision for you. I second the insurance option if the switch doesn't work for you. Let us know how this worked out.
Connie

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

I have the thought that if RCI would not let all Guides do all things, they/we would be better off.

Some things could be given to Senior Guides who have a low screw-up record.

Newbie Guides should not be allowed to play around with deposits, cancelling exchanges, etc. (Which just about eliminates what they should be allowed to do. )

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

Can you still take out the insurance? Check your confirmed vacations page....if you can, do so.
I've seen the option stay up for a lot longer than 30 days...

If not I would call and see if they will sell it to you...I bet they will.

If you find they won't, particularly on the one booked a year ago, find something you want instead and call to cancel with that alternative "in hand".

I noticed that, too.... the option stays visible on your confirmations page, but if you click through to buy it after 30 days, it won't let you (at least not when I've tried). Phone might work, though...

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

Gee, sorry to hear that, I know how long you've been planning this, and I was looking forward to meeting you! (assuming we don't have to cancel ourselves). We needed to cancel a 2-week trip this past January and it was disappointing, but also a relief because the travel costs were so much higher than we'd anticipated.

A few things to consider:

* There will always be future opportunities.

* You may not lose any trading power, I've cancelled some confirmations and whereas lesser traders do lose, tiger traders not so perceptibly.

* I've agonized before cancelling, but the VG's take care of it quickly and it usually ends up being less painful than I anticipated, especially if I get a week back in my bank, and/or another confirmation I'm still excited about.

* Just one question, b4 you cancel it all - might the trip be doable much more cheaply with a less ambitious itinerary - ie cancel one week and not both, and maybe take 2 weeks closer geographically or where flights and car rentals are cheaper? I've cancelled partial itineraries because the travel costs were too high - it was better to lose a $150 exchange fee to save a thousand bucks in airfares. I mentioned we're doing back-to-back weeks in Park City and Yellowstone, I think we're saving $$ in car rentals and hopefully flights too by sticking with Salt Lake City to pick up and drop off our vehicle. I originally thought about following Yellowstone week with Estes Park, but because of the extra travel costs, decided it was better to put Colorado off for the future.

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

I have a cold and am in the stage where everyday I feel worse So if I ramble more or make less sense than usual please forgive me.

I called RCI yesterday. Got a nice, but new, rep. I asked about insurance on the exchanges but was told I am over the 30 day limit and that is that. I will forfeit $119 of the exchange fee I paid if I cancel at least 61 days formt he start of the vacation date (no problem there). She said something that I now realize I don't understand. She said when someone cancels and they had bought the insunace, they get a $100 "certificate" put in their account - I guess this is toward the next exchange fee. BUT I thought that buying the insurance got you 2 things: 1) the ENTIRE exchange fee back and 2) the original trade power of the week used back. So in essance, if you buy the insurance and the gal is right on getting back only $100, then you only save $41 overall. Paying $59 to potenially save $41 IF you cacel doesn't seem like that great a deal. Of course the save in trade power might be worth it, but maybe not. I think Laurie brings up a good point. A tiger trader isn't that much effected if the cancel happens well ahead of the tiger's use date. In my case the week use date I used for the Glacier exchange is WAY in the future and trade power of the week will be little efffected by my cancelling it.

However, the week I used for the Yellowstone exchange is past it's use date and is a different story.. to be continued after I get DD from school!

[Glitter Brunello Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close Glitter Brunello]

The insurance makes me crazy (it's like "insurance" from organized crime, buy it and they won't you mess you up...), but I buy it. They used to only give you $49 back, the $100 is new. Beware that the coupon/credit expires, though, and the expiration date is not reflected online, so ask when you get it.

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

As far as I can tell: possible trade power loss isn't directly connected to whether the week is past its use date, but rather - again, as far as I can tell - how long you had it tied up on a confirmation. Then they recalculate your date of deposit, subtracting the # of months it was tied up, and assign trade power it would have had assuming the reduced # of months out. (That's why if you plan to cancel, don't wait too long.)

So even if the week you're cancelling is far in the future, cancellation can still negatively impact trade power. And even if use date is past, cancellation might not impact trade power.

Make sense?? I thought not... plus this is how it may have worked, but maybe doesn't now.

Because RCI's insurance doesn't even cover exchange fees, so far I've never bought it, on principle. They're charging you $$ only to insure something they are taking away, and something they have the power to not take away from you. I'd consider it if it covered more than that. Principles aside, I agree that economically it's questionable. Spending so much to potentially save so little isn't enough ROI, unless I thought there was a high probability of having to cancel. I wish they sold real travel insurance. Even the kind they used to sell was better than their current insurance.

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

As far as I can tell: possible trade power loss isn't directly connected to whether the week is past its use date, but rather - again, as far as I can tell - how long you had it tied up on a confirmation. Then they recalculate your date of deposit, subtracting the # of months it was tied up, and assign trade power it would have had assuming the reduced # of months out. (That's why if you plan to cancel, don't wait too long.)

So even if the week you're cancelling is far in the future, cancellation can still negatively impact trade power. And even if use date is past, cancellation might not impact trade power.

Make sense?? I thought not... plus this is how it may have worked, but maybe doesn't now.

Because RCI's insurance doesn't even cover exchange fees, so far I've never bought it, on principle. They're charging you $$ only to insure something they are taking away, and something they have the power to not take away from you. I'd consider it if it covered more than that. Principles aside, I agree that economically it's questionable. Spending so much to potentially save so little isn't enough ROI, unless I thought there was a high probability of having to cancel. I wish they sold real travel insurance. Even the kind they used to sell was better than their current insurance.

Maybe JLB can ask the rep person he has developed a relationship with if what you think is true really is... JLB? It would be good info to know. And for me it means the week used for Yellowstone may not end up quite a dog after all. Even though I deposited it just a year out (I had just bought it so was the best I could do) and it's been tied up 9 1/2 months, it would still maybe be counted as a deposit 2 1/2 months out. I did a deposit like this last year when another TS failed to rent... and as it was a high demand week, I still got very good trade power from it despite the "lateness" of the deposit.

The week used for Glacier would undoubtably (if we can ever use that term and RCI in the same sentence) still be a tiger... it was deposited almost 2 years out and tied up for not even 3 months as of today.

Does anyone have a later deposited red week that they'd be willing to do a quick trade test for me with? As greedy as it sounds, I'd love to have the "replacement"/switch week be one of the many DVC units I see with my regular tiger weeks. Looking for any week in July. If my tiger remains enough of a tiger to grab one, I'll be very happy with the outcome of this mess.

I don't feel so bad now that I didn't buy the insurance. What I lose on this one off cancel I saved on not buying insurance for my prior exchanges. Hmmm... I kinda remember that I read someone else here (or OY) saying the same thing too.

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

The insurance makes me crazy (it's like "insurance" from organized crime, buy it and they won't you mess you up...), but I buy it. They used to only give you $49 back, the $100 is new. Beware that the coupon/credit expires, though, and the expiration date is not reflected online, so ask when you get it.

Maybe it's my cold but I don't understand that one at all. Why would I pay $59 to get only $49 back? Even if I knew for sure I was going to cancel, it still wouldn't make sense. Oh... wait... what I really would be buying then is the trade power protection. And then only some weeks would be worth trying to protect. A dog would still be a dog so no sense spending $$ on that. A tiger would be worth protecting if a later deposit AND a last minute cancel on a long held exchange was made. If what Laurie thinks is true (and could very well be based on my one measly experience last year) a tiger that "counts" as deposited at least a few months out may not suffer much loss of power anyway. A moderate power week may be the best canidate for buying insurance to protect what it has.

Getting $100 back is better than only $49 but still may not be worth it except in certain circumstances as described above. Which I will now know to consider!

Am I even close in understanding at all??

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

I'd love to have the "replacement"/switch week be one of the many DVC units I see with my regular tiger weeks.

If you see something you like with a regular tiger week, go 'head and request it at the moment you cancel. While you won't know what your new trade power will be until cancellation, your odds aren't bad. But ... are you sure all those Disney passes won't end up costing more than your trip west?