Mark, question from SFX Platinum member

[pt181 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pt181]

Hi Mark,

First of all, thanks for your support on this forum. I've had a request in for West Maui for Nov 2007 (not Thanksgiving week) since last Dec 2006 with no success as yet. It was originally for 2 couples but the other couple just had to back out (due to one of them being laid off ) so I called SFX the other day to say that a 1 bedroom would be fine. I was told there still isn't anything available and that we have a good chance of getting a match. Since I'm using FF miles for the flight, I had to book the dates already so can't be flexible there. I'm getting a bit nervous about finding a match.

I'd like to deposit our 2007 week but am waiting until I get an exchange on the 2005 week before proceeding with that.

Thanks,
Heidi

[Mark @SFX Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Mark @SFX]

Hi Mark,

First of all, thanks for your support on this forum. I've had a request in for West Maui for Nov 2007 (not Thanksgiving week) since last Dec 2006 with no success as yet. It was originally for 2 couples but the other couple just had to back out (due to one of them being laid off ) so I called SFX the other day to say that a 1 bedroom would be fine. I was told there still isn't anything available and that we have a good chance of getting a match. Since I'm using FF miles for the flight, I had to book the dates already so can't be flexible there. I'm getting a bit nervous about finding a match.

I'd like to deposit our 2007 week but am waiting until I get an exchange on the 2005 week before proceeding with that.

Thanks,
Heidi

Heidi -

thank you for your post. You have placed a request for one of the most demanded locations on this planet that only has maybe 4 or 5 resorts of good quality, where the demand is far greater than supply... and you broke the "Cardinal Rule" of exchange success with No Flexibility with a restriction of only one travel week !!!!!!! And you got your airline tickets before being confirmed !!

Heidi, what are we going to do with you?

If the original request was for a one bedroom sleep 4, you would have been booked a while ago. There are always more one bedroom units than two's that become available in Maui. Now that you have just changed to a one bedroom request, I would not worry. Just give it some more time for results.

We know it's easy to think "I don't want to bank my next years week unless they book me for what I want this year".

But the reality is, space is subject to availability, and no matter how good an exchange company is...there is no guarantee of availability for what you want. Exchange companies are not the source of space, the source for the most part are Members. Exchange companies manage the supply, they don't create it.

Another analagy would be.... "I refuse to fly with that airline next year if space isn't available for me this year for a flight". The reality is, you will still fly.

Whether space becomes available for you or not this year, never the less... next year you will still have the decision to make.... of "do I use my week where I own"? ...... or do I deposit it with an exchange company and hope space becomes available for the exchange I want.

Hope this gives some insight, and hang in there. Good possibilities.

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

I'm also waiting for a 2nd week in Hawaii in 2007

Hi Mark,

I'm also hoping to book a Hawaii vacation. My requests are for 2 adjoining weeks, 1 in Oahu and 1 in Maui preferably, but will take Kauii if Maui is too impossible - I probably broke some of the 'rules' too but did try to give this vacation a good long leadtime by entering my request in March.

I was delighted when Scarlett came back with a week in Oahu fairly quickly so that takes care of week #1. Do I stand any chance of following that week #1 with a second week in Maui through my SFX request?

If not, thanks to some advice from you last year, I have other alternative exchanges to try - would I be wise to set those in motion and take the first match I get and quickly cancel the other requests?
Thanks for your 'always' good advice....... Noelle

[pt181 Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close pt181]

Yeah, I know about flexibility. My first request had been earlier in 2005 for any island for fall 2006 and SFX found us a great match on the Big Island. We have friends that had never been to Hawaii and could probably never to afford to go again so we thought we should show them Maui since it has a bit of everything. We decided to cancel the BI match - how I hated to do that (it's the island that I really wanted to go to).

We picked a week since I had to do the FF tickets 331 days in advance and just barely got them (was on a waitlist for a day) and put the Maui request in to SFX the next day. Now our friend lost his job and we're a bit stuck. I'll keep my fingers crossed.

Thanks for the advice. BTW, I never received an email on the 2007 promo but do receive the sell-off list email.

-Heidi

[Mark @SFX Industry Representative Find all posts View Profile Close Mark @SFX]

Hi Mark,

I'm also hoping to book a Hawaii vacation. My requests are for 2 adjoining weeks, 1 in Oahu and 1 in Maui preferably, but will take Kauii if Maui is too impossible - I probably broke some of the 'rules' too but did try to give this vacation a good long leadtime by entering my request in March.

I was delighted when Scarlett came back with a week in Oahu fairly quickly so that takes care of week #1. Do I stand any chance of following that week #1 with a second week in Maui through my SFX request?

If not, thanks to some advice from you last year, I have other alternative exchanges to try - would I be wise to set those in motion and take the first match I get and quickly cancel the other requests?
Thanks for your 'always' good advice....... Noelle

Noelle - thank you for your post. Just checked your account. Your request for Maui isn't until July 2007. In most cases resorts to not allow weeks to be reserved and used or deposited more than a year in advance.

So essentially your request is dormant until around July of 2006 when that one year window of opportunity appears then it becomes active.

Although you have placed your request more than one year in advance, the big plus is, you have placed yourself towards the front of the queue. Plenty of time for positive results.