SFX "Check In Range"

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

Mark,

I am very confused as to SFX's policies regarding that dates that are put in for check-in for starting on on-line search at the SFX site.

I put in a range of dates that spanned a few days for "Check in Range" in my requests. That meant that I would not accept a check-in date that exceeded the second date in the range.

However, Ramona from SFX (in a phone call today) tells me that the second date put in should be the end date for the exchange; i.e., the last date for the 7-day stay. She said the term "check-in range" is confusing on the website. Ramona says that you must put in the 7th day as the second date and the first date is the date you want for check-in.

I fear that if I put in a check-in range that spans 7 days, I could get an exchange that begins the 7th day of the span, and that would not be what I want. It seems that other exchange companies such as Interval and RCI ask for a check in range, and you could get an exchange beginning the last day of the "range". If SFX does not work this way, I agree with Ramona that the term "range" used in the website is confusing.

Ramona also says that any changes to requested check-in dates means that the exchange request is cancelled, and the request is started all over again with new dates; I assume this means that you lose your place in line to other requests if you make any changes. Is this true?

Can you clarify this for me and other SFX members? Thanks!! Thanks also for your previous help with my questions.

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

Mark,

I am very confused as to SFX's policies regarding that dates that are put in for check-in for starting on on-line search at the SFX site.

I put in a range of dates that spanned a few days for "Check in Range" in my requests. That meant that I would not accept a check-in date that exceeded the second date in the range.

However, Ramona from SFX (in a phone call today) tells me that the second date put in should be the end date for the exchange; i.e., the last date for the 7-day stay. She said the term "check-in range" is confusing on the website. Ramona says that you must put in the 7th day as the second date and the first date is the date you want for check-in.

I fear that if I put in a check-in range that spans 7 days, I could get an exchange that begins the 7th day of the span, and that would not be what I want. It seems that other exchange companies such as Interval and RCI ask for a check in range, and you could get an exchange beginning the last day of the "range". If SFX does not work this way, I agree with Ramona that the term "range" used in the website is confusing.

Ramona also says that any changes to requested check-in dates means that the exchange request is cancelled, and the request is started all over again with new dates; I assume this means that you lose your place in line to other requests if you make any changes. Is this true?

Can you clarify this for me and other SFX members? Thanks!! Thanks also for your previous help with my questions.

Sally - thank you for your post and apologies for any confusion. The check -in range means... you will accept an exchange with a check-in for a one week period within the range you enter in the screen. The range represents acceptable check-in days only. It does not represent a "check-in and check-out".

For example... If you state you want your week to start 2/5 to 2/8/2006, that means any one week match that has a check in on either 2/5, 2/6, 2/7 or 2/8/2006 is acceptable.

Regarding cancelling your request and submitting a new one...

If you place a request and then cancel it prior to being booked, and resubmit a new request, perhaps with different dates and/or location... that is considered as a new request and starts over in the queue as of the day and time of your new submittal.

For example... If you placed your original request on 2/1 for Hawaii 7/1 then canceled it, and replaced it with a new request on 2/15 for New York for 7/1, it would not be fair or reasonable to place you ahead of another Member that may placed their request for NY 7/1 let's say on 2/14.

The dates of your original request really have nothing to do with the dates of your new request, as it is new and effective as of the time you placed it for the new location and/or arrival dates. Hope this helps...

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

Mark, thank you for your clarification. I always appreciate your replies to my requests for information.

However, now I'm UPSET!! In the same phone call with the SFX rep who told me that the second date in the range should be the "check-out" date, I asked her to change all of my requests for the summer and Europe next fall so that the second date reflected the check-out date, as she insisted this was correct. Now I'm afraid that SFX could confirm exchanges for dates that I do not want, or do not coordinate with our airline reservations. I think SFX needs to make this right, and change back my requests as I originally had them because they would have not been changed had she not given me this erroneous information. I should not lose any place in line with these changes.

I will send you a private email with my account number, and the dates that I want the requests; I need to clarify some things.

Mark, can you please make sure your representatives are giving out correct information to people? I really think SFX needs to address their representatives' knowledge of the system and give them additional training if necessary. Another rep also told me (as I stated in a prevous post) that a person cannot search with both a bonus week and a regular week, and I think that may be wrong too.

Thank you Mark for your attention to this matter. I am hoping that SFX will work as an exchange company for us in the future, but I am beginning to have my doubts. I've learned a lot by trial and error, but I don't think this is the way it should be. Another point I would like to make is that I think the terms of bonus weeks should be clearly stated. I never got any information as to the terms of my bonus week from SFX until I asked you.

Thanks!!

Sally

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

check in check out dates

Hi Mark,
I also was told that my requested dates needed to include the earliest date I could check in and then the latest day that I would want to check out. I asked Ramona to go in and change all my requests so that I would not lose my place, which she did, and I hope my place stayed the same!

So now do I need to ask her to change them all back? I am worried that I would get an exchange that was too late for my time frame and then not be able to use it.

Please advise, thanks so much!

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

Hi Mark,
I also was told that my requested dates needed to include the earliest date I could check in and then the latest day that I would want to check out. I asked Ramona to go in and change all my requests so that I would not lose my place, which she did, and I hope my place stayed the same!

So now do I need to ask her to change them all back? I am worried that I would get an exchange that was too late for my time frame and then not be able to use it.

Please advise, thanks so much!

Hi Eal & Sally - your original positions have been maintained, there is no need to have any other changes made. I think the miscommunication was, in the online request screen it asks you to give a "check-in range". When an agent looks at your account in the system, it converts it to a check-in and check-out date.

For example, if you submit a check-in range date of 7/1 to 7/3/06, it shows in your account in our operations department as 7/1 to 7/8.... 7/2 to 7/9 or 7/3 to 7/10 in the screen.

[Anne1125 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Anne1125]

It's good of you to explain this to us. But it sounds like this could be VERY confusing for other customers. Hope SFX find a way to make it easy for both customers & guides.

Anne

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

None of my requests in SFX has been changed in accord with my original positions.

The last date put in for my check-in range is still incorrect on some of my requests, and I am hoping that SFX will not confirm an exchange using those dates.

When I asked about changing a request previously, I meant simply tweaking a request, such as taking out one of the weeks requested, not changing the location requested or dates requested drastically. In some of my requests, I attempted to cover a two-week period, where either of two weekends for check-in would have been acceptable. Apparently, SFX says that any change to a request means that you have to start all over. I was trying to make my requests fit a two-week trip to Europe in the Fall, for which I confirmed some back-up hotel reservations for one of the weeks. I wanted to change the requests to take out the week/location that I have hotel reservations for, but apparently this may not work. I am so confused by SFX's procedures and answers, I'm not sure what to do next about my requests into SFX. I wish I had separated some of my original requests by weekend, and then one of them could be easily cancelled without having the other one invalidated. I'm really sceptical now about calling them on the telephone--the last help I got really messed up my requests by adding check-in range date ranges that include the last date of the vacation week. I just want to avoid the hassle of talking to them again.

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

None of my requests in SFX has been changed in accord with my original positions.

The last date put in for my check-in range is still incorrect on some of my requests, and I am hoping that SFX will not confirm an exchange using those dates.

When I asked about changing a request previously, I meant simply tweaking a request, such as taking out one of the weeks requested, not changing the location requested or dates requested drastically. In some of my requests, I attempted to cover a two-week period, where either of two weekends for check-in would have been acceptable. Apparently, SFX says that any change to a request means that you have to start all over. I was trying to make my requests fit a two-week trip to Europe in the Fall, for which I confirmed some back-up hotel reservations for one of the weeks. I wanted to change the requests to take out the week/location that I have hotel reservations for, but apparently this may not work. I am so confused by SFX's procedures and answers, I'm not sure what to do next about my requests into SFX. I wish I had separated some of my original requests by weekend, and then one of them could be easily cancelled without having the other one invalidated. I'm really sceptical now about calling them on the telephone--the last help I got really messed up my requests by adding check-in range date ranges that include the last date of the vacation week. I just want to avoid the hassle of talking to them again.

Sally - please email me exactly what you are requesting and I will compare it to what you submitted, and see if there are any differences as to how our system looks at it.

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

New SFX Member

Hi Mark: Just joined SFX Gold as you suggested earlier. Now I'm a bit confused by this string of e-mails! Will wait til the dust settles and your customers are "happy" before venturing further. Thanks, Jeff (NJ)

[travelSFO Member Find all posts View Profile Close travelSFO]

I'm glad I read this thread -- I have to get one of my requests edited now!

Mark, it would be a good idea to clarify this on the website.

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

I'm glad I read this thread -- I have to get one of my requests edited now!

Mark, it would be a good idea to clarify this on the website.

TravelSFO and all...

The new upcoming Request an exchange interface will be a lot more intuitive and therefore more "user-friendly" than the current one.

Here is what a "Check-in Range" of dates means...

It does not mean a check-in and check-out date. We do not want you to enter any check-out dates, just an acceptable range of Check-in days...


For example:

1. Let's say you are not flexible on travel weeks. There is only one specific day you can check-in on. Let's say you can only check-in on 6/3/2006.

In the Desired Check-In Range, you would enter 6/3/2006 and 6/3/2006. That means you are only willing to check-in on that one specific date.

Do not enter 6/3 to 6/10/2006 as that means you are willing to take a check in date anywhere from 6/3 to 6/10. Which means if we find a match that is 6/10, that means you will be booked for a week that goes 6/10 to 6/17.... when what you really wanted was 6/3 to 6/10/2006.



2. Let's say you are willing to be Flexible as to increase you chances of being booked. (Best case scenario).

Let's also say you are willing to travel for any one week within the first three weeks of June, but you must be back home by 6/25/06.

Here is how you would enter it....
Desired check-in range: 6/3 to 6/18/2006. This means you are willing to accept any week that has a check-in between 6/3 through 6/18/2006.



3. Let's say you are willing to accept any one week that has a check in date between 6/2 through 6/25... or 7/1 through 8/15.... or 10/2 through 11/5/2006.

Here is how you would enter it...

Desired Check-in range: 6/2 to 6/25. Then Click the Update Button then Add Request button. It will then bring you back to the Add a request screen with your new request displayed.

Using the same transaction number, then add the second range of acceptable dates....... 7/1 to 8/15 (Ditto).

After submitting, do the same thing again using the same transaction number, add the third range of dates.... 10/2 to 11/5/2006 and submit.

You can use the same transaction number multiple times to place multiple alternative choices. If you change your mind afterwards and want to cancel perhaps the 10/2 to 11/5/2006... you simply go to the Add /Cancel a request screen where you will see all your pending requests, and then Click the Cancel button next to that request. It will leave your other searches intact.

Simple Rule.... Do Not Add any Check-out Dates. Only the dates you are willing to accept as a check-in for 7 nights.

Hope this helps... and as explained the new version will be more intuitive.

[travelSFO Member Find all posts View Profile Close travelSFO]

Sorry to be confused -- but are you referring to the new interface in your post above -- or, does the above post apply to the existing (old) interface?

I already changed my "check-in range..." today. I also noticed that the search date was changed to 4/21 (today) when I called in to do this. It seems I could have just made the change myself in that case?

[travelSFO Member Find all posts View Profile Close travelSFO]

Sorry to be confused -- but are you referring to the new interface in your post above -- or, does the above post apply to the existing (old) interface?

I already changed my "check-in range..." today. I also noticed that the search date was changed to 4/21 (today) when I called in to do this. It seems I could have just made the change myself in that case?

OK, I get it now -- it has ALWAYS been "check-in" dates for both old and new interface. Never set a check-out date for your range.

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

Sorry to be confused -- but are you referring to the new interface in your post above -- or, does the above post apply to the existing (old) interface?

I already changed my "check-in range..." today. I also noticed that the search date was changed to 4/21 (today) when I called in to do this. It seems I could have just made the change myself in that case?

TravelSFO - the above post refers to the current existing interface when you login. If you logged in and canceled your original request and replaced it with a new one... then the time-stamp would reflect the date you made those changes as the official day the request was placed.

Hope this helps.

[travelSFO Member Find all posts View Profile Close travelSFO]

TravelSFO - the above post refers to the current existing interface when you login. If you logged in and canceled your original request and replaced it with a new one... then the time-stamp would reflect the date you made those changes as the official day the request was placed.

Hope this helps.

That's the thing, Mark. I didn't log in and cancel my request. I specifically called in and had Eliza change/update the request to reflect the new dates.

When I logged in afterwards, I noticed the date for the request had been changed to 4/21 (today.)

Thus, I could have done this myself online by canceling my request and making a new request with the correct dates.

When I called in to have the rep update the request, shouldn't the request date remain the same? It was originally opened earlier in April.