Buying a points timeshare

I own two weeks in a timeshare that doesnt have points. When I deposit them in RCI I have been having a lot of difficulty getting weeks I want because it is a week timeshare and RCI does a lot more with points timeshares. I was told that if I bought a points timeshare (even on resale which I can get cheaply) I could then deposit that week with RCI and my other two week timeshares could become points timeshares also. It would be great if it worked as I would have a lot of points to use each year. However if it doesnt work that way I will be stuck for maintenance every year on a new time share. Has anyone had any experience doing this?

arlynn1 wrote:

I own two weeks in a timeshare that doesnt have points. When I deposit them in RCI I have been having a lot of difficulty getting weeks I want because it is a week timeshare and RCI does a lot more with points timeshares. I was told that if I bought a points timeshare (even on resale which I can get cheaply) I could then deposit that week with RCI and my other two week timeshares could become points timeshares also. It would be great if it worked as I would have a lot of points to use each year. However if it doesnt work that way I will be stuck for maintenance every year on a new time share. Has anyone had any experience doing this?

Your difficulty in exchanging is likely due far more to the increasing tendency of RCi to engage in "direct rentals" of deposits than to anything having to do with RCI Points...

It is true that if you had a RCI Points ownership, in addition to your exisiting "weeks" ownership, you could deposit your "weeks" as "Points for Deposit" into your "new" Points account. However, doing so does NOT particularly or necessarily enhace your odds of going where you want, when you want via "exchange". Do you really want to take on an additional annual maintenance fee just for the uncertain "maybe" of being able to do better under "Points for Deposit" than under a straight weeks deposit??

I know I sure wouldn't, for whatever that's worth...

Thank you for your response. I cant believe they are still pulling that s--- considering they are in the middle of settling a class action suit for just the same reason. The reason I thought I would do better with points was that a few years ago I did very well with RCI re: exchanges but that has changed drastically. I belong to II also and always seem to get good exchanges with them.

arlynn1 wrote:

I cant believe they are still pulling that s--- considering they are in the middle of settling a class action suit for just the same reason.

I'm no fan of RCI (...that's putting it mildly), but RCI does what they do because they CAN --- lawfully. People who choose to deposit with RCI relinquish any and all control over their deposit --- with absolutely no guarantee of any kind that they will EVER be offered anything of comparable value in return. It's a roll of the dice, with a mandatory $189 being paid to RCI for each individual roll of those dice. Plain and simple. As far as Murillo vs. RCI goes (the class action law suit to which you made reference), RCI is no longer "in the middle" of that. The case is OVER (as of a few weeks ago) with a pretty clear victory for RCI. RCI will make some very minor, petty, insignificant "changes" to their practices regarding handling of deposits (...for ONLY 36 months, by the way) after which time it will be "right straight back to business as usual" for RCI.

In my opinion, people need to face reality (even if belatedly) and start wrapping their heads around the fact that RCI, by it its' very own words and its' very own self-description in relatively recent press releases, is very clearly now a "rental and exchange company". It is NOT just a mere coincidence that RCI lists the word "rental" FIRST!!

P.S. Interval International is not lily white either, but II at least has a "search BEFORE deposit" option, unlike the "deposit, pay --- then hope and pray" mandatory RCI procedure, with NO other choice or option.