Post reply

Re: How can I rent a timeshare? (by David E.):

jennie wrote:

davide81 wrote:

Jennie,

I just read your piece about RCI and I.I. and their reluctance to allow owners of timeshares to rent weeks "banked" with them. I found it very thorough and informative and I thank you for it. I have a dilemma and I need your advice.

I have had two weeks banked in the last two years with RCI. One was for a search for Hawaii and the other was a search for Snoeshow Mountains resort, each resulted in no results and we were just told last week that we have until the end of november of this year to use the two weeks or we loose them. I was going to rent them on either "redweek" or "timesharesonly", but from your piece it looks as though that will not be possible. What are my obtions and what do you think about timesharesonly compared to other rental or resale sites?

Thanks,

David E.

Hi David, Try to spend some time reading the bulletin boards (BBS) and Forums at the Timeshare Users Group (TUG) www.tug2.net. There is a great deal of free information there about many aspects of timesharing. Look for the "stickys" at the top of each BBS/forum, as they contain a lot of FAQ-type (frequently asked questions) info.

If you care to share more detailed info here or at TUG, some of us experienced ts owners may be able to offer opinions as to how likely you are to be offered the exchanges you are requesting. By space-banking (depositing) your weeks early, you have theoretically increased the trading power of your weeks. But the quality of your resort, size of your unit, season, and general demand for the resort play a large role in the process. Also, if your weeks do not have super trading power, you have a better chance of receiving your requested exchanges if you are willing to accept weeks that are somewhat off-season for the area. If you are seeking time during major holidays or summer vacation, it may never happen.

Consider doing your own on-line searches at RCI's web site. There is a "science" to it that is often times discussed in detail at TUG.

If you are trying to accomplish a "tough trade," you are more likely to be offered something within 90 days of the check-in date. I don't know if that would be acceptable to you, especially if you need to buy airline tickets.

There is no way to rent out any exchanges you may receive from RCI. Just hope that they can provide an exchange that you or family members or close friends can use. You may have to change your requests.

Look at the rental ads for your resort (and the week or season you own) at Redweek.com or TUG www.tug2.net or MyResortNetwork.com . If you see that people are successfully renting weeks similar to what you own, then consider renting your weeks in the future and then renting what you want directly from another owner. I've been doing that a lot over the past few years.

One last thing to keep in mind is that you can extend the expiration date of the weeks you have banked with RCI by--you guessed it--paying addiitional fees. Call and ask about it, or see if the info is on their web site. It used to cost about $39. to extend it for six months. I'm sure it's gone up considerably. About 6 months ago they called and offered a friend of mine the opportunity to extend the expiration date and told her that if she did so and they could not find an acceptable week, they would refund her extension fee. I have no idea if that offer still stands, or whether it was even a legitimate offer to begin with. Ask for it in writing, or at least ask to speak to a supervisor to confirm info like this. There have been reports of RCI "vacation counselors" making all kinds of bogus promises just to get you to part with some more of your hard earned money.

If you give us info about what weeks you have deposited with RCI, and what you are seeking, we may be able to offer some helpful suggestions.

Consider using Trading Places (a smaller independent exchange company) for future trades, especially to Hawaii. If the week you own has sufficient trading value, the San Francisco Exchange Company may accept it and give you 2 for 1 trades. They have a lot of inventory in Hawaii and the west coast of the U.S. and Mexico. But they are very "picky" about what they will accept--only top quality resorts. But if they accept your week, you will get an equally high quality week (or 2) in exchange.