Exchange companies.

No, she will not be forced to deal with II or any exchange company if your mother uses her (chosen float) week every year. I would recommend that she choose her week well in advance of her travel date to get the best inventory at her resort.

There are millions of timeshare owners that do not belong to any exchange company since they use their week(s) each and every year. The free membership to II was merely a perk for your mother for buying at the resort.

jaimied3 wrote:

My mother just bought a timeshare in Dominican Republic but we are new to how this whole process works. They said we get a year of II for free but are we forced to deal with them? She evidently has a floating week so each time she wants to book she has to call the resort to be assigned a week. It all just sounds like trouble to me.

jaimied3 wrote:

My mother just bought a timeshare in Dominican Republic but we are new to how this whole process works. They said we get a year of II for free but are we forced to deal with them? She evidently has a floating week so each time she wants to book she has to call the resort to be assigned a week. It all just sounds like trouble to me.

=======================================

We had same free first year in 2005 when we rebought at our old resort! There are other companies she could join that are smaller and no she doesn't have to belong to II. How ever she should sit back and enjoy first year free and learn about it before leaving. Some resorts work with II and Rci but remember II has Five Star and some other timeshares within their system.

Unless she is one of these people that bought to try and rent she should learn more about II and IMHO II is the best of the group and when you trade you get better unit(5 star) resorts.

We always pick weeks we want to enjoy our resort and don't worry about what someone else wants. This way you can always go to your resort and if you trade its really not going to matter what week you have unless its just one of the few bad times at your resort.

Families do vacation all times of the year so trading your unit should never be a problem with II,not saying you will get your first choice every year though!

One last thing about II and we use this any time we ever made trade when we owned few years ago is request first! If you do not get what you want then you can keep your resort. This is why we always pick weeks we want at our resort.

This is first year we might trade since rebuying our unit. We did request first for Hawaii and if we do not get what resorts we listed we will be on Lake Tahoe for firework show in 2008.

Getting your week is no big deal! You get a form from your resort to list three choices of weeks you want or can call your resort to request your weeks.

At our resort we pick 23 months early and if you want top week you need to do it. We take fourth of July week alot because we love the fireworks show on the lake!

Tell mother to slow down and just read and learn before deciding her next move. I would think if she spent good money to buy top resort she wants full use from ownership and this includes trading.

Good Luck! PHIL

There are more benefits from some exchange companies. I use II. They will advertise bargain weeks when there is excess inventory. If your Mom is retired, as I am, she may be able to travel at about any time for these specials.

C.

vlahos wrote:

i will "not" bank my weeks with "RCI"anymore. NO MORE! they can not get me anything that i want. SO I JUST LOSS THE WEEK ANY WAY. i rather rent it out at a lost, then do business with RCI again. also, i asked for a refund, to be put back into my bank account, for an exchange that they could not do. which they did not do. stating it had to stay in my rci account.

It's funny how the only people who hate RCI just simply didn't take the time to learn the program. I mean c'mon ya dump thousands into something atleast try and understand it so it will work for you!! I have had RCI a long time and loved every exchange!!

jeffw129,

That's a very good point. Some of the details can be confusing at first. In fact, if you chat up the younger guys at the pool, you can learn a lot about making the system work for you.

This is a paper chase. So you have to learn the details, and just throw paper at the exchange companies. My husband and I have found some wonderful places with the exchanges, places that we would not have chosen just from a list.

We bought our home resort because we went there on our annual anniversary trip, to the main hotel, that is. We went to the get-some-goodies-for-free session. Suddenly I found myself signing the paperwork.

When I asked my husband why we bought the timeshare, he said, "I finally found a place where my wife didn't complain about something for a whole week. I wanted to buy some of that." We have gone there for our anniversary trip every year since then, and used the lock off to go to other resorts.

C.

I laughed out loud at your statement below ... it was priceless :o). Kudos to your wife (and you) for enjoying her home resort each year. That was a fantastic gift to her.

This is one of the reasons vacations are so important whether or not you own or rent.

carries25 wrote:

"I finally found a place where my wife didn't complain about something for a whole week. I wanted to buy some of that."C.

Hey, jayjay,

I am the cute little wife. He said that to me. He would never insult me by denigrating me to my back. Also, we both paid for it, since we're married and everything is joint.

What's really a laugh is when someone (it's always a woman) compliments my jewelry. That's when I say, "It was a gift from my husband." Financially speaking, half of it was. But the woman's eyes widen, and they treat my husband with new respect. He loves it.

C.

Has anybody had problems exchanging their home resort for another location with RCI ? Back in Oct 2006 we have been trying to exchange our week to Aruba for April 2008.

RCI says they are unable to do so. Nothing is avaiable.

Aruba is a very popular destination and April is a very popular month for vacationers, however if you deposited your week in October 2006 and have been looking for an Aruba exchange for April 2008, then there must be an issue with your home resort's trading power. Where do you own and what week?

froliger wrote:

Has anybody had problems exchanging their home resort for another location with RCI ? Back in Oct 2006 we have been trying to exchange our week to Aruba for April 2008.

RCI says they are unable to do so. Nothing is avaiable.

Hi everyone,

It is my understanding that it would be a rare thing for people to bank their weeks that far in advance. Most people are waiting until the last 3 months or so.

If it is rare that people bank that early then there isn't going to be anything in the system to exchange. usually things start showing up at the 9 to 10 month mark, so if the search is looking for something more than a year out, it is too early to be getting many if any exchanges.

As the time gets short the selection will get much better. Still, since you banked so far in advance, you will be given a high priority as far as what is offered to you.

I did the same thing for an Hawiain exchange and heard little until about 9 months before. Some people I met bank every year and keep refusing what RCI offers them until the last minute to get the best gold crown resorts. They say it works everytime.

Jeff

For the timeshare educated, the opposite of what you say is the norm. For people wanting the best exchanges they need to deposit as far in advance as possible and start a search.

Depositing and searching closer to your travel date means a much lesser chance that you will get what you want, especially for very popular destinations and/or seasons.

jeffr92 wrote:

Hi everyone,

It is my understanding that it would be a rare thing for people to bank their weeks that far in advance. Most people are waiting until the last 3 months or so. Jeff

Jay Jay,

Once again I didnt make myself clear, I guess.

I didn't mean bank AND exchange close to the time of travel. Yes, by all means bank as early as you can but you will be one of only a small percentage who do. So, don't expect results too early.

You will be given better trades because of banking so early but don't be surprised if you don't hear anything back until the 9 month mark before your travel date.

The other comment I made was that the selection offered you will improve as the time gets closer (not necessarily just weeks before) say 3 months or so.

Or maybe I didn't understand you. Jeff

jayjay For the timeshare educated, the opposite of what you say is the norm. For people wanting the best exchanges they need to deposit as far in advance as possible and start a search.

Depositing and searching closer to your travel date means a much lesser chance that you will get what you want, especially for very popular destinations and/or seasons.

jeffr92 wrote:

Hi everyone,

It is my understanding that it would be a rare thing for people to bank their weeks that far in advance. Most people are waiting until the last 3 months or so.

If it is rare that people bank that early then there isn't going to be anything in the system to exchange. usually things start showing up at the 9 to 10 month mark, so if the search is looking for something more than a year out, it is too early to be getting many if any exchanges.

As the time gets short the selection will get much better. Still, since you banked so far in advance, you will be given a high priority as far as what is offered to you.

I did the same thing for an Hawiain exchange and heard little until about 9 months before. Some people I met bank every year and keep refusing what RCI offers them until the last minute to get the best gold crown resorts. They say it works everytime.

Jeff

I agree completely with your statement. We did a search for Kona 2 years out. We heard from rci in Oct. but not a gold crown resort. Decided to wait and finally heard from rci in Dec. of 2006 and comfirmed a gold crown resort in kona- 2bedroom. Even though we did a 2 year search we didn't comfirm until 8 months out.

So what do you guys think happened here? Did the Hawaii Gold Crown week come available finally (for the first time in 2 years)?

Or did the cost (trading power) of an existing deposited Hawaii week get reduced by aging to a point where rachelo3's earlier deposit now was enough to "buy" it?

Or did RCI just give up trying to persuade rachelo3 to take the lesser valued week?

or??

With an area as popular as Hawaii, your deposit of 2 years out was more than likely the key that helped you snag a 2 bedroom, gold crown 8 months before departure. Had you waited and deposited 8 months out, you more than likely would not have gotten this exchange at all, but by depositing 2 years out you were at the head of the line 8 months out.

You did the right thing by depositing 2 years out (for Hawaii), even though you had a long wait for a gold crown confirmation. Congrats .....

Also, it depends on what resort and week you deposited and it's trading power. Trading power is the key, especially for very popular areas such as Hawaii.

rachelo3 wrote:

Jeff, I agree completely with your statement. We did a search for Kona 2 years out. We heard from rci in Oct. but not a gold crown resort. Decided to wait and finally heard from rci in Dec. of 2006 and comfirmed a gold crown resort in kona- 2bedroom. Even though we did a 2 year search we didn't comfirm until 8 months out.

jayjay wrote:

With an area as popular as Hawaii, your deposit of 2 years out was more than likely the key that helped you snag a 2 bedroom, gold crown 8 months before departure. Had you waited and deposited 8 months out, you more than likely would not have gotten this exchange at all, but by depositing 2 years out you were at the head of the line 8 months out.

You did the right thing by depositing 2 years out (for Hawaii), even though you had a long wait for a gold crown confirmation. Congrats .....

Also, it depends on what resort and week you deposited and it's trading power. Trading power is the key, especially for very popular areas such as Hawaii.

rachelo3 wrote:

Jeff, I agree completely with your statement. We did a search for Kona 2 years out. We heard from rci in Oct. but not a gold crown resort. Decided to wait and finally heard from rci in Dec. of 2006 and comfirmed a gold crown resort in kona- 2bedroom. Even though we did a 2 year search we didn't comfirm until 8 months out.

Can you explain in quantifiable terms how RCI measures and applies your(anyones) "trading power"?

bryanw21 wrote:

jayjay wrote:

With an area as popular as Hawaii, your deposit of 2 years out was more than likely the key that helped you snag a 2 bedroom, gold crown 8 months before departure. Had you waited and deposited 8 months out, you more than likely would not have gotten this exchange at all, but by depositing 2 years out you were at the head of the line 8 months out.

You did the right thing by depositing 2 years out (for Hawaii), even though you had a long wait for a gold crown confirmation. Congrats .....

Also, it depends on what resort and week you deposited and it's trading power. Trading power is the key, especially for very popular areas such as Hawaii.

rachelo3 wrote:

Jeff, I agree completely with your statement. We did a search for Kona 2 years out. We heard from rci in Oct. but not a gold crown resort. Decided to wait and finally heard from rci in Dec. of 2006 and comfirmed a gold crown resort in kona- 2bedroom. Even though we did a 2 year search we didn't comfirm until 8 months out.

Can you explain in quantifiable terms how RCI measures and applies your(anyones) "trading power"?

I am a TS moron, so I will explain how I see this concept. RCI uses your unit as a bargaining chip. If everyone wants it, they will be happy to trade it for the unit you seek. If few people want it, it is hard to use as a trade.

For example, if you offer a diamond and want to trade for an amethyst, they should have no trouble making the trade. On the other hand, if you have an amethyst, it may not be easy to find someone willing to trade their diamond for it. Thus, if you buy a gemstone looking to trade, it may be better to buy a diamond than an amethyst.

However, there are always morons like me who like amethysts more than diamonds.

How'm I doin'? Anyone care to educate me?

O.

Great explanation Carries! Trading power is all about supply and demand.

carries25 wrote:

I am a TS moron, so I will explain how I see this concept. RCI uses your unit as a bargaining chip. If everyone wants it, they will be happy to trade it for the unit you seek. If few people want it, it is hard to use as a trade.

For example, if you offer a diamond and want to trade for an amethyst, they should have no trouble making the trade. On the other hand, if you have an amethyst, it may not be easy to find someone willing to trade their diamond for it. Thus, if you buy a gemstone looking to trade, it may be better to buy a diamond than an amethyst.

However, there are always morons like me who like amethysts more than diamonds.

How'm I doin'? Anyone care to educate me?

O.

jayjay wrote:

Great explanation Carries! Trading power is all about supply and demand.

carries25 wrote:

I am a TS moron, so I will explain how I see this concept. RCI uses your unit as a bargaining chip. If everyone wants it, they will be happy to trade it for the unit you seek. If few people want it, it is hard to use as a trade.

For example, if you offer a diamond and want to trade for an amethyst, they should have no trouble making the trade. On the other hand, if you have an amethyst, it may not be easy to find someone willing to trade their diamond for it. Thus, if you buy a gemstone looking to trade, it may be better to buy a diamond than an amethyst.

However, there are always morons like me who like amethysts more than diamonds.

How'm I doin'? Anyone care to educate me?

O.

The way I understand RCI to work is this. EVERY unit whether at a Points Resort or a Weeks Resort has a point value. The entries for Points Resorts in the RCI directory will break down the points for size and week. There is a chart used to convert Weeks Resorts to Points. For example a 2-bedroom Red Week in New Hampshire is 42,000 points. My assumption (though it may be wrong) is that if I deposit my NH Red week and want a 2-bedroom in prime location at a prime time, I won't get it. Since I own at a Points Resort, I can convert my NH week and add the 42,000 points to my account. In this manner I see exactly what I am getting.

Mike, you are indeed correct. Points are a more accurate guage of trading power than weeks, since you know exactly how many points it will take to secure whatever type accomodation you are looking for at a certain resort.

Your explanation was right on the mark. If we ever get back into timesharing it will be a points program, since it is the fairest and most accurate judge of trading power.

mike1536 wrote:

The way I understand RCI to work is this. EVERY unit whether at a Points Resort or a Weeks Resort has a point value. The entries for Points Resorts in the RCI directory will break down the points for size and week. There is a chart used to convert Weeks Resorts to Points. For example a 2-bedroom Red Week in New Hampshire is 42,000 points. My assumption (though it may be wrong) is that if I deposit my NH Red week and want a 2-bedroom in prime location at a prime time, I won't get it. Since I own at a Points Resort, I can convert my NH week and add the 42,000 points to my account. In this manner I see exactly what I am getting.