RCI REPS

Hi, Has anyone noticed that when you speak to an RCI Rep most of them are in another country? What is going on..................we can't speak to some one in America!!!! Some times I can just about understand them. I have noticed that it's only during the day, if you call at night, (Eastern) you can speak to someone in the states. pet/cat

pgolfer47 wrote:

Hi, Has anyone noticed that when you speak to an RCI Rep most of them are in another country? What is going on..................we can't speak to some one in America!!!! Some times I can just about understand them. I have noticed that it's only during the day, if you call at night, (Eastern) you can speak to someone in the states. pet/cat

Actually, I don't believe it has much (if anything) to do with time of day, but rather with the routing and distribution of incoming call load. RCI has call centers in Indiana, Canada, Mexico --- maybe other locations too (I don't claim to know the location of each and every one). Since daytime always represents the heaviest incoming call load, this is also when a call is most likely to be "re-routed" to an alternate call center.

The good news is that the level of actual knowledge and correct information offered by RCI "vacation guides" is quite consistent. By consistent, I mean very low, inadequate, and generally unacceptable --- regardless of where your call may get routed! You can call RCI three times in a row, ask the same question each time of three different VC's and get three entirely different answers (and none of them are necessarily correct). Getting three different accents too is just a cultural bonus. Welcome to RCI!

My mom was swindled out of 22k with promises from RCI of easy viable vacations and low stress when it comes to vacation and booking

what a crock! I learned of the class action lawsuit only after it has settled and it seems to benefit the lawyers but not the timeshare holder who were swindled.

My MOM has 130000 points and 3 weeks which means nothing since she cant uses them for any real. Their are so many loopholes and "special rules" the little saving is not worth the frustration.

is there any way to navigate this system? She is 78 and I now do all her bidding for her. I have just started delaing with this and am already tired of putting on hipboots (to wade through the you know what) everytime I speak with someone (and it is never jsut one person) at RCI

stevet216 wrote:

My mom was swindled out of 22k with promises from RCI of easy viable vacations and low stress when it comes to vacation and booking

what a crock! I learned of the class action lawsuit only after it has settled and it seems to benefit the lawyers but not the timeshare holder who were swindled.

My MOM has 130000 points and 3 weeks which means nothing since she cant uses them for any real. Their are so many loopholes and "special rules" the little saving is not worth the frustration.

is there any way to navigate this system? She is 78 and I now do all her bidding for her. I have just started delaing with this and am already tired of putting on hipboots (to wade through the you know what) everytime I speak with someone (and it is never jsut one person) at RCI

Whoa, now...

With due respect (and I have NO use whatsoever for RCI), you should first understand that it was NOT RCI who initially sold this RCI Points product to your mother in the first place. RCI doesn't sell the packages to anyone, anywhere, at any time --- RCI merely processes USAGE requests of weeks and points which were purchased elsewhere.

Your mother's RCI Points product, whatever / wherever it may be, is directly associated with a specific, underlying resort and specific underlying weeks. Your mother has GUARANTEED access and usage to THOSE underlying deeded weeks associated with those points (with adequate advance reservation, more specifically, it's 10-13 months in advance to reserve and confirm intended future use).

However, if you and / or your mother are looking to use those points ELSEWHERE (i.e., other than where the points are actually based in the first place), then it becomes an entirely different story. You are then looking to gain access to something OTHER THAN what you actually own, so it then promptly becomes a "take a number and get in line with everyone else" process, with absolutely no guarantee of successful results. That's true for anyone and everyone using RCI to try to access something OTHER THAN than what they actually OWN.

Finally, it is also clear that you completely misunderstand the actual nature of the class action lawsuit filed against RCI (which, by the way, is certainly NOT anywhere NEAR settled yet and is still VERY actively still in progres in Federal Court in NJ). That lawsuit relates specifically and only to the practice of RCI renting out prime weeks deposited by RCI "Weeks" members. It has NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with RCI Points at all.

No disrespect intended, but I really think you need to "study up" on the facts and the nature and the details and the reservation procedures regarding use of those 130k RCI points. As already stated, those points are directly associated, by deed, with a specific resort and specific weeks. You'd be well advised to try to learn the procedures by which to better utilize them --- or maybe instead consider trying to sell the product off and just wash your / her hands of it entirely.

Good luck, in any case.

Yeah-- thanks lots for the condemnation under the guise of "no disrespect intended". Do you work for these people? Or maybe an ackowledgment of the way it works would be an admission that time shares really are not such a good idea-at least with RCI.

It seems you just accept that this is the way that RCI conducts itself. True I am "green" to the process of the whole convolution that is the "time share industry". A quick study, and one that I need to do more research on does lend itself very quickly to the fact that all these "rules","conditions" and "special issues" keep the time share holders from using what it seems cost alot of money for so little in return.

I do not own a time share for just what seems to be the "real deal" ----alot of money spent with alot of promises made with no real value. I do not misunderstand that I have called RCI several times and the terms of the contract for which she paid for are not being honored. I just thought someone might have some REAL insight. You do not.

I gave you completely accurate facts and observations, based upon my own 26+ years of timeshare ownership, experience and knowledge. That experience has specifically included numerous years of a RCI Points ownership. I regret that you have somehow chosen to receive my experienced, well informed input and the pertinent, unvarnished truth with so remarkably little tact, grace or any basic courtesy. Perhaps you'll get a response which you will like better from someone else but, unfortunately and unavoidably, the facts will still remain the facts...

As very clearly stated already, I openly despise RCI. I no longer ever use them and I most certainly do not "work for them". I was merely trying to help you comprehend the nature and details and use of underlying deeded weeks associated with any and every RCI Points ownership. Given your unwarranted hostility, I now regret having ever even bothered to take the time to respond and try to help you at all.

While I have only contempt for RCI, it's quite simply NOT RCI's fault or responsibility that any RCI member is unable to somehow magically acquire use of something OTHER THAN (or better than) the week(s) they actually own. The ONLY guarantee of usage under RCI Points is that of the specific, underlying deeded week at the "home" resort --- and even then only when reserved 10-13 months in advance of the week number clearly specified within the actual underlying deed.

Anyway, you're certainly very welcome. Best of luck to you.

stevet216 wrote:

I do not own a time share for just what seems to be the "real deal" ----alot of money spent with alot of promises made with no real value. I do not misunderstand that I have called RCI several times and the terms of the contract for which she paid for are not being honored. I just thought someone might have some REAL insight. You do not.

RCI didn't promise you anything ... developer salespeople spout that you can exchange your timeshare or use your points for any resort in the RCI Wishbook, which is an out an out LIE. Exchange opportunities are all about supply and demand of a given resort in a given time period .... if you don't have the trade power to pull a resort in high demand in high season or there is no availibility then that's not RCI's fault .... you should be pointing your anger at the people who sold you the timeshare or points in the first place.

stevet216 wrote:

My MOM has 130000 points and 3 weeks which means nothing since she cant uses them for any real. Their are so many loopholes and "special rules" the little saving is not worth the frustration.

is there any way to navigate this system? She is 78 and I now do all her bidding for her. I have just started delaing with this and am already tired of putting on hipboots (to wade through the you know what) everytime I speak with someone (and it is never jsut one person) at RCI

Flexibility and early deposits/reservations are the keys to successful exchanges ... timesharing is not for the person that waits until the last minute to book an exchange, especially in desirable hard to get locations.

And flexibility is key by choosing several different locations/times and not just concentrating on one location and time. I assume your mother is retired and can travel at any time, therefore flexibility should work in her situation.

stevet216 wrote:

My MOM has 130000 points and 3 weeks which means nothing since she cant uses them for any real. Their are so many loopholes and "special rules" the little saving is not worth the frustration.

is there any way to navigate this system? She is 78 and I now do all her bidding for her. I have just started delaing with this and am already tired of putting on hipboots (to wade through the you know what) everytime I speak with someone (and it is never jsut one person) at RCI

130K points is a lot of Points in the RCI system, but yes you do have to go through the hassle of the online searches, etc. Over the past two years, we were able to take vactions to Palm Springs, CA and St. Maarten; and send my daughters and their friends to Aruba for 5-6 nights.

It does offer a lot of options. If you are flexible and are willing to travel on short notice in the off season, you can find some great deals for a weeks vacation for 9000 points or less. There are ways to use your points towards hotel and airfare costs, but this is usually not the most economical use of the points

At what resort or resorts does you mom own the three weeks? Will she enjoy just staying at the resort where she owns? If so, then she can drop out of RCI Points after three years and just use her home resorts.

While I might not know all the nuances of RCI Points, I’ve been involved for a while, so if you have any specific questions, I may be able to help you “wade through the you know what” without getting your hipboots too messy :).

Also sign on to the TUG Forum www.tugbbs.com. There are plenty of other owners who share your frustration and can also help with you and your mom make the best use of the timeshares.