Trying to exchange a timeshare.

ComplaintsCruises & ResortsRCI EXCHANGE COMPANY

Complaint

0
Janet
Country: United States
I have owned timeshare for over 30 years in a 5 star resort.  I tried to make an exchange to find that since RCI had gone to the 'point' system, I don't have enough points to make the exchange.  I was told that I had to pay my maintenance fees 2 years in advance.  So, I did that (not smart).
When I called RCI back, I found out that I still don't have enough 'points' and that I would have to give them two of my weeks for one week at the resort that I'm trying to exchange into.  However, they did say that they could get me a week 'in the area'  at a very good price!!  Wait a minute, if I am already paying a ridiculous price for maintenance fees in addtion to an exchange fee what would make them think I wanted to pay even more to rent a place.  Timeshare used to be a great thing for the working class until the big hotels and big business bought them up.  IF YOU'RE THINKING OF DOING IT, DON'T!!!  YOU CAN SAVE YOUR MONEY UNDER THE MATTRESS (NOT IN THE BANKS) and take a good vacation.

Comments

12Next
  • 0
    Kathleen M, RCI
    | 5 replies
    Hi Janet, we're sorry to hear of your frustration.  Hopefully this information will help.

    The enhancements that were made to the RCI Weeks program in November 2010 were designed to offer more value, flexibility, and choice for RCI subscribing members like yourself.  This includes now having the ability to combine deposits to increase the Deposit Trading Power you can use at one time and to receive any leftover Deposit Trading Power from an exchange in the form of a Deposit Credit in your account to use toward a future exchange.  The way that trading power is calculated has not changed - it is based on the same components, with supply, demand, and utilization having the biggest influence.  

    To be clear, RCI Weeks members have not been switched over to the RCI Points program.  Instead we are simply displaying trading power of weeks to make vacation planning easier.

    Also, just wanted to clarify that maintenance fees are paid to your resort, not to RCI, as RCI does not operate or sell timeshare.

    If you still have concerns about how these enhancements have impacted your RCI Weeks membership, we encourage you to email us at talktous@rci.com to continue this dialogue.  We'd be happy to answer any questions you have and get you started with a search for a great vacation.

    - Kathleen M.
    RCI Customer Care
    • 0
      sandy foster replies to Kathleen M, RCI
      | 2 replies
      what a crock.  No matter how you try to explain it.  RCI is stealing your timeshare and giving you crap in exchange.  I did this last year.  Not  only did it cost a ridiculous amount extra the facility was horrible.  Especially compared to mine.  I am quitting rci and just using my own timeshare.
      • 0
        BETTY HOLZWARTH replies to sandy foster
        Agreed.....we have been fedup for a long time and trying to get out of the timeshare scam altogether but once they have u it is difficult to get out of.  I hate the crooks!
      • 0
        Louise Lain replies to sandy foster
        Thanks for the warning! I too will then only use my timeshare! It is all a scam with hidden fees and the average family lose out while these Hotel chains and RCI laugh alll the way to rhe banks? CONSUMERS BEWARE!
    • 0
      Owen replies to Kathleen M, RCI
      Third paragraph below is flat out lie.  Not my first from this group.  Just called rci to exchange one of three slow studio wks i had deposited.  I was in the rci weeks program from Wyndham and now l'm told those three studio weeks are points to use like Wyndham.  You only get time for points, days or a week if you have deposited enough points.  Have taken 6 week vacations with rci prior to this.  Should have been told this when I deposited what i thought was three wks.!!!!!
    • 0
      Steve replies to Kathleen M, RCI
      Why is it that when I try to book a place in the keys a pop up tells me that I can combine 2 weeks and then it is possible something may be available.  Why can't someone tell me first?
  • 0
    sam
    | 1 reply
    In October 2010, my wife and I banked our week at at 5-star resort in hopes of exchanging for a week at Disney.  Within one week, we received a call from RCI stating that we could go to Disney's Old Key West resort.  Unfortunately, we were not able to travel during the week that was offered so we declined but RCI continued to search for us.  A few months later, we were offered the same resort but at a time that did not work for us again.  After over a year of waiting, I checked the RCI website to find that Disney resorts are available in early January (when we want to go).  We contacted RCI to inquire about this and are now being told that we don't have enough exchange value for ANY Disney resorts.  The rude customer service reps claim that there is absolutely no possible way that our banked week will ever qualify for an exchange to Disney.  When we informed them that we have twice been offered Disney resorts (but had to decline because of scheduling issues), we were called liars!  The reps claim there is no record of any offers and that we are mistaken!  RCI has apparently made recent clandestine "enhancements" to their Weeks Exchange program and will not own up to their misgivings.  We have been waiting for the opportunity to take our children to Disney for more than a year and are now being told by RCI that we've wasted our time.  Therefore, we will no longer waste any $$$$ on RCI.  If you're reading this, you shouldn't either.  RCI is shady at best.  Save your money and plan your own vacations.  Something smells at RCI!!!!
    • 0
      sandy foster replies to sam
      and disneys old key west sucks.  that is where we last year. it cost us an extra 500$ to get a half way decent room there.
  • 0
    sam
    In October 2010, my wife and I banked our week at at 5-star resort in hopes of exchanging for a week at Disney.  Within one week, we received a call from RCI stating that we could go to Disney's Old Key West resort.  Unfortunately, we were not able to travel during the week that was offered so we declined but RCI continued to search for us.  A few months later, we were offered the same resort but at a time that did not work for us again.  After over a year of waiting, I checked the RCI website to find that Disney resorts are available in early January (when we want to go).  We contacted RCI to inquire about this and are now being told that we don't have enough exchange value for ANY Disney resorts.  The rude customer service reps claim that there is absolutely no possible way that our banked week will ever qualify for an exchange to Disney.  When we informed them that we have twice been offered Disney resorts (but had to decline because of scheduling issues), we were called liars!  The reps claim there is no record of any offers and that we are mistaken!  RCI has apparently made recent clandestine "enhancements" to their Weeks Exchange program and will not own up to their misgivings.  We have been waiting for the opportunity to take our children to Disney for more than a year and are now being told by RCI that we've wasted our time.  Therefore, we will no longer waste any $$$$ on RCI.  If you're reading this, you shouldn't either.  RCI is shady at best.  Save your money and plan your own vacations.  Something smells at RCI!!!!
  • 0
    pook
    | 1 reply
    My husband and I have owned at Fairfield/Wyndham for over 15 years.  Last year we banked 28,000 points into RCI from Wyndham and were able to get a 2 bedroom unit in Galveston, Texas, for my daughter and her family in August.  Since then, RCI has "enhanced" their exchange program.  Now the very same unit I booked for 28,000 points I have to give 224,000 points for!  Some enhancement!!!! This is a total ripoff, and if I can find any class action suits started against RCI over this, I will be the first to sign up.
    • 0
      sandy foster replies to pook
      You and I both!!!!
  • 0
    Fred
    | 2 replies
    Seems like I'm looking in a mirror.  We too have been Wyndham members for fifteen years (1997).  I fail to see how they can change the rules to something I have been using for 15 years. I have been waiting for months to see a class action suit come from this.  I check the internet often.  If you hear of a suit please let me know, and I have many friends that are waiting too.  I can be reached a wfd1431@yahoo.com.  Thanks
    • 0
      Teresa replies to Fred
      Add me to the lawsuit
      Tmckayathome@verizon.net
      Thanks!
    • 0
      Owen replies to Fred
      Doesn't seem legal to do but seems that is just what they did.   I just found out my three studio wks deposited with rci were now points that could be used to exchange for a few days, number depending on resort possibly a wk in some resort.
  • 0
    Denise
    So I am not the only one very upset with the changes at RCI.  We have been using RCI for 20 years.  I started noticing about 6 years ago that I was having great difficulty getting into any resorts I wanted when I wanted and then they made the trading power changes, which now my weeks are not worth anything.  I can no longer go anywhere outside of the US or near any type of water, lakes, oceans, or rivers.  I also can no longer get anything bigger then a hotel, because that is what we have.  We only get a week every other year and I have two weeks banked and one in limbo.  One of the banked weeks is going to expire, but unless I want to go to some backwoods place I am going to lose it.  Now the RUDE RCI person did tell me that I could combine my weeks for 400.00, plus another 199.00 and get somewhere nice for one week, but still staying in a hotel.  I could upgrade for a fee.  So if I total my maintenance fees of 689.99 by 3 and then add the 400.00 plus the 199.00 and the fee, I could go anywhere in the world without RCI, so what is the point!!!!!!!!.  When we signed up with RCI this is not what we signed up for and I do not understand how they can change everything in the middle of a paid contract.  I also would like to join a class action suit.  Please contact grzwld@gmail.com.  My parents have two very expensive timeshares and are in the same place, so thats two more people for a suit. Thanks. Plus whatever that Kathleen lady from RCI is saying above is bull****.  They are not enhancements, nor are they helpful.
  • 0
    mona
    my friend offered me one week from her time share in florida, unfortunatly the flight tickets were 2 days earlier than the the stsrt of the booked week,I asked to change the date, but according to RCI policy they refused.I asked if they can suggest a motel near the resort to pass the 2 extra-days (bigggggggggggg mistake), the responsible person wasn't precise in his reply and offered me to pass this period in the same resort and asked for 290$ to book fthe same unit for this period, after that I discovered that he booked one extra week from the time share of my friend and he appologized that the fees wasn't 290$,as he asked me to pay, but 253$.....(no comment). now I am like someone violating other person (my friend )time share...it seems that the only solution for me is to cancel this week and to  forget about the 290$ or the 253$ (I don't know) and to book a motel for  the 2 extra days.....Waste of money....I think that RCI must be more strict about the working personels
  • 0
    scooke
    Please let me know if there is an ongoing class action law suit against RCI for downgrading the value of my Fairfield/Wyndham points. Being able to deposit points with RCI and "leverage" my trading power was a selling feature of the Fairfield points when I purchased them in 1999.  If they were going to change the rules in the middle of the game, they should have at least "grandfathered in" existing owners. Now I need to deposit more than double the amount of points to trade with RCI which means my points have lost their value. And I believe the trading ability of points deposited has also declined.  I was previously able to deposit 28000 points for a blue week studio and trade up for a two bedroom unit in Hawaii. Last year I allowed my final remaining 28000pt deposit to expire because I could not get anything I wanted during the time I wanted to travel. I let it expire because I refused to pay to extend it further, only to find that I can't trade for a location that I want.
  • 0
    canada
    I also bought at about the same time with Fairfield (1999) .. I have "floating points" of 105000 that are too low for most Wyndham bookings and have no exchange power on RCI anymore.  Of course when I made the purchase, I was told I could get a week anywhere in the world... no longer true so yes, how can they  not grandfather in the existing owners.  And if they can't. how can the make it virtually impossible to get out of your time share.  Has anyone had success cancelling?
  • 0
    hmmm......I smell another lawsuit??
    | 1 reply
    I should have known it was too good to be true these last two years.  To have finally found resorts in my area open up, that I could exchange into.  Finally, I thought, I am actually enjoying the timeshare for two vacations a year, as I believed was due to me considering the membership fees to RCI that I paid for.  Especially, after enduring NEVER being able to exchange into anything in the 5 years prior of owning a weeks timeshare (redweek gold crown).  When I became frustrated today, after checking daily for exchanges for months and finding nothing, I began to do research.  

    What I didnt know was that the Weeks lawsuit that settled a few years back rectified the issue of RCI cheating week members out of their exchanges.  They were cheating us by renting out weeks that should have been open up for exchange.    The settlement read that RCI had to give all weeks members a 31 day period.  This period allowed the exchanging into new weeks available before they were turned into the rental market.  Well, the lawsuit settlement was a CROCK!!!!!  It allowed RCI to go back to their original deceitful tactics after only 2 YEARS!  ??????  

    Where does that leave me now???  

    What the Hell am I paying RCI for???  and I just renewed my contract with them for two years and deposited my 2013 weeks 2 months ago.  Shame on me for not being in the Know.......  This bites.
    • 0
      Same here.  lawsuit was settled without admitting guilt.  They settled to avoid a worse scenario (my opinion)
12Next

Post a new comment