Compulsory use of RCI if a points member

[karibkeith]

Among the many things not discussed when you buy is having to use RCI even for your home resort and home group. I was dismayed to find out that if I want to book a week at my home resort that I have to go through RCI. That way they get their pound of flesh. I want the week to be able to bank it with a non-RCI group. When inquiring as to the procedure for getting a reservation at my home resort, I also asked what would happen if I terminated my membership with RCI points. I did not get an answer so I am appealing to this bulletin board for some enlightenment. If I terminate my RCI points membership, can I deal directly with my resort to get a week there? How about getting a week with the home group?

 

[vacationhopeful]

You should by checkin your original deed find its underlying ownership ... float week (season) or fixed week number plus unit number. If you drop out of RCI Points .. you get what you own.

Once OUT of RCI points ... you ONLY get the deeded ownership.

No HOME RESORT, NO HOME GROUP, NO SHORT stays ... you could join RCI Weeks and deposit into RCI Weeks and get TPUS plus pay an exchange fee for each 7 night exchange ($189 or is it $209 for each exchange?)

 

[dominidude]

Among the many things not discussed when you buy is having to use RCI even for your home resort and home group. I was dismayed to find out that if I want to book a week at my home resort that I have to go through RCI. That way they get their pound of flesh. I want the week to be able to bank it with a non-RCI group. When inquiring as to the procedure for getting a reservation at my home resort, I also asked what would happen if I terminated my membership with RCI points. I did not get an answer so I am appealing to this bulletin board for some enlightenment. If I terminate my RCI points membership, can I deal directly with my resort to get a week there? How about getting a week with the home group?

What pound of flesh? Please explain that.
I'm an rci points member and get 24k points per year for a Las Vegas ownership. I pay annually about $200 for the ownership and $125 for the RCI membership.
I get two exchanges out of that every year, each with an exchange fee of $230. So, for less than $800 per year I get two really nice reservations in a 2bdr apt, one in high season, the other in white season.
Your feelings might be due to what you own, not to RCI.

 

[tschwa2]

There are 2 types of arrangements that a resort that contracts with RCI points can have. One type the resort takes care of the reservations for both float and fixed weeks and then at 12 months minus one day it rolls over to points into RCI points. The other type is full control is given over to managing inventory for RCI points weeks and all reservations even up to and including 2 years prior are handled by RCI. The only thing you lose is the ability to use that week with II (if it is dual affiliated). RCI points weeks can not be deposited with II even if you reserve you home week. If you reserve your home week you can deposit it with an independent exchange company and if you need a guest cert for the other exchange company or for a rental guest or family guest there is no fee to get the RCI guest cert for your home week reservation only.

 

[karibkeith]

What pound of flesh? Please explain that.
I'm an rci points member and get 24k points per year for a Las Vegas ownership. I pay annually about $200 for the ownership and $125 for the RCI membership.
I get two exchanges out of that every year, each with an exchange fee of $230. So, for less than $800 per year I get two really nice reservations in a 2bdr apt, one in high season, the other in white season.
Your feelings might be due to what you own, not to RCI.

My problem is both with what I own and with RCI. If I want to reserve my Home Week, I have to go through RCI and I presumed, would have to pay an exchange fee when I am not exchanging. Maybe not, I have not tried it yet. And I do not know how I exercise my privileges for booking a Home Week or a week with my Home Group. I tried writing the resort but they could only tell me that I have to go through RCI.

 

[tschwa2]

As long as you reserve your home week during the home week priority, there is no exchange fee. If you miss that deadline the unit is auto deposited into the points program and you would have to use points and pay a fee to reserve that week. The fee depends on when you reserve. For one month after the home week priority you can reserve a full week at your resort- any size unit and any season as long as you have enough points and the exchange fee is $40 (or at least it was last I checked). If you miss that deadline you will pay a full exchange fee currently around $179 even if you reserve your home week. If you reserve a partial week during home group or general availability the exchange fee is based on the number on nights you reserve. I will check RCI and try to get the booking schedule and current fees and post them.

So it looks like the home week priority is prior to 12 months plus 1 day. For most resorts 13 months is probably the earliest but some my allow 24 months.
HOME WEEK- No RCI Fee- must reserve full home week 13-12 months prior or for some resorts 24-12 months prior. You can rent this week out and there is no fee for an RCI Guest Certificate if booked 12 months prior. You can request the guest cert later- still no fee to do so.

Home Resort Priority- 12-11 months plus 1 day prior to check in - full week only $50 RCI exchange fee. If you let someone else use a Guest fee would apply and you can not rent out exchange- this applies to home group and general booking as well as weeks reservations.

Home Group Priority- 11- 10 months plus 1 day prior to check in.-- Full (and partial weeks- I think) full regular exchange fee applies: 14+ nights- $278; 7-13 nights- $189 ; 6 nights; 5 Nights $159; 4 nights $119; 3 Nights $99; 2 nights $69; 1 Nights $49


General booking 10 months or less- Same fees apply as above.

 

[2rebecca]

If I terminate my RCI points membership, can I deal directly with my resort to get a week there?

My info is dated (15 yrs?), but maybe it will help point you in the right direction. My parents own at Bent Creek in Gatlinburg. When they bought they were automatically enrolled in RCI points. (I'm sure they signed up for it, but like most 1st time buyers, they didn't really know the difference between RCI & home resort.). They didn't realize it, but by joining RCI their week was automatically deposited into RCI each year & they had to book through RCI even if they wanted their home resort. At Bent Creek there are 4 (or 5?) log cabins in addition to the traditional rooms and my parents paid more to get a deeded week in the cabin. When booking through RCI they could NEVER get the cabin. After several years of this & lots of complaining, someone at Bent Creek finally explained to them that they didn't need RCI if they had no interest in exchanging. They canceled their RCI membership and have been getting their week in a log cabin with no problems by booking directly through Bent Creek.

The other type is full control is given over to managing inventory for RCI points weeks and all reservations even up to and including 2 years prior are handled by RCI. The only thing you lose is the ability to use that week with II (if it is dual affiliated).

This is probably true in most cases, but in my parents' case, they lost the use of their week in a log cabin and got a traditional room instead. I'm not sure many resorts have cabins & traditional rooms, so this might not come up often.

 

[tschwa2]

In order to get the their home week they would have had to reserve prior to 12 months during the home week priority. Otherwise booking any other time with RCI they would have no more right to a particular type of unit as anyone else who exchanges through RCI. With RCI points you lose priority to your week if you don't reserve it before it gets auto deposited. While that may sound like a bad thing it does make much more points inventory available vs if the system auto reserved the home week and then required the owners to actively deposit the units in points. Because of the auto deposit you can reliably count on points inventory at most points resorts.

 

[Jack Wrong]

I have same sort of question. My wife and I have the 8th week of February at the Bethel Inn and it is a specific deeded unit. We have had a good run with RCI, but we are likely going to drop our membership. It would make sense to me at that point we'd get our week and unit and would have deal directly with the resort, correct?

 

[tschwa2]

Yes Although you may be too late to get out for 2018 because if you didn't reserve your home week it has already been deposited into the points pool

 

[2rebecca]

In order to get the their home week they would have had to reserve prior to 12 months during the home week priority. Otherwise booking any other time with RCI they would have no more right to a particular type of unit as anyone else who exchanges through RCI. With RCI points you lose priority to your week if you don't reserve it before it gets auto deposited. While that may sound like a bad thing it does make much more points inventory available vs if the system auto reserved the home week and then required the owners to actively deposit the units in points. Because of the auto deposit you can reliably count on points inventory at most points resorts.

I assumed they did something wrong the 1st year since they were new to timeshares, but my mom stayed on the phone with RCI, Bent Creek front desk and Sunterra (The developer at the time) and no one told them that. I'm certain if that were the only reason they didn't get the cabin someone between the 3 companies would have explained that to them and the issue would have been resolved the following year. Unfortunately this went on for 3 or 4 years with no explanation before they cancelled RCI membership. This was years ago, so it is possible RCI policies were different back then.

 

[tschwa2]

I've owned in RCI points since 2007. I have one resort that hands everything over to RCI if you are a points member. At another I go through the resort up unitl 12 months-1 day and then they auto deposit and after that everything goes through RCI. I am not surprised Sunterra and Bent Creek didn't know. Like my one resort they pay RCI to manage all aspects of members who enroll in RCI points and basically refer you to RCI for anything and everything in terms of reserving a home unit and exchanging. In terms of the RCI rep, there are good ones and bad ones and points were somewhat new and they made have had a bad rep or two. The information about using RCI points have always been on the RCI page and the "Points to Remember" tutorials were probably more detailed and easier to access than they are now. If they were no online and relied on calling, the problem also comes about if they used different terminology than the RCI rep than the rep may not have understood the problem.