II Frustration - any suggestions appreciated

[socalgirl]

So . . . . i've been doing this timeshare thing for over 10 years now. always had great exchanges, always able to use my weeks - until now. i have a week expiring next month!!!
i've TRIED to exchange it for a year now (had requests in the system 2 different times), i even tried to use the new hotel exchange (not much selection, and not a great return on your money), but so frustrated! today took the cake - i'm a platinum member and they sent me an email they have a new "hotel exchange;" we're going to europe in a few weeks, but not staying in any one place more than 3 nights. so last week i took a look to see what they had for our first 3 nights starting 7/2. i found a hotel that was a decent place and sort of made sense to exchange the week, especially because the week expires in a month. i talked it over with my husband and we decided we would cancel our current hotel in dublin and instead book the hotel through II. i went on yesterday to book it, and it won't let me! you have to book a minimum of 14 days ahead!!!! i tried calling II; they were of no help. all hotel exchanges are done online, they can't even see the inventory. i asked to speak with a supervisor and she has yet to call me back.

in the meantime, i know my only other option is to pay the exchange fee and choose a somewhat decent week somewhere that i might possibly be able to rent; or option B, to pay to "extend" the week. but i understand that if i do this, i am limited to booking only 60 days out from travel date.

anybody else have a suggestion on how to handle this week? i don't want to lose all the money we already paid for the maintenance fee !

 

[klpca]

Since your deposit expires sometime next month, you are going to have a restricted week no matter what. It is what it is at this point, but you can still get value from your week. I have never paid to extend a week so I can't advise on how that works, but here is what I had to do last year. You can make a trade - any trade - out as far as possible (Orlando comes to mind). You aren't going to go there - you are just trying to extend that week as far as possible. Then for $59 add eplus to this exchange. Now you will have an additional three trades, but with your week expiring next month, your exchange window will be only 60 days out for each trade, but that will still work. You can book an exchange 60 days out from your first trade. Immediately after that you can hop forward 60 days (if you wish) for another trade, and do that until you have used up your three trades. This will take you into the fall which is shoulder season, so there will be some nice trading opportunities.

You will need to actively search to find something that you want and can use. Inventory is fluid during the day so refresh often to see different units. This will be a bit annoying, but I bet that eventually you will find something that you can use. Where do you want to go and what are you using as a trader? You can post a sightings request in the Sightings Forum (last one on the list when you are logged into TUG) and other Tug members will keep an eye out for the weeks that you are looking for and post in the forum to give you a heads up.

 

[socalgirl]

So . . . . i've been doing this timeshare thing for over 10 years now. always had great exchanges, always able to use my weeks - until now. i have a week expiring next month!!!
i've TRIED to exchange it for a year now (had requests in the system 2 different times), i even tried to use the new hotel exchange (not much selection, and not a great return on your money), but so frustrated! today took the cake - i'm a platinum member and they sent me an email they have a new "hotel exchange;" we're going to europe in a few weeks, but not staying in any one place more than 3 nights. so last week i took a look to see what they had for our first 3 nights starting 7/2. i found a hotel that was a decent place and sort of made sense to exchange the week, especially because the week expires in a month. i talked it over with my husband and we decided we would cancel our current hotel in dublin and instead book the hotel through II. i went on yesterday to book it, and it won't let me! you have to book a minimum of 14 days ahead!!!! i tried calling II; they were of no help. all hotel exchanges are done online, they can't even see the inventory. i asked to speak with a supervisor and she has yet to call me back.

in the meantime, i know my only other option is to pay the exchange fee and choose a somewhat decent week somewhere that i might possibly be able to rent; or option B, to pay to "extend" the week. but i understand that if i do this, i am limited to booking only 60 days out from travel date.

anybody else have a suggestion on how to handle this week? i don't want to lose all the money we already paid for the maintenance fee !

 

[socalgirl]

Since your deposit expires sometime next month, you are going to have a restricted week no matter what. It is what it is at this point, but you can still get value from your week. I have never paid to extend a week so I can't advise on how that works, but here is what I had to do last year. You can make a trade - any trade - out as far as possible (Orlando comes to mind). You aren't going to go there - you are just trying to extend that week as far as possible. Then for $59 add eplus to this exchange. Now you will have an additional three trades, but with your week expiring next month, your exchange window will be only 60 days out for each trade, but that will still work. You can book an exchange 60 days out from your first trade. Immediately after that you can hop forward 60 days (if you wish) for another trade, and do that until you have used up your three trades. This will take you into the fall which is shoulder season, so there will be some nice trading opportunities.

You will need to actively search to find something that you want and can use. Inventory is fluid during the days so refresh often to see different units. This will be a bit annoying, but I bet that eventually you will find something that you can use. Where do you want to go and what are you using as a trader? You can post a sightings request in the Sightings Forum (last one on the list when you are logged into TUG) and other Tug members will keep an eye out for the weeks that you are looking for and post in the forum to give you a heads up.

Th

 

[taffy19]

We did an extension once with II and it was a big down trade for us from a 2BR oceanfront condo to a 1BR oceanfront condo but we ended up on a beautiful island (Kauai) and we loved staying at that resort so not all was lost but that was our last exchange. It is just too iffy today except for last minute exchanges as I have seen that too many times happening already. Take a chance and book your flight but make sure you have a back-up stay booked in a hotel if you are a couple only. Something may turn up at the last moment but outside the country may even be more difficult.

 

[socalgirl]

Thanks. So if I understand correctly, I have to pay the exchange fee and the plus fee and book something for around 7/10. Then I can look for something to rebook again by 9/10, by 11/10 and finally by 1/10? I don't pay an exchange fee every time I rebook, do I? We're gone for the entire summer to Europe (no luck with exchanges) so the next time we could potentially go away wouldn't be until winter break (I work in the school district) at the end of December.

Being limited to 60 days, I know that won't be easy over xmas NY time. Since I'm limited on the 60 day window either way, does it make more sense to extend the week for a year instead? Am i understanding the 3 extensions correctly as far as timing?

Thanks!

 

[taffy19]

We extended for a year but I don't remember if we had to book within 60 days but we did immediately on the phone when we paid for the extension.

 

[klpca]

Thanks. So if I understand correctly, I have to pay the exchange fee and the plus fee and book something for around 7/10. Then I can look for something to rebook again by 9/10, by 11/10 and finally by 1/10? I don't pay an exchange fee every time I rebook, do I? We're gone for the entire summer to Europe (no luck with exchanges) so the next time we could potentially go away wouldn't be until winter break (I work in the school district) at the end of December.

Being limited to 60 days, I know that won't be easy over xmas NY time. Since I'm limited on the 60 day window either way, does it make more sense to extend the week for a year instead? Am i understanding the 3 extensions correctly as far as timing?

Thanks!

If you need Christmas/New Years, that will be tricky. I have been looking myself. With the way the dates fall you either need to spend Christmas in a timeshare or stay less than a week if you need to be back to work on Tuesday the 2nd.

Yes, you have the dates correct. And eplus allows you to make three additional trades for just the $59. And you would pay an exchange fee, ($189 I think). Although, didn't you already pay the exchange fee when you set up your ongoing search?

If you are limited in flexibility, then maybe extending the deposit would be better, especially if you can extend it for a year. (I honestly don't know how it works). I would call Interval tomorrow and see what they suggest. Good luck!

 

[mdurette]

Eplus scenario will work for you - but only if you can travel this fall sometime. If your only option for travel for the rest of the year is Thanksgiving or xmas and new years - I think that will be very hard and require constant monitoring of inventory.

 

[tashamen]

in the meantime, i know my only other option is to pay the exchange fee and choose a somewhat decent week somewhere that i might possibly be able to rent; or option B, to pay to "extend" the week. but i understand that if i do this, i am limited to booking only 60 days out from travel date.

I feel your pain, but note that II does not allow you to rent out weeks received as an exchange. You've received some good advice here on option B.

 

[VacationForever]

As what Tashamen pointed out, you are not allowed to rent out an exchange. I would say extend it 6 months or 12 months if you cannot find anything and anywhere that you want to go to next month. Being restricted to 59 days out is always tough. I have one week expiring in Nov and is restricted because I had cancelled a prior exchange. My issue is that I am all booked out for the rest of the year. I have no use for the week. So I am going to extend it a year. Costly but what the heck.

 

[sue1947]

If you are limited to school holidays, then you are competing against a whole lot of others and need a stronger trader. Eplus works well, but you can't do an ongoing search and I think you need one in your situation. As a result, I would spend the money to extend instead of Eplus and set up an ongoing search for your dates with as many options as possible. You will likely have to downgrade in quality due to the limitations as well as look at some areas that you might not ordinarily think of. However, those have been some of my best vacations.

In addition to the ongoing search, you will also need to check manually as often as possible. With your 60 day window, the good stuff will be gone so you will be looking for last minute cancellations. The ongoing search will pick up some of those before it gets into the online inventory, but really last minute ones will still slip through. Check the sightings thread for the AC to see what things pop up with less than a weeks' notice. There are good options in there so you might think about places that would work that don't require airfare.

Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.

Sue

 

[VacationForever]

If you are limited to school holidays, then you are competing against a whole lot of others and need a stronger trader. Eplus works well, but you can't do an ongoing search and I think you need one in your situation. As a result, I would spend the money to extend instead of Eplus and set up an ongoing search for your dates with as many options as possible. You will likely have to downgrade in quality due to the limitations as well as look at some areas that you might not ordinarily think of. However, those have been some of my best vacations.

In addition to the ongoing search, you will also need to check manually as often as possible. With your 60 day window, the good stuff will be gone so you will be looking for last minute cancellations. The ongoing search will pick up some of those before it gets into the online inventory, but really last minute ones will still slip through. Check the sightings thread for the AC to see what things pop up with less than a weeks' notice. There are good options in there so you might think about places that would work that don't require airfare.

Good luck and let us know how it works out for you.

Sue

I believe extending an expiring week within X window also ends up with a restricted week. Restricted weeks cannot be used for ongoing search.

 

[cyntravel]

I believe extending an expiring week within X window also ends up with a restricted week. Restricted weeks cannot be used for ongoing search.

Hi
You are correct stating the week can not be used for ongoing search because I just extended mine. Was in the same situation.

Cyn

 

[klpca]

There are nice places available right now for check in around Christmas/New Years. I see Sedona, Palm Desert, and Escondido for starters (I chose places that are driving distance for the OP). A spirit of "adventure" - going some place you never considered - and the willingness to do manual searches will get value from this week. A little bit of expectations management will also help as well. Hawaii is probably not in the cards, but Sedona would be beautiful, imho.

Last year I had to cancel an exchange late in the game. I wound up with a restricted replacement week with an underlying Marriott DSVII gold studio. Talk about limited trading power. It took a lot of searching and help from the sightings board to pull it off. Ultimately I wound up at Ko Olina in a 1 bedroom unit for the exact date that I needed - which was early December - it helped that I was looking at a low demand time - but eplus makes it doable.

 

[VacationForever]

There are nice places available right now for check in around Christmas/New Years. I see Sedona, Palm Desert, and Escondido for starters (I chose places that are driving distance for the OP). A spirit of "adventure" - going some place you never considered - and the willingness to do manual searches will get value from this week. A little bit of expectations management will also help as well. Hawaii is probably not in the cards, but Sedona would be beautiful, imho.

Last year I had to cancel an exchange late in the game. I wound up with a restricted replacement week with an underlying Marriott DSVII gold studio. Talk about limited trading power. It took a lot of searching and help from the sightings board to pull it off. Ultimately I wound up at Ko Olina in a 1 bedroom unit for the exact date that I needed - which was early December - it helped that I was looking at a low demand time - but eplus makes it doable.

Again, with it being restricted currently, Xmas week/Dec is not an option.

 

[klpca]

Again, with it being restricted currently, Xmas week/Dec is not an option.

Of course, now I realize that the week must be expiring....failed to notice that. So it will have to be extended. Sorry to be so dense.

 

[socalgirl]

thank you for all the replies. it helps to hear that others have been in the same situation. so if i'm limited to 60 days out regardless if i do an eplus or extend my week, i guess it just comes down to how much more i want to spend to take a chance on getting something i can use? if i understand correctly, with eplus, i would pay $50ish, then extend 3 times to get me to xmas/ny time, in addition to the one-time exchange fee i'm paying up front for the first exchange of $189. if i extend, i pay $99 to get me 6 mo or $199 for 12 months, but i wouldn't pay the exchange fee unless i found something that worked. so eplus would cost me $189+$50ish; extending would cost me $99 and possibly another $180 if i get an exchange. 6 of 1; half dozen of another. hmmmmmm . . . .

 

[klpca]

Here's another thread with additional discussion http://tugbbs.com/forums/index.php?threads/ii-reservation-cant-use-options.247653/ . If your deposit expires withing 30 days you are stuck with another set of rules. Of particular note is post #10. I'm not sure if this is relevant to you or not.

If I were you, I would consider extending just to have more time.

 

[HudsHut]

thank you for all the replies. it helps to hear that others have been in the same situation. so if i'm limited to 60 days out regardless if i do an eplus or extend my week, i guess it just comes down to how much more i want to spend to take a chance on getting something i can use? if i understand correctly, with eplus, i would pay $50ish, then extend 3 times to get me to xmas/ny time, in addition to the one-time exchange fee i'm paying up front for the first exchange of $189. if i extend, i pay $99 to get me 6 mo or $199 for 12 months, but i wouldn't pay the exchange fee unless i found something that worked. so eplus would cost me $189+$50ish; extending would cost me $99 and possibly another $180 if i get an exchange. 6 of 1; half dozen of another. hmmmmmm . . . .

Are you saying your oldest deposit expires July 10, 2017?
Do you currently have an Ongoing search in the system?
Where in Europe are you going? What about your subsequent stop between July 6 and July 10?
Given this set of restrictions, I think the hotel exchange for July 6 - 10 is your best use of this expiring week, with the least hassle.