[2007] II just suspended my account for renting exchange

jillandboy · Mar 28, 2007

A good exchange popped up this morning and I grabbed it and put it up on vacationtimesharerentals.com. My girlfriend had rented out a week in Aruba (Marriott) for $1500 w/ 6 weeks advance notice and I thought it would be a fun thing to try. Next thing I know, in a matter of hours, my account at II was suspended. I had no idea this was illegal, I mean, they issue guest certificates, right?

Also-- I'm wondering how they knew it was me; anyone know that?

Help me out!

johnmfaeth · Mar 28, 2007

The policy is designed to keep good inventory in the hands of those who deposited equal or better so it is available to them.

RCI has the same restrictions.

It's fairly easy to match up your email address is my guess.

I personally think both trading companies are only out for themselves, but opinions are irrelevent, they go by the membership rules and agreements.

Be careful, you probably lost the use of that week too.

jillandboy · Mar 28, 2007

Thanks, I'm so spooked. My friend had great success and that's what gave me the idea. I really had no clue it was illegal. Afterall, we can 'rent' it out to friends, etc.

I agree about the exchange companies taking on blood-sucking attributes (hope that's not too rude for these forums) we belong to II and RCI-- we're not even going to re-up w/ RCI- we own eoy at the Ron Jon resort and we'll just go there-- we can't get anything good for an exchange. The exchange fees just go up willy-nilly too.

They seem to forget that most of us have put out a fortune and we may not see the full return in our lifetimes.

philemer · Mar 28, 2007

unclewilly said:
Thanks, I'm so spooked. My friend had great success and that's what gave me the idea. I really had no clue it was illegal. Afterall, we can 'rent' it out to friends, etc.

No, you can't rent it out to friends. Well, I guess you could try.

You can only recover the cost of the Guest Cert. & exchange fee w/RCI. I think II only allows you to recover the Guest Cert. fee.

johnmfaeth · Mar 28, 2007

Even with friends and relatives, w/RCI it is against the rules to charge more than the guest certificate and exchange fee. Not sure about II.

I understand that some resorts (I think it was a Disney that someone posted here a while ago) actually question guests who show up with Guest Certificates as to whether they had rented it.

The person who answers yes to that one is suddenly homeless for the week.

John

PS. Like the old saying, just because you are paranoid doesn't mean that people are not out to get you :wave:

BevL · Mar 28, 2007

They do issue guest certificates, not renter certificates. It is in the terms and conditions with II and RCI that you cannot rent out exchanges. I'm not lecturing you when I say that, it's just how it is, whether we like it or not.

How would they find out it was you? Possibly by comparing email addresses. If you stated in the ad that it was an Interval exchange, someone may have reported it to Interval.

In any event, if it's a one-time thing, I'd suggest they will likely reinstate your account but whether you will get your original week that you used for the exchange back, I wouldn't count on that.

dougp26364 · Mar 28, 2007

unclewilly said:
Thanks, I'm so spooked. My friend had great success and that's what gave me the idea. I really had no clue it was illegal. Afterall, we can 'rent' it out to friends, etc.

I agree about the exchange companies taking on blood-sucking attributes (hope that's not too rude for these forums) we belong to II and RCI-- we're not even going to re-up w/ RCI- we own eoy at the Ron Jon resort and we'll just go there-- we can't get anything good for an exchange. The exchange fees just go up willy-nilly too.

They seem to forget that most of us have put out a fortune and we may not see the full return in our lifetimes.

Actually, you can't "rent" it out to friends. You can give it to friends for the cost of the guest certificate.

As far as the rental compaines being blood sucking entities, they'll only get away with what members allow them to get away with. That's why there is a class action law suit against RCI that's in the discovery stages right now (unless it's been dropped and the web site not updated).

I really have not noticed this as being an issue with I.I. as I've found adaquate inventory to exchange into. With RCI, the only two times I exchanged with them (through HGVC) I found that inventory into Branson, MO was EXTREMELY limited despite the fact they had more member resorts than I.I. at that time. If it had been high season I might have understood but the two exchanges were shoulder season and should have drawn more than 1 resort on the first occasion and 2 resorts the second time I exchanged.

For my part, RCI has not received any exchange weeks from me for the last 3 or 4 years and I will continue that trend. When the weeks membership I have now from another resort purchase runs out I don't plan on renewing with them. Not that the loss of my business will affect their practices at all but, if I can't get decent exchanges through them and prefer to use my weeks then why pay them a membership fee?

Note that these are not DOG weeks I own. One is HGVC which is supposed to be a relatively good trader. The other is French Quarter in Branson, MO which is a gold crown resort. The only one I've exhcanged has been HGVC as French Quarter is a new addition to our family of timeshares. If it was a mud hut in some remote third world country during rainy season I could buy the arguement that I'm getting what I paid for but his is Hilton, not some non-rated non-maintained unit during off season.

Dave M · Mar 28, 2007

I'm not sure how II could match your ad to your II account, because there is typically no identifying info in ads at the site where you listed it except for first name. No e-mail address is normally listed and an address doesn't pop up when sending a message to the person who placed the ad.

I'm guessing that the only way you could have been found out would have been if you disclosed in the ad or in an e-mail message to a respondent to your ad that it was an exchange and the respondent either works for II or complained to II.

Care to share with us how II likely found you? There are a lot of people here to whom it matters!

jillandboy · Mar 28, 2007

Hi, Dave-
Have checked on this alittle, apparently you can access other members' email addresses once you log into vacationtimesharerentals.com. My listing did not say it was an II exchange, it was just about the resort itself.

My listing only contained a first name and state, but apparently (per said friend who had the successful rental) there's a place to view everyone's email.
~~~~~~~
This is terrific info, all, thanks so much! I really did do it innocently, I will explain that to them. I doubt they'll take my week (I'll freak!). I've taken the listing down and I spoke to a cust svc rep who said that it happens all the time and I just need to speak to a supervisor (msg pending) to get my II account back on line. I'll update you on what happens!

chellej · Mar 28, 2007

Also, there are those folks out there that are always looking for violators and turn them into II, especially if it was a DVC resort.

Most DVC owners will not reserve friday & sat nights because they take so many more points so if a 7 day rental shows up, it is very suspect.

djs · Mar 28, 2007

A somewhat related question:

I have some friends who I've gotten a guest certificate for (through II Getaways). I've given their CC info and other contact info, so they paid for the whole thing. Is this an OK thing to do? Hasn't bitten me yet, but that's not to say it couldn't.

mshatty · Mar 28, 2007

I recently saw an ad on My Resorts Network where the guy actually put in his rental ad that his resort week was a RCI exchange and he only needed to get a guest certificate.

I'm sure someone has reported him.

gmarine · Mar 28, 2007

unclewilly said:
A good exchange popped up this morning and I grabbed it and put it up on vacationtimesharerentals.com. My girlfriend had rented out a week in Aruba (Marriott) for $1500 w/ 6 weeks advance notice and I thought it would be a fun thing to try. Next thing I know, in a matter of hours, my account at II was suspended. I had no idea this was illegal, I mean, they issue guest certificates, right?

Also-- I'm wondering how they knew it was me; anyone know that?

Help me out!

Renting exchanges is prohibited. It is all explained in II's Terms and Conditions. You dont own the exchanged week, therefore you cant rent it. Guest certificates are to give the week to friends or family. At least you found out before you rented the week. Imagine your problems had you rented the week, accepted payment, renter purchases airline tickets and then you have to notify them that the reservation is cancelled. Not worth the potential problems.

An example would be when you rent a car, you are not permitted to rent it to someone else.

Fair or not, these are Terms that you agree to by being a member.

jillandboy · Mar 28, 2007

djs said:
A somewhat related question:

I have some friends who I've gotten a guest certificate for (through II Getaways). I've given their CC info and other contact info, so they paid for the whole thing. Is this an OK thing to do? Hasn't bitten me yet, but that's not to say it couldn't.

THAT has to be legit, II/RCI will take the guest's credit card info directly. Once I had the spelling of a guy's name off by one letter and my RCI account got charged in entirety for his vacation (his credit card declined due to spelling error and all of a sudden my RCI account was several hundreds in deficit). I was on the phone w/ RCI a couple times and explained the whole thing and eventually it was straightened out satisfactorily.

And kudos to all of you who actually read all the fine print. What would the rest of us do without you?

ps. just realized I posted a classified with tug for this unit. Will have to delete it! Yeesh!

ouaifer · Mar 28, 2007

I know 3 individuals that were found out by RCI last year...and had their accounts suspended, their exchanges cancelled, and their fees not returned. One person was actually turned in by another member. It took several months for RCI to track it, but apparently, they did so successfully.

If you found a good exchange, took it, and then posted it right away...it would appear, that the powers that be, put one plus one together...and matched the listing with the exchange that they just authorized. It's not brain surgery under this circumstance.

tarob42 · Mar 28, 2007

II Suspending Privileges

This has been a very interesting thread and I also was not aware of II's restrictions. I have a related question. I have had family and friends who have purchased the extra weeks that Marriott has available from time to time. For anyone who couldn't travel on the original week available I deposited it with II and exchanged it for them. I made absolutely no money on any of it, but with what I have been reading I was wondering if this was illegal also?

johnmfaeth · Mar 28, 2007

I have Morritt's Tortuga Club oceanfront weeks that were a mandatory deposit into RCI for 2006 as the buildings were destroyed by hurricane, pending new construction opening in 2008 (but I still had to pay my fees of over $2,500 total).

Even I cannot rent them as per RCI even though I had to take the banked units or lose my entire MF's.

I had no choice but to accept their rules under duress....

eal · Mar 28, 2007

tarob42:
You could try calling II, plead ignorance, promise never to do it again, etc. and see what happens. Often they will re-instate you after a stern talking to. But if you do it again, your II membership will be gonzo.

islander222 · Mar 29, 2007

Same rule for Royal Resorts owners who exchange internally.

ISCO Exchange Program Rules & Procedures

#9. Exchanges may not be rented or externally exchanged.

JT62 · Mar 30, 2007

Is there some kind of "limit" that the exchange companies track, if you are requesting guest certificates? Like a number that would trigger a concern?

I gave friends a week a couple of years ago, and then gave some other friends a week that was going to expire on me last year. (I currently own 2 timeshares, and over the past 6 years, have used the weeks three times and exchanged them the rest)

Just curious

JT

riverdees05 · Mar 31, 2007

tarob42,

Any luck on getting your week back and your accout reinstated?

Jollyhols · Mar 31, 2007

After reading this interesting thread I have a thought:

If you have exchanged and owing to unforeseen circs cannot use the week, would II give permission to try and rent it out in that instance?
I am thinking in particular of the circumstance where you put in a request far in advance and they automatically confirm you as soon as one of choices are available. If you cannnot then get flights, or a family member is ill etc, it is difficult to claim on travel insurance. Therefore in that circumstance II should allow you to rent it out.

rickandcindy23 · Mar 31, 2007

No. You cannot rent out an exchange, but you can give the week back and use your week later on. I have done that so many times.

I lose trade power and I do not like that a bit.

I have entered my sister's cc number for a Getaway, before TUG, before I knew the rule, but I am doubting that rule applies to Getaways, since I have done that for two other people in the last ten years or so. After all, they had others' credit card numbers, so I was now left out of the loop. I would never rent anything out and be the middleman.

Spence · Mar 31, 2007

Jollyhols said:
After reading this interesting thread I have a thought:
If you have exchanged and owing to unforeseen circs cannot use the week, would II give permission to try and rent it out in that instance?
I am thinking in particular of the circumstance where you put in a request far in advance and they automatically confirm you as soon as one of choices are available. If you cannnot then get flights, or a family member is ill etc, it is difficult to claim on travel insurance. Therefore in that circumstance II should allow you to rent it out.

....No....

Jollyhols · Mar 31, 2007

I didn't realise you could give the week back.

[2007] II just suspended my account for renting exchange

jillandboy

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