I am not challenging this statement; I just don't fully understand it. I have no knowledge about DRI and no longer have membership with either RCI
or II.
Are you saying that all DRI properties are necessarily affiliated
only with II as their exchange company, or are you instead perhaps indicating that there is some sort of
other "relationship" between DRI and II? I hope it's not the latter --- whatever II's shortcomings may be, I would hope that II wouldn't ever choose to get any more "cozy" with the likes of DRI than an arm's length exchange company association.
Just trying to better understand the facts here.
Got some time on your hands for reading? I'm not sure I can give understanding on anything. But you asked and I'll give you some of my history/experience. I've never been a member of Interval, only RCI (Weeks and Points).
I had no real knowledge of DRI prior to its unexpected and unwelcome acquisition of my group of resorts through Gold Key Resorts (4 Virginia Beach, and subsequently 1 Outer Banks) in 2015. The Virginia Beach Gold Key Resorts were previously only affiliated with Interval for exchange purposes. Then GKR acquired the Outer Banks resort, which was only affiliated with RCI (and many intervals had been sold as RCI Points) in 2014. Everything was humming along at that point because I really liked the product that GKR offered. The developer was local to my area and their resorts in Virginia Beach were superior to the other local resorts. I was quite pleased when news came that they had acquired the Outer Banks property since I had been an owner there for many years. However, the resort was headed towards bankruptcy. I liked the resort and area and I liked GKR. Their plans for the Outer Banks property were very exciting. The impact of the Interval vs RCI affiliation was never felt because of the short-lived acquisition by GKR.
It was announced in 2015 that DRI had acquired all the GKR properties. My only knowledge at that point of DRI was the negativity that I had read here on TUG. I was never concerned because I knew that I would never have any inclination to become a DRI owner. I never took into account that I could one day be an involuntary DRI owner through acquisition. At the time of the GKR acquisition, I purchased several weeks at the Outer Banks resort. Again, I was familiar with the property and loved the area, and I was familiar with GKR as an owner and liked their properties. Unfortunately, I got caught up in something that I never anticipated would happen. I had my head in the sand, obviously. It has been an expensive and time-consuming lesson learned about what can happen.
Not only do I not like DRI and their corporate style, but having several weeks at a resort in RCI Points and DRI being affiliated with Interval only has caused untold headaches and heartache. It has been a nightmare. Last year (with a leap year also involved), DRI was working with two different exchange company calendars. They were swimming in waters that they were not familiar with and their online system was not configured to handle. It was very problematic and costly to me as an owner. I ended up pulling all but one of my weeks out of RCI Points (8). Fortunately, they are all prime Summer weeks and as fixed weeks I still have the ability to rent them for more than the maintenance fees (so far). DRI actually began charging me the $25 daily amenity fee for all these weeks in RCI Points. Even though they were not exchanges, but were my home weeks; DRI reasoned that they were exchanges. I fought these charges and spent many hours each week trying to resolve the issues related to these weeks in RCI Points. DRI never tried to work this out with owners. Why would they? It was an easy revenue source. It was just tough sh?t! That's when I finally cried "Uncle" and removed my weeks from RCI Points. I never paid the costs for conversion, but someone had in the past. If I hadn't had the DRI issues, I would have kept them in RCI Points. However, it was a time-consuming and expensive proposition that I couldn't continue to handle without losing my mind. The DRI acquisition completely changed my mostly positive attitude about timeshare ownership, which began in 1984. It worked for me all those years. DRI changed all that in a matter of months. Unfortunately, I have found that the DRI name attached to these former GKR properties has greatly diminished their desirability and value since the acquisition. I'm sure that the escalating maintenance fees have also been a contributing factor.
Anyway, the only affiliation that I know of regarding DRI and Interval is regarding exchange. Their previous non-affiliation with RCI Points is wherein the problems lie. I have the one remaining week in RCI Points to keep a toe-hold in the program. However, having to purchase an RCI Guest Certificate for my Home Week (deeded fixed week) when I rent it is appalling to me. I never remember having to do this in the past. I can only assume that this is another DRI requirement. It is nearly impossible to get "concrete" information on things that are RCI/DRI specific. This DRI acquisition, to my detriment, became a an unpaid part-time job for about 18 months. I made bad assumptions and I've paid the price.
Things have since quieted down some and I don't have to expend the same time and energy that I did in the past. However, nothing with DRI ever seems to flow smoothly and requires extra work (and ultimately frustration) to accomplish the simplest of things. Any negatives about DRI are well-earned. One day in the future, I hope to be DRI-less.
All this is to say; I don't know anything about the "potential coziness" between DRI and Interval now or in the future. But expect the unexpected, take it into account and never say "never."
I failed to do that in this situation.