Cannot trade for Welk Escondido if within 50 miles?

[itchyfeet]

I was just told by an RCI rep that I cannot exchange my Grand Pacific Palisades interval for the Welk Resort in Escondido because it is within a 50 mile radius. The rep. said it is a Welk restriction. Are any Welk owners familiar with this restriction?

 

[Icc5]

I was just told by an RCI rep that I cannot exchange my Grand Pacific Palisades interval for the Welk Resort in Escondido because it is within a 50 mile radius. The rep. said it is a Welk restriction. Are any Welk owners familiar with this restriction?

I've been a Welk weeks owner for about 25 years and never heard of this. We trade thru RCI all the time including put Welk into RCI about every other year. We have traded and stayed at many other timeshares in the San Diego area.
Bart

 

[itchyfeet]

Perhaps I didn't explain this clearly. According to RCI, I cannot trade my Grand Pacific Resorts week into Welk Escondido because RCI says Welk won't allow exchanges of resorts within 50 miles and GPP is less than 50 miles. Since I don't own at Welk, if someone who does own there could check this out for me I would appreciate it.

 

[tschwa2]

RCI does enforce those types of regional restrictions at the request of specific developers. Usually they end up being reciprocal so if Welk won't allow GPR owners in the same area to exchange in then GPR won't allow Welk owners to exchange in to their resort. Orlando has the most of these types of restrictions. DVC won't allow any Orlando area resort deposits to be used to exchange in and various other developers in Orlando have the same restrictions. Usually its resorts in active sales that have the restrictions. Exchangers are considered fresh meat but it is hard to overcome the objection that I already own a timeshare in the same area and if I want to come here, I will just exchange in.

 

[klpca]

I haven't deposited my Seapointe unit with rci (and probably won't) but I cannot see any Welk Escondido units on my weeks account, but I can see 226 units with my HGVC account. I am not sure if this is because of the Grand Pacific restriction or if it is a weeks/points issue, but it may confirm what you are seeing.

Speaking of restrictions, I spoke the the manager/developer of Rams Horn about their 1-in-4 rule. He confirmed that it was a resort request (vs RCI) and that it was to prevent people from exchanging in instead of owning. His words were "if people like it so much they should buy here". So I suspect that Welk knows that most people who already own nearby won't buy, so they just aren't going to let them exchange in. Seems like a terrible idea to me.

 

[DaveNV]

So I suspect that Welk knows that most people who already own nearby won't buy, so they just aren't going to let them exchange in. Seems like a terrible idea to me.

I agree. Sounds kind of like the kid who gets mad and says, "Well, then I'm taking my bat and going home!" I'd think if Welk would like more owners, they'd encourage all sorts of exchanges, to get as much exposure as possible. Some of those people would buy, but would want to try it out beforehand.

I've made it a practice to "learn it by owning it" with timeshares. I'd buy something, see if it suits me, and if not, sell it and move on to something else. If I had never exchanged into Welk, I doubt I'd buy it cold - there are too many other options in Southern California. That was how I ended up owning Seapointe.

Dave

 

[b2bailey]

Just a few days ago -- I was pleased to exchange into a 2 BR unit at Welk Escondido. After receiving the Confirmation I noticed the small print geographical restriction. I own at Seapointe in Carlsbad. Did online chat with RCI -- agent said Well 'might' cancel. This was for next week. Told him I couldn't risk it. He cancelled and returned money and points.

 

[krj9999]

I see the following language for both Villas on the Green and Resort Villas (on RCI Weeks side):

Resort has area restriction rule. You cannot exchange into this property if you own at another resort within 50 miles of this resort.
Resort has 1 in 4 year rule. You cannot exchange into this resort if you have exchanged into it within the last 4 years.

 

[itchyfeet]

Another question: Why are there so many Welk Villas on the points side and so few for weeks? Also when Welk was with II there was no 1 in 4 rule. Seems this is RCI only.

 

[vikingsholm]

Traded into Welk about every other year using II. Was a clean and easy process, and enjoyed the resort and area.

All these new RCI / Welk rules and the relatively higher trading power needed compared to II has turned me off to them.

Scratching them off my list, will look elsewhere in SoCal now. Sorry Welk, horrible job, customer unfriendly. Buh-bye.

 

[tschwa2]

Another question: Why are there so many Welk Villas on the points side and so few for weeks? Also when Welk was with II there was no 1 in 4 rule. Seems this is RCI only.

1 in 4 is a rule that RCI has offered to its client resorts who request it. II does not offer that option to its resorts.
In terms of deposits into weeks or points, that is a decision the developer makes. It may be they are depositing Welk points owners inventory into RCI points inventory and Welk weeks owners deposits into RCI weeks.

As an FYI if you own multiple units you, and one happens to be in SoCal, you can still exchange into Welk with another non SoCal deposit. You also would be restricted if you combined a SoCal with a non SoCal.

The 1 in 4 is your entire account. The regional restriction is based on the exchange credit you are using.

 

[itchyfeet]

More reasons to dump RCI!

 

[krj9999]

Just curious, are there any extra vacations available on the Points side? Don't see any on Weeks side.

 

[tschwa2]

Extra vacations should be the same on both sides.

 

[SWJOB]

Another question: Why are there so many Welk Villas on the points side and so few for weeks? Also when Welk was with II there was no 1 in 4 rule. Seems this is RCI only.

This POINTS inventory imbalance probably can be at least partially explained by the VILLAS ON THE GREENS construction explosion which Welk drove when their initial "Resort Villas" were sold out. They did this in at least two phases, initiating lockoff design from the beginning of these units. (Having a 1BR & Studio available for trade obviously builds more inventory for exchange. Older LW "Resort Villas" were standardized 1200+ sq ft 2BR with central living area. Some of the VOG units wound up feeling more like apartments than the older units, and while the newer construction featured more upscale furnishings at first compared to the older LW "Resort Villas", ongoing maintenance/upgrades/refurbishments at the "Resort Villas" has made this difference a thing of the past.)

LW "Resort Villas" were only supposed to be in RCI WEEKS at first, though when someone deposited their week into RCI POINTS, one could find such inventory for comparatively attractive RCI POINTS prices.

[NOTE: Sometimes, I've found that 1-in-4 was ONLY applied to RCI WEEKS trades. This was even touted at one point as a reason to switch from RCI WEEKS to RCI POINTS at resorts other than Welk that I was considering purchasing. Not sure how that distinction would be applied today, but at least one might consider trading in via RCI WEEKS and then later via RCI POINTS if one has such inventory to work with.]

I can't speak to the newest Welk Escondido "Mountain Villas" resorts. Except for their also being lockout models one of the above may apply. It used to be that Mountain Resorts could only be exchanged into via II--NOT RCI. Doubtless in the greater scheme of WELK PLATINUM, one could devote internal Welk points to an exchange there--even into both sides of a lockoff--but I understand that the Welk Points costs to get 2BR that way are prohibitive, compared to trading into the LW "Resort Villas". Check to see if you can trade into the Mountain Resorts, and check to see if you can use a VOG exchange AFTER first exchanging into the better-value LW "Resort Villas". (It's a good idea to ask ahead of time for a fairway or pond view. Some units have ho-hum views. If you have young children along, you might request a unit that's close to one of the rec centers that caters more to them. Either way, vacationers at Welk Escondido can utilize ALL the Rec centers--including those at the Mountain Resorts--but one pretty much has to drive to get there. (It's too far to walk.)

 

[Vacationsarefun]

This rule seems pretty stupid. I can kind of see the rationale for Orlando etc. but a resort in Escondido is quite a different thing from the coastal timeshare properties which mostly are smaller with less amenities etc. I originally was going to buy both - my coastal purchase worked out but the Welk purchase fell through. So it isn't necessarily true that someone who owns within a certain radius would not be a possible purchaser at Welk. Given the 1-in-4 rule, I would think it would be beneficial to let people try out the property by exchanging in. If one wanted to visit regularly one would have to buy.

 

[skimble]

I agree... the rule is pretty stupid.
I own at the Welk Villas on the Green. And, I own other resorts within 50 miles. I've never traded my Welk through RCI, and I don't know if I ever will. I traded through II, and I liked the value I got.
Is there an exception for Welk owners to trade back in?

 

[tschwa2]

I agree... the rule is pretty stupid.
I own at the Welk Villas on the Green. And, I own other resorts within 50 miles. I've never traded my Welk through RCI, and I don't know if I ever will. I traded through II, and I liked the value I got.
Is there an exception for Welk owners to trade back in?

Yes, Welk owners can trade back in with a Welk deposit.
Most resorts will allow owners to bypass the 1 in 4 even when using other deposits but you have to call in and won't be able to do it online. The restrictions on the RCI page do not mention that the 1 in 4 is not enforced for Welk owners so that may not be the case.
The wording of the restriction also makes me think that you would not be able to use a restricted area resort to exchange back in even if you are a Welk owner. Disney (DVC) does not allow non DVC Orlando deposits to be used to exchange back into an Orlando DVC even for DVC owners.

Resort has area restriction rule. You cannot exchange into this property if you own at another resort within 50 miles of this resort.

Resort has 1 in 4 year rule. You can only exchange into this property once every 4 years.