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RCI Exclusivity

DRIless

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I recently bought my umpteenth timeshare, a fractional, 3-weeks per year at a resort near Glacier National Park. The resort will not let me deposit it with anyone other than RCI. Claims their contract with RCI says they will lose their affiliation if they allow their owners to deposit with any other exchange company. If they receive a deposit notice from an independent exchange company they refuse it. Does anyone here have any experience with this sort of balderdash?
 

silentg

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No, what happens if you just don’t exchange it?
 

tschwa2

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I recently bought my umpteenth timeshare, a fractional, 3-weeks per year at a resort near Glacier National Park. The resort will not let me deposit it with anyone other than RCI. Claims their contract with RCI says they will lose their affiliation if they allow their owners to deposit with any other exchange company. If they receive a deposit notice from an independent exchange company they refuse it. Does anyone here have any experience with this sort of balderdash?
Is an RCI points resort or is it a straight out weeks?
Often if a unit has been enrolled in a points system, as long as it is enrolled, it would be ineligible to exchange through another exchange company. Some resorts let RCI manage the inventory completely for points enrolled weeks. Others retain control of the inventory until the 12 month prior period and at that point turns the unit over to RCI. For resorts that retain control it may be possible to reserve the home week prior to it being turned over and then the resort can verify the deposit for the alternate exchange company. For ones that turn over all inventory management of points units to RCI, RCI will not verify the week for another exchange company. If the other exchange company wants to accept what you can provide in terms of verifying the week then that is up to them but as long as you keep the unit in points, it may not be possible to exchange it elsewhere.
 

DRIless

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No, what happens if you just don’t exchange it?
What?
I can use it or rent it, calling the office with the name of a guest, or put it in their rental pool (40% to mgmt) but not deposit it with anyone but RCI.
 

DRIless

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Is an RCI points resort or is it a straight out weeks?
Often if a unit has been enrolled in a points system, as long as it is enrolled, it would be ineligible to exchange through another exchange company. Some resorts let RCI manage the inventory completely for points enrolled weeks. Others retain control of the inventory until the 12 month prior period and at that point turns the unit over to RCI. For resorts that retain control it may be possible to reserve the home week prior to it being turned over and then the resort can verify the deposit for the alternate exchange company. For ones that turn over all inventory management of points units to RCI, RCI will not verify the week for another exchange company. If the other exchange company wants to accept what you can provide in terms of verifying the week then that is up to them but as long as you keep the unit in points, it may not be possible to exchange it elsewhere.
Not points.
The resort will not let it 'appear' in any other exchange company, they will not verify a request from another exchange company.
 

Tahiya

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Not points.
The resort will not let it 'appear' in any other exchange company, they will not verify a request from another exchange company.
That's a bummer! Have you thought of trying to do an exchange on tug?
 

Panina

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I recently bought my umpteenth timeshare, a fractional, 3-weeks per year at a resort near Glacier National Park. The resort will not let me deposit it with anyone other than RCI. Claims their contract with RCI says they will lose their affiliation if they allow their owners to deposit with any other exchange company. If they receive a deposit notice from an independent exchange company they refuse it. Does anyone here have any experience with this sort of balderdash?
I own one resort that only allows me to trade thru RCI and Dae. I was told they have not participated yet in II because they do not like the contract. I love the resort never but do not understand why the hoa limits the rights of their owners.
 

PigsDad

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Check with SFX. The last time I exchanged my HGVC week with SFX, HGVC would not verify a request from SFX. However, SFX still allowed me to exchange with them but I had to sign a form stating I would obtain a guest certificate myself when contacted by SFX. Sure enough, about two months before the check in date of my exchange week, SFX contacted me with the names for the guest cert, I called HGVC and got the GC in their name and let SFX know it was done.

Kurt
 

silentg

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My Orange Lake week is Points and we have an RCI points account attached to it. But since it is part of HIVC we can use our points to stay at other HIVC resorts or IHG points for hotel stays. I thought of trading thru RCI points but the value of my points is cut in half thru RCI. I almost booked a cruise thru HIVC until I checked the prices of the cruise company. Was the same price without my points!.
If your resort includes the RCI points membership in your maintenance fee, then it seems they can require you to only use RCI. Sorry, I just read that it’s not a points account. Is the resort affiliated with any chain ( Marriott, Hilton etc)
Silentg
 
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DRIless

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Check with SFX. The last time I exchanged my HGVC week with SFX, HGVC would not verify a request from SFX. However, SFX still allowed me to exchange with them but I had to sign a form stating I would obtain a guest certificate myself when contacted by SFX. Sure enough, about two months before the check in date of my exchange week, SFX contacted me with the names for the guest cert, I called HGVC and got the GC in their name and let SFX know it was done.
Kurt
The only luck I ever had with SFX was Sloane House in London but now that's gone.
 

JuliGee

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I recently bought my umpteenth timeshare, a fractional, 3-weeks per year at a resort near Glacier National Park. The resort will not let me deposit it with anyone other than RCI. Claims their contract with RCI says they will lose their affiliation if they allow their owners to deposit with any other exchange company. If they receive a deposit notice from an independent exchange company they refuse it. Does anyone here have any experience with this sort of balderdash?

We had a similar situation to you several years ago with a timeshare we used to own. They had an exclusive affiliation with I.I. and told us we could only use I.I. Well, turns out they couldn't have been more wrong. We got in touch with other owners, of which some were lawyers. The resort was advised they were in violation of both state and federal antitrust laws. Federally, it violated the Sherman Act. The exclusive affiliation is between the developer or HOA if they are in charge, and the exchange company. Individuals have the right to use any company they want for exchange service. If I remember correctly, it had something to do with creating an unlawful tying relationship between product and service. The management company's attorneys advised them to cooperate with the owners and allow them to use a service of their choice.

The reservation department may not cooperate with another exchange company in verifying your deposit, but they legally would be violating antitrust laws by trying to block you using another service.

Juli
 

DRIless

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We had a similar situation to you several years ago with a timeshare we used to own. They had an exclusive affiliation with I.I. and told us we could only use I.I. Well, turns out they couldn't have been more wrong. We got in touch with other owners, of which some were lawyers. The resort was advised they were in violation of both state and federal antitrust laws. Federally, it violated the Sherman Act. The exclusive affiliation is between the developer or HOA if they are in charge, and the exchange company. Individuals have the right to use any company they want for exchange service. If I remember correctly, it had something to do with creating an unlawful tying relationship between product and service. The management company's attorneys advised them to cooperate with the owners and allow them to use a service of their choice.

The reservation department may not cooperate with another exchange company in verifying your deposit, but they legally would be violating antitrust laws by trying to block you using another service.

Juli
OMG, I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on TUG, but I paraphrased your info and they "backed down" rather than spending money on a lawyer. Thanks.
 

JustAddVodka

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My Orange Lake week is Points and we have an RCI points account attached to it. But since it is part of HIVC we can use our points to stay at other HIVC resorts or IHG points for hotel stays. I thought of trading thru RCI points but the value of my points is cut in half thru RCI.

Silentg

I am a HIVC member, and I too thought they were cutting the value of my club points when trading, but it's really not that way. The exchange is pretty even, or I've found quite generous. I have a 2 bedroom lock off at Cape Canaveral that gets me 180,000 HIVC points. When looking for trades through the HIVC RCI portal I can book any 2 bedroom unit I've seen for fewer than 180,000 points. Often a lot less.
 

KossB

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We had a similar situation to you several years ago with a timeshare we used to own. They had an exclusive affiliation with I.I. and told us we could only use I.I. Well, turns out they couldn't have been more wrong. We got in touch with other owners, of which some were lawyers. The resort was advised they were in violation of both state and federal antitrust laws. Federally, it violated the Sherman Act. The exclusive affiliation is between the developer or HOA if they are in charge, and the exchange company. Individuals have the right to use any company they want for exchange service. If I remember correctly, it had something to do with creating an unlawful tying relationship between product and service. The management company's attorneys advised them to cooperate with the owners and allow them to use a service of their choice.

The reservation department may not cooperate with another exchange company in verifying your deposit, but they legally would be violating antitrust laws by trying to block you using another service.

Juli

OMG, I'm not a lawyer and I don't play one on TUG, but I paraphrased your info and they "backed down" rather than spending money on a lawyer. Thanks.

This is very valuable information. We are new owners of a timeshare, and we just joined TUG a few days ago. This kind of useful information clearly makes the low price of TUG membership well worth it.

BMK
 

silentg

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I am a HIVC member, and I too thought they were cutting the value of my club points when trading, but it's really not that way. The exchange is pretty even, or I've found quite generous. I have a 2 bedroom lock off at Cape Canaveral that gets me 180,000 HIVC points. When looking for trades through the HIVC RCI portal I can book any 2 bedroom unit I've seen for fewer than 180,000 points. Often a lot less.
But your point value with RCI is a lot less. 90,000 points.
Silentg
 

JustAddVodka

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But your point value with RCI is a lot less. 90,000 points.

But you only need 90,000 points to book an equal value 2 bedroom - or even less. So the value of the point is the same. It's like exchanging currency.

Anyway, it's been my experience, that my HIVC points spend very well on their RCI portal.

Adding . . . For instance, I get 180,000 HICV points for my 2 bedroom lock-off red high season 1-52 float week. To trade into this, using high season 1 bedroom plus studio, (lock-off equivalent) it's 72,500 RCI points. I'd only have to use 145,000 of my HIVC points to get the equivalent in another Florida resort.
 
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silentg

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I find the exchanges into HICV resorts better . Only $64 dollar fee. The most of my points I put in IHG.
This works best for us. We have other timeshare that are fixed and we use with RCI.
I’m happy that you find RCI good to deal with.
Enjoy your vacations!
 
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