My RCI Timeshare Horror story – The Grandview Las Vegas

** UPDATED IN 2022 **

In October 2006, my fiance and I decided to get away for a weekend and visit a few of his friends in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite our amazing hotel deal, we were pretty tight on funds and the trip was last-minute in nature, so when we were approached by two sales associates at the Mandalay Bay offering “free show tickets”, there was no hesitation to find out more. We were informed that we would be eligible for numerous Vegas show tickets that evening including Cirque de Soleil, Lance Burton, and others. We were also told that to qualify for the tickets we would need to attend a brief presentation on “real estate opportunities” lasting about 2 hours in length and that there was no obligation to buy – I would later realize that the latter part of this statement was entirely false. Within what seemed to be seconds of accepting the invitation we were whisked through back corridors of the Mandalay Bay and lead to a secluded parking area where a handful of sight-seeing vans were waiting. The 5 minute drive turned into 20 minutes and we ended up pulling into a dilapidated strip mall, far from the glitz and glamour of the strip.

Next came the waiting area. I estimate there were 50 other couples crowded in the converted grocery store that now housed the sales headquarters for the Grandview Las Vegas. We were processed by a Grand View employee and told to wait until our name was called. After waiting you were actually pretty excited when your name was called because this meant you could eat some free food, get on with your day, get your show tickets, and get on with your trip.

We were lead to a R.C.I. conference room of epic proportions and seated at a table with four chairs, our RCI assistant strategically sitting between us. To be perfectly honest, with all the commotion going on and our RCI guide throwing out as many facts and figures as humanly possible (he could have used differential calculus equations to predict the perfect ketchup to hamburger ratio and I would have been none-the-wiser), the events that transpired are somewhat of a blur to us. There are a few disturbing facts I am certain of, I do know that no credit check was ever done on either of us. The RCI salesperson had no regard for our present financial situation and in fact this was used against us to bully us into purchasing the time share because it would be “an investment we would have FOREVER”. When we asked if we could have time to think and possibly come back tomorrow or a later date, we were informed that the timeshare opportunity would have dissipated by then. Somehow R.C.I. convinced two twenty-somethings, in the midst of starting their own business, that it would be in their best interest to have a $500/month timeshare payment and additional fees if they actually decide to take a vacation. So much for no obligation to buy!


After our time share purchase, I realized that an untenable portion of our monthly income was now dead and it was at this point I sincerely believe I went through Kubler-Ross’ stages of dying:

  1. Denial and isolation – I simply pretended there was no time share and did not tell anyone about it or my experience with RCI.
  2. Anger – I wanted to sue RCI for everything they were worth, spam them everywhere, and warn everyone of their unfair business practices.
  3. Bargaining – Please let me bank these weeks that I can not afford to take a vacation!!
  4. Depression – We are never going to be able to make this time share worth it, how could I have been so stupid?
  5. Acceptance – I am now a part of the RCI timeshare community, how can I make this work for me? What benefits can this offer? How can I help other people?

Since this website’s inception in 2007, I have spent over 15 years helping other individuals learn more about their options regarding a timeshare they may have unwittingly agreed to purchase and/or no longer want. This site is designed to help those in all stages of their timeshare experience in hopes to create a more informed buyer, owner, and seller.

If you would like more information on your options, I encourage you to download my free eBook – The Ultimate Guide To Getting Rid Of Your Timeshare. It’s absolutely free, no strings or spam! It includes a wealth of knowledge regarding ways you may choose to release yourself from your timeshare burden.

All the best!

The Ultimate Guide to Getting Rid of Your Timeshare
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465 Comments

  1. How could I be so stupid. How can those people sleep at night. How can this still go on year after year. How come everyone doesn’t know that this is a bad deal. How come the authorities don’t end this scam. How do we get the word out and save people money and misery

  2. can someone please help us get out of our timeshare. We live in new zealand and we dont know what to do or who to truest.
    WHERE WE BOUGHT THE TIMESHARE The Grand View at Las Vegas purchased through Vacation village Resorts

    WHAT WE PURCHASED week seven in a two bedroom apartment every second year at the above resort. Also membership to RCI Programme

    CONTRACT NUMBERS RCI 6923-52035
    Grandview 4030477-062001-07-0

    PURCHASE PRICE US DOLLARS 14990.00
    With extra costs added 15388.50 total cost
    We paid deposit – 1897.50
    We paid 2 DEC 13 – 282.76
    We paid 2 Jan 14 – 282.76
    We paid it off in full 28 Jan 14 – 13497.97
    Five years membership of RCI -285.00
    Maintance fee at Grandview -349.50

    we just want out as it is all lies and BS

  3. The same thing happened to myself and my family. We actually had to pay $20 each person, and we got: Zarkana tickets, tickets for a comedy show and hypnotism show, $100 for restaurant.com, $300 for the stupid slot machines(I say stupid because we could only use certain machines and we could only win if we played the full amount and won one of the jackpots and two “free” cruise ship tickets. Our tour was 4 and a half hours long, and it felt longer. They knew that we were not there to purchase, and either way the manager was super rude and made us keep waiting before we were able to leave. On our way out, I am guessing it is the person above the managers, we were asked why we would not be interested in purchasing today. we told her that because we can not afford to put down 1,500 and then do monthly payments on top of our mortgage and bills. She then asked “how about if I tell you that you can just do a down payment of $150 and your total for the timeshare would be $4000?” She could tell we were annoyed after 4 and a half hours, so she told us that next time we can just go back to the sales floor and ask them for “their best inventory”. Basically, if a current owner upgrades their plan the timeshare can not be double dipped. So, they have to sell if for whatever the old owner had left to pay on it.

  4. We have a timeshare in Nova Scotia and love it—always use it but also take advantage of last call and extra vacation.We have done many time share presentations for free tickets, meals, trips etc but have never been pushed into buying another property. Yes, the sales people are pushy, even rude sometimes but you just keep saying no, your income is too low and believe me they will try to sell you something cheaper and eventually give up. If you had read all of your contract it should have stated that you have a time limit in which you can cancel. My daughter bought a time share and once she had time to think about it she decided it was not for her and she cancelled her agreement.On a final note Grand view Las Vegas was one of our extra vacation destinations, loved the place and even did a presentation for Donnie and Marie tickets

    1. The only benefit you will ever get out of any time share is to use it – and use it a lot ! This is absolutely no different to anybody buying a holiday home or Mobile home. If it sits in the driveway all year – you are wasting your money. And it’s not about using your actual property – we will hardly ever visit Vegas. But what we do is swap or use the weeks for somewhere else or just take a rental. We have just taken a rental in Malaysia that I know for a fact was about a third of the normal price and it was great.
      Time share is best suited to those who holiday a lot or are retired – young people don’t buy holiday homes and they shouldn’t buy time share because they probably won’t get any benefit from it.
      RCI has a lot to offer – but you have to use it to max.

  5. Can we please shoot down this manipulative use of “if you like travelling then timeshare is great” theory?

    If you love to travel, ie go from place to place with a degree of spontaneity – fly drives, backpacking, staying in remote areas and so forth, then timeshare is definitely not for you.

    There’s no doubt that timeshare is good for some – people who can plan vacations well in advance, retirees, those who like to have straightforward vacations etc, but this idea being used by the pro timeshare lobby that it is great for people who like travelling is bunkum. If it was the case then every New Zealander, the most travel conscious nation on earth, would have timeshare, and I’ve never met a Kiwi who is an advocate for RCI!

    1. Excellent points! Salesagent like to use hot-button words. Why wouldn’t anyone like to travel? Traveling, vacationing… How about paying “less” for hotel accommodation. Who wouldn’t want to pay less for just about anything?! These are sales statements that are rhetorical in purpose and designed to be so! BUT, we already know that the mission of any salesagent is to Sell. We KNOW that regardless of whatever it is that they are selling is something that you just have to have. Oh, and their product? It is the PERFECT solution to needs that you don’t even know you have!

      The allure of Timeshare is that the price structures — when broken down into so many small chunks of monthly payaments over time is not exactly out of reach by a society that adores living on borrowed money. That’s the tantalizing aspect. Yet money borrowed has to be repay. Too often, the lack of free time to take advantage of Timeshare does end up bringing one’s dream of going on exotic places come crashing down, and ownership now seemed to be such a silly venture. It seems that the only thing we can rely on is the saying: “To thyself be true”.

  6. Just returned from using my RCI timeshare for the first time since buying 3 years ago. I can’t even explain how disappointed I was when it dawned on me that my week vacation actually cost me over $14,400.00 just for the accommodations (what my husband and I have paid over the 3 years since buying, not including the maintenance fees). I feel like I could have put that money toward a REALLY GREAT vacation. Vegas is okay but gets old pretty quick, especially since nothing is for free no matter what they are trying to promote. We just wanted tickets to see Criss Angel and ended up with this time share I absolutely hate! I wish Criss Angel could work some magic and get me out of this timeshare!!

    1. Hi Robin,
      I bought my timeshare in Las Vegas through RCI about seven years ago, and love, love, love it. I don’t go back to Vegas much myself, but have totally enjoyed the accommodatons when I have. If you’re not much of a traveller, it probably is a waste of money. But if you consider how much you would spend over the next few year on accommodations alone, you’ll probably find the value. My family, friends and I have travelled many, many times to numerous places, and have had spectacular accommodations that would have cost us a fortune otherwise.
      I don’t always use my weeks to book for family and friends. There is also the option of “last call” and “extra vacations”. If you’re not familiar with it, I’d be happy to give you some information about that.
      I just booked a “last-call” vacation unit for my brother and his wife at Clube Praia da Oura, in Portugal, in the Algarve, where they had an oceanview studio unit, and it cost them the whopping big sum of $300 for the week.
      My friend took his family skiing in Panorama, BC, stayed at Sunchaser Vacation Villas in Fairmont Hot Springs, BC, had a two-bedroom “lock-off”, and even at the “extra vacation” price, it was only about $450 or so for the week. Although I don’t ask for it, they always throw in a little extra for me to put towards my yearly maintenance fee. At my suggestion, they have also passed it on their families and friends as well, and I have several “repeat customers”.
      Also, if you check KIJIJI, you will see a lot of vacation rentals available, most of which are timeshare owners as well, who also make a bit of a profit by offering these weeks to others.
      I have to wonder, if you have only travelled once in the past three years since buying your timeshare, perhaps you weren’t a frequent traveller even then, so why buy it in the first place? I know the salespersons can be pushy, as it is their job, but you can always push back, or just get up and leave. I got a free show, a free meal, and a lifetime of travel – worth my $16K – and then some.
      Judy

      1. Well Judy I’m glad it’s working for you. Actually, you sound like you’d make a great RCI representative.

        1. I’m quite sure she (he) is. This is an RCI site and most of the positive comments are by RCI staff. The fact is that most of the resorts in the RCI directory never have vacancies. If you want to take a vacation at one of the places of your choice listed in that directory or on line, you cannot. That is the fraud of buying a timeshare at Grandview.

          1. Nah! Judy, like myself, is not a RCI Staff. There are always some who’s happy with their purchase decisions and those who doesn’t. This is not a RCI site. On the contrary, this site is uncomfortable if positive timeshare comments. Hey, I have comments — sin negatives — that are stuck in “moderation” forever-and-a-day. Because like yourself, anyone who do not have anything bad to report about timeshare will be classified as working for one. Last time I checked, It’s not as though the site stated purpose is to solicit ONLY bad experience.

    2. Robin: Sorry to hear that you have purchased a Timeshare and got to use it 3 years later only for the first time. That’s a lot of cash outlay! If this is any indication of how frequently you go on a vacation, you’re right, booking dircetly with the hotels would have made more sense. It is truly regrettable that this realization came after the sale.

      We are RCI timeshare owners who go on vacations at least 2 to- 3 times a year. Our average stay is 7 days. For the fun of it, we like to compare the price we paid RCI versus what that same stay would have costs us otherwise. We consistently came out ahead. My point is: Timeshare is not for everyone. I suspect that you very well could have bought into an idea that sounds good, but where it does not have a good fit with your lifestyle.

      1. When we bought our timeshare, we felt duped & heartsick. At first. Until we began to learn how the whole thing works. Now… it’s one of the best things we ever did. But only because we travel a lot. You don’t have to WAIT for your special free week! Being a member of RCI changes everything.

        RCI offers specials & sales constantly, for like $199 a week, at just about anywhere in the world. We spent seven (that’s SEVEN) weeks at the Grandview last year, just by adding another Getaway Special every week. (I got sick, had to go to urgent care, and couldn’t travel until I was well enough. The Grandview worked with us. They were wonderful.) One week, the sale price was $159. Only one time we had to pay $299, but geez… for a week at a beautiful condo in Las Vegas?

        DON’T WAIT FOR YOUR ASSIGNED WEEK. Take advantage of the sales! We also spent a week in Florida (first time ever), and it was also a beautiful condo, for only $259, I believe.

        Here’s the key… At check-in, DO NOT accept ANY invitations for “free” breakfast, lunch or dinner. (Even if you already own a timeshare, they always want you to upgrade or something. They’ll waste up to 6 hrs of your time.)
        UNPLUG your phone when you get to your room. Put out the Do Not Disturb sign. Only plug in your phone to communicate with housekeeping. And unplug it again. Then ENJOY your timeshare!

        I’m not kidding. Best travel investment we ever made.

        1. We have a Tri annual timeshare at Grandview in las Vegas it works for us. One week every three years at a reasonable cost of $3500.00 for life and the first thing we did is dump RCI. Yes you can do that and still enjoy your timeshare with out paying them a fee every year. We pay our maintenance fee and enjoy a relaxing week with trips to the strip. You have to learn to just say NO at the desk to the invitations for a tour and free tickets.

  7. I came here looking for a way to get out of my Grandview Timeshare. We’ve had it since 2008, never used it. Upgraded from weeks to points last year, on a lark that we might *actually* be able to use the points a little easier than weeks. At this point, I’m done with the whole thing, and would like the mortgage and maint fees back in my pocket every month. Not bitter, but seriously dreading taking a hit on my credit.

    Anybody want a yearly week 42 Grandview 1br unit?

    1. It never fails to confound me and puzzle me as to how many people go for the timeshare presentation, just to get the free tickets, etc, and are then totally amazed that the salespersons are going to actually try to sell them a timeshare!!! What did you think was going to happen? Why not just say no or walk out? They’re not going to shoot you!

      If you cannot afford to spend $10K or $15K or whatever on a timeshare …… why are you buying it in the first place?? Where did you think you were going to get the money for the payments?

      I know the sales persons can be pushy. I attended one where the sales persons was actually an ex-Los Angeles detective, and I laughingly told him he could probably make me admit to a murder I didn’t commit! But I sincerely doubt there was any gun held to your head, or that you were hypnotized and forced to buy against your will.

      But once you’ve bought it, USE IT!! Stop complaining and enjoy it. And no, I am NOT an RCI sales person, just a very satisfied owner who did her due diligence, and has been enjoying the benefits ever since.

      So instead of complaining about it, do a bit of research on the RCI site, and find out what you’ve actually been paying for – then get on the phone and book a flight. Or you might be close enough, like I am, to just drive to a nearby resort. Life is much too short to spend it in regret. There’s a great big world out there to enjoy. Last year, Hawaii and Las Vegas. This year, Banff, Portugal, and Montana. Next destination? Who knows?

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