RCI Class Action Lawsuit, Murillo vs. R.C.I.
RCI weeks members should be aware of developments regarding a possible class action lawsuit that is currently undergoing the class certification discovery process. The lawsuit is related to an alleged practice through which RCI takes out a lot of the gold crown, and highly sought after properties to rent out to the general public for profit, or for use as a fringe benefit for RCI employees and special guests. This skimming of available weeks makes it difficult for RCI timeshare resort weeks members to bank weeks for exchange at other resorts, since the availability pool is severely limited by this activity.
The class action suit was originally filed in May of 2006 so we can expect it to be quite some time before this case would go to trial. The current status of the case seems to be tied up with uncovering evidence to show that the lawsuit can hold its weight in the courtroom, and this could take quite some time – usually years. If you are a weeks member that wishes to be included if the lawsuit is heard in a court of law you do not need to do anything. All weeks members will receive relevant literature regarding the case by mail prior to the trial date, and at that time you will have the option to opt out of the case – which basically means you will not be held to any of the binding litigation that comes as a result of the trial.
This lawsuit should prove interesting, especially considering that RCI has financial interest in two companies that rent out timeshare weeks to the general public – Snap Travel and Leisure Link. I am not sure if they have controlling interest in SnapTravel and LeisureLink, but I look forward to hearing them try to talk themselves out of the accusations of selling highly sought after time share resort properties to non-members while RCI members are forced to trade their weeks for stays at resorts that can be considered mediocre at best.
UPDATE: RCI may be trying to settle this case out of court. On July 8, 2008 a settlement conference was held in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, and another was held July 15, 2008 in Federal Court in Newark, NJ. We are still waiting to see what the next steps are in the case, and if they did agree on terms for settlement.
This just makes me wonder – if RCI really believes they have done nothing wrong, and have nothing to hide, why wouldn’t they be requesting a trial date??
LATEST UPDATE: December 2008, it appears Murillo and RCI have reached a settlement. No word yet on whether or not this has been approved, but if approved, this settlement will allow RCI members to search prior to depositing a week. RCI will also be required to disclose trading power in all relevant situations (which, to me, would seem like any instance in which a trade is being processed). Please see the post – Murillo vs. RCI Settlement Conditions – for the verbose outline of the settlement agreement, and what you, as an RCI member, may be entitled to.
134 Responses to “RCI Class Action Lawsuit, Murillo vs. R.C.I.”
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I find this article very interesting due to the fact that my family has been wondering about some of the issues and/or difficulties in exchanging for the "better" units. Seems strange that with RCI you are ENCOURAGED to deposit early for "better trading power"; however, you cannot exchange for a period of more than 24 months in advance. Problem being when you get ready to exchange…..most and/or all of the BETTER and/or GOLD CROWN and award-winning units are non-existant. My husband and I were just discussing this lack of availability of good locations and units…and I even said……"I guess some people get "special treatment" from RCI…..and are allowed to book before we common-folk are allowed to". Seems a little underhanded if this is the case. Will definitely bookmark this page and will try to stay up on this lawsuit. If what I read in this article in factual…it makes me furious!!! Thanks!
I look forward to this action and have plenty of the same experiences with RCI over the last 18 months that I have been a member. No premium properties available during desired times even with a year or more of advance request. The web site for week exchanges is pathetic; sort of ironic that their improvements to UI (user interface) are all in the last minute and extra getaway properties which are only available if you pay for them, no exchanges. The customer service team is not knowledgeable, but does recite well management's preselected playbook of answers. So far I have 2 weeks banked, have purchased a 5 year membership and have committed funds to search for 2 exchanges — nothing to show for it. Our home property is a 5 star ski resort in the northeast U.S. I think will enjoy my weeks there
—RCI is one of the worst services I have ever come in contact with. Please keep me on the class action info list.
I was a member of RCI I was never able to get a week I wanted The getaways were a joke it was a waste of a 3 year membership Now I know why! Please keep me posted I would love to get my fee’s back. I love Interval International They have been great!
My wife and I have owed a RCI Weeks unit in Fl. for 10+ years. IN that time I have traded for nice places only a couple times. If you want to go to Mexico your set, always places available. If you want to go to Hawaii, Jamaica, Virgin Islands etc.. Your screwed! God forbid if your looking for a unit during holiday. I have been trying to trade to Hawaii for 10 years! Never anything available anywhere nice except dear old MEXICO. Really makes me mad. Prices have gone up every year since we bought. They always give the same excuse you didn't deposit early enough, your resort doesn't have that much pulling power (not so when we were sitting with the salesman!).
The whole thing just pisses me off.
Another thing. The Extra Vacation offers! There are always places available at all the good spots for Extra Vacations! How's that available for a nice sized fee but not available for a trade?
My husband and I just spent 5 hours trying to book an exchange vacation so we wouldn't lose our week. We always try to book at places in their off season so we will have better luck. Not this time. Everywhere we tried, there was no availability except at one of their mediocre resorts. I have a gold crown home resort and I should be able to trade for the same quality. We have now had to pay extra to extend our week so we don't lose it. We tried to book a resort in Destin, Fl for February and low and behold, there was no availability. I've been there during that time on my own dime and the place is dead.
I can't wait for this class action suit to come to trial. RCI should be held accountable for their actions and ripping people off.
I agree with Brian. I am always getting "great" offers for extra vacations at the destinations I want to go to, but when you try to use your week, there are no rooms available.
I am sure there are a lot of people out there that should be reimbursed for their weeks that they lost and I hope the courts recognize this fact.
[...] You will be able to trade your timeshare week for a stay anywhere in the world (this applies to weeks vacation ownership only). The way that timeshare weeks programs are set up do not make it very easy to trade for other locations, and many weeks timeshare owners have found that without banking a few years in advance, it is almost impossible to get their choice of resort and/or week. For more information on this read -Murillo vs. RCI [...]
My wife and I just joined RCI about a year ago. One thing they never told us is that in order for us to use our time share we bought and paid for we need to notify them a year in advance every year. Every time I call them it seems liek I am paying some hidden fee that is buried in the book they give you that you need weeks and a lawyer to decipher. Trying to exchange for anything seems a waste of time for any nice destinations unless you book something years in advance and the website site I can't make heads or tails of it. Does anyone know of other sites that we can bank points at and do excahnges?
I recently attended a timeshare presentation from a company that uses another company other than RCI. The salesman informed me of this lawsuit as part of his sales pitch against RCI Properties. Now I understand why I could never get a week anywhere I wanted to go. Last year I was doing a search in northern Europe, Scandinavia, and the UK I could find nothing available and I was going out 1 ½ and still nothing. I was extremely frustrated and decided to sell my timeshare. Hey if I can’t get anything I want from it what use is it. I will have to go to my property and demand that they get rid of RCI. There are very few properties left with RCI because of this practice.
The old RCI was great and there was no presure to bank ahead of time as there is now. I have lost weeks banked because there was nothing I wanted open. You give them outstanding 2 bedroom units and they want you to take a one bedroom or less in return. I hope the lawsuit goes thru.
We have been 'weeks' members since 1992 and would like to be included in the Class Action.
On to another subject. We are now RCI Points members through Blue Bay Resort, Cancun. The primary reason we purchased was to us the points for airline flight discounts. Nine months later, RCI sends us a letter on 9-5-2008 limiting our transfer of points to 60,000 annually. This effectively prevents us from using points for airline discounts. Nowhere in our Participation Agreement does it give RCI authority to restrict our points transfers. In fact, it states in the Participation Agreement that the member chooses the number of RCI points they wish to exchange. Further, it states that there are no more RCI points balance restrictions. RCI's only response is that the section in the back of the Directory hold precedence over all other agreements. However, the terms and conditions in the back of the Directory pertains only to Weeks subscribing memberships without reference to Points subscribing memberships. HELP!!!
Been an RCI member for 24 years. I have never been able to trade for the resort and week I wanted. I enjoy the vacations I have taken thru trading of my time share, but all have proven a hassle make a good trade for. The only thing RCI is interested in is getting your yearly renewal and their fees, the only way they make money is via the exchange of $169.00. I would love to be part of this lawsuit, I have always asked them what happens to all these exchanged weeks. I just got a ad from RCI saying that Smugglers Notch in Vermont had openings for October, 2008. That is a LIE, I have been trying to exchange there for several years and nothing is ever available. I have no problem with my time share, my problem is with RCI. I just purchased points from Shells and one thing I had a long discussion with them on was exchanges, you know what, I can get into Hawaii now, RCI always trys to book me in a resort in IOWA, what the hell is there to see there?
We also purchased a time share 5 years to exchange for cruises. We did it the first year and had a very crappy room next to the engine room and the engine had a very loud noise problem. Later the next year or the year after that, we also recieved a letter letting us know that RCI will only exchange 60,000 points. We only bought the timeshare so we could use it for cruises. I hope this lawsuit does go through! I have not been contacted but would love to be included.
Can I be included in the lawsuit?
I bought timeshare (RCI points) from point To Point Destinations in Vancouver, BC (aka West Coast Timeshare, westcoast timeshare, ptp destinations, ptpdestinations)
I am very disappointed.
Please check out the facts and my experience with them here:
http://www.TimeshareRevealed.com
Hello, I tried to click your link but it didn’t work anymore. Although this one was posted 4 yrs ago, I am curious to know if you actually switched to VI. I also purchased my time share to PTP and was able to book one week only for the past 4 years. Hopeful to hear your experience. Thanks.
We have been members for 9 years. We own a week in Florida, red week gold crown resort. Was told that we would have great trading power with what we bought. Were we badly misleaded. Several times we have tried to make exchanges with RCI, but was told there was nothing available. They always offered us a different location, but it wasn't what we were looking for. We even had to book a year in advance for a resort in Michigan, what's up with that? We bought this on our honeymoon, thought it would be a great purchase for our future. All it has been is argurments and disappointment. We are definitely interested in being a part of this lawsuit.
I want to be on the list to sue RCI, they are all liars and cheats. We got scammed big time and lost a lot of money with false promises.
As I read these comments, it seems as if you are mixing apples and oranges. When you buy at a resort, what the resort tells you is what they want you to believe to get you to buy there. They tell you that this is a great resort that will trade well. When you go to RCI, you find that isn't true….RCI didn't make the promise to you, the resort did. If no one deposits a week from a resort, there is no way RCI can trade it to you. We recently went to a prime resort in Hawaii on a trade. When we checked in, the resort told us we were really lucky to get a spot there because most of their owners use the week they own every year, and very few belong to RCI…..this is not RCI's fault. You don't buy as one person commenting above said, a RCI week, you buy a resort week and then a RCI contract to give you a way to trade that week. The two are totally unrelated things. One resort I wanted to trade for is in Door CO WI and it was never available. I stopped at the resort when visiting the area, and asked about the timeshare and they told me they have 200 units but only 15 opted for a RCI timeshare exchange……your chance of getting one of those is pure luck.
We will definitely want to participate in this suit. We were scammed by RCI/Palace Resorts. They have $12,500 of our money, paid in full in advance, and are now making it virtually impossible to use the resorts. Please contact me for more details.
I have been a timeshare owner for 25 years. RCI is just the tip of the iceberg. Raintree and Wyndam are the big piece under the water.
Agree with all the above sentiments. The new RCI on-line reservation system also provides a pathetic selection of run-down resorts. Look forward to the outcome of the lawsuit
Remember rci and wyndham are owned by the same bunch of corporate thieves. go to the following web page to see how they are treating their owners.
I heard a rumor that anyone who is adding more weeks to their RCI contract by phone may not know that RCI is now putting a clause in that permits them to get around what the class action was going after. If this is true, they will eventually be out of the situation, since most people have to renew their membership with RCI regularly. I had purchased a five year plan the last time and it is coming up for renewal next year, so I have been investigating the class action situation to determine if I want to continue extending my membership. If this rumor is true, they will just string out the suit until everyone has renewed and it contains a new wording (which we don't even see) that will excuse them from renting our units.
All people who visit any of these web-sites concerning RCI behaviors and lawsuits against them, should write a letter stating their experiences and grievances to the courts/ attorneys involved. We also need to spread the word so that the courts are inundated with the same message, and will be more likely to take action on our behalf.
this whole rci thing has been a scam unless a few years ago one was willing to go to a bad motel/hotel in mexico
I've experienced the same as all the above with RCI. Whether or not they put "CYA" verbage in the new membership renewal contracts, they still need to be held accountable since they are still misrepresenting themselves – especially when they make a big hoop-la to announce the availability of new sought-after resorts on their websites to lure new members. Putting loopholes for themselves in the fineprint isn't enough. Unless they make the reality of the exchange program that Karen explained so well (above at post #18) as clear as their announcements of desirable new "Gold Crown" resorts, they are liable. (A sidenote, however: The resort salesperson DOES show you a book of RCI properties and tells you that you CAN exchange your week for any of these resorts – quite misleading.)
The class action suit should allow for all RCI members who wish to do so to leave and switch to Interval International or other more reputable company who will provide the services paid for by members.
Pharmaceutical companies have to include disclaimers right in their advertisements to protect the health of consumers, and RCI should have to do it to protect the FINANCIAL health of consuming Americans…who have already been duped and bamboozled by corrupt Wall Street big businesses and now have to bail them out of their foolishness. Enough is ENOUGH!
I don't think it's too dramatic to ask, where is Jean Valjean when you need him? I guess when it comes to RCI, here in the U.S., the story of Les Miserables would stop soon after Valjean became a businessman…he would have then become a glorified swindler and corrupted Cosette. Curtain falls.
I agree that it is difficult to find good availabilty. In the past I have questioned rental practice and been told that they do not rent.
That is hilarious Bruce. You can go on the Las Vegas Grandview website and rent out a room for a few days if it is available. All of these companies are full of lies which is why I will never buy a timeshare. If a timeshare is such a great deal why do they have to lure you into a meeting with free gifts and not let you leave to do some research on your own?
would like to participate
You are spot on about RCI. We have been a member of
RCI for more than 20 years. We own a 2 bedroom Red time
Gold Crown Resort and the best we have been able to exchange
for with RCI in a desired location is a Studio or 1 bedroom
non rated resort in a blue or white time. This happens no matter
how many months you book in advance. They rent units to non-owners
in order to set it up for the resort to sell more time. Timeshares
are a real scam and it is about time the court gets involved and
maybe some regulations with come from it.
It’s so comforting to know we’re as unhappy as everyone else. We just returned from a “free” 3 day “owners’ meeting” at our useless RCI timeshare in VA. Basically they wanted us to “trade up” for $8500! to a red week from a white week. By the time we had interacted with 3 more pushy salespeople, that 8500 was down to $4000. They put us up in a funky ski slope cheap hotel room and drove us to “see” the luxury condo that we owned. I 100% agree with everything posted here about RCI, we can NEVER get an exchange. We own one RCI and 2 II timeshares, all in different places, all bought with cash which also pissed them off, because they don’t make any interest money off them. We too are much happier with our II properties than the RCI and if I could sell it I surely would – seems no one wants to buy that “most desireable” location! Imagine that……
Remember Nancy Ragan’s words – Just Say No!!!
The latest scam this pack of corporate pickpockets has come up with is; the property owners are promoting change your weeks program with RCI to a points
program for the astounding low price of $2995.00.
You’ll still be with RCI just $3000.00 poorer. That tells me they are totally in the same game and are trying to wiggle around a tricky lawsuit that may tarnish them all, and line their pockets at the same time.
It is NOT RCI that is talking you into switching to points, it is the RESORT……….RCI does NOT buy or sell Timeshares. If you are asked to “upgrade” to points, that is on the resort, NOT RCI. The salespeople are trying to make a sale and if you are foolish enough to fall for it, why blame RCI? You have no clue what you are doing and now you want to blame RCI……..that is insane! Did RCI tell you you can have XXXX or go XXXX? No, they did not……..the RESORT salespeople told you that.
Extra vacations are that…..units NOT OWNED by anyone are put into RCI’s rental inventory by the RESORT!!!!!! Do any of you know anything about baseball cards? Think about this: I own a Mickey Mantle rookie card….why would I TRADE you for Rube Walker when I can sell Mickey for big bucks??? Timeshares are the same.
I own at 2 weeks at the Galleon resort and 3 weeks at the Manhattan Club. Guess what? I deposit 1 week for the Manhattan Club with RCI. I NEVER trade the others in RCI because I can rent them myself for 3 times my maintenence fees….why would I trade them when I can make money renting them out?
In order to be qualified as a “gold crown”, the resort has to HAVE an indoor pool, an outdoor pool, washer/dryer & dishwasher in each unit. If they are missing any of these, they DO NOT qualify for gold status….so, my question is, WHY, if you want “beach front/ocean view” property, do you have to have an indoor/outdoor pool?
You didn’t look before you leapt and now you want to blame someone for it. Instead of crying foul to RCI, start with the resort!
cc states “I own at 2 weeks at the Galleon resort and 3 weeks at the Manhattan Club. Guess what? I deposit 1 week for the Manhattan Club with RCI.”
The Murillo vs RCI lawsuit was precisely about what RCI does with the 1 week of the Manhattan Club that you deposit with them. Is it put in the exchange pool? Never! It is ALWAYS rented: either a 4-night rental or a 3-night rental.
I have seen nothing to indicate that RCI discontinued their practice of renting high demand exchange deposits.
We can never get good accomodations in Europe. Either they are places requesting paying for massages- a very expensive price- or they are located high in the mountains, in ski resorts for the summer time. We are very disappointed with RCI after almost 30 years of being members.
I already wrote to them and told them they must not offer ski resorts in the summer. there is nobody and every store is closed. The one assigned to us in ISOLA in France has only one restaurant. You cant imagine the prices there. The place was completed isolated and did not have any amenities.The people at the front door were not present. As a consequence, we have to leave the place and pay for a hotel. All this after having paid for our exchange and membership. We feel very disappointed. When you look at some places now for the summer- June and July- these months don t even appear on the screen for the summer. The same happens with 2013. We need to be heard. We don’t know what to do, but we are paying money!! and we are not satisfied really. Even in London, they offer boat houses. What is this? I read comments that there are even robberies there and that the boat houses they assign are far away, not the really nice ones!! In France, there is nothing available. The two available are with massage and a person has to pay for the TREATMENT!! 400 or 500 or 600 dollars, ridiculous!
I agree. Plus the units – even domestic now charge a service fee. Really!! So pay tour maintenance. Points for exchange and a service fee!
Does anyone involved with the lawsuit have PROOF, other than “Boo-Hoo, I didn’t get what I wanted”? I have YET to see anything on these “updates” that shows proof of what you are claiming. Where is the proof, other than, “Well, I know this guy who has a friend that said his cousin’s ex knows this guy that said his brother thinks maybe someone told him that they didn’t get what they wanted so somebody did something wrong!!” Show me the proof…
All I have read on this site is “I want what I want when I want it.” Can you say “temper tantrum????”
Did you know that you can call RCI and ask how many units have been deposited for any given resort in any given year? Have any of you done that?
Everything I have read here states that you are unhappy. okay, I get that……THESE ARE NOT HOTELS!!!! You do not check in Saturday and check out Sunday.
Here’s a thought……cancel your RCI membership, go to your own resort every year for the week that you are paying for and you will never be unhappy again.
If this lawsuit is anything like the last one, you are going to get a $20.oo coupon added to your account and the lawyers are going to get big bucks… you are still not going to get what you want, when you want and what will you do then? Initiate another lawsuit? Grow up folks!!!!!
I’m not sure if this message will even get out, since I am responding to an email notice that I received. I have a long history with RCI (since 1984) and I think I have a fairly good idea of the situation.
I knew the original class action suit against RCI would not end up being a great ending, having been included in other such suits in my lifetime. From my observance, there are many complicated factors involved. I recall my first few years were exciting and rewarding because I was able to accommodate my desires on trades. I even got to know the headquarters staff through many calls and in working out details. That was when the business was still basically a one location operation.
Over the past thirty years things have changed drastically. I had about twenty good years of meeting my exchange requests and enjoyed the program. Its only in the past decade had I started to complain to myself and some others that I was no longer able to get the services and experiences like before. I saw the “points” system evolve and the “new” sales pitch to go that way. I saw the evolution of the RCI rental program evolve and I started studying the changes taking place that no longer afforded me the opportunities to make exchanges that I had enjoyed in the past. I noticed that when I even did all of the correct things (requesting a year in advance, space banking my week as early as possible, etc.) I was still unable to get even a reduced quality type of unit for any time period within a month of when I wanted to travel (i.e. in the Northwestern States during the summer) I started noticing that RCI had a significant list of units available for rental in the same locations and time periods where I wanted to exchange.
So, between the points concepts (versus my weeks) and the lack of timeshare trades, it became apparent that RCI was actually supporting a system that competed against itself as far as timeshare owners were concerned. I decided to run for board of directors for one of my resorts to get closer to some of the decisions and issues involving the resort itself as well as the relationship with RCI. In that process, I was contacted by many owners from all over the country who saw my information on the election ballot. Many of those people had many of the same concerns with unavailable trades as well as the commitment to the resort for their lifetime and their heirs lifetime for maintenance fees and other liabilities for possible resort damages through natural disasters. With all of these types of concerns arising out of many members (especially the older seniors) it seems the timeshare systems have evolved more toward the corporate benefits and have left the owners in the dust.
I must admit that I have observed some recent changes that RCI has made that seems to be better in utilization, but I’m still amazed at the number of people who are still paying $15K-30K for a week in a resort with all of the issues that have arisen over the past few years. However, many resorts have now formed corporate structures that include many different resorts within their own circle that allows owners to access those resorts without the need for RCI to be involved. Unlike II (which I also have used) RCI still seems to have the larger assembly of resorts and still affords some benefits that are more reasonable than II. My advice to future purchasers of condo timeshares would be to be very careful of paying more than $2000 for anything anywhere, where there are many people willing to sell them on eBay to get rid of them and escape the maintenance fees. The timeshare trade business is still a great way to get access to some very nice resorts with lots of benefits and amenities that aren’t available in a majority of hotels with significantly higher room rates. As far as another class action law suit. I think it just makes more money for the lawyers (as suggested by more than contributor to this posting site). Our world is controlled by the many corporate wealthy (my political view) and we are all just a bunch of pawns in the mix of the big money wheel.
If you are like me, hopefully you had a few years of real enjoyment out of the program and you can avoid the pitfalls that have caught up some of the owners. I can see some of my younger family members still enjoying the fruits of travel and ownership, but it just depends on your scheduling capabilities, freedom to travel and financial status as to how well you can enjoy the program.
My timeshare is with Vacation Village. and when i asked if I can trade within Vacation Village without RCI I did not have the option. Fell for the scam of converting from weeks to points and now there is a preferred points system. Either way, I believe the resorts as well as RCI are really getting the best deal and we have a limited supply.
Why is it that RCI can have vacation weeks for rent when you cannot get them with your point system? if I could I would have RCI pay me back in full for the timeshare and just walk away.
Actually, RCI really didn’t sell you the timeshare. The resort sold you the timeshare (Vacation Village) and you were just told how nice it would be to trade your points to use in other locations through RCI. The reality is that RCI only has so many “tradable” units, because some people don’t spacebank their weeks, some people rent out their weeks, some people don’t use RCI anymore, etc. and therefore it is more difficult to trade.
Unfortunately, one question that isn’t addressed enough by buyers is “will you buy back the unit for a ?? amount if I want out?”. Very few will do that, and most would give you a tiny amount if any at all.
when I purchased at Vacation Village they promised to help me sell my timeshare in AC. What a joke. never happened. still have my ac timeshare.
Granted, many weeks do not trade in their time so it is not available, yet RCI is renting them out on great weeks rather than allowing members to use their points. that is wrong.
I would agree with the fact that its too bad you can’t get access to the “unsold” weeks that the timeshare resort still has available for sale. They just want to get the equivalent of their maintenance fees out of each unit while they otherwise sit empty from ownership. I know some resorts do allow their owners to rent additional weeks at the home resort, or if they are affiliated with a chain, they may allow you to rent additional weeks at the sister facilities. In my case, I had two facilities that were independent timeshares and it had to be there or traded through RCI. I own another that is affiliated with both, so I took the II route there in order to take advantage of both organizations. I have found that II is a little more expensive in rental prices and has less resorts to chose from. Another way to compensate, if you have the time and are somewhat flexible in schedule is to use their short term booking and pick up some opportunities there. Everyone has their own desires, timing issues and recreational needs. I have just given up on trying to go to Hawaii or places with “apparent” high demand like that, especially during prime times, so I started looking at relatively interesting and sometimes exotic places in the in-between seasons to get a good deal. The other option for many owners is to just put their unit up for rent and not trade them. I have heard that some people try to establish their property as a rental property to try to justify it as an “investment” so they may have some angle on taxes or something. Who knows. I do know that the rentals through RCI are usually at a higher rate than just paying an RCI exchange rate. Therefore, there is more money involved in the transaction and probably it is more profitable for the resort and RCI. It just appears that the reasonable exchange program we once enjoyed is gone. I also heard a rumor that RCI provides VIPs, veterans and their own staff access to some of the premium space banked weeks before they are put up for trade. Whatever, the old days of timeshare trading through RCI or II (if you were an owner there) is becoming more difficult.
Again, where is the proof of any wrong doing?
Dear EB- Where is “AC”? Alberta, Canada? What does the failure of Vacation Village to help sell a timeshare have to do with RCI?
RCI does not own (or buy) timeshares. Some timeshares do place unsold inventory with RCI for rental in order to bring new potential clients into their resorts. These are not “owner deposits”, so your deposit cannot be traded for them.
To cc
You are very right in your comment. Many of the sales force at ANY of the resorts will tell you anything to sell you more or “upgrade” you. It is just their way to make more money…not that you get anything different in your “upgrade” other than farther in debted to these companies. Usually by the time you go back to your resort the next year that same sales person won’t even be there…..
But RCI is just a “resort banking service”. The resorts are the “pitch people”.
And don’t let them tell you , you get more switching to points….it all depends on the time of year you travel and the unit you want and also the resort.
So right on “cc”.
It is all connected. Now Rci has the new point system to get your ideal request what crock
We have had these problems with Silverleaf, and Bluegreen lied about its properties’ locations when we joined them last year. We want to get rid of these two timeshares and get as much of our money back as possible. We plan to sell these timeshares within the next few weeks. Will that jeopardize our joining this lawsuit? RCI is a really bad company.
I have had a very negative experience with Bluegreen. I live in Florida and purchased from a sales center in St. Augustine back in 2007. Would you please tell me about your experience with Bluegreen? I am looking for other people who have encountered difficulty through their business transaction with Bluegreen. I am trying to gather these complaints to prepare a file with documentation so I can contact the Florida Attorney General’s Office about these situations in the very near future. I urge you to respond ASAP. It would be so important to many many people. If you know anyone else in a similar situation with Bluegreen, please let them know to contact the Florida Attorney General right away to file a complaint.
If you have any questions for me, please e-mail me.
How do we join this class action suit? We have been RIPPED OFF for the past 5 years or so — we have a Goldcrown Red week and can NEVER exchange it for anything! All we do is bank our week (years in advance) with RCI, pay our annual fee in advance, then when we can’t get an exchange keep paying the ‘extension’ fee. Now we are facing losing some of our weeks. We are just paying through the nose and getting NO VALUE from it. RCI seems to be selling our weeks to other outside revenue paying customers. WHAT A SCAM! I can’t believe no court is willing to compensate the members and PUNISH RCI for their unethical and probably illegal behavior! Any update on the class action lawsuit? How do we sign up?
Where is your proof???
If you wish to be enlightened on the latest in timeshare scams, just google “Raintree Complaints” where you will be taken to a board with many interesting comments on Raintree’s attempt to levy a substantial Special Assessment. Members are outraged and fighting back by simply refusing to pay.
[...] power, the power of which is the center of much speculation anyway (see these posts for more – Murillo vs. RCI and Timeshare Owner [...]
[...] weeks for vacations at other resorts is exactly the same problem that the class action lawsuit, Murillo vs. RCI (which is currently in the discovery process) is focused upon – the idea that RCI is withholding [...]
[...] 2008, it seems a preliminary settlement has been agreed upon regarding the class action lawsuit – Murillo vs. RCI. For background on this lawsuit please read the post RCI Class Action Lawsuit, Murillo vs. RCI. [...]
Include us in the lawsuit. We have the same problems like all the above.
RCI is a bunch of crooks. For example, over the last few years I have requested and received my exchange for a Disney property using Interval International usually within a month or two. I purposely choose the least popular week (48) to do this. This year having been forced to RCI, I made my request the first week of 2009, again for week 48. I have been told on a number of occassions that my request will be difficult to fill and once was told that it will not be filled. What makes this worse is that when I search RCI’s website, the week I requested is available for purchase and had been for months. They are criminals, plain and simple.
Frankly, I am sick of Timeshare and RCI. Trading can be a nightmare. Recently my family and I had exchanged my scheduled week for a week in Fort Lauderdale. When I reseached my designation I was told that we had too many people and could not stay. At 7:30 pm what was I to do. Two years ago I took the same people with me (2 adults and 3 small children). The number of people with me was not a problem before. I had driven 12 hrs and the resort staff acted nonchalant. We were finally placed at a resort on the beach. The location was nice but the resort was not class A. I had complained about the room because of Bees but was never offered to be transferred to a different location. To top things off we came home with a souvenir—SCABIES. Five weeks after our vacation and a trip to the doctor, we are still battling the creatures. I have complained to RCI and their response was issuing me a complaint number and nothing else.
Because of Fire codes, the maximum occupancy is strictly enforced. If you had taken the same number of people the year before, you would not have gotten in. My husbandis a Captain wiht a fire company in our town, so I know all about occupancy codes. You did not complain to RCI, if you had called, they would have called you back. It is their poolicy to call the member back within about 2 hours of a complaint. So you are not telling the truth.
How about a class action lawsuit for RCI Points holders? It’s even more impossible to get a good location. Usually the only thing available is some place in Kansas or whatever (yeah yeah there’s always the places in Mexico but they’re all All-Inclusives and the points don’t cover that and they charge over a hundred dollars a day each for the All-Inclusive part which is about what you’d pay for the room included if you just booked the whole thing yourself). I’ve been trying to book a room in London for years, which is why I got into this thing in the first place, and even first thing in the morning on the day exactly as far in advance as you are allowed to book, the room is unavailable. I don’t think it actually exists. If RCI is advertising the Hotel it should damn well include every room in the hotel, not just the crappy one right beside the noisy elevator. Lots of luck getting anywhere with that though. It’s exactly the same as Air Miles points that only offer three seats on any given flight, even if the flight is mostly empty.
Sign me Pissed Off and Ripped-Off.
We agree with Dan. Is it too late to join forces with the Weeks group since we have exactly the same problems with RCI and the same questions we would like answered. We have been with RCI for over 20 years but the past few years have been hugely unsatisfactory. we changed to the Points scheme on the promise that it would offer a better deal but, if anything, it is worse.
We have experienced most of the issues listed by the other bloggers and the frustration of trying to get something halfway reasonable in exchange for points whilst seeing wonderful places offered for rent. As for contacting customer service – you get the rote replies and realise that it’s impossible to get an honest and personal reply to your queries.
My husband and I bought RCI POINTS and its been nothing but a NIGHTMARE. They limited the availability to use your points for airline tickets for one. Second, as I look on line at their resort directories– what a joke! Almost NONE of them are RCI Points resorts so you have to pay 189 booking fee. Their customer services isn’t customer service. W/ ONE exception, a man named James, every single person i’ve talked to there has been incredibly rude and downright mean and condescending at times- by anyone’s standards. I called again to inquire about the points for airfare to see if they would work w/ us and i got a call back from James saying he heard I wasn’t happy w/ what he offered–no, but it was better than what it was. Then he said if I continued to call about plane tickiets, he would reverse the assistance he gave me and I would lose my points. I believe a supervisor made hi make this call. My husband and I spent thousands w/ them only to be able to use ONE airline ticket. That’s one expensive ticket, I’ll tell you that. POINTS MEMBERS NEEED THEIR OWN CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT! Any lawyers on here???
I’ve got one for you. We JUST left the Silverleaf where we own one week. After the standard 90 min. hardcore sales pitch, we say we’re leaving….”no, I’ll get fired if you don’t talk to” this second round suitboy…waiting…waiting…finally, after, “no”, “NO”, and “NO!”, to their “offer” to “upgrade” (for, like, $40,000), “I,ll be right back to sign you out” he says. …waiting…waiting… On his return we explain that we just bought our dream home in the highest priced real estate area in Florida (last year #2(?) in the United States!), “oh, you’ll get tired of THAT…”, “we’re not going to talk about THAT, NOW”, he says, as he blabs on. I say, “well, we’re no going to talk anymore about” his (pitch). He says, I know when I’ve been insulted”, and storms out. I’ll tell you what I think he “knew”…we weren’t buying!! We insulted NO ONE, unless refusals are now insults. I’ll tell about what insulted us…we pay $42, I believe it is, per month for maintenance, along with 51 other owners, per year, I presume…equals over $2000 a year. Our “room”? Ha! …Water spots on the ceiling needed painted, doors were hard to open because bottom seals were shot, every single step we took, the floor squeaked (!), etc., etc.. I guess basketball sized cobwebs aren’t maintenance… How much is paint per gallon, now… $2500? Why do they continue inviting us (saying we “must” come to be “updated”), even after swearing more than once, we’d be on the absolutely don’t call list? Well…some people probably upgrade…some smoke (in the room?). Cost/”fine”? $150. Some bring pets ($75). Some don’t bring pet vaccinations records (another $75). It seems it must be OK if your pet is deadly contagious, as long as you pay, they can stay. On one visit I was called a lousy parent by a red-faced 400 pound (?) man, because we wouldn’t upgrade to points, even though earlier that year we went on a week cruise, and a trip to…I believe that year was Hawaii…many peoples’ trip(s) of a lifetime. This is on top of most of the above mentioned problems others have experienced! I believe we’ve had enough. Where is civility? WHERE IS THE JUSTICE? I guess I didn’t pay enough to the right people to get THAT.
We have a floating week in a gold crown location in Mexico. We have banked it a few times with RCI and can never find a location we are interested in going. I was told RCI abritrally assign a low requested week to the week we bank; so the last time I booked the 4th of July and a month later I banked it; and RCI turned the week into early January. I did not know they could rent the rooms for a profit. That’s pretty underhanded
Not true……….if you have a floating week, you have to call the resort to assign you a week. Most resorts bank the week for you. So, if you called the resort to get an assigned week, RCI would bank that week, exactly as you gave it to them….
I didn’t assign my floating week one year; when I banked it; it was assigned a less than desirable week.
Next year I booked it for the week of 4th of July; then a month later I banked it; it was reassigned to a less than desirable week
Sooo… that was probably the resort’s action?
The few times I have used RCI (I stopped because it was useless) I had an Emerald level membership and could NEVER get the equivalent. I usually got something so much less than I owned. One time we were sleeping on a Murphy bed next to the refrigerator and the only way to the bathroom was to crawl over the bed. Most of the time I couldn’t get the dates we needed. Over a 5 year period, we had over 5-6 bonus weeks and never were abel to use them. I know others that have never had a problem, but we just got tired of trying….I would never bank with them again.
I have been an RCI member about 16 years. My timeshare is Tahoe Beach and Ski Club. I have been unable to get any real exchanges. I have had to pay to extend my weeks or lose them. I did get an exchange to Mexico right after 9/11, but I did not get the exchange I requested. The room we received was next to the elevator and the bedroom flooded everytime it rained. It truly was a dump. The hotel and RCI were not helpful and did not change our room. I confess 2 years ago I did go to Las Vegas and stayed at the Grandview. I was told the only reason I got the exchange was because of the slow economy. I was required to go on a 90 minute presentation which lasted about 3 hours. They were trying to get me to convert to points and pay more money. I have to pay RCI fees and maintenance fees to VRI (They came on the scene years later, plus $189 exchange fees. I pay more then the trip I would have gotten from the second rate hotels they send me to. I have only been on a few trips because RCI and VRI make it difficult to make exchanges, so I have to call the same numbers and be transfered to some one who really can’t help me.
Perhaps the owners should exchange with each other. It would be better than the job RCI does. Does anyone know if we can replace RCI with another exchange company. I have always felt that my weeks were being sold because I have called the resorts in the RCI book and they were available to rent but were not available for me to do an exchange. RCI and the sales people are selling more timeshares but don’t have enough resorts available to accomodate existing owners. I called my own timeshare and it was for rent at a hefty price.
I had no idea the problem was with RCI, but several other people I talked to about time shares said they are with Interval and have no problems, always get the exchange they want. Our last few years exchanges have been wasted because we could not exchange! That is a lot of wasted money!
Tim above says he tried to deposit a Mexico week for the 4th of July period and he was angered because RCI counted it as a January week. I’m not sure how this could come about, but he should be grateful if this did happen. January in Mexico, when the weather is not so extremely hot, hurricane season is over, and tourists are trying to leave the snow belt, should be a much better trader than July! If RCI has any clout with his resort, they may have asked for the January week because of the higher demand. I hope it will do well for Tim and family.
As someone else said, we are getting many complaints here which have nothing to do with RCI. They are resort specific. RCI is only an exchange company which, admittedly, rents out some of its expiring or excess inventory. Where can it get excess inventory if RCI is doing 1 for 1 exchanges? Resorts with unsold units give it to them in order to bring in sales prospects who have actually experienced the resort they want to sell and not just “3 days and 2 nights” in a nearby motel. This is called “marketing”. Some resort chains will accept an “alien” week from one of their members in exchange for one of their own weeks. That also goes into the exchange company. (I got a 3BR in Spain which Mayan in Mexico deposited in exchange for my 2BR, so I KNOW this can happen.)
I do wish that exchange companies would list all their sources up front and clearly. Unfortunately, lawyers get involved and end up stating everything so obscurely that the general reaction tends to be “Huh?”
RCI “Weeks” Class Action – What Are You Doing About It!
By now, if you were a RCI “weeks” owner between January 1, 2000 and August 31, 2009 you have received a post card from the RCI WEEKS Class Action Administrator telling you a Settlement has been reached. Although a Settlement has been reached the Judge has not as yet recognized the class and has not as yet approved the Settlement.
YOU have a second opportunity to object to the settlement even if you have already submitted a claim. YES! you can submit a claim and make an OBJECTION to the proposed Settlement.
If you “opt-out” you cannot object to the settlement and you cannot make a claim. Whether or not you make a claim please make an OBJECTION in writing to the Court. The Settlement IMHO is NOT in the best interest of timesharing as a way of life and it definitely is NOT in the best interest of anyone who uses RCI.
As a class member you may be looking for help with the Post Card you recently received from the RCI “Weeks” Class Action Administrator.
If you are considering an objection to the settlement recommend that you first take a look at the informational instructions provided at:
http://rciclassactionlawsuit.com/
You can simply say something like the following:
“I object to the settlement in In re Resort Condominiums International, LLC Civil Action No. 06-cv-1222 (PGS.)”
THERE IS NO REQUIREMENT THAT YOU GIVE RESONS FOR YOUR OBJECTION.
But, once you have been to the above mentioned site you may decide that you want to say more than the one sentence above.
The following ideas are obviously not unique because we have been talking about these issues for some time at Timeshare Users Group (TUG).
You can use one or two or all of the provided suggested objections within the body of your objection letter.
You may choose to use some of the wording and write your own version.
What you say and how you say it is up to you.
The suggestions:
1) I object to the rental of any week deposited by a RCI member into the RCI Weeks Exchange Program. If, however, a Settlement is reached that allows for rental of weeks deposited by RCI Weeks members into the Exchange Program, I object to the proposed Section II C (Priority for Weeks Exchanges) exclusivity provision which provides a flat “31 days from the date of deposit” for weeks deposited more than 12 months in advance.
If an exclusivity provision is made part of the settlement, the time frame for exclusivity should run from the date the week is made available for exchange to other RCI members and should be a rolling exclusivity period that provides exclusivity as follows:
• 120 days for deposits 11 or more months in advance of the check-in date,
• 90 days for deposits between 6 to 10 months in advance of the check-in date,
• 31 days for deposits between 3-6 months in advance of the check-in date.
2) I object to the fact that the settlement does not clarify that “Vacation Time” will be made simultaneously available for Exchange when it is used for rental or “for any other purpose.” The settlement, if it allows rentals, should state that RCI will make ALL “Vacation Time” available for both Exchange and Rental or another purpose, including rental, whether through RCI or through any other exchange program, partner, affiliate or other entity.
3) I object to the proposed “Balancing of RCI Deposits and Rented Inventory,” which allows RCI to “swap out” weeks deposited for exchange by substituting inventory acquired directly from the resorts, or from another source. If such a provision is included in a settlement the provision should clearly state that “Vacation Time” that is deposited by members and is rented or otherwise disposed of by RCI in any manner other than direct exchange by another member”; shall be replaced with inventory that is comparable as to size, season, location, demand, and RCI rating.
4) I object because the settlement does not address the control of misinformation. There should be an RCI employee or department for complaints about misinformation and that employee or department should be empowered to train and monitor RCI employees to ensure that they are not providing misinformation to members, more than is reasonable and occasional human error. RCI should agree to make all reasonable efforts to ensure that misinformation is corrected.
5) I object because the proposed settlement does not prevent RCI from renting member’s deposited weeks for less than the annual maintenance fee that the member is required to pay to the member’s resort. Units deposited by RCI Weeks members into the Weeks Spacebank for exchange should not be offered for rent through RCI or other exchange program, partner, affiliate or other entity for less than the annual maintenance fees, unless said Week is still available within 90 days of the start date. At the 90 day mark RCI (or its affiliate or partner) could then be free to offer said week for whatever it believes the market will bear. If a restriction is put in place, I would have no problem with the restriction excluding Weeks offered as “bonus” vacation time, as these are not “rental” weeks.
6) I object to the short period that the settlement program changes are to stay in place. Program changes should be made permanent or they should be required to remain in place for ten years from the date a settlement is approved by the court. By the time a settlement is reached the alleged improper actions by RCI will have been in place for almost ten years. Any settlement program should remain in force for at least ten years.
7) I object to the proposed short period for disclosure of Weeks Program Activity. As the disclosure period is the mechanism under which members can be assured that RCI is complying with the requirements of the proposed Agreement it should be in place for at least ten years. “Vacation Time” deposited less than ninety (90) days in advance should not be excluded from this disclosure, but should be reported separately. Alternately, the 90 days could be changed to 30 days, if this change is consistent throughout the agreement.
__________________
Dave (TUG USERNAME: Goofyhobbie)
All my posts are based on my personal experience or should be considered my personal opinion about the subject being discussed.
Beware of another RCI ripoff attempt, to wit: charging yearly maintenance fees on expired timeshares.
In 2008 RCI sent me a notice requiring payment for 2009 maintenance fees (noting a late fee penalty/interest accrual if paid late).
I thought my timeshare had expired but they said it was still valid. I paid via charge card and in the spring of 2009 they levied a special assessment which I questioned and prompted me to locate and review my circa 1980 (28-year contract) which specified that my timeshare expired in 2008!
I repeatedly requested a refund of the 2009 fees and was repeatedly denied …. they ADAMANTLY refused to reverse the charge and said the best they could do would be to give me a “free” one week stay at any RCI resort of my choosing! “Free”? ABSURD!
I tracked down a VP at RCI Corporate who said it would be brought up at the next Directors’ meeting (sure!) and to await their decision. I immediately contacted my credit card company to initiate a dispute resolution.
Two weeks later I received an RCI form letter denying the refund ….. at that point I was glad I had initiated a dispute resolution via my credit card company because, as I had suspected, RCI Corporate had no intention of acting morally, ethically or legally in said matter.
The lengthy dispute resolution process was eventually resolved in my favor by my credit card issuer.
Can you imagine the UNMITIGATED GALL of these RCI bastards, acknowledging that “yes” my timeshare had indeed expired, that “yes” the billing was in error, that “yes” I should not have been required to pay, but that “no” they would not issue a refund and the best they could do was a “free” one week stay yadda yadda yadda?!?!?
My $15.00 settlement check vis-a-vis the lawsuit should keep me in tissue paper for quite awhile and I’ll have a BIG SMILE on my face thinking about RCI whenever I wipe my ass and flush them down the toilet!
I realize this was a rather old post, but some of the issues it raises puzzle me greatly. Why would anyone ever be asked to pay maintenance fees to RCI? RCI is an exchange company which facilitates the exchanges between timeshare owners who deposit timeshare units they own or have a right to use and ask for different timeshare vacations in the place of their own deposit. These owners, of course, must pay maintenance fees
on their own properties to their own timeshare resort or resort group before depositing them with RCI. RCI
members pay dues to RCI just as subscribers pay a subscription price to a magazine. In addition, they pay RCI an exchange fee when they use RCI services.
You speak of your timeshare expiring. A timeshare does not expire if you own it. (Some folks wish it would.) An RCI membership can expire if you do not pay dues, of course. A DEPOSIT (at the time you wrote in 2009) expired after two years. Are you saying that you made a deposit and did not make an exchange during that time? Usually RCI offers you an opportunity to extend the two year window for a fee.
If you let your RCI Membership expire while RCI held your deposit,however, this might have let your deposit expire unused.
Like any other business or activity, timesharing has a vocabulary with specific meanings. I hope I have interpreted your intent correctly. It is easy to have misunderstandings when the participants are using the same words to mean very different things.
How can I add my name to the list of people involved in the class action law suit. I don’t remember being sent a post card. My issues mirror those listed above for weeks members.
Could I also add my name to this 'class action' or does this matter only apply to residents of the USA.
I am both a weeks and points member based in the UK.
I can say for certain that I have not recieved the postcard either.
I have a timeshare with Sedona Summit, aka, Diamond Resorts..have never been able to use it, as it seems to be unavailable..timeshares are a ripoff. how do I get rid of it? Seems once you have one, you are stuck with it for life..wasting money to pay for it. They are a pain to deal with, I dont want any more of my money to go to them, but there seems to be no recourse to getting out of a timeshare. Most places want money up front and of course they all say they are different than the last…another rip off. I think they should be forced to buy back from those of us who have been scammed..where is our bailout?????
How do I obtain a postcard? I've been a member of RCI since 2004 and it's been extremely difficult securing a resort of my preferred destination. Bonus weeks are a joke as the availability is nonexsistent. I've never had an opportunity to use any of the bonus weeks received as the expirations dates, all the restrictions and other difficulties obtaining a unit of choices is nonexsistent.
I did receive the post card and do agree with the Class Action Suit. This is just ridiculous. I have been on so many vacations that I scheduled on my own because of the continuous lack of availability. I try and schedule my vacations for latter summer in January after I have made this continuously increasing maintenance fee for 17 years and the place still hasn't met gold crown status. I don't ever recall getting any place that was my first selection. In fact I have gone places that I had no interest. Well, then again, I was successful once and that was in 2009. I can't schedule 2-3 years in advance. It was not until I purchased that then I hear about land vs water exchange and the difficulty so I'm told. I am for this law suit and wish to be included. If I can't sell it and come out reasonably okay then at least I could benefit from better opportunities for exchanging and stop spending my money on other vacations because RCI can never locate a preferred selection.
Oh boy . . . .. If all you folks are experiencing all this trouble and YOU ARE OWNERS, than I'm DEFINITELY screwed!! I bought into the Wyndham Discovery Package ("discovering" that
1) the properties that are available to me, are not in locales I'd like to go, and 2)when I have called "it's all booked up" except for good, ole Las Vegas (which is DESPERATE for tourism . . . I could book a nice room there right now for $25/night!!) I also was mailed a postcard about RCI & this lawsuit (which is such a nice, fuzzy feeling when you haven't even stayed 1 nite in the increasingly expensive "vacation club" you have a contract with!) Do any of you have any words of wisdom of how to navigate the system, or slip out of my contract for a sadder-but-wiser-and-poorer Discovery Pkg purchaser??
We have been Wyndham owners for many years. We may exchange outside the Wyndham system through RCI,
but I’m not clear what RCI has to do with Sue’s problem. Are there no Wyndham properties you’d like to go to?
(There are 60+ and no exchange fees when exchanging “internally”) Perhaps there are aspects of the Discovery Package with which I’m unfamiliar. How far in advance of a visit are you able to reserve? Does that package only give you access to last minute availability?? Regulars owners can reserve at least 11 months ahead or 13 months at their home resorts, so you may only have easy access to off season or less popular places. That may be the trade-off for a relatively inexpensive Discovery package. Next time we go to an “Owner Update” I’ll ask!
Here’s hoping you were able to book some pleasant vacations since you 2010 post, Sue.
The website shows this, “Update – January 25, 2010, appeals have been filed by RCI. The settlement will not become effective and the benefits requested on the claim form will not be distributed until those appeals have been resolved. This may take several months.”
Some pertinent info:
Visit: http://www.weeksprogramsettlement.com
Call: 1-866-783-5876
Write: Settlement Administrator, P.O. Box 1966, Faribault, MN 55021-6162
Questions may also be directed to Class Counsel by email at rcisettlement@njlawyer.com
Sure, I've been RCI points owner since 2004. I also own at Bali Hai (Started as Pahio). It is a very strong, classy timeshare, but my limited, few & far-between exchanges have been similar poverty-laden & nearly criminal to have to pay exorbitant fees for when downgrading from otherwise luxurious Hawaii. I always thought it must be much better for weeks owner's or owner's at the front of the list. It is amazing to hear that you all suffer the same consequences & ever-increasing costs. Let's get the power of the people & work for our common good. Otherwise our heirs will inherit only our bills & not our luxurious timeshares we would hope could see appreciation in value. Count me in on class-action observations/support.
I also own week timeshare and I love Aruba and I can never find anything there, but the other day I got a call to change over to points for about 5 grand and I asked what's the advantage over weeks and I was told " YOU WILL HAVE MORE RESORTS TO CHOSE FROM", to me that's bull……. I belong to the same comp. as the point owners so I should have the same amount of resorts to chose from. I also did some research on my own and called resorts that RCI said there was no available units and the resort told me they had plenty of units available, hmmm interesting……. O wait not to mention if your a points owner you don't have to pay 180 bucks for transfers, why is that? Why is it that us week owners have to pay the 180? Why is it that point owners have more resorts to chose from? Why is it that I can call a resort and they tell me that they have units available and RCI states on their website that there are no units available?
PUT ME ON THE LIST PLEASE
thank you
For what it’s worth, the number of opening that the resort itself may have has nothing to do with what RCI has to offer. RCI has what the timeshare owners reserved and then deposited or “banked” for exchange with RCI. In some cases, a resort may have unsold inventory which it offers to RCI (or another exchange company) in the hope that this will bring more potential buyers to their property. It is my understanding that those resort units are offered for rent, though some might be available as exchanges. Many timeshare owners regularly hold off making a deposit until they see something on line that they want. That means that the week YOU may be looking for has not yet been deposited. It is very understandable that those who have only a week of ownership do not want to let it “sit” with RCI, but those who know they will probably have excess time to deposit could benefit us all if they went ahead and put it up for grabs.
I am so frustrated with RCI, I can never get what I want.
The RCI Weeks “book” continues to get smaller and smaller… this is not what I paid for.
I just came back from Sedona, AZ (which was a RCI timeshare exchange)…. upon checking in the resort they push “really hard” to get you to look at another timeshare package called Diamond Resorts International which is a points system. If you buy into their timeshare package you can either trade in your RCI week for points in their system plus pay a small price ($10K) or you can buy a smaller amount of points and bank your RCI week in their system and get points. If you bank your RCI week in their system this totally takes the RCI Week out of the RCI system…..meaning we have LESS to choose from!!! What a screw-up system!!!! I’m with you…. sign me up for the lawsuit.
What a for crap settlement! I just get to one time not pay deposit fee. Until after RCI finds unit. unless I put on search then they get exchange fee. To me it's very little change only for 1 time. When are they going to hit them where they might make changes. In the pocket book. I bought Peppertree Wi. Dells over 20 years ago. The reason for purchasing was the idea I could exchange through RCI anywhere in the world anytime I wanted. I only stayed at home resort one time. Otherwise I exchanged until 10 years ago I had no problems. However I did do search one year in advance. Now it's like previous comments. I have one bedroom they want me to take studio or hotel unit. Where I want to go is never available. So Peppertree (Or you name it timeshare sales) sales is just as crooked as RCI
[...] anyone following the class action lawsuit Murillo vs. RCI, final approval of the settlement was granted by the courts on December 7, 2009. RCI has denied the [...]
We bought points shares in Sedona, AZ at Sedona Pines Resort in the summer of 2009. We just learned there was an active class action suit or more in place against RCI at the time of our purchase but it was not disclosed as it should have been in any AZ real estate transaction. The case was apparently settled to benefit the plaintiffs and benefits now being dispursed. This was our first shared property after years of presentations and in this one year of ownership we have experienced all of the problems expressed by others. It would seem that the properties and RCI remain in partnership in scamming the public. We have established a case with the AZ Attorney General’s office as a part of our own chosen process. As a points owner we were not to be assigned a specific personal week but RCI assigned us one and now we have no opportunity to use our points even at our own home resort for more than a year in advance. Othere than advising others to not purchase shared property be sure to take a lawyer with you if you do.
We have the same complaint as you! Can we please be kept up to date with what you are dong/finding?
Thank you very much!
Jeff
There should be an RCI Points class action suit. When I bought my timeshare in 2001, I was told that I could to make my reservation for my week up to one year in advance and by the end of January of my use year. I usually booked my next year’s vacation upon my return home, which was usually in August. One year I tried to book my next year’s vacation upon my return home and I was told that I had lost my week for the next year because I hadn’t booked early enough. I informed them that I always booked my vacation in August and I was told that that was impossible because the RCI policy was that I had to book my week between July 1-30 of the previous year. (I had my confirmation letters from previous years to show that I had made reservations in August and even January).
When I tried to make my 2011 reservation in January of 2010 I was told that I could not book my reservation that far in advance (I have yet to be given an explanation as to why). I was told that the only time that I could make a reservation for Aug. 2011 was between July 1- July 30 2010. When I called back on July 14,2010 to make my reservation for Aug. 2011, I was told that I could not book my reservation because I had not paid my membership fee for 2011 (the 2011 fee was not due until October 2010). So in order to book my reservation for 2011, I had to pay a membership fee in July even though I had paid for Oct. 2009 through Oct 2010.
I don’t understand why I can’t book a reservation at my home resort outside of a 30 day window.
It seems that RCI is counting on people forgetting to book within those 30 days and then they take a week that has been paid for and put it in a bank and charge other members exhorbitant fees to use it as an “exchange” or quick get away.
Hi Bob,
I too have fallen victim to the Sedona Pines scam. Please provide any info you think may help as you have already begun your battle, it sounds. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!
I can’t believe there are so many people in the same shoes as me! I always thought I just wasn’t lucky
To get the exchanges I wanted. I bought the two weeks timeshare in 1997, and in all those years we
Have lost weeks or been exchanged with quite dreadful places. One time we stayed just two days because
Of no air conditioning ( Texas in summer) and over run with cockroaches! We got no apology or
Refund. Is there any way we can join a suit, or if anyone knows how we can get out of this mess.
In only 18 months we have experienced almost all of the above complaints except about the resort used. We have never been able to “work the system” through online and direct calls to our home resorts (Sedona Pines in Sedona, AZ & Highland Hills @ Verde Ridge in Cornville, AZ) and RCI. If we want to sell it back per their contract they only offer 10%. They now avoid our calls and emails while BBB and Attorneys General in the US seem to avoid it like the plague. Must be a political thing. How could there be so many of us and no reasonable legal resolution? If this or other class action suits are pending, how do we counted in?
A word to the wise…..do not engage into any transaction with either Raintree Vacation Club…Raintree Restorts International….or anything that they have anything to do with. Check them out on the Houston BBB … they have an "F" rating because of all the unresolved complaints…..they are not to be trusted.
RCI members since 1987! We have become increasingly dissatisfied with RCI. We noted a marked difference in availability since points was introduced. We would appreciate being kept posted. We never received a postcard. Thank you.
Wow, I’m just finding out these things…They are all the same…Vacation Resorts International is another scammer…They double dip, bill after you pay the resort and their invoices are not accurate, then they steal your weeks….Grand Pacific, I’m checking out too…I think all these companies are the same…Will keep abreast of all now…
I just read all of the above complaints. I reside in Canada and am a points holder. All the issues and complaints outlined are identical to the experiences I have endured. Similar to another I was of the impression that the weeks owners had a distinct advantage in obtaining decent resorts only to become aware that is not so. I wish I knew of the class action as I would have willingly joined although the class action appears to be restricted to weeks owners.
From the viewpoint of the people in the RCI Weeks exchange system, RCI Points had the advantage of being able to dip into the Weeks inventory but Weeks people could not touch Points system inventory except for the fact that some odd Points system week would be deposited in place of the Weeks system time taken. Many of us are now able to participate in the RCI Nightly Stay program, which probably gives us some of the same options as our friends in RCI Points but perhaps not at all of the same resorts. Since we own with Wyndham and Bluegreen resort systems which have loads of resorts and no fee for internal exchanges, we seldom to use an external exchange company such a RCI and II. When we have needed something specific outside of our
own groups, we have actually had rather good luck. Maybe we just are not too picky! Almost any place that
justified the building of a resort probably has enough of interest to offer for at least one week.
I’m just reading this and find it quite interesting that my family experienced the same issue and had to forfeit our vacation because there was nothing available during the timeframe that my kids were out of school. and even more interesting, it took 2 weeks to finally deposit my week because the timeshare resort (bluegreen) and RCI wantedt to play the blame game of why it was taking so long. It’s amazing how they can snatch your money right away online, but when you’re trying to deposit your week, they act clueless to what’s going on. i’m still trying to figure out WHY do I have to go thru RCI or any exchange company, when going thru my very own resort. Everybody wants a hand in your pocket.
Kim, we, too, have had a very negative experience with Bluegreen. Are you living in or have you bought in Florida by chance? If so, and even if not, I would still like to hear from you about what happened in your case. I am working to submit my file to the Florida Attorney General with the hope that this office will carefully review what is taking place in this industry. Please e-mail me with any information you can share. Maybe it will help our situations get better across the board if we act together. Will you send me some details? THANKS!
Linda
I’m equally puzzled as to why you should be going through RCI if you are a Bluegreen owner planning to go to either your own contractual resort or another resort in the Bluegeen family. We are longtime BG owners and have never had to do this. BG pays our dues to RCI in case we want to make an external exchange but we are certainly under no obligation to do that. I can go directly to the BG website and make reservations at a BG resort if availability exists. (Obviously, there are times and places that may be booked up if I fail to do this early enough or need large units.) I have been hearing that we can now make RCI reservation also through the BG site rather than going to theirs, but that should have no effect at all within Bluegreen. It is just another option should you want to travel where BG has not locations.
I believe another lawsuit should be started for point members. We converted to points and now RCI has a preferred points system for an additional cost.
If I could I would go back to my weeks membership and literally get out of my timeshare completely.
Does anyone know of a class action suit for points members?
Anyone want to join class-action suit, please contact me. They rip my money and now they quit their business.
Similar to Jack I would like to see a class action for points members. If anyone is starting this up I would be interested in adding my name to the list however I wonder if there is problems in that I am a canadian resident. The issues are the same as outline above
Like James and Jackie B, we too have Blue Bay in Cancun, and bought it mainly for the 240,000 points that we could use yearly for travel expenses. Even though we are points members with a gold crown resort, we also could not get the desirable properties we asked to trade for, but in their next breath, RCI would tell us that the same exact property was available to rent. I kept thinking that if they are limited in properties available for exchange, then why can’t we use more of our points for travel expenses? And why should I have to pay extra money to extend the life of my points, when RCI wouldn’t let me use them for a desired exchange? I wish there was a class action lawsuit for us points members. I can’t even begin to tell you of my frustration with RCI over their cheaty practices and the fact that they can change their rules any time they see fit. The timeshare sales people really extol the virtues of our trading ability with RCI as part of their sales pitch. They don’t mention that our exchanges are not a priority with this so-called exchange agency–that in truth, it is a rental agency!
My husband & I would like to get in on a class action suit for points members. Paid over $3000 and haven’t been able to use anything yet. Bonus weeks given to us as an incentive to buy into the points are a joke – have given up trying. Please let me know if anything comes up. Thanks
We did a “back on inventory deed” with Silverleaf after over a year of email arguments, but they promised $10 in return and then said “that was just a legal requirement,” indicating they had no intention of delivering. That says we have every right to complain or do more against Silverleaf.
As for Bluegreen, they have tried to take us to collections a few times, although they have no right to do that since we paid the entire “mortgage.” We are currently “holding”–we have no plans to pay anything further, since we cannot use that timeshare in any case.
Please include us in this lawsuit and let us know what you need in order to do that.
The lawsuit entitled me to a one night free stay for one paid night. When I called RCI, I was told that there is only one resort in NC available during Easter week & it’s in the mountain (too cold to go). On top of the one night rate for one bedroom of $76, I have to pay for housecleaning cost of $51. So it is really not a good deal so I cancelled my RCI membership. I learned that when you buy a timeshare, you need to plan on going to that resort & not to rely on the exchange program. It is not as easy as what they portray it to be. We traded in my timeshare in Orlando, FL to one in NC where we can go every year. No more exchange program for me.
What does any of this have to do with the RCI lawsuit? RCI does not own either Silverleaf or Bluegreen.
I have been a member of RCI for about 17 years and most of the time I have tried to use it every thing is booked. I have called many resorts and they had vacancies until I mentioned RCI. When I became a member I was given one week in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida the bathtub had a big running rusted area in it and the wall was water soaked in back of the toilet. I was told it was the only room available for RCI. I felt abused. I did use RCI to go to Barbados in 1998; however it was not the location I prefered and the resort was not full and had window bars on the windows The other resorts had vacancies but not for RCI. My husband and I went to Cancun because that was the only place available. We chose 3 locations but received a call shortly before our trip letting us know our choice locations were not available; however they had one resort hotel room available. It looked ok in the picture, but the room which was on the 4th floor by the elevator was horrible and flooded every time it rained. The personel were rude and unprofessional. This was a week after 9/11 and very few travelers were in Cancun, but it was the only room for RCI. In 2007 I booked with RCI online and paid the fees for a trip to las Vegas at a new resort. I was not told that I HAD to go to a 90 minute presentation which lasted 3 hours after we said no thanks. I was told this resort would not be available again for exchange because they were trying to get new members. I don’t think RCI has any exchange inventory. I have deposited my week for years and I have gotten ony had 3 vacations and one freebie, but the fees keep going up and I have to pay RCI exchange and VRI to manage the property and property taxes. Perhaps we should exchange among ourselves. My timeshare is at Lake Tahoe Beach and Ski.
Andrea, I LOVE your idea about exchanging among ourselves! If we could get enough RCI members together & create a database showing ACTUAL VCANCIES, we could cancel our RCI memberships. Really, can ANYONE tell me what we acutally get for that membership fee when we are also paying an exchange fee and an annual maintenance fee? Sometimes people can get more done without company (“Leadership”) interference!
Anything on the points class action lawsuit…Im in…
In addition to my above comments about RCI, I would like to mention the fact that when you go to book an air flight through RCI’s affiliate, their inventory of flights is terrible. You can’t get a non-stop flight–what they have available always includes one or two stops, and often includes changing planes. My husband has health issues, and we can’t go running through an airport to change planes. When I have looked in to cruises, I found that our exchange did not defray much of the cost–I could get better prices without RCI.
would like to let people know that, we where told that inorder to be an rci member we had to purches the minim amout of 25000 points on top of what we already have to be a points member with rci. we then found out thru inn season at pollard brook this was not true, this is def. theift by deseption. so may be this should also go to court. and since when cant your own kids use your bonus time for a long week end. this is def wrong. they are in the household and should have the right to use what you own at the bonu time price , thi is not a good thing , diamond timeshare looks good .
Have the same problem with RCI points. Encourage to switch and now they are pushing RCI VIP POINTS!!!
There definitely needs to be anther lawsuit for points victims.
At this time I believe all timeshares are a scam
Anyone know a good class action laywer?
I don’t and we probably would need one who can practise both in United States and Canada. Perhaps someone on this website is a lawyer or could recommend.
I’ve been a member of RCI for 30 years. My “home resort” is the Kona Billfisher in Hawaii, a “weeks” not points, resort. Over the years, I’ve had many “good” exchanges through RCI. Exchange availability began decreasing dramatically around the time Wyndham acquired RCI. While exchange inventory decreased, rental inventory increased – even at the Kona Billfisher. When I asked RCI how they could get rentals from the Billfisher, I was informed that “management” had given the weeks to RCI. This, of course, I knew was completely false. I thought there was hope with the Murillo vs RCI Weeks lawsuit. Honestly, I don’t see any change – RCI (and Wyndam’s affiliate, Endless Vacation Rental) is still offering the highly desirable places for rental not exchange. A points lawsuit would probably yield the same (nil) result.
We have been with RCI for 28 years now. At the beginning it was wonderful. People took the time to explain and return calls. They tailor our needs to resorts,etc. All of a sudden, we were treated really bad, with short and nasty responses. We got the exchanges because we deposited ahead of time, but they were open since we never got exactly what we wanted. The last straw was when in this last exchange. We booked the place and there was no mention at all that we had to pay 113 dollars per person per day!!!!!!! The reservation was made by us in December and last week we received a call asking us whether we were aware that we had to pay 113 dollars per day per person!!! I immediately called and canceled this place and told them there was no way we could know something that it is NOT explained when you book. Then they offered us a place for 900 dollars a week!!!!
We kept on saying NO NO NO because we are paying for the unit and the exchange. We finally got a place in a skii resort (during summer time!).
This is the trend: they offer either ALL INCLUSIVE hotels where you need to pay, or this units that offer massages and saunas for this outrageous amounts of 113 a day per person or packages that have nothing to do with the exchange.
THIS HAS TO CHANGE IMMEDIATELY. WE COMPLAIN AND WE WANT TO TAKE ACTION AGAINST THIS ABUSE FROM RCI THAT SPECULATES WITH THE MEMBERS AND TREATS US BAD, REALLY BAD. WE WANT TO GO BACK TO THE TIMES IN WHICH THE REP USED TO TAKE TIME TO LOOK AT THE MAP AND ADVICE ETC ETC. WE WANT TO HAVE NICE UNITS, NOT BOAT HOUSES IN LONDON OR SKII RESORTS DURING SUMMER TIME!! OPEN UNITS TO THE PUBLIC, RCI!!! YOU WILL END UP IN JAIL!!
Was the All Inclusive resort which you canceled in Mexico? Many many resorts down there are All Inclusive,
which means all meals are included and usually some entertainment. We usually avoid these, since we are non-drinkers and can’t figure out how we could possibly eat that much! The exchange company should definitely be clear about AI status when you book.
If anyone has purchased from Bluegreen Corporation in the state of Florida, or if you are a Florida resident who may have purchased out of state, I would like to hear from you about your business transaction with Bluegreen Corporation. Did the sales people explain clearly and accurately how your program works? Were you buying a timeshare or something else? Did you learn anything about points and/or exchanges? Were the maintenance fees quoted to you prove to be accurate? Were you promised this was a great investment for your future? Was it all too good to be true? I would like to hear from you. If you have any complaints, please contact the
Florida Attorney General’s office ASAP. I would also like you to e-mail me ASAP. Maybe together we can help each other! Thank you!
Linda
We have, indeed, purchased with Bluegreen–several times–and currently own at The Fountains in Orlando.
We love their own points system for internal exchanges among Bluegreen resorts without exchange fees. That has nothing to do with RCI directly although some Bluegreen resorts use RCI for external exchanges, some use Interval International, and some are affiliated with both. I don’t think we have ever been flat out lied to by a
Bluegreen salesperson, though some are certainly more knowledgable than others. If you are going to buy, it pays not to rush through a presentation because you want to get back on vacation. ASK QUESTIONS. Pick their brains! Learn the “language” timesharing so that you comprehend what is being said to you. They don’t dwell on the fact that maintenance fees will tend to go up over time, but it should not come as a total shock. Most expenses do. MD
We bought “points” at Sedona Pines in Sedona Pines, AZ in 2005 & were just informed that #1, you have to call RCI to confirm that you want your “assigned homeweek” – which we were never told we had & #2 that they are not doing any rentals due to the economy. Becuase our “assigned homeweek” is in Nov. & our RCI renewal is in Sept., I was told that I have to pay the renewal fees BEFORE they will tell me if our week is still open so that we can try to rent it on our own. Since we never knew what our week was there & had understood from our salesman that if you aren’t using your unit, Sedona Pines will rent it for you. What a lie! In the 5 years we have owned this unit, we have never been contacted by them about renting the unit or anything other opinions we had. So, in essence, we threw 5 years of maintenace fees in the garbage! We also own a June week at Laurel Point in Gatlinburg, TN. We would like to Nice unit, fair maintenance, but being from FL, we were looking forward to a little cooler weather there! We want to be part of the class action lawsuit as we continually have the same problems as others, i.e., units showing available on the web site, but not when you call to reserve it – even if you try to book a unit 2 years in advance. Another huge pet peeve of mine is the last call & extra vacations, again, how can these be available for a cash price on line, but not available through the call center. Why are we payng an exchange fee that was explained to me as covers cleaning, maintenance, etc? Isn’t that what we pay an annual fee at our home resort for??? RCI is EVIL & is a TRUE SCAM!!!
Anyone interested in trading your unit for ours in Sedona Pines, AZ in Nov. and/or Laurel Point, TN, in June, please contact me. Maybe we can put a deal together that would benefit bothof us! Also, we don’t plan to use our TN unit this year, so maybe we could make a trade or if you know anyone interested in renting out, that would be great!
We have RCI points and weeks. We usually convert our week to points because of all the bull_ _ _ _ , but even that is a major hassle. We just returned from a points vacation at an RCI “Gold Crown” resort. The resort itself was very nice, but our condo was sadly in need of remodeling. The shower frame came apart and the glass door collapsed on me! Lucky no injuries. (How does housekeeping miss that? Unless, they really don’t clean!) So beware of the so called “Gold Crown” moniker; it’s meaningless. During our vacation we did attend another sales presentation (okay, we were curious) from Diamond Resorts (they now own our properties in Sedona). Anyway, same promises and high prices, but we did purchase an 18-month trial period so we’ll see how that goes and if we like it, we may purchase and get totally out of RCI. So does anyone have any experiences with Diamond?
This started quite a few years ago. We could never get what we wanted. We generally request Europe-in June and July. Either we were offered ski resorts in the mountain-in the summer time- or places where they charge for a massage treatment (who in the hell wants massages?). We were even offered to rent an appartment by the RCI rep (???). We pay for the maintenance of our apartment and the exchange!!! iF you click in June and July you will find The Canary Islands, one or two places in Italy in the mountains far away from everything and Finland!! Well last summer we went to ISOLA in France. They toldme that it was 90 miles from Nice, which seemed attractive to go during the day and come back to ISOLA. You can’t imagine the place we were assigned!! It was the end of the world. We never finish going on dangerous curves in the mountain that seemed higher and higher. We saw streams, huge rocks, mountains, mountains and more mountains. THis place is a ski resort. In the summer time there is only one restaurant open- a very expensive one. There are no shops, nothing. It is impossible to go to another town since there are mountains and mountains and no such city. As a result, we had to leave in two days since we were even afraid of needing medical help. There was nobody at the front desk. Even when my sister-in-law went to knock at the receptionist/.owner door on the eighth floor, nobody answer. She had to leave a note.
This is just an example of how they may send you anywhere with no amenities, nothing to do with our resort in Bariloche, Argentina.
Once I called the RCI to request exchange, and the answer was:”There is nothing in the summer”. Well, if you want to go to Great Britain, they only offer boat houses which-according to the comments- are very dangerous and far away from the main place of the marina. There have been robberies even. How do these people in RCI dare give such crap to the members? We have been members for almost 30 years. At the very beginning, people were nice; they knew the places and gave advice on them. They did the impossible to get you what you wanted. They called you several times with different options. Seven or eight or maybe ten years ago, everything changed to the worse. People are rude, very rude. It is like we are asking a favor, and the resorts are not the quality of our resort. I want the RCI people to read this before it is too late and behave accordingly. RELEASE THE RESORTS THAT YOU HAVE RESERVED FOR YOUR FRIENDS!!! RELEASE RESORTS SO THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE PAYING LIKE US CAN ENJOY THE VACATION. I WANT TO JOIN WHOEVER IT MIGHT BE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE FRAUDULENT MANAGEMENT OF RCI. CHANGE THE PRESIDENTE, CHANGE RULES AND COME BACK TO WHAT IT WAS BEFORE!!
I agree 200%
Lies, lies and more lies……….everyone trying to top the other with how “bad” it is and 92% of the complaints are about your home resort…….RCI does not control your home resort.
CC
How long have you been working for RCI?
I do not now nor have I at any time in the past worked for RCI or any of it affiliates…I have been an owner for over 20 years, and I spend and have spent hours on the phone talking to the guides to figure out how RCI works and what I can do to have a great vacation.
Everything I have read has been aboutwhat the RESORT told you…..or what the resort did to you. RCI does not control the inventory. Where is the proof?????
i have owned 2 weeks since 1987 at the flagship in atlantic city. too many times i paid my maintenance fees and never got the room i bought. it says on my contract room 3204 which happens to be on the top floor. been told one year there was constructuion going on in the room so they would put me in a different room on the 17th floor. but when i call 3204 the next morning a person answered and i asked them if the ceiling looked dry , they replied “yes ,and we`ve been here for two days“. so if there is a class -action lawsuit,,,,,,I WANT IN,,[Phone Number Redacted] Paul
Paul, I am sorry that you have not been able to get your contracted room at Flagship,but what has that to do with RCI? RCI is an exchange company and does not own Flagship or any other resort. If you were unable to use the location where you own on the dates assigned to you, you probably could “bank” your week with RCI (or whichever exchange company Flagship uses) and “save” it to be exchanged for a different date or location.
However, RCI does not seem to have any connection with the problem you describe. That is strictly between you and Flagship. MD