posted 06-04-2005 05:41            

We own two fixed weeks, one at Fairfield Bay, Arkansas, and one at Morritt's Tortuga Club, on Grand Cayman. We have always used the Grand Cayman week and plan to continue that use in the future. The Fairfield Bay week doesn't have very good trading power, so we've considered selling it and purchasing something else.

However, after reading the discussions on points, I believe that our best course of action may be to hold on to the Fairfield week. I've spoken with the Sales Manager at Fairfield Bay about converting it to points, but I received the standard sales tactic, with his wanting me to come up there so he could explain such a "complicated topic" to me in person. Well, we've been doing this for 16 years now, and I don't see what's so complicated. I finally persuaded him to tell me that they would convert our week to points for $9,000.

Here's my logic. From reading this board, I understand that I can deposit a fixed week as points if I own at another RCI points resort. I don't know the value of my Fairfield week in RCI points, but it's worth 154,000 Fairfield points. So, it seems to me that my best course of action would be to purchase points, for the lowest possible price, at an RCI points based resort. That would allow me to depost my Fairfield Bay week as points, and combine those points with the points that I would already own.

Is my logic sound? Can anyone tell me the value of the Fairfield week in RCI points? Is there any consideration, other than price, when purchasing points?

Thanks for your assistance.

posted 06-04-2005 07:09               

Your Fairfield resort is a RCI Points resort. As such, even though your week is still in “weeks” since you have not converted it to points, you are NOT allowed to make a “points for deposit” into a RCI Points account. You can only do a “points for deposit” into RCI Points with a week from a weeks only resort like Morritt’s. So your plan to buy an inexpensive points resort to have a points account and then deposit your Fairfield week will not work. Your options are to keep the week and trade as you currently do, sell it and buy something else, or convert it by paying through the nose to Fairfield, NOT.

If you are truly interested in getting into RCI points, my advice would be to sell you Fairfield week and buy an Australian week and convert it into points for a very low conversion fee. Then if Morritt’s ever gets itself back up and running, you would be able to deposit that week into you points account since it is a weeks only resort. Since what Morritt’s is handing out right now is essentially a RCI Bonus Certificate, not a real week deposited into your account, you won’t be able to make a points for deposit with Morritt’s at this time.

Hope this helps you avoid making a costly mistake with Fairfield. To buy an Australian week would be a lot less expensive at $2-3K as compared to converting Fairfield. And if you can get something from selling your Fairfield week to offset the purchase cost, you will come out WAY ahead.

Patty

posted 06-04-2005 16:21               

Boambee has several weeks that are fixed which get 59,500 pts. I know that applies to 50-52 and 1-3, maybe more, not sure. I own a fixed week 50. Most of the rest are floating which is determined by the total of all the other weeks divided by the number of weeks. That is how they arrive at the average points value of the floating weeks. X times 41,500 + Y times 50,500 + Z times 59,500 / X+Y+Z. I guess that comes out to an average of 48,000 for Boambee Bay.

Pluses to Boambee Bay are that it is GC in RCI and is also in II where it is 5*. In case you ever decide to drop out of points it is a good resort. Also you can use your points to reserve your week and then turn around and deposit it in II. That price is about $2K in US$, not too bad. Is this with Jerry Naugle? Many of us have bought from him. I got my first week from him, a Sandy Point fixed holiday week with 75,200 points. Too bad SP no longer allows points conversions. That was a real deal. I got my Boambee Bay from a private owner and paid $1600 for which I get 59,500 points. But I had to find a lawyer myself and do a lot of the legwork to make the deal work. Oh, another thing, Boambee is offering an extra 5000 points when you convert to points. Just got that notice in my newsletter.

E-mail me if I can help further. Don’t forget I am an EX-MGR owner.

Patty