posted 04-04-2005 08:56               

BUT, I have noticed that for a lot of weeks resorts where you could use points for deposit, this is not always the case. Quite often it is an advantage to split the lock-off and deposit separately. Guess you just have to check in each situation.

Patty

posted 04-06-2005 05:48            

What also appears to be true is that people with lockoffs get more points total than someone with simply a two bedroom unit. When units cannot be divided, a two bedroom unit gets about 40% more (figures vary some from resort to resort) than a one bedroom at the same resort. The total package at a lockoff is worth about 80% to 90% more than the larger one bedroom unit.

This helps account for one of Carolinian's favorite whipping boys - the Vacation Village resorts near Orlando. (They sell lockoff units.) He says that they are overpointed, noting how two bedroom units get more points than other comparable two bedroom units in the area. What he should be comparing is how the one bedroom parts compare with other bedroom units in the area. That is how they are being exchanged.

posted 04-06-2005 09:44               

quote:

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Originally posted by abelee:
A curious thing - can ( or should) the points allocation for a conversion be LESS than what the resort charges to rent the same week?
For example, I came across a situation where a two bedroom will cost approximately 50k points to reserve at the resort, but they only allow about 40k points for the annual RCI points deposit.
Therefore, it seems, you would have to come with an additional 10k points if you later decide to use your own facility!! Does this make sense? I thought the two figures were always comparable!

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posted 04-06-2005 09:46               

quote:

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Originally posted by Roger:
I looked into this sometime toward the end of last year. It appeared (from the few examples that I looked at) that people got the same number of points if they deposited the parts versus the whole (confirming what Patty said).
....

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Do you have a specific example? I haven't ever seen a resort where the lockout deposit = the same as if you split it and make 2 deposits.

posted 04-06-2005 10:21               

quote:

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Originally posted by PA:
The only time I know of where they aren't exactly the same is when you deposit a floating week at a resort that won't allow you to select your week to deposit. In that case, you would get the average number of points for your season. Then if you select a particular week, the points required could be more, less or the same as the average for that season.

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But this point variance is only true if you exchange into your own resort. If you book during your home resort period (or whatever the term is .... can't seem to get this into my memory banks), it is a no loss/no gain. They charge you exactly what they would have credited you in points to use your own floating week as long as you reserve it at the right time.

Another possibility is that there are different types of units at the resort and yours is not the same as the one that you are taking. For example, a 2br lockout would cost more points than a 2br non-lockout unit.

posted 04-06-2005 10:25            

Fixed Week VV Weston
2bdrm points DO equal the 2 1 bdrms it lockoffs into
(1 bdrm ltd kitchen & 1 bdrm full kitchen)

posted 04-06-2005 11:20            

quote:

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Originally posted by abelee:

For example, I came across a situation where a two bedroom will cost approximately 50k points to reserve at the resort, but they only allow about 40k points for the annual RCI points deposit.

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Like the others that have responded, I have never seen this with the exception of

• Floating weeks. (Although, as Sheila mentioned, even with floating weeks, the number of points given and the number of points needed to reserve are the same if you book back into your own resort during the time period over which your unit floats.)
• Floating holidays (such as Thanksgiving). In essence, what RCI does is allow a resort to sell someone week 48 (that might not be the right number) as Thanksgiving week. Whoever buys that week gets the number of points allocated to Thanksgiving week. Most years it would be week 48. On the oddball year for which Thanksgiving falls on week 47, the owner does not see the point value of his week plummet (even though it is not Thanksgiving week), but gets the same level of points. Actually reserving week 48 that year, however, (since it does not include Thanksgiving) would be fairly cheap. The reverse would be true for anyone who buys week 47. They would get a smaller allocation of points every year including the odd year that includes Thanksgiving. (Hope you can figure this out.)

Just to be clear, abelee, I am not saying that you are wrong, but rather that I have never seen it. If it is happening at a particular resort, it would be objectionable just for the reasons that you cite. It certainly is not common practice.

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Owner since 1996 (a paltry one)
TUG member since 1997

posted 04-06-2005 11:34            

quote:

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Originally posted by PA:
Do you have a specific example? I haven't ever seen a resort where the lockout deposit = the same as if you split it and make 2 deposits.

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I don't have a catalogue in front of me, so I will point to an easy example since so much has been made of it on the Exchange Board...

Go to the Points chart for "Vacation Village at Parkway." You will notice that the number in the right hand column always equals the sum of the two numbers in the columns to the left (one of which is for the larger portion of the lockout and the other for the smaller). Last fall I found a number of examples like this... the whole was given the total of the two parts. Patty has apparently seen the same thing.

I might add that I have actually stayed at Vacation Villages in the Berkshires where the room layouts are the same as in Florida. The Massachusettes resort (somewhat oddly in my mind) is NOT a points resort. Still, when I have shopped around for it, I have almost never seen a full unit (both sides of the lockout) available. I take this to mean that RCI would be just as happy giving out the two units separately in that they get two exchange fees. In the case of Points resorts, they appear to be honest enough to pass on the separate point values to whomever deposits regardless of whether it was deposited as a single unit or two separate units.

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Owner since 1996 (a paltry one)
TUG member since 1997