posted 04-19-2005 09:00               

I have heard of the 1 in 4 rule and looked through 100+ days worth of messages for research. From previous emails I understand the timing (If you visit 2/2004, you can't go back until 2008). What I don't understand is:

Who has a 1 in 4 rule?
How do you find out?
How is it enforced?

We visited the Sheraton Vistana Villages and enjoyed it very much and we were wondering if they had this rule?

If so, does the 1 in 4 go for both the Villages and the Resort or just the Villages?

Thank You,
John

posted 04-20-2005 13:28            

quote:

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Originally posted by shell_man89:
Hi,

I have heard of the 1 in 4 rule and looked through 100+ days worth of messages for research. From previous emails I understand the timing (If you visit 2/2004, you can't go back until 2008). What I don't understand is:

Who has a 1 in 4 rule?
How do you find out?
How is it enforced?

We visited the Sheraton Vistana Villages and enjoyed it very much and we were wondering if they had this rule?

If so, does the 1 in 4 go for both the Villages and the Resort or just the Villages?

Thank You,
John

[This message has been edited by shell_man89 (edited 04-19-2005).]

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John,

Vistana's Villages (6059) does enforce the one-in-four year rule. We make mention of resorts that enforce this rule in the resort profile information; however, it is not readily visible in the sections featured online. Our system does not allow online confirmations for any resort enforcing the one-in-four rule. You are prompted to contact an RCI Guide so that we can check your account for recent confirmations to the resort. This includes Guest Certificates.

Resorts often have their own systems in place to identify violations of the one-in-four rule, and notify us when these are discovered. RCI also runs reports to try to prevent members from having problems.

posted 04-20-2005 13:31            

quote:

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Originally posted by jbiza:
Hi Madge,

To dovetail on the OP's question & to get the correct answer to a post on the Florida board, are Last Call &/or Extra Vacations currently subject to the 1 in 3 (or 4) rule at resorts??

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Most resorts do not enforce the one-in-four rule for Extra Vacations, since they are surplus units. However, there are a few exceptions to this policy. If you notice that the resort has this rule, please ask a Guide about whether it applies to your vacation.

posted 04-20-2005 13:33            

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Originally posted by Vodo:
And one more related question: What happens if RCI confirms an exchange that should not have been allowed because of a 1 in 3 or 1 in 4 rule? Do resorts actually turn people away at check-in? I can't fathom that they would do that. Many are unaware that such a rule exists or do not completely understand it. If RCI confirms the exchange (whether the rule is intentionally or innocently broken), what are the possible repercussions to the exchanger?

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Vodo,

Resorts can and do prevent members from checking in as a result of one-in-four rule violations. RCI makes every effort to identify and correct errors before the travel dates actually arrive.

posted 04-22-2005 07:32            

quote:

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Originally posted by Madge:
John,

... Our system does not allow online confirmations for any resort enforcing the one-in-four rule. You are prompted to contact an RCI Guide so that we can check your account for recent confirmations to the resort. This includes Guest Certificates....

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Then your system isn't woring very well. Orange Lake has a 1 in 3 rule (and the urgent information section of the resort information page also says there is a 1 in 3, except for bonus weeks). We were at OLCC in Dec 2004 and the website will allow me right now to confirm an exchange on-line without any VG assistance.

posted 04-22-2005 12:14            

quote:

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Originally posted by Vodo:
Hi Madge -

Thanks for the info. Can you tell me one more thing? I heard or read somewhere that the 1 in 4 (or 1 in 3) rule is waived for stays booked inside a 45-day window before the check-in date. Is that true?

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Vodo,

This is not correct. The one-in-four year rule applies to all dates for resorts that enforce it.

posted 05-01-2005 22:31            

Resorts generally do not enforce the one-in-four rule for surplus programs like One-Plus-One and Extra Vacations. However, there are a few resorts that do. You may wish to check with the resort to be sure of their policy. An RCI Guide may be able to tell you as well.

posted 05-02-2005 07:55            

quote:

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Originally posted by JimJ:
Then your system isn't woring very well. Orange Lake has a 1 in 3 rule (and the urgent information section of the resort information page also says there is a 1 in 3, except for bonus weeks). We were at OLCC in Dec 2004 and the website will allow me right now to confirm an exchange on-line without any VG assistance.

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Sorry for the delay - I thought I had already responded to this.

RCI's website will now check the past 5 confirmations to see if you've confirmed a resort with the one-in-four (or one-in-three) year rule. However, if you have more than 5 confirmations on record, it will be possible for you to confirm a resort that you visited within 4 years. This does not mean that the rule is not in force. If you think you may have confirmed the resort you're viewing within the last 4 years, call to check with a Guide to be sure, or review your travel history online.

posted 05-03-2005 17:08            

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Originally posted by Karen G:
Madge, if one owns a resort within a family of resorts (such as Pueblo Bonito in Mexico), is one exempt from the 1-in-4 rule at another resort in the same family of resorts? Example: As owners of the PB Rose, can we exchange into any other PB resort more frequently than 1-in-4? What if we use a week at another resort (not PB) to make the exchange?

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Very few resorts restrict their owners from visiting on exchanges. However, there are exceptions - HGVC is one of them. I am not aware that Pueblo Bonito restricts their owners - none of the information we have indicates that.

posted 05-03-2005 17:11            

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Originally posted by suskey:
Madge..the problem with all of this is that the RCI Guides are not 100% sure of what the rules are. Every time you call you get a different answer. Certainly there must be some way to standardize this. It is unfair to your customers to not have definitive rules. We should not have to call the resorts to check this when making an exchange or booking an extra vacation..this info should be at the Guides fingertips.

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suskey,

We are reliant upon information the resorts provide us. However, I was part of a discussion just today about how we might improve upon the process for getting resort information updated and keeping it complete. You're correct that having this information close for our Guides provides better service to our members.

posted 05-15-2005 11:25            

quote:

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Originally posted by Madge:
suskey,

We are reliant upon information the resorts provide us.

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And it is RCI's responsibility, not ours, to make sure that information is correct.

As I see it, the customer (me) pays RCI a yearly fee in order to deposit my resort with their company and receive exchanges for that deposit. I do not have a business relationship with the exchanging resort, I have a business relationship with RCI. It really bothers me that RCI can take the stand that it's not their fault if they make a mistake and it's our responsibility to contact the resorts ourselves to insure our confirmation is valid.

If I show up at a resort that has a 1-in-4 rule and RCI allowed that exchange, then the resort should hold RCI liable, not me (the customer). The resort has a contract with RCI and any business policies that are in place are between RCI and the resort.

It would seem to be more reasonable for the resorts to create a policy that penalizes RCI if they create an exchange in error. The resort should still allow the customer to stay at the resort (they do have a written confirmation in hand and the room is available), and then charge a fee to RCI for making an error. I bet that would cause RCI to suddenly take responsibility for their actions. As it is right now, RCI has no incentive to make their VG's knowledgeable in this area - other than good customer service (I won't even comment on that one).

posted 05-17-2005 14:22            

quote:

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Originally posted by mamacora:
He came back and assured me that I would not have a problem checking into Vistana in 2006, even tho we sent friends in 2003. Does Vistana have sections, and the one in four apply to the different sections?

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The one-in-four rule almost always applies per member account. This means that guest exchanges count. Extra Vacations or One-Plus-One weeks generally do not count, because they are surplus and at risk of going unused. Sorry to hear of the difficulty you had in trying to obtain the answer to this question.

posted 05-17-2005 14:33            

RCI makes every effort to keep resort information current. However, it is not possible for us to guarantee the accuracy of information that we do not control. This issue is addressed in RCI's Terms & Conditions:

quote:

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Information about Affiliated Resorts and/or accommodating parties provided by RCI is based on information obtained from Affiliated Resorts or accommodating parties, and RCI makes reasonable efforts to ensure that Affiliated Resort and accommodating party information provided by RCI is accurate and complete as of the date such Affiliated Resort and/or accommodating party information is published by RCI. However, RCI expressly disclaims liability for inaccurate, incomplete or misleading information concerning any Affiliated Resort or accommodating party.

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As I see it, the customer (me) pays RCI a yearly fee in order to deposit my resort with their company and receive exchanges for that deposit. I do not have a business relationship with the exchanging resort, I have a business relationship with RCI. It really bothers me that RCI can take the stand that it's not their fault if they make a mistake and it's our responsibility to contact the resorts ourselves to insure our confirmation is valid.

If I show up at a resort that has a 1-in-4 rule and RCI allowed that exchange, then the resort should hold RCI liable, not me (the customer). The resort has a contract with RCI and any business policies that are in place are between RCI and the resort.

It would seem to be more reasonable for the resorts to create a policy that penalizes RCI if they create an exchange in error. The resort should still allow the customer to stay at the resort (they do have a written confirmation in hand and the room is available), and then charge a fee to RCI for making an error. I bet that would cause RCI to suddenly take responsibility for their actions. As it is right now, RCI has no incentive to make their VG's knowledgeable in this area - other than good customer service (I won't even comment on that one).

I would bet that the average timeshare exchanger has no idea about the 1-4 rule. I personally don't think it's their responsibility.

Most often when confirmations are made in violation of the one-in-four rule, either RCI or the resort catches it quickly. Rarely would a member get all the way to check-in, and if he did, the resort might still elect to honor the exchange.

No system is fool-proof; however, one of our planned initiatives this year is to provide system support for the one-in-four rule, so that confirmations cannot be completed in error.