posted 02-21-2005 06:27               

quote:

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Originally posted by muranojo:
Cripes sake, Alan, that was in '98!! Yep, might have been that good back then, but there's no way that's the situation today, thanks to publicity that originated here on TUG. I definitely think a qualifier ought to be placed on that message. Are you saying that, since this message was posted (in '98), all newbies should still believe it's true?? We need to be fair to folks considering buying in today...no way are you gonna get those trades today. Do your homework outside this bragging thread and seriously look at the seasonal weeks snagged.

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But what does all that have to do with the necessity of keeping secret the good SA trades people are still getting for 2005 & 2006 ?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

posted 02-25-2005 06:11               

It used to be 110 dollars for MF and you could trade to Cape, OBX, Myrtle Beach in the summer with an on-going search that lasted a month at the most. Those days are bye-bye. But it is still an ok value for doing Orlando and what not.

Hey I got my cost out of it so I can't complain. But the Party is over.

posted 02-25-2005 08:02               

quote:

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Originally posted by ravens fan:
I had an on-going search for all up and down the east coast (Maine to Georgia) tons of resorts on the beach for a long searchperiod June 18th - August 20th. The ongoing search was going for a year! ... It used to be 110 dollars for MF and you could trade to Cape, OBX, Myrtle Beach in the summer with an on-going search that lasted a month at the most.

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Has anyone received or expect to receive a prime summer week with a SA week? I've had several SA weeks since '99 and I've never seen a prime week in a beach location like you are describing, much less specifying which resorts. To me it's all about expectations and SA weeks are still cheaper than most other weeks with similar trade power.

You really shouldn't complain about the artifically low maintenance fees that existed when we first purchased. Rather than a loss of trade power for SA weeks, I believe there's a general decline in deposits available in the RCI system, for whatever reason. The rich get their pick and the poor get the left-overs. When the number of deposits was greater, as in the past, SA owners got to eat a little more.

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Jim

posted 02-25-2005 08:51               

quote:

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Originally posted by muranojo:
T4F, now that's an interesting observation. Haven't heard that one before. From my experience, I've had money in deposit for over a year, but haven't seen much, anyway.
Edited in fairness to add I look for pretty hard-to-get locations in peak summer/spring break times: HI, Caribbean, Keys, PNW. But, I have noticed a difference in the past two years...seems most of it kicked in after the notorious Manhattan Club grabbing/renting.

[This message has been edited by muranojo (edited 01-27-2005).]

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You should consider the fact that it's US dollars that's on deposit. The way it has been depreciating it's a wonder that RCI hasn't pulled it away from ciculation. Now, had the deposit been in Euros, well you might have even seen the Marriott's or the Manhattan Club!

posted 02-26-2005 19:02               

The mf have gone up When you add all the costs, it's no longer a good deal

RCI has gotten ridiculous with extra vacation costs. In the past if I snagged a week in a hot spot, I was able to get the 2nd week using a bonus week.

I got the Westin and Pueblo Bonito in Cabo San Lucas somehow; but I had an ongoing forever PLUS I used other weeks to try to pull another week. It's taking LOTS of time and effort and most times with no results.

I remember a fellow tugger pulling 2 weeks in a hot spot in Hawaii ('99 MAYBE 2000)

posted 02-27-2005 07:27               

quote:

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Originally posted by Travelhappy:
The party is over.

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posted 02-27-2005 22:59               

quote:

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Originally posted by PAJim:
If by "overzealous posters" you mean that the word got out about SA causing others to buy and deposit, larger supply and same demand, I would agree. But you also can't deny the general lack of deposits that are available for even stong traders. I think RCI's rental policy, and possibly Points, has played a big factor in the decline of SA trade power as well.

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Along with that line of thinking Jim, RCI gets their $129.00 for every SA Exchange that is made, plus any other add-ons like guest certificates and so forth. I would think to kill the trade power deliberately would be biting the hand that feeds you.

Although I don't think that long and loud bragging is a good think either. Especially around the hot tub at a Gold Crown Resort telling Owners how you got in there with your $109 Blue SA week. Shhhhhhhhhh.....

posted 02-28-2005 20:18               

quote:

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Originally posted by gawright:
I think the issue I raised with this thread was not "what was" but "what is." ... My S.A. timeshares have traded well in the past. It is my understanding that the trading power of a week is established at the time it is deposited with RCI. Thus, those of you who are still trading with 2004 or 2005 weeks might be doing fine. But, to repeat, my 2006 gold crown weeks, deposited in January of this year, will not trade for anything nice, anywhere. It appears to me that, starting recently, RCI has squashed the trading power of S.A. weeks. If this is correct, a newbie should be very cautious about buying an S.A. timeshare.

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Without the context of "what was", how can you be dissapointed (or pleased) with "what is"? That's why we try to explain the situation as it exists. I agree that everyone should know all the facts before making a purchase but making statements like "will not trade for anything nice, anywhere" is a very strong opinion, one that I don't share. Of course, I don't own, and wouldn't want to own, a GC South African week due to the higher maintenance fees and VEP filters.

posted 02-28-2005 21:23               

quote:

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Originally posted by gawright:
But, to repeat, my 2006 gold crown weeks, deposited in January of this year, will not trade for anything nice, anywhere. It appears to me that, starting recently, RCI has squashed the trading power of S.A. weeks. If this is correct, a newbie should be very cautious about buying an S.A. timeshare.

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So are you saying that an '06 week from SA resort X deposited in Jan 05 pulls differently than a SA resort X '05 week deposited in Jan '04 - in a side by side comparison?

Or are you saying that you feel you aren't pulling as many resorts as you got before?

posted 03-09-2005 03:45               

quote:

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Originally posted by AwayWeGo:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by JeffV:
[b]That is exactly the sort of thing Doug and I were referring to. If you want it to go away, just make a lot of noise about it and sure enough it will disappear.

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Check out: http://www.timeshare-users-group.com/tugdb/tradepwr/7693.html

How may timeshare folks, TUG & otherwise, would have caught on without seeing that?

Not me.

Anybody else?

Should TUG erase that page & treat that plus all other information about SA timeshare exchanges as hush-hush?

I'm not trying to be snide here -- just trying to understand how come it's safe to post information about the concept of SA timeshare exchanging in the abstract but risky to mention our practical experience with it in the real world.

It's got to be 1 way or the other, no?

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

[/B][/QUOTE]

posted 03-09-2005 07:35               

can you really do that? I thought once your weeks were in RCI, unless you paid a transfer to another member, RCI had the weeks period? If it is true, do you have to pay a fee?

Diane

posted 03-09-2005 07:36               

To be fair We travel mostly in spring and fall - so booking a year and a half to 2 years in advance I am usually able to get where I need to go.

T4F

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Worldmark,Sudwala