Complain about a product or service

RCI

RCI's Web site says the company has over 3,700 affiliated resorts located in 100 countries, with over three million subscribing members living in more than 200 countries. Its "RCI Community" is an exchange network of three million timeshare owners worldwide who participate in RCI's traditional week-for-week and points-based timeshare exchange networks.

John of Plano, TX June 1, 2009

A tour package was sold for @4,000 over the phone, promising great deals by prepaying vacations to receive upgraded cruises and a land package of a 7 night stay to accompany cruises or to use separately. The cruises do not appear to be discounted versus other discount brokers and upgrade fees are required on almost all bookings. Taxes and fees are also not included in the bookings, so those must be paid separately on top of the prepaid vacations. The land packages and the cruises are separate offices at RCI which do not work together.

At 10:06AM on May 29th, 2009, RCI.com and RCICruiser.com sent an e-mail to members saying that night the offices would be unavailable from May 30th to 9:30AM May 31, 2009 for regularly scheduled maintenance. Daily telephone hours for representatives were incorrect by print and by telephone and: extended outages were announced in arrears. Additionally, the delays were at May month end.

The telephone sales do not produce what they guarantee- easy to use low-cost upgraded prepaid vacations. Coordination of benefits is very time consuming. The resorts and cruises available apply to only a fraction of the resorts and cruises generally available through RCI. Many vacations require significant fees and additional costs for the lowest of cruise cabins and/or for cabin upgrades.

nancy of carlsbad, CA June 6, 2009

I made a timeshare reservation for 9 nights in January 2010 using points banked with RCI. The reservation agent mistook my dates for January 2009, starting the actual date I had made the reservation. This is quite bizarre, inasmuch as I told the agent I was trying to make my reservation to immediately follow a stay I was booking for a nearby resort in 2010. I have appealed to a supervisor named Rob @ RCI with no success. Strangely, my RCI membership #901081502 was cancelled (not by me) after I complained to Rob. Noone at RCI can tell me who cancelled my membership nor why.

paula of littleton, CO June 2, 2009

RCI is Horrible!!!!! I have been a member for almost 10 years, keep paying their membership fee, and have NEVER been able to exchange. I have a week in Cabo San Lucas at a Luxury resort and have tried to exchange it for the last 4 years. I have always begun the process over a year in advance. One year, I wanteed to go to Tahoe. There were plenty of units - if you want to exchange a luxury resort for a studio unit in a converted cheap motel. Finally used a friends condo.

The next year I wanted to go to New England. I chose Newport, RI, again, well in advance and was able to get a unit. At the END of NOVEMBER. New England in November - yay. Not to offend New Englanders, but I am from Colorado and will be going from the cold to the cold. The next year, I thought I would try Myrtle Beach. Nothing available during the summer months - and this is with starting well in advance.

And each time I tried to search, the website would go down or I would get a message that my week wasn't available or some random message that would kick me out("we cannot release your vacation on hold". I have no vacations on hold.) When I would call I would be told it was just a glitch. Apparently the entire web site is a glitch because I have been trying for 2 days to exchange for next year and the web is experiencing a "slow response time". What that actually means is "NO response what so ever).

What a scam. Don't tell me that this isn't all planned. Especially after I received notice of the class action law suit. It seems like they are still engaging in the same practice. But they have me over a barrell. I'll just keep going to shoddy resorts in the off season because I don't have much of a choice. If I don't use it I'll lose it.

Barbara of Prince George, VA May 22, 2009

We had so many problems with RCI. Not once have we ever been able to exchange. We called and canceled over two years ago. Last year they tried to take our Home Week. The resort was gracious enough to work that out and during the "sales pitch" they do every year we again, like all the years before, expressed our extreme dislike of anything relating to RCI. She (unfortunately we did not keep a record of name) said what happened should never have occurred and supposedly "fixed" the problem so that we did not have to deal with RCI again.

Guess what! This year RCI has done it again and booked someone else in OUR Home Week unit. RCI now says we had to fill out a paper to cancel with them - funny they never mentioned it before. They sure haven't been billing us for any fees - maybe that's because they know we do not belong to RCI. Anyway, I've spoken with the resort and informed them that if we don't get our week reinstated with begins Sat. May 30th, I will be at the resort tomorrow and the next Saturday with a protest sign against RCI. I plan to be in the lobby where the attendees for the sales pitches wait for their appointments.

Jane of Louisville, TN April 30, 2009

I interviewed to purchase a foreclosed Timeshare in August 2007. Mr. M offered a purchase in the amount of 3595.00. He opened a RCI Mastercard account for me and charged 3,595.00 to that account for the purchase.I also wrote a check to Club Trinidad Resort , Palm Springs,CA in the amount of 429.00 for maintainence fees and that check has never been froward to the timeshare resort the check was mailed to Mr. M at his request in August 2008. I have never received my timeshare ownership after almost 2 years and many promises from Mr. M but he has not delivered his promise. I have been scammed!!

April of Hahira, GA April 22, 2009

My folks had 3 timeshares, and for approximately 20 years + my folks have used them and enjoyed. I have one existing one left and I have had no problems trading until the last few years. Last year I put it in too late, and there were no availablity on the places I wanted, I had to settle for a place. I was advised to put it in early for 2009; so I paid maintenance in Nov./Dec. 2008, deposited my week in January 2009; and everytime I check for my September 2009 search exchange, there is "NOTHING" AVAILABLE. I even changed searches 2-3 times and locations to no avail. Does it have to take 7-12 months to get the customer what they want in exchanges. NO it is because there isn't anything - It has already been taken. I was so aggravated today 4/22/09; when speaking with this lady, representing RCI, from another country, we had an argument over the phone. She told me I really need to deposit at least one year ahead, possibly two years ahead, which means I have to pay upfront 2 years of maintenance fees, an exchange fee of 189.00 then two years of RCI Club membership fees or get their special. she goes on to state: I will have a better chance for an exchange! Now I get the picture of what is going on, from what I can gather on the web and complaints of others, RCI has developed a "POINT" SYSTEM, you pay in advance, therefore, if you are a club member you basically get priority over members that don't pay in advance. Then the lady, (I don't remember her name or if she gave it to me) needless to say, she would not identify what country she worked in for RCI. she said I am only trying to help you. She said your week is in April; so the search is counted from April on; regardless if you deposited and started your search in Dec./Jan. 2009 - so you still are searching too late. This is what I see RCI is greedy, they have increased their pricing system to the extent, that I ask myself between maintenance fees and them. "Is this really a good deal and enjoyable" when the places don't even come up to par with quality, upgraded vacation places. She even admitted they have 10,000 customers and only 500 vacation spots come on folks. this is not the way to do business - what I see is discrimation on some who don't have the money to pay 1-2 years in advance, so the poor working man, can't even get a "holiday"/vacation. My biggest suspicion, and question I would like answered is: 1. Is RCI buying up properties, and renting them out to make the BIG BUCKS (1,500-2,000 week)to some International Vacationers not to mention also giving the RCI Members who pay in advance priorities on not only timing but the better places to stay through RCI. The last two places I stayed at, were old, not the greatest with furnishings it surely was not the "Hilton" or Disney World.

Lesli of Vergennes, VT April 18, 2009

I attended a sales presentation by RCI on April 18, 2009. After 90 minutes had gone by, I was assigned to John to finish the sales pitch. John was immediately combative and within the first 5 minutes accused me of misrepresenting my salary. He had asked me what I made per hour, which I said I didn't know. He then asked me what I made per week and I guestimated 1500.00. He said that means that I made 40.00 per hour, which is not true. I said I don't make that much per hour. He was extremely hostile and when I asked him why, he said he didn't like people misrepresenting themselves.

I told him I was not misrepresenting anything. This continued with him asking me if I knew what I made every two weeks. I told him. He continued to dispute this, saying he had a friend who works for Department of Homeland Security also and this person didn't make nearly that much. I finally said I made 65K per year and he could divide that any way he wanted to. He was extremely rude and aggressive. I finally said I had given him 90 minutes of my time (it was actually an hour and 45 minutes) that I wasn't interested, and, let's not waste any more of your time or mine. He threw down his pen and grabbed my paperwork and led me to the exit. I did receive the gifts as promised.

How do these guys sleep at night? I went into this knowing the extremely high-pressure tactics, and still, my heart was racing and I felt as if I had done something wrong. Why do these guys get away with this? Economic or physical? None. Emotional: yes. Why do we continue to tolerate this kind of behavior?

F.larry Mcleod of Spring, TX April 13, 2009

RCI, despite a pending claas action lawsuit settlement, is continuing to purchase excess rental units from partcipating resorts, placing them all in their extra-vacation site and renting them out to Members and others. Only when they do rent these units out, they place a few of them on to the Exchange Program site for Members. This is a scam, deceitful, greedy,illegal, and denies Members the right to access those unit properties.

Members are totally dnied access to promised exchange units at nearly all desirable resorts.

Edward of Canyon Country, CA April 9, 2009

My Wife and I purchased a timeshare at the Blue Blay Club in Cancun, Mexico. We purchased 8 million RCI points along with 9 bonus weeks at the resort (that could be changed into differing rooms according to luxury. For example 2 weeks could also = 1 week in a suite.) We were promised and shown luxurious rooms that later we learned required 8 people in our party in order to book, but we found that this difference in communication with the Club and RCI was just one of many to come.

For the first 3 years we've been allowed to use points for airfare, car rentals, hotel, and resort bookings. These were unlimited. In fact, we told the salesman at the time that we wanted to purchase the most points possible because our families lived far away, in different states, and this would be our main use for the points. The salesman and the top manager from the club stated This will be perfect for you!

Now we've learned that RCI has restricted our points to 60,000 per year for every kind of use but resorts. This amount will only buy a round trip ticket from L.A. to San Francisco! We can't spend the amount of points we've purchased on resorts only even if we vacationed now at a rate of 365 days per year, for the rest of our lives! We could have saved 1/2 the cost of our timeshare because we can't use the other half (the points part) that's restricted. Every time we turn around we're dinged with fees particular to RCI or Club members only. For example, we'll be going to Tahiti in August and only RCI/ club members are charged a weekly electrity fee of 200 at this hotel. Anyone else booking there is not charged this fee, but its included in their cost according to RCI.

We are also charged a 189 per week reservation fee, besides our resort booking fee. We are going with another couple, making our vacation a total of five weeks. This charges a total of 2,070 just for our hotel fees/ stay! What was our 35,000 purchase for? That 2,070 doesn't include airfare, all the fees we constantly are getting dinged for throughout the year, and the fees from our club. These fees keep rising. So far this year we've spent 700 in dues without even using anything yet! Pretty soon we'll be charged a clean towels in your room fee and a water fee each time the toilet's used!

We've contacted a lawyer and because of the vagueness of the contract RCI and the Club seem to have all the advantage. I feel like I'll soon be saying, But I didn't see in the contract that I signed, RCI's right to stick their hands in my bank account and take out any money they want, and their answer will be: Well, the contract never said that we couldn't... How can these companies take advantage of so many hardworking people and get away with it? These companies have been able to deceive through much of what they don't have to disclose. Sure they stated in the contract that they have the right to restrict points. Boy, hind site is 20/20 now! Wish we knew exactly what that meant when we'd read it and heard it explained.

Niki of Indianapolis, IN February 28, 2009

i have read what everyone has to say on this site, i would like everyene to know i am an employee for RCI, a lot of what everyone is saying is not reffering to RCI when you purchase a timeshare it has nothing to do with RCI, we do not sell timeshares what so ever.... RCI is the middle man it is a timeshare exchange company, so when you buy a timeshare u have the choice to go back to your the resort that you purchased everytime or you can use RCI services and pay a little more and go to other destinations ... not the way to use rci and be successful is search in advance if you own weeks u can search 2 years out if you own points you can search 10 months out... if your looking in high demand time like when kids are out of school then u really want to put your search in asap ... now when your dealing with weeks you also have what we call trading power ... if you own a red week in branson mo dont expect to get hawaii it...the system will only offer you things that are campatiable to what you own ,,,, depositing your weeks a year in advance will maximize your trading power also when your searching for something in advance and what your looking for does not pull up put yourself on an ongoing search the system will keep searching and if something pulls up we will call you .... the most important thing is dont get to picky ,,, its vacation how much time do your really spend in the room??... you have to remember when you call rci we would love to send you on vacation actually the guides you speak with get paid on commision for sending you on vacation.... the inventory that we have is what other deposit we can give you space if it has been booked by other members and if they have not deposited their weeks ,,,,

timeshare is best for the retired

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