A historical issue which is still widely complained about is that RCI took the inventory deposited by members and monetised it by renting it to the public at the detriment to members, who suffered reduced availability when trying to exchange.
This led to a major US Class Action and settlement despite RCI denying any wrongdoing. They reluctantly paid out a miniscule amount in compensation but didn´t change their business model, so the structure that members complained about is still there.
The current issues are long standing…
Members deposit their weeks / points…then struggle to book anything decent…meanwhile their unit or a similar one comes up on regular holiday booking sites. This links directly back to the issue that caused the previous lawsuit.
Poor value of points systems. Points conversions amount to terrible value in the real world. The cost of exchange fees and maintenance fees often surpass the cost of booking directly.
Loss of exclusivity – Members see the same resorts on holiday booking and rental sites. The ¨members only benefit¨ becomes diluted.
Many RCI members are pushing for great transparency, disclosure on the true amount of inventory and fairer access to exchanges.
This isn´t a sudden scandal, – it´s a structural problem in their business model.
Owners supply the inventory whilst RCI monetises that inventory in multiple ways. This creates tension as members expect access to vast inventory, however the system profits from restricting that access.
Are you experiencing these issues with your RCI membership? Are you still paying the fees every year but getting nothing in return?
Get in touch with us to see how we can release you from your RCI contract and see if you may be eligible to get money back.
