RCI Lawsuit Settlement Agreement

[katiemack]

Originally Posted by JLB

...
Now, I/we just sold a week to another couple here. They are new newbies. I told them when they are ready to look at RCI, we will have them over and show it to them.

When I open up our account, they will see that one of our deposits can get 110,000 units and another can get 162,000. Within a few minutes, the new newbie can see the differences.

Several of the guys at the golf course refuse to use RCI cuz you can never get anything through them. Well, if they care to, now they can see that that is not true. Two of the hard core alpha males complained about never being able to get Gulf Shores in January, so they can go golf there. Just last week I saw two units in Gulf Shores in January, a 2-bedroom and a 3-bedroom, and I printed it off and gave it to one of them.

You never usetacould do stuff that you can do now.

It is a movement in the right direction, one we'all have been asking for for a long, long time, at least for as long as I have subjected myself to criticism on the Internet.

Yes, the ability to see the results does enhance your ability to say "if you use RCI you can go to quite a few places, here's a sample..."

But again, the poor shlunk who bought a property on the hype: "this is a RED time week, high demand and you can go anywhere" doesn't get to see just how his trading power is determined....so the magic formula is still not revealed, thus I don't see how RCI met the criteria for the settlement.

Unless RCI gives us a grid that shows the resorts and their trading value (a specific numerical value ...not red, white, blue) , I don't see how they have met the settlement terms.

[Barbeque]

I see some great stuff in Last Calls and Extra Vacations really cheap. I have used them and will continue to use them. Then I can deposit my weeks with SFX or Trading Places to get real trades if I wish to.

[JLB]

Yup, we're all saying the same thing.

Originally Posted by katiemack

. . . doesn't get to see just how his trading power is determined.

[JLB]

I guess I'm getting soft, but after 20 years of not knowing how trading power is determined, but having a very good idea what it takes to have good trading power, for me and mine, does it really matter if they tell me the secret or not?

When it comes to law, and damages, isn't that what is important, that it matters or not? At this point, how are me and mine harmed by not knowing? Or, for that matter, how are me and mine harmed if RCI rents deposits, if me and mine get what we want?

To be a party, I have to have suffered damages. (As I recall from college days, at some parties I did. )

Frankly, I would be a very weak plaintiff, having given up $400 m/l for each of our $1500 m/l exchanges. I checked on our upcoming exchanges and one of them rents for $1530. I'm not sure about the other, but it looked like $200/night.

On the issue of RCI, there are those who love them, those who hate them, and those like me, who can both love and hate them, depending on the latest situation. There have been times that on the same day I can take both sides, because those are the facts. (Come to think of it, that often happens during the same phone call. )

[JLB]

The quest seems to be about certainty, obtaining certainty. Does any timeshare system offer that?

[Carolinian]

I am curious about at least one of the lead plaintiffs, who posted quite often about his disgust with RCI's practices here and on other t/s boards. I was not surprised when I learned that he was one of the lead plaintiffs, but I am shocked that he would lie down for this rape of timesharers called a settlement. I know he has not posted in a while, as he emailed me that his lawyers had advised him to back off on that while the suit was pending.

We need the email addresses of the judge, the lead plaintiffs (I always used the PM system with the one lead plaintiff) and attorneys so we can let them know that class members are very unhappy with their selling us out.

One thing that is desperately needed is MEANINGFUL notice to all RCI members that RCI is engaged in renting exchange deposits to the general public.

[BocaBum99]

Originally Posted by Carolinian

I am curious about at least one of the lead plaintiffs, who posted quite often about his disgust with RCI's practices here and on other t/s boards. I was not surprised when I learned that he was one of the lead plaintiffs, but I am shocked that he would lie down for this rape of timesharers called a settlement. I know he has not posted in a while, as he emailed me that his lawyers had advised him to back off on that while the suit was pending.

We need the email addresses of the judge, the lead plaintiffs (I always used the PM system with the one lead plaintiff) and attorneys so we can let them know that class members are very unhappy with their selling us out.

One thing that is desperately needed is MEANINGFUL notice to all RCI members that RCI is engaged in renting exchange deposits to the general public.

Believe it or not, the proposed settlement puts me closer to your point of view than against it. I think your proposed actions are the right ones.

My problem is that RCI proposes that they give exclusive right to exchange for only 30-days. That is a crock especially since not all exchangers are trying to do so every month of the year. It should at least be 3 months. Perhaps even 6 months.

The problem I have is their hybrid model. Either they are an exchange company or they are a rental company. They really can't be both at the same time given the rules they have defined. I would be okay if they chose one or the other. Or, if they gave Weeks owners more time to exchange, it would be okay as well. That would at least be creating a fair playing field. The way they have it set up, they can easily rip off the best stuff after 30-days and millions of exchangers wouldn't have a chance for the deposit.

Alternatively, if RCI just gave cash to owners for deposits, then they could rent everything to their hearts desire because they would have fairly compensated the depositer. But, the way they have defined it in the settlement is unfair to exchangers. Even I acknowledge that and I have been willing to give RCI the benefit of the doubt.

The settlement sucks. But, it is illuminating on RCI intentions for the rules of exchange.

[katiemack]

Additionally, it seems very unfair for RCI to continue to raise fees, and charge for a membership that doesn't offer anything "exclusive" for those fees and membership costs.

If they determine your trading value, what difference does it make how they manipulate the deposits (30 days, or 3 months)....if they want to, they can just manipulate the best stuff by manipulating the number of "equitable" trading powers, it would seem to me.

Unless we have an open and transparent grid that tells a member UP FRONT what RCI assigns as the power, the whole game remains rigged in RCI's favor.

Why pay them fees and fees and more fees????.....they overcharge and underperform.....and the new system which doesn't allow you to adjust your ongoing searches without calling the office additionally hinders the person who wishes to quickly adjust his/her search (like during the hours when the office is closed.)

[bnoble]

Unless we have an open and transparent grid that tells a member UP FRONT what RCI assigns as the power

No problem. It's called "RCI Points".

[T. R. Oglodyte]

Originally Posted by Carolinian

I am curious about at least one of the lead plaintiffs, who posted quite often about his disgust with RCI's practices here and on other t/s boards. I was not surprised when I learned that he was one of the lead plaintiffs, but I am shocked that he would lie down for this rape of timesharers called a settlement. I know he has not posted in a while, as he emailed me that his lawyers had advised him to back off on that while the suit was pending.

We need the email addresses of the judge, the lead plaintiffs (I always used the PM system with the one lead plaintiff) and attorneys so we can let them know that class members are very unhappy with their selling us out.

One thing that is desperately needed is MEANINGFUL notice to all RCI members that RCI is engaged in renting exchange deposits to the general public.

I'm skeptical that any competent plaintiff's attorney would invest much time and expense into a case without having a tacit upfront understanding with their clients about ranges of settlement terms that would be acceptable. The attorneys would be stupid to allow themselves to have several million dollars of revenue hanging on a clients emotional whims.

In the similar legal proceedings I've been involved with (both on the defendants side, one as a class action and the other a citizen lawsuit enforcement) as the case evolved it became clear that the plaintiffs had some settlement terms in mind, and all of the lead in activity was just jockeying around to reach that point.

The game is that the defendants fight on certain key points, and if they win those points the plaintiffs cut their losses and go away. If the plaintiffs draw enough blood in the preliminary porceedings, the sides get together and craft an agreement.

It seems to me tha this case followed a tried and true path.