Original Message:
Re: TIMESHARE OWNERS GETTING HOSED ON EXCHANGES! (by KC):
phill12 asks the timely and relevant question:
>> What happened to fair exchange?<< =====================================
A number of factors have changed the "exchange" world quite radically over the past decade. Foremost among these changes has been RCI (the biggest exchange company by far) openly deciding to make a priority of renting out the better deposited (or acquired from developers) weeks. This is why RCI is currently the defendant in a class action lawsuit (Murillo vs. RCI). Every week which is rented out to the general public by an exchange company is obviously a week which never becomes available to exchange company members. Interval International is guilty of the same thing, but on a smaller scale being a smaller company.
In a domino effect, owners have increasingly become more and more reluctant to deposit with these major "exchange" entities at all, knowing that they may get little or nothing of comparable value in return. Direct owner rentals are now far more common than formerly, when owners choose not to actually use their own weeks. The Internet makes this extremely easy to do.
I don't personally believe that actions at the resorts have anything to do with this deteriorating exchange situation at all. While resorts may make "swaps" in available rentals which have voluntarily put under their control by the unit owners for rental purposes (as is the resorts' prerogative), these practices really have nothing at all to do with the overall picture of diminishing numbers and quality of available exchanges.
The major exchange companies prefer to collect the much bigger profits associated with renting out of weeks, as opposed to just charging exchange fees to their members. Although I'm certainly not defending them, it's important to try to remember that the exchange companies are businesses (not "clubs") and their primary focus and motive is PROFIT. Rentals are far more profitable than exchange fees.
In recent weeks and months, RCI has actually bought into two separate, additional commercial rental mechanisms (Snap Travel and LeisureLink). Make no mistake about it --- the quality and availability of "exchanges" through RCI (and probably regardless of the outcome of the current lawsuit against them) is in a downward tailspin which can and will only become steadily and progressively worse. RCI could actually decide (maybe even publicly announce) that being an exchange company is now their LAST priority, when it was actually their ONLY activity when the company was started. Things have changed --- and not for the better. Sad, but indisputably true.