Exchange companies.

jayjay wrote:

DAE (dialanexchange.com) is an independent exchange company. However, I would think they would not have the inventory that the major exchange companies (RCI and II) have, but it wouldn't hurt to check out their website.

What is the website of II ? I have never heard of this company. I have two timeshares and also never seem to be happy with the results of trading with RCI. I always settle for something just so I do not waste my floating week in Cozumel.

Try www.intervalworld.com

ryann15 wrote:

Try www.intervalworld.com

Hi. ryann15, I think that you posted a link to the Interval International web site. There were 2 different addresses posted for this Dial An Exchange program on this thread. One is www.daelive.com and the other is www.dialanexchange.com I tried them both out of curiosity and they link to 2 different pages but the same program. It says that membership is free! I got to confess, though, that after reading thru this long thread, I am utterly confused and confounded about this entire exchange business. I'll continue to rent. Happy Holidays!

Just curious, my membership is about expire with RCI. Is there a way to negotiate more points with them before I renew? The points that I am alloted per year is lower than I would like. Is this plausible? Any tips that you can give would be greatly appreciated.

libby31 wrote:

Hi everyone, What is the url for the Dial an Exchange website? I am one of the many here that is getting frustrated with the lack of exchange to where we would like to go and the high costs of the process. We are Marriott owners and are told by II that are weeks are the ones in demand but we still seem to have trouble trading to the places we would like when we would like to go. Thanks

Dial An exchange - if you want to start with the Around the Globe site, use www.dialanexchange.com , but once there you'll select a link to site having primary focus/language relevant to your part of the world, and that is where you might be linked to say www.dealive.com if you slect US or Australasia , or a Russian version of the site if that's what you select, etc, etc. So it's ONE organisation, and I beleive has zero membership fees, accepts deposits of timeshare weeks in any location, but not requiring you to deposit before you search for and reserve an exchange week .

om wrote:

Just curious, my membership is about expire with RCI. Is there a way to negotiate more points with them before I renew? The points that I am alloted per year is lower than I would like. Is this plausible? Any tips that you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Our TS is red all the year round, yet our points are one of the lowest weeks which I don't think is fair, especially when we've to pay the same maintenance. If it's all red the points should all be the same.

I too have been VERY frustrated trying to get a week and place I desire. It seems I have always had to accept something less than I wanted and requested, sometimes 2 years in advance. I believe RCI and II are both expensive, and not worth their service most of the time. I believe we are better off using Redweek to rent our weeks out, and then finding another owner renting in a location and time we want. Never heard of DAE, but may check into them. RCI and II have validity only when there is no other method to use/exchange your week, or it is about to expire and you can deposit it for 2 more years in 'hope' of getting a decent exchange for it in the future. Good Luck!

joel382 wrote:

I believe RCI and II are both expensive, and not worth their service most of the time. I believe we are better off using Redweek to rent our weeks out, and then finding another owner renting in a location and time we want.

I couldn't agree with you more about the expense of RCI and II, although I'm happy with the II service in general. However, for those of us who live and own timeshare outside of the Americas, it is almost impossible to rent/exchange on Redweek and other similar forums.

ednab2 wrote:

Our TS is red all the year round, yet our points are one of the lowest weeks which I don't think is fair, especially when we've to pay the same maintenance. If it's all red the points should all be the same.

I agree. What a timeshare saleperson doesn't tell you is that there are varying shades of red .... bright red, light red, lightest red, pink, light pink etc., but they are all considered red.

Hi, I too am sick of so-called exchange companies where I can never exchange. RCI is a joke,a bad one. What the point of paying an extra $90 a year to be unable to finally get a vacation anyway? I look in all the weeks of the year, there is never a good time or a better time, it's always all booked, if it's anyplace I would consider going (and I'm not that fussy)--and furthermore, I am flabbergasted by the Mandatory "extra charges" for "All-Inclusive" resorts--it amounts to about an extra $150.00 a day for 2 people --for food on a cheap mass-produced buffet chow line??? come on!! They are putting it together for $5-8 a day tops, and charging $150. Which is why the only spaces that ARE available in RCI are the "AI" with mandatory surcharges like I've mentioned. A big fat profit in the hand of someone, I don't know who. But I know it's a big fat ripoff to me: 1st my $90 fee to RCI, then the extra $140 a day times 7 days, it's a $1,000 RCI profit per wk rental. I do much better without a timeshare and without RCI.

P.S. "II" is "Intervals International."

libby31 wrote:

Hi everyone, What is the url for the Dial an Exchange website? I am one of the many here that is getting frustrated with the lack of exchange to where we would like to go and the high costs of the process. We are Marriott owners and are told by II that are weeks are the ones in demand but we still seem to have trouble trading to the places we would like when we would like to go. Thanks

Personally, I would never buy or rent an ALL INCLUSIVE timeshare. It certainly sounds like a rip-off to me.

I have a week banked with Interval International that will expire in May. We are away on an overseas assignment...and I have little chance to use this time before it expires.

Can someone tell me what I can do with this banked week, other than loose it or extend it?

Thanks!

Joe

The best option may be to extend your expiration date.

It's illegal with II and RCI to sell a banked or exchanged week.

josephc119 wrote:

I have a week banked with Interval International that will expire in May. We are away on an overseas assignment...and I have little chance to use this time before it expires.

Can someone tell me what I can do with this banked week, other than loose it or extend it?

Thanks!

Joe

We own in Spain and Madeira. RCI is far too expensive. We use DAE now. They list their availability on the website and we just brouse and pick one we fancy. Once we requested an exchange for a week in South Africa and they came up with a choice of Gold Crown Resorts in just the right place at the right time. And they are personal and friendly.

libby31 wrote:

Hi everyone, What is the url for the Dial an Exchange website? I am one of the many here that is getting frustrated with the lack of exchange to where we would like to go and the high costs of the process. We are Marriott owners and are told by II that are weeks are the ones in demand but we still seem to have trouble trading to the places we would like when we would like to go. Thanks

Go to www.tug2.net click on advice at the top. you will find it under exchang companys. Also try SFX they only take red weeks and are great.

om wrote:

Just curious, my membership is about expire with RCI. Is there a way to negotiate more points with them before I renew? The points that I am alloted per year is lower than I would like. Is this plausible? Any tips that you can give would be greatly appreciated.

Purchase a red week in South Africa for around $3,000 and you can get points for the week from 52,500 to 61,000 RCI points each year when you deposit it into RCI. Maintenance fee are around $390 and under per year,

wonet1 wrote:

Personally, I have had it with RCI weeks.! The fees have again raised and getting extremely high. Even if you do your reservations on-line, there is no break in the cost. I refuse to deposit with them. I will rent my weeks thru redweek. Thanks to Redweek for the wonderful job they do for us.! Wonet

We will drop our membership with RCI as soon as we use a week we deposited almost two weeks ago. We were unable to get anything we really wanted for the two years and we have a nice place in Sanibel Island. We finally opted to take a resort in Orlando closeby just to use the week. They call regularaly to Sell additional membership or "Vacation" time, but are useless with trading. Last call, I was told that they could sell us time at one of the resorts that we wanted to trade into, but no trades were available.....it sounds like they may take all of the top resorts to Sell and leave the surplus for their deposit customers......We have been very unhappy with the RCI experience!

The url (internet address) for Dial An Exchange is: http://www.daelive.com/

libby31 wrote:

Hi everyone, What is the url for the Dial an Exchange website? Thanks

From reading the messages in this topic, I'm glad I haven't had dealings with RCI! A few years ago my wife and I bought a week at a local Timeshare Resort (The Cove at Yarmouth) and became members of II at the same time. We use the facilities (not our week) there during the winter just for a break. Off season, they offer owner's a good break for a night. Through II we have exchanged for a week Westgate Towers in Orlando a couple of times. We also exchanged for a week at the Sedona Summit in Arizona. This is a Sunterra property, using SunOptions (points). We purchased there, as well. That is all to say, we are using both weeks, and points. When we bought Sunterra, as part of the deal, we are also able to convert our Cove week to SunOptions (called Sunterra Select). Sometimes I wonder if any of this really saves money. We are at the beginning of the retiring process, and new to traveling regularly. I'd say we have been very pleased with the places we have found. Sunterra's system offers some really good deals- "points-wise" Because of that, I found a great place to stay in Orlanda for a weekend and took my wife's younger brother (He has Down's) for a short vacation to see Mickey and some of his relatives. Those kind of deals and the ability to use the Sunoptions for a couple of nights rather than a full week, seem beneficial. In the future, I am considering purchasing more Sunterra SunOption properties with the SunOptions, or converting to them. I do find this complicated. I'd appreciate feedback from someone more experienced. As far as Redweek is concerned, I haven't done any real exchanging or anything yet, but I have found it useful in regards to the reviews of resorts in my planning vacations and thinking about possible future investments.

My mother just bought a timeshare in Dominican Republic but we are new to how this whole process works. They said we get a year of II for free but are we forced to deal with them? She evidently has a floating week so each time she wants to book she has to call the resort to be assigned a week. It all just sounds like trouble to me.