We, too, were duped by RCI and a RCI affiliated resort. My wife and I are in our 20's and I'm in the military. We signed up for the whole "vacation package" including a 4 day-3 night in Orlando with 2 Universal Studios tickets for 2 days, a 3 day-2 night in florida or las vegas, and a 4 day-3 night in aruba. All for a low price of $200/person. We decided to use the Orlando vacation on our way to Miami before departing on a cruise.

Turns out there was a timeshare briefing involved. Since we vacation a lot, the IDEA of a timeshare is ideal to our situation. We can exchange it for anywhere we want, or so we thought. The sales team worked hard on us to sell, of course. They even gave us a "military discount" from there special "military sales representative." We got a 2 BR every other year, and can 'lock-out' half of the apartment so we get 1 BR for 1 week per year. Confused yet?

I was stationed overseas and when we tried to use our timeshare week, we got a lot of no's. Only after I asked them what was available, did I actually get a place. When we went to the resort, the RCI saleswoman there told us about RCI points. Turns out that RCI has a different system than just the weeks. RCI Points members get priority over RCI weeks members when choosing a location. The points system went into effect 4.5 yrs before we bought our timeshare.

When I called Vacation Village at Parkway (from Germany), I was at first given the run-around about talking to someone for 30 min. Then, after 30 min, I was told they would leave a message because all the rep's were with new and prospective customers. I didn't hear anything from them for the rest of the night. The next day I called back and demanded that I talk to a rep just to get a name. Coincidentally, someone was available even after they told me again that no one was available. The lady explained to me that it would cost $5995 to switch to the points system, but she'd knock the price down 'just for me' to $2995. I asked her why I'd have to pay when my week was already worth points. She explained it was due to the developer (isn't that the people who build the resorts?).

I told her I didn't like that offer, and she said that I could pay $5000 dollars to 'upgrade' our timeshare week to every year (instead of every other year) and the exchange would be free. When I asked why the points system wasn't mentioned, she explained that "it's not right for everyone" and that "there isn't enough time to mention the two different programs."

My theory is that they sell people the weeks and then get them to pay more to convert it into the points system after they have trouble using their week. Oops, almost forgot about the additional costs attached to the timeshare-maintenance fees (and local taxes) that are paid every year, RCI membership fees, closing costs, and exchange fees. We were shown lists of years where the fees didn't go up or they only went up a little. Since buying the timeshare in Aug '04, the maintenance fees went up $30, membership fees up $10/yr, the closing costs are set at a % of the selling price not at actual expenses, and exchange fees went up $10 to exchange your week for another. They also sold us on the idea of an additional bonus week per year. However, the week can only be used within 45 days of the start of travel and not on the travel holidays, so we'd be getting "two weeks for the price of one". Later, on the RCI website, they have the exact same offer except there are no limits to how many you can use, they are available to everyone (not just us), and they are called "Last calls."

A couple tips to people who may be interested in a timeshare:

1. Don't be pressured into signing right then and there-you can take a little bit to think about making such a huge commitment.
2. Be informed about the different type of seasons (red, white, blue) at timeshare resorts.
3. Make sure your week offered is in a good season so you'll have more bargaining power (whether week or point wise).
4. Ask if they offer the points system because points members have a lot more options than week members.
5. Ask what other costs are involved -- maintenance fees, taxes, closing costs, admin fees, membership fees, exchange fees, and anything else they may put in there until you see the contract.
6. What we think is really important -- if you decide to buy a timeshare, make sure it is in a place you actually want to go back to. We own two timeshare weeks now at two different resorts, and the second one was way easier on us because the salespeople were friendlier and more relaxed. They let us think it over and compare their resort to others in the area. Also, the maintenance fees are twice as low per year and no taxes at our second resort.

Try to get informed on the resort, the timeshare principle, and your financial situation before you go. As stated earlier, the timeshare principle is ideal, however there are always catches that aren't told to you until you actually try to use it.

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