How RCI scams its members with websites such as Trip Beat - sham fraud ripoff

All of you who pay thousands to belong to a club, will have a heart attack when you find out what RCI is doing disguised as EVR (Endless Vacation Resorts) which then further disguises itself as hundreds of sites out there.

Simply go to Google and type in "Trip Beat"

You will see TripBeat AKA EVR offering RCI inventory (Slightly higher pricing than the RCI website), with NO SUBSCRIPTION FEE, completely open to the public.

You can buy their PREMIER Access for $83/year and get even further discounts.

( How many thousands did you pay????? )

Its not fair to the 3.5 Million RCI members who were promised an "exclusive" program for Timeshare owners only. Then RCI simply created white labeled websites like TripBeat and give similar services for FREE.

I'll tell you why they do it. RCI is not very efficient at renting all its weeks, so it must look for other sources to make a few extra bucks. However this is not fair to you and me who paid thousands for this exclusivity which now you know is NOT exclusive at all.

Here is another program from RCI you need to be weary of. Its called RCI Club365.

Released in 2017, Club365 is a hoax to get you into the RCI program. Just ONE BIG DRAWBACK!!! the supposedly exclusive membership you will buy for $2000, is simply a collection of websites links that is available to the public.

Once you login to Club365, you have benefits such as "Preferred Stays" and "Preferred Getaways". These "benefits" are simply links to another website that is open to the general public. You dont need to be a member, you dont need to pay anything.... its free to the general public. Its called EVR (Endless Vacation Rentals). You get similar inventory to RCI's "Last Call" and "Extra Vacations" for prices starting around $299.

I have 2 questions:

1. Why would anyone buy this RCI Club365 scam?

2. Why is RCI sharing its "exclusive inventory" to websites such as EVR that are free and open to the public?

Im guessing my $28k timeshare didnt buy me exclusivity with RCI. It simply gives them the opportunity to sell my inventory BEHIND my back, charge me all kinds of exchange fees, renewal fees, while they profit of me.

How is it possible that a person from the general public can access EVR and get similar pricing to you, the timeshare owner?

EVR stands for Endless Vacation Rentals. A portal that RCI uses to sell your timeshare inventory behind your back.

Did you know the EVR website is free for all users? Did you know you can get ridiculous low pricing starting at $299, and sometimes even cheaper?

Believe me, I AM NOT PROMOTING EVR. I am actually angry that I purchased a timeshare with a supposedly exclusive access to RCI only for timeshare owners. It turns out, RCI makes a few extra bucks selling on the side with websites such as EVR.

There are no exchange fees, no annual fees, no booking fees, just the cost of the week of $299+, and taxes. Yes, thats $299 for the week, not per night.

In my opinion, either RCI needs to compensate us, or they need to shut down all these unethical websites. I say websites in plural because EVR is not their only outlet. They private brand under many names.

johnathans11 wrote:

RCI is not very efficient at renting all its weeks, so it must look for other sources to make a few extra bucks. However this is not fair to you and me who paid thousands for this exclusivity which now you know is NOT exclusive at all.

I have no use whatsoever for RCI. I haven't been a RCI member for many years now and I certainly will never join RCI again.

That being very clearly stated, let's not forget that RCI doesn't actually "own" any weeks anywhere. Any and every week that RCI advertises, whether directly to their RCI membership or via alternative publicly available avenues, are either weeks previously (and voluntarily) deposited by RCI members or weeks made available to RCI by developers as "excess inventory". The offerings are no better or worse and are essentially the same, regardless of where found advertised. Like many profit seeking (and greedy) businesses, RCI will do whatever it takes to make a buck --- RCI members be damned.

While I certainly have no use for RCI, the fact remains that RCI is not to "blame" for people voluntarily choosing to grossly overpay developers (and / or so-called "vacation clubs") for timeshare. Even if their choice to buy in was based upon the many assorted lies, exaggerations and misrepresentations of deceitful sales weasels regarding the supply and ease (and inventory quality) of "exchanging", those lying sales weasels have NO actual affiliation whatsoever with RCI. Keep in mind too that there are lots of people who paid REASONABLE prices (in the resale market) for their timeshares, having never been gouged by exorbitant developer pricing. Some of those folks, if / when they later choose to use RCI, seem to often be satisfied with their experience (although steadily decreasing availability of quality exchange inventory is a consistent complaint in recent years). Availability of quality inventory from the other third party avenues you mention is certainly no better; the only real difference is that no RCI membership is required.

There is certainly no "exclusivity" associated with RCI membership. If you are dissatisfied with RCI policies, practices, costs and available inventory, I respectfully suggest doing what I and many others have done and continue to do --- vote with your feet and just bid RCI a fond farewell. It seems to me that your real "beef" is (...or should be) with having grossly overpaid a developer for your timeshare in the first place and then later discovering to your obvious chagrin that the sales weasel exaggerations about the joys and availability of "exchanging" were just fairy tales. RCI, for better or worse (...mostly worse) simply "is what it is".

Get out of your timeshare and use these sites instead.. I get weekly rentals for LESS than your maintenance fees. I've been using these sites for more than 15 years and extremely happy.

Hi, what sites do you recommend finding great deals on? Thank you!

bethg135 wrote:

Hi, what sites do you recommend finding great deals on?

Great deals on what? Concert tickets? Cars? Restaurants? Tablet computers?

Hi there. Yes can you share where you can get these great deals on the vacation rentals? I just sat through a long and convincing sales pitch for the RCI Club365. the Cost is 8k and they will try to sell my timeshare for me.

The website https://www.theclub365.com/ has weeks for sale for great prices. My home resort was blacked out and it's called The Reef in Marathon FL. I love my resort but not the week. (week 2). I'm curious why there were no weeks for sale since there were units empty when we were there 6 weeks ago. The club365 I would like if I could go to my resort during non middle of winter weeks. There were wonderful weeks available for say from $300 to $3000 a week on the website. I have a problem paying 8k dollars for access to the website.

They wont try to sell all timeshares, only the ones where maintenance fees are still reasonable. Hotels and motels are included in the website as well.

I must add I only paid $10 for my timeshare and the maintenance fee was $790 for this year. https://reefatmarathon.com/

Johnny

I didn't know they had a timeshare in Marathon. My brother lives in Marathon . I'll have to check it out .

did you buy the club365?

i just sat through the pitch as well

Has anyone used the Club 365 to rent out your points for weeks and get reimbursed money? I just listened to their pitch and they say if someone uses my points, I will be compensated $1200 for each week used, up to 8 weeks/ year.

natew32 wrote:

Has anyone used the Club 365 to rent out your points for weeks and get reimbursed money? I just listened to their pitch and they say if someone uses my points, I will be compensated $1200 for each week used, up to 8 weeks/ year.

It sounds a little fishy to me. Just make sure that you do not pay this company any upfront fee to rent out your unit or points. It does not matter what this company labels the fee such as listing fee, investors' tax, market analysis fee, points-to-weeks conversion fee, etc. Whatever this company charges you will come out of the proceeds of the rental.

The club 365 does not seem to allow the general public to use it. You need an account.

db380 wrote:

The club 365 does not seem to allow the general public to use it. You need an account.

No surprise; the nature of any club is generally that a membership is required to use it, no?

I just sat through about an hrs worth of telephone conversation /sales pitch with Club 365 to rent my RCI and/or Wyndham points for $1200 per 10,000 pts (80,000 pts max annually). Of course they wanted me to pay an upfront member fee of $4995 plus $199 annually to retain the membership but I respectfully declined their pitch as it came off as being just another scam. I am curious to hear if anyone has anything positive to say about this Club 365. Please advise if you in fact have had a good or bad experience as a member. Thank you in advance.