Let Mercantile Claims assist you. As RCI Members we can help you with RCI Membership Claims
RCI timeshare exchange company (RCI.com) is a leading global provider of products and services to the timeshare industry, with more than 3,700 affiliated resorts in 100 countries.
RCI offers timeshare exchange services through RCI Points, the first worldwide points-based exchange system, and RCI Weeks, RCI’s traditional week-for-week exchange system.
RCI does not sell timeshares as such and receives no payment in relation to the purchase of a timeshare or the annual maintenance fees relating to the timeshare. RCI members try to find alternative accommodation (in the form of annual timeshare usage rights) to use for their holidays. RCI receives the membership fee paid by the timeshare owner and exchange member, or on behalf of the timeshare exchange member by “affiliates” (those selling timeshares, on the customer signing up to the RCI exchange programme.)
Many concerns centre on the following factors:
However, after the major court rulings of 2015, timeshare contracts like the ones that RCI members have could be entitled to a full refund. If the contract with the timeshare resort was sold “in perpetuity” or you were pressured into a contract with little knowledge of the implications then you can claim against the resort on the grounds of mis-selling.
If you believe you had a timeshare contract mis-sold to you by the timeshare resort, please contact one of our timeshare release experts at Mercantile Claims or fill in the form below.
Fill out your details below and we’ll get straight back.
Alternatively, give us a call on 0800 470 3900.
Our team here at Mercantile Claims are always on hand to help you with any issues, concerns or questions you have regarding your timeshare contract. Below we have listed the most common questions we receive on a regular basis. If you have a more specific question please contact our team of experts and we will respond with an answer as soon as possible.
Can RCI Members cancel their Timeshare Contracts?
If you enter into a timeshare contract and then have buyer’s remorse, you may be able to cancel the contract if you act quickly. Because time is of the essence when rescinding a timeshare purchase, make sure you follow the correct procedures when you cancel the contract.
If you feel that you have been mis-sold the timeshare contract and wish to cancel it, and avoid annual maintenance charges, there are options for terminating your timeshare agreement. Complete the form on this page or visit the timeshare compensation calculator to see if you qualify
Where are RCI based?
Headquarters: Carmel, Indiana, United States
How does Timeshare Exchange Work?
An internal exchange occurs when you relinquish a week at your home resort for another at the same resort, or at another resort with some connection to your home resort.
If you want to vacation at your home resort, but not during the week you own, a type of internal exchange called an alternate exchange may be possible if space is available.
Some resorts handle such arrangements themselves, informally and without charge, as a courtesy to their owners.
Others have a formal alternate-exchange procedure that requires payment of an administrative fee. Still others refer alternate-exchange requests to their exchange company, which processes them and charges the appropriate exchange fee.
The vast majority of exchanges take place through one of the two major exchange companies, Interval International and Resort Condominiums International. Each publishes a resort directory, has a Web site where exchanges can be arranged electronically, and employs vacation advisors stationed in call centers to answer free-phone telephone calls from members.
How many RCI are there?
There are currently over more than 3700 resorts worldwide over 109 countries.
Who Owns RCI?
RCI (formerly Group RCI and, before that, Resort Condominiums International) is a division of the firm Wyndham Worldwide. RCI is the world’s largest holiday timeshare company. Founded in 1974 by Jon and Christel DeHaan, RCI is one of the two main brokers, along with Interval International (II), of timeshare exchanges.
What are RCI Points?
RCI Points is a type of timeshare ownership in an RCI affiliated resort, where RCI has assigned a point value for all RCI resorts, assigning a certain number of points for a vacation stay of one night or more, for any size unit and any time of the year.
What is the RCI Exchange Fee?
If you own an RCI affiliated timeshare, you are able to purchase an annual RCI membership that gives you access to their extensive network of affiliated resorts. The 2017 published membership fees are:
| Annual RCI Weeks Subscription Fees | Total Cost (USD) | Price Per | You Save |
| Year (USD) | Approx. (USD) | ||
| 1 YR | $99 | ||
| 2 YRS | $179 | $90 | 10% |
| 3 YRS | $249 | $83 | 16% |
| 5 YRS | $399 | $80 | 19% |
| Annual RCI Weeks Platinum Fees | Total Cost (USD) | Price Per | You Save |
| Year (USD) | Approx. (USD) | ||
| 1 YR | $89 | ||
| 2 YRS | $155 | $77.50 | 13% |
| 3 YRS | $221 | $73.67 | 17% |
| 4 YRS | $279 | $69.75 | 22% |
| 5 YRS | $322 | $64.40 | 28% |
| Gold RCI Membership Fees | Total Cost (USD) | Price Per | You Save |
| Year (USD) | Approx. (USD) | ||
| 1 YR | $49 | ||
| 2 YRS | $86 | $43 | 12% |
| 3 YRS | $123 | $41 | 16% |
| 4 YRS | $156 | $39 | 20% |
| 5 YRS | $180 | $36 | 27% |
| Exchange Vacations | USD | ||
| Exchange Fee – Call Center/RCI.com | $239 | ||
| Exchange Fee – RCI Cruise (Deposit Trading Power of 7) | $139 | ||
| Exchange Fee – RCI Cruise (Deposit Trading Power of 14) | $239 | ||
| Last CallSM Vacations and RCI Cruise Rentals | USD (H/S) | USD (1BR) | USD (2BR) |
| Last Call – Call Center/ RCI.com | $269 | $294 | $319 |
| RCI Cruise Cash Rental | Fee Varies | ||
| Managing your Deposits | USD | ||
| How to Avoid Losing your Deposit | |||
| Deposit Extension – 1 Month | $39 | ||
| Deposit Extension – 3 Months | $79 | ||
| Deposit Extension – 6 Months | $109 | ||
| Deposit Extension – 12 Months | $129 | ||
| Combine Deposit Fee | $129 | ||
| Vacation Time Transfer Fee | $98 | ||
| Deposit Restore | $69 | ||
| Unit Upgrades and Changes | $49 | ||
| Managing your Exchange Vacations | USD | ||
| Guest Certificate | $79 | ||
| Trading Power Protection (purchased 30 days or less from the date of vacation confirmation AND 15 days or more before check-in date) | $59 | ||
| Trading Power Protection (purchased 31 days or more from the date of vacation confirmation OR 14 days or less from check-in date) | $99 | ||
| Miscellaneous Fees | USD | ||
| RCI Membership or Deposit Transfer (MTA) | $98 | ||
| Guest Pass – 5 yr | $179 | ||
| Directory of Affiliated Resorts (Duplicate) S&H fee | $6.95 |
Is RCI worth it or is it a Rip Off?
RCI timeshare problems have well documented and RCI has suffered a very bad reputation within parts of the timeshare community. The basic premise behind the RCI timeshare exchange service is, by paying an annual membership fee, consumers can trade their timeshare to other members with other timeshare resorts around the world.
I‘ve concluded that RCI stands for ’Really Crappy and Irritating.’
Aside from picking your pocket for every little thing: annual membership fee, cha-ching, trading fee, whomp, crack open your wallet, create a ‘guest certificate,’ combine your deposits for additional ‘trading power,’…the list goes on and on. Put the ‘crappy service cherry’ on top of that pile of cash, and you’ve got yourself a nice Rip-Off Sundae.
The latest train wreck: supposed to go out east this week for Spring Break; swapped out my timeshare week many moons ago, confirmed. Yesterday, called the resort to ask a couple of questions in anticipation of my arrival: no answer at the resort. OK, maybe everybody is out shoveling snow, as they seem to be having a rather nice run of winter nor’easters. I call the holding company, bluegreen:
Bluegreen: ‘Oh, didn’t you get an email? The resort won’t be open until Saturday, due to the storm.
Me: WHAT?! My flight and my check in day are both on Friday–and by the way, who was going to tell me that if I hadn’t called?
Bluegreen: are you a Bluegreen member?
Me: No, I made the exchange through RCI.
Bluegreen: Ohhhhhhh….that explains it (said in a rather mournful ‘I get it’ kind of way.’ Subtext: RCI…tsk tsk).
The end of the searing saga: The geniuses at RCI didn’t bother to let me know, so I would have been motoring around Cape Cod looking for a place that had all the lights off. Brilliant.
So, RCI GRACIOUSLY refunded my exchange fee with a certificate…WHICH I HAVE 30 DAYS TO USE. Not that I need to travel in 30 days–but I have to make my next exchange in 30 days. And that would be…why? What’s the big deal with having no time limit on the certificate?
Way to ratchet up that customer service, RCI. I suppose in a way, I’m relieved, as I won’t be renewing my membership…there are other places out there who would value my business, treating their customers with a shred of respect, without hijacking your credit card at every opportunity.
As corporate villains go, Really Crappy and Irritating hits the top ten timeshare exchange company
This company is terrible.
Bad service. Bad everything. Phone time waits are long. Staff is uneducated regarding travel. They try to bluff you. If I could give it a zero I would. I don’t want to be affiliated with rci. I will only go to MY timeshare. Trying to trade has become very very difficult
If you have any choice other than RCI, use it.
They recently failed to bank our timeshare for months using an excuse that there was a maintenance fee owed. There is no money owed to our resort but RCI refuses to correct their mistake or even contact our resort to confirm that there was no reason to block our deposit. To make things worse, after they refused to correct the mistake, they actually asked my wife if she would send them more money to keep our subscription for another year! They just cost me $800 and now they want more??? This company is the worst. Does anyone know of a timeshare resale option?
I’m a current member and would advise anyone not to purchase this membership.
They lock you into a 45-year contract and you cannot book a stay when you need to, or where you want to. Customer service is terrible and that patch you around to the wrong departments. The program is the complete opposite of what was presented during the presentation; RUN and RUN FAST, it’s not worth the paper it was printed on. I wish I would have NEVER purchased this membership; NEVER.
I need a hotel for a week this summer in order to take my comprehensive final exam for a doctorate program.
I called RCI to see if they had any available hotels in the area at a reasonable rate. The representative stated that they had inventory comparable to the market rate. During the reservation, he stated that the reservation would come with travel insurance and if there was a need to cancel call them and they would review my options. After booking the reservation I discovered the price of the hotel was almost $200 dollars more than the hotel listing on the internet. When I called back they stated that the travel insurance only covered emergencies and then if I cancelled the reservation I would forfeit the entire amount. The representative, to put it mildly, misstated the facts about the travel insurance and the market value of the hotel. I will never book another hotel reservation this company.
I have been a member of RCI since 2002.
It never ceases to amaze me how they come up with creative ways to rip you off. After the sinking feeling that you have been had in buying a timeshare, you think there might be something to be gained by trading your timeshare week for points to used at an RCI facility. That is until you add up the costs to do so.
First, there is the maintenance fee for your property, then add the RCI membership fee, then the weekly RCI fee for the reservation, and then compare what Costco Travel or others are charging for a similar vacation fee, and it’s a wash.
But don’t forget, those weeks you transferred to RCI have a use by date, or, for an additional fee, of course, you can extend the expiration date. All in all, you save NOTHING.
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