Just received the 60,000 points letter from RCI

So I guess it's official. My $10,000 investment in the premier club is basically worthless.

Let's see. 55,000 points for $500 credit on airfare.

That's about 23 nights, or $506 of my member ship fees, plus $99 annual fee and $49 booking fee.

The $500.00 won't cover the airfare. So let's add another $200.00

$850.00 for 1 round trip ticket to Cancun.

Thanks Premier, Thanks Temptations, Thanks RCI.

Jim

 

It's just sad how unethical the business practice is with Premier or RCI or both. Premier did send an email to a person yesterday that stated this was RCI's fault. I'd like to see what a higher up at RCI would have to say about that.

Class action law suit is the only way any of you are going to get heard in this matter and get results. But people must be willing to band together and be willing to put up some money. More people less money in the end if some how you lost the case(win and chances are Orginal Resorts and RCI would be paying the legal fees). A good lawyer should beable to get a court order for Premier/RCI to hand over all contact info. for the members this effects. I just find it hard to believe that if this case got in front of a judge that the members would lose. How could they answer no one else in RCI's program is controled by a 60K cap in points except Premier members.

Nick and Renee


P.S.: Right now it may cost you $850 just think what 5 to 8 years down the road it might cost. You know some of the fees will increase and good chance cost of flights will to.

 

Kind of sad to be sitting by the pool in the morning, and see the Premier sales staff dragging fresh meat around the hotel. Those girls are still as cute as ever.

Usually there is a couple or two that has just bought that asks us if they made a good choice, but I did not talk to any new members on our last trip. Actually not many gold bands in the resort at all. I am sure there were less than 10% gold bands. Nothing at all like the May crowd.

 

Below is a volley of emails with an attorney that contacted me as a result of my posting on the SqueakyWheel.com consumer advocate website.
The attorney when questioned about the costs involved stated:

Class cases are contingencies. The attorney gets paid from the recovery.

-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Fishman [mailto:BillF@palacecasinoresort.com]
Sent: Monday, September 08, 2008 4:05 PM
To: Clayton Voegtle
Subject: RE: RCI/ Tempatations Update

If I decide to become a plaintiff, how much will your services cost me? I’m already into this to the tune of $30K and I’m a bit hesitant to spend any more. Would you take this case on a contingency basis? If there are no up-front costs to me, then the answer is hell yes I would be a plaintiff.
Thanks,
Bill

From: Clayton Voegtle [mailto:Clayton@VoegtleLaw.com]
Sent: Monday, September 08, 2008 03:57 PM
To: Bill Fishman
Subject: Re: RCI/ Tempatations Update

I personally think there is. I am looking further into the litigation of this matter. Would you be willing to be a class action plaintiff. We might need to discuss this by telephone. However, at this time I am not ready for that discussion. There is one more thing I need to explore and I am doing so.

Clayton Voegtle


----- Original Message -----
From: Bill Fishman
To: Clayton@VoegtleLaw.com
Sent: Monday, September 08, 2008 3:27 PM
Subject: RCI/ Tempatations Update

Clayton,
I just became aware of RCI publishing something in writing (attached) that states:
RCI Members who purchased interests at a Blue Bay Resort (including Blue Bay Club and the Blue Bay Getaway, later known as Temptation Resort Spa) prior to February 29, 2008 may use up to a maximum of 60,000 (sixty thousand) RCI Points per year on Points Partner transactions
It seems to me that those individuals who purchased Vacation ownership w/ BlueBay AKA Temptation are being singled out and discriminated against. Do I (and the others in the same boat as me) have any legal remedy to this mess? Please let me know, in your professional opinion, what if anything can be done to either RCI or Temptation.
Thanks,
Bill

Bill Fishman
Director of Slot Operations
Palace Casino Resort
Biloxi, MS 39530
(228) 432-8888

 

Keep everyone updated Slotman.

Nick and Renee

 

Geez, this thread and the other thread about the time share just seems to draw me back in like a bad dream- I want to go away and not come back honest but I can't...lol

I still dont get the whole premise of it, as it is so cheap to go there anyway, why anyone would feel you need to get a better deal is beyond me.

Now I read some person is into it for 30K, do you know how many trips to Mexico that is?.. ?

I am really trying not to take sides or laugh at people who really seemed to be upset at this, but we now have people calling other people morons and such. Did they force you to buy them? I doubt it..

They were probably thinking you were a moron or sucker when you bought it, just a hunch..

 

I can only say why we bought into the program we did. We paid a fairly small $ amount, with this small dollar amount we were given a certain # of nights which could be converted into points. RCI let you use these points to book air for a measly $49 a flight, (along with a fair number of points). As flights from our local airport to Cancun usually start around $700 it was a good deal to buy into the small package, try it out for 5 years, it guaranteed my hubby would be taking me on vacation for the next 5 years, we got upgraded services and a guaranteed ocean view room.

Since buying we have flown to Cancun twice (four flights have more than made us break even) and if RCI etc had not changed everything we would have had enough points left for 3 more airline tickets. With the ability to use only 60,000 points a year and all the rules they put with the new way they are doing points we cannot purchase even one ticket from our local airports. If we want to use points we must drive to either Milwaukee or Chicago, and each ticket is going to cost much more than the $49 - to the point it may even be cheaper to just purchase the ticket outright and not have to deal with 3rd parties.

In a nutshell...what we purchased was a good deal. RCI/TTR changed the rules and it is no longer such a stellar deal. We were not "suckers" or "morons". We actually made the salesperson walk away and leave us alone for a good half hour while we discussed the different programs they offered us and did the math to see if it was worth our money to purchase....we are both in sales and understand the concept of money vs product. The only way I have felt suckered is that mid-game they changed the rules and the little fine print somewhere I am sure allows them to do this.

 

We have been RCI members for 16 years so when we were offered the points deal from Premier we figured out the PROGRAM WE WERE SOLD was a good program. It would have provided a nice amount of traveling for our retirement (which is very close). The points limit has negated the value of the entire program we bought. Basically we "lost 20K of our retirement" on this. Since we stopped payments when this whole thing hit the fan, 4K short of paying it off we REALLY have nothing. Can't use any of our benefits at all. I can't see paying another 4K for a sham just to be able to use a measely 60K points a year.
As for the membership fee it is now $125 per year not $99 which of course I will stop paying as well. They (RCI) even required me to pay 2 membership fees to RCI since Premier was, as of THIS YEAR, considered a "Special group" (their words) with in RCI. Now how decriminitory is that!!! I NEVER had the issues with RCI I have had since purchasing the Premier Club. I certainly thing there are grounds for a class action suit and Premier should be leading the charge for their members! By not doing so they have shown it is a take the money and run operation with no regard for the members whatsoever!

 

I got a different program then the many on here so none of this effects me. But with my program (RCI has nothing to do with it) my wife and I can go for a week and save around $400 to $600 compared to booking it are selfs. No yearly fees or anything like that. Just pay my A.I. fee and we are good. For two weeks it only cost us about $2600 to $2800 for both of us to go. A few hundred more then what most couples pay for one week booking it themselves or through a travel agent. At the time I bought one of the biggest packages they offered but I didn't pay anywhere near what some of the point people paid. Lets just say my investment was paid off in about seven trips there and I got alot more weeks left to go. So no its pretty much just saving me money on each trip, as long as the resort doesn't go bonkers on the AI fees.

Nick and Renee

 

We look on expedia.ca or beachdestinations.com. Beach is better because it includes your transfers from the airport and back.

To go there for a week early December is going to be around 1900...I just checked , if we went for two weeks from the 7th to 21 it would cost 3123.38..

Not knowing what AI fees are or how much they cost, how much money would you be saving?

That is flying out of Seatlle, we couldn't get it that cheap out of Vancouver.