The Settlement

What the $19 Million Settlement Meant for RCI Points Members

As stated, RCI denied any wrongdoing but did offer a financial settlement. Members of the RCI points programme settlement included all U.S. residents who were members of the RCI Points Exchange Program, either directly or through a vacation club, on or before April 25, 2012. Members of the RCI class action lawsuit settlement would receive one of the following cash benefits, as long as they submitted a valid claim form by the then deadline of August 24, 2012:

1. (1) Current RCI Point Exchange Program members will receive a $12 cash payment.
2. (2) Former RCI Point Exchange Program members will receive a $10 cash payment.

This litigation revolved around the RCI Points program and allegations of improper use of points by RCI. The settlement is understood to have cost RCI approximately $19,000,000 to members of the Settlement Class, and included substantial injunctive relief. Final approval of the settlement was granted so the payouts began. Whilst financially, individual owners had settlements not worth the paper they were printed on, the moral victory was a great success. The action of getting the mighty RCI to court was a shot across their bow indicating that ordinary people will not tolerate sharp practise by large institutions. Points owners were not prepared to put up with the shenanigans of RCI. Did RCI learn from this? Probably at the time the answer was yes, but since then a lot of water has passed under the bridge and both RCI and resorts persist in selling points which to this day further exacerbates exchange problems. A vast number of enquiries received revolve around exchange problems, so is there any solution? Probably not. Under the fixed week system, life was simple but given the RCI points scheme, how much resort inventory has been sold over and over again since the system was introduced back in 2002?