Is This True?

[timandjanl]

A friend of mine just bought AK while on a DC. I don't know what kind of research she and her husband did before buying, but from my brief conversation with her I'm not sure it was a lot. Anyway, I mentioned the resale market to her. She knew about it, but was concerned about ROFR. During the presentation on the cruise they told her and her husband that "Disney almost always exercises its ROFR because it doesn't want a reduced secondary market." From what I've seen on these boards, that doesn't seem to be the case, especially for resorts that aren't sold out. I realize no one has the exact numbers, but do you guys think that statement is accurate given what we've seen on the boards? I'm trying to find a good resale vs. direct thread for her too because they obviously don't want to pay more than that have to. Thanks!

 

[tjkraz]

No, it isn't accurate. But it is a comment frequently made by DVC sales reps to help close the sale.

They have been known to aggressively exercise ROFR on certain resorts. Beach Club and Grand Californian come immediately to mind. But certainly not Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Resale takes a bit longer to complete the purchase. And resale points cannot be used for destinations in the Disney Collection (including Disney Cruises and stays at all non-DVC resorts), Adventurer Collection and Concierge Collection. Other than that, they are identical to direct points.

 

[bman388]

Not true at all. If you make a fair offer, odds are good you'll pass ROFR. Just watch the "**NEW ROFR List" thread and you''ll see what's getting through and what's not. That should give you enough info to see what is a fair offer.

 

[timandjanl]

That's what I thought. I just went through the resale process myself so I'm familiar with the ROFR thread and the differences with the points. She still has time to cancel so I'm going to talk to her tonight.

 

[Nabas]

That's what I thought. I just went through the resale process myself so I'm familiar with the ROFR thread and the differences with the points. She still has time to cancel so I'm going to talk to her tonight.

FYI, Disney's has not ROFR'ed any AKV contracts in 2013.

After selling that property for years, I suspect Disney will be happy to finally have it sold out in early 2014.

 

[DVC Dude]

you can easily save $40-$50 per point on resale for AK vs buying direct

 

[JimMIA]

"Disney almost always exercises its ROFR because it doesn't want a reduced secondary market."

Tim is way too kind.

This is NOT "...isn't accurate;" this is a LIE. And that should make your friend wonder about the "accuracy" of everything else they were told.

I would suggest that she cancel her purchase (the legal term is "rescind") and do some research.

If she wants AKV, she can buy it on the resale market for around $70 per point. Some have paid less recently, some have paid much more (too much) -- but I'm guessing that range is WAY less than they paid buying direct. Refer them to the ROFR thread for more detailed information.

Even if they cancel and later go back and buy AKV direct at a slightly higher price than they were quoted on the cruise, at least they will have made that decision as an informed consumer.

If they decide to buy AKV resale, they should save thousands of dollars.

 

[dmunsil]

FYI, Disney's has not ROFR'ed any AKV contracts in 2013.

Actually, they've taken 3 so far this year (going from the deeds recorded on the OC web site), but that's a tiny fraction of the total sold resale.

 

[Dividends]

Talked to guide yesterday, 95% sold for akv(supposedly).

 

[DVC Dude]

Talked to guide yesterday, 95% sold for akv(supposedly).

That makes sense and someone on here has the exact points left and I think they will sell out probably by summer 2014.

AK is a HUGE resort and has tons of points....it really is taking a long time to sell out.

The resale market will always have AK and SSR contracts due to the size of the resorts.

 

[JimMIA]

Talked to guide yesterday, 95% sold for akv(supposedly).

That may or may not be true.

DVC timeshare salesmen typically don't really have very accurate information -- or they tell you what they want you to hear for sales purposes. I remember when BLT was selling out "any day now" for about two years.

There are several folks here on the DIS who actually research this stuff and can tell you much more accurately than any timeshare salesman. But even their data may not capture foreclosures and other givebacks...which I suspect is a significant number with AKV based on the timing of the sales period and high level of financed deals there.

 

[crisi]

That may or may not be true.

DVC timeshare salesmen typically don't really have very accurate information -- or they tell you what they want you to hear for sales purposes. I remember when BLT was selling out "any day now" for about two years.

There are several folks here on the DIS who actually research this stuff and can tell you much more accurately than any timeshare salesman. But even their data may not capture foreclosures and other givebacks...which I suspect is a significant number with AKV based on the timing of the sales period and high level of financed deals there.

Hilton Head was the worst - we'd get mailings for YEARS about how it was our "last chance to buy - almost sold out!" We were new members ourselves and it got to be a joke between my husband and I.

 

[tjkraz]

Talked to guide yesterday, 95% sold for akv(supposedly).

Pretty close. As of the end of September it was about 92% sold. But since the points are spread over 8 Use Years, availability of any specific UY is questionable.

Also, DVC can only sell 98% of any given resort.

Overall 95% vs. 92% is not really worth quibbling over. It will be "sold out" in a few months.

 

[timandjanl]

Well I talked briefly to my friend. She's a little frustrated w/ some of the things they were told, and understandably so. They were apparently told that the only resort selling was AK and that VGF was small and limited and that there was already a wait for it. Also, they were told about some sort of discounts for Disney cruises that people who buy on the resale market cannot get. I had never heard of this before so I asked if maybe that was the member's cruise, but her understanding was that it's something different than the member's cruise. She and her husband are going to do some researching on here and elsewhere while they are in their 10-day window. I know that DVC is a business and that the goal is to make money, but it just frustrates me that these guides are giving people half truths!

 

[tjkraz]

They were apparently told that the only resort selling was AK and that VGF was small and limited and that there was already a wait for it.

Well, obviously that isn't true. Animal Kingdom, Grand Floridian and Aulani are all actively selling at this point. However it isn't uncommon for DVC to push one property over another. Not really sure why they choose to do that.

Also, they were told about some sort of discounts for Disney cruises that people who buy on the resale market cannot get. I had never heard of this before so I asked if maybe that was the member's cruise, but her understanding was that it's something different than the member's cruise.

No special discounts for direct buyers only, to my knowledge.

However, resale points cannot be used for ANY Disney Cruise Line booking including the member cruises. They won't even let people pay cash for the Member Cruises unless they own points purchased direct.

Using points for cruises is generally considered a poor value but it is an easy-to-use alternative for those who qualify.

She and her husband are going to do some researching on here and elsewhere while they are in their 10-day window. I know that DVC is a business and that the goal is to make money, but it just frustrates me that these guides are giving people half truths!

I suspect that's par for the course...particularly for any high dollar, low volume products of this sort. When you hear a pitch from a car salesman, a realtor or a contractor, you should know they are going to spin the message in their favor whenever possible. If that means stretching the truth a bit, so be it.

Always wise to investigate on your own.

 

[Dean]

Talked to guide yesterday, 95% sold for akv(supposedly).

DVC has a history of announcing sold out or almost sold out both in anticipation of total sell out and to fuel the hype. With WLV they announced sell out anticipating that the hype and add ons to members would finish it out. 6 months later they had to reopen sales to finish the sales there. It's not that they lie IMO but that they are overly optimistic and strategize in an unusual way.

As for the OP, It's timeshare sales speak for "you see my lips moving". This type of issue has been usual for DVC but seems to be happening more lately.

 

[nd43]

If they jump to resale to save money, just let them know the process can take patience. There can be a lot of "wait time" as you are dealing with a third party seller, a broker, and a closing company with several steps to complete. After completing all the steps, you will then have several more weeks of delay waiting for Disney to process the contract. It is not a process for someone wanting instant gratification. If you happen to lose a contract via ROFR (like we did), a lot of time might pass when you realize you are back at step one.

The savings are real and for many well worth the wait and process.

In the end, DVC will be a long term purchase for many so the early months will eventually not be a big deal. Just enter the process knowing it does take an investment in extra upfront time and, at least for us, it can try your patience. Just for reference (and full disclosure), direct, in the end, was just easier and we purchased VGF direct after losing our resale contract. We were not excited to go through the entire resale process twice.

 

[disneynutz]

Talked to guide yesterday, 95% sold for akv(supposedly).

I received an email from DVD on 10/11 stating that AKV is 90% sold.

Bill

 

[dmbjewel]

A friend of mine just bought AK while on a DC. I don't know what kind of research she and her husband did before buying, but from my brief conversation with her I'm not sure it was a lot. Anyway, I mentioned the resale market to her. She knew about it, but was concerned about ROFR. During the presentation on the cruise they told her and her husband that "Disney almost always exercises its ROFR because it doesn't want a reduced secondary market." From what I've seen on these boards, that doesn't seem to be the case, especially for resorts that aren't sold out. I realize no one has the exact numbers, but do you guys think that statement is accurate given what we've seen on the boards? I'm trying to find a good resale vs. direct thread for her too because they obviously don't want to pay more than that have to. Thanks!

I was on a disney sales presentation in mid-september and it is that way. I know alot about timeshares and asked about resale market and they emphatically said that while there is one, you won't really get much better of a price. And the small difference in the price isn't worth all that you'd lose by not buying directly from disney. Later that week when I found a deeply resale at a great price I called my Disney rep back to inquire about whether or Disney had their own resales that maybe I could go that route instead - he said they did have their own resales but even still the prices would be in teh $130s for AKV and that there is no way that the price I saw at $75 a point would make it through Disneys ROFR - tht Disney never lets anything go at those prices. So I coudl try all that I wanted because when those type of deals got to ROFR, Disney would snatch them up.

 

[Msmithmd]

Dmbjewel, call your guide back and tell them "shame on you for lying" from hundreds of posters on DISboards.

Even fifteen minutes of reviewing the threads on this site would show you objectively that the essence of what you've posted here simply isn't true. Not even a little bit true. I'm not necessarily suggesting that you believe it is; but you are dealing with an unethical salesperson if that's the story line that they are giving you...