Seems to me that the big problem was that there wasn't a contract in place saying exactly what all the terms we're, then there would be a lot less room for this type of problem to happen.
I would feel stunned if it happened to me. You asked a question and lost your reservation.
But Bobbi - the OP didn't email or phone and ask the question first, correct?
If I'm following correctly they sent half payment with the question. I don't know but I find that *off* and quite frankly slightly manipulative. And remember after the owner spent time trying to secure the missing days.
Seems to me that the big problem was that there wasn't a contract in place saying exactly what all the terms we're, then there would be a lot less room for this type of problem to happen.
She sent an email contract that asked for all of the money now. I sent half and asked-- in a way that I thought was polite-- whether she would take half ow what was due now and half within 30 days of arrival.
for all the talk about "contracts", let's go back to the first post:
the owner sent a contract asking for full payment. that was the deal.
the renter decided unilaterally to renegotiate the terms and send the remaining half of the payment when they felt like it.
expectations seemed VERY clear - and the renter says so. the response by the renter looked suspiciously like a stall tactic (whether intended as such or not). the time to ask the question was before passive-aggressively mailing half the payment.
I'm still confused though. Did the owner make it clear before she made any bookings that payment in full would be required as the rooms were secured?!
Some of the days were easy to find...and I paid for the first days with a check.
I agree with your post. To the owner, I think it looked like a delaying tactic. Unrelated, I know, but I run a small wedding cake business. My payment terms are made clear before booking and I do require payment in full before the wedding. I've learned through years of experience that if customers start to try to renegotiate the payment terms that what they REALLY mean is that they don't have the money to pay for the cake. If I'd been the DVC owner in this situation, it would have sent giant red bells ringing. I'm not saying this is the case for the OP, but it is what I would have worried about. I would have refused negotiation of the terms. I would have likely given 24 hours for payment in full and then cancelled, but I wouldn't have been at all happy!
About two months ago, I started working with a nice woman on securing a five nights around MLK day in January. Some of the days were easy to find, but some weren't. She put us on the waiting list and I paid for the first days with a check.
After about 6 weeks, we finally got the rest of the days secured. She sent an email contract that asked for all of the money now. I sent half and asked-- in a way that I thought was polite-- whether she would take half ow what was due now and half within 30 days of arrival.
Whoom. She sent back all of the money and cancelled the reservation. She didn't bother to counter with a request for all of the money now. She just sent a note saying that she felt insulted that I wasn't trusting her. She had never scammed anyone.
This wouldn't be a problem if everything unfolded within a few days, but now it's impossible for me to get the same reservation. The resorts my kids wanted are all booked.
I feel like once she cashed my first check, the reservation was, in part, mine. She didn't have the right to cancel it without at least checking with me or giving me some kind of warning or trying to negotiate. She knew it was the first time I was renting DVC points and yet she acted as if she could trash the reservation without consulting me.
Here are my questions for the group:
* Am I allowed to feel wronged, in some small way?
* While the system gives the renters complete power over the reservation, are they obliged to contact the customer before changing the reservation?
* Does acceptance of a partial payment make a difference? Does it show my good will? Does it make it worse for her to change the reservation?
* Is there some standard contract or ethical boilerplate tool that should make this clearer for everyone from the beginning?
Thanks. I'm curious to hear what both renters and rentees say. This is my first experience with renting points and it's made me very leery about doing it again. The points holder has too much power to act capriciously.
I did not read through all the responses, from what I did read it looked like the consensus is that the renter is right, you were wrong and you have a lot of nerve for not understanding the process.
I would disagree. I think some simple communication would have sufficed, it's a business transaction and she was aware that you were new to this. So why she couldn't have just contacted you and said "No, because I cannot reuse the points within 30 days of the reservation I would need all monies paid in full at this time" is beyond me. The notion that somebody was "insulted" and felt inclined to chide "never scammed anyone" sounds like utter paranoia. Insults are very personal, and anybody who is insulted over the actions of a person they don't know (and that held no ill intent) is puzzling, to say the least. As for "I've never scammed anybody", well unless you accused her of scamming people then this comment is totally irrelevant and evidence of further paranoia, IMO.
She could have explained the money was due and why, and been done with it. Instead she swiped a reservation out from under you and your kids, when your intent all along was to pay the full price--you just needed a little hand-holding since it was your first time through the process.
These are the types of situations that turn off renters, and ultimately make it harder for anybody who wants or needs to find a renter.
I'm sorry you were put through this and hope somehow your trip works out.
I did not read through all the responses, from what I did read it looked like the consensus is that the renter is right, you were wrong and you have a lot of nerve for not understanding the process.
for all the talk about "contracts", let's go back to the first post:
the owner sent a contract asking for full payment. that was the deal.
the renter decided unilaterally to renegotiate the terms and send the remaining half of the payment when they felt like it.
expectations seemed VERY clear - and the renter says so. the response by the renter looked suspiciously like a stall tactic (whether intended as such or not). the time to ask the question was before passive-aggressively mailing half the payment.
ETA: I think it is the responsibility of the owner to make the payment terms clear and get agreement to the terms before they make any bookings (unless they are happy to grab a room to hold until payment terms are communicated, but hopefully I'm being clear here!) and it is the responsibility of the renter to make sure they understand the payment terms before any rooms are booked. I can't imagine starting the process on either side without this information!
I agree with your post. To the owner, I think it looked like a delaying tactic. Unrelated, I know, but I run a small wedding cake business. My payment terms are made clear before booking and I do require payment in full before the wedding. I've learned through years of experience that if customers start to try to renegotiate the payment terms that what they REALLY mean is that they don't have the money to pay for the cake.
You are allowed to feel any way you want, but your feelings and mine are irrelevant. It is what it is, and how anyone feels about it won't change a thing.Here are my questions for the group:
* Am I allowed to feel wronged, in some small way?
No.* While the system gives the renters complete power over the reservation, are they obliged to contact the customer before changing the reservation?
I don't see partial payment as a factor -- the owner made a partial reservation and you paid what you owed.* Does acceptance of a partial payment make a difference? Does it show my good will? Does it make it worse for her to change the reservation?
There are some suggestions, and if you'd read the "Sticky" about how to use the DIS Rent/Trade board, you would have seen a link to a lengthy thread discussing exactly that.* Is there some standard contract or ethical boilerplate tool that should make this clearer for everyone from the beginning?