AKL room on eBay - seller has now disappeared

[WicketsMom]

We purchased a week's stay at AKL for this coming fall through a seller on eBay. He had a great feedback rating and had been selling these for a few years. Through a friend who is a DVC owner, I found out there were rumors that he had 'disappeared'. I do have a confirmation and when I spoke to DVC they did say that the reservation is valid, however she would not give me any more information. The eBay account (scottys_travel) has been shut down.

Is anyone else in the same situation? He had sold numerous weeks and suddenly started getting alot of negative feedback. I'm outside of the timeframe to get reimbursed from PayPal, and don't really want to do that if I can be assured that the reservation is valid and won't be cancelled. I have already paid him in full.

 

[MsRem]

There was someone around either this board or another board I frequent that had the same issue last month. Cant remember her name, but will look back through posts to see if I can come across the threads. I think they were even looking on facebook and contacted his family, yet heard nothing from them either.

 

[n2mm]

OP, you can check your reservation through the Disneyworld website now. Just go to my reservations and there is a place were you can actually type in your resort reservation and it will come right up now. I am DVC and all of my resort reservation and dining reservations come up when I log in now. At least you can monitor it to make sure it's still there and doesn't get cancelled. Good luck.

 

[cvjw]

I'm outside of the timeframe to get reimbursed from PayPal, and don't really want to do that if I can be assured that the reservation is valid and won't be cancelled. I have already paid him in full.

Unfortunately, when you rent DVC points from someone, you don't control the reservation. The DVC owner controls the reservation, and can cancel it at any time. Hopefully everything will work out. I would definitely keep checking on the Disney reservation site to see if the reservation is still valid.

 

[sweetdana]

I read the post the other party was referring too. They were concerned something happen to the seller.


I would contact Ebay if the seller after multiple attempts is unreachable. If something terrible happen, you do not want to find out when you are waiting for a Magical Express to find out you do not have a room.

 

[WicketsMom]

eBay was no help. It's been over 45 days from the auction, but our reservations aren't until the Fall. His account has been deactivated and all of the auction information is gone.

The hard part is getting any information from DVC about it, all I know is as of now the reservation is valid. However, they can't speak with us about the reservation at all since we are not the memberl. I even asked to put a note in the file and to be contacted if something changed on it and they couldn't do that. I think they may just now have been made aware of the situation with this DVC member because we aren't the only one in this situation. It's very frustrating and stressful!

 

[Brian Noble]

There is nothing you can do but wait and see what happens. Hopefully, your reservation will still be there when you go in the fall. Until then, there really isn't anything to dispute, and Member Services won't do anything for you---including notifying you if something changes, because legally the reservation is not yours.

If it were me, I would book a cancelable backup somewhere---presumably, you will be able to check into AKV before the deadline on your backup. If you have a written contract specifying the terms of the deal, you might also want to look into trip insurance, though shop carefully, as many policies will not cover these sorts of private rentals.

 

[Sandisw]

eBay was no help. It's been over 45 days from the auction, but our reservations aren't until the Fall. His account has been deactivated and all of the auction information is gone.

The hard part is getting any information from DVC about it, all I know is as of now the reservation is valid. However, they can't speak with us about the reservation at all since we are not the memberl. I even asked to put a note in the file and to be contacted if something changed on it and they couldn't do that. I think they may just now have been made aware of the situation with this DVC member because we aren't the only one in this situation. It's very frustrating and stressful!

I just want to say that I am really sorry this has happened and that I hope things work out.

As mentioned, DVC reservations are owned by the owner and not the guest. That is why MS can not talk to you. I am even surprised that they verfied for you that the reservation still exists.

I also think you should book a back up cash reservation, just in case.

 

[crisi]

eBay was no help. It's been over 45 days from the auction, but our reservations aren't until the Fall. His account has been deactivated and all of the auction information is gone.

The hard part is getting any information from DVC about it, all I know is as of now the reservation is valid. However, they can't speak with us about the reservation at all since we are not the memberl. I even asked to put a note in the file and to be contacted if something changed on it and they couldn't do that. I think they may just now have been made aware of the situation with this DVC member because we aren't the only one in this situation. It's very frustrating and stressful!

They won't. A rental between you and a member is a private transaction that Disney has nothing to do with. And from Disney's point of view, the member you rented points with is their competition for room rentals. Disney is not interested in getting involved in this transaction. Should this become a case of fraud, Disney will cooperate with the authorities.

 

[Kidanifan08]

I do remember a thread about this same subject within the last month. I have only been on these boards since late Feb, so it had to be posted within the past month. What a stressful situation for you! I agree with a PP that you should at least find a back up plan for accommodations which can be canceled at the last minute, if it is in your budget. Then, at least, you can follow the current reservation until the last minute. Good luck! Planning a trip to Disney should be a fun and stress-free experience. Hopefully all will work out. Keep us posted.

 

[Princess&CowboyMommy]

When did you purchase it? I know it's beyond 45 days ago, but if you bought it using paypal and your credit card, you can file a claim with your credit card company for 60 days after the transaction appeared on your statement. *Most* states have this policy and some are even more liberal and go beyond 60 days.

IE - if you bought it January 1st, but it didn't appear on your credit card statement until the January 28th closing statement, you'd have roughly 60 days from the latter date (so 1/28). I've never had to do this, but I looked into it when I was scammed once. Sadly for me, I paid with my checking account through paypal, so I didn't have the credit card protection option.

You might want to check it out if you might fall in that period range.

Good luck!

 

[JandD Mom]

Not that this will necessarily guarantee you will have no problem, but did you sign a rental contract with the seller? Hopefully you did. A contract would hopefully outline the obligations of the owner, and your rights as a renter.

I would keep logging in to the Disney web site and keep checking that reservation. All of the other info that's been given here is good!

 

[disneynutz]

At this point you have a reservation so the owner has done nothing wrong. Get yourself a back up reservation just in case and check the Disney website periodically to keep a eye on your reservation. Other than that there isn't much that you can do.

Bill

 

[n2mm]

I don't want to make it worse, but since your owner has disappeared, you won't be able to add dining to your reservation without them being able to do it for you....same thing for any room request. As mentioned, MS will not talk to you at all. Good luck and monitor your reservation via the disneyworld website (the same area where you monitor your dining reservations). I hope it all works out for you!

 

[hellerjw]

Hopefully everything will work out for you but like others have said it would be wise to get a backup reservation lined up so your entire trip won't be ruined at the last minute.

Unfortunately, even with a rental contract there is no guarantee an owner will live up to their obligations. They control the whole process up until the day you check-in, which is the risk renters take when receiving such heavy discounts on accomodations. In the vast majority of cases the cost to pursue a legal claim against a breached contract would far exceed the cost of the rental.

Check with your credit card provider and see what recourse you have through them. Most card providers will side with their cardholders every time when it comes to a chargeback claim, especially if it isn't something you have done frequently in the past.

 

[Brian Noble]

Unfortunately, even with a rental contract there is no guarantee an owner will live up to their obligations.

Exactly right. The main value of a rental contract is that it gives you some documentation to file a trip insurance claim if something goes wrong. There is some secondary value in that you can pursue a legal remedy, but as the prior poster points out, for these sorts of things, the cost to do so in time (and possibly even money) is likely not worth the expected return.

 

[WDWMom]

I don't want to make it worse, but since your owner has disappeared, you won't be able to add dining to your reservation without them being able to do it for you....same thing for any room request. As mentioned, MS will not talk to you at all. Good luck and monitor your reservation via the disneyworld website (the same area where you monitor your dining reservations). I hope it all works out for you!

Wicket's Mom - do not worry about either of these things. They should be the least of your concerns. Neither one of them is necessary for you to have a great time at WDW.

I agree with other posters. So far you still have a ressie and the owner has done nothing wrong. Keep watching the website to make sure your ressie is there. A back up plan, is probably best.

 

[DeeCee735]

We purchased a week's stay at AKL for this coming fall through a seller on eBay. He had a great feedback rating and had been selling these for a few years. Through a friend who is a DVC owner, I found out there were rumors that he had 'disappeared'. I do have a confirmation and when I spoke to DVC they did say that the reservation is valid, however she would not give me any more information. The eBay account (scottys_travel) has been shut down.

Is anyone else in the same situation? He had sold numerous weeks and suddenly started getting alot of negative feedback. I'm outside of the timeframe to get reimbursed from PayPal, and don't really want to do that if I can be assured that the reservation is valid and won't be cancelled. I have already paid him in full.

With all due respect, it seems you cannot be assured already. If you cannot find out about this person, and you know he controls the reservation right up til the day you check in, IMHO, aire on the side of caution and get your money back. Perhaps check out point rentals on this site instead? Best of luck to you.

 

[vicki_c]

With all due respect, it seems you cannot be assured already. If you cannot find out about this person, and you know he controls the reservation right up til the day you check in, IMHO, aire on the side of caution and get your money back. Perhaps check out point rentals on this site instead? Best of luck to you.

But how would she get the money back if the seller has vanished? There is no basis for filing a dispute with the credit card company because up until the point that the reservation doesn't happen or is cancelled by the owner, they haven't done anything that merits filing a dispute. The same with ebay. Unfortunately, the seller really hasn't done anything wrong to this point - from the standpoint of eBay or a credit card company or PayPal. Continuing to communicate with the buyer is not an obligation for the seller once the reservation is made.

I'm sorry to the OP that you're going through this stress and I hope it all works out for you. I agree with the others who said have a back-up plan of some kind.

 

[WicketsMom]

Thanks for all the advice. I'm going to alert my credit card company, and keep an eye on the reservation to see what happens to it. We can't dispute it as of now, since it is still valid. We weren't going to get a dining plan or use the Magical Express so no problems there.

I'm willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, since as of now I do have a valid reservation, which is what we purchased. He had been very helpful with information and communication for our purchase. Maybe something happened to him since he was highly-rated up until very recently?

Aside from not knowing if the reservation will be valid when we arrive, my one big problem is that this wasn't sold as "buying" or "renting" points, but as a week's stay at the resort booked through a travel agent. It specified in the listing that "A reservation will be booked in your name, (as well as those in your party), your address and phone number." It also stated that "By listing this auction I verify that I am the actual travel agent or travel provider and not a third party affiliate." The only thing it says is "A Disney Vacation Club Resort", which doesn't mean much to someone that isn't a DVC member and has no idea how the program works.

I've purchased timeshare weeks many times before, and never had issues with getting information from the resort directly. The owner was never involved in the transaction after the initial purchase and everything was in my name. I always follow up with the resort directly to confirm details. So not being able to get any information is the most frustrating part so far!