Canceling direct purchase

[Lorana]

Thanks so much! I’m really excited although them not being willing to give me the 2019 points/ oct or dec UY is kind of putting a damper on things. Hehe I will certainly be coming back for help next year!

I got FW 41. It’s our school districts fall break. My son is 1 so I’m just trying to plan ahead. It is October. I got a Sep UY. I just really didn’t want an April UY which is what he was trying to give me.

That seems perfect! You'll have the fall vacation booked every year, and October is a great time to visit WDW - early F&W Festival and of course Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party! Congrats, and Welcome Home! (And welcome to Sep UY! It's my UY too!)

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thanks so much! I’m really excited although them not being willing to give me the 2019 points/ oct or dec UY is kind of putting a damper on things. Hehe I will certainly be coming back for help next year!

I got FW 41. It’s our school districts fall break. My son is 1 so I’m just trying to plan ahead. It is October. I got a Sep UY. I just really didn’t want an April UY which is what he was trying to give me.

First I wanted to make certain you know that you can buy AKV direct too? Just a thought since you definitely expressed your preference for that resort but assumes that the direct benefits really make direct purchase cost worthwhile.

On the Fixed week at Riviera a few thoughts. I wish you'd get a good guide because guide #2 isn't doing so great either. I'll give a slight break since not many fixed weeks are sold and there are guides who have never sold a single one. However, an April UY with a week #44 makes zero sense and I'm glad that didn't progress any further all thanks to you. An October UY is actually the best. I'd contact the guide and tell them that is what you want, not the Sept UY and get the current 2019 points too.

 

[TinkB278]

First I wanted to make certain you know that you can buy AKV direct too? Just a thought since you definitely expressed your preference for that resort but assumes that the direct benefits really make direct purchase cost worthwhile.

On the Fixed week at Riviera a few thoughts. I wish you'd get a good guide because guide #2 isn't doing so great either. I'll give a slight break since not many fixed weeks are sold and there are guides who have never sold a single one. However, an April UY with a week #44 makes zero sense and I'm glad that didn't progress any further all thanks to you. An October UY is actually the best. I'd contact the guide and tell them that is what you want, not the Sept UY and get the current 2019 points too.

Do you think an Oct UY would be better with an Oct FW? Maybe I’ll call and say I want to cancel if I don’t get Oct.

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

An Oct UY is best with an Oct FW but Sept is still good. Oct would just give you one more month of leeway if plans changed. But you would still have most of the year to use or bank your points.

I want you to get the Oct and your points b/c I am going thru the same thing and I am very annoyed at this situation.

Buying direct (I thought) was supposed to be quick and easy. I thought I knew what would happen and that would be that. Never did I think they would be switching things up like this after the fact.

 

[poofyo101]

Do you think an Oct UY would be better with an Oct FW? Maybe I’ll call and say I want to cancel if I don’t get Oct.

Thats what I would do. Double points is worth more than people give credit to. If you rented it it essentially brings the price down almost 10%

 

[Bing Showei]

Do you think an Oct UY would be better with an Oct FW? Maybe I’ll call and say I want to cancel if I don’t get Oct.

Unless you have an immediate need for those points today, there looks to be no reason to rush into this. Incentives tend to “peak and valley” where sales spike with expiring incentives, lull in its aftermath, then get goosed again to spur sales. While we may never see those kinds of incentives again, we will likely see something better than what they’re offering today.

If you’re bent on buying, tell your guide that if they are insisting on selling you a September UY, that you’ll wait until August next year, or until better incentives come along, before you buy.

That said, everything about this thread screams that it’s a questionable purchasing decision for you, and rightly gave you pause from the start.

Let’s remove the time sensitive incentives for a minute and look at the bigger picture.

You went from being a “never Riviera” to being ready to drop $25K-$30K on Riviera. What changed? Resale restrictions are the same. Point charts are the same. Annual dues are the same (for now). So were those pain points resolved for you at $12/point? (the difference between buying yesterday and waiting to think this through more).

You repeatedly mention AKV and lament not buying in at $100/point. Today, it could be negotiated for maybe $10/point more. Is that price difference really so cost prohibitive that you would choose to buy a resort you consider “just a hotel” in place of what you describe as an “escape” from your day-to-day? If you end up constantly trading in your Riviera points to stay at AKV, that would be a pricey choice ripe for remorse.

Your buying decision seems to have pivoted on the possibility of losing your job. That alone is a red flag. In today’s economy and the uncertainty of everything, the threat of furloughs could see a resurgence (some could argue that’s never abated). If it does and you did lose your job, could you afford to take a big financial hit to walk away? This has nothing to do with Riviera, it’s a question of whether DVC makes sense at all.

The Riviera is a gorgeous resort and I have been tempted by its siren songs since it’s inception. There are a lot of great reasons to own there, but saving $12/point shouldn’t be one of them, especially when every other indication is that your heart longs to be 5 miles west.

 

[TinkB278]

An Oct UY is best with an Oct FW but Sept is still good. Oct would just give you one more month of leeway if plans changed. But you would still have most of the year to use or bank your points.

I want you to get the Oct and your points b/c I am going thru the same thing and I am very annoyed at this situation.

Buying direct (I thought) was supposed to be quick and easy. I thought I knew what would happen and that would be that. Never did I think they would be switching things up like this after the fact.

I agree. I woke up yesterday so excited to buy DVC and spent the whole night feeling kind of upset about this whole thing. I felt like the guide was being very argumentative and almost talking down to me. He tried to give the me the whole speech about “these aren’t bonus points”. I understand that, but the extra 160 points is still an extra week long vacation I won’t get otherwise.

I seriously think I’m going to email and say I’m going to cancel if we can’t get the UY and points. I’d be fine waiting it out for a deal on AKV resale.

 

[TinkB278]

Unless you have an immediate need for those points today, there looks to be no reason to rush into this. Incentives tend to “peak and valley” where sales spike with expiring incentives, lull in its aftermath, then get goosed again to spur sales. While we may never see those kinds of incentives again, we will likely see something better than what they’re offering today.

If you’re bent on buying, tell your guide that if they are insisting on selling you a September UY, that you’ll wait until August next year, or until better incentives come along, before you buy.

That said, everything about this thread screams that it’s a questionable purchasing decision for you, and rightly gave you pause from the start.

Let’s remove the time sensitive incentives for a minute and look at the bigger picture.

You went from being a “never Riviera” to being ready to drop $25K-$30K on Riviera. What changed? Resale restrictions are the same. Point charts are the same. Annual dues are the same (for now). So were those pain points resolved for you at $12/point? (the difference between buying yesterday and waiting to think this through more).

You repeatedly mention AKV and lament not buying in at $100/point. Today, it could be negotiated for maybe $10/point more. Is that price difference really so cost prohibitive that you would choose to buy a resort you consider “just a hotel” in place of what you describe as an “escape” from your day-to-day? If you end up constantly trading in your Riviera points to stay at AKV, that would be a pricey choice ripe for remorse.

Your buying decision seems to have pivoted on the possibility of losing your job. That alone is a red flag. In today’s economy and the uncertainty of everything, the threat of furloughs could see a resurgence (some could argue that’s never abated). If it does and you did lose your job, could you afford to take a big financial hit to walk away? This has nothing to do with Riviera, it’s a question of whether DVC makes sense at all.

The Riviera is a gorgeous resort and I have been tempted by its siren songs since it’s inception. There are a lot of great reasons to own there, but saving $12/point shouldn’t be one of them, especially when every other indication is that your heart longs to be 5 miles west.

Thank you for your input! I love the idea of the Riviera. France is one of my favorite places, and languages so this resort combines that with my love of Disney. If the resale restrictions weren’t a factor it would have been a total no brained for me. I do think they were a little light on the theming though, especially when compared to AKV. I want to primarily stay RVA and the occasional trip to AKV. I know that won’t be the best use of my points money wise but I can’t figure out what else to do besides buy AKV direct, which to me, seems like a bad deal.

A permanent job loss was never a threat for me. I work for the government so it was one of their typical threats to shut things down for a while because of funding.

I have the money for DVC, it’s just my personality to want that money to sit in my bank account so I can look at. So letting go is hard for me, especially in the midst of a time when the world is upside down.

 

[LoveMugsNPins]

TinkB278

Same. I was so happy with my purchase Mon night and Tues morning early. Now, I am really reconsidering it. I thought about this for months (well really years) and now it just feels scuzzy.

and LOL! Same again with the money. I have the money (the saving/thinking about it for years) but I will miss looking at it!

 

[TinkB278]

TinkB278

Same. I was so happy with my purchase Mon night and Tues morning early. Now, I am really reconsidering it. I thought about this for months (well really years) and now it just feels scuzzy.

and LOL! Same again with the money. I have the money (the saving/thinking about it for years) but I will miss looking at it!

Yes! Exactly! It didn’t end up being the magical experience I thought it’d be. I had a better experience buying a new car last month than I did buying DVC!

Haha I’m so glad to hear I’m not the only person that feels that way about their money! It’s like, I wasn’t doing anything with the money when it was sitting in my savings so what’s the difference?? But I just don’t like it haha!

Keep me updated on what ends up happening for you!

 

[EM Lawrence]

I’m the same about money @TinkB278!! I have the cash right now to buy the next contract I want, but it makes me so sad to think about not having that money in the bank that I’m going to wait until I have that money plus another fat cushion before I spend it. Also, I can spend it five ways in my head and every time I spend it one way, I regret I didn’t spend it the other 4 ways (hypothetically.) I’m still sad about the huge down payment I put on my car, and I really, really love my car. LOL! I want to have my cash and spend it too.

 

[TinkB278]

I’m the same about money @TinkB278!! I have the cash right now to buy the next contract I want, but it makes me so sad to think about not having that money in the bank that I’m going to wait until I have that money plus another fat cushion before I spend it. Also, I can spend it five ways in my head and every time I spend it one way, I regret I didn’t spend it the other 4 ways (hypothetically.) I’m still sad about the huge down payment I put on my car, and I really, really love my car. LOL! I want to have my cash and spend it too.

Yes! That is totally me too! We just got a new car so that down payment plus DVC is a double whammy for my poor little money hoarding, over analyzing, indecisive brain LOL

 

[EM Lawrence]

In the past, the best way I’ve found to have my cash and spend it too is to find some kind of intro 0% financing deal and always pay it off before the interest kicks in. You still have to do the math to make sure you are getting a good deal, but making monthly payments over time just feels better than emptying my bank account. If I ever purchase direct, I would put it on my Disney Visa for 6 months of no interest and then try to do a balance transfer to another card with zero percent interest for up to 21 months. Cash hoarders of the world unite!

 

[TinkB278]

In the past, the best way I’ve found to have my cash and spend it too is to find some kind of intro 0% financing deal and always pay it off before the interest kicks in. You still have to do the math to make sure you are getting a good deal, but making monthly payments over time just feels better than emptying my bank account. If I ever purchase direct, I would put it on my Disney Visa for 6 months of no interest and then try to do a balance transfer to another card with zero percent interest for up to 21 months. Cash hoarders of the world unite!

Darn! I wish I would’ve talked to you prior to making this direct purchase! I love that plan!

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Thank you for your input! I love the idea of the Riviera. France is one of my favorite places, and languages so this resort combines that with my love of Disney. If the resale restrictions weren’t a factor it would have been a total no brained for me. I do think they were a little light on the theming though, especially when compared to AKV. I want to primarily stay RVA and the occasional trip to AKV. I know that won’t be the best use of my points money wise but I can’t figure out what else to do besides buy AKV direct, which to me, seems like a bad deal.

A permanent job loss was never a threat for me. I work for the government so it was one of their typical threats to shut things down for a while because of funding.

I have the money for DVC, it’s just my personality to want that money to sit in my bank account so I can look at. So letting go is hard for me, especially in the midst of a time when the world is upside down.

Being a saver is ok!

FWIW as was previously mentioned don't let the old timeshare game of "the incentives end tomorrow so sign now" push you forward with something that isn't feeling quite right. DVC has been there for a few decades to sell to anyone who wishes to purchase so do not be afraid to cancel and relook at it when you are feeling better about it. Your first guide was definitely pushing the boundaries and as I previously said I'm not too impressed with what guide #2 was trying to do either with the April UY and late Oct FW.

May I ask what moved you from the AKV love all the way to Riviera fixed week and now wanting to mostly stay there when it didn't sound like the plan to start? And why that fixed week? Do you have a plan to consistently use it? That turn did seem to come a little unexpectedly in the thread so you might understand why there's some concerned being expressed about if it's the incentive pressure that is pushing you ahead when maybe a step back might be better for the moment.

Also, the best UY is dependent on when you plan to travel which seems to be late Oct since that's the week you signed up for. Sept would be ok except you don't get the current points and if you plan to actually use that week and visit in October you might as well. Personally I'd be very po'd at that guide and require the Oct UY and the points that go with it or I'd cancel and wait. Now if you don't plan to use that week and would travel in Sept too then I'd go as far as reevaluating purchasing that week.

 

[TinkB278]

Being a saver is ok!

FWIW as was previously mentioned don't let the old timeshare game of "the incentives end tomorrow so sign now" push you forward with something that isn't feeling quite right. DVC has been there for a few decades to sell to anyone who wishes to purchase so do not be afraid to cancel and relook at it when you are feeling better about it. Your first guide was definitely pushing the boundaries and as I previously said I'm not too impressed with what guide #2 was trying to do either with the April UY and late Oct FW.

May I ask what moved you from the AKV love all the way to Riviera fixed week and now wanting to mostly stay there when it didn't sound like the plan to start? And why that fixed week? Do you have a plan to consistently use it? That turn did seem to come a little unexpectedly in the thread so you might understand why there's some concerned being expressed about if it's the incentive pressure that is pushing you ahead when maybe a step back might be better for the moment.

Also, the best UY is dependent on when you plan to travel which seems to be late Oct since that's the week you signed up for. Sept would be ok except you don't get the current points and if you plan to actually use that week and visit in October you might as well. Personally I'd be very po'd at that guide and require the Oct UY and the points that go with it or I'd cancel and wait. Now if you don't plan to use that week and would travel in Sept too then I'd go as far as reevaluating purchasing that week.

It has been a crazy whirlwind! Here goes my long DVC story.

We first went did a DVC tour when they were selling poly. Back then we weren’t in a financial spot to buy but it always stayed in my mind. In 2018 we were getting closer financially so we did another tour, they were selling CCV though and I just don’t care for that theme (we go to Colorado and Canada all the time so I feel like I already get enough of the wilderness theme in my life haha). Because I didn’t like the resort, I still wasn’t comfortable buying. I came home from that trip and discovered resale.

I kept an eye on AKV resale from that point on. Its our favorite resort, and luckily it was one of the cheapest! We were planning on starting a family though so I was still nervous about the cost since I didn’t know what a baby would cost.

A year later and our son is one, I feel like I have a good grasp on where we are financially and have enough saved up to buy a contract! Riviera is now an option, and we love Europe! However, the resale restrictions make it a no go for me. I decide I want to buy AKV resale and was working with a seller and had an contract I was ready to buy for $100/point (March 20). Then Covid hit and I totally freaked out about how disney and life in general would be moving forward. This made me hold off on buying any DVC. Next, my job threatened furloughs in May so at that point I decided there is now way I’ll buy DVC right now. End of August we found out we are safe from furlough and I’m starting to try to move past my concerns about Covid so I decide to start looking at AKV resale again as this is our favorite resort. The prices are now at a minimum of $120/point.

Riviera incentives also came out at this time putting the price down to $180/point for the size I want. I know that $60/point is nothing to sneeze at, but this leveled the playing field for me on the two options. I know riviera resale is a huge issue but the room rates paying cash at riviera are so high, that I figure if I only use maybe 5 years worth of trips and then had to sell at $100/point, it wouldn’t be an awful deal. Also, I truly believe if I hold onto about twenty years, the resale value won’t be too awful.

I don’t like feeling restricted, especially when the two resorts I’m interested I are Riviera and AKV which makes AKV not my greatest option, especially now that the contracts are thousands more than they would’ve been a few months ago. My only other option seemed to be AKV direct but to me, that seems like a bad deal.

I could wait and see if AKV prices go down, but they might not, and then I’d lose the price I got on RIV. Also, we want to travel next spring and that most likely won’t be possible if I wait much longer for a cheap AKV contract to pop up. So I decided to just jump in to riviera. I’ll get to stay at both resorts and hopefully the gold pass will come back which will further even things out.

Let me know if I’m missing another option, I can still cancel my contract LOL!

 

[TinkB278]

Being a saver is ok!

FWIW as was previously mentioned don't let the old timeshare game of "the incentives end tomorrow so sign now" push you forward with something that isn't feeling quite right. DVC has been there for a few decades to sell to anyone who wishes to purchase so do not be afraid to cancel and relook at it when you are feeling better about it. Your first guide was definitely pushing the boundaries and as I previously said I'm not too impressed with what guide #2 was trying to do either with the April UY and late Oct FW.

May I ask what moved you from the AKV love all the way to Riviera fixed week and now wanting to mostly stay there when it didn't sound like the plan to start? And why that fixed week? Do you have a plan to consistently use it? That turn did seem to come a little unexpectedly in the thread so you might understand why there's some concerned being expressed about if it's the incentive pressure that is pushing you ahead when maybe a step back might be better for the moment.

Also, the best UY is dependent on when you plan to travel which seems to be late Oct since that's the week you signed up for. Sept would be ok except you don't get the current points and if you plan to actually use that week and visit in October you might as well. Personally I'd be very po'd at that guide and require the Oct UY and the points that go with it or I'd cancel and wait. Now if you don't plan to use that week and would travel in Sept too then I'd go as far as reevaluating purchasing that week.

Forgot to explain the FW. I read on other boards riviera availability might get tight with resale restrictions so I bought a FW to help as insurance against that. It will be the week of our sons fall break when he starts school. We probably won’t use this week for about five years, but I like the guarantee it gives me if the resort ends up being a complete mess availability wise!

Edit: also, I decided riviera seems like an awesome place to stay due to the pull down bed rather than pull out couch. It could be in my head but the pull down bed seems like it might be more comfortable?

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

Forgot to explain the FW. I read on other boards riviera availability might get tight with resale restrictions so I bought a FW to help as insurance against that. It will be the week of our sons fall break when he starts school. We probably won’t use this week for about five years, but I like the guarantee it gives me if the resort ends up being a complete mess availability wise!

Edit: also, I decided riviera seems like an awesome place to stay due to the pull down bed rather than pull out couch. It could be in my head but the pull down bed seems like it might be more comfortable?

I believe the plan is that all the resorts will end up with the fold down murphy beds as they go thru the refurb cycle. Assuming they work out ok at Riviera and SSR.

 

[KAT4DISNEY]

It has been a crazy whirlwind! Here goes my long DVC story.

We first went did a DVC tour when they were selling poly. Back then we weren’t in a financial spot to buy but it always stayed in my mind. In 2018 we were getting closer financially so we did another tour, they were selling CCV though and I just don’t care for that theme (we go to Colorado and Canada all the time so I feel like I already get enough of the wilderness theme in my life haha). Because I didn’t like the resort, I still wasn’t comfortable buying. I came home from that trip and discovered resale.

I kept an eye on AKV resale from that point on. Its our favorite resort, and luckily it was one of the cheapest! We were planning on starting a family though so I was still nervous about the cost since I didn’t know what a baby would cost.

A year later and our son is one, I feel like I have a good grasp on where we are financially and have enough saved up to buy a contract! Riviera is now an option, and we love Europe! However, the resale restrictions make it a no go for me. I decide I want to buy AKV resale and was working with a seller and had an contract I was ready to buy for $100/point (March 20). Then Covid hit and I totally freaked out about how disney and life in general would be moving forward. This made me hold off on buying any DVC. Next, my job threatened furloughs in May so at that point I decided there is now way I’ll buy DVC right now. End of August we found out we are safe from furlough and I’m starting to try to move past my concerns about Covid so I decide to start looking at AKV resale again as this is our favorite resort. The prices are now at a minimum of $120/point.

Riviera incentives also came out at this time putting the price down to $180/point for the size I want. I know that $60/point is nothing to sneeze at, but this leveled the playing field for me on the two options. I know riviera resale is a huge issue but the room rates paying cash at riviera are so high, that I figure if I only use maybe 5 years worth of trips and then had to sell at $100/point, it wouldn’t be an awful deal. Also, I truly believe if I hold onto about twenty years, the resale value won’t be too awful.

I don’t like feeling restricted, especially when the two resorts I’m interested I are Riviera and AKV which makes AKV not my greatest option, especially now that the contracts are thousands more than they would’ve been a few months ago. My only other option seemed to be AKV direct but to me, that seems like a bad deal.

I could wait and see if AKV prices go down, but they might not, and then I’d lose the price I got on RIV. Also, we want to travel next spring and that most likely won’t be possible if I wait much longer for a cheap AKV contract to pop up. So I decided to just jump in to riviera. I’ll get to stay at both resorts and hopefully the gold pass will come back which will further even things out.

Let me know if I’m missing another option, I can still cancel my contract LOL!

Thanks for sharing. I get a little headache over the $60-$80 potential difference in AKV/Riviera since you do state it's your favorite and the prices listed on resale sights are asking prices and might be negotiable but it's clearer that Riviera is an interesting resort to you too and if that is the place you actually prefer to stay over AKV then it makes more sense. If you really would prefer staying at AKV more then there's always other ways to periodically stay at Riviera by renting out your points and using those funds to rent or transfer in Riviera points so the main decision seems to be where you really do want to stay most. If Riviera then buy Riviera. If AKV then buy AKV resale (and forget that it would have been cheaper in March. )

 

[Duckbug.Ducktales]

I seriously think I’m going to email and say I’m going to cancel if we can’t get the UY and points. I’d be fine waiting it out for a deal on AKV resale.

I second this plan. OR maybe ask the first guide if he can get you what you want. I have an Oct UY because we alternate going for Food & Wine in October, early December for Xmas party and decorations, and January for bdays. When I was buying they were selling Dec UY, which worked fine for the years when we go Dec or Jan but terrible for when we want F&W. I told them I wasn't going to buy if I couldn't get the UY I wanted--to me one of the main points of buying direct was that you can get the UY you want because they have the power to assign it! Also, I got FW 48 (the week after Thanksgiving) which meant that sometimes my week would start end of November so December just wasn't going to work. This was all pre-Covid, so who knows how they run now, but they made it work for me. Got 2019 points to boot.