closed: Question re: point rental payment

[janetanne]

Hi.. I notice that some renters will only accept paypal as payment for their points rental.. on the purchasing end this is scary to me. Does anyone have any input on this. I would like to rent points but I would also like to be safe in the process...

Thx... Janet

 

[Deb & Bill]

If you don't have any points and you want them, you are at the mercy of the owner who is trying to rent out a reservation. You aren't really renting points because they are worthless to someone who is not a member. You are renting a reservation made with those points.

 

[delmar411]

why is paypal scary to you? It's one of, if not the most common means of paying someone online.

 

[janetanne]

Well.. I am a bank manager and anytime that I have helped to handle a fraud situation it has involved paypal or western union. Once you send that money it's gone and you have no recourse or way to track it.
I would like to think that everyone in this world is honest but you and I both know that isn't true ...
To me an official bank check sent fed-ex would be much safer and traceable ..

Just my thoughts....

 

[delmar411]

yes but people can fake checks. Sellers are protecting themselves. Also it allows people who may not have the funds at the moment to pay by credit card if they want to. A credit card payment offers you protection by the card issuer.

I don't care either way but only taking paypal isn't a sign of a shady person.

 

[janetanne]

As the person renting out the points .. you never, ever lose control over those points.. so you really can't lose.

But.. the purchaser could lose "big time"

and.. if the credit card payment were going directly to the seller/merchant it could be disputed ... however, it's not ... you are more or less doing a cash advance in to your pay pal account.

I've used paypal before but I probably wouldn't use it for a major purchase like this. It's just too risky.

sorry ... to ramble on.. janet

 

[Brian Noble]

If you don't like the terms, move on to another "landlord".

I prefer taking (and using) paypal, for the convenience of it all. I will also accept a check, but it is more cumbersome. Remember, though, that you are renting from an individual, not a business, and not many individuals have merchant accounts with visa/mc/amex/etc. So, with a very few exceptions, you're not going to pay for a point rental with a card without an intermediary like paypal processing the transaction.

This is one of the many reasons why point rentals are such a screamingly good deal for the person doing the renting.

 

[deva]

I've used paypal before but I probably wouldn't use it for a major purchase like this. It's just too risky.

Since you work at a bank.....I'm curious as to why paypal is riskier than a check, money order, bank check etc. Is it because they are somehow more "traceable" than a paypal transfer? If someone is going to take your money they could take your paypal transfer and run or cash your check/money order and run, right? I always use paypal since it is so convenient and I can earn rewards on my credit card since paypal treats it like a "purchase".

What am I missing?

 

[Inkmahm]

As the person renting out the points .. you never, ever lose control over those points.. so you really can't lose.

But.. the purchaser could lose "big time"

and.. if the credit card payment were going directly to the seller/merchant it could be disputed ... however, it's not ... you are more or less doing a cash advance in to your pay pal account.

I've used paypal before but I probably wouldn't use it for a major purchase like this. It's just too risky.

sorry ... to ramble on.. janet

You don't have to rent points from a member according to their terms, you can always pay Disney rates to rent a villa directly from Disney.

Personally, I avoid renting to non-members and do point transfers to fellow members instead.

That said, I have paid for points I've had transferred to me using paypal and I've accepted a bank check from someone who I've transferred points to. Either is fine with me, but paypal is easier.

 

[CarolMN]

Hi.. I notice that some renters will only accept paypal as payment for their points rental.. on the purchasing end this is scary to me. Does anyone have any input on this. I would like to rent points but I would also like to be safe in the process...

Thx... Janet

Payment terms are negotiable. Some owners will accept personal checks and some will allow several payments. Not all insist on Paypal. It truly does vary among owners.

You'll just need to find someone willing to offer the terms you prefer.

P.S. I've read several Paypal horror stories, some right here on the DIS. I will not use it either.

 

[Bernini98]

As an Ebay seller for years, Paypal is a backstabbing tow timer. Paypal charges out the butt, never protects the seller, and believes every dispute by a buyer.

The one fool proof way is to pay paypal using a credit card as the source for funds...now you have two fold, one is the credit card protection, the second is paypal (not the best, but a good backup)

So, you can use your credit card through paypal.

Helpful hints (but not fool proof) to protect yourself
1. If the person has a lot of posts here, that's a good sign.
2. If the person has been a member for a couple of years, good sign
3. Check the DVC ownership (The Orange County Comptroller's Official Records Department records) before sending money occompt dot com.
4. Go to the backdoor online check in at DVC and verify the confirmation numberhttp://bookwdw.reservations.disney.go.com/ibcwdw/en_US/bcls/externalRetrieve?gatewayID=guest&affiliationID=dvc

 

[disneynutz]

When you consider the millions of transactions processed thru PayPal every year, the number of problems is very low.

I have never had a problem with PayPal and we have used them for years.

Bottom line is if the renter isn't comfortable, then don't rent. The same holds true for us owners. I have had some renters that I won't rent to again and I have others that I love to rent to.

 

[Cee]

I agree with the above PP, if someone is uncomfortable with the terms of rental, and nothing can be said or done to make that person comfortable, that person should not rent.

 

[brp]

As the person renting out the points .. you never, ever lose control over those points.. so you really can't lose.

This is not completely true. If a rental deal falls through,depending upon the timing, the points owner could be facing substantial hurdles in trying to use the points for some other purpose.True, they have the points,but these are a commodity with a shelf life and associated rules.

Cheers.