confirming reservation

[Disneyfan1977]

Hello
i recently purchased points thru a DVC member. I got the confirmation today. How do I make sure everything is legit before I send payment? The seller does not have paypal and I want to make sure there is no scam.

I have a confirmation from DVC but just want to double check. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[erionm]

MyDisneyReservation.com/DVC

 

[HookdonWDW]

As has been mentioned more times here than I can count, renting DVC points takes trust on both sides. Even though a reservation may show up today, there is nothing to prevent the owner from cancelling the reservation tonight (or next week, etc. etc...).

 

[Disneyfan1977]

ok...now I am nervous. I haven't paid yet, but I am worried that it could be a scam. The member seems to be in good standing on the boards.....I would be devastated to get my kids to disney and find out our reservation is gone....

 

[HookdonWDW]

Not trying to be mean, but if you are that worried, maybe rental isn't for you (it's not for everyone). If you are going to be worried about being scammed, I think you'd be better off going directly through Disney.

 

[Deb & Bill]

ok...now I am nervous. I haven't paid yet, but I am worried that it could be a scam. The member seems to be in good standing on the boards.....I would be devastated to get my kids to disney and find out our reservation is gone....

In that case, you are probably not a good case for purchasing a reservation from a member. Buy directly from Disney and you won't have to worry so much.

 

[Disneyfan1977]

Ouch...kind of harsh! Just trying to be certain.....as any right minded person would.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Ouch...kind of harsh! Just trying to be certain.....as any right minded person would.

Nope, I'm serious. If you are going to worry about it, why bother with the worry? You really don't need to put yourself through that while you are waiting to go on your trip.

 

[dandave]

I'm a huge fan of renting points and have done it several times without problems. I'm in the process of renting again, because I stumbled upon a great deal. You do have to do your homework, and then trust is really all you can do.

 

[HookdonWDW]

No one is trying to be mean. Just realistic. Either you have trust or you don't. Like I said, renting isn't for everyone...

 

[Deb & Bill]

By the way, if you haven't paid the member, I doubt if you can look it up under your name. I certainly wouldn't put your name on the reservation until you paid for it.

But if the member is out to scam you, they can take your name off the reservation as easily as they put it on. The greatest number of members renting reservations are not out to scam you. They just can't use their points and don't want to lose them without getting something for them.

 

[Lynne M]

Ouch...kind of harsh! Just trying to be certain.....as any right minded person would.

It's smart to check; you've got the right impulse. No one here is criticizing you for wanting to be sure.

But at some point, you just have to decide whether you trust the person or not. The member owns the reservation, right up until you check in at the resort's front desk. They retain control of it at all times; at no point in the process do you have control of the reservation. So there's simply no way to be absolutely, 100% certain that you'll have a reservation when you check in, if that's what you're looking for. That may sound harsh, but it's just the reality of renting points.

It's a tradeoff - you trade the certainty comes with booking through Disney and owning your reservation, for the substantial savings that comes with renting a reservation from a member. For some people, the worry that something will go wrong simply isn't worth the savings. That's what the other posters are getting at. If you're going to be consumed with worry right up until you get to the resort, then maybe renting through Disney is a better option for you. Some people could never be comfortable with having someone else own the reservation; there's nothing wrong with that at all.

I just want to add that the vast majority of owners who rent points aren't out to rip anyone off. They're just regular folks who for one reason or another, can't use their points, and need to recoup some of the cost of their loan payments and maintenance fees.

 

[Disneyfan1977]

I'm a huge fan of renting points and have done it several times without problems. I'm in the process of renting again, because I stumbled upon a great deal. You do have to do your homework, and then trust is really all you can do.

What kind of homework do you usually do?

 

[Disneyfan1977]

Well I am going to go with it. We could never afford the resort if we went through disney and my family is sooooo due for vacation. Its been a rough couple of years. You'd have to be a real slime ball to screw a family out of this knowing they are flying all the way to disney and counting on this vacation.

On a side note, anyone have any good info on VWL that they can share? Been to the wilderness lodge back in the 90's but never stayed in the villas. Is it much different? (probably on the wrong thread now, right?)

 

[Brandis]

The Villas at Wilderness Lodge are a bit more rustic than the Wilderness Lodge itself. That is because according to the Resort History the Villas were built as a railroad builder camp before the Lodge was built next to it.

I have some pictures from our stay last october:

https://picasaweb.google.com/brandis.org/201010WDW?authkey=Gv1sRgCM26mPCg_feQwAE&feat=directlink

 

[dianeschlicht]

ok...now I am nervous. I haven't paid yet, but I am worried that it could be a scam. The member seems to be in good standing on the boards.....I would be devastated to get my kids to disney and find out our reservation is gone....

Frankly, if you haven't paid yet, I wouldn't have sent you the confirmation yet if you had rented from me. Most owners would require at least partial payment before sending confirmation of a reservation in your name. You as renter are not the only one taking a risk in a DVC point rental. The owner also takes a huge risk.

 

[Wedgeh]

You'd have to be a real slime ball to screw a family out of this knowing they are flying all the way to disney and counting on this vacation.

Yes you would, but sadly there is a tiny fraction of people that this describes. This is why people advise to take care when renting points, however when it all works out fine (no idea on the stats, but I'm guessing well over 99% of the time) it's a great deal.

 

[Disneyfan1977]

Frankly, if you haven't paid yet, I wouldn't have sent you the confirmation yet if you had rented from me. Most owners would require at least partial payment before sending confirmation of a reservation in your name. You as renter are not the only one taking a risk in a DVC point rental. The owner also takes a huge risk.

Yes...you are right but your worry ends when you receive payment.....and you have control of everything.

But, its a great deal and I am going to go with my gut and go through with it. Can't wait....so excited!

 

[dandave]

Disneyfan, you had asked me about renting homework. There's a nice "must read" sticky over on the top of the rent/trade board. I follow the common sense steps listed there. Mainly I go with my gut, and I only answer ads from veteran Dis members. So far, so good!

 

[Chuck S]

Yes...you are right but your worry ends when you receive payment.....and you have control of everything.

But, its a great deal and I am going to go with my gut and go through with it. Can't wait....so excited!

No, it does not. If you, as a renter, trashes out the room, or it you leave a bad credit card on file for room charging, who do you think has to pay the bill?

DVC does not allow owners to use their points unless any outstanding issues are cleared. There have been occasional reports of owners getting stuck with a room charge tab.

Fortunately, the vast majority of people, both owners and renters, are honest folks...but there are very few bad apples. So to say an owners worry end when the payment is received is not correct at all. It is just like renting out your own home. If the renter trashes it, the owner winds upwith the bill to repair it.