David’s DVC

[tfiga]

What is everyone’s thoughts on renting points through David’s next year? Previously it was considered very safe but with all the refunds due to Coronavirus I am concerned. Is there some type of trip insurance that can be purchased?

TIA

 

[fancymouse]

The new contract is pretty renter friendly. You still take on the same risks as before, but if the resorts close for some reason you’ll get a voucher. There is speculation that they won’t recover from the current financial mess, but people have reported being able to use the current vouchers, so as long as they stay in business things look okay.

That being said, a lot of owners are upset with the way they handled things and have said they won’t use them any more. In addition to what’s predicted to be low availability in general, you could have a hard time getting a reservation if many owners decide to rent their own points instead of using David’s again.

 

[cm8]

What is everyone’s thoughts on renting points through David’s next year? Previously it was considered very safe but with all the refunds due to Coronavirus I am concerned. Is there some type of trip insurance that can be purchased?

TIA

Please do yourself a huge favor and search for the current thread regarding David’s DVC rentals.

 

[Deb & Bill]

The new contract is very owner unfriendly. He may have a hard time getting all the reservations he needs for the vouchers and for new renters. He has burned a lot of owners. Very few insurance plans offered pandemic coverage. The cost you pay for the insurance is high so you might as well just book directly from Disney with the ability to cancel if you want to. Plus daily cleaning if you desire.

 

[Dave006]

I will second the response from @Deb & Bill with one additional update. Disney has announced that you don't get daily cleaning as a cash guest as the resorts reopen.

During Your Stay

Your room will receive light housekeeping service every other day (unless you choose to decline the service). This service will include:

• Removal of trash and used towels
• Replenishment of towels and amenities throughout room and bathroom
• Wiping and cleaning of the vanity and counter surfaces
• Vacuuming, if needed

In addition, housekeeping tools will be cleaned between rooms.

Disney Vacation Club

If you’re a Disney Vacation Club Member using your Membership to stay, you’ll receive service on the 4th and 8th days, unless you decide to decline the service.

Dave

 

[Dean Marino]

I can only comment on what WE did....

Disney would not let us bank 147 APR 2020 Use year points. We will not return until APR 2021. Hence, We will be robbed of those points.

We've listed them with David's. If I get $1.00 per point? It's better than $0.00 per point.

 

[tfiga]

Does anyone know if there is some type of trip insurance I could purchase if David’s goes bankrupt or is unable to provide the accommodations?

 

[travelplanningnerd]

Does anyone know if there is some type of trip insurance I could purchase if David’s goes bankrupt or is unable to provide the accommodations?

You'd need to just look at the coverage and see what it includes. But honestly I'd stay as far away from David's as I could. There's seriously a 150+ post on the DVC board full of reasons why I wouldn't give them a penny of my money - with or without insurance.

 

[westie55]

I used David's several times pre covid and had great experiences. Having said that, I will not rent points again for a very, very long time if ever again. The company could go out of business, the parks could be closed, or cuts and safety restrictions could result in a vacation you don't want to take. Now is a very bad time to not have an easy way out of a trip that involves a full refund, not a future travel credit. JMO.

 

[No_strings]

^ this

 

[GPC0321]

Yikes. This is scary. I booked through David's for our Christmas stay at BWV. I used them once before in June 2018 for a quick stay at Kidani. No issues at all, so used them again to get BWV. Before that I had a wonderful owner I rented from directly for VGF (used her and stayed there on two different trips).

I better go check out this thread everyone is talking about. Yeesh.

 

[merry_nbright]

I used my voucher in full for a 6 night stay at Bay Lake Tower in November and it was quick and easy! The woman assigned my case was sweet and helpful and I’m really glad I did it.

I highly recommend renting a dedicated rental, though. They have a ton to pick from and some are even less than the going rate.

 

[fancymouse]

Yikes. This is scary. I booked through David's for our Christmas stay at BWV. I used them once before in June 2018 for a quick stay at Kidani. No issues at all, so used them again to get BWV. Before that I had a wonderful owner I rented from directly for VGF (used her and stayed there on two different trips).

I better go check out this thread everyone is talking about. Yeesh.

You’ll probably be fine. Again, unless they just up and go out of business, (since the resorts are opening) things should be getting better. You have to keep in mind that that thread started out of concern (from a renter) at the very beginning of the pandemic, but followed the whole situation in real time. David’s policy was changing one day to the next as I’m sure they were trying to figure out who was legally responsible and their contract was vague on what would happen if resorts closed. A lot of the comments are from owners who were upset. There are a few renters who were unhappy, but most of them wanted a full refund even after they announced the voucher. I understand the uncertainty is a factor, but in the end, this is a situation where owners’ and renters’ interests don’t align. There was no way everyone was going to be happy and so David’s tried to satisfy their renters at the expense of some of their owners. They’ll definitely lose business from owners. If it had been the opposite you’d hear tons of renters telling people to never use their services again. There really was no clear way to fix this

 

[Sandisw]

If you decide to rent, be sure you are happy with the terms and the voucher. If things get canceled and the voucher is in play, and something happens, you lose out,

I am an owners and given how he handled it, I wouldn’t use him again. I agree that he didn’t treat owners very well in this situation as well as renters,

I honestly am not sure I can recommend it any more

 

[1GoldenSun]

I've used David's a few times and was happy with the experience. I just recently booked through an owner on the DVC Rent/Trade board and while my stay isn't until July that seems to be going smoothly and it was quite a bit cheaper than David's. I'm currently trying to book a few more stays through this board. I'm only looking for one-night stays though so if I can't find anyone who wants to do that I'll use David's again.

I want to buy DVC fairly soon and I've decided I want to stay in each resort first to get a feel for them all before I buy. Renting gives me this opportunity without paying Disney's prices.

My situation is different because I only rent for a night or two at a time, so my worst-case scenario isn't all that bad. If I were going to rent for a longer period at a higher cost, I think I'd rent from someone on this board whose points aren't expiring anytime soon; they'd probably have more ability to work with you if something comes up for your dates.

 

[GPC0321]

If you decide to rent, be sure you are happy with the terms and the voucher. If things get canceled and the voucher is in play, and something happens, you lose out,

I need to read up more on the voucher thing, but I'm fine with anything that gives me credit for a later stay should Disney close again before our December trip.

But what do you mean by "...the voucher is in play, and something happens, you lose out"? Something happens as in David's going out of business? That's the only thing that has me worried.

I've really enjoyed renting DVC points and getting to stay at these amazing resorts for a fraction of the cost, but this situation does make me rethink how comfortable I am doing so in the future - whether through David's or another rental agency or a private owner. I also totally understand where owners are coming from and don't blame them a bit for being upset and concerned.

 

[Sandisw]

I need to read up more on the voucher thing, but I'm fine with anything that gives me credit for a later stay should Disney close again before our December trip.

But what do you mean by "...the voucher is in play, and something happens, you lose out"? Something happens as in David's going out of business? That's the only thing that has me worried.

I've really enjoyed renting DVC points and getting to stay at these amazing resorts for a fraction of the cost, but this situation does make me rethink how comfortable I am doing so in the future - whether through David's or another rental agency or a private owner. I also totally understand where owners are coming from and don't blame them a bit for being upset and concerned.

If someone books with a voucher, and the resort is closed, you get nothing back. So, basically, it’s a use it or lose it situation.

For owners, if the resort closes, they have to return all money paid to them regardless of the status of the returned points, which may mean they won’t even be useable.

That is why his new contracts are not owner friendly...if DVC messes up a renters reservation...it has happened, owners are liable for it and have to pay any difference to get a renter a new room.

I think this is going to hurt his chances to stay in business as owners are shying away.

 

[Proflig8tor]

Thanks for the information

 

[La2kw]

We've used David's a number of times to rent out our points before COVID as well. We were very happy with every transaction before the COVID situation. However, we will never use them again as I don't like their new contract and I think the whole way they handled our renter last spring was not right.

 

[vacay77]

I was a renter who was affected by this whole situation. Pre-COVID, my family booked a trip to the Aulani for this past October. We rented points through David's. As the Aulani was closed, I contacted David's to see if the owner would be willing to reschedule on our behalf. I had to send several emails to David's, until finally they reached out the owner. I guess the owners said that their points were expiring the end of that year so they would not be able to reschedule for us. We had to wait until DVC cancelled our reservation. I'm assuming the owners received their points back. I contacted David's for a refund since the contract indicated that renters could receive a refund if the accommodations weren't available. Which they weren't since the Aulani was closed. David's still refused to give us our money back, instead they said they would give us a voucher for a future stay. We didn't want a voucher, though - we wanted a refund. We typically book our trips in advance and I don't know when we will be able to return to Hawaii. Plus in the meantime, we became DVC owners ourselves. Anyway, I ended up filing a claim with my credit card company and I received my money back. Long story short, but I wouldn't rent from David's for the foreseeable future.

We also had trip insurance, but it turns out it doesn't cover a global pandemic.