Davids rental or DVC store

[tweetykl]

We rented points for 2020 from David’s. We obviously didn’t get to go. They waited very last minute to give us a voucher. The voucher is good for 3 years. We were able to rebook through them. Since then we have purchased DVC.

 

[MMSM]

Excellent question. Maybe they start high and drop the price over time if necessary?

DVC rental store includes the insurance in their quote. I rented points in 2019 with David’s and it was awesome. Next year 2020 I had book with DVC Rental because at time they were $1 less a point. Then CoVid hit right before our trip. They were absolutely amazing helping us. However, helping my sister rent points this week for her upcoming trip and although I loved DVC Store, there is no way I will pay $26 per point. My sister did David’s and got her request within 24 hours. If she wants insurance she will add later. When I rent through an owner I’m willing to pay about $17 or $18. Once it hits $20 mark, I go to David’s to pay $21 and feel a little more protected. Both companies were good. And I enjoyed the personal emails from DVC rental store but cannot justify an additional $5 per point.

 

[Marionnette]

DVC rental store includes the insurance in their quote. I rented points in 2019 with David’s and it was awesome. Next year 2020 I had book with DVC Rental because at time they were $1 less a point. Then CoVid hit right before our trip. They were absolutely amazing helping us. However, helping my sister rent points this week for her upcoming trip and although I loved DVC Store, there is no way I will pay $26 per point. My sister did David’s and got her request within 24 hours. If she wants insurance she will add later. When I rent through an owner I’m willing to pay about $17 or $18. Once it hits $20 mark, I go to David’s to pay $21 and feel a little more protected. Both companies were good. And I enjoyed the personal emails from DVC rental store but cannot justify an additional $5 per point.

Rental agencies pay owners between $16-$18 per point. A private owner isn't likely to rent for less unless their points are distressed, in which case you are not likely to be able to make any changes. At $20 per point or higher in a private rental, you're talking about preferred resorts during the home resort booking advantage.

The drawback with renting thru an agency is that the agency doesn't have points of their own to rent out. The agency relies owners using them as a go-between with potential renters. When an agency doesn't pay enough (or treats owners with distain), owners find other ways to rent their points. Fewer owners using an agency means fewer renters can get what they want. These agencies have to pay the owners a decent rate and then make a profit themselves.

David's has a no refunds/no changes policy. DVC Rental Store will allow changes (they pay owners $50 to make them) and has what they call a stress-free cancelation policy. So, with DVC Rental Store, you're paying extra to have those assurances added to your rental agreement. Depending on how many points you're renting, it might be more expensive to buy travel insurance than the $5 per point difference. (BTW, David's charges $23/pt for premium resorts and DVC Rental store charges $26. So the real difference is more like $3/pt).

 

[CraigInPA]

As David's is one of the largest brokers they definitely got the most complaints on here during the pandemic. Having said that, I looked at others at the time and couldn't find any that treated owners or renters any better! I saw some that allowed renters to rebook but gave a shorter timescale than David's, and others that just said you get nothing without insurance.

For the owners, I really don't see what more they could have done! They allowed everyone to keep the 70% they had already received as well as having all of their points back to rent for more money or use themselves. I had a reservation with them just after reopening and they offered me more money per point if I was willing to change the name but said I had no obligation!

I fully understand that people were upset at the time, but I can't think of any actions that David's took that made them worse than any others, and I personally would be more likely to use them again because of how they behaved. Some people decided they would only rent points directly after this, which is understandable, but as far as rental agencies go this hasn't made me look more favourably on any others.

Obviously, I don't want to open up this subject again, but I think many of us were not unhappy with David's at that time, but we did not want to comment on 'that' thread because people were upset and just wanted the opportunity to rant!

David's stuck to their no-rebook policy, even when owners stepped up and offered to make changes for their renters. David's then threatened the owners, saying they weren't allowed to contact the renters directly, and if they re-booked, David's wasn't going to pay the owner's the balanced owned. NO other agency took this stance.

David's then asked owners to refund the non-refundable 70% down payment, on the belief that the lack of a Force Majeure clause in David's own contract with the owners would be held in David's favor, and stated that the contract between David's and the Owner required it. That's not how it works, and David's had legal counsel who should have told them that. When owners who would be left with non-rentable points scoffed at the refund request, David's told them they wouldn't be paid when the reservation date arrived, as required under the contract. They later relented on the no final payment stance, because they realized that they would have no business model without owners. NO other agency took these steps.

David's, recognizing, but not admitting the serious flaw in their contract, "stepped up" and offered a voucher good for one re-book within 2 years, but the voucher has a clause that allows them to charge you the difference between the old price and new price per point they charge. David's initially continued to pay their pre-pandemic prices to owners, but raised their own rental prices, effectively allowing them to pocket a higher percentage of the sale. Because of David's policies, many owners won't rent with them, so they're now paying more to owners for points, and have had to raise their prices to renters. So, most people are paying David's to use those vouchers. I recall one agency that offered a full refund to their renters, unlike the vouchers David offers.

As I stated earlier, David's contracts now put the entire risk of rental on the owner, which makes their commission on the rental an outrageous proposition. Compared to other agencies, which offer insurance, rebooking, and other amenities to the renter and protection to the owner, albeit for a few more dollars, it's an easy choice to not use David's.

 

[bobbiwoz]

The DVC Store seems very complicated to me. Plus all I see are requests for BCV with some Poly thrown in.

I thought I set up an account, but am told it expired, in less than a week?

I need help!

 

[Best Aunt]

The DVC Store seems very complicated to me. Plus all I see are requests for BCV with some Poly thrown in.

I thought I set up an account, but am told it expired, in less than a week?

I need help!

Are you an owner or a potential guest?

 

[bobbiwoz]

Are you an owner or a potential guest?

Owner

 

[CarolMN]

The DVC Store seems very complicated to me. Plus all I see are requests for BCV with some Poly thrown in.

I thought I set up an account, but am told it expired, in less than a week?

I need help!

My advice is to use the contact us email or TN Info on their site. I'm sure someone will get back to you. Don't wait for Paul. AFAIK, he checks in here every few days, but isn't on the boards as much ax we all are. Good luck!

 

[Best Aunt]

The DVC Store seems very complicated to me. Plus all I see are requests for BCV with some Poly thrown in.

I thought I set up an account, but am told it expired, in less than a week?

I need help!

Okay, I can't help with the expiration thing.

In general, for an owner considering the DVC Rental Store -
Once you set up an account, you can log in.
Then you can click on CLAIM OPEN LISTINGS.
You will see the list of resies that people want.
If you want to book one, you click on CLAIM.
The company will send you an email with the info needed to make a resie.

I see what you mean that right now it looks like everybody wants to stay at BCV.

When I looked earlier in the year, it wasn't like that. It was a whole mix of different desired resorts and dates. I don't know if what we're seeing now is just a coincidence, or if some of those are related. It could be that several families or friends want to travel at the same time but want their own rooms and want to pay separately. Maybe a family reunion or something?

I found that the resies went quick for dates seven months ahead or less (which obviously can be booked by any owner, no matter what their home resort). If you looked in the morning, you might see something; if you looked later in the day it would be gone.

If an owner wants to use David's, it's easier, but you have less control. You answer all of the questions regarding your points. Then you do nothing until you hear from them. If and when they have a match, they send you an email. You have no idea who they have waiting for points, and when they will consider your points a match.

(For this post, I am ignoring all of the other reasons that an Owner or a Guest might want to use one agency over another. I am aware of them.)

 

[bobbiwoz]

@Best Aunt ..OK, thanks for the explanation. So, basically, it’s up to you to claim something, they are not helping you except by having somethings listed.

I felt uncomfortable enough putting in my SS# into their form, and to be told things have expired when I don’t see a reason, and from what you are saying, you have not been told to resubmit.

OK. I have to think about my next step.

 

[ScubaCat]

all I see are requests for BCV

I see what you mean that right now it looks like everybody wants to stay at BCV.

People know what's good!!

I've only rented out points thru David's and had no issue at all. A renter once asked to cancel, and David's simply asked if I'd be willing to either cancel or modify the reservation to another renter if they could find one (and offered an extra dollar a point for the trouble if that happened.) I couldn't cancel but agreed to the second option. It didn't happen, but I still received the final 30% payment on check in day as expected. Hope they went, but either way no issue for me.

 

[Noodlez]

David's stuck to their no-rebook policy, even when owners stepped up and offered to make changes for their renters. David's then threatened the owners, saying they weren't allowed to contact the renters directly, and if they re-booked, David's wasn't going to pay the owner's the balanced owned. NO other agency took this stance.

David's then asked owners to refund the non-refundable 70% down payment, on the belief that the lack of a Force Majeure clause in David's own contract with the owners would be held in David's favor, and stated that the contract between David's and the Owner required it. That's not how it works, and David's had legal counsel who should have told them that. When owners who would be left with non-rentable points scoffed at the refund request, David's told them they wouldn't be paid when the reservation date arrived, as required under the contract. They later relented on the no final payment stance, because they realized that they would have no business model without owners. NO other agency took these steps.

David's, recognizing, but not admitting the serious flaw in their contract, "stepped up" and offered a voucher good for one re-book within 2 years, but the voucher has a clause that allows them to charge you the difference between the old price and new price per point they charge. David's initially continued to pay their pre-pandemic prices to owners, but raised their own rental prices, effectively allowing them to pocket a higher percentage of the sale. Because of David's policies, many owners won't rent with them, so they're now paying more to owners for points, and have had to raise their prices to renters. So, most people are paying David's to use those vouchers. I recall one agency that offered a full refund to their renters, unlike the vouchers David offers.

As I stated earlier, David's contracts now put the entire risk of rental on the owner, which makes their commission on the rental an outrageous proposition. Compared to other agencies, which offer insurance, rebooking, and other amenities to the renter and protection to the owner, albeit for a few more dollars, it's an easy choice to not use David's.

I wasn't trying to derail this thread, I was just pointing out that not everyone feels the same way as you. The question was about which point rental agency is best, and you have not said anything which makes me think that another one did much better than David's.

I was well that some owners wanted to contact the renters to make their own resolution. At the time I thought this would cause ridiculous inconsistencies! Some owners wanted to offer a full refund, others were willing to rebook in the next year or two, others would only have been able to make a booking before the end of the current use year. Instead, David's did what I believe to be the fair thing of allowing all renters 3 years to rebook.

Some people felt that they would rather rent privately because of this, which I understand, but I have not heard of any agency telling the owners to contact the renters to sort it out themselves, and if they had that would have caused even more complaints! Personally, I don't find being asked not to contact the renter directly threatening, I find it professional. I wouldn't have been happy to have an owner ring me to tell me I need to rebook while in the middle of such uncertainty.

I am also aware of the force majeure clause, and it doesn't really surprise me. They're certainly not the only company to have had to update their contract because of the pandemic. Personally, I feel that as a DVC owner I have given DVC management permission to make decisions on my behalf. If they choose to close the resorts then I feel it is up to them to make me whole, not David's. On this occasion they did that by extending points.

Personally, I found being allowed to keep the 70% already received and have all points back to re-use, or rent again, was very generous! As David's had no say in the resorts being closed I certainly would not have expected even more money from them. Again, owners being left with unusable points is between them and DVC. David's have no power to extend point usage or change banking rules.

I'm not trying to change your mind and I get that you will never use them again, but every time someone mentions David's there is a comment that implies no one should use them because of their behaviour during the pandemic and I think that it's ok for those of us that disagree to say so.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

Personally, I found being allowed to keep the 70% already received and have all points back to re-use, or rent again, was very generous!

David's asked all owners to return the 70%, not keep it.

 

[pkrieger2287]

That’s interesting. I actually thought they would prefer the flexibility to have points that could be used for whatever. Did they say why they were pushing that option?

This is usually a reflection of the points that a Member is looking to rent. Our team always looks at the points, home resort, use year, expiration date, etc., and takes those facts into consideration to provide a Member with the best opportunity to rent their points. Typically speaking, any points that fall within the 0-7 month booking window or that have an upcoming expiration date or are in holding have a better chance of being rented as a confirmed reservation. This is because DVC Availability is the thing that cannot be controlled by either party, and renting these points via the traditional method of rentals would be extremely difficult. I would have to imagine that this was the situation that prompted this recommendation.

 

[pkrieger2287]

The DVC Store seems very complicated to me. Plus all I see are requests for BCV with some Poly thrown in.

I thought I set up an account, but am told it expired, in less than a week?

I need help!

Hey Bobbi! It sounds like you might not have electronically signed the IA/W9 form needed as part of your account setup. If you email our team at membermanagement@dvcrentalstore.com we'd be happy to help if this remains an issue. Never hesitate to reach out to our team as we are always there to chat and help Members through the rental process. Thanks!

 

[pkrieger2287]

@Best Aunt ..OK, thanks for the explanation. So, basically, it’s up to you to claim something, they are not helping you except by having somethings listed.

I felt uncomfortable enough putting in my SS# into their form, and to be told things have expired when I don’t see a reason, and from what you are saying, you have not been told to resubmit.

OK. I have to think about my next step.

Just to clarify here - We offer Members multiple ways to match their points with a guest.

The first method of "Claiming Open Listings" was outlined above and allows those that want to match their points on their own time a method to do this.

The second method is waiting to receive a match alert from our team. Once you've added your points to our Member Center Account, our Member Relations Specialist team will look and ensure they have been listed correctly and advise you of the best opportunity to get them rented. You will then receive an alert via email once we have found a possible match to rent your points.

Lastly, as I explained in a previous reply, if points are what I would call "distressed" in some way, we might advise booking a Confirmed Reservation to list on our site, as this would provide a greater chance of successfully renting them given a shorter time frame or decreased availability.

Our Member Relations Team is always available to help via phone at 855-382-7368 or by email to membermanagement@dvcrentalstore.com. Thanks!

 

[Best Aunt]

This is usually a reflection of the points that a Member is looking to rent. Our team always looks at the points, home resort, use year, expiration date, etc., and takes those facts into consideration to provide a Member with the best opportunity to rent their points. Typically speaking, any points that fall within the 0-7 month booking window or that have an upcoming expiration date or are in holding have a better chance of being rented as a confirmed reservation. This is because DVC Availability is the thing that cannot be controlled by either party, and renting these points via the traditional method of rentals would be extremely difficult. I would have to imagine that this was the situation that prompted this recommendation.

Nope. Eight months out with availability at the home resort.

 

[ScubaCat]

Nope. Eight months out with availability at the home resort.

You can book other resorts up to 7 months in advance and home resort up to 11 months in advance. Once you get within 7 months of check-in ("the 0-7 month booking window" as he put it), availability gets extremely limited.

 

[brazzledazzler]

We used DVC rental store last year and are booked again with them this year. I can say nothing but good things. I wouldn’t hesitate to use them again!

 

[Best Aunt]

You can book other resorts up to 7 months in advance and home resort up to 11 months in advance. Once you get within 7 months of check-in ("the 0-7 month booking window" as he put it), availability gets extremely limited.

Yup. I'm an Owner. I had points which were expiring in 8 months. There was still availability at my home resort in the 7 month to 8 month time period. I checked on the DVC member website. (Someone had asked about my personal experience.)