DVC OWNER NO REFUND

[chicagodisneyguy]

Are there still dates in the near future that would work? If the owner's points have not expired I would check and see if there are still some dates that work. I highly doubt you will get four standard BWV studios, but as others have said there is a lot of availability in the next month or two at most resorts.

At this point if you can get something for your money that will be better than nothing.

 

[Deb & Bill]

If the person you rented from was a Disney employee, she might not have been recalled to work and doesn't have any money to refund you right now. Or waiting for umemployment to give her money so she can refund your money. Many owners who rent out their points do it to pay off other costs and don't just have it sitting in the bank in an escrow account if you can't go.

 

[Dismrk155]

I'm happy I read this and wonder if people realize that you can lose your money if changes have to be made. My heart goes out for this family.

 

[iheartglaciers]

If the person you rented from was a Disney employee, she might not have been recalled to work and doesn't have any money to refund you right now. Or waiting for umemployment to give her money so she can refund your money. Many owners who rent out their points do it to pay off other costs and don't just have it sitting in the bank in an escrow account if you can't go.

I thought that Disney employees weren't allowed to rent their DVC points?

 

[SG131]

Yes, some if it was paid by credit card and some was pay pal from checking account. If I go the credit card challenge route it will be the contract versus emails. Meaning contract did not state there was any refund at all. However I do have emails that state that I would get a full refund due to coronavirus. I think it just comes down to the owner got all the points back and can resell them and most people would refund the money. If this was not the intent I think the owner would be in correspondence with us. Lessons learned, I do not have address or phone number for this owner. Everything was done through email. I’m going to give it a month and then I will eventually just go to to Disney and DVC and let them know their employee in SALES Is double dipping the points. I really am just trying to sit back and let this work itself out but with no correspondence with owner what am I supposed to do! I realize that this is more of just a venting exercise but I really do appreciate all your input.

I understand your frustration, we as DVC owners have been very frustrated as well. But, I'm not sure filing a complaint against the owner with Disney for something unrelated to her job is the right course. It is most likely that she has been out of work for awhile and it wouldn't be right to jeopardize her job because of this situation. She said she would refund you if she could rent out the points, which is more than she had to do based on your contract with her. This is why I personally never would rent points, because there are so many unknowns and if something happens and the trip needs to change you are very likely out the money. That's a risk you take with renting DVC.

There is a very good chance she was not able to rent out the points again. Yes DVC returns the points, but if they're useless the owner isn't double dipping. DVC is a bit of a mess right now, there are a lot of availability problems because of people having to push their trips. There also is not as many people renting points at the moment due to the uncertainty of the virus. Right now there are good discounts on hotel rooms, it is much easier to book through disney and then know if you choose to cancel there is some security. There is a very good chance those points could end up expiring without her being able to rent them. A friend of mine just lost 167 points this year because with her health concerns wasn't ready to fly at the end of July, but since Disney is now open even though their original trip fell within the covid window, Disney would not extend the expiration of the points.

The situation is bad all around. Hopefully, they are able to rent out the points and return at least some of your money depending on the price they are able to get for the points, but there is a real chance that they can't. It was nice of her to offer to try. Knowing she works for Disney is like knowing she's been out of work for many months now. I don't think attacking them at work will get anyone the resolution they want. Disney won't compel their employee to do anything about it since the transaction has nothing to do with them. You could cost them their job in which case even if they are able to rent out the points they definitely would not be reimbursing you at that point.

 

[_auroraborealis_]

I thought that Disney employees weren't allowed to rent their DVC points?

Depends on how they were purchased. If they were purchased through certain programs, I think they're not. But if they purchased resale or retail without employee discount, no limits.

 

[Dismrk155]

So crazy.

 

[kniquy]

I do not have address or phone number for this owner.

Couple of things - If you paid via credit card and paypal both routes should have a means to dispute the charges. You could forewarn them that if you do not hear from them by a certain date then you will move forward. The contract is one thing but if they have offered a refund pending re-rental how could you possibly know what is going on if they are not communicating. Sounds like it was a substantial amount of points so likely the owner would not be able to re-rent the full amount, but even if they re-rented some of the points or chose to use them themselves you should be receiving a refund in the amount of those points used.

Do you have their name? Not asking for it to be listed here but if you do you can certainly do a search on the Orange County Comptroller site. It should provide you with information on her address and from there you should be able to send a certified letter to her. If you have trouble searching the site you can PM me for some help.

 

[eMoneyBug]

Ok renters please get a phone # from the owners you rent from! I'm on the owner side, but in my contract, I provide my cell# and provide my wife and son's email as backup in case I'm in some health crisis, etc. Another tip, become FB friends with the owner you rent from. This way you can see how active they are everyday, etc. Once you have the phone# and FB connection, exchange some texts and/or some FB Messenger.

So to the OP, I hope you can find this owner on social media and start talking on the phone to resolve because sometimes emails get lost, they goto spam, etc.

 

[NappilyEverAfter.]

You are mad at a contract you signed?

The reason you get a discount by renting is because you can not cancel under any circumstances. The same rooms are available to you directly through disney at a higher rate that you can cancel, pay in installments and amend all by your self. You took a risk and it didnt pay off.

I also took a risk... by stopping renting and buying into DVC. I had 3 reservations cancelled and lost points that i could not bank.... however I read my contract and knew that being an owner meant i accept that risk. i have to pay my dues no matter if the parks or resort are closed due to weather, pandemic or my poor planning.

By contract you are entitled to nothing and would doubt that your owner would want to work with you after you after that bashing. I would take the radio silence from your owner as a sign and swallow that pill. They are many worst tasting ones than the one you have right now.

 

[robinb]

I would make it a priority to find out more information about the DVC member. Check their name against the Orange County website here: http://or.occompt.com/recorder/web/ . If you view the image of the sale, you will get their address when they purchased the points. You might also be able to track down their contact information through PayPal.

I rent out my points and I always include my full address and cell phone number so my renters can contact me. By not getting that information you have left yourself open to being ghosted by the DVC member.

Here's what I would do in your situation:

1. I would Google-Fu the heck out of the seller's name and address on the Orange County website to track them down.
   
   
2. Rental prices have plummeted with an influx of points. I would not count on the DVC member being able to rerent your points. You should plan on using them yourself.
   
   
3. I would try to work out things with the DVC member one last time. Be open and flexible about time, place, and unit size. You may not get exactly what you had but you may be able to get something. Be willing to stay at another resort and have multiple weeks as options. The DVC member cannot work miracles and you are going to have to be as flexible as possible to be able to book at stay with them.
   
   
4. Include a deadline for when you need to hear back from the member. Give them about a week. If they don't respond, contact them though they other methods you found.
   
   
5. If they still won't work with you or respond to you, I would look into a charge back via PayPal and your credit card. I'm not sure if you can still get a charge back with either, but if you run out of options it's worth a try.

 

[Minniesgal]

Yes, some if it was paid by credit card and some was pay pal from checking account. If I go the credit card challenge route it will be the contract versus emails. Meaning contract did not state there was any refund at all. However I do have emails that state that I would get a full refund due to coronavirus. I think it just comes down to the owner got all the points back and can resell them and most people would refund the money. If this was not the intent I think the owner would be in correspondence with us. Lessons learned, I do not have address or phone number for this owner. Everything was done through email. I’m going to give it a month and then I will eventually just go to to Disney and DVC and let them know their employee in SALES Is double dipping the points. I really am just trying to sit back and let this work itself out but with no correspondence with owner what am I supposed to do! I realize that this is more of just a venting exercise but I really do appreciate all your input.

Disney and DVC will not get involved with a rental situation.

You really do not know for sure the owner is double dipping the points. No guarantee they got points refunded by DVC and unlikely they would be able to re-rent them even if they did. Much more likely the points will expire unused.

 

[Starport Seven-Five]

It just surprises me that this person also works for Disney!

Disney has 223k employees. I wouldn't use that as a method of vetting someone as trustworthy.

This transaction occurred outside of the person's duties at Disney. You can threaten them with it but realistically the company isn't going to care.

 

[peaceluv&mickeymouse]

If the resort was closed you should win a dispute with credit card company. You didn’t get what you contracted for.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

Disney has 223k employees. I wouldn't use that as a method of vetting someone as trustworthy.

 

[mentos]

I really hope you didn't do "friends and family" via PayPal, then you will definitely have no recourse.

I've privately rented rooms (not DVC) and owners ask for this method to save on fees, but I always push back and offer to pay a little more to cover their fee as it acts as a form of protection allowing me to dispute in case the deliverable is not conveyed.

That said, if the contract was no refund and you did not insure on your end, your only recourse will probably be small claims court and hope that a settlement is reached. Someone mentioned it above, it's like (but slightly different from) buying a non-refundable hotel stay for a discounted price.

So recapping:

1) File disputes with PayPal (as long as you didn't do F&F), file dispute with CC.
2) Concurrent with #1, write a proper demand letter (certified mail, return receipt) stipulating the refund amount, date you need it by, action you will take if failure to act.
3) File case with court/small claims court -- this gets tricky if you're in different states, consult a licensed attorney in your jurisdiction.

I realize the owner gave you a verbal/emailed promise, so if you're still in good graces with them, do let them know that, in order to preserve your rights, you are doing the above.... and tell them to send the refund they promised and you'll call off the hounds.

 

[DKILLIAN]

Great advise! Thanks to everyone for all your advise. Like I said in previous response, last time I communicated with owner was on June 4th. I realize that they may have issues selling points and I am more than willing to wait and take a hit because of this. I will reach out to the owner again and hopefully I will get a response so we can work something out.

 

[New Mouse]

Wellllllll - no comment on either side. This is sort of why, as an owner? I will always use an Agency .

Agencys have been 0 help during this time

 

[mort1331]

Paypal does not look at timeshare rentals as refundable..no matter how you paid..no chance there

 

[cm8]

You are mad at a contract you signed?

The reason you get a discount by renting is because you can not cancel under any circumstances. The same rooms are available to you directly through disney at a higher rate that you can cancel, pay in installments and amend all by your self. You took a risk and it didnt pay off.

I also took a risk... by stopping renting and buying into DVC. I had 3 reservations cancelled and lost points that i could not bank.... however I read my contract and knew that being an owner meant i accept that risk. i have to pay my dues no matter if the parks or resort are closed due to weather, pandemic or my poor planning.

By contract you are entitled to nothing and would doubt that your owner would want to work with you after you after that bashing. I would take the radio silence from your owner as a sign and swallow that pill. They are many worst tasting ones than the one you have right now.

Are you the owner in question? Just asking for a friend...