Experience with MS Phone or Chat for Reservations

[VGCgroupie]

Who said anything about lying? I didn't.

If you aren't comfortable renting, then don't rent.

I wish you well in your quest for knowledge. Eventually, MS will likely say that all the terms and conditions are outlined in the POS and other governing documents, and that one should follow them. Then what?

That is what they should be doing, but they are not. You keep ignoring that someone was told they cannot rent to a stranger it has to be friends or family and that if they didn't say yes friend/family (lying) they were refused a lead guest change.

Edit to add: being told you have to claim friends and family is completely different than being told you have to claim personal use.

 

[Sandisw]

And I would like the protection offered in Florida that if I make a real estate purchase under a set of rules that the rules are not changed without the vote of the majority and then only applied to new contracts.

We all agreed to no commercial rentals defined as not "regularly or frequently renting or selling reservations" , we did not all agree to "only friends or family".

I may or may not have asked how a change to only family and friends would not be seen as a further limitation under FL718.111 and thus require a vote.

 

[BeachClub2014]

That is what they should be doing, but they are not. You keep ignoring that someone was told they cannot rent to a stranger it has to be friends or family and that if they didn't say yes friend/family (lying) they were refused a lead guest change.

I'm not ignoring that at all. That nonsensical answer provided by the CM illustrates my point quite nicely.

 

[Sandisw]

That is what they should be doing, but they are not. You keep ignoring that someone was told they cannot rent to a stranger it has to be friends or family and that if they didn't say yes friend/family (lying) they were refused a lead guest change.

Edit to add: being told you have to claim friends and family is completely different than being told you have to claim personal use.

Where they refused it? Or were they encouraged to just say it?

I was allowed to change, admitted it was a rental, refused to say family or friends but just said, it matches the T and C for personal use.

Which again, shows how inconsistent this is.

 

[VGCgroupie]

Where they refused it? Or were they encouraged to just say it?

I was allowed to change, admitted it was a rental, refused to say family or friends but just said, it matches the T and C for personal use.

Which again, shows how inconsistent this is.

I took it as you have to say it or I wont do the name change. Member could have then escalated to get the name change I agree but not every member is in the know and knows that, that is what needs to be done.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I'm not ignoring that at all. That nonsensical answer provided by the CM illustrates my point quite nicely.

We cant process lead gusts changes on our own we have to call MS. And this wasn't a hypothetical call, the member was actually trying to get the lead guest name change done. Not everyone has free time to go back and forth and hang up and try a new CM or escalate the call and they shouldn't have to.

Speaking of free time. I will end this back and forth with you. If you are okay with inconsistency from MS that is your right, but it is also the right of others to not be okay with it and to post here about it without being lectured for doing so.

 

[BeachClub2014]

We cant process lead gusts changes on our own we have to call MS. And this wasn't a hypothetical call, the member was actually trying to get the lead guest name change done. Not everyone has free time to go back and forth and hang up and try a new CM or escalate the call and they shouldn't have to.

Speaking of free time. I will end this back and forth with you. If you are okay with inconsistency from MS that is your right, but it is also the right of others to not be okay with it and to post here about it without being lectured for doing so.

We can agree to disagree on our expectations of frontline CMs. They are human and make mistakes and should have a little grace thrown their way, especially when we only hear one side of the story.

Oddly enough, I feel as if I have been lectured to for having a different opinion than some here. I apologize if you feel as though I was lecturing you; that's not my intention at all. Like you, I only shared my thoughts and opinions on this topic.

 

[Girlstar30]

Who said anything about lying? I didn't.

If you aren't comfortable renting, then don't rent.

I wish you well in your quest for knowledge. Eventually, MS will likely say that all the terms and conditions are outlined in the POS and other governing documents, and that one should follow them. Then what?

You are lying to them if their definition of personal use is not renting to family and friends and you are renting to others besides family and friends because the POS says you can and you are telling them youre not.

Youre telling me to just follow the POS and forget what the CMs that are telling you to personally attest say. That is why people are uncomfortable. I have a right to rent if it is legal to do so and im not going to not rent if its allowed and I dont want to lie to the CMs while doing so.

 

[Girlstar30]

I may or may not have asked how a change to only family and friends would not be seen as a further limitation under FL718.111 and thus require a vote.

 

[Girlstar30]

Where they refused it? Or were they encouraged to just say it?

I was allowed to change, admitted it was a rental, refused to say family or friends but just said, it matches the T and C for personal use.

Which again, shows how inconsistent this is.

That is a great way to handle it and i will say that in the future when attesting

 

[Brianstl]

Are calls with MS on recorded lines? Guides are on recorded lines. I need to know how they would respond.

The calls are recorded, but POS documents make clear that anything said verbally holds no weight, “You should not rely on oral representations as being correct”. They, also, cover themselves for chat by saying the POS documents are the only place to get correct information.

 

[Sykes]

The calls are recorded, but POS documents make clear that anything said verbally holds no weight, “You should not rely on oral representations as being correct”. They, also, cover themselves for chat by saying the POS documents are the only place to get correct information.

Anyone who wants real answers should consult an attorney that actively practices in Florida timeshare law--they're the only ones properly equipped to help you better understand your rights and obligations. Nothing anyone says can overrule what is in the documents. Front-line cast members, including any supervisors, have a script and are 100% useless for anything that isn't on the script. Actually, they're worse than useless because there's a solid chance that they'll unintentionally give you false or misleading information when pressed beyond their expertise. Even if you're escalated to an executive contact, they are PR trained to deflect and redirect to the published information, and it would be wholly inappropriate for them to give you any substantive information at all that isn't available to the greater membership. There is definitely value in expressing dissatisfaction with the ambiguities present now, but it feels like a few of the exchanges here are really complaints masquerading as questions.

 

[HyperspaceMountainPilot]

I will happily wait to be assisted by MS if it helps us figure out what is allowed. We wouldn't have to do this if DVC would just put out an official statement to members.

I agree with this 100%, but also I contacted MS (for unrelated reasons) 2x in the past week and did not have any wait. I think I had to wait about 3-5m for a supervisor when the front line MS person wasn’t empowered to fix my problem.

I don’t want to ask and flag myself as a member who has been told “friends and family only” in no uncertain terms, but I do appreciate everybody else who is giving it a shot.

All fair points. I am not looking to catch a CM in a 'gotcha' game. And I don't appreciate when clients forum shop in my line of business. So, I do have sympathy with the CMs at MS. My issue is that if this is a rule that is being changed or finally implemented, then DVC management should publish something.

I am less concerned about them publishing it (though I agree it would be ideal) and more concerned that they seem to have decided they are going to “enforce it” by making rule followers too afraid to rent while doing literally zero to stop the commercial spec renters who have all decided that MS is wrong, 50% of all points is infrequent, and will just keep renting.

I think it is early to know if any reservations in the rental process will be declined. I have one out there for Christmas week and this is making me nervous. This is the first time in many years that I have rented out points.

I don’t have any rentals but have an existing reservation with points already banked and now am too nervous to try to rent it if we can’t travel, which I’m furious about, as I’ve rented less than 5% of my total points (in one single rental) since becoming a member a few years ago.

Thinking ahead to future DVC trips and if I should add points is dependent on where this goes.

Absolutely. If they are for real about friends and family only, probably many of us would stop buying more points in case we can’t use them.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Personally I think all this badgering of MS is going to open a wormhole that may not be beneficial to either side.