Help! I'm renting someone's points, but I'm nervous about being swindled!

[New2the"WDW"World]

Hi-
I am renting someone's points (I'm not a DVC member). We have emailed back & forth, and spoken on the phone several times. Everything's all set, all I have to do is mail the check. But, that's the thing, I can't believe that I am about to mail a check for nearly $2000 to a complete stranger!
I have a cell phone #, an address to mail the check to, and a confirmation #. But is there anything I could/should do to protect myself? Is there anyway to confirm the reservation? and is there anyway the seller could cancel the reservation after my check clears?
I hate to be so skeptical. Everyone on these boards seem like really nice, honest, genuine people. But I've been duped before, and this deal really seems to good to be true.
Any advice or tips would be GREATLY appreciated!
THANKS!

 

[lindanmikewolfe85]

WE RENTED FOR THE 1ST TIME IN JANUARY WE HAD A 2 BR VILLA AT THE BOARDWALK AND PAID CLOSE TO $1800.00. I FOUND THAT EVERYONE I SPOKE TO ON THIS WEB SITE IS JUST AS DISNEY-CRAZY AS I AM.

IF YOU HAVE A CONFORMATION NUMBER YOU CAN NOW CALL MEMBER SERVICES WITH YOU RESERVATION NUMBER AND GIVE THEM YOUR NAME --- BECAUSE THE RESERVATION SHOULD BE IN YOUR NAME. (I WAS NERVOUS TOO AND CHECK ABOUT ONCE A MONTH UNTIL WE LEFT)

BUT IT WORKED OUT GREAT!

WE ALSO BOOKED OUR TRIP ABOUT 7 MONTHS OUT - SO WE PAID 1/3 UP FRONT 1/3 ABOUT 3 MONTHS BEFORE WE LEFT AND 1/3 ABOUT 3 WEEKS BEFORE WE LEFT & WE USED PAYPAL.

THE DVC MEMBER ALSO TAKES A CHANCE THAT THE PERSON MIGHT CANCEL & THEN THEY ARE STUCK - MOST OF THEM SAY HOW MUCH $ THEY WILL KEEP IF YOU CANCEL AT CERTAIN POINTS IN TIME BEFORE THE TRIP. (IT USUALLY ISN'T ALOT AND SOMETIMES IT CHANGES THE STATUS OF THEIR POINTS FOR THE WORST)

IT IS A CHANCE FOR BOTH SIDES BUT I HAVE BEEN LOOKING INTO THIS POINT RENTING FOR ABOUT A YEAR (JUST CHECKING IT OUT BEFORE I ACTUALLY RENTED) AND I NEVER SAW A BAD REPORT.
SO UNLESS I MISSED ONE SOME WHERE-- MOST PEOPLE ARE VERY SATISFIED.

AND THEY DO TREAT YOU LIKE A MEMBER WHEN YOU ARRIVE AT DISNEY!!!

GOOD LUCK - LINDA

 

[Happy Birthday Cat]

I always suggest to a potential renter of points that he/she should read the person's past posts to get an idea of what they are like. Do a search and read what they are saying about things. To protect yourself, make sure you have something signed by the person who is renting you points? If so, it seems like you have everything you could possibly need. Did you read Doc's FAQ?

In the years that I have been on these boards I can't remember one bad report about a person who rents points. I have heard of a few renters who have been less than desireable however.

HBC

 

[goldilocks_63]

It would help clear up any misunderstandings, if you had a contract....

even if it's handwritten.

IMHO, Goldi

 

[HookdonWDW]

Originally posted by New2the"WDW"World
Hi-
I am renting someone's points (I'm not a DVC member). We have emailed back & forth, and spoken on the phone several times. Everything's all set, all I have to do is mail the check. But, that's the thing, I can't believe that I am about to mail a check for nearly $2000 to a complete stranger!

The person who's renting to you, might not believe that they are about to trust a complete stranger with something they are responsible for... what if you were to destroy the room, or take off with the furniture? What if you were to have your entire frat join you in your studio for a spring break party? That would be the owner's problem.

My point is, that there is risk as both a renter and a rentee. It's also why you pay so much less to rent from an owner than you would pay for the same reservation from CRO.


I have a cell phone #, an address to mail the check to, and a confirmation #. But is there anything I could/should do to protect myself?

So it sounds like the individual you are working with is giving you their information. You can (and probably should) request that the two of you put your agreement in writing. This will protect BOTH of your interests, and spell out IN WRITING what will happen if there is a problem with the reservation or if their is a billing issue after checkout. Have you discussed what will happen if you have to cancel the trip?

Is there anyway to confirm the reservation?

Yes. You can call MS and verify the reservation. BUT... if they won't verify it, don't panic. It just means that you reached someone who is following policy. MS is only supposed to discuss reservations and account information with owners. If they won't talk with you, maybe you can arrange a 3-way conversation with the owner and MS.

is there anyway the seller could cancel the reservation after my check clears?

Yep. They own the points. They can cancel at any point up to check in. But remember that trust thing??? As someone else pointed out earlier, I've haven't heard many bad stories, and the ones I have heard were from owners, not renters. It is very unlikely that anyone who posts here on a regular basis would risk their reputation by cancelling a reservation.

I hate to be so skeptical. Everyone on these boards seem like really nice, honest, genuine people. But I've been duped before, and this deal really seems to good to be true.

Personally, I think it makes sense to look at the good and the bad of a deal, and go into the whole thing with your eyes wide open.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do, and I hope you have a great time at WDW!!!

 

[InstImpres]

One other thing is to find out if the person has rented before. I would not back out if the answer is no, my point is just that you could speak with a previous renter to verify a positive expereience.

 

[CRSNDSNY]

I've rented points (prior to becoming a member), have rented points out and will be transfering points to another member (trying to pay cash for a Disney Cruise). I always check out the other person's posts and see if I could get a 'feel' for them. When possible, I'll talk to them on the phone, but in either case I always have a contract. I also like to ask if they've rented from or rented out before. Also, paying via PayPal seems more secure to me than accepting personal checks. I will always use PayPal for further transactions (didn't use it on the first two but am using it on the transfer and am happy).

Those are my experiences.

 

[New2the"WDW"World]

Thank you all for the great advice. I do feel a little more assured. Thanks for taking the time to help me out. But I had a few more questions. Is an e-mail agreement a "contract"? What phone # do I call to confirm reservations? someone mentioned calling "MS", what is that? Lastly, how do I check the sellers previous or current posts?
Again, any advice or tips GREATLY appreciated!

 

[wdwstar]

i just rented points from three different people for my christmas vacation, although i am a dvc member and had the points transferred to my account, but yes, i was nerves about sending the certified checks, much more then you have to send, but i kept in contact thru emails all the way up to the transfer and calling ms(members service ) to confirm the transfer.

i would print out all your emails, do a search, click on search at the top put the id name in the box for search id name and you will get their posts that they have posted and replies. click on their highlinghted id name and their profile will come up, you may get some info, if they filled the form out.

and i agree ms may or may not give you info on the ressies, but you could always hang up and call again.

a poster is right about the renter taking a chance that if you trash the room the renter has to pay for it. so if your renter didnt charge you a deposit and will return it when you get back, i would say your lucky.

i remember a glitch the computers had when a few people rented points, when they checked in, the ressies was not under their name, the computer booked the ressies with the renters name, so renters had to call ms and get the ressies straighten out, so make sure you bring the renters name and phone # in case you have to contact them for any reason.

enjoy your trip

 

[wdwstar]

i was going to pm you the phone # but you dont have your pm set up or email

if you have a copy of the reservations, the phone # is on the bottom of the page for members service

i do remember about 3 or 4 days to arrival you can call the resort direct and see if your in the system yet,

 

[New2the"WDW"World]

Thanks for trying to help, I don't know how to "turn on" PM or email....
I am really starting to feel dumb!

 

[KaterBell]

Don't feel bad! Everyone goes through the "newbie" stage!

Up at the top of the screen, go into the "User CP" (where CP is Control Panel)... you can change your settings to send you email when you receive a msg or Private message (PM)...

Hope that helps, and hope you have a wonderful time in WDW.

<edited for spelling errors... duh kate!>

 

[InstImpres]

Although it has been said resorts don't get DVC ressie until 2 weeks prior, you call the resort directly to verify. Be sure to tell them it is a DVC ressie. They can check it for you. (i verified this before having a renter do it).

MS is for members only, sorry!

Sandy

 

[phawley]

I just rented for the first time and things went very smoothly. I'd do it again in a minute. Like several of the other posts, I called MS several times to make sure the reservation was there.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Only DVC members are supposed to call Member Services. That's why they call it Member Services and not Renter Services.

Ask the member to do a threeway call between you, them and MS. Or call the resort, tell them you have a points reservation and ask them to verify.

 

[Macnjac87]

Hi-
A friend of mine asked me to help her rent out points for a trip to WLV (they are there right now!!) a while back. As a DVC member, I knew the ins and outs and found her someone from the rent/trade board who was willing to rent her their points. I made all the phone calls, emails, etc. to the point holder. He actually did a conference call with MS, him and I when he made the ressie and I spoke to MS directly on that phone call.

My friend was a little nervous when she did not receive the confirmation right away, it takes a few weeks to get, first the member gets it and then they get it to you, so I called MS and they confirmed the reservation over the phone for me.

 

[RweTHEREyet]

Only DVC members are supposed to call Member Services. That's why they call it Member Services and not Renter Services.

Sorry to disagree with this, but I was told differently by Member Services. I am renting out some points and I asked Member Services if my renter could verify their reservation once they had their confirmation number. They said certainly, no problem at all, to just give the renter the number (which is already on the confirmation) and to explain that they were renting and provide the confirmation number and they would be glad to confirm that the renters name is on the reservation.

To me, this would take less manpower time than taking the time to arrange a 3-way call.

 

[berry]

I have only rented once from a DVC member and it worked out great. Yes, trust is an issue, but because other people I knew had used it - I went for it. The owner and I agreed thought that I would send 1/4 of the total payment and once they received that, then she would have the reservation put into my name. After that, I agreed to pay her 1/4 each month. It worked out great and I would definitely do it again.

 

[SCDizneyDawn]

Lastly, how do I check the sellers previous or current posts?

To search, you click on the search at the top of every page. Then look for "search by user name" and type the name they are using here on the DIS. It will bring up all the posts they have done.

Good luck with your rental!

 

[Cruelladeville]

I am not the trusting type, so I would never send the full amount at one time, but that's just me. Have you considered using PayPal? Since you are using a credit card to pay the money, if the renter turns out to be dishonest you can ask the credit card company to "chargeback". You wouldn't lose your money, since you used a credit card to pay for the points. There is also a "paper trail" that both the credit card company and PayPal will pursue if the renter is dishonest.