Help me convince DF that Renting pts is safe!!!!!

[chand309]

Why would a member cancel a reservation a week before the date? It's my understanding that points cannot be redeposited into the member's account if the cancellation takes place within 30 days of the reservation. Therefore, in this situation, the member would have lost the points anyway. It makes no sense. I would like to know more specifics of the transaction.

 

[BossBrody]

The reservation was cancelled because the member's DVC account was repossessed (is that the correct term) by Disney and all his points (reservations too) were taken away. Turns out the member's account was in the process of being taken back all along. He had no intention of following through with his end. Of course he never told me Disney was doing this. I would have never rented from him if I knew he wasn't paying his dues/payments.

I obtained a signed contract from the individual as well the original reservation letter from Disney before paying the balance due. Of course I checked with member services before I paid to ensure the reservation was in fact there. I also called 2 weeks before I was due at the resort and it was still there.

I know his address, checked to make sure it was authentic before paying the balance, his full name, his wife's and even age. I talked to him on the phone and everything sounded fine.

Unfortunately Disney can do nothing. They will only deal or send documents to the member. But I did get the cancellation number and reason for the reservation being cancelled.

I tried to post the individuals name and warning, but it was taken off because it was seen as an attack on an individual.

I know of one other person that was taken by this individual. She has not had her money returned either. Fortunately she didn't show up in Disney and find out the bad news there.

I guess it's good news that my situation is unique. Bad for me but good for the majority. It's nice to have the option to rent a villa if you don't have points left and would like the great accomodations that the DVC affords.

I rented from another person during the same period and couldn't have been more pleased. Very professional and courteous.

 

[RobDoc]

Originally posted by Poorman
As soon as a negative post got on this board,Doc would delete it.

All posts on the DIS are subject to our site guidelines. If a post, on ANY forum, is deemed to be an attack on another poster, it will be removed.

In this case, the person reporting this "problem" was allowed/encouraged to post his report on this forum- which he did- several months ago. While claiming here to have followed all suggestions, it would appear that he neglected to ask for or verify any references for the individual he rented from.

We don't see how we can make it any clearer that "ALL TRANSACTIONS ARE BEWTEEN PARTIES" in these rentals. "Caveat Emptor" and "Buyer Beware" are other applicable phrases that come to mind.

The DIS gains nothing from these transactions and when we tried to go to an E-Bay type system, the suggestion was met with nothing but indignant opposition and threats before any operational details were even known. That effort was dropped and it's doubtful that any "rating" system will ever be offered as a result.

Anyone is welcome to offer praise, on this board, regarding their transactions and conversely is welcome to offer any negative experiences- contrary to the erroneous belief quoted above. No negative experiences have EVER been removed unless they were in violation of our site guidelines.

In addition to this one report of a problem with this one member (who is apparently no longer a DVC member), we have had one complaint by a member about a renter. In that case the member made a reservation for a renter within 30 days of arrival without demanding payment in advance ... and never cancelled the reservation, allowing the renter to use the villa without ever paying. While it is regrettable that it occured, in this instance, the entire situation was entirely within the control of the member. There is a "Word To The Wise" post on the Rent/Trade Board as a result of that situation.

As for the comment "Turns out the member's account was in the process of being taken back all along. He had no intention of following through with his end." It sounds as though any small claims action would be successful, if the member has actually admitted this. It could also be argued, in lieu of that admission, that the member was not aware that DVC would cancel all exisiting reservations when the contract was sold. The suggestion made above about repossession contradicts what was stated in earlier posts and while the member, IMO, should certainly be liable for any funds collected for his rental activity, collection may be challenging even with a small claims decision.

We continue to be proud of the record of satisfied rentals- from both sides- made possible thru the Rent/Trade Board.

 

[HookdonWDW]

Originally posted by BossBrody
I did all of the above and got burnt. Ressie was cancelled a week before I arrived. Disney can do nothing for you because you are not the member.

Luckily I got a contract , as well as the original reservation from Disney, and hopefully that will be enough in small claims court to get my money back.

I think it would be best to get references first.

I thought that this sounded vaguely familiar, but that something was a little out of whack. Although I hate to see anyone taken advantage of (especially on the DIS), it seems to me that there was ample warning that things were not as they should have been, and that the OP DIDN'T follow the advice given to renters... not that this excuses those who take advantage of situations.

Here is the original thread for those of you who don't remember this from last summer. Given the amount of time that has passed, I'm surprised that this case hasn't already made it to court.

Doc: I hope that it's okay to post the link to the original thread, I thought it might clear some things up. If it's not acceptable, please feel free to remove my entire post .

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=413857

 

[DisneyMomOK]

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