How is this allowed? DVC rentals on ebay

[DisneyFansInLINY]

First off let me say that I am all for renting points when you do not plan to use your points. And also I completely understand renting your vacation week when you discover you can no longer travel. Of course this is when the price reflects the current point market value and is not price gouged.

In fact, even though I am a DVC owner, I will often have points transferred from other members as well as rent reservations from other members. And I have introduced my friends and family to the DVC rental world and they love it. We rented points for several trips before becoming owners. It is how we knew we would love it.

However, I am absolutely livid and disgusted at the ebay listings by other DVC owners. They are price gouging and asking over $25 per point for their reservations. Not to mention these reservations are for desired weeks. One ebay user in particular has 2 seperate listings for the Boardwalk at Christmas in a studio for over $3000. He has several other inflated rentals in his listings such as the Polynesian villas studio for over $11,000 for a couple of nights!

My family and I decided to go to Disney after Christmas and could not find anything available through DVC. Yet, these owners have decided to book several reservations for the sole purpose of renting them at ridiculous prices. I would have gladly rented their reservations if they had been reasonably priced at $14 or less per point. In fact I almost rented from another member on here in the rent section for $12 per point. However, I needed another night but it wasn't available and we did not want to switch hotels. So we are staying at Coronado Springs on a cash stay.

RCI does not allow owners to rent their reservations out. If you do and they find out, the reservation is cancelled and you are out your points.

I am not saying Disney should follow that type of policy. As I like the ability to rent points and to be able to rent my points as well. But something should be done to prevent owners from booking several reservations during prime weeks to sell at inflated prices on ebay. I know the rent section here and another site have moderators but ebay does not.

I see this as a problem that could lead to the end of our ability to rent points. As imagine the guest who bought their reservation off ebay for an expensive price and never stayed in a timeshare before. They read the auction and it was described as a Disney hotel room. No where was it listed that the person would not receive housekeeping. They have no understanding that the room is maintained by member's maintenance fees. They just know they paid a lot for the reservation and treat it like a hotel room. And then of course they are going to want to complain to the front desk about anything and everything if it isn't perfect because they paid thousands of dollars for their hotel room. But Disney didn't get that money... So what happens? Well I think they will put a stop to rentals altogether. As why should they be bothered by a non-paying guest of a DVC owner?

I might be over thinking this but I am angry. I am angry because it's not fair that greedy owners intentionally make reservations for the sole purpose to rent them at outrageous prices. They are taking reservations away from families that paid for their points and pay their maintenance fees to actually travel, not to turn a profit.

 

[DVC Mike]

Yes, speculative renting (where a member books a highly desirable reservation and then rents it out) can hurt other members attempting to book during the same time period. Others purchase more points than they need with the intent of covering their annual dues with the rental profits.

However, it is legal and acceptable for a member to do this (just like "walking a reservation" is). A member purchases an ownership interest and can rent them out if they so choose. It really doesn't matter if a member decides to use the points for themselves, family, friends or rents them out. It's their points.

I myself have never rented out my points. Nor have I been personally impacted by those that do.

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[disneynutz]

Supply and demand and the price gouging is not much different than what Disney charges. If the owner isn't breaking the rules then it is what it is. You have the same opportunity to book a reservation as they do.

Bill

 

[Minniesgal]

I kinda disagree with your point that renting is ok at $14 a point but not at $25. I think renting is either acceptable or it isn't. Otherwise where do you draw the line between what is acceptable and what isn't

At the end of the day if someone buys a DVC reservation on EBay up to them to understand what they bought. They can complain all they like about not getting housekeeping but it isn't going to change anything.

At tepee end of the day we life in a capitalist society which means the value of anything is what someone is willing to pay.

 

[Dean]

Renting is expressly allowed. People own and rent for different reasons. What one may find unacceptable, another may not. It's not possibly, feasible or reasonable to try to limit during the home resort window, reason, intent or price. IMO anyone should rent for what they can get. The only issue I have is renting where it's against the rules as for RCI.

 

[DisneyFansInLINY]

Ok

 

[Sammie]

Believe me Disney/DVC monitors Ebay very diligently and if that person is not operating within the boundaries of the contract they will take action and have before.

That said if they are within contract guidelines they have as much right to rent and ask whatever price. The buyer is the one that needs to do their homework as to price.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

A lot of those are RCI trades, and no, RCI and DVC don't appear to care one bit about those. Any listing that notes a $95 fee in the fine print is an RCI exchange into DVC. There are TONS of those on Ebay. When DVC was with II this was policed. Since they went with RCI it's open season on DVC rentals and nobody does anything about it.

You can literally watch a unit go up on RCI, get claimed, and then go onto Ebay in a matter of hours (or less). The really desirable ones like BCV hardly see the light of day before a mega-renter grabs them up and sticks them on Ebay. It's the same people over and over so you'd think it would be easy to do something about it if DVC or RCI really wanted to.

 

[Dean]

A lot of those are RCI trades, and no, RCI and DVC don't appear to care one bit about those. Any listing that notes a $95 fee in the fine print is an RCI exchange into DVC. There are TONS of those on Ebay. When DVC was with II this was policed. Since they went with RCI it's open season on DVC rentals and nobody does anything about it.

You can literally watch a unit go up on RCI, get claimed, and then go onto Ebay in a matter of hours (or less). The really desirable ones like BCV hardly see the light of day before a mega-renter grabs them up and sticks them on Ebay. It's the same people over and over so you'd think it would be easy to do something about it if DVC or RCI really wanted to.

It was II, not DVC that policed the issue then and I'd agree that RCI has been less stringent on policing this but it's RCI's rule, not DVC. RCI will semi formally allow one to recoup all direct costs like exchange fees and guest certificate fees.

 

[Dean]

Ok

Sometimes people read the statements in POS and interpret them as not being able to rent for profit and to buy ONLY for personal use, but that's not actually what it says. It simply says, as required by state law to be included, that one shouldn't expect profit or even to be able to rent because of the competition and limitations in doing so in the marketplace. It stems from the historical issue of timeshares selling touting rental profit, it is NOT a statement of exclusion. Some have bought to rent (a poor choice in my book) but more realistically today is that many have bought extra to rent to be able to afford the ownership.

 

[crazybones27]

I can understand how $25 a point is high. Also realize it's eBay and prices are almost always inflated to begin with. Sellers always mark up the product a certain amount to cover all the hidden eBay and PayPal costs. It's just how eBay works. Yes there are plenty of good deals on there but there are also a ton of inflated deals. It doesn't bother me when I see the listings honestly. They are owners doing what they want with the points they purchased. I do understand your frustration but it's just the way it is. We got in to collecting Vinylmation a few years back (now since out of it) and learned really quick how inflated eBay can get. You just have to roll with it .

 

[supersnoop]

I kinda disagree with your point that renting is ok at $14 a point but not at $25. I think renting is either acceptable or it isn't. Otherwise where do you draw the line between what is acceptable and what isn't

But there is a line. The POS specifically allows renting, but prohibits using your membership for commercial purposes. Now, can you say that there's a dollar threshold that delineates a rental between personal and commercial use? Is there a strategy or profit motive that would make a difference? I think DVC could make an argument that booking a highly desirable week well in advance with the intent of renting it out for an inflated price would be a "commercial purpose."

 

[Dean]

But there is a line. The POS specifically allows renting, but prohibits using your membership for commercial purposes. Now, can you say that there's a dollar threshold that delineates a rental between personal and commercial use? Is there a strategy or profit motive that would make a difference? I think DVC could make an argument that booking a highly desirable week well in advance with the intent of renting it out for an inflated price would be a "commercial purpose."

I don't believe so nor do I think it'd be feasible to police it regardless. In order to invoke the "commercial" issue they have to come up with a definition that essentially any reasonable person would agree with. The 20 per year and commercial website do meet that test.

 

[disneynutz]

But there is a line. The POS specifically allows renting, but prohibits using your membership for commercial purposes. Now, can you say that there's a dollar threshold that delineates a rental between personal and commercial use? Is there a strategy or profit motive that would make a difference? I think DVC could make an argument that booking a highly desirable week well in advance with the intent of renting it out for an inflated price would be a "commercial purpose."

Try proving intent.

Bill