Is this legal for DVC to do?

[Sammie]

No, not at all. Their purpose is not to get stiffed for legitimate charges or damages.

Very good point, Dean. Which places the blame or responsibility right back on the member.

 

[Dean]

Very good point, Dean. Which places the blame or responsibility right back on the member.

Exactly and as it should be, IMO.

 

[DebbieB]

I agree that members should be responsible for their renters or guests transgressions. But in this case, it was Disney's screwup and I would expect them to research it to try to straighten it out, not just throw it back to the member. It doesn't seem like they researched this problem at all. They didn't even contact the member to tell them there was a problem. They were getting calls from the guest saying he owed money but they paid no attention. Luckily for the OP it was their BIL.

 

[MiaSRN62]

PamOKW says : I'm surprised so many people weren't aware of this before they rented points. Disney makes it very clear that they do not offer any accomodation to aid in the rental of units.

I guess I'm just suprised that the resort messes up so bad in not charging the "renter's" credit card when it was supplied at check-in. I just don't see that the OP/owner should have ever had to deal with this mess had the resort done it correctly in the first place
I can totally understand how, as owners, we're responsible for damages etc. But in this case, I just don't think it ever had to come to this situation (account being put on hold). There were several attempts by the bil to pay the bill.

 

[Dean]

I guess I'm just suprised that the resort messes up so bad in not charging the "renter's" credit card when it was supplied at check-in. I just don't see that the OP/owner should have ever had to deal with this mess had the resort done it correctly in the first place
I can totally understand how, as owners, we're responsible for damages etc. But in this case, I just don't think it ever had to come to this situation (account being put on hold). There were several attempts by the bil to pay the bill.

Of course it didn't. DVC would have eventually contacted the owner but it usually takes them a month or two for the debt to work through the system. One, or likely several, mistakes were made to get to this point. But it happens and I'd bet it will happen again.

 

[PamOKW]

I'm also not sure how the billing got so screwed up either Luckily, it is a cooperative family member involved in this case. This should also be a reminder to be sure people know how to get in touch with their renters "after the fact". You never know what could pop up down the road.

Whatever the problem, no matter whose fault, it is as if it's the members' problem. Subsitute "member" for brother in the current scenario. Has DVC/Disney made mistakes handling this situation? It sure looks like it. But, the rule about not taking a reservation when there are outstanding monetary issues -- unpaid dues, outstanding charges, etc. -- applies no matter who actually made the charges. Once he talks to accounting, they will either immediately resolve the problem or may give the okay to take a reservation while the problem is unraveled.

 

[dizfanz]

I still stand by my opinion I do not see how a member would be liable in a court of law for charges to a room made at restaurants, gift shops etc... When you give the front desk a credit card for room charges, they preauthorize it to see how much can be charged. They tell you something like you have $500, $1000 or $1500 available for room charges. Once you reach that limit, they bill your credit card and give you another line of credit for room charges. They are not using the room as collateral for the charges, they are using the available credit left on the card as collateral. The amount they let you charge at one time generally depends upon the type of card., ie: regular, gold, platinum AMEX or not. The decision on the limit they give you is a financial decision made by the hotel with the guest at the desk they have in front of them and the credit card they hold. How the heck do I become involved as an owner, not standing there? Particularly since I have not signed the receipt we all do when you check-in and put your card down for charges? I have said before that I understand that I am liable for the room condition as that relates to the "occupancy" term that we are throwing around here. Am I responsible if the guest goes down main street and throws a brick through one of the stores front windows? No. Should I be responsible to pay for their meal at CRT? or Victoria and Alberts? HELL NO!!!

 

[NMW]

I feel bad for the OP. Giving points to a family member is not the same thing as renting to strangers (luckily for the OP). We don't plan to ever rent points. If for some reason we could not use them in any given year, I'd bank them.

I think it's so wrong to guess that the OP is a troll. We have many DVC friends who do not post on this board. Also, as someone pointed out, every one has to have their first post sometime. Just because that post involves a problem does not mean it is not "real".

 

[PamOKW]

He is not necessarily liable to pay the charges but he is not permitted to make a new reservation until outstanding issues with his last reservation are resolved.

If his brother had used his credit card at a WDW restaurant and had a billing problem, you are correct that the issue would be between Disney, his brother and the CC. But, he charged to his room. This is how the member now becomes part of the mix. DVC/Disney did not rent a room to his brother. They allowed a DVC member to use his membership to rent a room. The member in turn rented/allowed use to someone else. The member is the repsonsible party as far as Disney is concerned.

His brother throws a brick through a window at the MK -- not the member's problem. His brother throws a brick through the window of his DVC unit or paints the OKW lighthouse bright green. DVC property -- being used by a DVC member -- problem for the owner.

 

[Doctor P]

I don't think people really understand that the OP is NOT being directly held accountable for the bill, per se. It may very well be POSSIBLE that DVC/DVD/WDW may not be able to collect the bill from the owner if they went to court, however I doubt that any court would tell them that they can't deny future reservations until the bill is settled. Two very different things--the onus is on the owner to get the "renter" to pay up to resume their membership privileges.

 

[dizfanz]

Pam, I agree with you about my "guest" damaging DVC property. That is why I specified main street and not DVC damage. Therefore, do you not see a difference between dinner at Citricos and dinner ordered through room service. Room service can be charged to the room based upon your occupancy. No credit card is needed. I would be liable. Citricos can be charged on your room key, only because you have put a credit card down. Is there "occupancy" involved? Yes. But "occupancy" itself does not allow Citricos to be charged. It can only be done with a credit card or cash being put down first.

 

[Y-ASK]

Which might be DVC's intent all along. I consider my DVC membership truly my "home away from home". I would never allow anyone to use my membership that I would not allow to use my own personal home. I do not want to be held responsible for some stranger.

Come On! Not to pick on Sammie but DVC resorts are run as a Hotel. Anyone regradless of who you are can pay cash and stay at any of these resorts. If you want to make it your "home away from home" demand that DVC close the door on such reservations. Demand that only DVC owners and their guest can stay. Make it so that only reservations on the points system can be made and then, maybe you can call it your "Home away from Home".

I agree that I don't think DVC's position, that the member is responsible for the guest purchases while staying at the resort, would stand up in court. I think the matter will be settled on Monday and I'll be adding the "Guest cannot charge anything to room" clause in any future points that I plan to rent.

Y-ASK

 

[Chuck S]

I have said before that I understand that I am liable for the room condition as that relates to the "occupancy" term that we are throwing around here. Am I responsible if the guest goes down main street and throws a brick through one of the stores front windows? No. Should I be responsible to pay for their meal at CRT? or Victoria and Alberts? HELL NO!!!

So the person that "pays" for the room reservation shouldn't be liable? Remember, under all circumstances it is the MEMBERS reservation, no matter who stays in the room. It is paid for with members points.

 

[ralphd]

I think anyone who owns a timeshare should read the contract they signed. Think all timeshare resorts place the responsibility for damage or other expenses incurred during a reservation on the owner, regardless of who actually uses the unit.
Resorts will try to resolve the problem with the occupant, but..............

 

[OneMoreTry]

When I stay at DVC it seems that the charges to my card are not DVC charges, but resort charges. I would suspect that most of these charges were for stuff OUTSIDE the BWV. And those charges AT BW were probably for non-DVC stuff. I wouldn't accept any of the advice here without reading the fine print myself, getting all the paper work and receipts and speaking with someone in charge to straighten this out.

There is something strange going on.

If your BIL was so anxious to pay before, I'm sure he'll be glad to pay now. That's nice to know.

 

[vascubaguy]

So the person that "pays" for the room reservation shouldn't be liable? Remember, under all circumstances it is the MEMBERS reservation, no matter who stays in the room. It is paid for with members points.

You are correct... however charging items to the room is something that is offered as an additional service by the hotels/resorts. If they screw up it shouldn't default back to the member to take care of their mistake. That is the reason they scan the credit cards when you check-in.

 

[Doctor P]

Excuse me....but why shouldn't it default back to the person who holds the reservation? Anyone but a member who stays in the room is a guest on the member's reservation. It's just like you making a reservation at a hotel and paying for it and then letting someone else stay there. It's your room...you are responsible for any and all charges to the room.

 

[Dream1]

As a renter of points, and a future DVC member, this scares me. 1st off, if I rent a car for my Brother, and he goes to Dillard’s and buys a suite with a bad CC, can Dillard’s ask me to pay the bill because I provided the transportation to the store----NO!

By renting DVC points, I am only given a room to stay in and ability to charge items that are offered by the hotel at which that room is located. All other charges have to come from outside of that hotel, which make them purchases that are secured with a credit card or cash at check-in. “Secured” is the key word. The ability to charge outside of the Hotel must be secured with a CC or CASH. If I give them a card and they tell me the card is expired, I cannot just ask them to put it on the DVC member’s account.

The OP’s situation is the result of an error made by the Hotel/Resort. They should correct the issue and bill the party that signed for the room and provided the CC that “Secured” the ability to charge to the room for off-property expenditures. I hope a DVC member can get a defined answer from the DVC and post it here.

 

[JessetheCowgirl]

Wow! This is a situation that I had never thought of.

We did buy into DVC with the full intention of using ALL of our points ourselves, but did end up with "extra" (unbankable) points this year that we are renting to two other DISer families.

I hope the OP gets this resolved!

 

[Chuck S]

As a renter of points, and a future DVC member, this scares me. 1st off, if I rent a car for my Brother, and he goes to Dillard’s and buys a suite with a bad CC, can Dillard’s ask me to pay the bill because I provided the transportation to the store----NO!

But if you rent a car for your brother and he gets in an accident you will be held responsible. If he gets traffic tickets in that car, the rental company can come after you.