Just rented points--have confirmation number-- how do I confirm

[LucieH]

I just rented points for the first time and loved the woman I dealt with. I have a confirmation number and called DVC to try and confirm that there was indeed a reservation made and they told me they can't even confirm there was a reservation made-- that if I am not the member they cannot talk to me about anything-- not even with a reservation number. How can I confirm there was indeed a reservation made? I already set my money via Paypal and want to know that we do indeed have reservations! HELP!
Thanks
Lucie H

 

[ckg]

I just rented points for the first time and loved the woman I dealt with. I have a confirmation number and called DVC to try and confirm that there was indeed a reservation made and they told me they can't even confirm there was a reservation made-- that if I am not the member they cannot talk to me about anything-- not even with a reservation number. How can I confirm there was indeed a reservation made? I already set my money via Paypal and want to know that we do indeed have reservations! HELP!
Thanks
Lucie H

You should ask the member to fax you or mail you the confirm letter once they recieve it in the mail.

 

[RobDoc]

You will not be able to confirm the reservation, except through the person from whom you rented, until a few days before arrival. At that time you can call the resort directly and they can see if your name is on the reservation. The resort will not get the infromation until a few days prior to arrival, so there is no benefit in calling them earlier than that. Not even another member can confirm the reservation thru DVC, only the member who has made the reservation can discuss the reservation until you check in at the resort.

You should recieve the printed confirmation in your name (it will be sent to the member and usually takes about 10 days). If you want the Dining Plan or DME the member will also need to set that up for you in advance.

Hopefully, you already had a contract from the member outlining all of this before you sent any money.

I'm sure everything will be fine. Enjoy your trip!

 

[Blahnde]

How can I confirm there was indeed a reservation made?

The complete answer is you cannot! This is one of the risks of renting. Even if you get a confirmation letter (as the prior poster suggested) the reservation could be cancelled by the point owner at any time. Even if you have a confirmation letter and confirm with the resort a few days before arrival, it could be cancelled by the time you get there. Disney and DVC will do nothing for you because they are not involved in your agreement with the owner.

Now having said all this, most owners are not out to scam renters. There are very, very few posts of people being taken by disreputable owners. I estimate that there have been thousands, if not millions, of successful rentals based upon my own experience and reading these boards for a few years. This is why I think the most important factor in a rental is solid references of prior renters. If an owner has successfully rented before, the odds decrease that they are now trying to scam you.

So while you will be able to confirm with the resort within a week of arrival, there is no way to do it now. And even if you do it then, there is no guarantee that the reservation will be there the day you arrive.

Blahnde

 

[LucieH]

Thanks for the responses! I appreciate the help and thoughts! This is a great board!
LucieH

 

[I.heart.disney]

Ask the person from who you rented to make a three way call to DVC Member Services. Every time I've rented that's what I do to give a little peace of mind to the person renting my points. I just call MS and right after I've given all my personal info, I make the three way connection so she can hear the confirmation. Hope this helps!

 

[disneynutz]

I just rented points for the first time and loved the woman I dealt with. I have a confirmation number and called DVC to try and confirm that there was indeed a reservation made and they told me they can't even confirm there was a reservation made-- that if I am not the member they cannot talk to me about anything-- not even with a reservation number. How can I confirm there was indeed a reservation made? I already set my money via Paypal and want to know that we do indeed have reservations! HELP!
Thanks
Lucie H

You should have checked out the Member B4 renting. Check out the DIS Rent/Trade Board. At the top you will find some great info about renting. Bottom line is you both have to have trust in each other for rentals to work.

 

[Blahnde]

Ask the person from who you rented to make a three way call to DVC Member Services. Every time I've rented that's what I do to give a little peace of mind to the person renting my points. I just call MS and right after I've given all my personal info, I make the three way connection so she can hear the confirmation. Hope this helps!

While I do not think this is a bad idea, and it has a lot of merit when there are variables involved (variety of dates, different resort choices, etc.), there is absolutely nothing preventing you from simply calling back and cancelling the reservation. I am not in any way saying you would do this, but I just want future renters to know that while this may make them more comfortable, it is a false sense of security because it is in no way is any more safe. Again, I do not think that most owners are out to scam renters, but this reservation method is no more secure than any other.

Blahnde

 

[Deb & Bill]

Ask the person from who you rented to make a three way call to DVC Member Services. Every time I've rented that's what I do to give a little peace of mind to the person renting my points. I just call MS and right after I've given all my personal info, I make the three way connection so she can hear the confirmation. Hope this helps!

A person who wants to cheat you out of your money can make a three way call to MS and then call them back to cancel the reservation or change the name once you hang up. Or do a three way call to a buddy who pretends to be MS. A three way call is no confirmation of your reservation.

 

[widvc4us]

great post... am saving these answers for future reference...I think the 3 way call would give me peace of mind if I were renting

 

[disneynutz]

great post... am saving these answers for future reference...I think the 3 way call would give me peace of mind if I were renting

If it gives you peace of mind then you are a target for a scam.

As posted before, a three way call is a waist of time and does nothing to guarantee that you will have a reservation one minute after the call is made.

I hate to see anyone being taken advantage of and I don't want you to think that you are safe because of the three way call.

If you don't trust the DVC Member then don't rent.

 

[msteddom]

I have rented points successfully three times now. It does take a great deal of trust. There have been a few people that I have not opted to rent from because something just didn't feel right throughout the course of our communication. I'm not sure I have any great advice other than just trust your instincts. Good luck!

Melissa

 

[Caskbill]

I estimate that there have been thousands, if not millions, of successful rentals based upon my own experience and reading these boards for a few years.

Not being critical but more trying to be educational, while it's fun to throw out guesses, suggesting there have been millions of rentals is kind of pushing it.

If we estimate that in a year DVC will have about 2500 villas available for reservatiions, and the average stay is 5-nights, then that will be 182,000 total reservations available in all of DVC for a full year. If we say as much as 5% of these will be rentals, then that will be up to 9000 rentals in all of DVC for a year. And that's AFTER all the new resorts open up. At that rate it would take 111 years to get to 1 million rentals.


If we look at past history, OKW is the oldest resort and has 531 units and has been open 15 years. If we use the above numbers (5% rentals, 5-nights stays) then OKW has had maybe 2000 rentals/year, or a total of 30,000 rentals so far. The other resorts are smaller, or much newer so their totals would be far less. Examples: VWL has 136 units and opened about 8 years. BCV 208 units and open for 6 years, BWV 383 units and open for 12 years. SSR full resort only open for the last couple of years, and a very small portion of AKV currently open at all.

Put another way, if an average rental was 5-nights, then 1-million rentals would be 5 million nights. That's 13,700 years worth of nights.

A million is a big number...

I guess it's hearing politicians throw out huge numbers like this all the time makes us think they aren't as big as they really are.

 

[disneynutz]

Caskbill is a numbers kind of guy.

 

[JimMIA]

I guess it's hearing politicians throw out huge numbers like this all the time makes us think they aren't as big as they really are.

Yeah...usually they use numbers like billions and trillions to describe the benefits they promise, and dozens and hundreds to describe the additional taxes they will put on us. The truthful answer is we'll get millions of $'s in benefits and billions of $'s in new taxes. It's an immutable law of politics.

 

[CarolMN]

Those who want to discuss politics should do so on the Community Forum. Thank you.

FWIW, I have been reading the DIS for nearly 10 years and there have been more posts about owners losing out than there have been about renters losing a reservation or money. My advice to the renter is to get a real name, address and telephone numbers. Talk voice to voice before you send money. PMs and emails are not sufficient (IMHO). If either party doesn't feel good about the other person's integrity or knowledge after a real-time conversation, walk away and find someone else.

Most misunderstandings (no fraud intended on either side) we hear about on the DIS happen because either the renter or the owner (sometimes both) doesn't really understand DVC processes and procedures. Experience counts! While I do not think contracts are of much use legally (too costly to enforce), I am a big fan of them - they help to make sure both parties have the same understanding of the transaction.

 

[I.heart.disney]

A person who wants to cheat you out of your money can make a three way call to MS and then call them back to cancel the reservation or change the name once you hang up. Or do a three way call to a buddy who pretends to be MS. A three way call is no confirmation of your reservation.

I honestly have done it several times with people who have rented from me. And while I completely agree with its possibility to turn out bad, I do it as just one form of confirmation to the renter. Written confirmations take several days to arrive, so it is just a way to give peace of mind to the person who has just sent money to me. I DO however, forward all emails and letters sent to me by DVC as well; its not like I'll just give them the call as a confirmation. So you see, not everyone is out there to scam people around.

I didn't know the renter could call the resort a couple days before leaving to confirm! I think that's great and will suggest it next time I plan renting some points.

 

[Deb & Bill]

...I didn't know the renter could call the resort a couple days before leaving to confirm! I think that's great and will suggest it next time I plan renting some points.

Even that isn't 100%. I've read on the DIS where non-members called the resort and the resort tried to connect them to MS. When they asked MS, they were not told anything. So it isn't a sure thing either.

 

[pzflkw]

I have been researching the security aspect of renting myself as I have points that I am considering renting. I have found a couple of brokers that will act as a transaction broker for the buyer/seller for a small fee. Does anyone use this means for transacting a secure and safe rental? Seems reasonable to me.

 

[5forDiz]

I have been researching the security aspect of renting myself as I have points that I am considering renting. I have found a couple of brokers that will act as a transaction broker for the buyer/seller for a small fee. Does anyone use this means for transacting a secure and safe rental? Seems reasonable to me.

If you are talking about a broker talking to MS and handling the actual making of reservation for a renter you would need to add that broker as an 'associate member' on your dvc member account in order for that party to do that. ( speaking strictly for our family's dvc account that is something we'd never do - give an outside party access so to speak ).

Maybe I'm just having trouble understanding exactly what the purpose of the ' transaction broker ' that you speak of would be .... what safeguards can this broker provide that can realistically make the transaction more safe or secure ? imho either party can still turn around and not fulfill their obligation to the other.