Opinions wanted: DVC Rentals

[Tagrel]

Well, I don't think I've read this suggestion before, and wondered what DVC members might think about it.

I know that many members do NOT like it when people reserve and then later sell hard to get reservations. What if DVC policy was changed to require that the name on the reservation could NOT change. Not all names, but that the named individual (or one of several) MUST be there at checkin. This way we could easily make reservations for family or friends, or even sell points - just not reserve ahead.

I would think this would end ebay rentals(pre-booked), and the practice of grabbing up popular times. Could this be suggested to DVC as something the membership could vote on? How would you vote?

Opinions? Flaws in the idea?

 

[RobDoc]

Such a change would have impacted me on two occasions. The first was a time when I had given a trip to DD. She found 1 week before that her family wouldn't be able to go at that time due to school obligations (she is a teacher). I gave the same reservation to a staff member by simply changing the names on the reservation.

Another time I had given a trip to my office manager who was unable to go at the last minute. I used the reservation myself rather than cancel (the points would have to go into Holding and I was in the last 2 months of the Use Year already.

In both cases, with the changes proposed, the reservations would have been cancelled and I would have been unable to use the points for another trip before they expired. Neither of these reservations were at hard-to-get times and both had been reserved 11 months prior.

I suspect there are far more cases like these that would be adversely affected by a change than the few who reserve with the intent to rent.

.02

 

[Tagrel]

Good points Doc. No change ever comes without a price of some sort. People complain about the booking and then selling practice, so I was interested in whether or not they'd be willing to pay the 'price' of change. Guess we can't complain if we don't want to pay the price!

I would think that an owner should ALWAYS be able to use their own reservations. As to the last minute cancellations - I guess that is always an issue. At least if the points go into holding you have a chance to use them yourself or sell them for a future reservation.

 

[Chuck S]

Well, I think there are certainly circumstances where people must change names on existing ressies...so I don't think that would work at all. We all have the same 11 month booking window so the key is PLAN AHEAD and use the phone rather than email for hard to get seasons, so you are booking in "real time".

While I don't think it is fair to other members to book hard to get ressies with the express purpose of renting them for profit, I doubt there is anything we can really do about it without it being a major inconvenience for all members.

 

[Lisa F]

I think it's an interesting idea, with maybe the addition that the name on the reservation can ALWAYS be changed back to the person who owns the points. That would have taken care of at least one of Doc's scenarios and ALWAYS allows the owner of the points to be able to use the reservation that they just made. This doesn't mean that if you need to change the name on the reservation that you CAN'T... just that you have to get in line behind anyone who is waiting for that room type. The more I think about it, the more I think it's a great idea.

Oops, skimmed over Tagrel's response. I guess we are thinking alike!

 

[CarolMN]

While I don't think it is fair to other members to book hard to get ressies with the express purpose of renting them for profit, I doubt there is anything we can really do about it without it being a major inconvenience for all members.

I agree with Chuck S. I think that this topic boils down to a values issue for the posters on this board and there will never be agreement on it. (It's always fun to read these threads, though. They bring out both the worst and the best in us and are almost always entertaining.)

IMHO, it would be a thankless and expensive task to enforce some members' idea of fairness. I do not want my dues to pay for that.

I learned a long time ago (managed several hundred union members for many years), that the definition of "fair" needed to be "what does the contract say?". We always ran into trouble when I or the Supervisors/Managers under my direction tried to implement any other definition of "fair". I learned the hard way that in Minnesota, the fair is in August. Or as some of my outstate folks used to say, "Fair is a place you take your pig."

That said, I do wish DVC would stop granting membership perks and discounts to renters. I would like to see a policy that says you only get "DVC Member" on your room ID if the owner is actually staying in the room with you or in another room at the same time (to take care of those who need multiple rooms to accomodate their guests). But I'm not willing to pay for that policy if it costs more than a few dollars to implement.

In summary, I do not want DVC to take on any significant expense trying to enforce anything that isn't clearly spelled out in the contract. My contract says it's OK to rent out my points. I don't need to pay for a legal battle to have a judge tell us that! I just don't think that those renting are causing enough of a problem to justify all this angst.

 

[tjkraz]

Originally posted by CarolMN
I just don't think that those renting are causing enough of a problem to justify all this angst.

Well put.

Is it an annoyance? Sure. But it's unrealistic to think that we could systematically prohibit every semi-devious action taken by a DVC member...particularly if you want to do it without restricting the actions of those who just wanna use their points.

 

[Cruelladeville]

I think your idea is a poor one. Why should I be there at check-in when I have given a DVC villa as a wedding gift, which I did several years ago? Many of us use our points as gifts for such occasions, you would be sacrificing one very important perk for everyone just to impact the very small minority who sell ressies on Ebay. Not good

 

[lesroi]

This change would also impact us negatively as we found out months after making our reservation that my parents and family can not go with us.

We have to change the name for checkin to my husband's family, who we invited in their stead.


I agree this might curb some of the snagging up of the "good" reservation times but I think it would be a big negative for most DVC members.


Just my .02!


Tracy

 

[JimC]

Tagrel, It is an interesting idea. With some modfications like the ones already mentioned it is even better. I am sure we have missed some others but that is why you have management vet the concept (to get it from concept to operations and cover the necessary design and details to do so).

 

[mikesmom]

I'm not for the idea at all. Like Doc, the only 2 times I have rented would have impacted me adversely. The first, I broke my leg and had to cancel a trip to BWV during the Food & Wine Fest. It was during a high popularity time (sold out, as a matter of fact), and it was within 30 days so I probably would have lost it if I couldn't have rented it. I was happy, and I'm sure my renter was happy to get a BWV ressie during that time. The 2nd time was for my sister in law and her brood. Her last name is obviously not the same as ours.

And so how many Ebay renters are we talking about anyway? 3? 6? Even a dozen? Out of how many thousand owners? It can be annoying, but it's not worth taking away flexibility from all the rest of us.

 

[LIFERBABE]

I don't like any revision that would impact the flexibility of DVC ownership. It seems to make every one happy DVC would have to go to selling specific weeks like other timeshares. What DVC did was eliminate the classes (Red, Platinum, Silver weeks etc.) and put everyone on a level ownership field. The member with 150 points can book the same week as a member with 1000 points.

I've never seen more than 2 DVC ressie listings at one time on Ebay when I do searches. It is disheartening to have to compete with members who have no intention of using the reservation, but the more we try to change DVC the less attractive and competive it becomes.

There are many less expensive and less flexible Timeshares available.

 

[Tagrel]

So, I'm hearing that most (so far) like the system as designed by Disney DVC. Notice I never stated that I was in support or opposed to this idea - just trying to hear opinions.

I actually LIKE the current flexibility and joined for those reasons. There will always be those that take advantage of any system. So it really does come down to whether or not people are willing to give something up. Can't have it both ways!

I think CarolMN hit the nail on the head. You can't please everyone, but it seems DVC did a pretty good job when they came up with the rules we all agreed to. While they don't curb all mis-use, they provide some great choices and flexibility that can be a real value when someone is truly in need.

thanks!

 

[Tagrel]

Originally posted by Cruelladeville
I think your idea is a poor one. Why should I be there at check-in when I have given a DVC villa as a wedding gift, which I did several years ago? Many of us use our points as gifts for such occasions, you would be sacrificing one very important perk for everyone just to impact the very small minority who sell ressies on Ebay. Not good

Sorry you misunderstood this Cruella - I never said the member had to be there at checkin. I said that someone named in the original reservation had to be there. This just means that an owner couldn't reserve a room at 11 months without knowing at least SOMEONE staying there.

 

[spiceycat]

that wouldn't work for me either - I made a Thanksgiving reservation for someone here at work (it was a gift) in October she say she couldn't go - so I changed it to another person at work - then at the first of Nov she says that she couldn't go - so then I changed it to my brother.

this is not the only time this has happened to me.

I only have 4 weeks vacation - I spend 3 weeks at least at MK - then I use the other week for longer weekend vacations and sometimes go on Holidays - 3 day weekends.

So these extra trips I would have just lost the points.

 

[CarolA]

Am I the only person in the world who does not really worry about renting?

I have read all the threads and while I know there are a few professional renters, I can't say it would actually make financial sense so I figure they are the minority and we should not let the minority rule!