Rental Company Ettiquette

[Red Dog Run]

I posted a rental booking with one of the rental companies a few weeks ago. After calling the to determine why it was not on the site, I was told because it was not "approved" yet. I thought that was odd since I completed the info as required. I had to discuss the specific best dates and was encouraged to switch the reservation to "better dates." Ok, I did. Well, it didn't rent, and I received an offer from someone else for those same points yesterday from another source. Of course, I rented. I emailed the original rental company stating that I no longer have the booking available and to please remove it. I got a reply that if I rent with them again in the future, I am to call them before I cancel a booking. Why? If I did that, I could have lost the rental from the other source. Is this the normal process? Call to ask permission to remove your booking? If so, I did not read the fine print well enough.

 

[Sandisw]

It all depends on the contract you sign with them, but I don’t remember ever having to do anything special to withdraw my points…although I have never tried to rent the confirmed reservation

 

[Epcot Forever Forever]

I posted a rental booking with one of the rental companies a few weeks ago. After calling the to determine why it was not on the site, I was told because it was not "approved" yet. I thought that was odd since I completed the info as required. I had to discuss the specific best dates and was encouraged to switch the reservation to "better dates." Ok, I did. Well, it didn't rent, and I received an offer from someone else for those same points yesterday from another source. Of course, I rented. I emailed the original rental company stating that I no longer have the booking available and to please remove it. I got a reply that if I rent with them again in the future, I am to call them before I cancel a booking. Why? If I did that, I could have lost the rental from the other source. Is this the normal process? Call to ask permission to remove your booking? If so, I did not read the fine print well enough.

Next time just don’t tell them why you’re pulling the booking down.

 

[CarolMN]

I doubt that criteria (call before you withdraw) is part of your contract. If it is, I would not do business with that particular company. I suspect the agent was just looking for a chance to keep your reservation/points available to them. AFAIK, very few brokers even have exclusive listing agreements. Always good to review the contracts before committing, though,

 

[Great3]

I always asked about this, what if I change my mind and don't want to rent the points anymore thru them for whatever reason and I if I don't like the answer, I move on.

For me, that kind of response from the rental agent will invoke a okay, sure, but there isn't gonna be a next time with you response. They need the points more than we need to rent out the points!

Great3

 

[robinb]

I emailed the original rental company stating that I no longer have the booking available and to please remove it. I got a reply that if I rent with them again in the future, I am to call them before I cancel a booking. Why? If I did that, I could have lost the rental from the other source. Is this the normal process? Call to ask permission to remove your booking? If so, I did not read the fine print well enough.

Did you ask them why they want you to call in advance of cancelling?

My guess would be so they don't waste their time processing a request for a reservation that no longer exists. If someone contacts them to book the reservation, it makes them look like incompetent fools if they have to go back to their renter and say, "Sorry. I know we said that reservation was available but it really isn't."

FWIW, I would have probably done the same as you: cancelled the reservation, used the points to book the new reservation and email the rental company to let them know the reservation was no longer available. In my mind you did nothing wrong but it's also not wrong for the rental company to make that kind of polite request.

 

[nw6675]

Next time just don’t tell them why you’re pulling the booking down.

As a renter, a similar thing happened to us to us, but in our case no notification. We were booking a confirmed reservation and the agency couldn't get the owner to finalize it. The member had not notified the agency it was not available any longer. I don't think the agency was very pleased.

 

[Great3]

Having said what I said, I was answering the question of asking for permission to remove the listing, that would rub me the wrong way. I do agree it's the right thing to do to notify the rental agent ASAP the minute you made a rental so that they can remove the availability and don't advertise something that's not available. I guess it all goes to say, have proper and courteous communications, but permission shouldn't be required to withdraw if it's not in the contract for the listing agreement.

Great3

 

[Cyberc1978]

IMO, I would have done the same, but I would never have called. I would however had sent them an email informing them.

IMO calling is so yesterday and what if you rented your points at 1.00 am. If you had called no one would have answered the phone anyway. With an email they can read it in their own pace and when they feel they have the time to do so.

/C

 

[robinb]

Having said what I said, I was answering the question of asking for permission to remove the listing, that would rub me the wrong way. I do agree it's the right thing to do to notify the rental agent ASAP the minute you made a rental so that they can remove the availability and don't advertise something that's not available. I guess it all goes to say, have proper and courteous communications, but permission shouldn't be required to withdraw if it's not in the contract for the listing agreement.

Great3

I didn't read it as the company wanting the DVC owner to ask permission to cancel the reservation and remove the listing. I read it as the company asking to be notified in advance so they can remove their listing and not have the situation that @eksmama01 ran into. A company insisting that I ask them permission on how I use my points would not fly with me.

 

[Great3]

I didn't read it as the company wanting the DVC owner to ask permission to cancel the reservation and remove the listing. I read it as the company asking to be notified in advance so they can remove their listing and not have the situation that @eksmama01 ran into. A company insisting that I ask them permission on how I use my points would not fly with me.

Understood, that’s why I responded a 2nd time, because in the initial read thru the opening post, I interpreted as asking for permission to cancel, that’s why I was harsh in my first response initially.

After a re-read of the OP and all other responses, I realized that the rental company was asking to be inform prior to OP making a side deal. However, I wouldn’t have waited until I officially cancel the rental before finalizing the side deal, given that the OP didn’t wait to inform the rental company. Meaning, I think the OP was courteous enough, and the rental company is asking for too much if asking for notification of cancellation before you made a side deal, because you never know when something is going to truly finalize or not. I don’t think it’s fair to ask OP to wait on finalization until after notification and especially acknowledgement.

Great3