Sad Story from One Who Trusted without Checking!

[tor]

I don't agree with the policy of protecting the perpetrator's name. In the beginning one might say it is just a misunderstanding but at this late date without the money being returned or points transferred why protect the person? It only gives the person the oppurtunity to strike again.

As far as non members calling ms why? They can call the hotel to verify the reservation. It is not like they can tell ms to lock the reservation so it can't be canceled.

 

[jimh13432]

I don't agree with the policy of protecting the perpetrator's name. In the beginning one might say it is just a misunderstanding but at this late date without the money being returned or points transferred why protect the person? It only gives the person the oppurtunity to strike again.

As far as non members calling ms why? They can call the hotel to verify the reservation. It is not like they can tell ms to lock the reservation so it can't be canceled.

What good would it do to release the person's name? They would only re-register with a new name if it ever became a problem. "Renter" beware. If you're renting points you need to know who you're dealing with and be comfortable that the person is not going to screw you.

As far as non memebers calling MS, MS is paid for by DVC members for DVC members use.

 

[JimMIA]

I don't agree with the policy of protecting the perpetrator's name. In the beginning one might say it is just a misunderstanding but at this late date without the money being returned or points transferred why protect the person? It only gives the person the oppurtunity to strike again.

Well, you have to remember that 99% of the problematic rentals are actually only misunderstandings...not fraud. If anyone could post anyone else's ID, you'd have a lot of baseless accusations, and there would be no way to tell legit claims from silly ones.

What good would it do to release the person's name? They would only re-register with a new name if it ever became a problem.

I wasn't talking about a screen name. I was talking about the actual name. This person, in fact, has used several screen names.

 

[DMKEDM]

It occurs to me that our opinions on whether we should/can post "PP's" name are kind of irrelevant...it's not our decision! It's entirely up to Disboards...and they say "no." I'm sure they have their reasons (I can think of several possibilities right off the top of my head), but bottom line is that this is their website and they get to make the rules! I shall abide by them, and be grateful they let me say as much as I've said, and that they make not only this discussion site, but also the R/T board, available to us!

And as a previous poster mentioned, the "wheels of justice" move slowly...no update to provide, and we don't expect to have one for a while yet...

Happy weekend to everyone...

Dani

 

[BeccaG]

I have been lurking on this thread (along with many others by looking at the view count) and I just wanted to add my prayers and sympathy to Dani and Stacy! Thanks to all of you who offered advice and have been working behind the scene on this issue. To be frank, this has been one of the more civil "real" discussions I have read on the DIS. (As opposed to the threads that discuss the validity of SSR as a DVC resort ) Yes, people have been tense and opinionanted, but for the most part, personal attacks have been kept at a minimum. I think that is largely do to the fact that Stacy and Dani have been so positive themselves. Perhaps, if nothing else, this will help make us all, renters and rentees, a little wiser, fairer, more courteous, and more honest in our own transactions.

 

[BurkeTribe]

It occurs to me that our opinions on whether we should/can post "PP's" name are kind of irrelevant...it's not our decision! It's entirely up to Disboards...and they say "no." I'm sure they have their reasons (I can think of several possibilities right off the top of my head), but bottom line is that this is their website and they get to make the rules! I shall abide by them, and be grateful they let me say as much as I've said, and that they make not only this discussion site, but also the R/T board, available to us!

And as a previous poster mentioned, the "wheels of justice" move slowly...no update to provide, and we don't expect to have one for a while yet...

Happy weekend to everyone...

Dani

I think a lot of people have an idea of the first names and state, if the usernames/etc. from the PP's posts in the other thread are close to the real names... if they are, the PP outed herself/himself

If not... well, that's another red flag.

Of course, someone unlucky enough to have that first name in that state and trying to rent points owned by a relative may find the going tough for a while ....

 

[manning]

I don't agree with the policy of protecting the perpetrator's name. In the beginning one might say it is just a misunderstanding but at this late date without the money being returned or points transferred why protect the person? It only gives the person the oppurtunity to strike again.

I don't think I would like to get into the legal mess that revealing would bring on.

The policy should be left as is !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[robinb]

Just wanted to point out that MS phone policy is making it more dificult for a renter to confirm they actualy have a res. in their name before they send that payment to the person they are renting from

No one should send money until they have a written confirmation in their name. Like I said before, calling MS to verify a reservation is really a false sense of security. The member can cancel the reservation at any time.

I consider myself a DISNEY veteran having 30 some odd trips to the "world" since my first time in Easter of "73 with my parents
I like to come here and read how people experience the same magic that I feel each time We go to Disney World though some call it LURKING

As long as you share your own experiences I don't consider you a lurker .

 

[RichAyers]

I hate the fact that member services doesn't allow non members to call anymore
It was nice when a renter could call & check on their reservation with the confirmation #

Again, not a flame, but I wanted to reference this quote in my response since it was relevant:

The don't call it MEMBER SERVICES for nothing

RichAyers

 

[Sammie]

I don't agree with the policy of protecting the perpetrator's name. In the beginning one might say it is just a misunderstanding but at this late date without the money being returned or points transferred why protect the person? It only gives the person the oppurtunity to strike again.

As far as non members calling ms why? They can call the hotel to verify the reservation. It is not like they can tell ms to lock the reservation so it can't be canceled.

Putting the person's name on public display will accomplish nothing. JimMIA has offered to share enough detail to protect anyone thinking they might be dealing with the same person.

However the public display could possibly affect resolution of the situation.

 

[JimMIA]

To be frank, this has been one of the more civil "real" discussions I have read on the DIS. (As opposed to the threads that discuss the validity of SSR as a DVC resort ) Yes, people have been tense and opinionanted, but for the most part, personal attacks have been kept at a minimum. I think that is largely do to the fact that Stacy and Dani have been so positive themselves.

I'm glad you mentioned this, because I've been thinking the same thing since about page 10!

With the exception of the ROFR thread and one or two others, I rarely look at threads that have more than 5 pages, because by that time two or three people have usually paired off in a juvenile pissing contest, and I'm not interested in those. This thread has been very different -- it really does show the good side of the DIS -- and I think you are precisely right about the reason.

 

[JimMIA]

Putting the person's name on public display will accomplish nothing.

Actually, I think it would be big-time fun to do that, and then send them a text message to come look!

But as Dani rightly says, it would be against the rules.

 

[Tinkerbellcrafter]

This is horrible thing to happen. I am new to posting to the boards but have been reading them for awhile. I would not have seen the warning signs, either. Since we are currently looking for points, it is a clear now what to avoid.

 

[RDCAnthony]

I hope this has a happy ending

 

[JimMIA]

This is horrible thing to happen. I am new to posting to the boards but have been reading them for awhile. I would not have seen the warning signs, either. Since we are currently looking for points, it is a clear now what to avoid.

You might find this thread useful, because it's intended to put much of the helpful info from this thread in one place for prospective renters. http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=1255828

 

[tor]

It occurs to me that our opinions on whether we should/can post "PP's" name are kind of irrelevant...it's not our decision! It's entirely up to Disboards...and they say "no." I'm sure they have their reasons (I can think of several possibilities right off the top of my head), but bottom line is that this is their website and they get to make the rules! I shall abide by them, and be grateful they let me say as much as I've said, and that they make not only this discussion site, but also the R/T board, available to us!

And as a previous poster mentioned, the "wheels of justice" move slowly...no update to provide, and we don't expect to have one for a while yet...

Happy weekend to everyone...

Dani

I do realize it is not my decision to make but like all other customer service businesses it is not always the best idea to not give consideration to what the customer wants.

 

[JimMIA]

I do realize it is not my decision to make but like all other customer service businesses it is not always the best idea to not give consideration to what the customer wants.

Well, there are a lot of ways to look at that.

For one obvious point, what one customer wants may not be what the vast majority of customers want.

Secondly, what we want as customers may not be compatible with running the business. Customer desires are only one factor a business has to consider. They also have to consider legal issues, whether the idea meshes well with the strategic objectives of the business, and many other things. You've obviously been around the DIS long enough to know that they HAVE considered allowing what you suggest and have rejected the idea.

Third, the situation we have here with Dani and Stacey is one case where maybe there would be some small benefit to "naming names." But that benefit would be very transient, and this is a very rare situation. The truth is, this thread will fade into oblivion someday soon, and any temporary benefit of naming someone would be lost. You don't change established policies just because one bizarre exception occurs in which there might be some marginal and temporary benefit to deviating from the policy.

And finally, it's not necessary. There are no mysteries about identity in this particular situation, and we can confirm identity to anyone with a need to know without changing or violating DIS policies that make good sense in the first place.

If you feel strongly about this, I'd recommend that you PM WebmasterDoc and express your opinion.

 

[Lasrnw]

There are plenty of negatives about these transactions at this point. I would like to suggest that a thread be started stressing the positives in a transactions. Basically what to look for in a positive transaction - from both sides of the transaction. People renting points to others have had situations where they were concered about whether someone was going to pay them because of how they handled themselves the same as the people laying out the money do....this would help everyone. My opening comments would be that I will only send money with a written contract and that I try to do business close to home -

 

[JimMIA]

There are plenty of negatives about these transactions at this point. I would like to suggest that a thread be started stressing the positives in a transactions. Basically what to look for in a positive transaction - from both sides of the transaction. People renting points to others have had situations where they were concered about whether someone was going to pay them because of how they handled themselves the same as the people laying out the money do....this would help everyone. My opening comments would be that I will only send money with a written contract and that I try to do business close to home -

That's a very valid point, especially since this situation is an extremely rare occurrance. The overwhelming majority of rental transactions go off without a hitch, and we should remember that.

Disnyfanatic has started a thread called DVC Point Rental Primer which offers tips to prospective renters. Positive comments on that thread would be very welcome, and would be easier for a prospective renter to find later than suggestions on this thread.

 

[Cindi0511]

There are plenty of negatives about these transactions at this point. I would like to suggest that a thread be started stressing the positives in a transactions. Basically what to look for in a positive transaction - from both sides of the transaction. People renting points to others have had situations where they were concered about whether someone was going to pay them because of how they handled themselves the same as the people laying out the money do....this would help everyone. My opening comments would be that I will only send money with a written contract and that I try to do business close to home -

I have rented points only once, and that was last December. We had plenty of our own points, but there were no reservations to be had for a studio anywhere period. This situation could have easily happened to me, except that we used PayPal, which does give a small measure of protection. BUT, we needed a reservation and it went off without a hitch. I am not a trusting person by nature, so it was a huge leap of faith for me. The guy we rented from was great. We didn't have time to get even a confirmation letter, so it was all faith, even though we talked with a CM, I knew that didn't mean much. But, like I said, the DVC owner we rented from was true to his word and even sent a follow-up e-mail asking how our trip was. Yes, I paid more for the points than they were worth, but we were new to DVC and didn't realize how hard it would be to get a reservation in December.

All of that to say, Dani and Stacey, I love that you don't blame everyone else in the world for ignoring your own warning bells. I think that speaks VOLUMES for your characters, and I would love to know you in person. I also like that you are doing something about it, and that you were willing to swallow your pride to try to keep others from the same tragedy. I think there are probably thousands of rentals that go off wonderfully, but we can all always stop for a minute, take a deep breath and a step back and make sure it sounds and feels right. Still may not stop every scammer, but let's make it as hard for them as possible!

And thanks to everyone for keeping this civil.