Think twice about booking with Storytime

[Mynamewastaken]

I made a ressie about a year ago to stay at Storytime Kingdom with my family. Unfortunately, my family is unable to make it so I canceled. I paid a deposit of $380.00 which is non-refundable. I asked if it were possible for them to apply that money for a future stay at another time when we could make it. I got a no to that question. I think it says a lot about this company or the individuals who run it. I will NEVER ever recommend staying there to anyone. I feel like they are thieves. I think it should be illegal what they are doing. Now I am out 380.00 and I can't even apply it to a future stay. I think that is so wrong on so many levels. I am fuming. Does anyone side with me on this one?

 

[softballmom3]

I do feel for you. Do you have more info we could have? Did you have a rental agreement that stated terms? I have always had one when renting from someone.

 

[rwdavis2]

They told you up front it was non-refundable. What are you complaining about? They did exactly what they told you they would do.

 

[BearcatsFan]

I made a ressie about a year ago to stay at Storytime Kingdom with my family. Unfortunately, my family is unable to make it so I canceled. I paid a deposit of $380.00 which is non-refundable. I asked if it were possible for them to apply that money for a future stay at another time when we could make it. I got a no to that question. I think it says a lot about this company or the individuals who run it. I will NEVER ever recommend staying there to anyone. I feel like they are thieves. I think it should be illegal what they are doing. Now I am out 380.00 and I can't even apply it to a future stay. I think that is so wrong on so many levels. I am fuming. Does anyone side with me on this one?

ETA: I found the website. In their FAQ, it clearly states that a cancellation fee of 20% (which is the amount of your deposit) will be charged if you cancel. http://storytimeorlandorental.com/faq/

 

[Mynamewastaken]

3 months out and I am complaining because it is a lot of money. They never said it was non-transferable. So wrong.

 

[BearcatsFan]

3 months out and I am complaining because it is a lot of money. They never said it was non-transferable. So wrong.

It isn't transferrable because they consider that a cancellation fee.

I'm sorry for your situation, OP, and I know that's a lot of money (to us, too). But there's nothing wrong or illegal about what they're doing - it was right there in the FAQ on their website.

 

[softballmom3]

I had considered renting from them once now that I think about it and went with another company due to the cancellation conditions (vacation central Florida). It stinks but they are pretty upfront about it now that I looked and remembered my own researching a couple of years ago.

 

[conniehar90]

I agree that these owners are not thieves and really did nothing wrong.
However, I feel for the OP and agree that the owner would be in a better position to allow the funds to be transferable. It is good customer service. They would have a happy customer that may return or make recommendations to others.

The downside to the owner is that they then have unbooked time in their unit but 3 months seems like a decent amount of time to find someone to rent it. If it were two weeks out, that is a different story. Even if that were the case, I might try to work with the renter and allow a partial amount to be transferable. It is a fine line.

 

[mikehn]

Losing your deposit is a bummer or sure, and it happens to all of us at some point. But that's the way it goes.

 

[aubriee]

They told you up front it was non-refundable. What are you complaining about? They did exactly what they told you they would do.

I agree! They did nothing wrong. I don't understand how the OP can be upset. They did exactly what they said they would do. In the FAQ it clearly states they will keep 20%, which is the deposit. It is not transferable (and no where does it say it is), because they consider that $380.00 the cancellation fee. Not sure why the OP would expect them to make an exception for her. I wouldn't expect to get it back. I just cut and pasted this from their FAQ:



There is a cancellation fee of 20% of the booking value (your deposit) for reservations cancelled prior to your arrival.

If you cancel before 60 days of your arrival, your rental fees will be refunded in full, minus the cancellation fee.

 

[Lewisc]

I made a ressie about a year ago to stay at Storytime Kingdom with my family. Unfortunately, my family is unable to make it so I canceled. I paid a deposit of $380.00 which is non-refundable. I asked if it were possible for them to apply that money for a future stay at another time when we could make it. I got a no to that question. I think it says a lot about this company or the individuals who run it. I will NEVER ever recommend staying there to anyone. I feel like they are thieves. I think it should be illegal what they are doing. Now I am out 380.00 and I can't even apply it to a future stay. I think that is so wrong on so many levels. I am fuming. Does anyone side with me on this one?

Side with you? The cancellation penalties are very clear. Travel insurance would have covered you if you bought it and needed to cancel for a covered reason. I can't think of any reason why the company should give a credit to you but not every other customer.

When did you book? When did you try to cancel? Before or after you booked BWI and POR for the same vacation? Looks like you've changed your Disney reservations a couple of times. People who like flexibility have no business booking offsite vacation homes and condos through the owner (or renting agents). You don't get the price advantages of booking through an owner and still get the flexibility of booking directly with a hotel. You don't book something with a 20% cancellation penalty as a backup.

 

[Brian Noble]

agree that the owner would be in a better position to allow the funds to be transferable.

Nice for the renter, but not so much for the owners. They may have had to turn away several other people in the meantime who might have rented that home, and have gone elsewhere instead. It's also work to deal with a new set of renters---answering questions, etc. etc. Different owners may have different policies, but this is not at all unreasonable.

If you want the flexibility to be able to change your plans on a whim, you need to book something that allows you to cancel without penalty (or with a penalty you can live with). Such options usually cost a little more. That's the price you pay for flexibility.

From where I sit, the OP has no reason to be upset with Storytime---they did exactly what they said they'd do. But, the advice is spot on: think twice before booking something with a non-refundable deposit. Your really good deal might become a not-so-great-one if you must change your plans. If you can't afford to self-insure, you should also strongly consider buying trip insurance.

 

[BearcatsFan]

Nice for the renter, but not so much for the owners. They may have had to turn away several other people in the meantime who might have rented that home, and have gone elsewhere instead. It's also work to deal with a new set of renters---answering questions, etc. etc. Different owners may have different policies, but this is not at all unreasonable.

If you want the flexibility to be able to change your plans on a whim, you need to book something that allows you to cancel without penalty (or with a penalty you can live with). Such options usually cost a little more. That's the price you pay for flexibility.

From where I sit, the OP has no reason to be upset with Storytime---they did exactly what they said they'd do. But, the advice is spot on: think twice before booking something with a non-refundable deposit. Your really good deal might become a not-so-great-one if you must change your plans. If you can't afford to self-insure, you should also strongly consider buying trip insurance.

This, and make sure you read the FAQ and all of the policies before you book anywhere and pay out any money you might not be entitled to get back if you have to cancel.

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I think the real lesson here is that while booking home rentals, timeshare rentals etc.. may save you money but you are often subject to a more punative cancellation policy.

The OP's "rant" wouldn't stop me from renting. While three months sounds like a lot of time it's really not and they kept the unit off the market for months for OP. Expecting a refund when they could have passed up rentals is just not realistic. OP held the unit for a year... she/he reserved a year in advance but thinks that the owners should be able to recoup the money within 90 days? Doesn't make sense to me.

If your plans aren't firm, hotels may be a safer bet. Or you can look into insurance. I insured a trip to London with an apt rental that's not refundable. If we can't go for a covered reason the insurance will pay me. I won't be out money.

 

[jeff968]

The airlines are worse with their inflexibilty for their customers. Even if a passenger dies they will hardly do a thing for you. Just know that if you change or cancel your plans, plan to lose your deposit or your payment. You just want to make sure as much as possible not to change your plans.

 

[cey]

Four years my dh had heart surgery and was unable to travel. We had previously booked a villa for two weeks, but had to cancel as he was unable to obtain medical insurance. Our owner was wonderful and allowed us to apply our downpayment to our booking the next year. Turned out, that we stayed an extra two weeks, so it was a win-win situation all around. Just because your contract, states the deposit is non-refundable, most reputable owners will allow you to apply the deposit to a future booking, based on the circumstances. Doesn't hurt to ask! Our current owner only asks for a deposit of $200, as we regularly rent for two months each winter. The deposit is fully refundable.

 

[blessedby3]

Thats why I always specifically ask about cancellation policies when booking from a private person (I use www.vrbo.com a lot). I want to make sure that if something happens, I know exactly what will happen to my money and what my options are. I feel bad for you that you arent able to put that towards a future stay. We booked Bonnet Creek through VS for our Oct trip. I was happy to see that we could apply our deposit to another week if we needed to cancel.

 

[Lewisc]

Sometimes I think business owners should have a board warning other companies not to do business with some people. I have no doubt the OP would be on such a board if Storytime had one.
Some posts made on DIS
3/14/12

I just placed a deposit on the Storytime Kingdom house in kissimmee and was hoping one of you has actually stayed in this house? I am hoping I made a good choice??

She gave them a non-refundable deposit.
5/8/12

I was just wondering why more people aren't renting dvc points (esp. safe thru a broker)? You can basically stay in a deluxe for moderate pricing. Am I missing something? I know it is nonrefundable, but you can get trip insurance. Just want to make sure there isn't something I am missing before I rent point!

She understands these kinds of reservations come with non-refundable payments.

on 8/16/12

My family is going to Disney April 12th-20th. We first booked off site but now think we want to stay onsite. I priced out the moderate and the value but don't want to rule out renting points from someone to stay somewhere nice! Can anyone give me an idea on how many points I would need to stay at the BWI during this week and what it might cost price wise? I have never rented points so I have no idea how it works.
Also, my big question... Are the BWI and or beach club rooms under the DVC points the same rooms as those that stay there as a guest in the hotel or are they different? What is the decor like? Thanks for helping me out!

Most of us would stop looking once we made a reservation with significant penalties. Or called and asked if there was any way we could cancel the reservation with a lower penalty. Or decided we were willing to pay the penalty. Not wait months and hope a hard luck story followed by a bogus thread on an internet board.
8/16 time for another reservation

So indecisive. So we are going to do the AOA from April 12-15th then POR royal rooms from April 15th- 20th. I didn't realize when you do a spilt stay you have to pay 2 deposits- Yikes. Hoping some sort of discount comes out for those dates but I doubt it! Oh well! It's done and I feel better. I just could not decide which would be better!! We got spoiled and got upgraded to the Poly in Feb due to the RR not being ready and I wanted to try them. Now if April would just get here alread

12/30 Was able to take advantage of a Disney promotion

Whoooopppp just got off the phone and my balance went from 1,375.00 to 900.00

1/3/13 Changed Disney reservation

So my original plan was to stay at the AOA from April 12-15 and then switch over to the POR Royal Rooms from the 15th-20th. The total was 1,475.82 for the stay. My kids are 6 and 4.

So then I decided to make a switch last minute. I changed our reservation to POR Royal Rooms from the 12-18th and the Boardwalk Inn from the 18th-20th. So now our total is 1894.24.... a difference of 418.42

on 1/7/13 she posted:

I do not like staying off site... too many perks to let go of. Extra hours plus I feel off site loses the magic...just my two cents. Part of the reason I love Disney is the hotel stay and the fun to be had!

1/16/13 (yesterday) She indicated she's not cancelling her trip as she falsely claimed in the OP but rather is looking for a way to receive a refund.

For a few hundred more I would do POR the entire week. You are used to being in a Deluxe then going to a crowded double bed room might not be so great. I would go moderate all the way. Or a split stay like I am doing.. POR 5 nights BWI two nights.

Why should a business make exceptions for exceptional circumstances? Other customers suffering only from buyers remorse will lie in an attempt to get an undeserved refund.


I don't side with you. What you're doing is wrong on so many levels.

 

[davedmaine]

I made a ressie about a year ago to stay at Storytime Kingdom with my family. Unfortunately, my family is unable to make it so I canceled. I paid a deposit of $380.00 which is non-refundable. I asked if it were possible for them to apply that money for a future stay at another time when we could make it. I got a no to that question. I think it says a lot about this company or the individuals who run it. I will NEVER ever recommend staying there to anyone. I feel like they are thieves. I think it should be illegal what they are doing. Now I am out 380.00 and I can't even apply it to a future stay. I think that is so wrong on so many levels. I am fuming. Does anyone side with me on this one?

Next time book a rate that's refundable. Not really fair to those booking those rates if the non-refundable customers can get refunds.

 

[davedmaine]

The airlines are worse with their inflexibilty for their customers. Even if a passenger dies they will hardly do a thing for you. Just know that if you change or cancel your plans, plan to lose your deposit or your payment. You just want to make sure as much as possible not to change your plans.

That's what travel insurance is for..