WBC reservation cancelled through VRBO

[4MCMICKEY]

Just received an email what appears to be from the owner I rented from stating that VRBO has cancelled all reservations they had at WBC and we should be receiving our deposit back within 5 days? Anyone else recently get an email? How can I tell if this is legit or a scam?

Kelley

 

[The House of Mouse]

Here's my experience. I booked and paid for a week through VRBO at WBC this week. My vacation was to have been May 11th to 16th. I did everything through their online forms. I received a reply from an owner, submitted the full amount (as it was within the 30 day window) using my visa. On Tuesday I received a warning email from VRBO stating that I should not trust the owner I have been dealing with - too late! I contacted VRBO to ask details, turns out they have not been able to contact the owner, so they believe that there is fraud going on, their advice to me was to attempt to contact the property owner myself or dispute the transaction with my visa provider. (even though the visa transaction has their home away company listed as the recipient, it turns out they are only a third party and cannot help in anyway to get my money refunded) I have attempted to contact the owner, not received a reply. Also contacted Wyndham, no reservation under my name. My visa provider cannot launch an investigation until I show up to Bonnet Creek and determine in person that the condo I have a rental agreement for is not available. So, my vacation is just over a week away and I am in trouble! I guess it's good that you will only lose your deposit.

 

[banshee72]

It happened to us too. We made a deposit on a 2 bedroom to arrive June 21st staying through the 28th then received an email from vrbo.com that the owner had removed the listing and to not make any more payments to them. I called vrbo.com and got the same story to contact the owner and or my cc company. I contacted the owner numerous times and they did email me back and said that we would be getting our refund through vrbo and they didn't know why vrbo would say that. I was told 5 business days that was two weeks ago! contacted the owner again and forwarded the email from vrbo that they absolutely do not do refunds and haven't heard anything back. I'm disappointed with vrbo though it says right on their website to book through them with confidence with a money back guarantee.

 

[floridacrazy]

Hi everyone. I've been browsing this site since my vacation is planned. We booked 3 weeks at BC for July. Since I've been reading about reservations being cancelled on this site and on Tripadvisor, I decided to call BC and confirm my reservations.

I was going to wait until June to call and confirm since I was renting from the same owner as last year. It worked out great last year. As soon as he made the reservation, BC had my name in their system.

I am so upset. I just got off the phone with Bonnet Creek. They have the reservation for my 2nd and 3rd week which is in a 1-bedroom, but they don't have the reservation for the 1st week which is supposed to be in a 2-bedroom. I just sent the owner an email to see what's going to happen.

Is this something that Wyndham is doing? I have the confirmation number and they can't check the reservation through the number. They said it goes by name only.

I called back again and was told that a reservation was made for 7/11 - 7/18 and that it was cancelled. I really need to get in touch with the owner now. I paid him in full.

 

[SYDCOLEMOM]

Hi everyone. I've been browsing this site since my vacation is planned. We booked 3 weeks at BC for July. Since I've been reading about reservations being cancelled on this site and on Tripadvisor, I decided to call BC and confirm my reservations.

I was going to wait until June to call and confirm since I was renting from the same owner as last year. It worked out great last year. As soon as he made the reservation, BC had my name in their system.

I am so upset. I just got off the phone with Bonnet Creek. They have the reservation for my 2nd and 3rd week which is in a 1-bedroom, but they don't have the reservation for the 1st week which is supposed to be in a 2-bedroom. I just sent the owner an email to see what's going to happen.

Is this something that Wyndham is doing? I have the confirmation number and they can't check the reservation through the number. They said it goes by name only.

I called back again and was told that a reservation was made for 7/11 - 7/18 and that it was cancelled. I really need to get in touch with the owner now. I paid him in full.

Personally I wouldnt freak out just yet. Your vacation is a few months out. Its not unusual for your name to not be in their system till about 10 days before. We use Vacation Strategy and each year our stay is booked thru multiple owners. Last year our 10 day stay was booked under 3 different owners. A few of the days did not reflect in their system with our name till about 6 days before our arrival. It may be that whoever you are renting thru is just trying to get the best deal for their points and waiting till closer to your dates. Try not to worry. Keep us posted. We are scheduled to arrive next Wednesday - our names just appeared for our full 10 day stay today under 2 different owners. Good luck

 

[floridacrazy]

Hi,

Thanks for the advice. I was freaking out because when I called BC I was told that there was a reservation, but then it was cancelled.

The reservation for the 2nd & 3rd week is there. It is in their system under my name. Why would a reservation be there and then cancelled. I didn't cancel it.

I got in touch with the owner and he still sees my reservation for the 1st week in a 2-bedroom and he can't figure out why BC told me they didn't have the reservation and that it was cancelled. He told me that he has to call the owner's desk at BC and he also explained that Wyndham has been strange this year with their reservations. He said that he had another one of his reservations cancelled about 2 months ago and that it was a real hassle to straighten it out.

I have a feeling that WBC is too popular now and that too many non-owner's are staying there. Wyndham realizes the great prices that we are getting by renting from owners and people just aren't purchasing timeshares. Why would a person buy a timeshare when you can get a great price and rent from an owner.

I also think that Wyndham wants to make sure that they have enough rooms that they can rent at their high rates during high season.

 

[4MCMICKEY]

We contacted our credit card company on Sunday as we still had not gotten our deposit back and they are going to issue us our deposit back based on the email we received that they have cancelled our reservation.for anyone else that may have gotten an email I would suggest contacting your credit card company.

 

[Brian Noble]

A couple of thoughts on this.

First, VRBO is essentially just a classified ad marketplace. They don't control any of the listings directly, or manage inventory. They are just a marketing outlet for private owners to offer homes, condos, or timeshares for rent to individuals. They do take some steps to make sure their owners are legitimate, but they are not perfect. So, "VRBO cancelled the reservation" is hogwash.

So, if it wasn't VRBO, what happened? It is very likely the owner's fault. About the only way an owner can make any kind of decent return renting time at Bonnet Creek is by being a VIP owner and being able to book units in the discount/upgrade window---this ranges from 30-60 days depending on owner type. Many owners will book units outside this window at full points, and then when they get closer to check-in, re-book the units to take advantage of the discounts. But, to do this, they have to cancel and rebook the unit they have unless there is extra, unbooked inventory. Most of the time, this works just fine. But, every once in a while, someone else will snap up the unit between the cancellation and rebooking, leaving the owner with no reservation.

The reason I think this is the most likely outcome is (a) many VIP owners on timeshare boards have reported that cancel/rebook has become more chancy and (b) these "mysterious" cancelled Bonnet Creek weeks only seem to happen to renters, never to owners directly. This latter point makes me think it is not some inventory management problem on Wyndham's end.

So, the upshot: if you are going to rent from a BC owner, it is very important to rent from well-known, reputable sources. I'm an owner myself, so I just book time directly. But, if I were renting, I'd rent from one of the big consolidators: Ken at Vacation Upgrades, the folks at Vacation Strategy. There may be one or two others---I haven't followed the market closely. These sources might be a few dollars more than Joe Random Owner on Ebay or VRBO, but those few extra dollars are probably worth the peace of mind.

 

[mjohnson96]

So, the upshot: if you are going to rent from a BC owner, it is very important to rent from well-known, reputable sources. I'm an owner myself, so I just book time directly. But, if I were renting, I'd rent from one of the big consolidators: Ken at Vacation Upgrades, the folks at Vacation Strategy. There may be one or two others---I haven't followed the market closely. These sources might be a few dollars more than Joe Random Owner on Ebay or VRBO, but those few extra dollars are probably worth the peace of mind.

This is so true, we rent every year even when not going to Disney and just staying in the area for work. I use Ken at Vacation Upgrades and him and his wife are the two nicest people I have every dealt with when renting. Never had a concern, and even when their prices are a little bit higher than Joe down the street I go with them since I know I won't have an issue.

I have used Vacation Strategy once when Ken did not have a room I wanted and they are good but the personal communication is nill.

 

[Brian Noble]

floridacrazy, I suspect your owner has lost a unit trying to cancel/rebook it for you:

I am so upset. I just got off the phone with Bonnet Creek. They have the reservation for my 2nd and 3rd week which is in a 1-bedroom, but they don't have the reservation for the 1st week which is supposed to be in a 2-bedroom. I just sent the owner an email to see what's going to happen.

Is this something that Wyndham is doing? I have the confirmation number and they can't check the reservation through the number. They said it goes by name only.

I called back again and was told that a reservation was made for 7/11 - 7/18 and that it was cancelled.

You posted this on the 13th of May---just inside the 60 day window for your first week, but outside the window for your second and third. That timing is awfully suspicious.