Who can a renter call?

[Chrissie-riel]

I have seen that renters are not allowed to call MS about their reservations. The DVC owner must call MS on the renter's behalf. However, after a reservation is issued, can a renter call the resort (or somewhere else) to verify their reservation? My biggest fear about renting is that I will send my $$ to an owner 60 days prior to the trip, get my reservation confirmation number and then show up at WDW and find my rented ressie has been cancelled without my knowledge. And since I will be taking my MIL and FIL for their first trip to Disney in 30 years, I cannot afford for that to happen!!!

 

[RobDoc]

You should be able to contact the resort a few days prior to arrival - but until that time the resort will not have a record of your reservation. You should receive a copy of the confirmation letter from the member you rent from (which is the same thing members receive), but you won't have any other ability to confirm your rental.

Until you check in, the member will have full control of the reservation. I would advise potential renters to be very comfortable with the member they choose to work with. Read their past posts, speak with them on the phone and correspond by email in order to get an idea about their character. I would also suggest getting and checking references as well as having a contract spelling out the details of the transaction and specifically what you, the renter, should expect.

By all means, if you are uncomfortable with any aspect of the rental, do not send any money. You would have no recourse thru Disney. The reason for the potential savings from a rental is that there are some risks involved and whole lot of trust. If those aspects are beyond your comfort level making a reservation thru Disney may be a better option.

Good luck!

 

[JimMIA]

While your post expresses a common worry, I have never heard of a DVC owner canceling someone's reservation except for non-payment.

You obviously need to do some due diligence, as Doc outlined above. If you do that, you should be able to reach a completely comfortable level of trust between you and the owner you rent from. If you can't build that trust, it's not a good deal for anyone.

I've always been of the opinion that a much greater risk to both parties is one party (or both) not understanding what they're getting into.

You should really go to school on the process (starting with the FAQ Sticky on the Rent/Trade Board) and be sure you understand the differences between renting a DVC ressie and making a hotel reservation. There are very important differences.

 

[Slakk]

I have seen that renters are not allowed to call MS about their reservations. The DVC owner must call MS on the renter's behalf. However, after a reservation is issued, can a renter call the resort (or somewhere else) to verify their reservation? My biggest fear about renting is that I will send my $$ to an owner 60 days prior to the trip, get my reservation confirmation number and then show up at WDW and find my rented ressie has been cancelled without my knowledge. And since I will be taking my MIL and FIL for their first trip to Disney in 30 years, I cannot afford for that to happen!!!

If you really want to stay in a DVC room then I suggest calling CRO and booking through Disney. Your costs will more than likely double but there will be nothing left to chance.

Good luck!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yes, as stated, the only person a renter can call is the person they rented from. As Doc said, you might be able to confirm with the resort itself a few days before.

Remember that trust in renting (besides doing the due dilligence spoken of in a previous post) goes on both sides of the equation. The owner also has much to lose if the renter either doesn't pay in time, changes their mind, leaves an unpaid bill at the desk or trashes the unit. All of these things are a leap of faith on the part of the owner when they rent to a stranger, just as your leap of faith in assuming that the person you rented from doesn't intend to pull the rug out on you at the last minute. In all honesty, I don't ever recall anyone cancelling a ressie on a renter except in one instance when we heard of a non-paying renter who would not return messages. That being said, there WAS someone on the DIS who scammed a few folks out of money for DVC trips when they were not the true owners of the DVC contract. That is why Jim suggested the due dilligence on your part.

 

[aclov]

For peace of mind, you may be better off reserving through CRO. That is the only guarantee that nothing will happen.

 

[offtheice]

I have seen that renters are not allowed to call MS about their reservations. The DVC owner must call MS on the renter's behalf. However, after a reservation is issued, can a renter call the resort (or somewhere else) to verify their reservation? My biggest fear about renting is that I will send my $$ to an owner 60 days prior to the trip, get my reservation confirmation number and then show up at WDW and find my rented ressie has been cancelled without my knowledge. And since I will be taking my MIL and FIL for their first trip to Disney in 30 years, I cannot afford for that to happen!!!

I have only rented one time. I sent my letter to the renter right when I got it . I kept in touch and the party had my address and my tel numbers.. I used three way calling so the renter could here me make the ressie.. I would never have a problem with a renter wanting me to call every couple weeks ,cking on the ressie.. This is all someone has to do ..On the other hand I would never make a ressie without full payment to protect myself..

 

[franco]

I have rented points and rented out points. It has always been a positive experience. I still keep in touch with a couple of the individuals. I always talk to the individual on the phone; for me having their phone number and physical address puts my mind at ease. There are some wonderful people on this board but you always must be careful.



Franco

 

[kimberh]

Look for someone with a lot of posts, see if you can get a feel for them. Have they given to the dis or just taken. I would ask for references. That would be key for me. There are some VERY good Renters on this board. Search them out.

 

[JTimber]

GHOSTBUSTERS!!!!!!!!!!!





Sorry, couldn't resist.


Jay

 

[Deb & Bill]

Jay, you and me!! I wanted to post that, but didn't.

 

[MinnieGirl33]

If you really want to stay in a DVC room then I suggest calling CRO and booking through Disney. Your costs will more than likely double but there will be nothing left to chance.

Good luck!

 

[DVCconvert]

My biggest fear about renting is that I will send my $$ to an owner 60 days prior to the trip, get my reservation confirmation number and then show up at WDW and find my rented ressie has been cancelled without my knowledge.

Just imagine the renter's "biggest fear" -- you and your party once in your villa swill down a couple half gallons of whiskey and trash the room - the renter gets a bill from DVC for thousands of dollars for the damages.

Trust is required on both sides of renting.

 

[ILuvDVC2]

I followed the guiding principal I learned as a child when I rented points -- "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" -- and both parties I rented to contacted me again because of their positive experience with me. Yes, trust plays a part and communication is key, but if you say you're going to handle yourself a certain way and you live up to that commitment, then you should have no worries.

 

[boardwalk prof]

One suggestion that I've seen here before that may give you some confidence is to search the Orange County recorders office to make sure the member you are gettting involved with actually owns points.

Here's the link to the Orange County Comptrollers website,http://officialrecords.occompt.com/wb_or1/or_sch_1.asp. Just type in the owners' name "Last-Name First-Name" and you'll quickly learn whether they are DVC owners.

As others have said, renting is about trust - on both sides. Be comfortable with who you rent from, do a little homework, have a little faith, and things should work out fine.

Best of luck in your decision!



Boardwalk Prof

 

[Deb & Bill]

One suggestion that I've seen here before that may give you some confidence is to search the Orange County recorders office to make sure the member you are gettting involved with actually owns points.

Here's the link to the Orange County Comptrollers website,http://officialrecords.occompt.com/wb_or1/or_sch_1.asp. Just type in the owners' name "Last-Name First-Name" and you'll quickly learn whether they are DVC owners.

...Boardwalk Prof

Not all owners purchased property in Orange County, some are at Vero Beach and some are at HHI.

 

[crisi]

It isn't too difficult, however, to pick a DVC owners name from the Orange County Comptroller's site and have an ID created in that name to cash a check.

If someone is interested in running a con, this one is an easy one to run. The relatively anonominity of the internet, money getting transferred via cashiers check. The "most people want to believe a good deal" factor. And with more and more people getting sent here for "bargains," I suspect we will start to see more con artists finding us as well.

 

[kimberh]

It isn't too difficult, however, to pick a DVC owners name from the Orange County Comptroller's site and have an ID created in that name to cash a check.

If someone is interested in running a con, this one is an easy one to run. The relatively anonominity of the internet, money getting transferred via cashiers check. The "most people want to believe a good deal" factor. And with more and more people getting sent here for "bargains," I suspect we will start to see more con artists finding us as well.

This is scary! I went to this site to check mine, I could not believe how many were listed with my name. They are all not mine! I have Never met anyone with my name either. Timeshares all over Orange County.

 

[mickeyc]

I have rented points on several occasions and it is my understanding the renter can call to inquire about the status of the reservation. The renter may want to check to ensure items such as disney dinning and magical express have been included. The renter cannot alter the reservation since they do not have the member number or verification number.

I encouaged my renters to call, if they feel it is necessary. They are able to use the reservation number for reference. No ower should be releasing their member number or the verification number, which is usually their social security number.

Thus far my experience with renting points has been positive and I have met some very nice people. I did not purchase DVC with the idea of making a profit. I have used renting only when I was not able to use my points.

Enjoy!

 

[Granny]

I have rented points on several occasions and it is my understanding the renter can call to inquire about the status of the reservation. The renter may want to check to ensure items such as disney dinning and magical express have been included. The renter cannot alter the reservation since they do not have the member number or verification number.

I encouaged my renters to call, if they feel it is necessary. They are able to use the reservation number for reference. No ower should be releasing their member number or the verification number, which is usually their social security number.

MS changed this a few months ago and they no longer accept calls from non-members. This has been verified by many who have tried in the past months since they started enforcing the "members only" calling policy.

At this point, people who are buying reservations will need to rely on the confirmation sheet and the honesty of the person they are purchasing the reservation from.