Would a $500 damage/repair deposit deter?

[Kidanifan08]

I was reading another thread about someone's recent visit and the damage in the room. We were at BWV recently, and there was some wear and tear issues with the walls, furniture and carpet.

I wonder if a damage/repair deposit required at check-in would make it less likely that damage to the villa and it's contents would occur during the stay? You could also include coverage for missing items with the deposit. I don't even know if this would be something that they could legally enforce.

I suppose this would add just another layer of expense to our MF's, since you would probably have to have several CM's responsible for doing a thorough inspection of each room at every check-out. Additionally, I would probably obscessively scan the entire villa and photograph any damage that I identify at the time of arrival, just to prove that it wasn't us. That would be a real pain! In the past I remember having to do a visual inspection of a rental car before taking it off the rental property, but it does not seem like that is done anymore.

I am sure there are provisions for collecting on damages in the POS, but maybe a charge at the time of arrival would make people more aware and they would garner more respect for the room and it's contents.

 

[Chuck S]

I think it would cost more to administer than it would save. Additional room inspectors would need to be hired, plus owners would have to inspect the room and agree to the deposit in writing...then you'd still get those claiming that they did not damage the room, and would be willing to sue. Overall, it would likely increase dues more than paying for the damages, and it would be Disney's burden (with photos) to prove the damage was done by the guest/member rather than normal wear and tear.

 

[BUDDYBEAR]

YES I THINK SO

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I'm pretty sure it couldn't be implemented anyway because there's no provision for it in the POS, right?

 

[OldGrizzly57]

In theory every room is already inspected when you depart and you are responsible for damage beyond normal wear and tear.

When you arrive in any villa or regular hotel room for that matter. You should document any damage you find and report to the front desk. That way they can't charge you for pre-existing damage.

Reality is that housekeeping and room checkers (again, every room is supposed to have a visual inspection after checkout) don't do a very good job of reporting problems. The additional downside this causes is that the maintenance team can't fix something if it is not reported.

So... no additional damage deposit is necessary... the "you break it, you bought it" plan is already in place. It is just not enforced very well.

Griz

 

[thejamester]

I think it would be hard to enforce, but it would deter damage. I think that MF would increase regardless .

 

[wdrl]

How do you deal with issues arising from normal wear and tear? If I turn on the TV and hear something go "pop" and the screen goes black, is it my fault? Do I have to pay for a new TV? What happens if I'm at BLT and I accidentally bump into a piece of furniture and a big chuck of laminate covering falls off. Is that my fault or the fault of shoddy workmanship or materials?

I believe the Master Declarations already gives the condominium associations sufficient authority to hold guests liable for damages to the room. However, management has to decide whether its worth the effort, in terms of cost and time, to seek damages from a guest.

 

[ssawka]

I would hate to see this implemented as I think it would be a nightmare for the occasional times when you want to rent out your points. Would you collect the $ from the renter and would they trust that you would give the deposit back? Also, would the renter just prefer to make a cash reservation using a credit card rather than putting out that much cash up front?

 

[CarolMN]

DVC & Disney Resorts can and probably has charged for significant property damage. We just don't hear about it.

I do not want to put down a damage deposit every time I check in and then have to wait for a room inspection to have my $$ returned.

 

[Dean]

Most resorts collect an amount for incidentals which can also be applied to damages. I've seen anywhere from $100 to $250 to be routine. I think Disney is an outlier not doing so.

 

[Deb & Bill]

Right now they don't inspect the villas after people check out to see what is missing or damaged. If they don't get to keep some of the $500 deposit, there isn't much benefit. The extra staff to conduct the inspections would be more cost to us as members.

 

[Dean]

Right now they don't inspect the villas after people check out to see what is missing or damaged. If they don't get to keep some of the $500 deposit, there isn't much benefit. The extra staff to conduct the inspections would be more cost to us as members.

I don't know any resorts that go through and specifically inspect for damages though there may be some. I'm not aware of any resorts that are punitive in this regard either but most train their housekeeping staff to look for major issues and report them. Most would charge for obvious issues that could easily be attributed to the previous guest. OTOH, some are very punitive with pool towels and will easily charge you. Often the burden of proof is on the guest in this regard. On one occasion I had to dig out my receipt from the towel exchange to avoid the charges, luckily I knew where it was and it was easily accessible. However, those resorts have MUCH better towels as a rule than does Disney but then again so does everyone else.

 

[Kidanifan08]

I think it would be interesting if the "threat" of losing money at the time of check-in would make some people take a moment and talk to their family, saying something like, "listen up . . . Mickey just took some of our money in case we break anything, and he will keep it if we do!".

If done, the whole thing could handled at the front desk during check-in (or on-line check-in), so renters and guests of members using their points could use their own credit card.

I kind of see it showing up on the credit card ledger as a $1 charge, kind of like some online purchases or gas station pay-at-the-pump charges appear before the final charges are billed.

From an administrative standpoint, they would not necessarily even have to have an inspection team looking at every single room. You simply ask housekeeping to report any obvious and unusual damage to their supervisor and then someone performs an inspection. Who knows, this may be the protocol in place already. I would expect that at least 95% of the time there would not be anything to report, another 2-3% of the time the damage would be minor or perhaps related to normal wear and tear (or poor quality furnishings), and less than 2% of the time the damage would be obviously negligent.

It just seems like most people are motivated by losing money and they may be more aware of their actions when they stay at the DVC villas if there is some perceived risk at the start of the trip.

Of course, now that I think about it, I guess one of the reasons we take vacation is to escape the stress of life; and many would be stressed out about losing their deposit if something accidental happens; particularly those of us with little ones. This probably is a bad idea, especially since DVC can collect on major damages anyway, as a PP stated.

 

[Sammie]

If they had one, you would never get your room before 4pm, which is I am sure is a huge reason they don't do it.

As Chuck said each room would have to have a detailed inspection after each guest left by someone other than housekeeping.

While I am fine with them sticking to a 4pm check in, many would not be.

 

[Dean]

If they had one, you would never get your room before 4pm, which is I am sure is a huge reason they don't do it.

As Chuck said each room would have to have a detailed inspection after each guest left by someone other than housekeeping.

While I am fine with them sticking to a 4pm check in, many would not be.

Not necessarily. First, no reason to have a detailed inspection, just a quick look by the housekeeper when they clean the room and a call to a dedicated or specified number if there's a real problem. I would bet they do this already for major issues. Just the act of having a security deposit/incidental hold will offer some deterrent but not a lot. The bigger benefit is to prevent unpaid phone calls and the like than anything else.

When you do leave a CC, they generally put a hold on it up to a certain amount anyway if I understand correctly. That amount is a lot more ($500-1500 depending on resort level) than we're talking in this situation. All they'd really have to do is simply require a CC like many resorts already do.

Some resorts take another or additional approach. They ask guests to complete an inventory sheet early in the stay and turn it in. They'll tell you that you could be liable for anything missing and not listed as such on the inventory but I'm not aware of anyone being charged for minor oversights or if the inventory sheet were not turned in. I think less resorts do this now than a few years ago likely due to the aggravation factor from both sides. My kids were pros at getting these done and turned in. I think most resorts use them more for quality control than theft prevention.

 

[mikron]

Based on this thread I think I will ask my guest to check the rental unit upon arrival and report to us any damage they feel is not wear. I am going to add that requirement to our renters agreement. The resorts are getting older and a lot of use. I have an 800 # so no trouble to call us.