WWYD- Rented points canceled ressie

[marciagms]

I have rented out my points to someone and they have paid their deposit (1/2 of total amount) and now they have decided to cancel and would like their deposit back. It is for a medical reason, but not sure what to do about refunding their deposit. It is about $160. Has anyone else ever experienced this, if so what did you do?
Thanks

 

[BLTtinkerbell]

Did you have a written/signed contract? Did you write NO REFUNDS? Good luck. I hope it all works out.

 

[Granny]

I have rented out my points to someone and they have paid their deposit (1/2 of total amount) and now they have decided to cancel and would like their deposit back. It is for a medical reason, but not sure what to do about refunding their deposit. It is about $160. Has anyone else ever experienced this, if so what did you do?
Thanks

That's why so many of us urge owners to have a written agreement with their point renters. It lays out all the requirements and deals with cancellation policies.

Sounds like you don't have one of those so now you have to "make the rules" after the fact.

I lean towards non-refundable payments to protect against this kind of thing. I guess if you want to be ultra nice, you could tell the renter that you will refund their deposit IF you can find someone else to rent the points. They'd have to take your word on that but it would be a generous offer on your part.

Good luck.

 

[tjkraz]

One of the tough choices you have to make as a renter. You're a businesswoman now and will have to decide how you want to handle it.

Since you're asking I assume the written policy is no refunds. But like any other business, you have to decide if you want to rigidly adhere to the policy or make an exception.

How far away was the reservation? How long do you have before the points expire?

If it's only $160, I would be inclined to keep the money. You wasted time and energy working with this renter and will now have to repeat the process again. That's certainly valid justification for standing by the policy. I only hope the cancellation doesn't leave you in a position where it's difficult to re-rent the points.

 

[robinb]

Do you have a contract or an email that states a cancellation policy? If so, what did it say?

Personally, I am too much of a soft touch and I would try to re-rent the reservation or the points. If the reservation is within the next 31-days you can rent it here on the DIS. If it's outside the next 31-days you can try eBay or other places. You can also re-rent the points and keep the reservation until you have another renter and then cancel the original reservation when you have an agreement.

Once you re-rent the points you can refund the original renter their deposit. If you get less for your points, the original renter should eat the difference. The original renter can also try to find a new renter for you, but YOU should handle the money end of things.

My contract allows for cancellations on a sliding scale (depending on when they cancel in relation to the dates of the reservation) with a cancellation fee to pay for my additional work of finding a new renter.

 

[JimMIA]

Your original post doesn't really tell us enough to give you much advice...other than to ask whether you had a contract.

If you had a contract, email understanding, etc, I would follow that.

If you didn't have such an agreement, shame on both of you and you'll have to work it out the best you can. In that case, I'd take a look at several factors:

• the length of time between making the reservation and cancellation
• how legitimate the medical reason sounds (did they just find a cheaper price that makes them sick to pay your price...or is it a real emergency?)
• how the cancellation affects your account (Have you passed a banking deadline? Is the arrival date within 31 days? Is the reservation for a non-DVC stay on points?)

Until we have the full picture of how a cancellation really affects you, nobody is going to be able to give any better advice than just follow whatever agreement you made.

 

[wdwstar]

I would consider this first: When the renter canceled their agreement with you did this leave your points in danger? meaning did you borrow the points to make the ressie and now your points will be stuck in the current use year, will your points go into holding, would there be a chance of you losing the points, is it to late to try to rent the ressie to someone else ?

If your points end up being in danger and you had a contract, you can feel guilty free of keeping the deposit. Unless you are able to cover from the cancelation and find another renter, then go ahead and pass on the kindness of your heart and return the deposit.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

This is exactly why I require full payment within 30 days. If I am using borrowed points, they need to pay in full immediately before I make the ressie. My contract states NO REFUNDS. I also repeat this to them in conversation. Transfers always have to pay first.

 

[iluveeyore]

Hi all - I am the one who cancelled on Marcia I am a DVC owner, but we didn't have enough points, so I looked to the DIS for help.
My Dsis and I were surprising my Dad with a 65th birthday getaway for a few days to see the Christmas decorations and renting points was the way to go since we all love our DVC resorts!
Now Dad has knee surgery scheduled for the first day of our trip, and we had to let him in on the surprise. Due to the surgeon's schedule and my sister's work schedule, we are unable to change dates, and unsure of when he will be well enough to travel. Thus, the reason for my sad news

The OP and I had no written agreement - I never imagined I would have to cancel. She is going to try and rent the points to someone else - if worse comes to worse and for some reason she is stuck with the points, I will probably just go on a solo trip rather than lose the deposit. For our tight budget's sake, I would rather wait and re-schedule for my Dad and sister. The OP has been nothing but gracious and kind (as most here on the DIS are)

Just thought I'd pipe in with an explanation for all - hope you don't mind Marcia

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Hi all - I am the one who cancelled on Marcia I am a DVC owner, but we didn't have enough points, so I looked to the DIS for help.
My Dsis and I were surprising my Dad with a 65th birthday getaway for a few days to see the Christmas decorations and renting points was the way to go since we all love our DVC resorts!
Now Dad has knee surgery scheduled for the first day of our trip, and we had to let him in on the surprise. Due to the surgeon's schedule and my sister's work schedule, we are unable to change dates, and unsure of when he will be well enough to travel. Thus, the reason for my sad news

The OP and I had no written agreement - I never imagined I would have to cancel. She is going to try and rent the points to someone else - if worse comes to worse and for some reason she is stuck with the points, I will probably just go on a solo trip rather than lose the deposit. For our tight budget's sake, I would rather wait and re-schedule for my Dad and sister. The OP has been nothing but gracious and kind (as most here on the DIS are)

Just thought I'd pipe in with an explanation for all - hope you don't mind Marcia

So sorry about your Dad, however........you should not expect to get your downpayment back regardless. The owner is tying up their points. Secondly, you should make your decision quickly to that should you need to back out, the OP can re-rent the points ASAP. Otherwise, if you were my client, I would be asking for payment in full NOW.

 

[robinb]

My Dsis and I were surprising my Dad with a 65th birthday getaway for a few days to see the Christmas decorations and renting points was the way to go since we all love our DVC resorts!
Now Dad has knee surgery scheduled for the first day of our trip, and we had to let him in on the surprise. Due to the surgeon's schedule and my sister's work schedule, we are unable to change dates, and unsure of when he will be well enough to travel. Thus, the reason for my sad news

The OP and I had no written agreement - I never imagined I would have to cancel. She is going to try and rent the points to someone else - if worse comes to worse and for some reason she is stuck with the points, I will probably just go on a solo trip rather than lose the deposit. For our tight budget's sake, I would rather wait and re-schedule for my Dad and sister. The OP has been nothing but gracious and kind (as most here on the DIS are)

Just thought I'd pipe in with an explanation for all - hope you don't mind Marcia

I'm sorry to hear about your father . I hope that his surgery goes well and he has a full recovery.

Since you didn't appear to have an agreement in advance, I think that the solution you came to is the best. If she can rent the points then you're off the hook. If not, then you will have an extra vacation. I hope that everything works out for both of you .

 

[kimberh]

Tough call, Once I had a family that had a brother in law dying. She just couldn't go and leave her sister. I did my best to rent the trip. I ended up returning the money and canceling the trip. Had plenty of UY on the points. I think the UY time on the points has a lot to do with the end results. That family has rented from me a few times since.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

Re-reading my post I guess it seems a little harsh. I know there are many issues besides health, like job losses, divorce, etc. Looking past the why's, this is an agreement that has consequences on both ends. All I'm saying is to do the right thing and not string the owner along. The owner may need these funds for other expenses. The only true protection is to have a non refundable agreement and renters should understand this.

 

[JimMIA]

I remember a recent case where a person lost their money even though the owner had a refund policy. Problem was, the owner was in financial trouble, spent the money and simply did not have the money to refund.

I'm sure that is not the case in this situation, but if someone is sending a large deposit (I think the lost deposit was $1,500 or so) -- and especially if the reservation is being made far in advance -- the person renting the points really should consider what that owner is doing with the money and whether they really will be in a position to make a refund if a problem comes up. 11 months is a long time, and a lot can happen to your deposit in that length of time.

For example, what if the owner is renting points to save money by paying cash for a cruise? That's a very common rental situation, and one in which the owner might not be able to make a refund...no matter what their "policy" is.

It's not enough to have an understanding of policies, etc -- it's important to keep those expectations reasonable.

 

[marciagms]

Hi all - I am the one who cancelled on Marcia I am a DVC owner, but we didn't have enough points, so I looked to the DIS for help.
My Dsis and I were surprising my Dad with a 65th birthday getaway for a few days to see the Christmas decorations and renting points was the way to go since we all love our DVC resorts!
Now Dad has knee surgery scheduled for the first day of our trip, and we had to let him in on the surprise. Due to the surgeon's schedule and my sister's work schedule, we are unable to change dates, and unsure of when he will be well enough to travel. Thus, the reason for my sad news

The OP and I had no written agreement - I never imagined I would have to cancel. She is going to try and rent the points to someone else - if worse comes to worse and for some reason she is stuck with the points, I will probably just go on a solo trip rather than lose the deposit. For our tight budget's sake, I would rather wait and re-schedule for my Dad and sister. The OP has been nothing but gracious and kind (as most here on the DIS are)

Just thought I'd pipe in with an explanation for all - hope you don't mind Marcia

No, I do not mind at all. I'm just looking for someone to rent the vacation. We are going out of town this weekend so hopefully I can look at the trade/rent posts and try to catch someone who is looking for a DVC vacation around the same time.

Thanks to all of the responses! I am new to this and couldn't have asked for a nicer person to deal with. I'm just sorry to hear about not being able to surprise your dad with this trip, Tracey.

 

[RobDoc]

No, I do not mind at all. I'm just looking for someone to rent the vacation. We are going out of town this weekend so hopefully I can look at the trade/rent posts and try to catch someone who is looking for a DVC vacation around the same time.

Thanks to all of the responses! I am new to this and couldn't have asked for a nicer person to deal with. I'm just sorry to hear about not being able to surprise your dad with this trip, Tracey.

Unless the reservation is within 30 days, please don't try to use the Rent/Trade board to solicit a renter as it's against the policy of the board. If you are within 30 days of arrival I'd suggest submitting a "Reservation for Rent" thread and see what happens. Depending on the dates of the reservation you could also offer to make another reservation for someone (using "Points for Rent" as the title) and if you find something available for a renter you can cancel the existing reservation and use those points for the new reservation - if you have not found another renter by the time you are within 30 days, then go ahead and post the existing reservation (again ... use "Reservation for Rent").

Good luck!

 

[LisaS]

No, I do not mind at all. I'm just looking for someone to rent the vacation. We are going out of town this weekend so hopefully I can look at the trade/rent posts and try to catch someone who is looking for a DVC vacation around the same time.

I want to repeat what WebmasterDoc has just posted because it is often a source of confusion on the DVC Rent/Trade board. It is against the posting rules of the Rent/Trade board to offer an existing reservation more than 30 days in advance of check in by any means. This includes not only submitting a "Reservation for Rent" thread but also replying to a "Reservation Wanted" thread, even if someone is requesting the exact dates and resort you have already booked. It also includes contacting users via a PM in order to offer your reservation.

We take a firm stance against "spec" rentals, where a reservation is already made and the member is looking for a renter. This policy also applies to situations like this where a renter has cancelled. The reasoning here is that if you cancel this reservation, the nights you are freeing up will probably go to another member who is on the waiting list.

If you want to hang on to the reservation and offer it on the Rent/Trade board here you will have to wait until 30 days prior to check in to contact anyone in any way in order to offer your reservation to them. Just be aware that you will also be inside the 30-day holding period so if you are unable to re-rent it and have to cancel it, your points will go into "holding".

I don't mean to sound harsh, I just want to be sure you fully understand the posting rules for the DVC Rent/Trade board.

 

[Greysword]

I have a question for oth maricagms and iluveeyore. Is this transaction a rental or a points transfer?

Correct me if I'm wrong; if the points were bought and transfered from one owener's account tp another, then marcia owns the points and can bank them as if they were originally hers (or they would go into her holding account).

In this case, payment should probably be made, as marcia has flexibility in the asignment of the points. Someone let me know if I am in error. The reason I thought of this is from the statement that she needed a few more points to make the trip (and the size of the deposit= few points).

If his is a straight rental, then the quandry continues. Good luck all involved.

- Chris

 

[DebbieB]

If it was a transfer, it would be a final transaction. You can't cancel a transfer, the points would just remain in the receiver's account.

 

[backyardponder]

We take a firm stance against "spec" rentals, where a reservation is already made and the member is looking for a renter. This policy also applies to situations like this where a renter has cancelled. The reasoning here is that if you cancel this reservation, the nights you are freeing up will probably go to another member who is on the waiting list.

Lisa, Thanks for explaining the reason for the policy. This policy makes perfectly good sense to me.