Renting points vs booking

[luv]

Actually per the contract you sign when you rent the points, the member HAS to make sure this is taken care of for you. Here's the part in our contract that says so:

Should accommodations not be available on date of arrival due to an action or omission by the Member, including but not limited to negligence on the part of the Member and after communication with The DVC Rental Store, suitable comparable accommodations for the same dates cannot be secured by the Member, the Renter will be due a refund limited to the amount paid which is $---.-- US Dollars.

Accidental room cancellations can happen to anyone, not just with DVC. A girl I know her reservation was not there when she showed up at check in to POFQ. Even though she had the confirmation, it had somehow been cancelled. She lost the discount because the reservation had been cancelled. It can happen anywhere, not just with renting DVC points. That's why there's a contract.

Yes, there is a contract.

But if you show up and the other party has broken that contract, you're just screwed. You can go sue them for what they owe you, later, but when you arrive, you'll have no room.

And David's Rentals won't pay for the room, either. You're going to have to get yourself a room on your own dime.

I don't know about the DVC rental store. It will say in your contract whether or not they're going to step in if you end up with no room. My guess is that they won't, but you can check and see.

It's a gamble. When it works out, it's wonderful. You save money. When it doesn't, you need to be ready to get yourself a room somewhere.

Just a friendly heads up for people unfamiliar with it.

 

[Minthorne]

Yes, there is a contract.

But if you show up and the other party has broken that contract, you're just screwed. You can go sue them for what they owe you, later, but when you arrive, you'll have no room.

And David's Rentals won't pay for the room, either. You're going to have to get yourself a room on your own dime.

I don't know about the DVC rental store. It will say in your contract whether or not they're going to step in if you end up with no room. My guess is that they won't, but you can check and see.

It's a gamble. When it works out, it's wonderful. You save money. When it doesn't, you need to be ready to get yourself a room somewhere.

Just a friendly heads up for people unfamiliar with it.

I've been unable to find one example online of someone not having their room when they went - do you have any examples of this or is it just the devil advocate worse case scenario?

We rented some points last May (friends who owned DVC rented additional points from Dave's to extend a stay in Grand Villa) and it was flawless. I suppose anything could go wrong, but like Walt said “I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.” Walt Disney

 

[luv]

I've been unable to find one example online of someone not having their room when they went - do you have any examples of this or is it just the devil advocate worse case scenario?

We rented some points last May (friends who owned DVC rented additional points from Dave's to extend a stay in Grand Villa) and it was flawless. I suppose anything could go wrong, but like Walt said “I always like to look on the optimistic side of life, but I am realistic enough to know that life is a complex matter.” Walt Disney

I've only heard of it happening once. But there is a reason those services specify that they won't pay for your lodging if you end up getting screwed. They know it could happen and they don't want to be out the cash. They want you to be out the cash. If they knew it would never happen, it would be easy for them to guarantee the room!

It usually works out. I wouldn't do it, because, like I said, I am so very, very risk-adverse. I also have bad luck. If someone is going to get screwed, it will be me, lol.

I'm not saying people shouldn't do it! I just think people should know exactly what they are getting into. Armed with knowledge, go forth and rent away!

 

[Obi]

here is part of the contract that was sent to the member and to me (renter).

Should accommodations not be available on date of arrival due to an action or omission by the Member, including but not limited to negligence on the part of the Member and after communication with The DVC Rental Store, suitable comparable accommodations for the same dates cannot be secured by the Member, the Renter will be due a refund limited to the amount paid which is $........ US Dollars.


this basically states that if something happens, due to the member, suitable accommodations will be made. if the member/dvc rental store is unable to secure suitable comparable accommodations then a full refund, towards the rental of points, will be issued.

also, with the dvc rental store, they give the member a % of the money up front with the rest of it to be given to the member after the renter has checked in. not sure if david's does this, but I believe they do this as well.

 

[Disvillain63]

Can you guys send me the websites you use to rent the points? I'd love to try this out in January.

www.dvcrentalstore.com

 

[Alison1975]

We Love the moderate resorts.
I see some of the prices you all are throwing out there and I'm thinking these Numbers are crazy for what you are getting.
This years we have a party of 4, 3 adults and 1 jr, with 9 nights hotel,Free Dinning, 5 day + WPF&M we paid $3400.
Next year we have a party of 8, again 9 nights Free Dinning, 5 day + WPF&M we are looking at just over $6000

We have 15 nights 14 of the FD 5 people 10 day hoppers and WP&M M for $5000 even

 

[luv]

here is part of the contract that was sent to the member and to me (renter).

Should accommodations not be available on date of arrival due to an action or omission by the Member, including but not limited to negligence on the part of the Member and after communication with The DVC Rental Store, suitable comparable accommodations for the same dates cannot be secured by the Member, the Renter will be due a refund limited to the amount paid which is $........ US Dollars.


this basically states that if something happens, due to the member, suitable accommodations will be made. if the member/dvc rental store is unable to secure suitable comparable accommodations then a full refund, towards the rental of points, will be issued.

also, with the dvc rental store, they give the member a % of the money up front with the rest of it to be given to the member after the renter has checked in. not sure if david's does this, but I believe they do this as well.

It does not say suitable accommodations will be made. You should re-read that! If I sound snippy, I don't mean it in the snippy way. Just want you to know!

It says you'll be due a refund, but it doesn't say who will be paying it or how and when it will be paid.

Does it say somewhere that the DVC Rental people will pay it?

 

[WDW-LUVR]

We have 15 nights 14 of the FD 5 people 10 day hoppers and WP&M M for $5000 even

FD=?
Where are you staying

 

[Obi]

It does not say suitable accommodations will be made. You should re-read that! If I sound snippy, I don't mean it in the snippy way. Just want you to know!

It says you'll be due a refund, but it doesn't say who will be paying it or how and when it will be paid.

Does it say somewhere that the DVC Rental people will pay it?

Should accommodations not be available on date of arrival due to an action or omission by the Member, including but not limited to negligence on the part of the Member and after communication with The DVC Rental Store, suitable comparable accommodations for the same dates cannot be secured by the Member, the Renter will be due a refund limited to the amount paid which is $........ US Dollars.

the text I highlighted in red shows that suitable comparable accommodations, for the same dates, will be attempted and if that cannot be secured then the renter will be due a refund...

as to who pays the refund and how the refund gets paid, that I do not know. i'll have to send the representative at the dvc rental store, that I've been working with, a message to ask how that gets handled...

no, I don't think you've been snippy.. I understand you're just making people aware, and that's great.

 

[luv]

Should accommodations not be available on date of arrival due to an action or omission by the Member, including but not limited to negligence on the part of the Member and after communication with The DVC Rental Store, suitable comparable accommodations for the same dates cannot be secured by the Member, the Renter will be due a refund limited to the amount paid which is $........ US Dollars.

the text I highlighted in red shows that suitable comparable accommodations, for the same dates, will be attempted and if that cannot be secured then the renter will be due a refund...

as to who pays the refund and how the refund gets paid, that I do not know. i'll have to send the representative at the dvc rental store, that I've been working with, a message to ask how that gets handled...

no, I don't think you've been snippy.. I understand you're just making people aware, and that's great.

I read the part in red. It doesn't say they'll make those accommodations. It doesn't even say that they promise to try. It just says at if they can't be made, you're due a refund.

I am not a lawyer, much less a good one. I don't know what a good lawyer could or couldn't do with that. I wouldn't want to find out. So, I wouldn't enter into that kind of deal.

But I know it works out well for many people and I wish everyone the best with their rentals...and vacations!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

I read the part in red. It doesn't say they'll make those accommodations. It doesn't even say that they promise to try. It just says at if they can't be made, you're due a refund.

I am not a lawyer, much less a good one. I don't know what a good lawyer could or couldn't do with that. I wouldn't want to find out. So, I wouldn't enter into that kind of deal.

But I know it works out well for many people and I wish everyone the best with their rentals...and vacations!

My uncle is a lawyer and we checked with him before booking and since this is a binding legal contract, they cannot break it without any repercussions. They break it, they're in deep trouble. Just like if we break it on our end, decide to cancel and whatnot, we get no money back. Yes, it is a bigger gamble as the renter because you do pay up front and if you get there and there is no room, if the member can't find accomidations for you, you're screwed. It's also a gamble for the member though. You could rent to a party that completely breaks every rule in the contract and, since they are renting under your points, it doesn't look good on you either. We were a little nervous going into it the first time, but everything worked out well.

That being said, booking and paying for ANYTHING up front is a gamble. That's just how the world works. You could book a flight on a plane and something could happen, whether it gets cancelled by mistake or they can't find it in the system. Same thing, you're out of luck. Doesn't matter if you show up with a confirmation number or boarding pass. If your reservation is gone, it's gone. Maybe they will have a seat open for you, maybe they won't. Maybe you'll get the same rate, maybe you will have to pay more.

I think before renting points with any company it's good to do your research. Make sure it's legit and not someone trying to scam you. Our persinal experience with DVC Rental Store, both times, has been wonderful. If it was otherwise, we would definitely tell people to be cautious of it.

You definitely don't sound snippy at all. I think it's good that you ponited that out because some people who might have been looking into renting might have read your post and say "Gee, I never thought of that!" lol

 

[dreamfinder]

Just rented 5 nights at OKW for 2/27/14-3/4/14

80 points at $14 a point was $1,120

The same room booked as a room reservation from Disney for 4 people is over $2,400!!

That's $1,300 for mousekeeping!!

While I agree that renting points can often be a price effective way to do a WDW trip, I usually point out that comparing it to rack rates for DVC is useless. Much like how dining prices have gone up or food quality has gone down to make the DDP seem like a better value, the rack rates for DVC are easily inflated to make it seem like a better value. I always suggest comparing it to what you would otherwise have booked. You get a more accurate cost comparison to what it saves you.

 

[Ariel484]

I've been unable to find one example online of someone not having their room when they went - do you have any examples of this or is it just the devil advocate worse case scenario?

I'm sort of an example. We rented through David's for a split-stay in June 2011 - first half at AKV, second half at BWV (both studio rooms). About a month before the trip I got a call that the member we were renting from for the AKV portion was "off the grid" - David's had been unable to contact them and despite the fact that we'd paid in full we no longer had a room. They said this had never happened before and that they were going to secure us a 1-bedroom at Saratoga Springs (a more costly room) with them paying the difference for the upgrade. We declined because by then I'd really had my heart set on staying at AKL (I managed to book a room using an AP discount - looking back I wish we'd taken the SS room because it would have been cheaper than our AKL room at the AP rate and we've never stayed at SS before). David's refunded our money and sent us a $50 giftcard for the trouble. At the time I was pretty upset - I still wish we'd been given more advanced notice, but I'm not sure what more they could have done otherwise. The BWV portion of the trip went flawlessly.

Since then we've rented with them 3 more times: BCV in 2012 (everything was fine) and we have 2 AKV stays coming up at the end of this year and it's been fine so far. As a PP says the renter gets a confirmation number and it shows up in MDE just like a regular reservation made through Disney would.

My biggest issue with David's lately is that it's gotten so popular that I've had a couple of instances where I haven't gotten my first choice resort even at the 11-month mark (they offer me the second choice before booking and if I decline I get my deposit back). This is why we're at AKV twice for our next trip...I wanted VWL and called right at the 11-month mark and it was full! UGH!

 

[jaklgreen]

I am a DVC owner and just asked David's to rent out my 300 points. I did it once myself, but feel he can take care of it quicker and with less issues than I can.

As I understand it, when David finds you a reservation and books it, the person booking will receive a confirmation number just as if you booked direct with Disney. So you don't have to worry about arriving and not having a room.

On a related note, if anyone wants to rent out 300 points, message me!

Just curious what 300 points can get, for example in Oct?

 

[Minthorne]

I'm sort of an example. We rented through David's for a split-stay in June 2011 - first half at AKV, second half at BWV (both studio rooms). About a month before the trip I got a call that the member we were renting from for the AKV portion was "off the grid" - David's had been unable to contact them and despite the fact that we'd paid in full we no longer had a room. They said this had never happened before and that they were going to secure us a 1-bedroom at Saratoga Springs (a more costly room) with them paying the difference for the upgrade. We declined because by then I'd really had my heart set on staying at AKL (I managed to book a room using an AP discount - looking back I wish we'd taken the SS room because it would have been cheaper than our AKL room at the AP rate and we've never stayed at SS before). David's refunded our money and sent us a $50 giftcard for the trouble. At the time I was pretty upset - I still wish we'd been given more advanced notice, but I'm not sure what more they could have done otherwise. The BWV portion of the trip went flawlessly.

Since then we've rented with them 3 more times: BCV in 2012 (everything was fine) and we have 2 AKV stays coming up at the end of this year and it's been fine so far. As a PP says the renter gets a confirmation number and it shows up in MDE just like a regular reservation made through Disney would.

My biggest issue with David's lately is that it's gotten so popular that I've had a couple of instances where I haven't gotten my first choice resort even at the 11-month mark (they offer me the second choice before booking and if I decline I get my deposit back). This is why we're at AKV twice for our next trip...I wanted VWL and called right at the 11-month mark and it was full! UGH!

Thanks for posting this! It makes me feel even more comfortable about renting from David's since it showed that even though he didn't have to by the contract he made sure you were taken care of, that's good business!

 

[Ariel484]

Thanks for posting this! It makes me feel even more comfortable about renting from David's since it showed that even though he didn't have to by the contract he made sure you were taken care of, that's good business!

I thought so too. I mean obviously since we're still renting from them!

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

My biggest issue with David's lately is that it's gotten so popular that I've had a couple of instances where I haven't gotten my first choice resort even at the 11-month mark (they offer me the second choice before booking and if I decline I get my deposit back). This is why we're at AKV twice for our next trip...I wanted VWL and called right at the 11-month mark and it was full! UGH!

We had this issue too Shannon. I was told though by the rep at DVC Rental Store that it's not because they are super popular now, it's because there was just nothing open at the 11 month mark. We wanted WLV and either all the people who had WLV as their home resort had booked it or there were no owners at WLV looking to rent their points. We had them check at the 7 month mark which is when anyone can book any resort and we got it. I guess it kind of just depends who is renting their points when you want to book. For our stay at BLT after the cruise we checked for BLT, WLV, BC and BWV. ALL four were open! So we decided to go with BLT since A - most of our time would be at MK and the monorail to Epcot is so convenient and B - I heard it is near impossible to get a standard view studio at BLT so we figured this was our chance!!

Glad David's comped you for the mess up on the room. Unfortunately, if the member goes missing, there really isn't anything they can do. I wonder if they took any legal action against the member since they signed a contract?

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

While I agree that renting points can often be a price effective way to do a WDW trip, I usually point out that comparing it to rack rates for DVC is useless. Much like how dining prices have gone up or food quality has gone down to make the DDP seem like a better value, the rack rates for DVC are easily inflated to make it seem like a better value. I always suggest comparing it to what you would otherwise have booked. You get a more accurate cost comparison to what it saves you.

We always compare the price for renting versus the price for the same property based on the current discount that's running. I know they change the % off from time to time but DVC resorts seem to be either 30-35% off. Even with the discount it's still a savings for us!

 

[Ariel484]

We had this issue too Shannon. I was told though by the rep at DVC Rental Store that it's not because they are super popular now, it's because there was just nothing open at the 11 month mark. We wanted WLV and either all the people who had WLV as their home resort had booked it or there were no owners at WLV looking to rent their points. We had them check at the 7 month mark which is when anyone can book any resort and we got it. I guess it kind of just depends who is renting their points when you want to book. For our stay at BLT after the cruise we checked for BLT, WLV, BC and BWV. ALL four were open! So we decided to go with BLT since A - most of our time would be at MK and the monorail to Epcot is so convenient and B - I heard it is near impossible to get a standard view studio at BLT so we figured this was our chance!!

Glad David's comped you for the mess up on the room. Unfortunately, if the member goes missing, there really isn't anything they can do. I wonder if they took any legal action against the member since they signed a contract?

You're totally right, I worded that wrong. But I never thought to check again at the 7-month window...D'OH! I was super nervous because the trip we were renting for was for that dreaded week between Christmas and New Year's so I sort of panicked when nothing was available and just took another AKV reservation. I'll know better next time.

I have no idea what happened with that member. From what I remember they just 100% couldn't find the person...I think the phrasing was that they were "completely AWOL" or something.

 

[PolynesianPrincess]

You're totally right, I worded that wrong. But I never thought to check again at the 7-month window...D'OH! I was super nervous because the trip we were renting for was for that dreaded week between Christmas and New Year's so I sort of panicked when nothing was available and just took another AKV reservation. I'll know better next time.

I have no idea what happened with that member. From what I remember they just 100% couldn't find the person...I think the phrasing was that they were "completely AWOL" or something.

Probably realized after they rented the points that maybe they didn't want to anymore. Oops!!