The Dark Side of Disney - Leonard Kinsey [8]
However, if it’s less than 11 months out and you have a particular resort you want to book, you’re probably better off finding someone who has a reservation they can’t use. The best way to do this is to post a “Reservation Wanted” thread at MouseOwners.com. Unfortunately Disboards no longer allows people to post “Reservation Wanted” threads more than one month in advance of the reservation date, which makes advance planning impossible. While MouseOwners doesn’t get the level of traffic that Disboards does, it’s still your best bet, and I’ve only had good luck with owners there.
In either scenario, once you find someone who will rent a reservation, you’ll need to pay them for it. Right now the going rate is $9-$10/point, which means that for a prime week in a studio at The Boardwalk Villas in October (during the Food and Wine Festival) you’ll be paying between $609-$670 for the week, which makes it at most $112/night total!!! Take that Value Resorts! You can calculate the points and thus the total cost for the length of your stay by using a DVC Point Calculator. There’s a good one at www.wdwinfo.com/resort/dvcpoint.cfm
Most owners take PayPal as their preferred method of payment, and most will usually tack on a 3% charge to offset the PayPal fees. Although this costs you a little extra, it gives both you and the owner more security; on your end if the deal goes sour you can do a chargeback either through PayPal or through your credit card (always fund your PayPal payments with a credit card, NOT through your bank account!). It also keeps the owner from having to worry about bad checks or phony money orders. The usual deal is that ½ of the payment is required up front, with the other half paid once you receive your reservation papers from DVC with your name on them. Once you’re paid up the DVC owner will be able to book the Dining Plan for you (I advise against it, as I’ll discuss later) and will also be able to enter your flight reservations into the Disney Magical Express system.
Unfortunately, in this world you always have to be prepared for a scam, and renting points is no different. Since Disney does not officially condone point rentals, they’re not going to be able to do anything for you if you get scammed. While I have only heard of one horror story (which was eventually resolved) and while most DVC owners are honest hard-working people just like you and me, you do still need to be careful and protect yourself. Here are some tips on how to do that:
Draw up a contract and have both parties sign it. There are many available on Disboards, although most owners have a standard contract they always use. A contract gives peace of mind to both parties, mainly because it puts into writing the expectations of both the owner and renter, so that there is no confusion about details later on, after payment has already been made. Also, in a worst case scenario, a contract should come in handy in small claims court.
Check references. Anyone renting DVC points should have a list of people they’ve rented to before who are willing to vouch for them. Be sure to contact these references to verify that they were satisfied with their rental transaction. If the owner has never rented before, at the very least make sure they have a decent post count on the board you contacted them on. If they don’t, I’d be wary that they’re a fly-by-night scammer. Stay clear and find another owner.
As mentioned before, pay via PayPal using your credit card so you can do a chargeback if necessary.
Once you find a trustworthy owner, stick with them! If you have a good renting experience, you should always contact that owner about upcoming vacations to see if they have points or reservations available.
If you’re still feeling a bit queasy about renting points, there is an alternate way to do it. You can use a 3rd party service, such as David’s Vacation Club Rentals, at www.dvcrequest.com/ . David acts as the middleman between you and the owner, and thus you’re paying him,