Anyone heard of Ronald Russell / Ron Russell rentals?

[TJALB]

I've been working with Ronald Russell out of California. He requests I pay him in full for the timeshare I'm trying to rent in Tahoe "The Ridge Tahoe" but he wants me to sign and return the rental agreement and pay in full through PayPal even though the rental date isn't unti June 2017. I asked him to generate a invoice using PayPal and I'd pay him. He refuses to generate an invoice and wants me to pay using someone else's email address. He also offered a bank payment, where I would go into a bank and deposit into his account. He also offered Western Union, which sent red flags up in my opinion. I've asked if I can pay a portion until I see the confirmation in my name and I can verify with the resort. Then I told him I would immediately forward the balance. He won't do that. Am I being unreasonable? I feel if I pay under the current terms it would be in complete blind faith on my part. I own 3 weeks timeshare and have rented to others in the past. I always do everything in my power to assure the renter that I'm legit.

Would appreciate any info you Tuggers have to offer. If this guy is legit I don't want to pass up the week. But I sure don't want to loose $1,100 either.

Thanks to all you kind people for your help!

 

[TUGBrian]

I've been working with Ronald Russell out of California. He requests I pay him in full for the timeshare I'm trying to rent in Tahoe "The Ridge Tahoe" but he wants me to sign and return the rental agreement and pay in full through PayPal even though the rental date isn't unti June 2017. I asked him to generate a invoice using PayPal and I'd pay him. He refuses to generate an invoice and wants me to pay using someone else's email address. He also offered a bank payment, where I would go into a bank and deposit into his account. He also offered Western Union, which sent red flags up in my opinion. I've asked if I can pay a portion until I see the confirmation in my name and I can verify with the resort. Then I told him I would immediately forward the balance. He won't do that. Am I being unreasonable? I feel if I pay under the current terms it would be in complete blind faith on my part. I own 3 weeks timeshare and have rented to others in the past. I always do everything in my power to assure the renter that I'm legit.

Would appreciate any info you Tuggers have to offer. If this guy is legit I don't want to pass up the week. But I sure don't want to loose $1,100 either.

Thanks to all you kind people for your help!

if you are not comfortable with the transaction, that is quite literally the number one reason to pass.

 

[chapjim]

If he won't produce something like a reservation confirmation that shows he has what he is selling, I'd move on.

Nemo dat quod non habet.

 

[TJALB]

if you are not comfortable with the transaction, that is quite literally the number one reason to pass.

Thank you Chapjim. That's kind of what I'm thinking too.

 

[TJALB]

if you are not comfortable with the transaction, that is quite literally the number one reason to pass.

if you are not comfortable with the transaction, that is quite literally the number one reason to pass.

Thanks TugBrian. I was hoping another Tugger knew of this guy good or bad. If I'm unable to gather info on him I'm going to have to walk away. Thanks for your reply.

 

[funtime]

This may just be a series of miscommunications. The owner is offering a rental agreement which is the legal agreement to collect rent for the use of a week. It is binding on both the owner and the renter. Timeshare weeks often need to be paid in full, up front before the reservation is transferred. That gives security to both parities. The renter can go ahead and make plane reservations and the owner can take it off the market. From an owner point of view a half paid reservation in someone else's name cannot be re-rented. Generally it needs to be completely paid for, then taken off the market, and then put in the renter's name. While the renter is putting down deposits with no guarantee of full payment, the owner is passing on other renters who will pay up front for the week. The payment confusion arises because the owner is trying to avoid the pay pal fees which are steep. He has suggested a direct pay without invoice which carries no seller fee. Pay pal accounts are often in a different email than the one the owner uses for ordinary communication. This is not suspicious, just an ordinary fact. Many times the pay pal account is a legacy account from email address used long time before, or for a business. The pay pal account holder wants to keep those accounts separate from other accounts. The owner has offered other payment methods, and for some reason that set off alarm bells. A simple solution if you think this is a must have week, is to offer to pay a bit more to cover the seller's pay pal fees. If not then check on other rental sites for a comparable vacation.

 

[TJALB]

Thanks for your input Funtime. However, how does any of this protect or reassure me that this is a legitimate person renting a week, or a scammer? Actually I didn't ask him for much; only something showing that he actually owns the week. Preferably a reservation in my name that I can confirm at which time I would immediately pay the balance of the agreement. As far as protecting himself, he could put a paragraph in the agreement that states if I don't pay the balance by a particular date I would forfeit the money already paid. In terms of the Paypal fees that he may be charged, he is the one that requested PayPal. I offered to pay by check. A check shouldn't be any problem for him as this is only March and I'm not vacationing until June. He has more than enough time to cash the check prior to my renting. And yes, when he offered "Western Union" and my paying directly to his bank account, it sent up red flags in my mind. I have rented my weeks to other Tuggers in the past. It's not hard to place a reservation in their name, print the confirmation, and allow them to verify the reservation. If it were to fall through I would simply cancel the reservation; no problem for me. I try to follow suggestions on the TUG website. There are several things that are suggested in terms of what Tuggers should do to confirm that a renter is not a scammer. I only asked him for "one" of those things. I don't think I was asking for something unreasonable. Also, I asked this "Ronald Russel" if he were a TUG member he answered "yes". Then I asked him what his user name on TUG is and he answered "Ronald Russel" which I've not been able to confirm. If even I could confirm he was a TUG member I would feel a little better. I'm just not too fond of possibly losing $1,100 dollars.

I sense that possibly you rent weeks of your own out to other people. If so, may I ask if you provide proof that you're a legitimate owner of the week to your prospective renter? If not, how do your renters respond? I can't imagine that your prospective renters never question legitimacy. If they do, do you refuse, or do you offer them some sort of proof? Just curious.

Again, I sincerely appreciate your time and possible explanation of why this guy won't provide proof.

Thanks!

 

[funtime]

It is reasonable to ask him for proof of his reservation. It is his reservation (not yours) until he transfers it to a renter. I always provide proof of my actual reservation. I do not however put it in the renter's name until they have paid. Different web sites have differing levels of mistrust. Ebay guarantees reservations and people like that. Redweek also has a high degree of trust. Craigslist however has a very high degree of mistrust. In the past when dealing with Craigslisters, I try a few times to validate the legitimacy of the transaction to the renter's satisfaction, but I generally let the super hardliners fall off. Someone easier to work with appears shortly thereafter. It is up to the person offering the week to set the terms. If the renter wants to dictate terms then it may or may not work. It is not just payment practices that some people want to question. They want different dates, different size rooms, want pets, want minors as the renters. As an owner I have learned to meet someone half way, but at some point if they are too difficult to please, it is not a transaction that is going to work. I still think you have plenty of time to shop around and find an alternate vacation with less stress.

 

[Sandy VDH]

Proof of having that the week book is a basic step. I too would be concerned about providing any payment unless they can show me proof that they indeed have the week in question.

When I rent out to people I show them the reservation in MY name, I get them to pay the reservation, I then change the reservation to THEIR name and forward it to them.

I usually also always have a conversation with them, if they are unwilling to have a conversation and share their number, I will usually pass.

I will usually pass on those who want a 33 to 50% discount and the week is 7 or 8 months out. But I get a fair amount of those requests too. They tell me they can't afford more, well I can't help but thinking they can't afford a vacation to Hawaii (or where ever) then.

 

[TJALB]

It is reasonable to ask him for proof of his reservation. It is his reservation (not yours) until he transfers it to a renter. I always provide proof of my actual reservation. I do not however put it in the renter's name until they have paid. Different web sites have differing levels of mistrust. Ebay guarantees reservations and people like that. Redweek also has a high degree of trust. Craigslist however has a very high degree of mistrust. In the past when dealing with Craigslisters, I try a few times to validate the legitimacy of the transaction to the renter's satisfaction, but I generally let the super hardliners fall off. Someone easier to work with appears shortly thereafter. It is up to the person offering the week to set the terms. If the renter wants to dictate terms then it may or may not work. It is not just payment practices that some people want to question. They want different dates, different size rooms, want pets, want minors as the renters. As an owner I have learned to meet someone half way, but at some point if they are too difficult to please, it is not a transaction that is going to work. I still think you have plenty of time to shop around and find an alternate vacation with less stress.

Proof of having that the week book is a basic step. I too would be concerned about providing any payment unless they can show me proof that they indeed have the week in question.

When I rent out to people I show them the reservation in MY name, I get them to pay the reservation, I then change the reservation to THEIR name and forward it to them.

I usually also always have a conversation with them, if they are unwilling to have a conversation and share their number, I will usually pass.

I will usually pass on those who want a 33 to 50% discount and the week is 7 or 8 months out. But I get a fair amount of those requests too. They tell me they can't afford more, well I can't help but thinking they can't afford a vacation to Hawaii (or where ever) then.

 

[TJALB]

I did not ask for a discount and was willing to pay asking price. I have placed 2 calls to him, neither time did he answer or call back. He always replies via email. I originally asked him to show me the reservation in his name and he won't do that either. As you said, you meet people half way, he hasn't extended himself in any way. I would be making a payment in complete blind faith. He's done nothing to assure me he actually owns the week. Yes, I would trust eBay or Redweek but not this person. Each time I ask for any kind of proof all he does is assure me he's a very honest man. Talk is cheap and sometimes deceptive. I'll pass on this guy and keep looking. I own several weeks in Hawaii and do all I can to assure people when they rent from me. I expect the potential renter to want some kind of proof.

Thanks for your input but I'm definitely going to pass on this guy. I have no idea how he would routinely rent to people with absolutely no assurance that he has what he claims to have.

When I started this thread I was hoping someone would come forward and say they've rented from him, which would have been reassuring to me. Unfortunately no one has.

 

[TJALB]

Proof of having that the week book is a basic step. I too would be concerned about providing any payment unless they can show me proof that they indeed have the week in question.

When I rent out to people I show them the reservation in MY name, I get them to pay the reservation, I then change the reservation to THEIR name and forward it to them.

I usually also always have a conversation with them, if they are unwilling to have a conversation and share their number, I will usually pass.

I will usually pass on those who want a 33 to 50% discount and the week is 7 or 8 months out. But I get a fair amount of those requests too. They tell me they can't afford more, well I can't help but thinking they can't afford a vacation to Hawaii (or where ever) then.

I did not ask for a discount and was willing to pay asking price. I have placed 2 calls to him, neither time did he answer or call back. He always replies via email. I originally asked him to show me the reservation in his name and he won't do that either. As you said, you meet people half way, he hasn't extended himself in any way. I would be making a payment in complete blind faith. He's done nothing to assure me he actually owns the week. Yes, I would trust eBay or Redweek but not this person. Each time I ask for any kind of proof all he does is assure me he's a very honest man. Talk is cheap and sometimes deceptive. I'll pass on this guy and keep looking. I own several weeks in Hawaii and do all I can to assure people when they rent from me. I expect the potential renter to want some kind of proof.

Thanks for your input but I'm definitely going to pass on this guy. I have no idea how he would routinely rent to people with absolutely no assurance that he has what he claims to have.

When I started this thread I was hoping someone would come forward and say they've rented from him, which would have been reassuring to me. Unfortunately no one has.

I did not ask for a discount and was willing to pay asking price. I have placed 2 calls to him, neither time did he answer or call back. He always replies via email. I originally asked him to show me the reservation in his name and he won't do that either. As you said, you meet people half way, he hasn't extended himself in any way. I would be making a payment in complete blind faith. He's done nothing to assure me he actually owns the week. Yes, I would trust eBay or Redweek but not this person. Each time I ask for any kind of proof all he does is assure me he's a very honest man. Talk is cheap and sometimes deceptive. I'll pass on this guy and keep looking. I own several weeks in Hawaii and do all I can to assure people when they rent from me. I expect the potential renter to want some kind of proof.

Thanks for your input but I'm definitely going to pass on this guy. I have no idea how he would routinely rent to people with absolutely no assurance that he has what he claims to have.

When I started this thread I was hoping someone would come forward and say they've rented from him, which would have been reassuring to me. Unfortunately no one has.