Blatant DVC exchange rentals on Redweek.com

[rickandcindy23]

This particular one caught my eye because I have a few nights listed for summer in a small studio. https://www.redweek.com/posting/R993164

I have some studios listed on Redweek for December and January right after the new year. If people can get 1 and 2 bedrooms for December-January, when those units start showing on II, my little studios are not going to rent. I have the lowest prices on Redweek, but I cannot compete with exchange rentals.

I contacted Redweek on this particular listing. I hope they don't turn a blind eye to 1 and 2 bedroom listings with the $190 fee disclosed.

When I listed my studios on Redweek, there was a box that said something like, "I didn't get this through exchange." How can people get by with lying/ checking that box and listing anyway?

 

[amsunshine]

Does redweek verify ownership for the rentals? I've honestly wondered if people get exchanges and then rent them out for a profit.

 

[sponger76]

Does redweek verify ownership for the rentals? I've honestly wondered if people get exchanges and then rent them out for a profit.

Pretty sure they only verify that the reservations exist, not the actual owner of the week being rented.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Does redweek verify ownership for the rentals? I've honestly wondered if people get exchanges and then rent them out for a profit.

If you list a reservation through verify and protect, or just verify, Redweek makes sure you own what you are renting. If you list it yourself, and don't use the verify process, there is a checkbox to verify that this is not an exchange. People actually check that box and then list exchanges anyway.

For exchanges to be listed on Redweek, you have to check that box, denying that it's an exchange, which is lying, outright deceit.

I noticed that not much is renting for DVC on Redweek, including my own rentals, and I don't know really understand why. My prices are the lowest.

 

[rickandcindy23]

My complaint to Redweek got an answer already:

Susan D (RedWeek Customer Service) Jun 16, 2023, 11:22 AM PDT Hi Richard, Yes, the owners of these postings added postings as a do it yourself posting. Redweek does not verify get involved with any posting or transaction that does not offer verification or online booking. Unfortunately, we are not able of offer Full Service Rentals or our RedWeek Verified enhancement on any week booked through Interval International or RCI. Kind Regards, Susan

 

[amsunshine]

Interesting. It's also annoying that people who do this are taking exchanges away from those of us who want to exchange for our own use.

 

[jwalk03]

You could reach out to the person who listed the AD and pretend to be interested and get as much info about them as possible and then report them to Interval who most certainly does care about this sort of thing- even if Redweek doesn't!

 

[amsunshine]

What could/would Interval do though? As owners/exchangers, we pay Interval for guest certificates. I don't recall, though, does anything about the guest certificate prohibit renting? I would think not, but maybe?

 

[rickandcindy23]

What could/would Interval do though? As owners/exchangers, we pay Interval for guest certificates. I don't recall, though, does anything about the guest certificate prohibit renting? I would think not, but maybe?

There is a disclosure that you cannot commercially rent weeks on every exchange confirmation. It's pretty obvious to me.

I assume this is an II exchange, but there are bunches of these weeks, and a whole lot of them are 1 and 2 bedrooms for 7 nights at very low prices. I am renting six nights at Boardwalk in a studio for January and I'm charging $2,400 for the six nights. If a person comes along with a 1 bedroom exchange into the same resort for the same price, 7 nights at $2,400, I am not going to rent my six nights. That is the problem I have with cheap exchange rentals.

 

[dioxide45]

If you want to be really shitty, you could get a free DVC stay. Rent the week then call II to "ask questions" then let it drop that you rented it. They will lock the owner's account and force the owner to refund you and still give you the week. That happened to someone on TUG here during the pandemic where they were trying to rent out an exchange through Facebook marketplace and the renter call II. I suspect they knew what they were doing in order to get the free stay. Now if this just happens to be an RCI exchange, then all bets are off because they simply don't care. If II, I bet that person never rents an exchange again.

 

[amsunshine]

There is a disclosure that you cannot commercially rent weeks on every exchange confirmation. It's pretty obvious to me.

I assume this is an II exchange, but there are bunches of these weeks, and a whole lot of them are 1 and 2 bedrooms for 7 nights at very low prices. I am renting six nights at Boardwalk in a studio for January and I'm charging $2,400 for the six nights. If a person comes along with a 1 bedroom exchange into the same resort for the same price, 7 nights at $2,400, I am not going to rent my six nights. That is the problem I have with cheap exchange rentals.

Oh wow, I did not know that. Very interesting!

And, yeah, I totally get your point about your rental. It's bad all around both for people like you who legitimately try to rent out their units, and bad for people like me who search for exchanges into places like DVC because it depletes the inventory available for exchanges on II.

 

[amsunshine]

Please keep us updated if whatever you decide to do!

 

[cbyrne1174]

If you want to be really shitty, you could get a free DVC stay. Rent the week then call II to "ask questions" then let it drop that you rented it. They will lock the owner's account and force the owner to refund you and still give you the week. That happened to someone on TUG here during the pandemic where they were trying to rent out an exchange through Facebook marketplace and the renter call II. I suspect they knew what they were doing in order to get the free stay. Now if this just happens to be an RCI exchange, then all bets are off because they simply don't care. If II, I bet that person never rents an exchange again.

This is why DVC availability is so much better after switching to II. It was so abused with RCI.

 

[tschwa2]

This is why DVC availability is so much better after switching to II. It was so abused with RCI.

If DVC deposits 500 units to rci per year and then changes and deposits 500 units to II, it shouldn't have any effect on the availability through DVC. It effects DVC owners renting out their units. In terms of dvc availability it wouldn't matter if the deposited unit is being used by an rci member or someone they rent it out to or an II member.

 

[rickandcindy23]

If DVC deposits 500 units to rci per year and then changes and deposits 500 units to II, it shouldn't have any effect on the availability through DVC. It effects DVC owners renting out their units. In terms of dvc availability it wouldn't matter if the deposited unit is being used by an rci member or someone they rent it out to or an II member.

There was a gentleman on one of the DVC rentals Facebook groups that I turned into RCI. He had a major business renting Disney weeks and disclosing the $190 fee. He was charging $2,300 for one bedroom units. He had 15 reserved and was doing it with Wyndham points. The RCI employee is also a TUG member. I don't belong to that group, but a friend of mine was pretty angry about it. She owns about 2,000 Disney points.

 

[Huskerpaul]

There is a disclosure that you cannot commercially rent weeks on every exchange confirmation. It's pretty obvious to me.

I assume this is an II exchange, but there are bunches of these weeks, and a whole lot of them are 1 and 2 bedrooms for 7 nights at very low prices. I am renting six nights at Boardwalk in a studio for January and I'm charging $2,400 for the six nights. If a person comes along with a 1 bedroom exchange into the same resort for the same price, 7 nights at $2,400, I am not going to rent my six nights. That is the problem I have with cheap exchange rentals.

Is your BWV studio Standard view? I have seen a lot of Standard view rooms for rent on Koala and Redweek. Best DVC points deal around. Seems a shame that so many of those room views seem to be getting turned into rentals.

 

[cbyrne1174]

If DVC deposits 500 units to rci per year and then changes and deposits 500 units to II, it shouldn't have any effect on the availability through DVC. It effects DVC owners renting out their units. In terms of dvc availability it wouldn't matter if the deposited unit is being used by an rci member or someone they rent it out to or an II member.

Yea but when a bunch of people constantly have ongoing searches for the intention of renting them out knowing that RCI doesn't do jack shit, it's harder to book.

 

[cbyrne1174]

There was a gentleman on one of the DVC rentals Facebook groups that I turned into RCI. He had a major business renting Disney weeks and disclosing the $190 fee. He was charging $2,300 for one bedroom units. He had 15 reserved and was doing it with Wyndham points. The RCI employee is also a TUG member. I don't belong to that group, but a friend of mine was pretty angry about it. She owns about 2,000 Disney points.

I reported a bunch of rentals to RCI (as well as Redweek and EBay) and not a single listing got taken down. That's why I was happy that they switched to II. Plus I love having access to Getaways with an II Gold discount that I didn't have to pay for.

 

[tschwa2]

Yea but when a bunch of people constantly have ongoing searches for the intention of renting them out knowing that RCI doesn't do jack shit, it's harder to book.

Yes, harder to book through rci. I thought the complaint was from DVC owner perspective, that they had problems with availability due to rci members renting out exchanges.

 

[cbyrne1174]

Yes, harder to book through rci. I thought the complaint was from DVC owner perspective, that they had problems with availability due to rci members renting out exchanges.

Nah. I couldn't care less about DVC availability. I live right next to WDW. I have no issues getting Boardwalk standard studios and Beach Club studios with points. I only use DVC points for 1 night. Anything more is just wasteful IMO. The exchange inventory is the one I care about because of its cost per night.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Is your BWV studio Standard view? I have seen a lot of Standard view rooms for rent on Koala and Redweek. Best DVC points deal around. Seems a shame that so many of those room views seem to be getting turned into rentals.

It's garden/ pool view. I rent my DVC points and exchange in, but sometimes I book one bedrooms for us, when I cannot get weeks for our stays. It's all a game for me, but it helps pay my own vacations to a small extent.

 

[dioxide45]

This is why DVC availability is so much better after switching to II. It was so abused with RCI.

If DVC deposits 500 units to rci per year and then changes and deposits 500 units to II, it shouldn't have any effect on the availability through DVC. It effects DVC owners renting out their units. In terms of dvc availability it wouldn't matter if the deposited unit is being used by an rci member or someone they rent it out to or an II member.

by "DVC availability", is it DVC availability in II? That is how I read it.

 

[cbyrne1174]

by "DVC availability", is it DVC availability in II? That is how I read it.

The people who were considered Wyndham "megarenters" would also rent out DVC exchanges to make money. When I would check a lot of the Ebay DVC exchange listings, they were also renting out Wyndham reservations. It used to yield a $700-800 profit when it was in RCI because the exchange company only cared about the exchange fee being paid and not what happened after.

 

[Dean]

II will take it seriously. I'm aware of situations where they inquired and asked the member to take the rental down. I'm also aware of instances where they locked their online account and forced them to call for all options for a year. And lastly, I'm aware of at lest one situation where they excluded the member from II.

 

[StaceyM]

If you want to be really shitty, you could get a free DVC stay. Rent the week then call II to "ask questions" then let it drop that you rented it. They will lock the owner's account and force the owner to refund you and still give you the week.

Is it wrong that I’m a little tempted? I mean, I really want to help out Rick and Cindy…