Just Venting...want opinion from owners who rent

[lilpooh108]

Its only when I sense that someone wants to play a game of winners and losers that I hang up without making a deal.

I call this the "Don't Play Me For A Fool Cuz I Ain't One" approach to negotiation A view to which I personally subscribe.

 

[TeleiosMan]

I will probably do 30 to 40 rentals this year and I do get occasional low ballers or the "we're broke and need a discount" nonsense, but I just tell them that I cannot meet their price and move on. I do not get folks busting my balls or condescending to me. Even if I did, I would just ignore them and move on. What gets me though is the occasional person who goes back and forth wanting me to prove that I am legit and not a scammer. I don't engage with those types anymore. If after one email exchange or phone conversation they are still himming and hawing about whether to trust me, I wish them well. I am doing plenty of business without them, bless their heart.

 

[ronparise]

I will probably do 30 to 40 rentals this year and I do get occasional low ballers or the "we're broke and need a discount" nonsense, but I just tell them that I cannot meet their price and move on. I do not get folks busting my balls or condescending to me. Even if I did, I would just ignore them and move on. What gets me though is the occasional person who goes back and forth wanting me to prove that I am legit and not a scammer. I don't engage with those types anymore. If after one email exchange or phone conversation they are still himming and hawing about whether to trust me, I wish them well. I am doing plenty of business without them, bless their heart.

Thats the big one
How do you demonstrate that you are indeed legitimate? This is a real problem for my potential customers and one I am more than willing to work with. I agree there is a limit, to what I can do, and no matter how hard I try some people wont be convinced. But I do understand that there are probably as many scammers on Craigslist as legitimate offers. So its important... Perhaps if I coulds make Redweek or TUG ads work for me Id drop Craigs list and most of my trust issues. But Craigs list makes my phone ring and the others dont

So what do I do? conference calls with the resort. and the reservations department. I send copies of my deed. and the reservation. Even the mf bill from the resort. Some folks have found me on TUG, I have my own website. I use pay pal. I also have several previous satisfied customers that they can call. For some of my weeks, if I havent yet paid my mf, my guest can pay Wyndham directly, in a conference call. They seem to feel ok trusting Wyndham (go figure)

In the end it comes down to trust. If they dont trust me and me them, there is no deal. But I do work at it. As I said in a previous post, If some one has money in their pocket for a vacation...I want that money moved into my pocket. I want a deal.

The effort is worth it. Some of my most skeptical first timers have become regulars, and they have referred others.

 

[twinmommy19]

Proving it's not a scam should be a non issue for a TUG member who rents timeshares. All a renter has to do is say "my TUG user name is X". Then a renter can go read a couple of your posts and get comfortable within minutes. Problem solved for any user who is an active poster on TUG (at least that would be enough to get me comfortable).

 

[BellaWyn]

Thats the big one
How do you demonstrate that you are indeed legitimate? This is a real problem for my potential customers and one I am more than willing to work with. ...

....So what do I do? conference calls with the resort. and the reservations department. I send copies of my deed. and the reservation. Even the mf bill from the resort. Some folks have found me on TUG, I have my own website. I use pay pal. I also have several previous satisfied customers that they can call. For some of my weeks, if I havent yet paid my mf, my guest can pay Wyndham directly, in a conference call. They seem to feel ok trusting Wyndham (go figure)

In the end it comes down to trust. I

Totally on board with the bottom line being earning the trust of a renter. It's the return-renter that keeps the $$'s in the pipeline with less effort.

But HOLY COW Ron... that's a LOT OF WORK to prove legitimacy. I use RW, MRN but mostly CL [more cost-effective]. Don't do even close to the volume you do so am a little overwhelmed at that level of effort you invest to PROVE your validity. How do you have that kind of time?? Not that I don't spend hand-holding time with my renters, but it's mostly to answer questions about the property, area and "what to do" when they get there.

Proving it's not a scam should be a non issue for a TUG member who rents timeshares. All a renter has to do is say "my TUG user name is X". Then a renter can go read a couple of your posts and get comfortable within minutes. Problem solved for any user who is an active poster on TUG (at least that would be enough to get me comfortable).

Yeah, wish it were that simple. TUG can be HUGELY overwhelming to the first-timer. There is a generational issue that comes in to play here. People who have grown up using the internet are less likely to be as insistent about proving legitimacy.

 

[twinmommy19]

Yeah, wish it were that simple. TUG can be HUGELY overwhelming to the first-timer. There is a generational issue that comes in to play here. People who have grown up using the internet are less likely to be as insistent about proving legitimacy.

I hear what you are saying about those not comfortable with the internet but then, if you found redweek you are also likely to be familiar with TUG. My point though is if someone like Ron said to a renter "check out my TUG acount - I'm very active an post advise to TS users / owners all the time" - I think a renter should be able to get comfortable. I mean - 5,091 posts over how many years? Geez - that would be an awful lot of work to go through to try to scam me out a couple thousand bucks for a rental! You know what - if someone really needed to work that hard to earn my money (you'd get booted off of TUG after doing it once - I'd be willing to say congrats - you got me!)

 

[Saintsfanfl]

I hear what you are saying about those not comfortable with the internet but then, if you found redweek you are also likely to be familiar with TUG. My point though is if someone like Ron said to a renter "check out my TUG acount - I'm very active an post advise to TS users / owners all the time" - I think a renter should be able to get comfortable. I mean - 5,091 posts over how many years? Geez - that would be an awful lot of work to go through to try to scam me out a couple thousand bucks for a rental! You know what - if someone really needed to work that hard to earn my money (you'd get booted off of TUG after doing it once - I'd be willing to say congrats - you got me!)

None of my redweek inquiries have known anything at all about tug so far. They seem to be a different breed than tug. Strike up a conversation around a Marriott pool with owners about Redweek and chances are they have all heard of it. There is a good chance none of them frequent Tug. Redweek are casual owners, buyers, and renters of timeshares. Tuggers are the real power user group.

 

[vacationhopeful]

None of my redweek inquiries have known anything at all about tug so far. They seem to be a different breed than tug. Strike up a conversation around a Marriott pool with owners about Redweek and chances are they have all heard of it. There is a good chance none of them frequent Tug. Redweek are casual owners, buyers, and renters of timeshares. Tuggers are the real power user group.

TUG scares most casual timeshare owners --- we talk in code. There is NO ONE correct ANSWER for anything.

 

[ronparise]

. Don't do even close to the volume you do so am a little overwhelmed at that level of effort you invest to PROVE your validity. How do you have that kind of time?? .

I don't have to do anything most of the time

 

[Saintsfanfl]

I don't have to do anything most of the time

I haven't done many but my recent renter was very assertive. He said "Call Me". I call him and he says, "I have done this 10 years in a row so I will tell you how this works. I send you a check for the full amount, and then you add my name to the reservation". I said "Ok".

Easy as pi!

 

[MOXJO7282]

I don't take it personal but find it funny when someone is incredulous that I'm asking the price I'm asking and keep trying to get me down when I've rejected their low offer and they just keep adding $50.

Just recently someone offered me $2k for my Marriott Mrytle Beach OceanWatch July 4th week OS rental and I said I was firm at $2775. She insisted I was way high and would never get that price and I said she was way low based on market price that I know.

I countered that she was less likely to get a prime rental like this at $2k than I was to not find a renter at my price and she was incredulous. I just laughed it off.

The fact is she could find her price perhaps, but its my contention she would have to hear alot of "no thank you" before she got lucky if she did, whereas with me knowing what I know about this week's demand could rent it 10 times over at my price.

 

[twinmommy19]

TUG scares most casual timeshare owners --- we talk in code. There is NO ONE correct ANSWER for anything.

I hear you guys. After almost getting scammed on vacationrentals.com (there's a recent string on it) I'm a little more cautious than I used to be. For me, it wouldn't matter if I understood TUG or not - at this point when I rent I'm just hoping to find some verifiable trail that the person actually exists and hasn't taken measures to be untrackable. Years of posts on a forum like TUG would do the trick for me. Another guy I rented from gave a home phone number that was listed in the white pages - that was also good enough for me. If it's a cheap rental - I will probably take my chances regardless. But if I'm shelling out thousands for a slope side ski villa I want to be a little more careful.

 

[csxjohn]

None of my redweek inquiries have known anything at all about tug so far. They seem to be a different breed than tug. ...

Those were my exact thoughts when I first went to the RW forums after joining TUG.

After about 10 minutes I signed off and tried to go back once recently and didn't last that long.

I now don't bother with their forums, I just look at what's for sale and rent there.

 

[DeniseM]

Someone just asked me if I'd take $29 off the price. Funny!

 

[Saintsfanfl]

Someone just asked me if I'd take $29 off the price. Funny!

Some people really stick to their budget!

 

[csxjohn]

Someone just asked me if I'd take $29 off the price. Funny!

Some people just have to have something off the asking price or at least try to get a little something off. If they don't try they will feel they may have been able to get it a little cheaper and always wonder.


It would really be funny if you counter with $14.50 off.

 

[BellaWyn]

Someone just asked me if I'd take $29 off the price. Funny!

:rofl: Did you counter?

 

[DeniseM]

:rofl: Did you counter?

No, I accepted her offer, but in a way I am concerned about someone on such a tight budget. If $29 makes or breaks it, what happens if she has a minor financial down-turn before the trip?

 

[BellaWyn]

No, I accepted her offer, but in a way I am concerned about someone on such a tight budget. If $29 makes or breaks it, what happens if she has a minor financial down-turn before the trip?

Agree. It's a valid concern. If this is on one of your HI properties, $29 is only lunch money.

 

[DeniseM]

Agree. It's a valid concern. If this is on one of your HI properties, $29 is only lunch money.

Worse - it's Harborside! $29 is only an appetizer! :rofl:

 

[Saintsfanfl]

No, I accepted her offer, but in a way I am concerned about someone on such a tight budget. If $29 makes or breaks it, what happens if she has a minor financial down-turn before the trip?

Then it will be ramen noodles for every meal. :hysterical:

 

[vacationhopeful]

Then it will be ramen noodles for every meal. :hysterical:

Done that - took youngest nephew to DVC/AKV --- packed all the food for the entire week in our 2nd suitcase. Ate dinner out on last night and brought 2 boxes of Entermann Donuts. What a great trip ... 12yo NEVER complained even once. We even got bumped off our flight to MCO - got flight vouchers for $400 and $405.