Koala Booking-Advise/Experience

[buddylee1114]

Concerned with a booking we recently made through Koala. It is for a week in April that according to this link below, is considered a blackout period? I think that is how I'm understanding it. However, there seems to be a clause that the owner can do 2 guest certificates during these dates, and if that is the case, should we be, okay?

I'm worried that our family of 4 will show up with a confirmation from Koala in hand, but Wyndham cancelling the reservation b/c we are guest during these dates. Anyone have any knowledge on this topic? It is for Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek (specifically).

Priority Reservations for Club Wyndham Owners

Club Wyndham owners get priority access to book timeshare vacations. Explore resort availability and learn more about this exclusive perk to timeshare owners.

clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com

Thank you all!

 

[Sandi Bo]

Concerned with a booking we recently made through Koala. It is for a week in April that according to this link below, is considered a blackout period? I think that is how I'm understanding it. However, there seems to be a clause that the owner can do 2 guest certificates during these dates, and if that is the case, should we be, okay?

I'm worried that our family of 4 will show up with a confirmation from Koala in hand, but Wyndham cancelling the reservation b/c we are guest during these dates. Anyone have any knowledge on this topic? It is for Club Wyndham Bonnet Creek (specifically).

Priority Reservations for Club Wyndham Owners

Club Wyndham owners get priority access to book timeshare vacations. Explore resort availability and learn more about this exclusive perk to timeshare owners.

clubwyndham.wyndhamdestinations.com

Thank you all!

Different dates for each resorts. Some resorts aren't on the list at all. And yes, owners are allowed 2 exceptions per year if the reservation is during owner priority dates for your resort/reservation. Is your resort/dates on the list? I have never used koala, but I think they vet things well. Maybe first a call to them to feel comfortable your reservation is in compliance. Or maybe you can call the owner and be able talk to them and get a comfort level (that they understand the owner priority rules and are in compliance). I, personally, would talk to koala and get a good comfort level all is well.

 

[buddylee1114]

Different dates for each resorts. Some resorts aren't on the list at all. And yes, owners are allowed 2 exceptions per year if the reservation is during owner priority dates for your resort/reservation. Is your resort/dates on the list? I have never used koala, but I think they vet things well. Maybe first a call to them to feel comfortable your reservation is in compliance. Or maybe you can call the owner and be able talk to them and get a comfort level (that they understand the owner priority rules and are in compliance). I, personally, would talk to koala and get a good comfort level all is well.

Hey Sandi,

Thank you for responding. Yes WBC is listed during the dates we selected, and the dates are also listed within the priority period. I see on Koala.com that Koala does vet, and works directly with WBC. They claim that the owner that has this listed is using one of his certificates for our reservation. But how is Koala verifying that this "owner" is pulling the wool over their eyes as well...I've reached back out asking how they verify this information. I'll keep ya'll posted.

 

[bnoble]

But how is Koala verifying that this "owner" is pulling the wool over their eyes as well.

Whenever you rent from an individual, you are trusting that the individual is being honest and dealing fairly with you. The vast (vast!) majority of these go off without a hitch. But that’s one of the reasons these are less expensive than renting from Wyndham.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Hey Sandi,

Thank you for responding. Yes WBC is listed during the dates we selected, and the dates are also listed within the priority period. I see on Koala.com that Koala does vet, and works directly with WBC. They claim that the owner that has this listed is using one of his certificates for our reservation. But how is Koala verifying that this "owner" is pulling the wool over their eyes as well...I've reached back out asking how they verify this information. I'll keep ya'll posted.

The fact is that if an owner is offering a rental, Koala makes 100% sure the rental is valid. You have a guarantee. Koala will stand by the guarantee. Koala cannot take chances with this because their reputation is at risk. That's my understanding. This is why Koala constantly reminds me to withdraw anything I have for rent that I have cancelled or rented elsewhere. They also remind me that my rental date is approaching, if I need to cancel.

 

[dioxide45]

The fact is that if an owner is offering a rental, Koala makes 100% sure the rental is valid. You have a guarantee. Koala will stand by the guarantee. Koala cannot take chances with this because their reputation is at risk. That's my understanding. This is why Koala constantly reminds me to withdraw anything I have for rent that I have cancelled or rented elsewhere. They also remind me that my rental date is approaching, if I need to cancel.

I do beleive they have experienced situations where owners have received certified letters and the owner had to cancel a reservation or Wyndham cancelled a reservation. Certainly the renter gets their money back, but it may not help if the renter can't find anything comparable for the same dates. The verification is only as good as of the date it was verified.

 

[buddylee1114]

Thank you all for your feedback. I feel a bit better and will hold onto our backup reservation at an alternative property until after the "cancellation" window expires, I think it's 30 days prior; at that point I believe the guest certificate has to be submitted and I would think we should be able to at that point then call the resort for verification/place a request for a specific tower? Thoughts? And thank you again!

 

[geerlijd]

Koala asks the renter to confirm via email that they plan to use one of their two allowed GCs before posting a listing for dates within the owner priority periods.

Ultimately, Koala is relying on the owners word, but I think your risk is low. Since Koala pays after check in of the renter, I would have nothing to gain, and my points to lose if I setup a reservation I knew was outside my limit of 2 GCs.

 

[CO skier]

Thank you all for your feedback. I feel a bit better and will hold onto our backup reservation at an alternative property until after the "cancellation" window expires, I think it's 30 days prior; at that point I believe the guest certificate has to be submitted and I would think we should be able to at that point then call the resort for verification/place a request for a specific tower? Thoughts? And thank you again!

In Club Wyndham, the "cancellation window" is 15 days prior. Know what you are renting.

Koala does not require the guest name be added when the reservation is booked through Koala?

 

[comicbookman]

In Club Wyndham, the "cancellation window" is 15 days prior. Know what you are renting.

Koala does not require the guest name be added when the reservation is booked through Koala?

Koala waits till the cancellation window has pased t require guest name be added. at that point the renters payment is not refundable.

 

[CO skier]

Koala waits till the cancellation window has pased t require guest name be added. at that point the renters payment is not refundable.

Rhetorical question -- Do Koala's customer's know they do not have a "real" reservation through a Club Wyndham owner until their name is added to the reservation as the guest, maybe as late as just 15 days before arrival?

If I ever rented a reservation from someone, I would expect a confirmation with my name listed immediately after payment, but that is just me (and why I would never rent through Koala knowing what you posted).

 

[dioxide45]

Rhetorical question -- Do Koala's customer's know they do not have a "real" reservation through a Club Wyndham owner until their name is added to the reservation as the guest, maybe as late as just 15 days before arrival?

If I ever rented a reservation from someone, I would expect a confirmation with my name listed immediately after payment, but that is just me (and why I would never rent through Koala knowing what you posted).

With Koala, you never receive a copy of the confirmation from them or the owner. The booking just shows on their website. For the rentals we made through Koala, we just showed up at the resort and provided our ID to check in.

 

[CO skier]

With Koala, you never receive a copy of the confirmation from them or the owner.

Really? And the customer just has to "trust" they actually have a reservation?

This cannot possibly be a realistic business practice.

I mean really, if I do not have have a legitimate confirmation for a reservation IN MY NAME, that I can printout on my computer when I book a reservation, just like any hotel reservation, why would I NOT think it was some kind of scam?

 

[The Colorado Kid]

Really? And the customer just has to "trust" they actually have a reservation?

This cannot possibly be a realistic business practice.

I mean really, if I do not have have a legitimate confirmation for a reservation IN MY NAME when I book a reservation, just like any hotel reservation, why would I NOT think it was some kind of scam?

Point taken but I've had about a dozen successful Koala rentals and not had a single issue from the rentee. I have not experienced Koala from the side of the rentee.

 

[CO skier]

Point taken but I've had about a dozen successful Koala rentals and not had a single issue from the rentee. I have not experienced Koala from the side of the rentee.

Good for you, but if Koala could not supply me with a printed, confirmed reservation IN MY NAME when I booked the reservation, maybe months ahead, I would say, "Screw you, Koala. I want my money back."

 

[The Colorado Kid]

Good for you, but if Koala could not supply me with a printed, confirmed reservation IN MY NAME when I booked the reservation, maybe months ahead, I would say, "Screw you, Koala. I want my money back."

Fair enough...others feel differently.

 

[dioxide45]

Really? And the customer just has to "trust" they actually have a reservation?

This cannot possibly be a realistic business practice.

I mean really, if I do not have have a legitimate confirmation for a reservation IN MY NAME, that I can printout on my computer when I book a reservation, just like any hotel reservation, why would I NOT think it was some kind of scam?

It works no differently than Airbnb or Vrbo. Guests don't get printed confirmations there other than what Airbnb or Vrbo shows them on their website. You are putting trust in the third party company to make sure things are right. And in the case of these two sites and Koala, the owner doesn't get paid until after checkin. Also realize, that most people don't print things out anymore and their target market is not necessarily your generation.

 

[bnoble]

I get the sense it isn't any different than, say, Expedia. You get a confirmation from Expedia, but not from the hotel itself. In some cases, your name isn't even sent to the hotel until much later, because Expedia has a block of rooms to sell, and that block is theirs, so they don't need to. Most rank-and-file guests have no idea how complicated things are in the background, they just know that they have a "confirmation" from Expedia.

 

[rickandcindy23]

Redweek always asks me for the actual confirmation, but I don't know that they send that to the renter. I have never been the one on the other end. I know only one side of the transaction.

 

[bweltsch]

I have rented several vrbo houses and have always received confirmation emails in my name stating payment, check-in time, dates, and check-out.

 

[MOXJO7282]

In my exclusive Marriott experience most do expect a reservation in their name before making a payment beyond a small deposit but I find Marriott renters and perhaps TS renters in general are a different pool of renters than those on AirBnB and Vrbo. Its interesting because I have my listings in many different public places at a set price and I have numerous instances where a broker finds a renter who is clearly not looking in the normal places to find units and the renter ends up playing a lot more than if they used a little Google effort to find me. So some renters do expect a reservation immediately in their name and others don't. I know Vacation Candy doesn't make a pay out until they receive the reservation in their guests name. Its my understanding that they do share with renter but not entirely sure.

 

[CPNY]

It works no differently than Airbnb or Vrbo. Guests don't get printed confirmations there other than what Airbnb or Vrbo shows them on their website. You are putting trust in the third party company to make sure things are right. And in the case of these two sites and Koala, the owner doesn't get paid until after checkin. Also realize, that most people don't print things out anymore and their target market is not necessarily your generation.

Great point. The newer generations don’t print anything. They don’t even want to book anything, they just want to show up have a free room magically waiting for them.

 

[am1]

Really? And the customer just has to "trust" they actually have a reservation?

This cannot possibly be a realistic business practice.

I mean really, if I do not have have a legitimate confirmation for a reservation IN MY NAME, that I can printout on my computer when I book a reservation, just like any hotel reservation, why would I NOT think it was some kind of scam?

I did thousand of rentals that way. Checked in a few hundred myself to save guest confirmation fees.

I am glad I am no longer involved as I would not put up with Wyndham’s current games.

 

[troy12n]

Don't get me started on "The newer generations don't __________"

I have my thoughts on how timeshares will be able to survive in the world of "adults" with attention spans no greater than 5 minutes ahead of them. I see this every day, and I have a now 21 year old son who absolutely cannot plan anything, seems to be entitled to executive pay when he has no appreciable life or job skills, can't be bothered to return a phone call or email, or even set up voice mail on his cell phone.
So the idea that one has to potentially plan months in advance, for anything, is a completely foreign concept to anyone under 40... good luck. I'm a hiring manager and the last 5-10 years, the age group 24-30 has gotten markedly less prepared to enter the workforce, has zero work

 

[bizaro86]

Don't get me started on "The newer generations don't __________"

I have my thoughts on how timeshares will be able to survive in the world of "adults" with attention spans no greater than 5 minutes ahead of them. I see this every day, and I have a now 21 year old son who absolutely cannot plan anything, seems to be entitled to executive pay when he has no appreciable life or job skills, can't be bothered to return a phone call or email, or even set up voice mail on his cell phone.
So the idea that one has to potentially plan months in advance, for anything, is a completely foreign concept to anyone under 40... good luck. I'm a hiring manager and the last 5-10 years, the age group 24-30 has gotten markedly less prepared to enter the workforce, has zero work

People have been complaining about the next generation for thousands of years. Like every generation there'll be some that are winners and some that aren't. Some will figure things out sooner and some will take awhile. This isn't new.