Angry Renter wants full refund on non-refundable rental

[lds337]

I thought about it and it is an interesting point. If there is no SOs associated with a week, then you can cancel up to 24 hours before with no restrictions. Having an SO layer makes the week more restrictive. However, you can deposit the week into II for trading without restrictions. I alternate use of SOs and depositing into II each year.

The depositing into II is true, but if you are part of VSN with an ownership then even Home Resort Reservations that are cancelled within 60 days are subject to Penalty and Restriction. Life would be simpler for Non-VSN owners as they are just subject to Penalty (Currently Being Waived) and can use their week again. A Retro ownership in VSN allows Home Usage as well as StarOptions to use at other VSN properties. With that benefit though does subject to the Restrictive Cancellation policy.

 

[CPNY]

The depositing into II is true, but if you are part of VSN with an ownership then even Home Resort Reservations that are cancelled within 60 days are subject to Penalty and Restriction. Life would be simpler for Non-VSN owners as they are just subject to Penalty (Currently Being Waived) and can use their week again. A Retro ownership in VSN allows Home Usage as well as StarOptions to use at other VSN properties. With that benefit though does subject to the Restrictive Cancellation policy.

Can you deposit restricted star options in II?

 

[CPNY]

You can always respond with “new phone who is this”

 

[lds337]

Can you deposit restricted star options in II?

I believe so as long as you have a full week remaining I’ve never had to do that but believe the Restriction is solely to Banking and making reservations more than 60 days out

My sister lives outside of Orlando so the last time I had any restricted options I just made a reservation for her at SVV for a few days so my niece and friends could hang out at pool around the Holidays


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[carolhab]

While it’s true I’ll get my points back they will be restricted points that don’t have the same value. Restriction points aren’t eligible to be banked to next year, or make a reservation farther out than 60 days. So as compensation for that restriction I can only refund you 50%

This while may not be your ideal solution it’s the best I can do given the situation.

Best Wishes


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Thank you for everyone who responded.

 

[Robert D]

I had quite a few condos rented in ski resort towns when the ski mountains suddenly got shut down. Airbnb canceled the future reservations or the remaining nights on stays that had started at the request of the guests and there's nothing you can do about it. Airbnb cited the "extenuating circumstances" clause in their contract and I think they are within their rights to cancel it due to the virus. I also had some guests who rented directly, including good customers who have rented in the past. All of these weeks were a total loss for me as it was too late to cancel and some had already checked in. My rental agreement says that the rental is not cancellable and the amounts paid are not refundable but in light of the circumstances, I offered each one a 50% cash refund or a credit for a future rental of 50% of the unused portion of the rental. All but one (a first time renter) were happy with this offer as the terms clearly spelled out that they couldn't cancel. They also understood that they were getting a much lower price than what the resorts charge if they rented directly.

 

[Cyberc]

I had quite a few condos rented in ski resort towns when the ski mountains suddenly got shut down. Airbnb canceled the future reservations or the remaining nights on stays that had started at the request of the guests and there's nothing you can do about it. Airbnb cited the "extenuating circumstances" clause in their contract and I think they are within their rights to cancel it due to the virus. I also had some guests who rented directly, including good customers who have rented in the past. All of these weeks were a total loss for me as it was too late to cancel and some had already checked in. My rental agreement says that the rental is not cancellable and the amounts paid are not refundable but in light of the circumstances, I offered each one a 50% cash refund or a credit for a future rental of 50% of the unused portion of the rental. All but one (a first time renter) were happy with this offer as the terms clearly spelled out that they couldn't cancel. They also understood that they were getting a much lower price than what the resorts charge if they rented directly.

This is of course very unfortunate for both renter and owners - both as a renter this is one of THE reasons why you always get travel insurance that covers pandemics, some CFAR will covers pandemics.

BTW when Airbnb treats owners this badly it just reminds me to NEVER use them going forward.

 

[jules54]

OP you tried to resolve the matter by offering them another week later in the year with even a larger unit. If you have not already you might have to get tougher with them.
Example: Mr. Jones I have given you a few opinions to choose from. I am not refunding your money Mr. Jones case closed. Give Mr. Jones his options again. You might ad the option of a future years reservation. I'm sure Mr. Jones thinks he can bully his way into breaking you down to give him a full refund. End the conversation with leaving him with his choices with say 72 hours to make a decision.
Dont feel bad you are offering him options when according to your rental agreement you dont have to even do that. He paid you directly if he wants to leave a bad review on Redweek or Tripadvisor so be it. You will have the opportunity to answer a bad online review with an explanation.
If Mr. Jones still insists he expects a full refund tell him the discussion is over period. My god you have enough to worry about give him his options and be done with it.

Bonus if you can get your points refunded or you fees refunded or whatever your program is going to do then you'll have that to work with in the future. Once your rental game is back on track you can always give him a refund down the road if you feel bad about it.

 

[rickandcindy23]

OP you tried to resolve the matter by offering them another week later in the year with even a larger unit. If you have not already you might have to get tougher with them.
Example: Mr. Jones I have given you a few opinions to choose from. I am not refunding your money Mr. Jones case closed. Give Mr. Jones his options again. You might ad the option of a future years reservation. I'm sure Mr. Jones thinks he can bully his way into breaking you down to give him a full refund. End the conversation with leaving him with his choices with say 72 hours to make a decision.
Dont feel bad you are offering him options when according to your rental agreement you dont have to even do that. He paid you directly if he wants to leave a bad review on Redweek or Tripadvisor so be it. You will have the opportunity to answer a bad online review with an explanation.
If Mr. Jones still insists he expects a full refund tell him the discussion is over period. My god you have enough to worry about give him his options and be done with it.

Bonus if you can get your points refunded or you fees refunded or whatever your program is going to do then you'll have that to work with in the future. Once your rental game is back on track you can always give him a refund down the road if you feel bad about it.

Yes, I agree. you have that right. Get tougher with them. My grandson agrees. I miss my grandkids right now.

 

[nerodog]

Jules54 is right...non refundable is what it says. They can book a flexible rate that is higher price but allows for changes. Offering credit for a later stay is very accommodating and regardless of what's going on..you are finding a solution!!! Travel insurance would have been handy for sure. I find many small businesses and even the airlines !! Are offering credits, vouchers... good luck. Stay strong!

 

[headoflife]

Not sure if you have seen this:

Use your calendar to fine-tune pricing - Resource Center

Airbnb Hosts can fine-tune their pricing and their pricing strategy by accessing their pricing settings and tools in their hosting calendar.

www.airbnb.com

 

[Maple_Leaf]

This is of course very unfortunate for both renter and owners - both as a renter this is one of THE reasons why you always get travel insurance that covers pandemics, some CFAR will covers pandemics.

You may need to adjust your expectations of renters going forward. The trip cancellation insurance market has imploded. Many insurers no longer offer policies, CFAR is now as rare as hen's teeth and prohibitively expensive if still available and all policies now exclude pandemics.

This Is The Surprising Way Coronavirus Has Changed Travel Insurance

Coronavirus has changed travel insurance in a way no one could have imagined. Here's what you should expect when you buy travel insurance for your next vacation or business trip.

www.forbes.com

 

[Cyberc]

You may need to adjust your expectations of renters going forward. The trip cancellation insurance market has imploded. Many insurers no longer offer policies, CFAR is now as rare as hen's teeth and prohibitively expensive if still available and all policies now exclude pandemics.

This Is The Surprising Way Coronavirus Has Changed Travel Insurance

Coronavirus has changed travel insurance in a way no one could have imagined. Here's what you should expect when you buy travel insurance for your next vacation or business trip.

www.forbes.com

My expectations haven’t changed. As a renter it’s on you to either ensure or take a risk that anything unforeseen might happen.

I have never ever traveled without an insurance and I won’t start now. The insurance might be more expensive in the future but I will still get it.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

Even if they had purchased travel insurance it likely would not have covered this. Who knew? That's why the airlines and hotels are refunding non-cancellable reservations.

CFAR is ridiculously expensive. CFAR will make intercontinental travel very expensive in the future so we may not see as many leisure travelers for quite some time unless consumers buy limited policies for medical evacuation and accept the other risks.

 

[Maple_Leaf]

My expectations haven’t changed. As a renter it’s on you to either ensure or take a risk that anything unforeseen might happen.

I have never ever traveled without an insurance and I won’t start now. The insurance might be more expensive in the future but I will still get it.

You're just not listening. The trip cancellation insurance will no longer insure much of what a guest is interested in insuring, e.g. that he cannot travel due to pandemic conditions. In order to rent to the guest you may have to insure the guest's risk by allowing refunds.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

FWIW we will still buy travel insurance for intercontinental travel for medical evacuation, medical and travel refunds associated with illness because we have no coverage outside the U.S. However this will involve knowing taking a risk on "big items" like pandemics etc.

The result is that this will make us think harder about international travel and whether it is worth the risk. To @Maple_Leaf's point, we will seek flexible reservations that we can cancel for a full or nearly full refund i.e. 30 days prior for large purchases and forgo travel properties that don't have such policies.

 

[turkel]

It’s a bummer to lose money period. But money spent on a vacation is not money you need to get by or pay your bills. Sometimes your gonna lose your money if you have to cancel and no policy was available to cover the event.

That’s life, s**t happens.

We will still plan and travel as we did before once this pandemic passes. Certainly will take longer than everyone would like.

 

[A.Win]

I have lots of rentals and in my experience, 50% insist on a full refund. 40% agree to give me a small amount when I tell them that the resort is NOT giving me a full refund. About 10% agree to pick another date.

I find it annoying that people insist on a 100% refund. They seem to think that someone else should lose money, but not them. Losses are being suffered by shareholders, resort management and staff, booking websites, and timeshare owners.

 

[Retire12]

We have run into the same problem where a resort has closed due to COVID-19. As the exchange was booked through our RCI points, RCI is not refunding the exchange cost but giving a future credit that has to be used within 180 days. I don't think that timeshares are going to survive with these companies increasing maintenance fees, refusing to honour refunds and restricting usage as such. I wont be buying any more timeshares in the future.

 

[turkel]

We have run into the same problem where a resort has closed due to COVID-19. As the exchange was booked through our RCI points, RCI is not refunding the exchange cost but giving a future credit that has to be used within 180 days. I don't think that timeshares are going to survive with these companies increasing maintenance fees, refusing to honour refunds and restricting usage as such. I wont be buying any more timeshares in the future.

We love our timeshares, we get great value from them. There is always risks with “owning” your vacations. That hasn’t changed even though we had exchanges scheduled for May and June. People who don’t own timeshares also have experienced losses. Should we never fly again because we now have credits on airlines we may not be able to use?

No one wants to lose money but the burden is not one sided in my opinion. If we had rented a non refundable place we wouldn’t assume we would recoup our money. Non refundable has risks weather there is a pandemic or you just get to sick to travel or some other problem arises.