Can MVC owner cancel my reservation - as a guest, after I’ve made a payment? [merged]

[gln60]

I’ve been in touch with a few owners whom I found on different threads and websites/blogs. They’ve only checked availability for me so far, sharing several screenshots that show availability, their membership cards, and phone numbers.

I haven’t asked them to book anything yet since I needed to understand how everything works.

Of course, I’ll ask for proof of a reservation and will have a phone conversation with them before sending any money.
I’ll also request that some kind of contract be signed.

Is there anything else I should be asking for?

Attached are a couple of screenshots that they shared. Is this what the owner’s website typically looks like?

Yes..…thats what the guest form looks like

 

[VacationForever]

In the past I have listed my points to rent. Several potential renters asked that I made a reservation for them in which I declined. It is way too much hassle to rent out a reservation for breakeven to maybe a small profit. I have no issues in renting points out, as once points are transferred out, there are no more dealings with the renter.

 

[DeniseM]

How to verify that is rental is Legit

 

[LeslieDet]

I’ve been in touch with a few owners whom I found on different threads and websites/blogs. They’ve only checked availability for me so far, sharing several screenshots that show availability, their membership cards, and phone numbers.
All the owners I’ve been in touch with are either Chairman’s or Presidential status members, and it seems like they have a ton of points. For some, it also seems that renting points is a business.

I haven’t asked them to book anything yet since I needed to understand how everything works.

Of course, I’ll ask for proof of a reservation and will have a phone conversation with them before sending any money.
I’ll also request that some kind of contract be signed.

Is there anything else I should be asking for?

Attached are a couple of screenshots that they shared. Is this what the owner’s website typically looks like?

Just FYI - you are not renting points from owners, because only existing owners can rent points. You are renting a booked reservation. Depending upon what you are seeking, it may or may not be available.

As someone with MVC Trust Points, I would not book a reservation for you on a time frame that would be under 61 days without payment up front. When you are asking folks to book reservations for you, it requires time and effort, basically, you are asking the point owner to be your travel agent. Whereas, when one owner rents points to another owner, it is a simple form to transfer the points and the original owner is done. Payment also would be made in advance for that transaction.

Any reputable owner who is booking reservations for you to rent from them will have a standard form rental agreement to be signed, because as owners they can request you indemnify them, but under the terms of ownership, the owner remains ultimately liable for any damage. Owners are going to be probably more leery of you than you are of them. So, expect to remit payment up front before you see the confirmation changed to your name on any reservation. And if the booking is for a short notice stay (60 days or less) expect to pay for that up front. You should also expect a no cancellations allowed/no refunds policy. And, the owner will be required to submit that guest form on your behalf, so be prepared to provide the required info.

BTW - If any of them are renting points as a business, then that violates the T&C of ownership, and it is potentially problematic. No commercial activity is allowed. If MVC knows that a point owner is using the points to run a commercial operation, those reservations have the potential to be blocked by the company.

 

[jwalk03]

This only works if the reservation already exists. They are asking to make a reservation with points, close to check in. If I was the owner, I would not agree to make such a reservation without advance payment first, because if the guest changes their mind, then I will have to cancel the reservation and be left with useless restricted points. So no, there will be no proof of the reservation prior to payment.

Yes that’s a good point.

I would still say have a phone conversation you can usually get a very good feel for someone by actually talking. I am always amazed when I do rentals and people just Venmo or Zelle me cash without actually wanting to talk to me- but lucky for them I’m an honest legitimate owner!

 

[Dean]

If they don't return the money, that would be fraud.

There can be two sides to this issue. It is possible a renter could violate the contract and have the reservations canceled but claim otherwise. MVC would have no way of knowing either way and I can't imagine they would get in the middle of this unless it were commonplace for the same owner. Even when fraud, the only true recourse would be through the legal system unless one had protections through the rental listing site. Due diligence is the name of the game.

 

[VacationForever]

If you have so much fear of being scammed, I would simply book a few nights from Marriott.com instead. BTW, I have never rented from another owner as I have similar fears. I have rented out weeks at a resort occasionally to the same person and also rented out points.

 

[sparty]

I had an interesting situation a couple years ago when I rented out Barony Beach over the 4th of July. The people I rented to flipped it to someone else and changed the reservation like 3 times with other peoples names I didn't recognize. I didn't tell them they could re-rent, and they were calling Marriott directly to chage the reservation which is not allowed. I told the original renters I was considering canceling the reservation but got strong feedback from TUG that it probably wasn't worth it. I did nothing in the end. So another scenario is the person renting thinks you've broken the rules, they can cancel your reservation.

 

[SunandFun83]

Yes they can. And no way to protect yourself unless you buy your own Points/Weeks contract.

Pay by credit card via PayPal. If the owner does not deliver, get your money back pretty easily.

 

[daviator]

Pay by credit card via PayPal. If the owner does not deliver, get your money back pretty easily.

A smart owner does not accept PayPal for just this reason, it’s super easy for a fraudster to scam the owner as PayPal pretty much always sides with the person requesting the refund even if their reasons are not reasonable.

 

[Retired2025 aka AlmostRetired]

Can it happen, absolutely yes. If it happens to you, in most cases you are naive, lazy or both no matter which side of the rental you are on. . Number 1 rule is talk or walk. 90% of the time renters are families with kids in school or middle age or older people wanting a second unit for family to join. Also, you give me a name, email address and 5 minutes of time on the internet and I can usually find out something about the person. Add phone number and address and you can find out even more. Rule 2 - Common sense and gut feel does not disappear when you are renting. Example on one of the FB Marriott rental group someone posted "I have too many points. So if you plan to go anywhere let me know and I can book it at a very reasonable price. Message me if interested." They joined the group Feb 17th. I saw a post were someone had three weeks for rent and joined the group a week prior. I would be very skeptical if I reached out.

For the points I rent, I stop here. For weeks, I always use an agreement.

I accept checks if time permits and if someone doesn't feel comfortable because of white washing a check, I will allow them to deduct the cost of a bank check from the payment. I will take Venmo and Paypal if it is a deal breaker but with nonbusiness or product transfer so everything is final. When renting points or weeks for my use, I will also use whatever the person wants.

Anyone that thinks that Redweek verified and protected protects the owner needs to ask Redweek two questions. If a renter disputes the credit card payment after down payment or full payment which are both nonrefundable , before check-in because they can't make it, when will I get paid?. If a renter claims the room is too noisy because it is by an elevator, compactor, stairwell or a complaint for any reason the first/second day of check-in, when will I get paid? Please let us know the answer.

 

[larryallen]

If you have so much fear of being scammed, I would simply book a few nights from Marriott.com instead. BTW, I have never rented from another owner as I have similar fears. I have rented out weeks at a resort occasionally to the same person and also rented out points.

Yup. This is really the simplest and best approach for the OP I would say. It sounds like they have an extreme fear of getting scammed. It's good to be careful but at some point you just have to go for it or not. To me it sounds like the OP is a bit too careful but easy for me to say as I have rented about 20 times from others, over the years, and rented out even more than that. I never once have been scammed and certainly never scammed anybody I have rented to. As a renter I always ask for real world contact info and try to get to them via another means than the email or phone they give me. Often the seller is a licensed realtor so that should make you feel comfortable once you search online to determine they are legit and you are contacting the actual person they claim to be. Other times the seller is an individual but I'll contact them at work and they work for a big corporation or they're an attorney or something. I myself am an attorney and people who rent from me can contact me through the state bar website. Another thing I have done, over the years, is try to pay by check. They have to give you an address which you can usually check in the public records to see if they live at and if they take a check they aren't in a rush which bodes well to less likely of a scam. At some point, you do your due diligence, and then you bite the bullet and go for it...or just rent from Marriott and don't think more about it.

From my perspective, as a landlord, the OP sounds very high maintenance and I would likely walk away as I personally don't have time for a million emails and/or phone calls for a simple and relatively low dollar transaction.

 

[suzannesimon]

Could an owner do this? Yes- they still have complete control of the reservation they own.

Would a legitimate owner do this? No, of course not.

A legitimate owner that can provide a real reservation is not going to do this. A scammer that is just trying to steal your money will not be able to provide a legitimate reservation upfront.

I have heard of an owner doing that twice. The last time I was contacted a woman at Kierland Villas was standing at the check-in desk and the owner had canceled her reservation. I had a Kierland for rent for 2024 but she was needing it for March 2023. It is a rarity, but there are a few scum bag owners.
I would just check the reservation number periodically online to make sure it is still in my name if I was worried. Luckily it is very rare.