Redweek DIY - now a mandatory $99 "success fee"?

[ocdb8r]

Just looked into renting a week we won't use next year. Have always just used "DIY" with them, but now even the DIY option is requiring agreement to a $99 "success fee" and enabling use of their credit card processing system. Is this new?

 

[tschwa2]

That sucks. It doesn't look like there is an option to use them as a listing site and really "DIY"

I clicked around and you can still get to the $39 DIY option without using redweek for payment processing and no success fee.
https://www.redweek.com/rent-my-timeshare/diy

 

[dioxide45]

Some members see a new interface by default that limits the options available to select. There is an option to switch back to the classic pricing.

 

[ocdb8r]

Thanks both! Redweek getting slimier and slimer by the month. I wish there was a truly decent alternative. I've tried Go-Koala with limited success, and yesterday when I went there after being "over it" with Redweek, I noticed they are now pushing the listings of their "Pro" partners ahead of everyone else.

 

[Ski-Dad]

This is the VRBO model: Slowly and persistently insert yourself as a middleman between the landlord and tenant.

VRBO was originally a listing service. They have step by step changed to a point that they are fully inserted and taking fees off both sides of the transaction transaction. They watched AirBnB and figured out where the $$ is.

Redweek is now following that exact business strategy. Guaranteed there will be no DIY option within 2 to 3 years.

 

[chapjim]

This is the VRBO model: Slowly and persistently insert yourself as a middleman between the landlord and tenant.

VRBO was originally a listing service. They have step by step changed to a point that they are fully inserted and taking fees off both sides of the transaction transaction. They watched AirBnB and figured out where the $$ is.

Redweek is now following that exact business strategy. Guaranteed there will be no DIY option within 2 to 3 years.

That's what lawyers do -- find a place where money changes hands and insert oneself.

 

[WaikikiFirst]

This is the VRBO model: Slowly and persistently insert yourself as a middleman between the landlord and tenant.

Yup. And people defend it. Amazing. more generally, it is the TOLLKEEPER model, and market by market, other mkt participants let it happen, like those proverbail frogs in hotter and hotter water.
The term: Market Friction. Redwk users thought it was trying to lower Market Friction, and get paid for it. This it most likely did, for a while. WHen the payment rises, it becomes its own friction, greater than the pre-existing frictions.
I have called them 2x when I was thinking about doing a transaction. Both times I ended up telling them "You think WAY TOO MUCH of yourselves and your place in this. See ya"

 

[DRH90277]

I've used Redweek for a long time but the creeping in of additional fees, mandatory services, etc. is making it difficult to like them. I suspect other firms will start creeping into their space. Does anyone have service providers they like better and can you suggest another firm or alternatives?

 

[echino]

I've used Redweek for a long time but the creeping in of additional fees, mandatory services, etc. is making it difficult to like them. I suspect other firms will start creeping into their space. Does anyone have service providers they like better and can you suggest another firm or alternatives?

Koala is the only Redweek's competitor, but they are not widely known and they have their own issues.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I am thinking of joining Koala as a pro to get my listings more attention. I wonder if I can even do that?

 

[CalGalTraveler]

TUG listings are free

 

[rickandcindy23]

TUG listings are free

I wish those worked better for me.

 

[TUGBrian]

I have no plans to get into the concierge or full service side of the rental industry, but im always willing to make changes/improvements to the marketplace to make it easier for renters and owners to rent a timeshare!

id like to create a new/easier "portal" type landing page that makes finding listings easier for everyone, but the main "friction" to listing/renting really high dollar stuff is always going to be the fact that both sides kinda have to just trust each other. companies that choose to guarantee a rental/etc are always going to have that leg up in offering such a service even at a premium.

While we do some verification of rentals to prevent the obvious scams, actually guaranteeing listings is a whole nother ball of wax.

 

[DeniseM]

Again: The $99 fee is OPTIONAL! Be sure you read the fine print when you are listing on Redweek, and be sure you click CLASSIC, to see the original format.

 

[CalGalTraveler]

How do we create more demand for TUG listings so that buyers use it more?

 

[ocdb8r]

Again: The $99 fee is OPTIONAL! Be sure you read the fine print when you are listing on Redweek.

For now AND it does not appear "optional" to anyone using their "new and improved" posting wizard, which is the default view now. Yes, I'm glad there still exists some option to list without this fee, but it doesn't mean I'm happy with the direction of travel at Redweek.

 

[DeniseM]

I'm not happy about this trend either, but I'm not going to bemoan something that hasn't happened yet.

 

[sponger76]

Koala is the only Redweek's competitor, but they are not widely known and they have their own issues.

There's also Vacation Candy, though their reach seems to be limited compared to Redweek.

 

[Ski-Dad]

I'm not happy about this trend either, but I'm not going to bemoan something that hasn't happened yet.

Apologies Denise, but this is the frog in almost boiling water.

 

[rickandcindy23]

The do-it-yourself option is still the same as it has been. I get a discounted rate of $30 per ad.

The good thing about verify/ protect for higher-priced rentals is that $99 can be cheaper than taking a credit card through Paypal as a do-it-yourself listing. You also don't have to send a contract. Once a rental is over $3,500, that credit card fee adds up. Not that I am defending RW for their outrageous prices because the renter pays a huge fee for the guaranteed rental.

If only I could get people to pay the Paypal credit card fees.

 

[DeniseM]

What Redweek is doing is confusing, but there has been no change in the DIY Basic option. However, infrequent Redweek users or new users, are likely to be mislead into thinking that they have to pay for a more expensive listing option than the lowest price available. That has lead into a lot of confusion on TUG, and that's understandable, because that appears to be Redweek's intention. However, it's incorrect to say the lowest priced option no longer exists - it does - you just have to be sure you select that option.

 

[jwalk03]

The do-it-yourself option is still the same as it has been. I get a discounted rate of $30 per ad.

The good thing about verify/ protect for higher-priced rentals is that $99 can be cheaper than taking a credit card through Paypal as a do-it-yourself listing. You also don't have to send a contract. Once a rental is over $3,500, that credit card fee adds up. Not that I am defending RW for their outrageous prices because the renter pays a huge fee for the guaranteed rental.

If only I could get people to pay the Paypal credit card fees.

I only accept Venmo, Cash App, PayPal F&F, Zelle, or a Certified Check. No fees that way.

How do you get the RedWeek Ad for $30? My price for the DIY is $40 (and then discounted to $34 with 5 or more ads). Is there another price break at a higher number of active ads?

 

[jwalk03]

What Redweek is doing is confusing, but there has been no change in the DIY Basic option. However, infrequent Redweek users or new users, are likely to be mislead into thinking that they have to pay for a more expensive listing option than the lowest price available. That has lead into a lot of confusion on TUG, and that's understandable, because that appears to be Redweek's intention. However, it's incorrect to say the lowest priced option no longer exists - it does - you just have to be sure you select that option.

The was one change. The price went from $29.99 last year to $39.99 this year.

 

[DeniseM]

Lots of people use Paypal Friends and Family for timeshare rentals, but that actually violates Paypal's TOS, and they can come after you. (Ask me how I know.) When you use the business transaction option, there is a credit card fee of around 3%.

 

[rickandcindy23]

I have a lot of ads on RW. Peacock Suites, Dolphin's Cove, West Yellowstone, Westins, Sheratons (numerous weeks for late summer into fall), Disney five-night stays in studios during Christmas (several), Grand Palms, Little Sweden (such a waste of energy/ time/ money advertising that one), Sheraton Desert Oasis and Westin Desert Willow. Not much is renting.