Renting. step 5 of confirming that it's legit

[fortehoward]

I'm a newbie and read the article about "confirming that a rental is legit". Once the confirmation is in my name, what is to stop the owner from call the resort & having them removed my name from the confirmation.

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[DeniseM]

I'm a newbie and read the article about "confirming that a rental is legit". Once the confirmation is in my name, what is to stop the owner from call the resort & having them removed my name from the confirmation.

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First of all - renting your timeshare, collecting the money, and then cancelling the reservation would be a criminal act, and since the renter and the resort have all of the owner's info., it's not something they can get away with.

However, I tell my renters who are nervous about this happening that they can call reservations once a month, a week before check-in, and the day before check-in, just to be sure the reservation is still in their name.

In reality - renters have nothing to worry about with legitimate timeshare owners - they have too much to lose.

The people you have to worry about are the rental scammers, who don't even own timeshares. They are advertising bogus reservations on the internet for rent, that don't even exist. When you ask them for documentation, they will either send you a photoshopped reservation, or disappear.

Using the rental procedure recommended on TUG will protect you against the scammers.

 

[rapmarks]

We got scammed on a rental. The rental was in our name, we verified with resort, we had paperwork. It turned out the scammer somehow got into the system, and made a reservation with points from an account that was rarely used. She did it a lot, it was investigated and our reservation was cancelled. We lost $800


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[DeniseM]

We got scammed on a rental. The rental was in our name, we verified with resort, we had paperwork. It turned out the scammer somehow got into the system, and made a reservation with points from an account that was rarely used. She did it a lot, it was investigated and our reservation was cancelled. We lost $800


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Interesting - was this an inside job? What resort was it?

 

[rapmarks]

Interesting - was this an inside job? What resort was it?

I am sure it was. It was a Bluegreen resort CMV and it was for wedding guests.

 

[TUGBrian]

how did the resort cancel a confirmed reservation with paperwork?

what was their explanation on that?

did you report the ladys name, physical address, and phone number to the local police? 800 is grand theft and it sounds like she had far more than one victim.

 

[DeniseM]

Also - did you post all the details on TUG, to alert other possible renters?

 

[rapmarks]

First, it was not a tigger who rented to me. Second, this was a very clever person. I believe she worked for the company and knew who wasn't using their points. She would respond to requests, book the week. The renter would call and have the reservation number and verify it, and the reservation was changed to the renters name. Somehow it got found out, we were cancelled at last minute. I talked to a person very high up, they did nothing for me. It was a fake name, the address was a Walmart in Atlanta Georgia. Now I only use PayPal, and I ask for address and I goggle it. It was reported to police, but nothing ever happened with it
This person was renting regularly on the yahoo group, and used my name as a reference, so she was getting away with this for a long time


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[DeniseM]

Thank you for the details.

It's a good idea to pay with a credit card on PayPal because then you can dispute the payment if you need to. But you have no recourse with checks.

 

[rapmarks]

Thanks for the tip Denise and I see my typo


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[allenke]

Thank you for the details.

It's a good idea to pay with a credit card on PayPal because then you can dispute the payment if you need to. But you have no recourse with checks.

What is the time limit to despite a charge. Isn't it only 3 months. What I you have paid 5 months out?

 

[Sandy VDH]

Rent from someone who you have a knowledge or relationship with, or rent from a long standing TUGger.

They are a good source of many timeshares.

 

[DeniseM]

What is the time limit to despite a charge. Isn't it only 3 months. What I you have paid 5 months out?

With PayPal - it's 6 mos.

Here is a tip - for your own peace of mind, you can re-confirm your reservation as often as you want to. For nervous renters, I recommend that they call reservations directly once a month before check-in, then a week before check-in, then the day before check-in, to verify that the reservation is still in your name.

Be aware that fraud by legitimate timeshare owners is very rare - they have too much to lose.

Why? Because a legitimate owner can't get away with scamming people - the resort has all their info., and will certainly not stand idly by if the owner is cancelling their reservations after renting them, and angry renters are demanding to be checked-in at the front desk.

The people you have to worry about are the scammers who aren't owners at all - they are renting bogus reservations that they photo-shopped or copied. If you do your due diligence, it's easy to spot the scammers.

 

[chapjim]

Be aware that fraud by legitimate timeshare owners is very rare - they have too much to lose.

Okay, so honest people are honest. The problem is how to determine if the seller is a legitimate owner. A buyer doesn't know the seller is a fraud until the buyer is defrauded.

 

[DeniseM]

Okay, so honest people are honest. The problem is how to determine if the seller is a legitimate owner. A buyer doesn't know the seller is a fraud until the buyer is defrauded.

If you do your due diligence upfront, you can determine that.

See the suggestions at the top of this thread: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109479

***I have personally used these steps to check out a number of reported scammers on TUG. Honestly, the schemes fall apart quickly if you just check them out. Most of them won't bother with you - they just move on to the next person who they hope is more gullible.

 

[Windsorway1]

But will paypal give you your money back?

 

[DeniseM]

But will paypal give you your money back?

If you have been scammed - yes.

 

[Myle Bui]

I am planning to rent a unit through red week and the contact person's name is Gordon Gates. He said he is from Hawaii Weeks. Please let me know if he is legitimate.

 

[TUGBrian]

legit or not...one should always go thru the checklist provided above to protect yourself!

 

[DeniseM]

Gordon is reputable - he has a rental business and I have rented to him a few times.


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[mafinster]

First of all - renting your timeshare, collecting the money, and then cancelling the reservation would be a criminal act, and since the renter and the resort have all of the owner's info., it's not something they can get away with.

However, I tell my renters who are nervous about this happening that they can call reservations once a month, a week before check-in, and the day before check-in, just to be sure the reservation is still in their name.

In reality - renters have nothing to worry about with legitimate timeshare owners - they have too much to lose.

The people you have to worry about are the rental scammers, who don't even own timeshares. They are advertising bogus reservations on the internet for rent, that don't even exist. When you ask them for documentation, they will either send you a photoshopped reservation, or disappear.

Using the rental procedure recommended on TUG will protect you against the scammers.

I am looking to rent a Timeshare through a TUG member listing (Becerra). Is it safe & how do I know. First time user & paid member. Thank you.

 

[DeniseM]

How to verify that a rental is Legit: https://www.tugbbs.com/forums/index...ntal-is-legit-when-you-are-the-renter.109479/

You still show as a "guest" because you have to go into your profile and add the "member code" which was sent to you. For more info, click BBS Help at the top of the page and scroll down to the 2nd to last link on that page.

 

[silentg]

Thanks, Denise