Renting points through a broker? What's up with that??

[jodifla]

I've notice some posts on the rent/trade board talk about brokers....one DVC member was going to rent, then said we was going to rent through the web via broker? Is this new?

 

[tjkraz]

http://www.dvcrequest.com/

My understanding is the site owner acts as a broker to rent points on behalf of the DVC member who finds the process to be too much trouble. Makes perfect sense to me. We're not talking about someone who purchased thousands of points with the intent being to engage in commercial rental activity, rather it's someone who is renting the small number of points from members who cannot use their personal ownership for whatever reason.

 

[Doctor P]

http://www.dvcrequest.com/

My understanding is the site owner acts as a broker to rent points on behalf of the DVC member who finds the process to be too much trouble. Makes perfect sense to me. We're not talking about someone who purchased thousands of points with the intent being to engage in commercial rental activity, rather it's someone who is renting the small number of points from members who cannot use their personal ownership for whatever reason.

But this IS commercial activity plain and simple.

 

[tjkraz]

But this IS commercial activity plain and simple.

It's a commercial venture, but in that sense it's no different than services like The Timeshare Store or Owner's Locker. In fact, perhaps a better comparison would be eBay or the DISBoards. Both are also money-making ventures used as a medium to rent DVC points.

I don't see anything in the POS that would globally prohibit the use of a broker to rent one's points.

 

[erikthewise]

I'm with Tim. Nearly everything associated with DVC is commercial activity, from the Timeshare Store to GardenGrocer.com . What the POS addresses is the purchase of points with the primary intent of rental as a commercial activity. That's not happening here.

 

[Doctor P]

I'm with Tim. Nearly everything associated with DVC is commercial activity, from the Timeshare Store to GardenGrocer.com . What the POS addresses is the purchase of points with the primary intent of rental as a commercial activity. That's not happening here.

You haven't read the POS then. That is NOT what the provisions of the POS provide for or say.

 

[dianeschlicht]

If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck!

 

[salmoneous]

My understanding is the site owner acts as a broker to rent points on behalf of the DVC member who finds the process to be too much trouble.

Reading throught the site - and the number of times he talks about being the member, calling MS personally, etc. it seems he is mostly renting his own points commercially, with some brokering going on the side.

 

[tjkraz]

You haven't read the POS then. That is NOT what the provisions of the POS provide for or say.

Care to offer any quotes?

 

[tjkraz]

...it seems he is mostly renting his own points commercially, with some brokering going on the side.

Not exactly rock solid evidence there, is it? Of course, since the court of public opinion is all that matters, let's make sure we render a verdict swiftly.

He has actually corresponded with me in the past and indicated that his personal ownership is quite small. I didn't ask many questions about the business itself because I don't have a particular interest, but looking at the site it seems pretty straightforward.

My sense is that most people who would have a problem with this are just speaking out of jealousy--they are upset either that they didn't think of it first or didn't have the wherewithal to follow through on the idea.

Whether you have ten people renting their own small quantities of excess points or one broker managing all of the transactions on their behalf, the net result is the same. That individual profiting from his services as a broker is no different from eBay collecting its listing fees or the DIS receiving fees from advertisers based upon the volume of site traffic (which includes DVC rental posts.) All are equally acceptable, IMO.

 

[TTFN!]

None of the above opinions nor mine for that matter, means anything until legal action has been taken, a verdict reached and all appeals exhausted.

However, even with that in mind, nothing being done by Daddio at www.dvcbyrequest.com violates the POS as I have read and as I understand it.

Further, Disney is aware of the website. Since it is still up and running (better than DVCmember.com, BTW), I take that as tacit approval or at least tolerance by the Disney Powers That Be.

I just wish I had thought of it!

 

[jodifla]

I had no idea that was going on. I don't have a negative opinion of it, I just wasn't aware it was going on. It's actually pretty clever it a lot of ways.

Thank you for the information!

 

[Sammie]

In fact, perhaps a better comparison would be eBay or the DISBoards. Both are also money-making ventures used as a medium to rent DVC points

.

I was not aware that the DISboards charged to use their Rent/Trade board.

 

[dznymom1]

This is the first I have heard of this. How long has he been in the business of renting out DVC points? Although it leaves a bad taste in my mouth, the good news is that he is asking for $14 a point. He also has a decent looking sample rental agreement that could be helpful to some of our members who occasionally rent points.

 

[sjdisneywedding]

not jealous here, he can have it.


it would be one thing to transfer the points to him but new rules prohibit more than one transfer. So in a way DVC has sort of limited this type of business or at least slowed it down.

you have to be a dope or just ridiculously lazy to allow someone else to rent out your points. Its still your membership name and number the ressie is under making you ultimately responsible

 

[dwelty]

TTFN makes a great point. Disney is aware of this site, yet has done nothing to stop it. If Disney thought this was a voilation of DVC rules, you better believe they would have acted.

 

[tjkraz]

.

I was not aware that the DISboards charged to use their Rent/Trade board.

Advertising. Sponsorships.

Just because there isn't a specific listing fee charged doesn't mean there isn't any money to be made by being the conduit that facilitates the transaction.

(Incidentally I hope nobody construes these comments as criticism of the DIS because that is NOT the intent.)

 

[CarolA]

Folks, if you don't like it got the Member web site and REPORT it. The more of us who do that the more likely Disney is to act.....

 

[TTFN!]

Folks, if you don't like it got the Member web site and REPORT it. The more of us who do that the more likely Disney is to act.....

CarolA:

I must respectfully disagree with you. It doesn't matter if 99.9999% of all DVC members object to something, if said something is allowed (as I and some others feel that 'brokering' is). Disney doesn't have the legal basis for them to go after this one. If he has some copyright violations on his site, then sure Disney could go that route.

Sometimes, it is not majority rules, or the herd mentality. Rule of law 'rules' here (so to speak) and IMO, you can't influence Disney one way or the other, on this issue.

Just like, I doubt that Disney, even if every BCV member voted unanimously to bar non BCV members from staying at BCV, that would ever happen.

 

[tjkraz]

Folks, if you don't like it got the Member web site and REPORT it. The more of us who do that the more likely Disney is to act.....

What would be Disney's justification for acting? I don't see any copywrited images or artwork on the site and I don't see how it violates anything in the POS.

The POS states that owners are welcome to rent their points but doesn't prohibit the use of a third-party to do so.

I don't see how they could restrict the activity any more than they could try telling Tom Yeary to stop making money off of resale contracts.