Members renting weeks to other members to recover their fees

[hercules24 Member Find all posts View Profile Close hercules24]

In the UK we have seen an increase in consecutive weeks booked by some members in peak season on high demand resorts and these weeks have then been advertised for sale back to other members; I feel this is unfair as other members pay their fees and then cannot book these weeks with their points but have to consider paying cash to other members for the priviledge of booking into these resorts. I am not saying that the person selling the weeks is profiteering - they are probably just recovering their money that they have laid out in fees.

The question is :

Is this in the spirit of the club ?

If DRI offered a trade in at 6p per point towards maintenance fees (which is the current variable fee per point cost) rather than 4p as current would this stop this practice ?

Is it fair to expect members especially those who are tied to peak holidays, school/university lecturers and families with school children to have to pay over again for the pleasure of going on vacation at a DRI resort?

I have challenged DRI on this but they say as long as the member does not profiteer (although how they monitor this I do not know as money changes hands privately) then it is within the rules of the club.

Views anyone - Does this happen in the USA ?

[timeos2 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close timeos2]

Nothing wrong I see

In the UK we have seen an increase in consecutive weeks booked by some members in peak season on high demand resorts and these weeks have then been advertised for sale back to other members; I feel this is unfair as other members pay their fees and then cannot book these weeks with their points but have to consider paying cash to other members for the priviledge of booking into these resorts. I am not saying that the person selling the weeks is profiteering - they are probably just recovering their money that they have laid out in fees.

The question is :

Is this in the spirit of the club ?

If DRI offered a trade in at 6p per point towards maintenance fees (which is the current variable fee per point cost) rather than 4p as current would this stop this practice ?

Is it fair to expect members especially those who are tied to peak holidays, school/university lecturers and families with school children to have to pay over again for the pleasure of going on vacation at a DRI resort?

I have challenged DRI on this but they say as long as the member does not profiteer (although how they monitor this I do not know as money changes hands privately) then it is within the rules of the club.

Views anyone - Does this happen in the USA ?

It is their time to do with as they please. You have the same rights to reserve it as they do - so what is the problem? That they "grab" it for use or rent is within the rules so I'd have to say there is nothing to complain about. If you want it then make the effort to reserve when the window opens. You can't wait for prime time and expect it to be available when you're ready. Demand is why it's prime time.

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

I feel this is unfair

It's entirely fair, as the same rules apply to everyone. I think what you mean is "this is disappointing to me."

The way to avoid such disappointment is easy: book the time as soon as you are able.

[dbwill Member Find all posts View Profile Close dbwill]

Seems fair to me. In theory the time is yours to do with what you want. I'm not even sure that making a slight profit is wrong

[Bulldog Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bulldog]

It's entirely fair, as the same rules apply to everyone. I think what you mean is "this is disappointing to me."

The way to avoid such disappointment is easy: book the time as soon as you are able.

I guess fairness means different things to different people ?

[Bulldog Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bulldog]

It's entirely fair, as the same rules apply to everyone. I think what you mean is "this is disappointing to me."

The way to avoid such disappointment is easy: book the time as soon as you are able.

I think hercules is trying to say that the practice of booking prime time, which certain members are only able to use for whatever reason, is inconsiderate when the booker has no intention of using it for themselves. Even in this dog-eat-dog society where it may well be "within the rules" some people would agree with that point of view, wouldn't they?

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

Why? They pay for the rights to book that time, just as everyone else does, and everyone has to play by the same rules to book it. That is the very definition of "fair".

If I have a family of six, and you have a family of four, should you have to use a 1BR with a king and a pullout rather than your preferred 2BR with an extra two twins just because I can't fit in the 1BR? Of course not. If you choose to spend the extra money/points/what-have-you to book the larger unit, you are entitled to do so.

[Bulldog Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bulldog]

o.k. so we don't agree? I used the word"inconsiderate" not "fair" there is a subtle difference.
If we are ever in the same resort with my family of 4 in a 2br and your family of 6 in a 1br because I booked the day before you, don't ask to swap will you ?
Goodnight, it's almost bedtime this side of the pond!

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

I'm not even sure I'd go so far as "inconsiderate". If the covenants allow renting, then the owner booking to rent has the same right to that time as the owner booking to use.

Instead, this sounds like a problem of booking prime time earlier vs. later. In that case, the early bird gets the worm. And, any float/points timeshare suffers from that problem, whether there is rental activity or not.

In fact, this site is all about helping us be the bird, rather than the worm.

[hercules24 Member Find all posts View Profile Close hercules24]

Opened a can of worms here

Sorry I appear to have opened a can of worms here, however, I respect everyones opinion, I do not really care about booking larger units than occupancy (I Book a one bed apartment if I can get it for me and the wife), I also book accommodation for my family and occassionally for friends. However, I would never just rent the unit with no intention of occupying it and look to rent it back for cash to other members, however, each to their own. I would add a caveat to that in so much that if I booked it and for whatsoever personal reason (illness, etc.) I was unable to go on holiday then I may offer it for rent rather than face the loss of points at short notice.

[ace2000 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ace2000]

The person 'renting' the unit has the opportunity to book at the earliest possible date and with the least effort, so they have the advantage. They just book the most prime optimum week as quickly as possible...

The person 'using' the unit has to make plans and if that involves more than couple or if kids are involved that provides a major disadvantage.

I have to 'rent' some of my units out because I can't use them. Would I reserve the most prime optimum week? You bet! But, I do understand the point of the OP. Is it inconsiderate? Probably, but it is within the rules.

Perhaps, a 1 in 5 rule should be in place that states you can only book a unit in prime time once every five years. But, it would be met with great resistance! And it would be very hard to manage...

[bnoble Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close bnoble]

Yes, you have to make plans for use. I make my plans (with anyone else who needs to be involved) before the booking window opens, so that I too can be ready 8AM on the first day possible to book that prime unit.

[Jya-Ning Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Jya-Ning]

The person 'renting' the unit has the opportunity to book at the earliest possible date and with the least effort, so they have the advantage. They just book the most prime optimum week as quickly as possible...

The person 'using' the unit has to make plans and if that involves more than couple or if kids are involved that provides a major disadvantage.

If go this route, than a Signle retiree will have more advantage vs people that still working, and they will have advantage vs someone that can not determine their vacation schedule in afraid of lossing job. And small family will always trump bigger family. There will always has a group that has more superior than the other in one situation or the other.

And there are people make reservation and did not use it and did not cancel it because cancel means (s)he loss all points anyway.

If I make reservation for 2 BD, I have my reason, I would not care if someone with 6 take a 1 BD. They must figure they can live in 1 BD. The point system do require you put more points for bigger room.

Each system will have its way to make sure majority of time most owners can have enough fighting chance. Most system does want to stimulate its sales, and they are willing to create different level to help the sales

And we have to figure out what are those restrictions, how we can level it or to avoid get hurt. And what levelage those restriction actually give out. And if you look at a mini chain, and realize that some of the resorts you have no fight chance or very little fighting chance, you can just cross that resort out.

The problem is most people just buy something that they don't have an idea what it is. Maybe just because it is cheap, maybe just because someone selling it hard. They did not think if their finding is wrong, how can they protect themselves on the lossing.

That is the reason one of the best suggestion is always buy where you plan to use. And do just jump into point system just because it has a lot of resort. You should jump only if the resorts you want to use at the time you want to use are plentifully.

By the way, if you look at eBay for rent for thoise point system, you will know that in the point system, the best rental deal may not be the so call premium season. You may notice that a lot of rental there, and sometime, they can not compete with packaged deal.

Jya-Ning

[BocaBum99 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close BocaBum99]

o.k. so we don't agree? I used the word"inconsiderate" not "fair" there is a subtle difference.
If we are ever in the same resort with my family of 4 in a 2br and your family of 6 in a 1br because I booked the day before you, don't ask to swap will you ?
Goodnight, it's almost bedtime this side of the pond!

I guess Americans have a different perspective on property rights than do Brits. When we own something, we own it. We have the freedom to do whatever we want with it within the law. In fact, there are clearly laid out laws for what owners can do with their real property.

If we own vacation time, it's like our own home to us. We have the right to rent our home. Why should anyone else feel slighted if we rent our home to someone.

If the issue is whether or not you can book the holiday week ahead of the other owner, then that's a reservation rule question. That is just a matter of competition for the week. If you don't act as quickly as the other owner who acted within the rules, that's your fault, not his.

Is it inconsiderate? No more inconsiderate than it is for someone to complain in public about someone's renting out what is clearly theirs to rent.

[Bulldog Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Bulldog]

I guess Americans have a different perspective on property rights than do Brits. When we own something, we own it. We have the freedom to do whatever we want with it within the law. In fact, there are clearly laid out laws for what owners can do with their real property.

If we own vacation time, it's like our own home to us. We have the right to rent our home. Why should anyone else feel slighted if we rent our home to someone.

If the issue is whether or not you can book the holiday week ahead of the other owner, then that's a reservation rule question. That is just a matter of competition for the week. If you don't act as quickly as the other owner who acted within the rules, that's your fault, not his.

Is it inconsiderate? No more inconsiderate than it is for someone to complain in public about someone's renting out what is clearly theirs to rent.

You are right Americans do have a different perspective on many things than those of us here, my point was the consideration that may be made as to whether or nor you are blocking someone else when in fact you don't really need to.
I don't dispute the point about when you book something it is yours and it is of course your right to enjoy it.I would be waiting for the right moment to go online and book it if it was the date and property that I wanted. I'm just asking is it right to book it without considering if someone else would benefit from it more than you if you don't really need to. I don't have a problem with booking it for your own use if that is the time you choose to have your vacation either, but go back to the original question I posed ....is it "right","fair","considerate" or whatever to book prime time, that others have no other option but to go for, just because you know you can rent it out again for a profit.?
I think somewhere along the way in the thread people misunderstood what I meant, I have no problem with it being in the rules and first to get online gets to book it either. I guess it's a kind of moral question in a way? Several posters have jumped in quickly to defend the right to book what you want and when you want perhaps there is someone out there who sees it from my perspective? If not then just let this thread die a natural death I won't lose any sleep over it.