A Cautionary Tale about Renting DVC Points from Unreliable Sources

Today, I’d like to share with you a cautionary tale.

This recent news headline reinforces why you should use a reliable business such as DVC Rental Store rather than renting points from people online.

Please allow me to explain.

The Scam

I suspect that some of the people reading this will read the details of this scam and recognize it could have easily been you. I fall into this category.

Here’s the deal. An Ohio resident made the local news because she got scammed out of almost $5,000.

The victim had planned a Disney trip for this November. A group of friends was going, and they decided to book a two-bedroom DVC villa rather than separate rooms.

Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

Here’s where the story takes an infuriating turn. Rather than using a trusted vendor like DVC Rental Store, they read a DVC Facebook group.

You likely know these sites. I’m in several of them and have watched variations of this story unfold many times.

A person asks whether anyone has extra DVC Points to rent. When someone says yes, the two parties haggle over a price and then agree to a deal.

Here’s the problem with such negotiations. They seldom involve legally binding contracts or the like. Instead, you’re trusting a stranger on the internet to live up to their word.

I know we’d all like to think the best of others, but that’s a huge leap when several thousand dollars are on the line.

Sure enough, this woman spoke with two parties, one of whom wanted $21 a point while another asked for less.

As people usually do in such situations, she went with the lower offer. And that person scammed her.

The worst part is that she didn’t go in blind. The person with the higher offer had no feedback from others. But on the other hand, the scammer had positive feedback.

In short, even previously reliable people sometimes steal money from strangers. That’s what happened here.

A Cautionary Tale

On her website, the victim posted details about the payment process.

When people are in the moment, they just want to make something happen.

To wit, the would-be seller indicated they had problems with Paypal and couldn’t accept payment there, which is always a red flag.

Then, the individual asked for the transaction to go through Crypto.com. They might as well have been screaming, “I’m robbing you!” Still, the buyer persisted.

According to the article:

“She said her bank declined multiple attempts at payment through Apple Pay, Cash App, and Zelle, flagging them as fraud. But eventually, she paid the entire $4,726 in $500 increments through Apple Pay.”

Yes, the buyer persisted despite multiple fraud alerts. We can all point out the errors in judgment now, but we weren’t there.

The person was trying to put together a trip for a large group of people and felt pressure to succeed. They made mistakes. It happens.

The real monster here is the person who lied about having DVC Points, asked for payment through shady means, and then did the predictable.

Once the payment was completed, the scammer stopped responding. But, in fact, that wasn’t the worst part. Here’s the rest of the story:

“Doyle said since then, she’s found two dozen people accusing the seller of false transactions–giving them fake reservation numbers or not sending one at all. Some even showed up at Disney’s resort in Hawaii to find out no rooms had been booked.”

Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

Yes, this person stole tens of thousands of dollars from naïve Disney fans who simply wanted a vacation. It’s deplorable.

I cannot imagine flying to Hawaii, only to learn that the hotel trip I paid for was a scam.

What We Should Learn from This

Friends, I want you to understand two things. The first is that I’m an independent contractor who doesn’t officially work for DVC Rental Store.

I’m not saying this as a loyalist or because someone asked me to do so.

Instead, I’m writing this of my own volition as a previous DVC Rental Store customer, someone who used this service multiple times before I ever wrote for them.

I believe in this company and know that they’re as good as their word. They’re listed on the Better Business Bureau and have an A+ grade.

When you book a reservation with DVC Rental Store, you’re saving money compared to getting your own room. You’re also staying in better accommodations than you would otherwise.

Better yet, you don’t need to worry about the radio silence, as the strength of this company is its communication.

Secondly, I must confess that I’ve been you. As a DVC member for many years, I have occasionally rented DVC Points from people I didn’t know.

Courtesy of Disney Tourist Blog

A couple of the transactions definitely gave me pause about whether I was dealing with someone upstanding.

That’s why I started using DVC Rental Store in the first place. My final experience with a stranger included my full payment in advance.

Now, I was at least smart enough to do it through a service that would refund my money, but the outcome could have easily been the same.

I strongly suspect that many of you reading this can relate. We feel fortunate it wasn’t us when we hear stories like this.

So, please think of this story as a testimonial that you can avoid DVC Points scammers only one way.

You can book with confidence from DVC Rental Store. I say that not as a contributor here but as a frequent customer.

Access all available Disney Vacation Club resale listings, or learn more about buying and selling with DVC Resale Market.