posted 01-03-2005 13:34               

quote:

---

Originally posted by skyliner:

3.) One lady from the UK says her company will send a MO or CC, but those can take months to clear - what should I do about that?

---

Ask her to wire the money to your bank. We had to do this with a renter from Canada since our credit union wouldn't accept his check. There is a fee involved for the person to wire the funds, but we deducted that from the rental.

posted 01-03-2005 13:37               

2. Money talks. Insist on upfront money before finalizing the transaction. Make sure you allow ample time for checks, including certified checks, to clear.

3. The UK company could be a scam. The most common scheme is that someone writes you stating that his/her company rents accommodations such as yours for corporate meetings. They will send you a certified check for more than your asking price and then ask you for a refund, allowing you time to ensure that the certified check clears. The problem is that long after the normal time for certified check clearance and after your refund check has been cashed by the scam artist, your bank will notify you - several weeks later - that the certified check was fraudulent and has been charged back to your account.

posted 01-04-2005 04:23               

quote:

---

Originally posted by Luanne:
Ask her to wire the money to your bank. We had to do this with a renter from Canada since our credit union wouldn't accept his check. There is a fee involved for the person to wire the funds, but we deducted that from the rental.

---

posted 01-04-2005 04:43               

Also, another inquiry just said "check to see if you can get week (named week)" with a phone number. I just don't know how to judge if this one is serious or just fishing around. I feel if he were serious, he would have called my number that's listed in the ad. Do I call my timeshare everytime I get an inquiry like this?

posted 01-04-2005 05:25               

quote:

---

I read the Redweek contract, but I don't feel comfortable getting the money that late.

---

Even though it costs $6, I like the Timesharing Today rental contract better than the others, because it is comprehensive and includes a good set of instructions for modifying the contract as needed.

quote:

---

Do I call my timeshare every time I get an inquiry like this?

---

You have now found one of the major differences between offering a specific week and offering to reserve a week for your renter.

Offering a specific week is a lot less work for you and more quickly confirmed for the potential renter. The flexible offering may appeal to more people but it puts you in the position of having to decide whether contacts such as you mention are serious.

posted 01-04-2005 06:15               

I wouldn't do the wire transfer thing myself.

quote:

---

Originally posted by skyliner:
Wouldn't I have to give her my bank account number? If this is a scam ("my company will send you a MO"), it doesn't seem like a good idea for them to have my bank info.

---

posted 01-04-2005 16:11               

Seems to me that, when someone has expressed interest (our weeks are both fixed and float) in a float week, I lay out the terms of the rental (i.e., total cost, down payment, etc.). If they remain interested, I call the resort and check the availability. (The same is true for direct exchange inquiries.)

Personally, I don't think you are going to get that many people who are interested in renting a week that you would be calling the resort more than occasionally (if the week is available). I don't know that many individuals go "fishing" for rental weeks.

JMHO,