Dave, so you are back again, with not much to say, sorry about that. But trust me, it is really a very simple matter.
But that is OK, we are all different. Please read this short paragraph, which I can't trim back any further:

Now listen:

"When you rent a car you need collateral, such as a credit card, and when you pay for the rental, why not use the same card for quick check-out.
When you rent a room at a Hotel you need collateral with available funds before you can enter the room, and you can pay with the same card, again for a quick check-out.

But why do Casa Ybel owners have to produce collateral when they check into their own unit? They have collateral: A time share unit or 2 they have paid for years ago (in many cases). You can chase them down from the Casa Ybel secret list in your office if they leave a mess.

You should not need a credit card to walk into your own home? Just give them the keys! and perhaps a bottle of Champagne. Have a nice evening!
Casa Ybel should be a home away from home. You could check the drivers license if they seem strange to you.
Owners should be welcomed home and not required to submit a credit card. That is what Casa Ybel sold to be, a vacation home away from home.

I will stop here, let me know if this sinks in.
I am running out of ways to explain the core of the subject. I feel it is very basic."
Thank you David.

PS! Today, arrange for a nice "welcome home" party for each Casa Ybel family returning home today, it is Friday. Give them a bottle of Champagne, tell them you have missed them, and wish them a pleasant evening and then give them the keys with a hand shake.
Let them know you will send someone to their unit to help carry up the luggage, and at last tell them you might not have a parking space available till the Restaurant empties out, but give your car to the valet, he will find a space somewhere near the beach.

It is even more simple than that. Although users of the units are mainly owners, the card swipe is in respect of expenditure incured at the resort - eg meals at Thistle Lodge, drinks at the bar, etc, and the resort wants to know that the bill will be paid prior to people leaving. It is a standard procedure at all hotels and resorts.

I am off tomorrow to stay at one of our timeshare units in England, and I will have to swipe my card when I check in.

As the opportunity to spend money at Casa y'bel is limited, though, perhaps a smaller reserve might be more appropriate.

With regard to David Taulbee's highly intelligent contribution, it is not worth responding until he says something sensible.

I cannot say enough, this entire posting is so stupid!!

I am happy to guarantee the $350 against my CREDIT card (not debit). I carry a credit card for this very reason, as it allows me to be in control and not someone else.

If the people using debit cards can't understand this, they are probably the same people that have caused our country to be over-run by the "what can you do for me" attitude. Let's try taking responsibility for our own actions and we'd all be much better off.

Get over it. Get a credit card. If this is something worth getting stuck on, how do the complainers of this get by in their every day lives? This is standard practice with a debit card!

Thank you,

David

So - following on the last few posts, if you want to rent beach chairs, why can't you pay for them at the time they are rented, using a debit card for that amount. If you eat at Thistle Lodge, or order a drink at the pool, why can't you pay the bill at the time, like you would at any restaurant or bar, again using your debit (or credit) card. "Walk-ins" to Thistle Lodge use a card to pay the bill at the end of their meal. So why do owners have to have a "running" tab?? That makes no sense to me. I agree with Carl completely. Maybe a choice would be nice - to pay as you go, or to run a tab at the end. It angers me to hear that $350.00 will be on hold in my account for an entire week for services that I have no intention or desire to use. I have always signed the bill at the end of the week, and it never totalled even near $350.00. However, I had no clue that a $350.00 hold had been placed on my funds at the time. And now with the new credit card laws, what if hospitality swipes that card, and you don't have the $350.00 available to your credit line -I guess the same could be true for a debit card - if you don't have the funds - will the bank refuse the transaction?? --are you going to be refused the keys to the unit that you have already paid for in maintenance fees months before?? Very interesting issue. I am sure that Paul, coming all the way from England, or most others who come a long distance for their week(s) would not like to anticipate the possiblity of being refused accomodations. Many of us, even while still owning a beautiful timeshare week, are on very limited budgets and struggle to find ways to come to Sanibel. And for some, that will not allow for funds to be placed on "hold". $350.00 is a lot of money to be made not available during a vacation week, because of the current check-in regulation.

I can quite understand "owner's" problem in his circumstances. Can I suggest that you call Hospitality before you go to Casa Y'bel and discuss the problem with them to see if you can come to some arrangement.

I am sure that they can work something out with you.

Well, I’m in the very uncomfortable position of agreeing with the gist of what the diplomatic Mr. Taulbee is saying here. But, of course, he cannot explain his position without being a complete jerk.

I don’t have a debit card and don’t understand the allure of them, but that’s me. A solution, as the tactful Mr. Taulbee has suggested buried in his invective, is to have a credit card which is used essentially exclusively for this purpose. Nothing will be charged, and no funds are held hostage, but the swipe will satisfy the requirements of the resorts. An occasional (e.g. quarterly) charge might be necessary to keep the card current. I do understand the fear of running up charges on a credit card.

I agtree with David CARL HAS LOST HIS MIND! But then if you have followed his postings over the years as I have, it should be apparent that he was alwaya limited in his ability tothink straight and not try to put hospitality in a bad light. Why I have never understood. The same with Jackson always putting him down and doing a carachter assination. And yes Lynn you are an optimist if you think Carl will ever change or get the facts or understand the facts when he gets them. If other owners doubt this just read his posts on this subject.

I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that spelling, grammer, and communications, in general, are not your long suit.

That's grammar George. (wink) But I agree that it's not his forte. And I'm just poking you a bit, George. I make my share of typos too.

This has been a long interesting ride and I hope we can get to a conclusion about the $350 charge demand before getting our keys.

Summa Sumarum:
A young disabled gentleman (Chronic pulmonary disease) with wife and 10 year old son was given an oppurtunity to relax and have fun at an island "swanky" resort. His wife's dad is an owner at Casa Ybel.
They packed all the food the family would need and planned on a low key fun vacation at the beach.
They did splurge with a fun meal on Sanibel with the son and discovered later their credit card was overdrawn, which they had to pay for dearly in high bank charges.
The $350 spending money on their card was eaten up in the Casa Ybel front office when they signed in to get the key. They had no plans of spending a costly dinner in Thistle Lodge, It was to be a bare-bones vacation at a fine resort!
They have been at Casa Ybel 3 years in a row, and this was the first time they were asked for $350- collateral.
They later found out it was a seven day "daily $50 demand deposit" by Casa Ybel that emptied their available cash and with $10 in their pocket they decided to return home with a $180 overdraft fee due to their bank. Will they be back?
Again, our Hilton management company was not in the picture, but quoting from News-Press Ms Amy Speckman, Director of Casa Ybel Operatins was in charge and does not find anything wrong at Casa Ybel.

When will we find our Hilton management company back in charge taking care of our owners?

I'm Confused. Carl on the 19th of October you started this chain by stating $350.00 was taken off their Debit Card. Now it appears to me you are stating the $350.00 was somehow taken off their Credit Card? Are there any other cards Casa Ybel took off $350.00??

What gives?

Debit and credit cards seem to run together, I am sure they are equally both good for collateral, if you have a balance?
In any case their card had no available balance left to enjoy a little trip to Periwinkle. So they went home!
Is this the time to take a little collection for them to use next year?
We have to appreciate the little we have.
On "Face the Nation" today it was quoted that $80 out of each $100 earned in the USA (since 2000)goes to 1% of the population, the $20 goes to the other 99%, I wish someone could tell me that is not true. We need more owners from that 1% pool. END OF POLITICS!

What's a debit card? I think I'll just write a check next year!

I read the article in the news-press, the moral of the story was -do not present debit cards unless you intend to use them then and there-. Use credit cards instead. The author of the article found no fault with Casa Ybel as it is a common practice everywhere. Banks place holds on your checking account if you use debit cards. In Casa Ybel's case it is $50 per day based on what they describe as a historical average, which seems reasonable to me. Casa Ybel does not receive any money until we approve upon departure.

When on vacation, I enjoy a libation or an ice cream for my grandchild from the bar without having to carry cash or having to climb the stairs to procure payment. That's what the credit card on arrival is for.

I love my family and I'm sure we all send "relatives" to use our weeks but I don't want to be held responsible for their charges or their damages should something go wrong.

I enjoy my time at Casa Ybel, I feel it's well kept. I think the credit policy is a good system; in my opinion this is a sad story of an extreme case scenario not cause for alarming concern.

...moral of the story, if you use a debit card your bank, any bank, will put a hold on your checking account for a designated amount for a period of time depending on how long your stay is. Using a credit card at check-in holds the banks money. I usually use a credit card at check-in and pay for essentials with my debit card....signage should be set up at check-in reminding people who use our resort, owners/renters alike about the hold when using a debit card for check-in. This is where the confusion was created. It is just good customer service to notify our guests/owners of the problem when using a debit card.