I am wondering what legal recourse I have in this situation. Here is some background:
In January of this year, I rented a timeshare from a renter I found on a timeshare rental online forum. We conversed via email and via phone about the price, location, and dates of the reservation. I had the renter provide me with references, which I checked. I also checked his history on the forum to see that he had a fair number of posts over a long period of time. I then told him I wanted to proceed with the rental. He made the reservation and provided me with proof, which I verified. Then I paid him the rental fee we agreed upon of roughly $2,000. About 5 months later, I discovered that the reservation had been cancelled. I immediately contacted the renter and asked him what happened. He said he didn't know and that he would check. He called me back later to say that the reservation was cancelled because he had forgotten to pay his annual timeshare dues. He offered to try and fix it and make me another reservation. When he was unable to do so, I asked for a full refund. He agreed to pay it, but 2 months later I still have not received it.
I am not sure that I will ever get my money back, but I want to explore all avenues I have to file a legal claim against this person. Small claims court comes to mind first, but I live in Maryland, and the renter lives in New Jersey. Any advice?
In January of this year, I rented a timeshare from a renter I found on a timeshare rental online forum. We conversed via email and via phone about the price, location, and dates of the reservation. I had the renter provide me with references, which I checked. I also checked his history on the forum to see that he had a fair number of posts over a long period of time. I then told him I wanted to proceed with the rental. He made the reservation and provided me with proof, which I verified. Then I paid him the rental fee we agreed upon of roughly $2,000. About 5 months later, I discovered that the reservation had been cancelled. I immediately contacted the renter and asked him what happened. He said he didn't know and that he would check. He called me back later to say that the reservation was cancelled because he had forgotten to pay his annual timeshare dues. He offered to try and fix it and make me another reservation. When he was unable to do so, I asked for a full refund. He agreed to pay it, but 2 months later I still have not received it.
I am not sure that I will ever get my money back, but I want to explore all avenues I have to file a legal claim against this person. Small claims court comes to mind first, but I live in Maryland, and the renter lives in New Jersey. Any advice?
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