DVC Owners--What are WE going to do about the shabby housekeeping?

[50 years Too!]

Hi All,

I just returned from BCV last week.

I am not all that picky, no white gloves,expect a little wear and tear, etc.
BUT, I do get upset when cherrios, various yuck debris under the pullout (dirty keenex, a park guide from February:scared1:), the white floorboards behind furniture was literally black. The banquet was covered in bright red jelly that I easily wiped off. The lights in the bathroom were totally covered in black dust.
On, and on and on.

Did I call housekeeping at that point. I'm ashamed to admit I just cleaned it myself. Again, nothing that the average maid couldn't have done.

I did tell the desk about the aforementioned on my departure.

I stayed at the Hyatt airport on my way out of town. Spotless.
Why can't we get the same housekeeping?
I'm really frustrated. What ARE we going to do to get management to address these issues.

It was probably more upsetting to me because I brought two girlfriends for a reunion, and it was their first experience in a villa.

Thanks for letting me vent.

Deb

[RLRDA]

Wow, I agree....that is not the way you want to find your villa upon check-in. I, like you, would have probably cleaned it myself but that's not the point. You said you mentioned it to the front desk....did you perhaps take pictures of the debris/dust/dirt where you found it? Perhaps forwarding the pictures via e-mail to Member Satisfaction would be wise as well. It really seems like Mousekeeping is inconsistent. Some members share stories similar to yours, others find their villas in clean, acceptable condition. We'll be at WDW in less than 3 weeks.....wonder what we'll find. And we're bringing family members with us so I hope it's not embarassing to us as members.

[simzac]

Put yourself in the shoes of management at BCV. Which situation would be more unsettling to you. First, a guest calls you immediately about the condition of their villa the day they arrive. Second, a guest mentions to the desk on the day they check out about the condition of their villa the day they arrived. If I were in management and these 2 situations happened, I would certainly look into the first one. The 2nd I would probably just let go. JMO

[tjhsr]

Last May we had a problem and had them come back and clean again.But i also went to the front desk and ask to see the manager.I let him know that we were very unhappy about the condition of the room. It was the only time out of 12 stays in less than 4 yrs but 1 time was to many for me.

[WALTSAGOD]

No complaining = no fixie.

Go to the front desk.

[La2kw]

Housekeeping has definitely taken a decline. We complained right away last July at OKW after a particulary nasty room had been assigned us, and had them come and clean the unit thoroughly. It was spotless after they recleaned it, and we were happy with the results. They even washed the door and the entry way. It is possible for housekeeping to do the job they are supposed to do. I really think everyone needs to start complaining and asking for it to be recleaned, rather than cleaning it ourselves. :goodvibes

[Deb & Bill]

I don't normally pull out the furniture and look underneath or behind it. So anything there doesn't bother me. Sticky counters, yes, but that's easily fixed. We've really been lucky and never had a problem. Who knows what June will bring. We'll let everyone know.

If we have problems, we'll call right away and follow up with a letter to Jim Lewis, if we find that necessary.

[loribell]

Housekeeping has definitely taken a decline. We complained right away last July at OKW after a particulary nasty room had been assigned us, and had them come and clean the unit thoroughly. It was spotless after they recleaned it, and we were happy with the results. They even washed the door and the entry way. It is possible for housekeeping to do the job they are supposed to do. I really think everyone needs to start complaining and asking for it to be recleaned, rather than cleaning it ourselves. :goodvibes

I think you are completely right. If we don't start calling and making them come fix it right then it will continue to be spotty at best. I have not had serious problems but have had minor issues. From now on I will call when there is any issue.

[jekjones1558]

I agree with reporting unacceptable cleaning to the front desk. I also believe in reporting a job well done. Our mousekeeper last month was awesome. I got the name and address of the head of housekeeping and wrote a letter, giving specifics of what we liked. I was very pleased (and surprised!) to get a call thanking me for the letter. I was assured that it was shared with several managers. I would bet that mousekeeping is one of the hardest positions for Disney to retain good workers. I think that both sticks and carrots are needed to improve the quality.

[theoarn]

Our rooms in August were in great condition.

[eporter66]

I would report it to the front desk and write a letter to complain. Luckily we have not had any issues.

I also like the comment by one poster about saying something positive. We don't do that enough these days, it is easy to complain about poor service, we should also speak up when we recieve great service. I will try to remember names and make sure to write or comment when we are treated well.

E

[Deb & Bill]

I would report it to the front desk and write a letter to complain. Luckily we have not had any issues.

I also like the comment by one poster about saying something positive. We don't do that enough these days, it is easy to complain about poor service, we should also speak up when we recieve great service. I will try to remember names and make sure to write or comment when we are treated well.

E

We always get the computer survey after our trips. So I make sure I write up all the good CMs on that. I write down names whenever I find anyone who is doing a great job and make sure I let someone know.

[bwvBound]

Maybe we can merge this thread with the one discussing working at Disney in retirement years. Surely our own would make great housekeepers ...

[Sully]

As most of the above have mentioned, it does no good mentioning it on these boards. The situation must be addressed at the time of the problem. We have had clean rooms for 8 years when checking in and we do tip when we are there. Most of the time when we leave a tip during our stay, a lot of extra care goes into the room.:goodvibes

[minniekissedme]

I agree with reporting unacceptable cleaning to the front desk. I also believe in reporting a job well done. Our mousekeeper last month was awesome. I got the name and address of the head of housekeeping and wrote a letter, giving specifics of what we liked. I was very pleased (and surprised!) to get a call thanking me for the letter. I was assured that it was shared with several managers. I would bet that mousekeeping is one of the hardest positions for Disney to retain good workers. I think that both sticks and carrots are needed to improve the quality.

This type of action is few and far between. Congratulations for taking the time to report the good! Having been in customer service most of my life, it is very easy to complain and far more difficult to compliment someone for a job well done!

[Starr W.]

Maybe we can merge this thread with the one discussing working at Disney in retirement years. Surely our own would make great housekeepers ...

:rolleyes: :lmao:

[dianeschlicht]

Just a suggestion for those who experience problems and want to contact the front desk. Do NOT CALL the front desk using the room phone. When you call the "front desk" you actually get someone in a central location who more often than not has no idea what you are talking about. If you call
THAT "front desk" nothing will be done about it. Instead, you need to physically go down to the front desk and speak to the manager in person. It's the only way they ever hear about the issue.

[mello]

Wow, I agree....that is not the way you want to find your villa upon check-in. I, like you, would have probably cleaned it myself but that's not the point. You said you mentioned it to the front desk....did you perhaps take pictures of the debris/dust/dirt where you found it? Perhaps forwarding the pictures via e-mail to Member Satisfaction would be wise as well. It really seems like Mousekeeping is inconsistent. Some members share stories similar to yours, others find their villas in clean, acceptable condition. We'll be at WDW in less than 3 weeks.....wonder what we'll find. And we're bringing family members with us so I hope it's not embarassing to us as members.

We'll be bringing 12 family members with us to BCV in about 3 weeks. DH has been talking it up so much I hope we're not embarrased either! But I do think I would have called Mousekeeping, especially about the jelly - that's pretty darn obvious. I find that when my kids do a shoddy job with their chores at home, if I keep calling them back again and again to make it right, eventually it sinks in.

[50 years Too!]

Until this last trip I was fairly happy with housekeeping.
Of course, this was the time I was with nonowners.
We were given our room 25 minutes before our ADR at Brown Derby.
Yes, I should have "marched down" and complained, but didn't want to draw
any more attention to it to my guests. They suggested I ask for the room to be recleaned. They only saw the jelly smeared all over the seat and back portion of the banquet and the sticky, icky table. Also the cheerios on the floor under the table.
Later, when I pulled out the hide a bed (hope the sheets were clean) I noticed the collection of "stuff" under the bed. I didn't even mention it to my friends but it included a park guide from February (means it was there for at least two months), dirty kleenex, and various other used food papers.
As I was showering the next morning I noticed a VERY thick layer of dust on the glass shades above the vanity.
The next owners who used the room had a clean room, thanks to me.
I also made sure I stripped the hide a bed so they would have clean sheets.
Anyway folks, had I been with my family I would have asked to have it recleaned.
But really, is that the issue, or is lack of satisfactory cleaning the issue.
And yes, I am going to write Jim Lewis. But this issue has been talked about on these boards for at least two years to no avail.
Until you step into a room like this, you'll probably just blame the owner for not demanding the room to be cleaned.

Deb

[50 years Too!]

Put yourself in the shoes of management at BCV. Which situation would be more unsettling to you. First, a guest calls you immediately about the condition of their villa the day they arrive. Second, a guest mentions to the desk on the day they check out about the condition of their villa the day they arrived. If I were in management and these 2 situations happened, I would certainly look into the first one. The 2nd I would probably just let go. JMO

And we should be okay that management "just lets it go"?

[50 years Too!]

As most of the above have mentioned, it does no good mentioning it on these boards. The situation must be addressed at the time of the problem. We have had clean rooms for 8 years when checking in and we do tip when we are there. Most of the time when we leave a tip during our stay, a lot of extra care goes into the room.:goodvibes

Guess the guests staying before me only left jelly and cherrios, not a tip.:rolleyes1

[JimMIA]

Put yourself in the shoes of management at BCV. Which situation would be more unsettling to you. First, a guest calls you immediately about the condition of their villa the day they arrive. Second, a guest mentions to the desk on the day they check out about the condition of their villa the day they arrived. If I were in management and these 2 situations happened, I would certainly look into the first one. The 2nd I would probably just let go. JMOAnd we should be okay that management "just lets it go"?Simzac's point is very well taken.

We see a lot of rant threads here where someone is shocked -- SHOCKED!:eek: , mind you -- at the deplorable condition of a room they check into!!! Then they go merrily about their vacation, never mentioning the problem to DVC management. Most of the time the very first action they take is a rant on the DISboards. Sometimes, they "mention" it to the CM when they check out.

Frankly, if it was really a problem, I would have done something about it at the time I noticed the problem. If it's not a big enough problem to mention at the time, it's not big enough for management (or DIS readers) to be much concerned with after the fact.

If you want something done...if you want some of these problems to get better...take some action at the time. If we don't -- WE are the ones who are "just letting it go."

[lenshanem]

It is not all of BCV. We just got back a few days ago and our room was spotless and in great shape. Actually, surprised what good shape it was in given BCV keeps a 100% occupancy.

We had a fantastic stay at BCV, which was a good thing since we were kinda having WDW burnout. Welcome homes by every CM we passed. :thumbsup2

[bobbiwoz]

It is not all of BCV. We just got back a few days ago and our room was spotless and in great shape. Actually, surprised what good shape it was in given BCV keeps a 100% occupancy.

We had a fantastic stay at BCV, which was a good thing since we were kinda having WDW burnout. Welcome homes by every CM we passed. :thumbsup2

Nice to read that! Glad you had such a great time!!!

Bobbi:goodvibes

[DisDaydreamer]

Okay, I have an idea.

We know, technically, mousekeeping isn't a tipped position. So let's work with DVC to make it a tipped position. THEN.... the mousekeepers who clean the room between stays leaves an envelope with their name on it. Then it is the arriving guests who place a tip in the envelope and put the envelope in a locked mailbox found in each building. Likewise, with the 4th day or 8th day... the MK leaves an envelope. This way tips relate to actual job done.

Think it would work?

[wildernessDad]

Mousekeeping is the biggest part of our dues if memory serves me correctly. It needs to be done right. It's a black eye to DVC when members bring others and they see dirt in the villa.

[LIFERBABE]

I think we should do something. I really never complain about housekeeping, I normally just take care of things myself if it is minor.

But we just stayed another weekend with my niece's family at her timeshare and this place was in the woods! A duplex cabin in a Pine forest and was probably the closest to camping I will ever come.

It had pine walls and floors and it was SPOTLESS!! I mean I went in there with my nose all turned up thinking how I was going to stay there for 2 nights and every inch of that 1 bedroom loft cabin complete with kitchen was SPOTLESS! No dirty corners, no cobwebs, no mold, no dust on top of the kitchen cabinets (could see from the loft) no dust on the fake plant and the furniture and bedding were completely clean. I kept commenting on how clean our unit was!

I was totally impressed! My kids wore their socks and they didnt turn black.

The kitchen was fully stocked and all the dishes were spotless too. The pots and pans the cookie sheet etc. All looked new.

They pay $700 a year in dues for their 2 bedroom Presidential week and while most will tell you that Silverleaf Resorts is pretty much scraping the bottom of the timeshare barrel, their housekeeping is top notch and they just added a 6 million indoor waterpark. And they allow pets in all units!

This was our second stay in 3 months and if Silverleaf can do it, then DVC can too!

[Deb & Bill]

Liferbabe, if this is a typical timeshare, everyone checks out on the same day. So they can beef up the number of housekeepers they need on that day to do lots of cleaning. Unfortunately, DVC has people checking in and out every day of the week. I would think that would make it more difficult to do the cleaning they need.

[50 years Too!]

Liferbabe, if this is a typical timeshare, everyone checks out on the same day. So they can beef up the number of housekeepers they need on that day to do lots of cleaning. Unfortunately, DVC has people checking in and out every day of the week. I would think that would make it more difficult to do the cleaning they need.

But Deb, hotels do too, and they seem to be able to clean properly.
At least the ones I've stayed in, and their rates aren't as high as the rentals on the villas.

I think the studios are usually cleaner than the units with the kitchens.
Maybe that's why some of you haven't experienced this problem?

And again, I don't want you to think I'm extra picky, because I'm not. If a piece of furniture is nicked or there is some wear and tear I'm okay with that.

Some of you can say all you want that it is OUR responsibility to make sure it is cleaned properly--but why? Do you say that when you go to a dirty restaurant?
I'm not wanting to start a fight, I'm just upset about why it can't be done right in the first place.

:sad2: Deb

[gmboy95]

We are going on our 20th something trip on Saturday and i have never had an issue with the housekeeping. has it been perfect no, but if we ask for something it is immediately addressed. I beleive DVC is as good as the day I bought it, in fact it is better. There are more options, and the service IMO is excellent:thumbsup2

[Luigi's Girl]

I would report it to the front desk and write a letter to complain. Luckily we have not had any issues.

I also like the comment by one poster about saying something positive. We don't do that enough these days, it is easy to complain about poor service, we should also speak up when we recieve great service. I will try to remember names and make sure to write or comment when we are treated well.

E

When we checked into our 2 bedroom villa this past November it was spotless! I immediately called Housekeeping to let them know how extremely pleased we were with the way the room looked. They were so shocked and excited to have heard that from me so I guess it's not a practice that many guests follow. We have actually been very lucky on all of our stays at the BCV and VWL. I'm spoiled I guess because we have always had clean and pleasant looking rooms. For me that happens to be a big deal because I happen to be one of those people some call a "germaphobe"! Go figure! :)

[jekjones1558]

Liferbabe,
What was the name of this resort? We are looking for a pet friendly timeshare.

[nuttylawprofessor]

Some of you can say all you want that it is OUR responsibility to make sure it is cleaned properly--but why? Do you say that when you go to a dirty restaurant?
I'm not wanting to start a fight, I'm just upset about why it can't be done right in the first place.

:sad2: Deb

Should the job be done right the first time? Yes. But that isn't reality. Your title asks "what are WE going to do about the shabby housekeeping?" While I understand why you didn't pursue the housekeeping issue with management earlier, we all need to recognize that the only way management is going to recognize a wider problem is if every member who encounters a problem reports it immediately and asks for a reclean to correct it. When the management for housekeeping sees that his or her people are having to go back to reclean units, it will be easier to spot the larger problem and correct it.

[dzorn]

Liferbabe, if this is a typical timeshare, everyone checks out on the same day. So they can beef up the number of housekeepers they need on that day to do lots of cleaning. Unfortunately, DVC has people checking in and out every day of the week. I would think that would make it more difficult to do the cleaning they need.

Yes but I doubt that considering how early reservation are made ahead of time that at 31 days out they could adjust the scheduals. I know it may change somewhat, but how many people change less that 31 days out.

Denise in MI

[rinkwide]

I swear to you, if a member checked in and found a dead body someone on these boards would chastise the corpse for not reporting it's own murder.

[50 years Too!]

I swear to you, if a member checked in and found a dead body someone on these boards would chastise the corpse for not reporting it's own murder.

:rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2: :rotfl2:

[50 years Too!]

When we checked into our 2 bedroom villa this past November it was spotless! I immediately called Housekeeping to let them know how extremely pleased we were with the way the room looked. They were so shocked and excited to have heard that from me so I guess it's not a practice that many guests follow. We have actually been very lucky on all of our stays at the BCV and VWL. I'm spoiled I guess because we have always had clean and pleasant looking rooms. For me that happens to be a big deal because I happen to be one of those people some call a "germaphobe"! Go figure! :)

You know, I once called to order another towel pack after we checked in last March at BWV. (BTW, I've never felt this way about any other villa we've stayed in).
The initial tone from the person who answered the phone when I said "Hello I'm in Rm XXX was defensive. After I explained why I was calling and they realized I hadn't called to complain their voice immediately changed to friendly.
Makes me think they might get more of those "my room isn't clean" calls than are reported on these boards.

Deb

[LIFERBABE]

Liferbabe,
What was the name of this resort? We are looking for a pet friendly timeshare.

The resort is Silverleaf Resorts. They are an older timeshare (started in the 70's) and you can purchase on the resale market for a fraction of the developer cost, so dont look for it to hold value.

But we just got a puppy and are looking for something closer to home and while not DVC, they are trying to please their membership and have some new resorts coming. They do not have studios, their 2 beds are a 1 bedroom with full Kitchen lockoff.

Their Orlando resort is called Breeze. The pet fee is $55 for the length of stay. They also have resorts in Texas, Branson, Il, and MN.

When I say clean, I mean CLEAN! I am allergic to pets and we have to wash ours twice a week and I could not tell that unit had pets in it, but the people in the cabin next to us had 3 dogs! They didnt bark or anything, they just had them outside with them.

Their check in days are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and they have Free Bonus time during the week so they are always checking in and out.

[Deb & Bill]

Yes but I doubt that considering how early reservation are made ahead of time that at 31 days out they could adjust the scheduals. I know it may change somewhat, but how many people change less that 31 days out.

Denise in MI

With lots of timeshares, you only have people checking in on Sat or Sun. So, if they double the staff on Sat, they can do more cleaning than they need to do on Mon-Fri. But DVC has people checking in and out every day of the week. With so many resorts in town, it has to be difficult to stay fully staffed. I work in a hospital and I know our housekeeping staff is always hiring because they are down about 10% or more of their staff. And what you hire isn't always what you want to have on staff. And the good ones only hire on in Housekeeping to be able to put in for the better paying jobs in the other areas.

[karrit2000]

I usually stay in the Studios and believe me a lot of the studios at OKW should be hosed down between guests. Actually the last one I stayed in seemed to have been and that was after they delivered our luggage. They powerwashed so hard the carpet was soaked halfway into the unit and half the clothes in my mother's suitcase were drenched. This is true. The room was disgusting. One of the chairs had a shredded cushion and there was gunk all over the nightstand. I'm done with keeping my mouth shut after that one.

[hlyntunstl]

I decided years ago that I needed to speak up when something bothered me, even if there was a chance that my comments would be ignored. If no one ever speaks up, then the problem will go unnoticed. At the very least, if someone else expresses a similar concern, they can see a trend. I also fill out the post-trip surveys.

I called during our last trip because we had a burnt out bulb in the master bath water closet, a broken towel ring that fell right out of the wall (screw and all) and found a baby tooth in the middle of the floor. I made a point of stating that we've usually had excellent mousekeeping experiences but this was a bit much and requested someone come to address the issues at their earliest convenience.

[the who #3]

the only villa's that we have stayed in that was not clean was the bcv. and that has happened more than once.:rolleyes2 you should always report that.

[BEASLYBOO]

the only villa's that we have stayed in that was not clean was the bcv. and that has happened more than once.:rolleyes2 you should always report that.

You know, me too! That's where I found mugs with lipstick on them, back in the cupboard. Otherwise I've been lucky with housekeeping. OKW had a couple dirty light switches but I just wiped them off. We've been lucky!