MS Astounded!

[thepowellslovedisney]

So I called a little bit ago to check on some availability, I was selected at random to take the satisfaction survey at the end of the phone call. It said to just stay on the line and I would be connected to the survey after speaking with my CM at MS. So after the call I waited and there was silence for just a moment then I heard the CM I was just speaking with calling me crazy and that I should have told her what I wanted from the beginning and basically unjustly complaining about me asking her to look up availability. Needless to say the call never went over to the survey and I was astounded :scared1:. I then decided to hang up and think about what to do. As I sat there for a moment I became very angry :mad:. I felt like hey, we have invested a TON of money into this and this is NOT the way I should be treated even if you think I can't hear you. So, I called MS back and told the whole story to the CM that answered. She asked for my member number, the time I called and the phone number I called from. There were going to see if they could look it up with the hopes that they recorded it. (I was told they record every third call or so). The moral of this that I am taking away is to ALWAYS write the persons name down that you spoke with even if you think you are just making a simple, quick phone call about almost nothing. If I had her name it would have been much easier to bring this to her attention. And I guess the other lesson is, you never know who can hear you and who is watching you.

Lastly, I am reminded of this motivational quote Watch you thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Amazing. I really expected more from them.

[DiznyMagic]

WOW - I hope they can track it. If they dont want us calling to check for availability then they should make it available online so we can check for ourselves!

[fireflymedic]

I hate thim trying to do a survey on my dime, they should call you back or give a 800 number

[kdepot]

I hate thim trying to do a survey on my dime, they should call you back or give a 800 number

There is one 800-********

[shellybaxter]

Was the CM nice to you while you were checking for availability? How did the original call go prior to you overhearing the conversation with another CM?

[dianeschlicht]

OOOPS for that MS CM, but if she was nice to you while you were on the phone, you probably have no real gripe. Frankly, I expect that if a lot of people are calling in to check availability, it wont be long before they tell us we can NOT do that. I guess I'm not sure what good it does anyway, because what's available now might not be 2 minutes from now. Since most people who call for availability aren't planning on booking when they call, it seems like a useless excersise to me.

[bwvBound]

Lastly, I am reminded of this motivational quote Watch you thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.An interesting two-way mirror of how one's actions are perceived by others, hmm? I love your quote and have a different version of the same written in the cover of a cherished book given to me in High School:

Sow a thought, reap an action.
Sow an action, reap a habit.
Sow a habit, reap a character.
Sow your character, reap your destiny!
(credited to Charles Reade, Ralph Waldo Emerson and many others (http://forum.quoteland.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/99191541/m/4581974895))

A really good quote ... well worth revisiting. Thanks for the vivid reminder!

[mikey13v]

OOOPS for that MS CM, but if she was nice to you while you were on the phone, you probably have no real gripe. Frankly, I expect that if a lot of people are calling in to check availability, it wont be long before they tell us we can NOT do that. I guess I'm not sure what good it does anyway, because what's available now might not be 2 minutes from now. Since most people who call for availability aren't planning on booking when they call, it seems like a useless excersise to me.

There are definately times where someone is going to have to bank or borrow points to book their stay, and they'll check the availability first. After they figure out what dates are available that meet their needs they can check airfare before they commit to booking their stay.
For others, they might just book the stay instead of just checking availability, and later cancle and rebook if circumstances dictate other dates. This is probably even more of a hassle than checking availability.
Many people book spur of the moment trips, and they start things off by checking to see if there is even a place to stay. It might be a useless exersise to check air and car if there isn't a room available.
I'd like to see DVC post unavailability on their website. This could save a lot of time for DVC and their members.

While it is extremely poor business to have a mistake like the OP encountered happen, it happens without us knowing all the time. People in customer service joke amungst themselves about their clients on a regular basis. Just imagine what's being said at the friday night party that the call center employees of, let's say a credit card company. When coworkers get together, they'll talk about work, and much of it is about their customers.
Chalk it up to people being themselves when they don't think others are watching them.

[thepowellslovedisney]

I think the most important thing from this is that the CM needs to understand that their underlying attitude will shine through in their interactions with the guests. Throughout the phone call I got the impression that she didn't really want to help me. Her comments after she thought the phone call was through not only solidified my hunch but were absolutely reprimand-able. It was an unfortunate situation that I truly hope is used as a teachable moment.

[disszilagyi]

I think the most important thing from this is that the CM needs to understand that their underlying attitude will shine through in their interactions with the guests. Throughout the phone call I got the impression that she didn't really want to help me. Her comments after she thought the phone call was through not only solidified my hunch but were absolutely reprimand-able. It was an unfortunate situation that I truly hope is used as a teachable moment.
Love your MickeyMomsClub logo. Love being in Mickey Moms Club!!!

[clombardi]

Frankly, I expect that if a lot of people are calling in to check availability, it wont be long before they tell us we can NOT do that.

This confuses me. How else am I supposed to find out if the resort I want is available when I want it? I think the online 2 day reservation request system is ridiculous in the year 2009. It is not an acceptable alternative.

How do you check availability? Maybe I am missing another method.

[christa112]

While it is extremely poor business to have a mistake like the OP encountered happen, it happens without us knowing all the time. People in customer service joke amungst themselves about their clients on a regular basis. Just imagine what's being said at the friday night party that the call center employees of, let's say a credit card company. When coworkers get together, they'll talk about work, and much of it is about their customers.
Chalk it up to people being themselves when they don't think others are watching them.


I have to agree. I work in retail and there are many, many, many times I need to vent to a co-worker about a customer. Obviously, this is not meant for customers ears and what happened is a big WHOOPS on the MS' part. I am sure they will be spoken to from their supervisor.

[shellybaxter]

I think the most important thing from this is that the CM needs to understand that their underlying attitude will shine through in their interactions with the guests. Throughout the phone call I got the impression that she didn't really want to help me. Her comments after she thought the phone call was through not only solidified my hunch but were absolutely reprimand-able. It was an unfortunate situation that I truly hope is used as a teachable moment.

As a supervisor (with a Masters Degree in Leadership and ten years experience) I would reprimand an employee for a bad attitude while they were helping a customer far sooner than I would for comments made when the customer shoudn't have been able to hear them. Sometimes those in a service industry need to blow off steam.

[thepowellslovedisney]

Seriously though, what in the world is there to "vent" about? Checking availability is part of the job. I was not asking for anything out of the ordinary. If I had been unreasonable or asking for favors or upgrades I could possibly understand. The underlying issue is that the under the breathe comments and venting eventually creep into the overall attitude. I used to be a CM (years ago) and I know this type of thing was not commonplace nor seen as the environment we wanted. I am just wondering what happened?:confused3

[Dean]

This confuses me. How else am I supposed to find out if the resort I want is available when I want it? I think the online 2 day reservation request system is ridiculous in the year 2009. It is not an acceptable alternative.

How do you check availability? Maybe I am missing another method.Calling to check availability without a plan to book is a cost to all members and should be minimized. I'd hate to see it go away totally but if people cont to abuse it, that's exactly what will happen.

So I called a little bit ago to check on some availability, I was selected at random to take the satisfaction survey at the end of the phone call. It said to just stay on the line and I would be connected to the survey after speaking with my CM at MS. So after the call I waited and there was silence for just a moment then I heard the CM I was just speaking with calling me crazy and that I should have told her what I wanted from the beginning and basically unjustly complaining about me asking her to look up availability. Needless to say the call never went over to the survey and I was astounded :scared1:. I then decided to hang up and think about what to do. As I sat there for a moment I became very angry :mad:. I felt like hey, we have invested a TON of money into this and this is NOT the way I should be treated even if you think I can't hear you. So, I called MS back and told the whole story to the CM that answered. She asked for my member number, the time I called and the phone number I called from. There were going to see if they could look it up with the hopes that they recorded it. (I was told they record every third call or so). The moral of this that I am taking away is to ALWAYS write the persons name down that you spoke with even if you think you are just making a simple, quick phone call about almost nothing. If I had her name it would have been much easier to bring this to her attention. And I guess the other lesson is, you never know who can hear you and who is watching you.

Lastly, I am reminded of this motivational quote Watch you thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Amazing. I really expected more from them.None of us were there and I hope they did record the phone call. The reality is that this type of thing happens all the time between CM but in this case you simply got to hear it. You may not have done a good job getting your needs/wants across so while in poor taste, the criticism may have been accurate. I'm not taking one side or the other merely pointing out that she may have been correct in her representation of how you communicated. Unfortunately you'll never hear that. You'll get some phone call from a supervisor type apologizing, telling you they'll do better, the CM will be talked to (they will), that what happened inappropriate (which it is) and all the feel good responses. What you won't get is an honest appraisal of your portion.

[thepowellslovedisney]

I have to say that I am amazed at a lot of the responses I am receiving here. I guess all I can say is just wait until it happens to you. You'll be shocked and angry too. I really do hope they recorded the phone call because from what I could tell I was doing nothing wrong. And as for checking availability, I will still check availability unless they give us instant access to it through another manner (which I doubt they will). I am not going to just book plane tickets and such and just hope there is something available nor do I know anyone who would.

[clombardi]

Calling to check availability without a plan to book is a cost to all members and should be minimized. I'd hate to see it go away totally but if people cont to abuse it, that's exactly what will happen.


I didn't get the sense the OP was calling without a plan to book.

Even if she did, I think that is fine. Because MS does not provide a convenient, sensible method for checking availability, the DVC owner has little choice but to call. What constitutes "abuse" of the system?

I ask again, how do you check availability? I am truly interested to know if there is a useful method that I am not aware of. TIA!

[christa112]

When I said "vent" I didn't mean the MS needed to vent about your call.

I was just stating that when you work in certain industries sometimes you have to vent to co-workers.

Kinda like what you are doing on here, right now.

I have to agree. I work in retail and there are many, many, many times I need to vent to a co-worker about a customer. Obviously, this is not meant for customers ears and what happened is a big WHOOPS on the MS' part. I am sure they will be spoken to from their supervisor.



Seriously though, what in the world is there to "vent" about? Checking availability is part of the job. I was not asking for anything out of the ordinary. If I had been unreasonable or asking for favors or upgrades I could possibly understand. The underlying issue is that the under the breathe comments and venting eventually creep into the overall attitude. I used to be a CM (years ago) and I know this type of thing was not commonplace nor seen as the environment we wanted. I am just wondering what happened?:confused3

[clombardi]

I have to say that I am amazed at a lot of the responses I am receiving here.

I am surprised, too. I worked in customer service for years. Just becuase people in that industry talk about customers unkindly, it doesn't make it okay and not all do it. I really do see why you're angry.

[Dean]

I have to say that I am amazed at a lot of the responses I am receiving here. I guess all I can say is just wait until it happens to you. You'll be shocked and angry too. I really do hope they recorded the phone call because from what I could tell I was doing nothing wrong. And as for checking availability, I will still check availability unless they give us instant access to it through another manner (which I doubt they will). I am not going to just book plane tickets and such and just hope there is something available nor do I know anyone who would.I have had similar happen to me so I do know how you feel. IMO, there are legitimate reasons to check availability such as before you book air fare but many people do so far too much for much less appropriate reasons, just look at the rental board. However, I will tell you that for most timeshares you have to chance one or the other, including DVC at times. No guarantee that what was there this am will be there in the afternoon. At least with DVC you can cancel without penalty, not true of many timeshare options. And also not true for most options you need to book at 11 months out as this occurs before the airline booking window for most.

[Pig Pen]

I didn't get the sense the OP was calling without a plan to book.

Even if she did, I think that is fine. Because MS does not provide a convenient, sensible method for checking availability, the DVC owner has little choice but to call. What constitutes "abuse" of the system?

I ask again, how do you check availability? I am truly interested to know if there is a useful method that I am not aware of. TIA!


The new "availability" thread in the DVC forums was helpful to me when I was booking for October. By checking that, I knew that BWV studios were not available for several of my dates so I had a back-up plan. I never call ahead to check on availability because it can change minute by minute. It would be nice to be able to check availability online (even if we can't book online). Maybe soon!

[Dean]

I didn't get the sense the OP was calling without a plan to book.

Even if she did, I think that is fine. Because MS does not provide a convenient, sensible method for checking availability, the DVC owner has little choice but to call. What constitutes "abuse" of the system?

I ask again, how do you check availability? I am truly interested to know if there is a useful method that I am not aware of. TIA!And I got the distinct impression they were calling just to check and not to book and likely checking multiple options. The only real way to check availability is to call. That is not the question in my mind, the question is when is it reasonable to call just to check and in my mind this should rarely happen if your first choices are available. You decide what you want and if they have it, you book it. If not, you go to plan B and that's when checking other times or secondary resorts becomes more reasonable. Even for air fare issues, it's not a very good approach to just call and see. Call and book then call the air lines and then cancel if things don't match up.

[Nikisha421]

.

Amazing. I really expected more from them.


(credited to Charles Reade, Ralph Waldo Emerson and many others (http://forum.quoteland.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/99191541/m/4581974895))

A really good quote ... well worth revisiting. Thanks for the vivid reminder!

As a supervisor (with a Masters Degree in Leadership and ten years experience) I would reprimand an employee for a bad attitude while they were helping a customer far sooner than I would for comments made when the customer shoudn't have been able to hear them. Sometimes those in a service industry need to blow off steam.

not saying the cm was right or wrong but i was just wondering at home to myself how people stay chipper and happy all day long. i knew very early on in life that a job like this could never work for me since i dont have that type of patiencts. but this proves to me that they aremt really as happy as i thought

[pickles]

peer pressure can also go a long way. Let's assume you did nothing wrong, the CM gets off the line with you..previously he rand coworkers were having a gripe fest (a general clients drive me nuts gripe fest) to add her part of the conversation and says something like "yea you should have heard this nut I was just talking to..."

I understand you are hurt, mad and probably feel betrayed, because the CM acted nice to your face, but I would take her negative comments with a grain of salt. She wasn't personally insulting you and making the comments to you, and you don;t know what was surrounding the reasons why she made the comments at all

%There is also a saying about eavesdropping and only hearing bad about yourself when you do..wish i could think what that one was..will have to ask mom, she'd know

Brush it off, lucky for you, you probably will never get that one again...BtW when I get done here, if your ears are burning its because we are all chatting about you ..good way to make a person paranoid! :scared1: :rotfl2:

[tjkraz]

I have to say that I am amazed at a lot of the responses I am receiving here. I guess all I can say is just wait until it happens to you. You'll be shocked and angry too.

I don't blame you for being angry. There is a time and a place for everything and this CM chose very poorly. :eek:

But let's be realistic--venting is human nature. We have all had occasion to vent regarding a client/customer/patient who caused us some frustration. Or if outside of the workplace, perhaps it was a family member/teacher/neighbor.

I don't think venting one's frustrations reveals a character flaw. (If it does we're living in a VERY flawed society.) The CM wasn't the first person who attempted to talk about you behind your back and she won't be the last. Whether you overheard the comments or not, chances are your waitress at dinner last night thought you were too demanding, your neighbor doesn't like the way you cut your grass, one of your employees didn't agree with his performance review and your mother thinks you go to Disney too much. :flower3:

This CMs crime was not being more discrete in her venting. It's definitely worth a complaint and she deserves to be written up or whatever Disney's punishment is for such things. She shouldn't have embarrassed you in that manner.

[DebbieB]

I am a trainer for an insurance company and had an experience a few months ago. I did an online training class and it didn't feel that great, I was not given good materials to use but did the best I could. As everyone was hanging up, I heard someone say "well, that was a waste of time". I'm sure they were talking to someone sitting near them and didn't realize the phone was not hung up.

[dallastxcpa]

I have to say that I am amazed at a lot of the responses I am receiving here. I guess all I can say is just wait until it happens to you. You'll be shocked and angry too. I really do hope they recorded the phone call because from what I could tell I was doing nothing wrong. And as for checking availability, I will still check availability unless they give us instant access to it through another manner (which I doubt they will). I am not going to just book plane tickets and such and just hope there is something available nor do I know anyone who would.

I am right with you. :surfweb: The comment by the CM was completely inappropriate. I can tell you we have one person in our office who is constantly complaining. The sky is too blue, its too hot, its too cold. I don't think she had a single client all year that she didn't complain about. The bad thing about people with negative attitudes (venting) is that it is highly contagious and it can absolutely ruin a work environment.

[bookwormde]

These type of comments are unacceptable, you never know who is listening. I have had to give warnings to employees and even let 1 go for this behavior (not something I like to do).

Dean,

I usually follow and often agree with your logic, but I do not understand the idea of booking and canceling (except that it holds a reservation that you may not want). Checking availability takes maybe 2 minutes with a good CM, booking and unbooking takes 10-20 minutes at least. This is not to mention this is only practical if you are not banking or borrowing to make the reservation.

I would rather have a well-informed and planned member making reservations than someone “winging it” and changing their mind later, just to prone to errors and unnecessary time consuming changes.

bookwormde

[robandkelly13]

Wow! I'd hate to hear what they say about us. We always ask tons of questions and if it's past the 7 month mark, we always want to know what's available where. :rolleyes1

[Dean]

Dean,

I usually follow and often agree with your logic, but I do not understand the idea of booking and canceling (except that it holds a reservation that you may not want). Checking availability takes maybe 2 minutes with a good CM, booking and unbooking takes 10-20 minutes at least. This is not to mention this is only practical if you are not banking or borrowing to make the reservation.Obviously this assumes you're serious about having the reservation, if not, I'd agree BOTH would be inappropriate. In this case IF calling to check is appropriate (often it's not), then book it. Just holding on a whim is legal but not ideal. People should think about what they do.

As to the complaining, I can guarantee you that every singled CM including all the supervisors that worked for more than a day or two has done it at least once. That is a reality of life.

[LJERRY]

Hi. We are new members, and I must say that I am completely confused by this post!
Why on earth would I not be able to call and check availability on a resort? There is no way I would make my airline res. first and just hope that something is available! The airline is gonna charge me to change my flight!
As for the cm complaining, I understand that people do this all the time...IF the op had given her REASON!!! If simply calling to check availability is too much to ask, then I think I may have made a mistake when I signed up for this.
Before we became DVC members, I would call with several possible dates to get prices and check availability, and we would make our decision based on the comparison of those numbers. I never encountered a grumpy cm who was unwilling to do this for me, even if it was a pain in the butt for them to do it.

[thepowellslovedisney]

And I got the distinct impression they were calling just to check and not to book and likely checking multiple options. The only real way to check availability is to call. That is not the question in my mind, the question is when is it reasonable to call just to check and in my mind this should rarely happen if your first choices are available. You decide what you want and if they have it, you book it. If not, you go to plan B and that's when checking other times or secondary resorts becomes more reasonable. Even for air fare issues, it's not a very good approach to just call and see. Call and book then call the air lines and then cancel if things don't match up.

For clarity, I was only checking one set of dates. I was interested in a 2 bedroom anywhere available. There was nothing available. Which was fine. I was going to talk to the hubby today about other options to check on. We like to work together to plan these things esp. with his work schedule. I cannot just pick a week and be fine with that.

[thepowellslovedisney]

This has been an interesting discussion but I am ready to move on from it. I have let MS know my thoughts and I hope it is a situation that is used as a teachable moment. I truly believe that negative attitudes are contagious and being a former CM I trust that their supervisor will address the issue. Until the way we can check availability changes, the only way to get up-to-date information is to call so that is what I will do. I think at this point would like to agree to disagree with some of the replies to my post. I appreciate all your time and effort to discuss this. It was certainly an interesting topic.

Thanks everybody.

[Disneyhappy]

For clarity, I was only checking one set of dates. I was interested in a 2 bedroom anywhere available. There was nothing available. Which was fine. I was going to talk to the hubby today about other options to check on. We like to work together to plan these things esp. with his work schedule. I cannot just pick a week and be fine with that.

I dont care if you were asking for availability for 2 BR, 1 BR and studios all at the same time. Our membership allows this. You were not breaking any rules and that is the MS job! If it is a problem, DVC will change the rules as they are prone to do recently. You were not being unreasonable in any way so I am also confused by some posts stating it is understandable for MS to get frustrated, implying the MS CM was justified because you were making too many requests. I work in an industry that my staff, among other more skilled components of their job, have a major customer service component. We all have our bad days but you can't have them in front of the customer. If this was recorded, ,I would probably fire my employee. It was unprofessional to get caught like that. I suppose because of the image Disney (and DVC) likes to keep, I expect better customer service than I do from other products and services I consume. I am just glad that this seems to be an exception rather then the rule and I am glad that the OP called to report it. JMHO among the many members here!

[cpdwiz]

I have to say that I am amazed at a lot of the responses I am receiving here. I guess all I can say is just wait until it happens to you. You'll be shocked and angry too. I really do hope they recorded the phone call because from what I could tell I was doing nothing wrong. And as for checking availability, I will still check availability unless they give us instant access to it through another manner (which I doubt they will). I am not going to just book plane tickets and such and just hope there is something available nor do I know anyone who would.

I think you are over-reacting a bit...Have you ever dealt with the public as a whole? While you may have been nice to this person, the person PRIOR to you may have been a jerk, and, unfortunately, you caught the CM at a bad time....What they said was NOT meant for you to hear. Have you ever vented out of ear shot of someone? Say anything inappropriate under your breath about someone, a co-worker, family member, boss? Something you did not want them to hear?

While I think the CM needs a little word from their supervisor, I am sure nothing else will happen.

Thats just my opinon....I wouldn't let it dampen your day or your outlook at your vacation plans in the future.

[DiznyMagic]

I just called for availability and this time made it a point to stay on the line for the survey I was "randomly" picked for - well after a long silent the call was disconnected - never got the survey!

[BirdsOfPreyDave]

You're a bit more controlled than I am. I wouldn't have been nasty, but I sure would have joined back into the conversation to ask the CM to explain to me what she meant.

[cpdwiz]

You're a bit more controlled than I am. I wouldn't have been nasty, but I sure would have joined back into the conversation to ask the CM to explain to me what she meant.

I think I would have done that too.....Put them on the spot...

[spiceycat]

So I called a little bit ago to check on some availability, I was selected at random to take the satisfaction survey at the end of the phone call. It said to just stay on the line and I would be connected to the survey after speaking with my CM at MS. So after the call I waited and there was silence for just a moment then I heard the CM I was just speaking with calling me crazy and that I should have told her what I wanted from the beginning and basically unjustly complaining about me asking her to look up availability. Needless to say the call never went over to the survey and I was astounded :scared1:. I then decided to hang up and think about what to do. As I sat there for a moment I became very angry :mad:. I felt like hey, we have invested a TON of money into this and this is NOT the way I should be treated even if you think I can't hear you.

First when I call for just availablity say that immediately - then no hard feeling when don't book. mostly they are disappointed because no reservations means they don't get a commission (this to me is a bad system - want it back like it was - when they got paid no matter what we wanted)

secondly when you had finished your call - you need to tell the MS that you agreed to do the service survey. Sometimes say this first - so you will get good service.

she will disconnect - otherwise don't think the system transfers you like it says it does. MS does not do the automatic disconnect any longer. It would help if the automatic response say this - instead of just stay on the line.

sorry you went through this. the MS had no way to know you were waiting to do the survey. the system does NOT tell her.

also the survey would only ask a couple of questions - it is not interested if you are not booking on that call either.

If you are not going to make a reservation say so immediately.

[Shleedogg]

I have to agree. I work in retail and there are many, many, many times I need to vent to a co-worker about a customer. Obviously, this is not meant for customers ears and what happened is a big WHOOPS on the MS' part. I am sure they will be spoken to from their supervisor.

I have to agree also. While I too would be upset, if I was calling for something "annoying", I would understand. While its something you have to do, the CM was probably having a bad day and just sick of checking availability.

I used to work in a call center we used to have nick names for our frequent and annoying customers. My favorite is Box, for box of rocks. The guy was really dumb as a box of rocks. I didn't work for Disney, far from it, Off Track Betting, but I can tell you just answering the same questions over and over got really annoying day after day after day.

If she said that to you directly, by all means I would be pissed, but in this circumstance I'd just cut her some slack. Sorry!

[jbrowna]

In thinking about this idea of "calling to check on availability", I would suppose there is a spectrum on the usefulness of it. What I mean is, there are ways of asking about availability, and then there are ways. If I call with an over-generalized query, I'm likely to get no useful information. "Do you have anything available in August?" is a good example of a bad way to ask about availabilty. The answer might be just as worthless "Sure, we have lots villas available in August!" On the other end of the spectrum is the very specific: "Do you have a studio available for August 10-13 at SSR?"

My calls about availability tend toward the second, more specific type. And I'm usuaully likely to get very useful information: "No, we only have studios at SSR for the 10th to the 12th. However, OKW is available for the entire time." Something like that.

Living on the west coast, we always have that concern of: do we book the room first, then buy the airline ticket, or buy the airline ticket and then book? Honestly, we've done it both ways. If an exceptionally good airfare pops up, we snag it, and hope for the best on the room booking. On the other hand, we already have our AKV Grand Villa booked for next December, and are continually looking at Orbitz and Expedia to see what good airfares may come up. We are flexible, in that if we have to vary our flight days a little to save big, we remain open to a cash rental if we have to, and there's always waitlisting. But then, we also have a DD who lives in Orlando, and can always crash at her place, so that gives us more flexibilty than lots of people. We always have an ever ready plan "B"!

As for the OP, I'm sorry this took place. It doesn't sound like you did anything unreasonable. Then again, you did overhear something that wasn't intended for you and perhaps wasn't even about you! Maybe I'm more thick-skinned, but my reaction would run more to the line of "That's right -- I am crazy, so don't mess with me!" (said with a smile, of course! :)). "Quiet, dear. It's time for your medication." :laughing:

[bumbershoot]

First when I call for just availablity say that immediately - then no hard feeling when don't book.

The OP just said that she was checking for a 2 bedroom *anywhere* for a certain time period. There was nothing. How *could* she book?????




OP, I think this should be taken seriously by them. I'm not saying that call center people don't talk about their customers...gosh, I worked at amazon.com and I still have some terrific stories about things I dealt with!

But you DO NOT talk about it right there at your desk. Why? Because *other people are on the phones around you*, and your voice can be heard by OTHER customers. That moment of the CM complaining was heard by you, and that was a fluke, but it was probably also heard by other customers on other phone lines. So the one moment has probably been compounded.

It's not OK to talk about your customers while at your desk. That's for break rooms, walks around the outside of the building, and at home, not for at your desk.

[Chuck S]

This confuses me. How else am I supposed to find out if the resort I want is available when I want it? I think the online 2 day reservation request system is ridiculous in the year 2009. It is not an acceptable alternative.

How do you check availability? Maybe I am missing another method.

Diane, I think, is referring to calling just to check availability, and not to actually book a vacation.

For instance, if I call to see if there is a studio at AKV concierge available in October because I'm thinking about maybe going in October, but don't want to actually book the room now...then all that has really happened is a waste of MS and my own time.

[Misty89]

Hasn't anyone here ever gotten off a phone call, and were frustrated and said something to the person that is with you?
I do .... " Can you believe............" it was an accident that the CM did not get that call switched over, I am sure she not do what she did intentionally, as a matter of a fact, she was most likely horrified that you heard her :scared1:

it will serve as a lesson for her - she will make sure her calls are hung up or transfered from this point on so that never happens again.

I am sorry it happened to you, but we are human - we make mistakes.

[spiceycat]

The OP just said that she was checking for a 2 bedroom *anywhere* for a certain time period. There was nothing. How *could* she book?????


thank you - did not see that post until you mentioned it.
if you know what you are requesting is probably impossible would you still request it.

I do - most people would ask to check another day.

and yes it has happened to me too - which is where I learned to tell the MS to transfer you to the survey.

if you need to make a sale (get a member to make a reservation) and you only get requests. then yes you will get irrated by the 50th call.

also had some of the worst CM at check in at OKW - they were basically blaming me for their mistakes. This also has happen to me at the Polyn.

Disney no longer hires the best - they get what they can.

[MrDiamond]

Diane, I think, is referring to calling just to check availability, and not to actually book a vacation.

For instance, if I call to see if there is a studio at AKV concierge available in October because I'm thinking about maybe going in October, but don't want to actually book the room now...then all that has really happened is a waste of MS and my own time.

This baffles me. I can not see how calling to check availability without intent to book constitutes "abuse," as Diane called it. There is a lot of assumption, apparently, that booking vacations and WDW trips is a linear process. Depending of what field you work in and how vacations are allocated, there is very little flexibility. For instance, my wife is an OR nurse and vacations are picked strickly by seniority. It can take all January and into Feburary to finish the selection. By the time she is ready to pick, we have to know what the availability is and hope the person in front of her did not pick "our" week. We need a plan B and plan C.

We are taking the DVC cruise for our 25th anniversary this September, which means we committed in November. She had to beg and trade call shifts this January to get that week off. We possibly could have gotten shut-out (I would have made her quit over that, probably). But the point is, I may call a few times checking my options for availability without booking because I can't.

I imagine everyone would agree, well, that is a good reason. So that would not be abuse, (a term which I still don't understand), but should I need to justify why I have to do it this way? The solution it seems that some would like to see is, book it anyway and then just change it later. I can't believe that WDW would rather have tentitve bookings in the system as opposed to phone calls checking availability. That would hardly be good for anyone.

[christa112]

Wait a minute. They get a commission for a person booking their DVC? I can understand a CM who gets a person to book in the regular resorts, but to get a commission for a DVC member to book their vacation. WOW!!! That is incredible.

First when I call for just availablity say that immediately - then no hard feeling when don't book. mostly they are disappointed because no reservations means they don't get a commission (this to me is a bad system - want it back like it was - when they got paid no matter what we wanted)
secondly when you had finished your call - you need to tell the MS that you agreed to do the service survey. Sometimes say this first - so you will get good service.

she will disconnect - otherwise don't think the system transfers you like it says it does. MS does not do the automatic disconnect any longer. It would help if the automatic response say this - instead of just stay on the line.

sorry you went through this. the MS had no way to know you were waiting to do the survey. the system does NOT tell her.

also the survey would only ask a couple of questions - it is not interested if you are not booking on that call either.

If you are not going to make a reservation say so immediately.

[Hazzard101]

IMHO , I feel that although the CM has the right to vent it should be without the earpiece and mic in thier ear. Secondly, I did not know these people are paid on commission for booking resservations. Knowing this makes me wonder what these CMs are thinking treating us the way they do. I have noticed that since we sarted calling and booking rooms and ADRs the CMs have not been as friendly as the other CMs at Disney.

I have delt with them quite a few times in the past month booking and adding on to my plans for the future. It seems to me that the CMs are wanting to be anywhere but on the phone talking to you. I remember calling and booking other trips not as a DVC owner and getting happy people every time. One CM even sang happy birthday to my wife over the phone. I feel somewhat cheated when I call a place that I pay a lot of money to. And get treated like I am interupting the CMs day with my petty request. Hey, we are part of a group of people who bought into this DVC expecting a high standerd of service and quality for our money. Our expectations are not too high for what we pay. Disney has , in the past, built their reputation on high quality service and top notch products.

In a nutshell. Even though the comments heard on the phone by the poster was not meant for her ears, The comment should never been spoken with the headset on and sitting in the chair at the desk. Yes they have a right to vent, after they get off the clock and are sitting around a table with some co workers. But when you are on the phone at your desk with that Headset on you should assume there is always someone listening.

I don't understand why Disney is "taking what they can get" as one poster said. There are thousands of out of work people and more losing jobs each day. If these people are so unhappy with their current job they need to try to remember that some one else would be very appreciative of the exact job they are complaining about.

Ok I will stop now.

:scared1:

[M5ward]

Wow! That's all I can say. Wow!
No, wait, I can say more...I, too, would be really offended if I overheard anyone talking about me like that; especially someone in a service industry. I have never had a rude or unfriendly CM when I've called MS (of course, the next one will probably be the CM from Hell now that I've said that), but I have certainly had some that were more knowledgeable than others.
While I usually have a back-up plan for reservations when I call MS, I know that everyone may not be as flexible as I am with time. My youngest daugher, for example, is a cop and has to put in for her vacation time in the autumn of each year. So she has to plan three weeks of vacation time taking a chance that we'll be able to get reservations for one of her weeks off.
I agree with the posters who stated that ridiculing comments have no place at the desk (or anywhere, really, but we all need that outlet). I also agree that sometimes the attitudes of CMs aren't what we're used to (a couple of instances during our last two trips kind of floored me.) With all the unemployed people, I would sure be putting my best foot forward all the time.
This was unfortunate and inappropriate...but, like that proverbial duck (no, not Donald) ya gotta let it roll off your back. :flower3:

[Cmbar]

Wow, my views on some of this. Don't take it too seriously but this thread left me a bit taken back!


But let's be realistic--venting is human nature. We have all had occasion to vent regarding a client/customer/patient who caused us some frustration. Or if outside of the workplace, perhaps it was a family member/teacher/neighbor.

I don't think venting one's frustrations reveals a character flaw. (If it does we're living in a VERY flawed society.) The CM wasn't the first person who attempted to talk about you behind your back and she won't be the last. Whether you overheard the comments or not, chances are your waitress at dinner last night thought you were too demanding, your neighbor doesn't like the way you cut your grass, one of your employees didn't agree with his performance review and your mother thinks you go to Disney too much. :flower3:


WOW, This why we DO live in a VERY flawed society. As if doing your job is a reason to justify complaing about your job at your desk. I do a job every day and when I want to complaim about it I do it at home. If you hate your boss you certainly wouldn't "blow off steam" when he is in the office and complain about him. The responses of "I work in CS so I can understand" is just crazy. You SHOULDN"T work in CS if you can't be patient and have a "I'm here to help you attitude". I was always floored by the CS agents I worked with who had this "your making my job harder by asking me to do my job" attitude. I would Fire this CM immediately. Not acceptable, just like it is not acceptable to mess up other attributes of your job. If your an accountant you cant book your debits and credit backwards all the time and keep a job. A customer service rep should be good at customer service and not complain while they are at their desk so others can hear (customer included). People are not entitled to vent at will. This is a business. Disney especially should not have a CM like this.


Obviously this assumes you're serious about having the reservation, if not, I'd agree BOTH would be inappropriate. In this case IF calling to check is appropriate (often it's not), then book it. Just holding on a whim is legal but not ideal. People should think about what they do.

As to the complaining, I can guarantee you that every singled CM including all the supervisors that worked for more than a day or two has done it at least once. That is a reality of life.

Again, reality of life is what we let people get away with. Do people have to complain and vent, absolutely they just don't get the right to do at their desk. Break rooms, fine but absolutely not at your desk around other workers. You know some of us do appreciate our jobs and do have a helpful attitude and don't need whining people complaining about their JOBS.

Hi. We are new members, and I must say that I am completely confused by this post!
Why on earth would I not be able to call and check availability on a resort? There is no way I would make my airline res. first and just hope that something is available! The airline is gonna charge me to change my flight!
As for the cm complaining, I understand that people do this all the time...IF the op had given her REASON!!! If simply calling to check availability is too much to ask, then I think I may have made a mistake when I signed up for this.
Before we became DVC members, I would call with several possible dates to get prices and check availability, and we would make our decision based on the comparison of those numbers. I never encountered a grumpy cm who was unwilling to do this for me, even if it was a pain in the butt for them to do it.


I agree just bought recently and very disturbed by this post. Not check on availability?? You got to be kidding me. What the heck did I buy this for. IF I knew exactly what traveling days I have every stinking year I would have bought a different timeshare. I certainly will not think twice about checking on availabilty before I book. It's not like Disney makes it easy for you if you need to bank and borrow, to cancel a reservation. Wow this amazes me and then these same people are probably the ones renting out all their points and calling to check on availability for complete strangers being irratated that the phones are a bit tied up.... and I am going to feel bad about calling for my family plans. Ummm NO!

For clarity, I was only checking one set of dates. I was interested in a 2 bedroom anywhere available. There was nothing available. Which was fine. I was going to talk to the hubby today about other options to check on. We like to work together to plan these things esp. with his work schedule. I cannot just pick a week and be fine with that.


You did ABSOLUTELY nothing wrong. I am flat out amazed at the responses. By the way the comment that you are venting just like that CM, is just dumb. OP You did the right thing (foreign concept in this country) and reported this. Someone who can't control her tongue two seconds after she is off the phone should not be in Customer service. Again, certainly not Disney Customer Service. I swear the work force in this country is going down the toilet! If most of you think this is ok then you don't really expect much from people in the workforce.


I dont care if you were asking for availability for 2 BR, 1 BR and studios all at the same time. Our membership allows this. You were not breaking any rules and that is the MS job! If it is a problem, DVC will change the rules as they are prone to do recently. You were not being unreasonable in any way so I am also confused by some posts stating it is understandable for MS to get frustrated, implying the MS CM was justified because you were making too many requests. I work in an industry that my staff, among other more skilled components of their job, have a major customer service component. We all have our bad days but you can't have them in front of the customer. If this was recorded, ,I would probably fire my employee. It was unprofessional to get caught like that. I suppose because of the image Disney (and DVC) likes to keep, I expect better customer service than I do from other products and services I consume. I am just glad that this seems to be an exception rather then the rule and I am glad that the OP called to report it. JMHO among the many members here!

Right on!!:thumbsup2

I think you are over-reacting a bit...Have you ever dealt with the public as a whole? While you may have been nice to this person, the person PRIOR to you may have been a jerk, and, unfortunately, you caught the CM at a bad time....What they said was NOT meant for you to hear. Have you ever vented out of ear shot of someone? Say anything inappropriate under your breath about someone, a co-worker, family member, boss? Something you did not want them to hear?



I love this post. Again, It is ok to talk bad about people and insult the customer(either knowing or not) that is asking you a question that pays for the DVC business for which you work. Please... Plenty of people have "worked in the public" and dont act like complaining idiots. It is only people attitudes like this that makes everyone feel they have a right to do this. I would bet a large majority of customers are nice and appreciative of a CS reps help. I know I am. And I totally have had the type of CM the OP is talking about. No personality, no kindness in their voices. So what if they had a bad caller before you. They need to check that attitude. Then next caller didnt' do anything to earn an attitude. It is called customer service for a reason.


First when I call for just availablity say that immediately - then no hard feeling when don't book. mostly they are disappointed because no reservations means they don't get a commission (this to me is a bad system - want it back like it was - when they got paid no matter what we wanted)


Oh please tell me this isn't true. They get paid commission to book our trip?? What?

I have to agree also. While I too would be upset, if I was calling for something "annoying", I would understand. While its something you have to do, the CM was probably having a bad day and just sick of checking availability.

Sorry!


Ummmm It's her job!

The OP just said that she was checking for a 2 bedroom *anywhere* for a certain time period. There was nothing. How *could* she book?????

OP, I think this should be taken seriously by them. I'm not saying that call center people don't talk about their customers...gosh, I worked at amazon.com and I still have some terrific stories about things I dealt with!

But you DO NOT talk about it right there at your desk. Why? Because *other people are on the phones around you*, and your voice can be heard by OTHER customers. That moment of the CM complaining was heard by you, and that was a fluke, but it was probably also heard by other customers on other phone lines. So the one moment has probably been compounded.

It's not OK to talk about your customers while at your desk. That's for break rooms, walks around the outside of the building, and at home, not for at your desk.

:thumbsup2



TO OP you have every right to be ticked and offended, thank you for doing the right thing and complaining. Its funny most people say "complain about the beds, the dirty counters, the long wait to get a room," but we are supposed to just cut someone slack when they are rude and dissrespectful and on top of that stupid because she wasn't sure her call was disconnected. I mean don't we pay for their salaries?? (not sure if we do, but if we do then I think we have some "right" to vent if they are rude and unhelpful since we have a monetary vested interest in the poor quality of service. (when appropriate)

Sorry for the long post and VENT:lmao:

[Dean]

For clarity, I was only checking one set of dates. I was interested in a 2 bedroom anywhere available. There was nothing available. Which was fine. I was going to talk to the hubby today about other options to check on. We like to work together to plan these things esp. with his work schedule. I cannot just pick a week and be fine with that.IMO, one should have the discussion then call to check. IF what you had decided on was available, book it. If not, it's certainly reasonable to ask for alternatives. I do not believe it is reasonable to do it the reverse but is is currently allowed. Ultimately it comes down to the scope of the issue which we really don't know very well. If enough people abuse the option though, it will eventually be curtailed in some way.

Again, reality of life is what we let people get away with. Do people have to complain and vent, absolutely they just don't get the right to do at their desk. Break rooms, fine but absolutely not at your desk around other workers. You know some of us do appreciate our jobs and do have a helpful attitude and don't need whining people complaining about their JOBS.I didn't say it was right, but it is reality plain and simple. Actually in most situations any complaining would be best done at your desk rather than a break rooms or at home where others outside your immediate work group could overhear or join in. In my line of work it could be a federal offense to do so outside the usual work situation depending on specifics so I deal with this issue, consequences and it's enforcement every day in far more important matters than this.

[MickeyCrazed]

I know hearing those comments must have hurt, but please do not take them to heart. The cast member was probably not complaining about you, but instead the overall situation.

I worked in a call center environment for over 10 years, and for the most part, I loved my job and the customers. Believe it or not, I did not mind speaking with the difficult ones. I enjoyed the challenge. What I couldn't stand was the corporations demands upon me.

Average Weighted Call Value, Speaking Scripts etc. etc. My opinion was just leave me alone and let me provide the best customer service I possibly can. After all, isn't that what the employer should ultimately want? But no, my best was never good enough... no matter how well I did my job, and how many customers took their time to compliment my service... there was always something my company would complain about.

The corporate environment puts so many freaking demands on the representatives, even the most magical cast members are sure to become burnt out. I know, it happened to me in my industry, and just by calling MS on an occasional basis, I can tell that they now are under going the same type of pressure I endured for years.

My customers didn't bother me, just like you probably didn't bother that cast member. But when I got off the phone, I mumbled and complained about my customers too. For the simple reason that I could not complain about my employer and the real situation out loud. I had to vent some how, or I would have met my breaking point much sooner than I did.

I'm not trying to excuse the cast members comments and actions, but I hope though my eyes, you can possibly see her point of view (or should I say stress level?)

[momx2]

Diane, I think, is referring to calling just to check availability, and not to actually book a vacation.

For instance, if I call to see if there is a studio at AKV concierge available in October because I'm thinking about maybe going in October, but don't want to actually book the room now...then all that has really happened is a waste of MS and my own time.

How is that a waste of anyone's time? What if the only way you are going is if AKV concierge is available? I don't get this thread at all. If I want to call and check on availability then I will. I am paying alot of money to have that priviledge. I truly don't know why it's such a problem.

OP, I too would be upset if I heard the CM comment like that and it is inappropriate.

[MrDiamond]

IMO, one should have the discussion then call to check. IF what you had decided on was available, book it. If not, it's certainly reasonable to ask for alternatives. I do not believe it is reasonable to do it the reverse but is is currently allowed. Ultimately it comes down to the scope of the issue which we really don't know very well. If enough people abuse the option though, it will eventually be curtailed in some way.


Help me with this. Is there an issue that has been expressed by DVC that there is a burden of calls that only checks availability and is therefore clogging the phone lines? Or is this conjucture and heresay? I honestly do not know and I am surprised that this is a problem.

I'm not going to repeat why I need to check availability, that can be found above. But I am at a loss as to why that could or should be taken away. The alternative is much less stability in bookings. I can not see how that would be better for MS.

Lastly, the term abuse means that someone is misusing the intended purpose of the system, typically for their own profit. Again, I fail to see how that is the case. I must be missing something.

This thread has two interesting topics driving it and I apologize to those following the CM's vent. :rolleyes1

[Chuck S]

How is that a waste of anyone's time? What if the only way you are going is if AKV concierge is available? I don't get this thread at all. If I want to call and check on availability then I will. I am paying alot of money to have that priviledge. I truly don't know why it's such a problem.

OP, I too would be upset if I heard the CM comment like that and it is inappropriate.

It is a waste of time if you don't book it during that call. DVC availability literally changes minute by minute. I've lost a night AFTER the CM told it was available and verified I wanted to borrow points to book. In those few seconds my room was gone.

Why call to ask about availability if you are not ready to book the reservation during the call?

[MrDiamond]

It is a waste of time if you don't book it during that call. DVC availability literally changes minute by minute. I've lost a night AFTER the CM told it was available and verified I wanted to borrow points to book. In those few seconds my room was gone.

Why call to ask about availability if you are not ready to book the reservation during the call?

You are missing the point, I check availability to see if my choices are closed out. If they are, then I know I am not going to schedule my vacation then. If I call back, after I have my vacation scheduled, and they are gone, so be it.

Getting vacations scheduled is not easy for some people. It is actually a painful logic problem. We submit our vacation requests around availability, not the other way around. I explained why earlier in this thread.

[Mickeypal1]

Perhaps a silly question:

If I can go on the web and see what Disney Resorts are available and then either book on line or call to make a reservation, why can't the same be done for DVC? Then we wouldn't be "wasting" anyones time but our own.

:surfweb:

[Dean]

Help me with this. Is there an issue that has been expressed by DVC that there is a burden of calls that only checks availability and is therefore clogging the phone lines? Or is this conjucture and heresay? I honestly do not know and I am surprised that this is a problem.

I'm not going to repeat why I need to check availability, that can be found above. But I am at a loss as to why that could or should be taken away. The alternative is much less stability in bookings. I can not see how that would be better for MS.

Lastly, the term abuse means that someone is misusing the intended purpose of the system, typically for their own profit. Again, I fail to see how that is the case. I must be missing something.

This thread has two interesting topics driving it and I apologize to those following the CM's vent. :rolleyes1As a rule DVC does not communicated these issues publicly. It has come up as an issue I understand, the scope I can't tell you. IMO, the widespread use of call and check is a major problem and is an abuse of the system (unintended use) under your definition. No different than was day by day or walking for reservations. Whether it's enough of an issue for DVC to take action, we'll have to see. ANYTHING that takes up MS time is he business of the membership as a whole as we pay for the service. Obviously it's a necessary service up to a point, the question is where do you draw the line.

In part this has been addressed in a round about way as much of this is related to certain renters and was ONE of the issues that DVC took into account as I understand it.

As for alternatives, there are actually a number. One is to establish a policy simply to say no, not to check unless booking. Another is to sanction those that do it excessively. Another is to have DVC discourage it but not eliminate it. As noted by others, online bookings would eliminate much (but not all) of this issue. Personally I don't care about bookings though I realize that DVC could institute other fees including cancelation penalties or fees. I do think you'll see them go to a strict cancelation and rebooking rather than adjust current reservations but we shall see.

You are missing the point, I check availability to see if my choices are closed out. If they are, then I know I am not going to schedule my vacation then. If I call back, after I have my vacation scheduled, and they are gone, so be it.

Getting vacations scheduled is not easy for some people. It is actually a painful logic problem. We submit our vacation requests around availability, not the other way around. I explained why earlier in this thread.
I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I think that's a poor way to do it from both your perspective and that of DVC's. Why not make your decision then book it if it's available. If not, then regroup. As Chuck points out, if it's available when you call, it may not be when you call back and to a degree, vice versa. I realize that there are special situations where one can't do it the other way so I'd prefer not to see the option go away totally, that's why I hope people will think before they take up MS time and not do so lightly. I also realize there are those selfish enough that don't care because they paid for it and it was the way it was when they bought in.

[Nikisha421]

First when I call for just availablity say that immediately - then no hard feeling when don't book. mostly they are disappointed because no reservations means they don't get a commission (this to me is a bad system - want it back like it was - when they got paid no matter what we wanted)
.

i didnt realize that they were paid on commission???

[momx2]

It is a waste of time if you don't book it during that call. DVC availability literally changes minute by minute. I've lost a night AFTER the CM told it was available and verified I wanted to borrow points to book. In those few seconds my room was gone.

Why call to ask about availability if you are not ready to book the reservation during the call?

There are lots of reasons why I might not book at that exact moment. Now let me say that 99% of the time I do book when I call to check, but there are reasons I might not.

This year alone I've had to change reservations 3 times because we had an ice storm and a late snow in KY causing schools to go longer than expected. On the third time I had to change I called only expecting to find availability in either OKW or SSR. Guess what when I asked about availability there was in those 2, but also VWL and BWV. So I hung up and called my DH to ask where he wanted to stay. I don't consider that a waste of anyone's time or abuse. I just never expected to have thoses choices. There are also other valid reasons.

Now here is a waste that I'm guilty of that includes booking when I called about availability because of airline credits that had to be used. I called to check to see if Vero was available and much to my suprise it was so I made the reservation and was going to use our airline credits. Well my DH vetoed it. I should have never booked it. Now I have to cancel and have held a room and put the CM to more work. That is a waste of time. We all don't go by a playbook. Sometimes you need to know what is available before booking for various reasons.

[momx2]

I realize that there are special situations where one can't do it the other way so I'd prefer not to see the option go away totally, that's why I hope people will think before they take up MS time and not do so lightly. I also realize there are those selfish enough that don't care because they paid for it and it was the way it was when they bought in.

Why is it selfish to expect good customer service from one of the most expensive timeshares in the business? I just bought in so I don't know how it's always been, but that statement seems a bit harsh.

[bevis]

I call to check availability on 4/22/2009 at 2 pm

Me: "Hi. I'd like to check availability for a 1bdr PV at BWV for Dec. 5-12"
MS: "Okay. Let me check"
Me: :rolleyes1
MS: "Yes sir. We have a 1bdr available. Would you like to place a reservation?"
Me: "No, not yet. we are still planning our trip but I just wanted to see where we stood for those dates. I'll check back when I finalize everything. Thank you"

I call back on 4/24 after confirming the original dates for my trip

Me: "Hi. I'd like to make a reservation for a 1bdr PV at BWV for Dec. 5-12"
MS: "Okay. Let me check"
Me: :rolleyes1
MS: "Sir, there are no rooms available at BWV for those dates"
Me: "NOTHING":mad: "I just called a couple days ago and there were rooms available. I've already planned my trip"
MS: "I'm sorry sir, as of right now there is no availability. Would you like to waitlist?"
Me: :mad::mad::mad:
and on and on and on.............you get the picture.
I'm sure this has happened to most of us at one time or another.

I understand we all plan our vacations differently. We always book our room first, then air, car, etc. I learned long ago that availability changes daily if not hour by hour, sometimes minute by minute at times of the year when DVC demand is very high. When you call for AVAILABILITY, the room will be either available or not, 50/50, when you call back to RESERVE. If your vacation is dependent upon an absolute date, it just seems a little too much of a chance to set those dates based upon a check on AVAILABILITY. So what's the point of checking AVAILABILITY if it's not absolute. A reservation is absolute...well as much as it can be anyway. I think this is the point some here are making. Of course, for now, we can call to check availability, but another thing a lot of us have had to deal with at times is a long wait on the phone for a rep. One has to wonder how many calls ahead of them are availability checks. And I don't think those 1-800 numbers are free?

As for the reps. attitude, it was obviously uncalled for. Just make sure you let MS know your feelings.

Just my 2 cents.

[MrDiamond]

I'm sure it comes as no surprise that I think that's a poor way to do it from both your perspective and that of DVC's. Why not make your decision then book it if it's available. If not, then regroup.

Last comment from me because I'll end up repeating myself and I hate doing that. You say that it is a poor way for me to do this. Then what you saying is the proper way must be this; when my wife submits her vacation request, which is taken in order of seniority, I should NOT know if the week she is asking for is already booked up at the resort we want to stay at. Rather, commit to the week of vacation, that can't be changed, then call and hope that it wasn't already booked up a month ago?

This is nonsensical.

BTW, what does "regroup" mean? Stay somewhere else? Where I do not own and pay annual dues? Because I shouldn't make a call ahead of time?

[disneynutz]

So I called a little bit ago to check on some availability, I was selected at random to take the satisfaction survey at the end of the phone call. It said to just stay on the line and I would be connected to the survey after speaking with my CM at MS. So after the call I waited and there was silence for just a moment then I heard the CM I was just speaking with calling me crazy and that I should have told her what I wanted from the beginning and basically unjustly complaining about me asking her to look up availability. Needless to say the call never went over to the survey and I was astounded :scared1:. I then decided to hang up and think about what to do. As I sat there for a moment I became very angry :mad:. I felt like hey, we have invested a TON of money into this and this is NOT the way I should be treated even if you think I can't hear you. So, I called MS back and told the whole story to the CM that answered. She asked for my member number, the time I called and the phone number I called from. There were going to see if they could look it up with the hopes that they recorded it. (I was told they record every third call or so). The moral of this that I am taking away is to ALWAYS write the persons name down that you spoke with even if you think you are just making a simple, quick phone call about almost nothing. If I had her name it would have been much easier to bring this to her attention. And I guess the other lesson is, you never know who can hear you and who is watching you.

Lastly, I am reminded of this motivational quote Watch you thoughts; they become words. Watch your words; they become actions. Watch your actions; they become habits. Watch your habits; they become your character. Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Amazing. I really expected more from them.

To get back on topic...

I am sure that MS talks about us, just like we talk about them, it's human nature. The sad thing is that you heard them and it upset you.

MS works for the Membership and we have a duty to demand excellent service. If you have a problem or commendation it should be directed to Management or the proper department. Calling another MS Adviser isn't advisable.

Send a copy of your post and your phone number to: dvcmembersatisfactionteam@disneyvacationclub.com

A DVC Satisfaction Team Member will call you back in a couple of days and discuss the situation with you. :grouphug:

[cpdwiz]

I love this post. Again, It is ok to talk bad about people and insult the customer(either knowing or not) that is asking you a question that pays for the DVC business for which you work. Please... Plenty of people have "worked in the public" and dont act like complaining idiots. It is only people attitudes like this that makes everyone feel they have a right to do this. I would bet a large majority of customers are nice and appreciative of a CS reps help. I know I am. And I totally have had the type of CM the OP is talking about. No personality, no kindness in their voices. So what if they had a bad caller before you. They need to check that attitude. Then next caller didnt' do anything to earn an attitude. It is called customer service for a reason.


Sorry...Disagree....This CM has a right to say what they want when they are not on the phone with a customer. If the CM did what the caller asked during the call, they did their customer service job. If the CM believed they were speaking to someone else and said something, so be it. It was NOT directed at the caller. Plenty of people have worked in the public sector and not been idiots. good for them. MOST people cannot just turn off their emotions in one second. As I said, maybe the caller before called this CM names. Maybe they got bad news. No one knows. All I am saying, is that, to me, its not a big deal. I would have done as someone else said, and said excuse me or something like that.......

[Dean]

Why is it selfish to expect good customer service from one of the most expensive timeshares in the business? I just bought in so I don't know how it's always been, but that statement seems a bit harsh.Good customer service is appropriate, not caring what it cost others to get there is what I was referring. All I said was people should think about what they are doing. Last comment from me because I'll end up repeating myself and I hate doing that. You say that it is a poor way for me to do this. Then what you saying is the proper way must be this; when my wife submits her vacation request, which is taken in order of seniority, I should NOT know if the week she is asking for is already booked up at the resort we want to stay at. Rather, commit to the week of vacation, that can't be changed, then call and hope that it wasn't already booked up a month ago?

This is nonsensical.

BTW, what does "regroup" mean? Stay somewhere else? Where I do not own and pay annual dues? Because I shouldn't make a call ahead of time?IMO, the best way to do this would be to plan what you WANT, call and book it then put in for your vacation assuming you can wait until 11 months out to request vacation, some can't. I think calling to check but not booking, scheduling a vacation then calling back to book is too risky to your situation. I did acknowledge there were some special circumstances and that's why I indicated I didn't want the option to go away, only people to use it reasonably. However, I'll be the first to tell you that a given timeshare system may not work for everyone and those that have too difficult a time scheduling vacation combined with getting a reservation can be in that group with DVC, esp if they can't ask until 7 months out or less. Ultimately one has to take the chance on one or the other in your situation, at least if you book first, you can change that.

Regroup means to go to plan B. There is no guarantee of a reservation at your home resort the way DVC is set up and for many options, if you wait until under 11 months, you may have a difficult time getting anything. All the more reason to book when you call. I know some have a problem with booking for something you might or might not use but I DO NOT. I don't care if you book 10 weeks in a row then cancel all but one of them later but I realize you could make the same argument in the reverse and that DVC COULD institute restrictions or fees in that area as well.

[Cee]

I used to work in the Box Office of a theater and I know from many years of experience that most folks aren't prepared with the information they need when they place the call. I had to endure a very lengthy call from an extremely irate customer once only to discover that she had called the wrong theater. When I told her, "Oh! You want ******, this is the *****". She only said, "Oh...."
and hung up in my ear. Grrrrr.......BELIEVE me, what I said to my co-worker after THAT call was for nobody's ears! ;)

[dianeschlicht]

I call to check availability on 4/22/2009 at 2 pm

Me: "Hi. I'd like to check availability for a 1bdr PV at BWV for Dec. 5-12"
MS: "Okay. Let me check"
Me: :rolleyes1
MS: "Yes sir. We have a 1bdr available. Would you like to place a reservation?"
Me: "No, not yet. we are still planning our trip but I just wanted to see where we stood for those dates. I'll check back when I finalize everything. Thank you"

I call back on 4/24 after confirming the original dates for my trip

Me: "Hi. I'd like to make a reservation for a 1bdr PV at BWV for Dec. 5-12"
MS: "Okay. Let me check"
Me: :rolleyes1
MS: "Sir, there are no rooms available at BWV for those dates"
Me: "NOTHING":mad: "I just called a couple days ago and there were rooms available. I've already planned my trip"
MS: "I'm sorry sir, as of right now there is no availability. Would you like to waitlist?"
Me: :mad::mad::mad:
and on and on and on.............you get the picture.
I'm sure this has happened to most of us at one time or another.

I understand we all plan our vacations differently. We always book our room first, then air, car, etc. I learned long ago that availability changes daily if not hour by hour, sometimes minute by minute at times of the year when DVC demand is very high. When you call for AVAILABILITY, the room will be either available or not, 50/50, when you call back to RESERVE. If your vacation is dependent upon an absolute date, it just seems a little too much of a chance to set those dates based upon a check on AVAILABILITY. So what's the point of checking AVAILABILITY if it's not absolute. A reservation is absolute...well as much as it can be anyway. I think this is the point some here are making. Of course, for now, we can call to check availability, but another thing a lot of us have had to deal with at times is a long wait on the phone for a rep. One has to wonder how many calls ahead of them are availability checks. And I don't think those 1-800 numbers are free?

As for the reps. attitude, it was obviously uncalled for. Just make sure you let MS know your feelings.

Just my 2 cents.

Excellent post, and that is EXACTLY what I was refering to when I said way back on page one that calling to check available rooms is a useless excersise. We too do the booking first and then look for the airfare etc.

[BEASLYBOO]

I've always done pretty much what it says in the DVC book, figure out what you want and when you want to go, have a few other options ready if what you want isn't available. It's worked for me.

Referring to the OP, MS maybe just had a bad day and is it right to sound off, no but we all do it to a degree. I don't work with the public because quite frankly, I don't have the patience. I love it when I hear people complain about a food worker or salesperson in saying "She/He shouldn't have this job if they don't like working with the public". Do we honestly think that people who make minimum wage at a job really took the job because they just love serving the public.

OP, you may have been at the end of a long string of calls that ended up in her having to vent! Should you have heard, no. Was it professional, no Did it upset you, yes and hopefully you get an apology. These are stressful times for everyone, epople losing their jobs left and right, pay cuts, these are all excuse of course, but let's cut people some slack!

[Eliza'sMom]

To be frank, if I encountered this scenario with another business to whom I had not already committed years of business and thousands of dollars, that business would lose my money and any future business from me. Whether it's OK to vent or not, and whether it was intentional, the OP was treated poorly and left with a bad taste in her mouth. That's not OK.

Before buying DVC, I had made dozens of calls to CRO to check availability and pricing and not booked (usually because I needed to discuss with my husband once we knew the pricing info). I'm sure those CMs were disappointed, but not once was one ever rude to me or did one make me feel like my inquiries weren't worthy of their time. I'd expect the same from MS. Otherwise, accurate or not, it leaves the impression that once Disney has my money, service is no longer a priority.

And heaven knows, when we booked our first DVC trip a few months ago, we had no clue what we were doing and took a lot of that CM's time. The first question I asked my husband when he got off the phone was, "Was the person you were talking to nice?" Customer service is so important. No one wants to be made to feel insignificant, especially when they're paying thousands of dollars for the service. If we had had the OP's experience on that first call, though I'm sure the CM was probably getting frustrated or impatient with us, I would have seriously questioned our decision to buy into DVC. I hope the OP's concerns are taken seriously at MS so no one else has to have that experience.

[buzz5985]

I can honestly say that over the past 8 years of being a member, I have never called to question availability. I call to book. It seems senseless to me to check - the room may be available today - but gone tomorrow. DH and I both work - so getting time off together at times can be difficult - but we manage. Plus put in the mix children and school vacations, sports, you get the picture.

If the CM are wasting all this time checking availability for people - maybe the next step will be limiting the amount of phone calls we can make a year. It seems to me that the rules change when people take advantage of loop holes. So I can see an instance that if you call to check availability that does not produce a reservation when a room is available - strike 1. Three strikes and you are out. If it can lower MF's I'm all for it.

Janis

[BroganMc]

Silly question, but when overhearing this conversation, why didn't the OP just say very loudly "I can still here you."

I can bet the CM would immediately turn red-faced at that realization.

Geez, reading some of the vents we post on this forum (public and immortalized forever) makes me blush at times. If I were a CM, I'd probably go nuts reading this board.

I'm inclined to cut people slack for a vent. We all do it and few of us fully mean what we say. It's just a way to blow off some frustration. Try working in the computer industry sometime. Tech support there can get very frustrating. Especially when you yourself can't replicate the problem and have a solution.

[marynvince]

Does a crazy person know they are crazy?

[FindTheMickeys]

I work 2 jobs, both in the Customer Service industry. Call me a nut, :lmao: but I love people, even when they get 'testy' with me, especially over something that I have no control over (Don't kill the Messenger).. So I know about the need to vent. I always make sure that I go to our build room :surfweb: where no customers have access to do my venting and then it is only to my co-workers. This venting helps me with my own 'attitude adjustment' so that I can check my frustration at the door before I go on to help my next customer. This way, the next customer only gets smiles and help from me, not sullen and rude.
That said, I call to book my room, usually with 2 resorts and 2 different time frames for travel, just in case. Once I get that confirmation, I make plane ressies and the rest of the vacation falls into place...

[MaryD73]

I did not want to join in here, but I could not stop myself. :goodvibes

I actually develop Global call centers for a living. The availability question is not one of if they should be able to call but how these requests are handled. As owners/customers we have the right to request that information. At this time we have to call in for it.

Now I am sure that MS does many activity analysis' on their CMs and they will strive to remove all 'non value-add' activities. We have seen this with the new waitlist and booking rules. They changed the processes to remove burden on the CM time, but did not take away our overall ability to book or waitlist.

I am sure they are also looking at the 'information only' calls too. To eliminate these they will have to provide and push us to self service. (I am sure this was an issue with checking points prior to their publication online.) And as we know, the DVC website is not at a point to provide us that information at this time. When that time comes they will definitely push us there. In the meantime, those wanting that information will still have to call.

I don't think we, as an external group, can tell someone you cannot make a call if they want that information. It is their right no matter what anyone personally thinks. We just have to wait for DVC to arrive at a better solution.

(sorry - the analyst in me came out) :)

[Disneyhappy]

I did not want to join in here, but I could not stop myself. :goodvibes

I actually develop Global call centers for a living. The availability question is not one of if they should be able to call but how these requests are handled. As owners/customers we have the right to request that information. At this time we have to call in for it.

Now I am sure that MS does many activity analysis' on their CMs and they will strive to remove all 'non value-add' activities. We have seen this with the new waitlist and booking rules. They changed the processes to remove burden on the CM time, but did not take away our overall ability to book or waitlist.

I am sure they are also looking at the 'information only' calls too. To eliminate these they will have to provide and push us to self service. (I am sure this was an issue with checking points prior to their publication online.) And as we know, the DVC website is not at a point to provide us that information at this time. When that time comes they will definitely push us there. In the meantime, those wanting that information will still have to call.

I don't think we, as an external group, can tell someone you cannot make a call if they want that information. It is their right no matter what anyone personally thinks. We just have to wait for DVC to arrive at a better solution.

(sorry - the analyst in me came out) :)

Great post!

[kdzgon]

First when I call for just availablity say that immediately - then no hard feeling when don't book. mostly they are disappointed because no reservations means they don't get a commission (this to me is a bad system - want it back like it was - when they got paid no matter what we wanted)
...

Am I understanding you correctly - are you saying the CMs at MS get paid based on the numbers of bookings completed by members?

That doesn't seem logical to me. What advantage is there for MS to "push" bookings using points already owned? The only motivation I can think of would be to "encourage" CMs to hurry the calls that are about anything other than actual bookings. If that is the case, why does DVD offer - and advertise - things such as meal and entertainment reservations, AP purchases, etc through MS?

[BevS97]

Last comment from me because I'll end up repeating myself and I hate doing that. You say that it is a poor way for me to do this. Then what you saying is the proper way must be this; when my wife submits her vacation request, which is taken in order of seniority, I should NOT know if the week she is asking for is already booked up at the resort we want to stay at. Rather, commit to the week of vacation, that can't be changed, then call and hope that it wasn't already booked up a month ago?

In this scenario, I would make the booking for the intended week, and then if I couldn't get vacation request approved I would call back and cancel it.
I can see the argument that you are wasting member services time by making a booking that may be cancelled, but imho, requesting vacation time without a firm booking is very risky - you could easily end up with a week off work that you can't use. I would assume it's easier to change a DVC reservation than it is to change the week you have off work.

[MaryD73]

Great post!

Thank you. Sometimes you just don't know if you should throw you're hat in the ring.

[Dean]

I don't think we, as an external group, can tell someone you cannot make a call if they want that information. It is their right no matter what anyone personally thinks. We just have to wait for DVC to arrive at a better solution.We can certainly share what we think is inappropriate and hopefully get people to think about what they are doing and how it affects the system as a whole which ultimately affects all of us. If we don't worry about it and let DVC comeup with a solution, we may like the solution far less than being discussed here.