It's natural but it's extremely tiresome as well. The only topics that seem to be considered "OK" to criticize DVC are if they change the flooring in Old Key West or attempt to get their reservation system into the 21st century
In my experiences there has always been room for thoughtful discussion. Not all posters share the same interpretations, opinions or sensibilities.
No matter what the topic of discussion may be, there are usually folks on both sides of the aisle. Seems like there should be room for tolerance from all. I'm not sure why you would expect universal condemnation or praise on ANY single topic.
1. I was told ONLY the member received the discount. This is not the case.
2. I was told that college age students could not receive the discount. Again, not true. Disney allows college students who live at home and has the same address as the member to enjoy a DVC member discount without the member being present.
You are correct--both of those statements are in error.
However the redemption rules state that the Member must be present with his DVC Member ID and photo ID in order for an eligible child to receive the discounted ticket or redeem a voucher.
The DVC buying power has gotten pretty big. I believe it is well over 100,000 members strong. I can promise you this buying block is stronger than any weekend or convention. If they want to be. Even a small percentage of members expressing their concerns can create changes.
The dynamics are quite a bit different--Disney has to continually compete for convention business and business from FL residents while DVC is pretty much a captive market.
Many people suggest that they should be owed perks as a "thank you" from Disney...but few perks actually work in that manner. Disney offers discounted park admission to FL residents to keep them coming into the parks and spending dollars elsewhere. The alternative is to lose that business to Universal, Sea World, Busch Gardens, etc.
Convention groups are offered some special incentives (ticket packages, etc.) because Disney stands to make quite a bit on the entire block of business (meeting rooms rented, hotel rooms booked, food and beverage, some park tickets.)
For the most part, DVC members are just run-of-the-mill park guests who happen to have spent $20K to pre-pay for their vacations.
There's really no business reason to do it. Are people selling their contracts--or deciding not to buy--simply because DVC doesn't offer a blanket 10% discount at all restaurants? Are people buying Marriott instead of DVC because Disney doesn't make us eligible for FL resident passes?
For every dollar that Disney would sacrifice in terms of a DVC member discount, they need to make up that discount elsewhere. I don't think the numbers add up.
My suspicion is that most people who claim a 10% merchandise or dining discount is some sort of DVC "tipping point" (keep vs. sell) actually have other issues. The discount wouldn't have any impact on their mindset, while costing Disney millions of dollars in the long run.