RESALE POLICY CHANGE!

[bumbershoot]

Apparently it is not clear that it is after 4 pm if there is a conflict between the thousands of reservation confirmations they send to members and what it states on their website,LOL. DVC produces then mails the confirmation of the reservation and this is the document that spells out the terms and condition of the stay. So, yes......it is a binding contract. What if the member doesn't have the Internet or doesn't go to the site they would have no idea of the after 4 pm, correct?

What's next? DVC placing verbage that room reservations dates are subject to change on some obscure page on the website. So, upon arrival they can tell you .......oh we are still full of cash paying guests so come back tomorrow!

DVC has plenty of notice of the expected occupancy and daily turn around. It is unprofessional to play word games with a guest/owner at the front desk.

You know what? You should write in. You should take it up to the higher ups.

What this will accomplish is to FIX the wording in the online checkin emails. It will then align with what we click "yes" to when we're making the reservation.

And then it will be fixed and perfect.

It won't go the way you (or any of us!) want it, but at least it will match.

Disney needs a LOT of help in getting their info pages to line up with reality. It's never going to go the way we want it to go, but we can help them fix lots of stuff. If we care.

I guess I don't really get the 4 PM debate. Every hotel /Timeshare has a check-in time. However, they all

They all what????

I'm not certain anymore what they run thru if you book calling in but I know that when you book online, that little section that you have to do a check box saying that you agree to the terms and conditions, says that check in is after 4PM. Being you are signing off on and agreeing to the terms and conditions I don't think it matters what comes printed on the confirmation.

But you know what? It *should* matter. They need to fix that issue.

 

[PBB]

You know what? You should write in. You should take it up to the higher ups.

What this will accomplish is to FIX the wording in the online checkin emails. It will then align with what we click "yes" to when we're making the reservation.

And then it will be fixed and perfect.

It won't go the way you (or any of us!) want it, but at least it will match.

Disney needs a LOT of help in getting their info pages to line up with reality. It's never going to go the way we want it to go, but we can help them fix lots of stuff. If we care.


You know.......I have done this before regarding a conflict on the DVC website between the written room descriptions and illustration of the rooms on the Kidani web page. This was 11 months ago. I received a letter and a phone call from the DVC Member Satisfaction Team regarding the conflict. The cast member looked at the conflict and agreed that there was a conflict and it needed to be reconciled because it can cause a member to book accommodations expecting a room configuration that in reality they don't get. I followed up with the agent 6 months later and nothing changed. I was told they don't control the website marketing. I just checked again.....it still hasn't changed. Yes, I agree DVC needs lots of help in regard to website.

The mailed reservation confirmations do matter and a member should have it when they check into the resort. I had a cast member at Kidani try to pull the check-in is after 4 pm line. When the manger came out and the reservation confirmation was shown she apologized and stated the Castmember should have never said it. I do believe the cast member was trained to say check in is "after 4 pm". Most of us travel long distances to go on vacation and it shouldn't be started off with DVC not having the room ready and it being followed a falsehood.

 

[Dean]

You know.......I have done this before regarding a conflict on the DVC website between the written room descriptions and illustration of the rooms on the Kidani web page. This was 11 months ago. I received a letter and a phone call from the DVC Member Satisfaction Team regarding the conflict. The cast member looked at the conflict and agreed that there was a conflict and it needed to be reconciled because it can cause a member to book accommodations expecting a room configuration that in reality they don't get. I followed up with the agent 6 months later and nothing changed. I was told they don't control the website marketing. I just checked again.....it still hasn't changed. Yes, I agree DVC needs lots of help in regard to website.

The mailed reservation confirmations do matter and a member should have it when they check into the resort. I had a cast member at Kidani try to pull the check-in is after 4 pm line. When the manger came out and the reservation confirmation was shown she apologized and stated the Castmember should have never said it. I do believe the cast member was trained to say check in is "after 4 pm". Most of us travel long distances to go on vacation and it shouldn't be started off with DVC not having the room ready and it being followed a falsehood.

While I don't disagree that they should put more effort into it, you now know that the POLICY is so none of the other word games matter. To continue to complain about it would be unreasonable unless you're going to petition them to change the policy itself. I would suggest that on the situation you describe above they placated you, nothing more. IMO Disney isn't great at preventing issue but they are great at making you feel good if issues happen.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

I always wondered why DVC had a check in of 4 PM and the hotels earlier?

 

[hakepb]

I always wondered why DVC had a check in of 4 PM and the hotels earlier?

Uneven housekeeping schedules.
All occupied hotel rooms are cleaned every day. It's easy to schedule everyday room turnaround times.

DVC villas are larger and are serviced every 4 days, or at check out...so you schedule for average workload and it can take longer.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

Uneven housekeeping schedules.
All occupied hotel rooms are cleaned every day. It's easy to schedule everyday room turnaround times.

DVC villas are larger and are serviced every 4 days, or at check out...so you schedule for average workload and it can take longer.

I see that makes sense. we have very rarely waited past 4 pm. I think it's nice that your expectations are set there and then when it's ready before you feel like you won the lottery! Lol. Another thing is why just the one bed side cabinet! Don't two people like a glass of water by the bed! The hotels get them.

Apart from this I love our DVC! I love phoning at 11 months and securing that room. Still gives us a fuzzy feeling.

I don't promise myself the member extras even though all our contracts are direct. We will get an AP anyway we figure and because we go once a year from the UK the next year we will go earlier using that AP twice. even without a discount it still saves money. Once we went and just sat by the pool. We bought the ability to book a room. Loving it!

 

[PBB]

While I don't disagree that they should put more effort into it, you now know that the POLICY is so none of the other word games matter. To continue to complain about it would be unreasonable unless you're going to petition them to change the policy itself. I would suggest that on the situation you describe above they placated you, nothing more. IMO Disney isn't great at preventing issue but they are great at making you feel good if issues happen.

My questions is if DVC has to placate people for management induced issues.......Who pays for it? Disney or other Members in their annual dues? I would rather they do their job and have the room ready when they commit then charge the Members.

 

[ScubaCat]

Uneven housekeeping schedules.
All occupied hotel rooms are cleaned every day. It's easy to schedule everyday room turnaround times.

DVC villas are larger and are serviced every 4 days, or at check out...so you schedule for average workload and it can take longer.

It also takes a LOT longer to clean a villa, especially if there are dirty dishes, other things to put away and inventory, leftover food in the fridge, etc. I can see how it would run past 4 if they got backed up or had a lot of checkouts on a certain day. It's annoying if you just traveled and are tired and stuff, but it's just how it goes sometimes. Fortunately, there are worse places to be stuck waiting

 

[Dean]

My questions is if DVC has to placate people for management induced issues.......Who pays for it? Disney or other Members in their annual dues? I would rather they do their job and have the room ready when they commit then charge the Members.

I agree but that's not reality. I'm not sure I can address who pays, my guess is it comes out of the resort budget if done at the resort level which members pay for in part or in total and by the members when done at MS level. Maybe someone else can address this issue more specifically. I've addressed this issue of check in and related maintenance/housekeeping many times over the years where I think DVC falls down. Ultimately it's their decision and they've decide for now and for the last number of years. DVC or Disney doesn't have to placate anyone, they often chose to, frequently when it's not appropriate or deserved. All we can do is complain, accept it or avoid their sandbox. Now you know what the policy is and as such, IMO, it would be unreasonable for you to complain if you were indeed after 4 but "within reason".

 

[ColonialMouse]

Generally if I'm arriving before 7, I'm thinking about dinner first. If it's early enough, I'm at a park. I get email/text when my room is ready now. I think in the room preferences you can also specify whether you want your preference or you want an early checkin time. Feels to me like everyone can be accommodated with such a system---just pick what's important to you. I'll be over at Epcot.

Bruce

 

[miTnosnhoJ]

I have generally found that Disney tries to check me in early if it all possible. I understand they have until 4PM (well OK after 4), but when I have indicated that I will arrive at 2PM, they generally have my room ready by 2PM. They don't have to do this, but obviously some rooms are cleaned first and some rooms are cleaned last, and they can allocate the rooms cleaned first to the people who are arriving first. On your online checkin, I indicated my arrival time, my room preference (high floor) and which should take priority.

This system could obviously break down if there are a large number of people arriving at one time (say 4PM).

Last month at VGF, I arrived at noon (two hours early for my 2PM time). They didn't miss a beat. They checked me in, stowed our luggage, and we got a text at 2pm saying our room is ready.

Sometimes it is not possible. Sometimes people treat their villas like "home" and the maids can clean the villa expeditiously. Sometimes, people trash their villas and it takes much longer to clean. Many timeshares have much stricter rules about how you must leave a villa clean when you leave, having taken out the trash, run the dishwasher, and such. Disney doesn't. If the trashed villa is a GV, it takes a long time and can throw off the schedules. They told me it can take 4 hours to clean a GV.

 

[TCARON]

I started reading this thread and decided that since my day was going pretty well at work that I would not torture myself and read them all. First off, we love Disney Vacation Club, the parks, DCL, and the magic that Disney offers. We still feel like kids when we arrive to WDW and that will never end.
Having said that Disney, especially DVC is doing everything they can to take that feeling away from us. We are unaffected by the change but I figure if people paid the original premium for DVC when they were initially sold by Disney then why does Disney think that this is the right thing to do? Am I missing something?

1. The DVC meet and greets at Saratoga and on the DCL have become very lame and salesy.
2. The Sweet Sundays that have been rebranded by DVC during Food and Wine are horrible compared to before they laid claim to them.
3. The removal of key restaurants from Tables in Wonderland card.
4. General attitude towards DVC members. The letter sent to us tried to pit one side against the other, i.e. secondary purchase vs. direct. I do not think it worked. DVC folks love one another. Why? Because we all own Disney Property and have this as a common bond.
5. Unrelated but it bothers me....The laying off and replacement of Disney IT people with non US citizens.

Like I said, we love Disney and all that it offers. I think these changes are coming too frequently with dumbed down explanations that try to make us think that all is well.

We are worried about our Disney.

Tom

 

[tjkraz]

....if people paid the original premium for DVC when they were initially sold by Disney then why does Disney think that this is the right thing to do? Am I missing something?

Many products are used and then re-sold: houses, cars, appliances, electronics, etc.

Can you think of any instances where the MANUFACTURER provides additional perks and benefits to someone who purchases one of their products on the secondary market? I'm not talking about warranties which are contractually guaranteed, rather incentives / perks / add-ins that are offered to "new" buyers?

 

[freediverdude]

I think DVC is unique in that it's kind of a hybrid of a club and a timeshare. It's more the feeling that you belong to it that people think is going away with resale, kind of like if you bought a country club membership resale (although I know that doesn't happen, but like if someone were able to give you their membership) and then were treated differently than the other members. Disney marketing creates this feeling that you belong to a club and own a piece of the magic even though it's a timeshare, lol. I guess we'll see how this pans out, I think there will always be people who are willing to buy it just to get access to the rooms without the club features.

 

[Dean]

I think DVC is unique in that it's kind of a hybrid of a club and a timeshare. It's more the feeling that you belong to it that people think is going away with resale, kind of like if you bought a country club membership resale (although I know that doesn't happen, but like if someone were able to give you their membership) and then were treated differently than the other members. Disney marketing creates this feeling that you belong to a club and own a piece of the magic even though it's a timeshare, lol. I guess we'll see how this pans out, I think there will always be people who are willing to buy it just to get access to the rooms without the club features.

It's a timeshare plain and simple, the rest is just smoke and mirrors.

 

[ziravan]

It's a timeshare plain and simple, the rest is just smoke and mirrors.

The rest is DVC being "on stage". The idea that it's a club isn't just smoke and mirrors (although it is that), it's a production.

This is my chief problem with the resale changes. Except for the AP, I could live without the perks. What bothers me is that DVC, after selling DVC as a club, now says, "never mind, we really were just a timeshare all along."

I knew that without it having to be rubbed in my face.

I was a new resale buyer just a few years ago. This would have been a deal-breaker for me. Not because of the perks. Because I wouldn't pay $21,000 to be considered 2nd class. And. If I hadn't bought resale, I never would have subsequently bought a direct Poly contract. I bought based directly on my experience with the product.

At least in my case, these rules would have cost DVC a $28,000 direct sale.

 

[BWV Dreamin]

I've read through this entire thread over the last few days....

We own resale purchased Jan 2014. It is scary seeing the new restrictions because DVC has always grandfathered in previous buyers. What is to say their next 'tier' is taking away 'member benefits' from all resale purchasers regardless of when the contract was purchased? Most of the 'benefits' aren't really benefits to me except for the $200 off APs which saves our family $1000 per year.

One thing I didn't see brought up in all these posts is what will a new resale purchaser see on the website. Will the member perks be there dangled in their face? Will there be a separate website for these purchasers?

When I log in to the member website, I see an option to print a digital card and to order new cards. I'm thinking these links will be absent from those that purchased the post 4/4/16 contracts.

 

[Novakm]

This is my chief problem with the resale changes. Except for the AP, I could live without the perks. What bothers me is that DVC, after selling DVC as a club, now says, "never mind, we really were just a timeshare all along."

I knew that without it having to be rubbed in my face.

But they are still marketing it as a club. That's deceptive advertising.

 

[ScubaCat]

But they are still marketing it as a club. That's deceptive advertising.

Right, because advertising and branding are NEVER misleading. Of course not.

 

[drusba]

When I log in to the member website, I see an option to print a digital card and to order new cards. I'm thinking these links will be absent from those that purchased the post 4/4/16 contracts.

Likely they will have a different digital card. As to the new cards to be mailed to you, they will probably just be treated the same as the rest of us who are still waiting for a card, order it and they just never send it.