1st DVC stay at Poly-no housekeeping

[Wishuponastar23]

Hello! New to the boards but was hoping for some input on our recent stay at the Polynesian. It was our 3rd trip staying at the Poly but our 1st as DVC members. Our Room was lovely and just the view we had requested. Our stay was Sat thru Sunday and our room was not cleaned the entire stay. We spoke to housekeeping Tuesday and they said they would clean that night while we were at the Mickeys not so scary party. They never came. Trash service came a few times but they never changed towels except for the last night of our stay. They took away our old towels put in new ones but left the ring of sand (our 6 year old had placed a cup there from the beach) on the bathroom counter next to it. Very strange. No vacuuming, sheet changes etc. We were so busy with our 3 young ones we didn’t really stop to think about it until the last night when we saw the fresh towels next to the ring of sand and thought how weird! The day after we returned we called the poly to express our concerns and disappointment and the first person at the desk responded with “wow really? “ followed by a rather blunt “well what do you want?” Our call was bounced around for 40 minutes until we finally spoke with a manager at the poly who apologized and then offered us points towards one night stay to make up for it which we accepted. Just curious what the protocol is in these situations for Dvc members when there is a lack of service like this. Returned points pretty common response? Our first two stays were wonderful so it was rather disappointing to have our first Dvc experience be less than. We knew the Dvc cleaning/trash/towel schedule so our expectations were just that. Thanks for any input on your own experiences!!

 

[crvetter]

So if you Stayed Saturday through Sunday that would have been 8 nights, which does put you into the basket of getting housekeeping on your fourth day. So on Tuesday they should have cleaned your room. For reference here is the cleaning rules for DVC

Trash & Towel Service
For stays of 7 nights or fewer, Trash & Towel Service is provided on day 4, regardless of whether you're staying on a Member-discounted cash reservation, Vacation Points reservation, or a combination of both.

With Trash & Towel Service, Housekeeping will:

• Empty trash and replace liners in trash bins
• Provide fresh bathroom linens
• Replace bath amenities as needed
• Replenish facial tissues, paper towels and toilet paper
• Replenish coffee, sugar, cream and sweeteners

Full-Cleaning Service
For stays of 8 or more nights, Full-Cleaning Service is provided on day 4 and Trash & Towel Service is provided on day 8, regardless of whether you're staying on a Member-discounted cash reservation, Vacation Points reservation, or a combination of both. This cycle repeats for stays longer than 8 days.

With Full-Cleaning Service, Housekeeping will provide everything included with the Trash & Towel Service, plus:

• Change the bed linens
• Vacuum and dust the vacation villa
• Clean the bathroom(s)
• Clean the kitchen/kitchenette and wash the dishes

For all stays regardless of the length of the stay, daily trash removal will be provided. Rental Guests (non-Members or Disney Vacation Club Members not booking through Membership) receive Full-Cleaning Services every day.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Don't confuse the new daily trash collection with the trash & towel. As stated above, trash and towel should have been done on your 8th day, when they replaced your towels and should have given you new bath amenities and coffee supplies. (Did they give you more supplies, or just replace the towels?)
The full cleaning should have been on Tues as you expected. I would have called the next morning to inform them it was not done. That is when vacuuming and sheet changes should have been done. I know you were probably too tired when you got home from the party to call about it that night.
Regarding the ring of sand on the bathroom counter, that is strange. Do you think they left it because they thought you wanted it there since you had not wiped it up yourselves?
It is not something I would ask for compensation for. If it didn't bother you enough to address it at the time, let it go.

 

[Wishuponastar23]

Don't confuse the new daily trash collection with the trash & towel. As stated above, trash and towel should have been done on your 8th day, when they replaced your towels and should have given you new bath amenities and coffee supplies. (Did they give you more supplies, or just replace the towels?)
The full cleaning should have been on Tues as you expected. I would have called the next morning to inform them it was not done. That is when vacuuming and sheet changes should have been done. I know you were probably too tired when you got home from the party to call about it that night.
Regarding the ring of sand on the bathroom counter, that is strange. Do you think they left it because they thought you wanted it there since you had not wiped it up yourselves?
It is not something I would ask for compensation for. If it didn't bother you enough to address it at the time, let it go.

Such a friendly reply. Much appreciated. I’m sure you can imagine vacationing with 3 kids under the age of 6 that there was more than just sand on the counter that accumulates over 8days. If I had a vacuum in the room I would have been happy to use it! The ring of sand happened as we were headed out the door to dinner so obviously we could clean that up upon return however we were quite disappointed to return from dinner to find our first batch of clean towels (all week and to answer your question no new supplies were delivered all week) next that fresh ring of sand that they easily could have cleaned up into the trash they were taking out. And we were upset and did call upon returning from vacation. We didn’t want to spend our last day (or any day) of vacation being upset over the lack of service we experienced. We enjoyed our family time instead. All week We kept thinking they must be busy and were coming the next day etc. My question wasn’t as to the trash/towel/cleaning schedule as I said I was curious as to how they typically handle these kinds of situations. I’m sure if you really stop to consider my post it’s not unreasonable for me to feel disappointed in this our first dvc room experience. We didn’t call asking for any compensation they offered it. It just made me curious as to how things like this are typically handled. It’s okay not to respond if you don’t know the answer.

 

[wishicouldgomoreofte]

Such a friendly reply. Much appreciated. I’m sure you can imagine vacationing with 3 kids under the age of 6 that there was more than just sand on the counter that accumulates over 8days. If I had a vacuum in the room I would have been happy to use it! The ring of sand happened as we were headed out the door to dinner so obviously we could clean that up upon return however we were quite disappointed to return from dinner to find our first batch of clean towels (all week and to answer your question no new supplies were delivered all week) next that fresh ring of sand that they easily could have cleaned up into the trash they were taking out. And we were upset and did call upon returning from vacation. We didn’t want to spend our last day (or any day) of vacation being upset over the lack of service we experienced. We enjoyed our family time instead. All week We kept thinking they must be busy and were coming the next day etc. My question wasn’t as to the trash/towel/cleaning schedule as I said I was curious as to how they typically handle these kinds of situations. I’m sure if you really stop to consider my post it’s not unreasonable for me to feel disappointed in this our first dvc room experience. We didn’t call asking for any compensation they offered it. It just made me curious as to how things like this are typically handled. It’s okay not to respond if you don’t know the answer.

There are vacuums in the DVC rooms, even the studios. I have had studios that had 2 vacuums!
I'm glad you had a good vacation.

 

[Wishuponastar23]

It kind of sounds like you are saying that we should not have been upset or complained that housekeeping never came to our clean our room. And that having a vacuum (or possibly 2?) in our room should have made up for the total lack of service on our 8 night stay in a Very nice resort that we love. But again I was asking about people who have experienced a similar situation in a dvc room...since we are new to dvc. Not sure why you seem to have a problem with me asking this question. It has nothing at all to do with you. I wish you well.

 

[Bing Showei]

It kind of sounds like you are saying that we should not have been upset or complained that housekeeping never came to our clean our room.

I think what people are saying is that if it didn’t bother you enough at the time to make a 30-second phone call, it’s probably not worth dwelling on it for days after the fact.

If you’re asking if you should have been compensated more than the points returned, making the 30-second phone call which would’ve addressed it at the time would’ve cost the rest of us less than whatever you’re needing now to feel whole again.

In the long term, you should understand that as a Disney timeshare owner, you are a captive audience. They don’t need to work as hard to keep you coming back year after year as they do with cash guests. You signed a contract promising to do that for the next 23+ years. Not being negative, that’s just a reality. Don’t expect to be treated like a hotel guest. You’re a timeshare owner.

 

[Wishuponastar23]

I think what people are saying is that if it didn’t bother you enough at the time to make a 30-second phone call, it’s probably not worth dwelling on it for days after the fact.

If you’re asking if you should have been compensated more than the points returned, making the 30-second phone call which would’ve addressed it at the time would’ve cost the rest of us less than whatever you’re needing now to feel whole again.

In the long term, you should understand that as a Disney timeshare owner, you are a captive audience. They don’t need to work as hard to keep you coming back year after year as they do with cash guests. You signed a contract promising to do that for the next 23+ years. Not being negative, that’s just a reality. Don’t expect to be treated like a hotel guest. You’re a timeshare owner.

Definitely wasn’t asking if we should have been compensated more! When we called to address the issue we didn’t have any idea Or expectations. And that is what I am asking about here. Definitely wasn’t dwelling on it. But I most certainly was curious if anyone else had similar experience and how it was handled. Thought this would be a good & friendly place to ask that question. When we did speak to housekeeping on Tuesday we figured that would be the only conversation we would have to have about it all week. When they didn’t show we just thought they’d be there later on. Fully aware of the housekeeping schedule and our expectations were for just that. Nothing more nothing less just housekeeping as promised and payed for...we did pay for that as part of our timeshare agreement. I know they don’t have to work as hard to keep us coming back, contract and all. But They do have to fulfill their part and we have every right to let them know that our room was overlooked. And I’m sure you’re not suggesting that Dvc members should not let management know when a room was left out of the schedule. If someone is asleep on the job that would effect the next dvc member staying there as well. And again was just curious as to other people’s experiences have been?

 

[TexasAggie73]

Sorry about your issues. I have found that it is better to go down to the front desk and ask for a manager to address your issues rather than calling. Never know where Those calls go to.

 

[Judique]

Over my almost 20 years of ownership and numerous trips I've experienced the skipped trash and towel and the forgotten housekeeping day several times. I've usually handled it by calling and letting them know that it hasn't been completed. I expect them to show up and bring me my clean and dry towels asap. I'm not going to deal with damp moldy towels as nothing dries at Disney.

I wouldn't go 4 or 8 nights without my trash and towel or full cleaning unless I chose to do so.

That said, I would also complain later to let the powers that be know that the service was not provided. Personally I wouldn't want to be compensated because if they didn't come the scheduled day, I'd make sure it was cleaned the next day.

I would complain later to be on record that this is happening. I wouldn't go my whole 8 days and then complain. I also will not accept compensation as I feel that makes them feel like it's okay not to do the job. I believe accepting compensation instead of demanding what has been paid for be provided gives them an 'out' when they fail. To me, skipping my room means someone went home without doing their job. And that's a fail for the employee as well as the supervisory staff that should have checked to see that the work was performed.

 

[RamblingMad]

I think, the OP expected a good experience. They shouldn’t have to complain. The fact that they do to have a good experience is ridiculous.

And the worse part is that they have to pay dues now to pay the folks that gave them a bad experience.

I know that I don’t want to spend my vacations constantly complaining. That’s not fun. And if the OP has anxiety, then it’s super stressful too.

 

[Jack_Sparrow_NJ]

Yes, you should have had a full cleaning Tuesday night. Perhaps it was missed, a call or visit to the front desk should have resolved that. You know the saying "if you see something, say something." Keep in mind though that you are not staying in a hotel room. You are in a time share, you are expected to pickup after yourself. There are cleaning supplies and vacuums available for a reason. Would you leave a ring of sand in your bathroom at home for days? That being said it is my understanding is a contracted service and as of late, especially at the Poly it has not been as good as it has been. They gave you back some points, you really shouldn't expect more.

 

[DVCjj]

Own at Poly and stay very often...even a few days ago There is a vacuum in the closet.

 

[Lehuaann]

Own at Poly and stay very often...even a few days ago There is a vacuum in the closet.

We’ve never had a vacuum in our studio. I’ve borrowed one though

 

[WhitneyMB]

I just figured I’d say that I commiserate with the OP—surviving and enjoying a week with 3 little ones at Disney can be a full time endeavor. Like some other responders, I also don’t have experience with getting points given back. I’m glad you enjoyed your first DVC stay overall.

 

[Alice Sr.]

I don’t remember a time when I have had anything but trash and towels even when staying in a grand villa. sorry you were disappointed I totally understand, but you probably need to adjust your expectations. I expect the room to be clean when I check in, from my experience after that you are on your own.

 

[cccory]

I hope it is better on your future stays.

 

[gisele2]

Rented some points before the pandemic, and room was not done because someone was sleeping in the room. My husband asked the housekeeper nicely the next day if she could do it. The room was done that same day.