A list for Claire . . . .

[mjstaceyuofm]

I understand there are ways SSR is different, and do think that different does have some impact...But I wonder how much of the difference is information. (Thanks in part to DIS and other Internet sites). The more people learn booking and banking processes, the fewer available rooms at short notice.

I think the proliferation of information and strategies (via sites like our wonderful Dis!) has had some impact on people booking early, but not much. I think a lot of it is simple math. SSR has the most units. For sake of argument, if the percentage of owners across each DVC resort that wants to trade out and into a different DVC resort is fairly consistent, that means more people want out of SSR compared to BW or VWL. Had they kept the number of rooms at each resort fairly consistent, you'd get more consistent swapping and availability.

 

[Greysword]

The THREE mountain one!!

You mean this?

[/IMG]

 

[mickeysbestfriend]

Claire, welcome to the family!

What I'd like is like many others have said....clean first class accomodations that are in good repair. I can't tell you how many times we have checked in, gotten to the room only to find the air not working, the room hadn't been serviced, items missing etc. One time were were missing a dining room table! It take a long time to get these issues resolved and to be honest, degrades peoples opinion of the DVC resorts.

When I first bought into DVC my experiences were truly magical. I bragged to everyone what a great deal it was for the deluxe accomodations. I did my best to sell everyone I met at the bus stop, pool, standing in line, at meals, you name it, to join the family. Now, based on the last few visits, I'd be hard pressed to promote DVC.

Please get things back to where they were!

As far as perks go, the AP discount is great for those who go multiple times. Not so great for those who go once a year.

If you choose to provide perks, try to make them something everone will be able to enjoy like DVC fast passes or dining discounts not valet parking which only benefits a select few.

The dining discounts keep us interested in eating in the parks and at the resort restaurants versus eating in the room or going off property.

The fast passes are a nice way to reward the DVC owners that visit every year and will be for decades to come.

Sincerely,

Mickeysbestfriend

 

[Halle]

Echoing others suggestions
1. Clean room, not too much to ask.
2. Check in by 4:00...used to be that way!
3. Assigned room isn't habitated by another DVC member.
4. TIW for DVC members even if you aren't an annual pass holder. As previous posters sited better for Disney to get our money rather than Publix!
5. TOTWL for all DVC members, most aren't going to make a special trip there for the fireworks.

 

[Horace Horsecollar]

If you choose to provide perks, try to make them something everone will be able to enjoy like DVC fast passes or dining discounts not valet parking which only benefits a select few.

The dining discounts keep us interested in eating in the parks and at the resort restaurants versus eating in the room or going off property.

The fast passes are a nice way to reward the DVC owners that visit every year and will be for decades to come.

There is a cost associated with every perk. A business entity (Disney department or outside company) has to pay for it. Nothing is given to DVC members just as a "nice way to reward the DVC owners."

In the case of restaurant or retail discounts, the restaurant or retailers bear the cost in hopes of generating additional business -- but only if they think the discount will accomplish that.

Some things that we call perks are really marketing expenses paid for by Disney Vacation Development in hopes of selling more points. That's fine. I've received numerous "gifts" from DVC over the years. Some have gone in the trash. Some I've used. And some I've thrown in a box. But at least they didn't cost me anything.

Some things would have to paid from through DVC member dues -- in other words, with our own money.

The parks would be likely to charge DVC a considerable amount for FASTPASSes, which are finite, valuable resources. My guess is that DVC would have to pay a minimum of $7 (probably much more) for each FASTPASS. There is no business justification for Disney Vacation Development to pay for them, so it could only happen by increasing DVC dues.

No thank you. I'll keep my money, please, and use the FASTPASS system as it was designed.

 

[mickeysbestfriend]

to read their own words again and again....we get it! You don't want perks!

 

[evenrude]

I agree bring back the old school disney quality and cleanliness, however, this is not just a DVC problem the resorts, parks suffer from rundown, unkept and in some cases unclean. I just don't see this getting fixed until there is some sort of consumer revolt or boycott that really impacts their bottom line and can be totally identfied as customer unsatisfaction. Putting a marketing/sales weasel in charge of a division that arguably has your most loyal customers is a clear sign that they will not be investing in satisfaction but will probaby throw a bone or two to us to stave off a revolt and continue the glossy ad campaigns to keep the machine going. I hate being bitter but watching my favorite place on earth being cheapend and rundown by corporate machine when it doesnt have to be that way just sickens me.

 

[canwegosoon]

If Claire or a member of staff is reading this-Thank you

To me the important things are what was sold to me and what am I receiving now.

-Rooms are an issue. One of several personal examples:we were unable to use bathroom for hours, and then finally having to have a toliet bowl pulled. We should have been reassigned a room. Maintenance is an issue and so is housekeeping. Standards must be higher. As to furnishings I am willing to wait for normal replenishment.

-Perks-when I purchased my DVC there were perks and now there are different perks-I understand that. I love the AP discount(that gives us the TIW discount) so we have planned and changed our vacationing to enjoy that perk. I rarely used the DVC Valet perk-but I loved it-made me feel special. I still get the free valet perk thanks to my TIW...but being an owner and being treated as such felt good.

-Front Desk: I understand upgrades or changes in desktop software, I understand that there will be problems but....4 trips to the front desk to fix problems in a 3 day stay is unacceptable. I lost over 2 hours of my vacation to correct problems. Why?

I have stayed at deluxe WDW resorts and have not encountered the problems that I am encountering on DVC stays. I have even had better stays at value hotels. That should not be. Please burn a few DVC points and stay at DVC hotels during different times(including a peak) and see what people are dealing with(ala Undercover Boss). Interview members periodiocally-I have filled out surveys, but never gotten a response. I don't need to be comped(no need to add to dues expenses)-just please focus on basics-Room in excellent condition, happy staff that are happy to see owners, and minimize/correct problems the first time.

Members are always able to sell off their ownership(on the secondary market) and this does impact the direct sales. One way for sales to increase is to retain owners. I realize that everything comes at a price. Please consider reallocation some of that sales budget to retention of owners. As many have said-we are your unoffical sales force-we help attract new sales better than most other venues of marketing.

Best wishes in your new position.

 

[WilsonFlyer]

I still get the free valet perk thanks to my TIW...but being an owner and being treated as such felt good.

News to me. Didn't know that.

 

[Carl'n'Ellie'sDad]

In the "old days" before the DVC membership was overrun with an abundance of points from SSR wanting to trade out of that abysmal labyrinth of unthemed, far-away buildings and grounds, you actually could call up in January for a June vacation and get a room at VWL, or BW or BC...

Hey, them's fightin' words! Turkey leg duel at noon, June 15, 2013 at the Congress Park rocking chairs -- I'll have a shorter walk to get there from the Grandstand than from the back to the front of Kidani, or down a Boardwalk hallway.:

All in good fun, (even if you root for that Maize and Blue school...:

 

[Snurk71]

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News to me. Didn't know that.

You only get free valet if you dine at that resort with your TIW - and the valets do ask to see your receipt. So it's not really free valet parking as much as it is validated valet parking with a meal.

 

[Dizny Dad]

. . . . . . . . . Putting a marketing/sales weasel in charge of a division that arguably has your most loyal customers is a clear sign that they will not be investing in satisfaction but will probaby throw a bone or two to us to stave off a revolt and continue the glossy ad campaigns to keep the machine going. . . . . . . . . . .

Geese Louise - this really ought to get Claire moving in the right direction.

 

[mjstaceyuofm]

Hey, them's fightin' words! Turkey leg duel at noon, June 15, 2013 at the Congress Park rocking chairs -- I'll have a shorter walk to get there from the Grandstand than from the back to the front of Kidani, or down a Boardwalk hallway.:

All in good fun, (even if you root for that Maize and Blue school...:

I'd meet you there, but seeing as SSR isn't my home resort, I can't make a ressie there for a few months....

Seriously - not trying to bag on SSR. I'm an OKW guy, and I know plenty of people who think OKW is kind of an odd-bag with an un-Disney feel; so I guess things can go both ways. I do believe a smarter move would have been for Disney to break SSR into two separate DVC resorts to keep the number of units closer to the other resorts vs. the HUGE disparity that currently exists.

And yes, we've stayed a Boardwalk and you're right, that hallway never ends!

 

[Greysword]

If it costs more in MFs to keep the place clean and up to date, increase my dues.

In terms of furnishings and general maintenance, it may involve replacing furniture and fixtures on a more frequent basis and/or purchasing more durable (and expensive) items. More materials cost; more labor cost.

Some are willing to pay the price for these changes. Many others are not. That's the challenge that awaits execs...

It would be nice if everyone saw the value in--say--increasing housekeeping and maintenance budgets by 10-15% to fix the outstanding problems...

Disney has to find a way to pacify both groups.

I'm in the camp that is willing to have a dues increase to ensure the quality we expect. Lets have a graduated assessment starting this year for the next few years to get quality furniture for BLT, so we don't have a large one later. If we need more staff or supervisors, lets hire them. Given the number of points for each resort, the dues increase can be relatively incremental and make a large difference.

I get the explanation and thanks for providing it. It still does not limit the frustration that when we call, we are locked out of the places we would like to stay when our rep said that it would be no problem, to go to CA, or booking at another resort at 7mos if we didnt want BLT. We asked about owning at BW or BC and of course he wanted to sell BLT and said we would have no problem. He said it would be no problem to travel out west. We havent own DVC for long and yet we have never had an easy time booking what we want depsite using their guidelines when calling.

This is actually kind of surprising given your veteran status on the DISBoards. We would have been happy to provide some help before buying and ensure you knew what was coming.

In the "old days" before the DVC membership was overrun with an abundance of points from SSR wanting to trade out of that abysmal labyrinth of unthemed, far-away buildings and grounds...

 

[Carl'n'Ellie'sDad]

I'd meet you there, but seeing as SSR isn't my home resort, I can't make a ressie there for a few months....

Seriously - not trying to bag on SSR. I'm an OKW guy, and I know plenty of people who think OKW is kind of an odd-bag with an un-Disney feel; so I guess things can go both ways. I do believe a smarter move would have been for Disney to break SSR into two separate DVC resorts to keep the number of units closer to the other resorts vs. the HUGE disparity that currently exists.

And yes, we've stayed a Boardwalk and you're right, that hallway never ends!

All good -- the real problem isn't that SSR is too big; the problem is that VWL, BCV, and VGC are too small!

 

[tjkraz]

Putting a marketing/sales weasel in charge of a division that arguably has your most loyal customers is a clear sign that they will not be investing in satisfaction but will probaby throw a bone or two to us to stave off a revolt and continue the glossy ad campaigns to keep the machine going

And if they had put someone in charge who didn't have an idea of how to sell, the program would collapse in upon itself. Like it or not, ongoing sales are the lifeblood of the DVC program. Profitability of this division is the only thing that keeps Disney investing in it.

You think member perks and treatment are bad now...they would only get worse if DVC were no longer a viable product that received hundreds-of-millions in backing from TWDC.

That's not to say that good sales should come at the expense of member satisfaction. That's apparently something Jim Lewis forgot along the way.

 

[toniosmom]

How about this perk.....

One free annual pass each year with every DVC membership.

I can dream, can't I?

 

[mjstaceyuofm]

And if they had put someone in charge who didn't have an idea of how to sell, the program would collapse in upon itself. Like it or not, ongoing sales are the lifeblood of the DVC program. Profitability of this division is the only thing that keeps Disney investing in it.

You think member perks and treatment are bad now...they would only get worse if DVC were no longer a viable product that received hundreds-of-millions in backing from TWDC.

That's not to say that good sales should come at the expense of member satisfaction. That's apparently something Jim Lewis forgot along the way.

Tim, at some point they won't be able to build anymore. DVC is going to have this odd timeframe where there's nothing to sell and when they'll be able to "re-sell" existing units after the lease period expires.

I could see if Aulani makes it and they then build a few more resorts away from the parks, maybe expand DVC into DLR more, build the Poly DVC expansion, another DVC resort on WDW property, etc. that may take them to 2020-25 (give / take), then they have to sit around and wait for the first round of OKW leases to expire in 2042. This will reach a critical mass where the supply meets the demand.

Then they will have to focus on existing customer satisfaction. Part of the DVC equation can't just be the huge influx of cash from the sale, but the continuing locked in vacations to WDW. If they can't keep up the quality of the experience and vacation homes they promised then it will collapse in on itself. A huge part of making DVC a "viable product" is what people have been clamoring for in this particular thread - the Disney Deluxe quality of room, grounds, and service that we all bought into... If they don't have that, they have no product. They'll be in a perpetual loop of people being pushed into a hard-sell of DVC, using it for 8-10 years and then after the charm of Disney wears off saying, "it's not for me anymore", or "the quality has gone down".

Claire had better recognize that there are truly some quality problems at DVC resorts and within the operation of the system in general. Yes - focus on the sales because that may be important right now, but if you don't it will get even worse. I have to believe that at DVC's inception - these numbers were all run by the geniuses at Disney. They had to know that just having a critical mass of guaranteed returning customers would maintain the concept and add to the bottom line of the actual resort. Somewhere, that has to be taken into consideration...

 

[Mkrop]

This is actually kind of surprising given your veteran status on the DISBoards. We would have been happy to provide some help before buying and ensure you knew what was coming.

Sigh, would you have talked me out of buying?

I lurked here and did research, as well as DH on other sites. We also talked to people about it IRL. I think in hindsight, the problem is that other people owned at SSR and were able to get their home resort with no issues, they also may have wanted to travel at different times than us. We bought when BLT was still being built. We thought we would love it there, but we realized after our stay there that it is not for us, we are more Epcot area people. Even booking at exactly the 11 mo mark we needed a split stay there for a studio to work. I dont like changing rooms. When we bought, CA was not complete yet either, so we did not know it would be that difficult to get a room, once again by following the rules that DVC and our friends told us. Both the salesperson and our friends told us that there was plenty of inventory if we called exactly on the day.

In hindsight, we should have bought on the resale market, and got BW or BC.

 

[chalee94]

Sigh, would you have talked me out of buying?

we've discouraged some people from buying, definitely.

keep in mind if you are booking 10-11 months out, you can still get on the waitlist ahead of everyone else if your ideal villa is already booked...still might not come through but your odds are pretty good.