A Very Disappointed Dvc Member

[marwill]

I have 3 small children and usually take only one vacation a year. Also I did not have any reason to even FIND a message board concerning Disney before this. This was our third stay as a DVC member. We vacationed in Vero which was fine and we did a cruise. We stayed at a two bedroom in HHI in 2001 as a guest and liked it so much we decided to invest in the Vacation Club. I can tell you that there was dirt and dust everywhere, dirty walls,dirty carpet that needed stretched, the floor tile and grout in the kitchen had alot of blackdirt ground in it, mold in showers esp. master bath, bugs including cockroaches ,ants and fleas, light bulbs burned out, stove not working, knobs missing from cabinets, slow and stopped-up sink drains and yes, they did come in a timely manner and fixed the mechanical trouble but the overall upkeep was very poor.

 

[ClarabelleCow]

When you first went to the room and noticed it being a disaster, what did they say when you requested a new room? Did they have any explanation why the room was in such bad shape? Did they offer you points back because it was so bad? What was the position of management regarding how bad the room was?
I know I would be pretty upset if my room was the way yours sounded. They should be spraying non-stop this time of the year for the bugs. But the rest shouldn't be the way you described! Was there any response from management at all?

 

[durango kid]

I was once at a hotel at WDW...

The amount of dust and cobwebs in the lobby was disgusting. The elevator didn't work very well either. After that I just left. I believe it was called the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

What a dump! don't ever stay there.

 

[marwill]

When you first went to the room and noticed it being a disaster, what did they say when you requested a new room? Did they have any explanation why the room was in such bad shape? Did they offer you points back because it was so bad? What was the position of management regarding how bad the room was?
I know I would be pretty upset if my room was the way yours sounded. They should be spraying non-stop this time of the year for the bugs. But the rest shouldn't be the way you described! Was there any response from management at all?

We did not complain about the overall conditions to the management until we left because we had so much " stuff " we had carried up 3 flights of stairs and also my 11 year old neice who is handycapped and all of her equipment but when we were leaving and we told the desk they just said they are still renovating rooms and we just got one that was not done. We found a list in the kitchen cabinet that said the last time they sprayed for bugs was the first of May. I know that some bugs are to be expected but We SAW afew roaches and by the condition of the room, I am sure more were present. Our stay was June 18 to 25. I am planning to write a detailed letter to the DVC management now.

 

[JimMIA]

I can tell you that there was dirt and dust everywhere, dirty walls,dirty carpet that needed stretched, the floor tile and grout in the kitchen had alot of blackdirt ground in it, mold in showers esp. master bath, bugs including cockroaches ,ants and fleas, light bulbs burned out, stove not working, knobs missing from cabinets, slow and stopped-up sink drains and yes, they did come in a timely manner and fixed the mechanical trouble but the overall upkeep was very poor.

I don't care how many, or how few, posts someone has...this is not acceptable. It's not acceptable anywhere.

OP made only one mistake, IMHO - not camping at the front desk until they got a manager to talk to, so they could get ALL of their problems resolved and get their vacation back on track.

I suspect there is a management issue here, and if I were writing a letter, it certainly would not go to Hilton Head.

 

[JimMIA]

And those palmetto bugs - eeeuuwwwwwwww! I hate them too! But they are all over and do get inside!

HEY!!!

First of all, OP did NOT say a WORD about palmetto bugs! And secondly, we Floridian's deeply resent you bringing our State Bird into this discussion!

 

[tatajess]

What is weird to me is two of these "my GV was horrible 6 months ago" posts have suddenly popped up at basically the same time.

That is really weird!

I posted the OKW GV thread that you are referring to. I know some time has passed since our Dec. trip, but I'm a full time college student, and with school and a bad case of pneumonia, this was the first time I had a chance to post about our experiences. I haven't been on the boards since before our Dec. trip.

Some people who post on this board seem to attack anyone who speaks of a negative experience they have had at WDW...THANK YOU to those who don't attack those that have been disappointed. (thanks Tagrel!)

We have stayed at OKW since it opened and have been DVC members for over 13 years and in that time, this last trip was by far the worst vacation we have ever taken. The room issues were just one of the problems we experienced.

I LOVE WDW and OKW, but was just disappointed about the cleanliness and overall maintenance of the particular room we were given. Our problems were generally fixed in a timely manner, but the number of problems that occurred is what is frustrating. I posted not to condemn DVC, but to find out if anyone had similar problems and to get my faith in our DVC membership restored. After such a horrible trip, you leave ready to sell and I just wanted to come here to have the "magic" restored.

Marwill, I completely understand the problems that you had at HHI and I hope that both of our next vacations turn out to be much better than the last!!

Everyone on the board had mentioned about writing a letter explaining our room problems...who would we be able to write to and were would we send the letter??

 

[lllovell]

I think a lot of things were going on this past year at WDW. The hurricanes really damaged that area quite a bit so even if WDW itself was in decent shape, MANY of the CMs were not. There homes were in bad need of repair. Their lives turned on end.

Also, I think a huge amount of manpower was directed towards getting ready for the big celebration.

I have noticed an significant decrease in the number of dirty room comments here in the last few months over what seemed like a huge amount before that.

Not excusing anything. Simply pointing out that I think the DVC hotels got the short end of the manpower stick for a while and it shows.

 

[Disneyrsh]

I've learned from reading these boards that if I don't have a wonderful vacation it's because:

a) I'm too demanding, or
b) I foolishly had expectations of any kind, or
c) I didn't look hard enough for "the magic", or
d) I did something to make the CMs mad or
e) I'm just plain ungrateful for having the opportunity to spend my money at WDW.

Now that I know I am always to blame no matter what happens, I'm actually a happier DVC member.

Oh, there's that Yankee sarcasm again. Now dat's what I'm talkin' about!

 

[DebºoºS]

We did not complain about the overall conditions to the management until we left ......................... I am planning to write a detailed letter to the DVC management now.

Welcome to the DIS boards Marwill
Thanks for posting. Sorry you had such a bad experience at HH. I'm glad you're going to write a letter to DVC. They need to hear the good and the bad to better manage the DVC.

 

[Cruelladeville]

This is slightly off the subject, but I think palmetto bugs and cockroaches are different bugs. Cockroaches are long, and in Florida, they are BIG, maybe two inches long or more, and a brownish color. Palmetto bugs are big too, but round, and brightly colored, maybe red and black. I was at a resort over in Ft. Meyers, and those palmetto bugs ran thru their open-air lobby when the gardeners were spraying. I jumped up on the check-in desk, and the CM 's laughed uproariously at me, "Those are just little palmetto bugs". LITTLE???? We have dogs smaller than that! It was scary to have DROVES of bugs swarming around your ankles.

Hey, Chicago poster, getting mice in your home is NOT common for the midwest. I've spent my life here, and the only mice I've ever seen are brown and white FIELD mice.

 

[Johnnie Fedora]

I've learned from reading these boards that if I don't have a wonderful vacation it's because:

a) I'm too demanding, or
b) I foolishly had expectations of any kind, or
c) I didn't look hard enough for "the magic", or
d) I did something to make the CMs mad or
e) I'm just plain ungrateful for having the opportunity to spend my money at WDW.

Now that I know I am always to blame no matter what happens, I'm actually a happier DVC member.

I generally agree with this. However, the OP was vague about the dissapointments. That, in combination with the low post count, smacks of a "hit and run". I'm glad the poster returned to futher illuminate the disappointments. I certainly like to read the good and the bad about other members DVC stays.

 

[jmminarik]

A few photographs of the deplorable conditions would abate the sensitive Troll sensors many Internet veterans have and add punch to any complaints registered after the fact.

-Joe

 

[dianeschlicht]

I don't care how many, or how few, posts someone has...this is not acceptable. It's not acceptable anywhere.

OP made only one mistake, IMHO - not camping at the front desk until they got a manager to talk to, so they could get ALL of their problems resolved and get their vacation back on track.

I suspect there is a management issue here, and if I were writing a letter, it certainly would not go to Hilton Head.

I totally agree! That letter would go to the top of DVC management, and a copy would be sent to HHI.

 

[marwill]

I had no idea I would be offending anyone by posting my bad experience. I don't understand what I would get out of it by making this up. I am not bashing Disney. My husband and I have so many great vacations at Disney World and Disneyland since we've met and now continuing with our children. We tried a cruise last year and loved it [although you don't have to be a DVC member to go on their cruiseline]. All the Disney hotels we've stayed at were great--clean and no bugs. But---15,000 dollars later I don't see any excuse for it! I posted my experience to see if this had happened to anyone else and what they did about it and to inform--I am glad to learn that this is not becoming the "norm" with the DVC rooms.

 

[lizanne]

marwill, You certainly didn't offend me. I'm shocked by how defensive some of the replys are.

I've been a DVC member since 1992 and there have been a few times my husband waited in the villa for calls from or meetings with supervisors because of "persistant" problems (air conditioning, plumbing, telephones not working, room keys not working). One time we were issued 56 different park tickets before we were finally able to use them without coming back to the front desk because of a problem (8 people - 7 trys before they got it right).

Having said that, the good definitely outways the bad and we can't wait for our next trip.

I've never been to HH, but I have to tell you bugs freak me out. I would have been at that front desk in a heartbeat.

 

[gjw007]

I had no idea I would be offending anyone by posting my bad experience. I don't understand what I would get out of it by making this up. I am not bashing Disney. My husband and I have so many great vacations at Disney World and Disneyland since we've met and now continuing with our children. We tried a cruise last year and loved it [although you don't have to be a DVC member to go on their cruiseline]. All the Disney hotels we've stayed at were great--clean and no bugs. But---15,000 dollars later I don't see any excuse for it! I posted my experience to see if this had happened to anyone else and what they did about it and to inform--I am glad to learn that this is not becoming the "norm" with the DVC rooms.

Marwill;

You comments weren't offensive but some of the responses were. Having spent 10 years in the hospitality industry (small, locally owned 100-room hotel in Grand Forks, ND), what you describe could (and has) happened even though the staff would try to prevent such incidents at the hotel where I work. Occassionally we would have a pest control problem, usually when there was construction in the area driving the critters from their natural habitat. Although we would hire pest control specialists to resolve the problem, it still took time. Mice were a big factor in many of these. Sometimes we would have problems with installed equipment such as windows. These are not easily replaced as they present a large capital expenditure and must be budgeted. The problems with these items wouldn't show up until years after the contruction had occurred. Sometime people have bad days for a variety of purposes. Even though a room may be listed as clean, guests would check into a dirty room. It was embarrassing. So unfortunately, problems can and do happen. A problem is that they do leave a lasting impression that may not represent the quality of the service even though we tried to take care of these items in a timely fashion. Your level of detail was fine as you presented it to the staff at the hotel while there; they had an obligation to check and correct the issue. You didn't need to write a detail thesis here explaining the difficulties on this board.

It is unfortunate that someone suggested that you sell your DVC membership because you had some complaints. As noted by others, there are some very sensitive people who feel that any comment that may be construed as a negative needs an immediate and strong response. Suggestions to you that could have helped resolve the problems in a more timely manner are always helpful and provide addition information to others on how they can resolve similiar issues. No place is perfect.

 

[Doctor P]

marwill,

I am so glad that you made a few more posts to further explain the problems you have had. Right or wrong, there have been a number of posts made on the DIS that are "troll posts" (posts that are not true and are designed to deliberately post bad information or get people needlessly upset) and so people are very much on the look out so as to not get taken in by such posts. You did nothing wrong, but it is also understandable that some people were very skeptical to begin with. You will notice that when you made your second and third posts to further explain your problems and your expectations, the skepticism pretty much disappeared. I hope that you will write the letter and let us know what response you receive. Thanks for posting your experiences!

 

[PBB]

Marwill,

I dont think you were out of line to voice your concerns or your complaint. However, this is not the forum to voice your dissapointment or concerns of your membership at DVC or at WDW. I am not a frequent poster as well and the reason I am not is because of the "Public Stoning" that one has to endure on this board when you state something negative about DVC. I have been in the same boat that you are in now. DVC has become almost cult like to some and when you add the freedom to run off at the mouth on the internet it can be a dangerous thing........ I have spoken to the GM before at HHI and she stated that she does read these boards. So, I believe your opinion will be heard here. My only suggestion to you if you are not happy with the state of the room just call the front desk they will get someone over to take care of things.

I believe the problem with HHI is that the housekeeping and maintenance staff are beyond the umbrella of WDW operations. The economic area at HH does not allow for a working class and I think Disney has problem finding qualified people at these positions. I have been to HHI 12-15 times over the years and I have noticed the little things that need atttention, (showerheads coming out of the wall, toilets loose beds in bad shape, etc.) I rarely see these issues at WDW. I have to admit my pet peeve at HHI is the morning that I check out the housekeeping staff will knock on the door to see if I have left. Even though the "privacy" tag is on the door knob they keep coming. I have had to make a sign and tape it on the door stating "we have not left" In fact, we have had phone calls to see if we are out. I understand they want to jump on the room and get it clean for the next customer, however, check out time is 11:00 am and it shouldl be respected.

Don't give up on HHI or DVC and expressing your concerns is the only way it will keep things to a high level of standards.

Good Luck !

 

[JimMIA]

I have spoken to the GM before at HHI and she stated that she does read these boards.

The GM's time would be much better spent inspecting rooms. Housekeeping staffs everywhere clean. That's all they do, and they clean to the standards enforced by the property. Unless someone is going behind them to a)double-check on the cleanliness, and b) look for unreported problems, you are always going to have dirty rooms and things that don't work.

A typical problem in many hotels is that the GM's delegate everything and check nothing. Then, when a problem occurs, they blame it on their subordinate. It's really a top management problem, not a housekeeping staff problem. When you see problems of the "shower head falling out of the wall" magnitude, you have a major management problem.

If you're reading this, Ms. GM, get off the computer and go to work!